Although Kaltyr had resolved herself to kill, she was also fully aware that her agility did not even remotely come close to what her new opponent was capable of, and so chose to give the furball just one more chance to redeem itself and flee. If it did not take it, the girl would really end its life.

Slowly and carefully, so as to avoid stepping on any sticks and startling the beast, Kaltyr backpedaled a few meters and crouched beside a tree. There, she observed that the fluffy cat was clearly not satisfied with the distance she had placed between them, and wanted more. It would probably continue threatening her until she left its sight completely, but that would not do for Kaltyr. She wasn’t going to lose her hard-earned food to a mangey level 1 cat, and it hadn’t accepted her offer of leaving with what it could carry. It wanted all of the fish, and she wasn’t going to let it have its way. She was going to give it a warning shot.

With fury rising in her heart, Kaltyr scanned the ground at her feet and picked out the largest rock she could find. Since she didn’t want to hinder the healing process of the wound on her thigh any longer than necessary, she’d have to fight from as far away as possible if one broke out. However, her only sustainable projectiles were the stones lying about, which weren’t nearly as effective as a stab from her knife or even regular close-quarters combat. Kaltyr wasn’t sure of whether she was capable of causing enough damage to her opponent with such a method, but it was the best she could come up with on the spot. Maybe if she was guaranteed more time to think about the matter she would be able to come up with a better plan, but as things stood, nothing was guaranteed. For all the girl knew, a third beast—or worse, a pack of them—could be stalking her and the cat, or on their way to them, in hopes of taking advantage of the chaos for their own gain.

Kaltyr cleared her throat, clutched the stone tightly in her right hand, pulled back the arm as far as she comfortably could, and…

There it is again, she thought, that feeling…

The impulse to channel her mana through her body and into her arm—to use the Mana Reinforcement skill—ran wild within the girl, but she refrained. The sense of danger from attempting to do it the first time was still fresh in her memory, and for now, she wasn’t going to take a chance with the skill. If the sense of danger turned out to be there for a good reason, Kaltyr would regret not hesitating to follow the impulse…especially in such a risky situation as she was in now—initiating a fight with a beast in a forest full of beasts whilst injured.

Whatever. I’ll test out the reinforcement thing within the safe zone after this.

Without moving her mana in any way, Kaltyr released the tension in her arm and sent the rock hurtling through the air at the cat guarding her own food. The girl hadn’t aimed for the head as she’d done with the dino-goose, instead broadening the range of acceptable targets to encompass the entire cat. Well, of the cat that she could see, because from her perspective, the entirety of the cat was its front side, which included its head, chest, and forelimbs.

“MRRRREEEEAAAAARRR”

With a blood-curdling cry, the cat jumped…or at least, attempted to, as Kaltyr’s projectile landed squarely on one of its paws with a crack. The furry beast, after taking the potentially crippling blow, speed-limped to one side where it hid behind a tree.

“Well, that went better than I expected!” Kaltyr snorted, before stopping herself from laughing. She still wasn’t completely on board with being the aggressor and felt conflicting emotions about her success with the rock throw. Sure, she’d gotten a hit in on the beast trying to steal from her…but it was so cute.

She violently shook her head and groaned.

“Uggghh! I have to get used to this. There’s no doubt that I’ll be killing a lot more things in my quest to survive.”

Kaltyr turned her attention back to the tree her enemy hid itself behind, noting the absence of sound and movement.

Well, if it needs a reason to escape, it’s got one now: fighting with a broken foot is a bad idea.

Still, the girl maintained her vigilance, watching out for any moves the cat made.

Who knows? She thought. It might be like a tiger in the way that they, no matter what, get revenge on poachers who hurt them. In that case, it’s best to wait for it to make the next move and keep my guard up.

Like that, with Kaltyr crouched almost fifteen meters away with rocks in each hand, watching the tree her opponent hid behind, a minute of complete silence passed. The girl now doubted whether the cat’s foot had been crushed at all, because surely it would have made a run for it in that state rather than just take cover. She even scanned the nearby trees and their branches above multiple times over, checking for movement. And besides what was caused by the wind…there was nothing. Seen, heard, or magically sensed, nothing appeared to Kaltyr as unusual…

SHIT!

Despite the agony in her thigh, Kaltyr tucked and rolled to her side, barely dodging the cat that had appeared from above.

HOW?!

Panic and adrenaline flooded the girl’s system as the cat regained its bearings after the sneak attack and jumped at her again. In a rushed response, Kaltyr wildly swung her arm with as much strength as she could muster, batting the cat aside. The girl quickly noted that, with how difficult redirecting its momentum was, the feline was definitely around thirty pounds in weight, before she stood and stepped back, making room to allow her to throw more rocks. It was then that Kaltyr noticed the stinging pain and wet sensation on her right arm.

Damn it! It scratched me when I hit it away!

Evidently, taking the time to evaluate the damage she’d taken was unwise, because she hadn’t readied herself to throw another rock by the time the cat came pouncing at her again, aiming for her face. Against the protest of her left thigh, Kaltyr placed all her weight onto it before lashing out with her other leg, kicking away her opponent this time.

Yeah, that was a better idea. Hurts my other leg, but the cat’s claws can’t get through my thick boots!

It was then that she finally noticed the distinct feeling of an “aura” coming off the cat, but did not speculate on the matter, despite something feeling off. Not wasting precious seconds this time around, the girl threw another rock at the furball that hadn’t recovered from its landing, striking the same leg, but closer to its shoulder. The attack would leave a bruise, but wasn’t enough to put the beast out of commission—as was demonstrated when it jumped back to its feet and retreated behind the trunk of another tree.

For the second time, Kaltyr did not follow it, merely observing as closely as she could. Somehow, the cat had climbed its tree with an injured paw and sneaked its way through the dense canopy above to sneak attack her from the tree she sat beside. She wouldn’t let it work again, and so fully concentrated her attention onto her opponent’s mana, which revealed its position behind the oak.

Wait, how…? No way!

Kaltyr’s eyes widened in shock as she realized what her senses were reporting to her: the cat’s mana was slowly dimming, on the verge of fading from her perception! Without any clue as to how the beast was capable of it nor any intention of letting it disappear, Kaltyr did her best to sprint to the tree. Her injury opposed her actions, but she plowed through the pain, using the burning agony to fuel her fighting spirit.

Having merely been a few meters away, not even two seconds passed before the girl was at the startled cat’s side with her knife opened and in hand. But rather than stab the beast—since it could use the opportunity to slash at her hand—Kaltyr arced her arm backwards before throwing the metal projectile.

True to the few levels she had in Small Projectile Throwing Arts, the knife struck the cat’s skull…and bounced off. She’d thrown it accurately enough, but the handle was what made contact rather than the blade.

The pain and sudden blow seemed to be too much for beast, as its mana was thrown into disorderly chaos. No longer did Kaltyr sense an aura emanating off it and no longer did its mana fade from her Magical Sense… In fact, the long-haired cat’s mana flowed into its head.

Something struck Kaltyr as odd about the entire situation, distracting her long enough for the beast to suddenly explode with speed—though not as much as it had shown earlier—dashing toward the nearest bush.

Oh, no you don’t!

With almost as fast of a reaction, Kaltyr lobbed her last rock. By the time the stone was leaving her hand, the cat had entered the large bush, so the girl aimed it to land where she thought the furball was heading.

Even before she heard the thud, the girl had picked up her knife and ran to the greenery, hoping for its death. She might have enjoyed the excitement of battle a little despite the thought of spilling the cat’s blood disturbing her, but she always kept in mind what the fighting was all for: the so called “experience” required to level up.

“HEEEEEESSS”

Upon nearing the bushes Kaltyr was met with a hiss and the sight of blood. Her projectile hit its mark, but not the preferred one. The cat hissed and scratched in her direction threateningly through the dense bush—its crushed hindlimb spilling blood everywhere as it struggled to escape.

Seeing her opponent lying helplessly among the branches and leaves, knowing that she caused its pain…all will to fight swiftly bled away, leaving a pit full of cold, nauseating guilt to sit within her belly. Kaltyr whimpered and kneaded her eyebrows.

Damn it all…

Her face scrunched up.

It may be just another beast in this dreadful place, but… Ughhh! I HAVE TO KILL IT!

Kaltyr surveyed the area for a rock large enough to finish the job as painlessly as possible, but found none.

“God fucking damn it!”

Curses naturally spewed forth from the girl as everything from the past few minutes, alongside some vague feelings, poured into her mind at once.

It wasn’t like this with the dogs, dino-goose, or fish. This cat may have tried taking what’s mine, but it didn’t attack me—I was ultimately the one to start the fight. It’s I who was out for blood.

Kaltyr returned to the cat’s side, which still struggled to move due to its myriad of injuries. It continued its futile attempts at intimidation, looking Kaltyr in the eye with what she assumed was wrath and pain. Despite it all, the girl felt impelled to reach down and stroke the beast. To pat its head. To hold it in her arms.

The girl hung her head—frustration boiling—aware of what had to be done.

And like with the dogs, I even got the hazy notion that this one might have become an ally, somehow…but I didn’t take the chance.

Once again, the girl balanced herself on her injured leg and lifted the other one up, heel pointed down.

“I’m really not suited for this kind of life—this world.”

With all the strength she could gather and control, she sent her boot down onto the cat’s skull.