Episode 3: Fire? What’s That? / Episode 4: The Great Boar Disaster

Episode 3: Fire? What’s That?

Kulastog sat cross-legged in front of his first-ever successful hunt. A small, defenseless rabbit-like creature lay motionless before him.

"Alright… I have food. Now, I just need to cook it!"

He grinned. How hard could it be?

…He was about to find out.

Step 1: Make Fire

Kulastog grabbed two sticks and rubbed them together.

Nothing happened.

He rubbed them faster.

Still nothing.

"Maybe I need to do it even FASTER!"

He went all out, rubbing the sticks so hard that his hands started smoking. Literally.

"IT’S WORKING! FIRE IS COMING!"

Then—

His hands caught fire.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

He ran around the forest, screaming, before finally dunking his hands in the river.

Result: Hands? Burnt. Fire? Still nonexistent.

"Okay… maybe there’s another way to do this."

Step 2: The Genius Plan

Kulastog looked around and spotted two rocks.

"Ah-ha! I’ve seen this in movies! If I smash these together, I’ll get sparks!"

He slammed the rocks together.

Nothing happened.

He slammed them again.

Still nothing.

"Come on, work!"

He smashed them together as hard as he could.

BOOM!

One of the rocks exploded into tiny pieces, sending fragments straight into his forehead.

"OW! WHY DID IT DO THAT?!"

Kulastog fell backward, clutching his face, while the rabbit carcass lay next to him… still raw.

"This is impossible! How do people even make fire?! Do they just scream at the wood until it catches fire?!"

He stood up, pointed at the pile of sticks, and yelled at it.

"FIRE, APPEAR!"

Nothing.

"BURN, YOU STUPID WOOD!"

Still nothing.

"I COMMAND YOU TO IGNITE!"

…The wood remained wood.

Kulastog slumped down in defeat.

"I give up. Maybe I was meant to eat raw meat and die young."

Then, suddenly—

Lightning struck a tree nearby.

Kulastog’s eyes widened.

"Wait… FIRE!"

He ran toward the burning tree, grabbed a flaming branch, and carefully brought it back.

"Yes… YES! I HAVE CREATED FIRE! I AM A GENIUS!"

(Technically, nature made the fire, but let’s not ruin his moment.)

Step 3: Cooking…?

Now that he had fire, it was time to cook. He placed the rabbit meat on a random stick and held it over the flames.

"Now, I just need to wait until it turns golden brown."

Five minutes passed.

Ten minutes.

Fifteen.

Kulastog sniffed. Something smelled… off.

He looked at his meat.

It was still raw.

He looked at his fire.

It had already burned out.

"…What?!"

He stared at the uncooked meat, then at the dead fire, then back at the meat.

"DID I JUST WASTE 30 MINUTES FOR NOTHING?!"

He groaned, restarted the fire (which took another hour), and tried again.

Final Attempt: Success(?)

After much suffering, Kulastog finally cooked the meat properly. He took a bite, expecting a taste of pure victory.

Instead, it tasted like burnt sadness.

"…This is terrible."

He chewed slowly, tears forming in his eyes. But it was food.

"Whatever… at least I won’t starve."

And so, for the first time in his life, Kulastog successfully hunted, made fire, and cooked his own food.

He was still weak, still clueless, and still an idiot—but now, he was a survivor.

Skill Unlocked: Cooking!

As Kulastog finished his questionable meal, a strange sensation washed over him.

A voice echoed in his mind:

[Ding!] Skill Unlocked: Cooking (Beginner Level)!

Kulastog's eyes widened.

"Wait… did I just level up my cooking skill?!"

He looked at his burnt, flavorless meat.

"If this is beginner level… what was I before? Negative level?!"

Even though his food tasted like sadness, the system had recognized his efforts.

"Alright! I may be weak, but at least I won’t die from food poisoning now!"

He clenched his fist in triumph.

"Next time, I’ll make a meal that doesn’t taste like charcoal!"

Thus, Kulastog unlocked his first skill—not combat, not magic, but cooking.

Survival was just the beginning. Up next?

Episode 4: The Great Boar Disaster

Kulastog was feeling confident. He had survived hunger, learned to cook, and leveled up to Level 5.

"I’m basically a survival expert now!"

Then, his stomach rumbled violently.

"Alright, time for my next mission—finding food!"

This time, instead of hunting a small, easy target, Kulastog locked eyes on a massive, terrifying, muscle-bound boar.

NEW QUEST: Hunt the Giant Boar!

Reward: EXP + A week’s worth of food

Risk: Death

"Pshh, it’s just a pig! How hard could it be?"

…He was about to find out.

Plan A: Stealth Mode (Instant Failure)

Kulastog crouched low, moving slowly toward the boar.

"I’ll sneak up, shoot it in the butt, and win instantly!"

He carefully pulled out his bow, took aim, and—

SNAP!

A twig betrayed him.

The boar’s ears twitched.

It slowly turned its massive head and stared directly at him.

For a moment, everything was silent.

Then—

“SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!”

"WHY DOES IT SOUND LIKE A DEMON?!"

The boar charged like a rampaging bull.

Kulastog panicked and shot his arrow.

The arrow flew straight into a tree… five meters away from the boar.

"I AM SO BAD AT THIS!"

Plan B: Hand-to-Hand Combat (Why? Just Why?)

Kulastog grabbed a big stick.

"Fine! If arrows don’t work, I’ll just beat the life out of it!"

He charged at the boar like a hero in an anime.

The boar did not stop.

"Wait… why isn’t it stopping?"

It was at this moment that Kulastog realized… he had made a huge mistake.

BOOOM!

The boar body-slammed him into the air like a ragdoll.

He crashed into a tree and fell face-first into the dirt.

-20 HP

"I think my spine is now a question mark…"

Plan C: The Emergency Escape Plan (A.K.A RUN!)

Kulastog stood up, wobbly, and screamed:

"FORGET THIS! I’M RUNNING!"

He turned and sprinted like his life depended on it.

(The sad part? It actually did.

The boar chased him at full speed.

"WHY IS THIS THING SO FAST? IT’S BUILT LIKE A REFRIGERATOR!"

He jumped over roots, dodged trees, and screamed the whole way.

Then—he tripped.

"OH COME ON!"

The boar launched itself at him, tusks first.

"This is it… I’m gonna die."

Kulastog closed his eyes.

Then—

THWACK!

A perfectly aimed arrow pierced the boar’s side.

The beast staggered back, growling in pain.

Kulastog blinked.

"Wait… I didn’t shoot that."

A shadowy figure stood on a tree branch above.

A cool-looking hunter with a sleek bow smirked down at him.

"Hmph. You fight like an idiot."

Kulastog gasped dramatically.

"MY FIRST MENTOR!"

The hunter sighed.

"More like my first headache…"

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