Of course, the people of this world had much hardier constitutions as well. Aside from the bloodline gifts possessed by a rare few, they had greater stamina, greater resistance to cold, and stronger vitality.
Even so, when facing the various wild beasts of this world, even well-trained warriors could easily suffer casualties.
It seemed that under the same conditions, no matter the world, wild plants and animals were better than humans at adapting in certain respects.
The warriors of Bear Island ranked among the toughest in the North. Even so, they did not dare casually hunt groups of more than twenty or thirty seals or walruses, because doing so often came with heavy casualties.
In times of extreme scarcity, they had risked such hunts many times. Without exception, they had paid a terrible price every time. Those who died in the process were usually older warriors who had already passed their prime childbearing years.
The North had a tradition that, though noble, was rather cruel. Whenever a bad year struck, the white-haired elders would leave the younger people as much chance of survival as possible, then venture into the mountain forests in groups to live by hunting. By the time winter passed, almost none of them would return to their families.
And whenever war broke out, these white-haired warriors made up the largest proportion of the northern army. Their martial prowess was not particularly exceptional, but because they had already regarded the campaign as a journey of no return, they could often fight with tremendous ferocity.
The herd of walruses Danyla and the others discovered this time numbered over a hundred. Across the entire Frozen Shore, they were practically invincible unless they encountered whales or giant sharks.
So after finishing their meal, they lay on the floating ice in utter