Ch.1Chapter 1

Do you know about the monster called Wendigo?

It’s not strange if you don’t. The Wendigo is a monster that few people know about unless they’re deeply immersed in fantasy.

The Wendigo is a monster that originated in cold regions, a type of Djin. Naturally, the reason it’s called a monster is because the Wendigo is an evil spirit.

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

The Wendigo belongs to a rather unusual category among such evil spirits. Although called a spirit, the Wendigo possesses a physical body.

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

The Wendigo is a monster that wears a deer skull and walks on two legs. 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, the Wendigo had a nasty temperament.

In the already harsh northern regions, it manipulated snow, frost, and cold to torment people and hunted those lost in the forest. How could such an evil spirit that captured the souls of those who died in the forest, condemning them to suffering, have a pleasant disposition?

Of course, such stories had little to do with ordinary people. On Earth, the Wendigo was nothing more than a legend.

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

The reflection in the icy river water beneath the snow-covered forest confirmed it was indeed the Wendigo he knew.

The only difference was that instead of wearing a deer skull, he had a shell shaped like a deer skull protecting his head.

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 two reverse-jointed legs instead of human legs, and a strange body that was slender yet packed with muscle.

There wasn’t a single human aspect about him. He wished it was just a dream, but his consciousness was far too vivid.

The Wendigo looked up at the sky and lamented.

“I should have asked to be born as a dragon or a wyrm…”

While others possessed dragons, wyrms, or world-ending monsters.

He possessed a Wendigo.

His luck was truly terrible.

* * *

The Wendigo quickly overcame his confusion. After all, crying and making a fuss wouldn’t 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 needed to survive first.

‘The first thing I need to do is adapt to this body… and secure food, clothing, and shelter.’

Fortunately, or perhaps not, moving his body wasn’t uncomfortable.

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

‘Looking at it this way, maybe it’s fortunate I didn’t possess a dragon or wyrm… or maybe not.’

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

Wandering without a destination, he stopped in front of a suitable tree. The large, sturdy-looking tree embodied the majesty of nature itself.

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

He placed his claw on the bark. He wanted to test the hardness and sharpness of his claws.

‘Even a legendary monster shouldn’t be weak.’

He wasn’t expecting to be as strong as a troll or Ogre. But surely a monster should be stronger than a bear, right?

It would be enough to leave claw marks like a bear or tiger. That level of strength would be sufficient to handle beasts. He needed at least that much to survive.

With a mixture of excitement and concern, he carefully scratched the bark and…

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

Not understanding what had happened, the Wendigo stared blankly at his claw embedded in the tree.

A few seconds passed.

The Wendigo startled and pulled out his claw. A clean hole appeared in the tree as if it had always been there.

He fiddled with his claw for a moment before examining the hole in the tree. Besides the sharpness of his claw, strangely, the hole was covered with frost.

‘Do my claws emit cold?’

It seemed implausible, but considering that the Wendigo was a legendary monster, it wasn’t that strange. To confirm, he swung his claw at the tree this time.

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 would put any bear to shame.

‘I’m stronger than I thought?’

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

At least he wouldn’t have to worry about being outmatched against 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 watched his fist charging toward the tree and let out an exclamation.

How stupid to swing his fist at a tree.

He grimaced at the impending pain.

KWAJIJIK!

“…Huh?”

But what struck his head wasn’t pain but sound.

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

He checked his fist. His fist was fine, but the tree was not.

The bark had burst and split.

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.

Blinking his eyes, he thought.

Perhaps 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… exceptional. Not just exceptional, but astonishingly so.

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

A kick could shatter solid rocks in one go.

Despite his 3-meter tall body, he could move without making a sound. Even the deer he encountered didn’t notice his presence until he breathed.

“Plus the ability to manipulate cold. This body has everything.”

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

Indeed, a legendary monster is a monster. He swung the sword at a tree. The sword split the tree in half in one stroke.

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

Yes, what does it matter if he’s a monster? Survival is what’s important!

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

He tapped his shoulder with the ice sword, pondering. While clothes only needed to cover his lower body, a home was important.

Whether this was Earth or another world, people wouldn’t likely be friendly to monsters. If so, he needed to hide thoroughly.

It would be best to live in a deep part of the forest, in a suitably spacious and cozy cave. Unless someone was an extreme adventurer, they wouldn’t come to such a place.

Having made up his mind, the Wendigo headed toward the direction where the slope increased. If this was a mountain or hill, that direction would likely lead to deeper areas.

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

‘This is a perfectly good plan.’

Satisfied with his calm judgment, he was walking when a bear’s roar echoed from far away.

The Wendigo stopped and fell into thought. Could he catch a bear right now?

It might seem like a random thought, but he had never used his abilities against a living animal. It was natural since he had only regained consciousness in this world less than a day ago.

If it was something he had to do eventually, it wouldn’t be bad to try it right now. Moreover, if he could defeat a bear, it meant he could definitely defeat weaker beasts.

‘I think I can do it.’

He had good strength and could create weapons. It seemed like he could hunt a bear with 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 been running past the trees whizzing by?

He spotted the bear. Despite the considerable distance, the bear’s back was clearly visible to his eyes.

Although he had never hunted before, he had learned through various videos, games, and books that ambush was the best when hunting.

Especially stabbing the back is fatal, regardless of whether it’s a beast or human. He raised his spear and aimed at the bear.

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

Although he took a stance driven by an inexplicable excitement, why would someone who was an ordinary modern person until yesterday have thrown a spear? Perhaps it would be better to approach quietly and stab from behind.

After a brief deliberation, the Wendigo decided to throw it.

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

What did it matter if he missed? What he needed right now was experience. If he could gain experience, missing a spear once or twice 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.

The spear pierced through the bear with remarkable accuracy.

“KYAAAAAAAK!!!”

“Great. I hit… it?”

The Wendigo, who was about to celebrate at the piercing scream, soon realized something was wrong.

Do bears… scream like women?

That couldn’t be. Even deer, which are said to scream like humans, couldn’t produce such a clear and delicate scream. Far away, as the bear hit by the spear toppled over, he saw someone in front of the bear.

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

The Wendigo let out a silent exclamation.

“Oh shit.”

Correction. He let out an exclamation mixed with profanity.

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