Chapter 6: First Hunt, a Success

I didn’t lift a finger.

No fire, no extra ingredients—nothing.

All I did was channel a small stream of mana into the pot.

And just like that, the cooking completed itself.

Is this the power of a skill? 

Incredible.

Steam billowed up from the finished dish.

A chunk of meat, perfectly cooked and coated in a bright red sauce, glistened invitingly.

Even a doll with no sense of hunger might feel tempted.

It even produced its own sauce? 

Mana really is a miracle substance.

Oh, and this wasn’t your average food either.

This dish had a special effect once consumed:

【Flame Bear Seasoned Meat】

┗ Grants +3 Power temporarily if fully consumed.

┗ Effects from the same dish do not stack.

┗ Taste not guaranteed.

Wow! 

A buff dish!

A whole +3 to Power!

For someone at the Normal rank, that was like gaining three full levels.

Not bad at all for a first try.

I couldn’t help but wonder—just how insane could future dishes become?

Although… the randomness of it was a little worrying.

Anyway, with the food ready, it was time to taste it.

I activated my sense of smell.

Food must be enjoyed in three stages: eyes, nose, then mouth.

The visual part? 

Already appreciated.

Time for the aroma.

Sniff sniff—

Spicy chili flakes.

Sweet sugar, salty soy sauce.

A hint of roasted garlic.

Nutty sesame oil.

And a few mystery scents mixed in for good measure.

Not bad. 

Smells good enough.

Alright, scent passes.

Now for the most important test: the taste.

I activated my sense of taste and took a big bite.

Chew.

Munch.

Nibble nibble…

BLECH—PTOO! PTOO! PTOOOOEY!!

FAILED! ABSOLUTE FAILURE!

I deactivated my taste immediately.

What the hell was that flavor?!

Even eating dirt would be better than this!

With my taste deactivated, I quietly picked up the meat I’d spat out and continued eating.

I had to finish every last bite to get the full buff effect.

I’d find more meat for the Jjokkomi later.

Couldn’t feed her something this vile.

Besides, I needed to confirm the buff effect myself.

And let’s be honest—giving a fellow doll this garbage? That’s basically cannibalism.

【Chef Bear PlushieLv.4】

┗ Pw.4 (+1)(+3)

┗ Rnk. Normal

The buff worked perfectly.

Just like the description said—Power up by 3.

Tasted like hell, but at least it was effective.

I felt stronger.

Like, actually stronger.

Shouldn’t I go do something with this power?

Wasting a temporary buff like this would be a shame.

Maybe I should scout the area again.

If I was lucky, I might find a monster weaker than me.

Surely not everything in this forest was stronger than me, right?

I sprang into action.

No more low crawling!

I wasn’t some weakling anymore!

Courage surged back into me.

Power pulsed through my tiny body—I could hardly contain it.

Striding boldly through the brush…

I spotted something. 

A rabbit.

It looked weak!

【Blood Rabbit Lv.15】

┗ Pw.30

┗ Rnk. Uncommon

…Oh.

I immediately dove back into the underbrush.

Wow, you looked way squishier than you actually are.

Guess this path was the wrong choice.

Let’s try somewhere else.

Turning as if I’d seen nothing at all, I calmly walked away.

Later, I pushed through another patch of leaves—

【Mist Snake Lv.13】

┗ Pw.26

┗ Rnk. Uncommon

Oh no.

Wrong path again.

Back into the bushes!

A short while later, I emerged into yet another clearing—

【Mist Snake Lv.14】

┗ Pw.28

┗ Rnk. Uncommon

Wait, was that the same guy as before?

Nope, the level’s higher.

Just looked identical.

Maybe they’re twins?

Whatever. 

Back into hiding I go.

Thankfully, I hadn’t been seen.

…Seriously though, why is everything I run into Uncommon rank?!

No other Normals like me?

And if they’re all high level too, how’s a poor bear doll supposed to survive out here?

The courage I’d just regained? 

Gone.

I’d let the buff get to my head.

Thought I was tough now or something.

Let’s face it: I’m still weak.

Even with the buff, +3 Power is just a drop in the bucket.

Getting cocky messed with my judgment.

Maybe I’ve gotten dumber since becoming a doll.

Or maybe I was just always dumb—even in my past life.

Anyway.

No more running wild.

I’m going back to my hidey-hole.

With a defeated sigh, I dropped into a low crawl and began worming my way back to safety.

So much for hunting…

But then, just as I was dragging myself through the underbrush,

Something emerged from the other side.

A rat—about my size.

And I could sense mana from it.

Definitely a monster.

Though I guess regular animals could have mana too…

Whatever. 

If it’s got mana, I’m calling it a monster. 

My rules.

【Venomfang Rat Lv.3】

┗ Pw.6

┗ Rnk. Uncommon

“Squeek?”

It froze, spotting me.

Its fur bristled with caution.

I stopped too, slowly rising to my feet.

And inwardly—I cheered.

Bingo. 

Weakling spotted.

Level 3? 

Only 6 Power?

High rank, low level.

Perfect.

Pfft.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

I can totally take this guy.

Thanks to the buff, my Power is sitting at 8.

Time to put my strength to the test.

Don’t blame me, little rat.

The natural world runs on survival of the fittest.

You’re weak—that’s your sin.

Now be a good prey and get hunted.

Zzzzzzzt!

The Venomfang Rat lunged at me first.

It had recognized me as an enemy—and worse, decided it could win.

Poor thing.

You’ve got no eye for opponents.

The one getting hunted isn’t me.

It’s you.

I charged at it just as boldly.

The underbrush rustled violently.

We collided, tumbling across the ground in a tangle of limbs.

While we were all tangled up, the Venomfang Rat sank its teeth into my body.

“Chiiik, chiiiik!”

It had this smug little expression, as if victory was already assured.

Just barely bit through my fabric with those fangs, and already looking so confident.

Ah… now I see why.

A green liquid was seeping out from its teeth and rapidly spreading into my body.

So that’s why it was so sure of itself.

The green stuff must’ve been poison.

After all, “Venomfang” meant it had venomous fangs.

But poison doesn’t work on me.

Sorry, but I’m a doll.

No nerves, no muscles, no cells—nothing for poison to mess with.

I moved without issue, completely unaffected.

Then, I pummeled the rat several times with my cotton fists like it was nothing.

“Chii? Chiiiik?”

Its expression twisted in disbelief.

What’s wrong?

Surprised your poison didn’t work?

The rat retaliated by whipping me across the face with its tail.

The impact made one of the buttons on my face shake loose.

Oh no!

I immediately broke away from it and clutched the button, securing it back to my face.

That was close.

A little more and I might’ve gone blind.

This button was my eye. 

I couldn’t afford to lose it.

After narrowly avoiding disaster…

“Haap!”

I leapt back into the fight.

We rolled and tangled again, throwing ourselves into a frenzied grapple.

And just as we were locked in a desperate struggle—

Crunch.

I heard the dry crunch of a leaf being stepped on.

What the—

Now is not a good time for an interruption.

Startled, both the Venomfang Rat and I turned toward the sound.

【Blood Rabbit Lv.15】

┗Pw.30

┗Rnk. Uncommon

Why is that thing here?

Wait… did it follow me after noticing my presence earlier?

This was bad.

A Level 15? 

No way I could beat that.

If it stepped in, both me and the rat would be dead meat.

Hey, rat. 

Maybe this isn’t the time for us to be fighting each other?

How about a temporary truce?

Not that we’d win even if we joined forces…

Just as I was bracing for disaster—

“Huuuuh…?”

The Blood Rabbit stepped back.

It stared at us—at the way we were tangled up—then…

Oh no.

With a flustered expression, as if embarrassed, it turned and scurried back into the bushes.

What kind of misunderstanding was that?

Ridiculous as the situation was, at least the danger had passed.

“Chiiiik!”

Ack!

The moment the rabbit vanished, the rat bit into my arm.

Coward.

Attacking while I was distracted.

Stuffing burst out from my arm, but I wasn’t worried.

I grabbed the rat’s ear and yanked hard.

Hard enough to rip it clean off.

Rip!

“CHIIIIIIIIIK!”

It shrieked in pain, thrashing wildly.

Hurts, doesn’t it?

Unlike me—my arm could tear and I still wouldn’t feel a thing.

It glared, breathing heavily, fangs bared.

Then it slashed across my belly with its sharp claws.

The fabric of my stomach ripped open, and stuffing spilled out.

Along with it… something blue glinted and tumbled slightly out.

A mana stone?

So I had one of those inside me too.

I hurriedly grabbed it and stuffed it deep back into my body.

Felt like bad things would happen if it got too far away.

“Chiiiiik!”

The Venomfang Rat lunged again, fangs bared.

I barely dodged.

Just by a hair.

If I hadn’t hit Action Level 2, that attack would’ve landed for sure.

Now it was my turn.

As the rat turned its back, I pounced—tackling it to the ground with my full weight.

Maybe the poison had soaked into my stuffing?

My body felt heavier than usual, probably because of all the absorbed liquid.

“Chiiik! Chiiiik!”

The rat squirmed under me in a frenzy.

I clambered on top of its body and rained down punches without mercy.

Thud! Thud! Smack!

That’s the sound I wanted to hear.

Thunk. 

Thunk. 

Thunk.

But those were the actual sounds.

Still, despite the dull thuds, my fists were doing real damage.

The rat couldn’t fight back anymore.
 

Its flailing grew weaker with every blow.

Thunk.

Thunk. 

Thunk.

Thunk thunk thunk.

Hoo…

But seriously, when was it going to die?

This thing had a nasty grip on life.

I didn’t let up. 

I just kept punching.

It felt like I’d been at it for minutes on end.

Yet it still breathed.

“Chiiik, chiiiii…”

I grabbed the rat by the neck.

Just die already!

“Chi… chiiiiiiik…”

After a grueling, brutal battle…

The Venomfang Rat’s body finally went limp.

At the same time, the mana it emitted changed.

It no longer felt like the vibrant, pulsing mana of a living being.

Now it was calm and quiet—like that of a corpse, or a mana stone.

It didn’t twitch. 

Didn’t move.

It was dead for sure.

…I won.

I had achieved victory.

Glorious, hard-earned victory!

I stood up.

Brushed off the dirt clinging to me.

Dusted off the grass stuck to my limbs.

Then I retrieved the torn, filthy Tog Branche from the ground.

It was shredded—probably no longer wearable.

【You have unlocked the Achievement: “Struggle.”】

【You have unlocked the Achievement: “First Kill.”】

【You have unlocked the Achievement: “Slayer of a Higher Species.”】

Standing atop the corpse of the Venomfang Rat…

I raised my arm toward the sky in a triumphant pose.

I am… The Strongest.