The night sky covered the snowy ridges, countless snowflakes were falling, slowly raising the surface of the world, turning it into a white sheet. Among these snowy mountains, there was a small hole glowing with bright orange light.
Inside the cave sat two figures dressed in furs, one of them was Lin, the other was Yulan. They sat by the fire and roasted the meat of the eagle they killed today.
Lin slowly took a bite of the roasted meat and began chewing it, then swallowed, and the meat went into his stomach, filling him with warmth and satisfaction. He looked at Yulan and said:
"After several days of wandering through those grassy wastelands, I had completely forgotten the taste of real food," saying this, he took another bite of the meat and chewed it with pleasure.
Sitting opposite, Yulan nodded and replied:
"Exactly. I really missed this taste. Although the meat of this eagle is a bit tough, compared to grass, it's like..." She looked at the entrance of the cave and continued: "It's like a stone and a whole mountain!"
Lin sighed and asked:
"But this wouldn't have been possible if you hadn't found the branches. Where did you find them? There's only snow around here, and the chance of finding wooden branches is zero."
Yulan brushed her hair back and replied with a smile:
"It's simple. When we continued our journey after killing the eagle, I saw a strangely protruding thing on the way. At first, I thought it might be a stone, but looking closer at it, I realized it was a wooden stick," she slightly raised her head, as if she had done something important.
"That's how I found the branches for the fire."
After her words, Lin shook his head and thought:
"So it's just pure luck? Why am I so unlucky? Anyway, it's good that she was able to find branches for the fire, otherwise, we would have serious problems with food..."
"You really did well," he said to Yulan.
Yulan smiled even wider from Lin's praise, as if it was something important to her. Lin turned to the entrance of the cave and said in a normal tone:
"Your birthday is coming soon, and you may receive a Title. I was thinking, it would be good for you to develop your body and abilities. After all, if you really become Awakened, you will need it," he looked at the girl intently, waiting for her answer.
At such a sudden suggestion, the girl got a little nervous. But then she sighed and replied:
"I have already thought about it... I really need to level up my abilities, but I can't choose just one thing. Fighting in close combat is a bit difficult and scary for me, but at long range it's better."
Lin listened to her carefully, and when she finished, he said:
"Fear is not a problem. If you like to fight at long range, you can choose a bow for that. But we don't have one yet, but we do have this," he pointed his finger at a pile of eagle feathers. "You can try throwing them, like I did. If you watched closely, you saw that the center of gravity of my body shifted significantly when I threw the feather. That's one of the reasons they flew so well."
Yulan looked at the feathers and remembered the amazing scene when Lin threw two feathers at the eagle. She was amazed at that time and didn't immediately understand what was happening.
"You want me to learn to throw these feathers?" Yulan looked at Lin and asked.
"Yes," he simply replied.
"But... it requires long practice and work, and I'm not very physically strong..."
"That's not a problem, while we're in the Magic World, no one will disturb us. And I will teach you," Lin stood up and went to the feathers, he took one and showed it to Yulan.
"See? Have you ever played darts?"
"I haven't, but I've seen my brother play."
"That's not a problem, I didn't know how to play darts before either. But then I was taught, and I became a pro." Lin slightly extended his arm, and moving it slightly back, threw it sharply!
The feather flew at high speed and hit the wall, piercing it and getting stuck.
Yulan slightly opened her mouth in surprise, then looked at Lin and said:
"I want that too. I want to throw feathers so that they stick into the wall."
Lin smiled and said:
"Then stand up and take one feather."
...
A few hours later, Lin was sitting alone and looking at dozens of holes in the wall that were made during this period of time.
Yulan, surprisingly, turned out to be a smart girl, so her training went smoothly, without any mistakes or delays. During these hours, he taught her how to stand correctly for the throw, how to throw properly, and how much strength to apply. He also said that she would have to do physical exercises because her body was weak.
When the training was over, Yulan immediately fell asleep, and Lin sat and thought:
"Yulan's trust is rising higher and higher. If this continues, she may develop feelings for me. I was told that this is the ideal red thread of attraction, with which one can control a person without any problems."
"But is this right?" Lin scratched his head a bit and sighed: "My goals are above everything for me. If I have to control people, I will do it. So — no doubt."
"Yulan is a beautiful girl who has many admirers. What would they do if they found out that such a girl is sitting with me in a cave and sleeping? Ha-ha-ha! I think they would burst into blood because of it..." Lin fell silent and looked at the ceiling of the cave.
"I'm changing."
Lin's eyes became cold as steel.
"Is it because of Yulan? Or because of forgetfulness? Or both? Whatever it is, I must not forget my main goal: — revenge! I live for revenge. I grow because of revenge. I use people for revenge. No doubts, there is only the goal I must go to. If others stand in my way, I will kill them. If friends stand in my way, I will forgive them. If Distorted creatures stand in my way, I will tear them apart!"
Lin suddenly jumped up and took the sword in his right hand. When he was in front of the stone wall, he quickly swung his sword, hiding his anger and frustration.
Chzzz!!
A silver line like snow appeared, and the sword struck the stone wall, creating a horizontal line.
Yulan suddenly shuddered and stood up, watching the wall and Lin. She saw a perfectly straight line and Lin holding the sword in his right hand.
She quickly asked:
"What happened?"
Lin slowly sat down and answered with a cold expression:
"Nothing. I just decided to check the sharpness of this sword," he did not continue and slowly closed his eyes to meditate.
Yulan frowned but did not ask questions, feeling that the consequences would be bad. She turned to the wall and tried to fall asleep again.
Lin said nothing and made no sounds. When he finished his meditation after an hour, he decided to open the Beast Chest that he got from the eagle today.
[Do you wish to open the Beast Chest?]
—[Yes]—[No]—
He chose "Yes", and a circle appeared in front of him, spinning, and after some time, it stopped at the White section.
Lin sighed and looked at the item he received:
[Success! Lin Matrix received "Mountain Eagle Feathers" X20!]
[Mountain Eagle Feathers.]
[Rarity: White.]
[Ability: They can be thrown since their tip is very sharp. They can even pierce stone!]
[Description: Do you like my feathers?.. LIKE IT?]
Lin: "..."
To hell with these chests!