Chapter 1

Do you know about the monster called a wendigo?

It’s not strange if you don’t. Unless you’re deeply into fantasy, most people aren’t familiar with the wendigo monster.

The wendigo is a creature originating from cold regions, a type of spirit. Naturally, the reason it’s called a monster is because the wendigo is an evil spirit.

Most people think of spirits as cute and helpful benevolent beings, but just as not all people are good, the same goes for spirits.

The wendigo belongs to a rather unique category among these evil spirits. While it’s called a spirit, the wendigo has a physical body.

The problem is that its appearance is closer to a monster than a spirit.

The wendigo is a bipedal creature wearing a deer’s skull, and even the most open-minded person would find it difficult to think of it as a spirit upon seeing its appearance.

Moreover, according to legend, wendigos had nasty temperaments.

In the already harsh northern regions, they tormented people by manipulating snow, frost, and cold, and hunted those who got lost in the forests. How could such an evil spirit that preyed on the vulnerable have a good nature?

There were even legends that the souls of those who died in the forests were captured by wendigos and suffered eternally, so that says it all.

Of course, such stories had little to do with ordinary people. On Earth, wendigos were just legends.

“The problem is that I’ve become a wendigo.”

The reflection in the icy river, surrounded by a snow-covered forest, was indeed the wendigo he knew.

The only difference was that instead of wearing a deer’s skull, it had a shell-like structure protecting its head that resembled a deer’s skull.

He, or rather the wendigo, examined his hands. They were too large to be human hands, and above all, the sharp claws were terrifyingly menacing.

Add to that the reverse-jointed legs instead of human legs, and a strange body that was slender yet filled with muscle.

There wasn’t a single human-like aspect. He wished it was just a dream, but his mind was far too clear.

The wendigo looked up at the sky and lamented.

“I should have asked to be reborn as a dragon or a wyvern…”

While others were being possessed by dragons or world-ending monsters,

He had been possessed by a wendigo.

Talk about terrible luck.

---

The wendigo quickly overcame his confusion. After all, no amount of crying or fussing would turn him back into a human.

It was a hundred times more beneficial to spend that time thinking about what to do next. Becoming a monster was sad, but he had to survive first, right?

‘The first thing to do is adapt to this body… and take care of food, clothing, and shelter.’

Fortunately, or unfortunately, moving his body wasn’t uncomfortable.

Maybe it was because, except for the reverse-jointed legs, sharp claws, and the shell resembling a deer’s skull, he still resembled a human being.

‘If you think about it this way, it’s fortunate I wasn’t possessed by a dragon or wyvern… or maybe not.’

The wendigo, trying to think positively, shook his head. No matter how you looked at it, a dragon would still be better than a wendigo.

As he wandered aimlessly, he stopped in front of a suitable tree. The large, sturdy-looking tree embodied the spirit of great nature.

He stroked the bark. It seemed quite solid, perfect for testing.

He placed his claw on the bark. He intended to test the strength and sharpness of his claws.

‘Surely a legendary monster wouldn’t be weak.’

He didn’t even expect to be as strong as a troll or ogre. But surely, as a monster, he should at least be stronger than a bear?

It would be enough if he could leave claw marks like a bear or tiger. That level of strength would be sufficient to deal with beasts. He needed at least that much to survive from now on.

With a mix of excitement and worry, he carefully scratched the tree bark and…

His claw sank into the tree as if it were piercing tofu.

Unable to comprehend the situation, the wendigo stared blankly at his claw, now one with the tree.

A few seconds passed.

The wendigo, startled, pulled out his claw. A gaping hole appeared in the tree, as if it had always been there.

He fiddled with his claw for a moment, then examined the hole in the tree. Not only was the claw incredibly sharp, but strangely, the hole was covered in frost.

‘Is there cold energy in the claws?’

It seemed impossible at first, but considering that wendigos were legendary monsters, it wasn’t that strange. To confirm, this time he swung his claw at the tree.

Kwagagak!

With a sound like a chainsaw passing through, a clear wound appeared on the tree, and once again, frost formed. The wendigo marveled at himself.

It was more than just a wound; a third of the tree had been shaved off by his claw. This level of destructive power far surpassed that of a bear.

‘It’s stronger than I thought?’

Although he hadn’t used it on a living beast yet, he figured that an animal’s hide and flesh would be softer than a tree.

At least he wouldn’t have to worry about being overpowered by beasts due to lack of weapons.

Unable to contain his joy, he raised his fist. The problem was that his height was about twice that of an adult male.

He exclaimed as he watched his fist rushing towards the tree.

How stupid to swing a fist at a tree.

He grimaced, anticipating the incoming pain.

Kwajijik!

“… Huh?”

However, what struck his head wasn’t pain, but sound.

Moreover, the sound of something breaking. Since there was no pain, at least it wasn’t his hand that was shattered…

He checked his fist. His fist was fine, but the tree wasn’t.

The tree’s bark had burst and split open.

A wound that would be difficult to create even if you swung a sledgehammer at a rotten tree was vividly present on the living tree.

He blinked and thought.

Maybe living as a wendigo instead of a dragon wouldn’t be so bad after all.

---

The wendigo had to admit. His body was definitely abnormally… excellent. Not just excellent, but astonishingly so.

He outran a deer he encountered by chance in an instant.

A kick could shatter solid rocks in one go.

He could even move silently with his 3-meter tall body. Even the deer he met by chance didn’t notice his presence until he made a breathing sound.

“And on top of that, the ability to manipulate cold. This body has no weaknesses.”

The wendigo gripped the ice sword in his hand. It was amazing enough that he could shape a sword by controlling cold energy, but the ice was hard enough to withstand his monstrous strength.

Indeed, legendary monsters were monsters for a reason. He swung the sword at a tree. The sword split the tree in half in one strike.

At least now that he didn’t have to worry about dying from weakness, the wendigo gained confidence.

Yeah, so what if he was a monster? Survival was what mattered!

“Food, clothing, shelter. For food, I can hunt beasts, but what about clothes and a home?”

He pondered, tapping his shoulder with the ice sword. Clothes, well, as long as he had enough to cover his lower body it would suffice, but a home was important.

Whether this was Earth or another world, he didn’t think people would treat monsters kindly. If so, he would need to live in hiding.

If possible, it would be best to stay in a reasonably spacious and cozy cave deep in the forest. Unless they were extreme adventurers, no one would come looking for him there.

Having made up his mind, the wendigo started walking towards the direction where the slope increased. If this was a mountain or hill, that direction was more likely to lead to deeper areas.

Settling in a deep area would eliminate worries about encountering humans. Then he could satisfy his hunger by hunting beasts or gathering fruits, and solve the clothing issue with animal hides.

‘This seems like a good enough plan.’

Satisfied with his own calm judgment, he was walking when suddenly, the roar of a bear echoed from far away.

The wendigo stopped in his tracks, lost in thought. Could he catch a bear right now?

It might seem like an abrupt thought, but he had never actually used his abilities against a living animal. Of course, it made sense since he had only regained consciousness in this world less than a day ago.

If it was something he had to do eventually, it might not be a bad idea to try it now. Moreover, if he could defeat a bear, it meant he could definitely defeat any beast weaker than a bear.

‘I think I can do it.’

He was strong and could create weapons. It seemed like he could hunt a bear with relative ease. And if things went wrong, he could always run away.

He reshaped the sword in his hand into a spear and dashed through the forest, tracking the sound.

How long had he run past the swiftly passing trees?

He spotted the bear. Although there was quite a distance between them, the bear’s back was clearly visible to his eyes.

He had never actually hunted before, but he had learned from various videos, games, and books that ambush was the best when hunting.

Especially stabbing the back was fatal for both beasts and humans alike. He raised his spear and aimed at the bear.

‘Will this work? I’ve never thrown a javelin before.’

Though he took his stance, driven by an inexplicable excitement, how could someone who had been an ordinary modern person until yesterday have any experience throwing spears? It might be better to approach quietly and stab from behind.

After a moment’s hesitation, the wendigo decided to just throw it.

In a situation where fights might continue to occur in the future.

So what if he missed? What he needed right now was experience. If he could gain experience, missing once or twice with the spear wasn’t a big deal. He cast aside his hesitation and threw the spear.

Of course, his spear was no ordinary spear. Matching his height, it was over 3 meters long, and the spearhead was sharp and large. It was closer to a ballista than a spear.

Combined with the wendigo’s monstrous strength, the spear literally tore through the air and flew.

The spear demonstrated amazing accuracy and pierced the bear in one go.

“Kyaaaaaak!!!”

“Great. I hit… it?”

The wendigo was about to cheer at the piercing scream, but soon realized something was off.

Do… bears scream like women?

That couldn’t be right. Even deer, said to scream like humans, couldn’t produce such a clear and delicate scream. As the bear hit by the spear toppled over in the distance, he could see someone in front of the bear.

It was a woman. No matter how much he denied it and blinked his eyes, the clear image of a woman was captured in his two eyes.

The wendigo let out a silent exclamation.

“Oh shit.”

Correction. He let out an expletive-laced exclamation.

It seemed his resolve to not be discovered by humans had been derailed from the very first day.