I raised the axe above my head, glaring at the target below me. I swung down with all my might, and hit my mark.

The log that I had chopped split in half, leaving behind two different pieces on each side. I gasped for air for a brief moment, letting my sore muscles relax for a while, before taking the two halves off the stump and dumping them onto the pile I had made.

I silently looked at the measly two logs I had cut, then back at the giant pile. I could only sigh and wince at the fact that I was completely sore after two measly swings of the axe.

Why was I so weak? After that level up, I should have gotten significantly stronger, right? Why was I unable to wield this weapon with ease then?

"Child, what are you doing?" Alexander asked softly as he walked towards my location, carrying a small bottle of sweet iced orange tea, "That is my job. You are to collect the firewood and put them in a pile. Put down the axe and just get back to your designated tasks."

I turned back and stared right at him, before sighing. I put the weapon down on the ground, before sulkily walking over to a nearby stump and sitting down.

He stared at me for a few seconds, before sighing and just handing me the bottle. He didn't seem pleased with what I had done just now.

"I understand that you're reckless after two weeks of doing nothing but laying around and resting, but there is no reason for you to do this strenuous task," he said softly, "Besides, you shouldn't be using that lumberjack's axe. It's larger than you are, and you'll probably destroy your muscles in the process."

I opened my mouth to argue, then quietly stopped myself from saying anything else. He made some good points, and he was being reasonable here.

I was only two years old, and I was trying to use a normal adult sized axe to go ahead and chop the firewood. I felt like slapping my forehead, primarily because I had just sabotaged the effort I put into trying to act like a two year old.

What kind of infant could use an axe that big? I felt like an idiot, and I wanted to just slam my head against a nearby wall for making such an idiotic mistake.

At the same time, I couldn't help but feel utterly disappointed in my own body. After two weeks of just sleeping, eating, and studying with Esther, I was more than ready to test the limits of my body and learn of my newfound power.

The result? Not a lot of progress. I could lift heavier stuff for a small amount of time when previously I wouldn't be able to carry them, but I was still unsatisfied. I was essentially worthless at this stage, and all I could do was just put chopped firewood into a pile.

Was it because of my extreme youth? That would provide a good point: if my current limits were defined by my age, then no wonder I was weak as all hell.

My body wasn't allowing me to advance well, and I just wasn't capable of gaining anything at this weak stage. Everything would probably be coming to fruition when I got older, at least I hoped.

I didn't want to try to grind all the way up to the hundreds and maybe thousands just to carry a single axe. That would probably take forever without a proper teacher.

I silently drank the orange tea and watched Alexander work. He seemed to be at peace as he casually lifted the axe with his right arm and swing right down, before grabbing another log and repeating the same motion.

The thing that caught my eye was how fast he was going. Already, before I could finish my tea, he had finished up more than half of the pile, and was now working on the last eight.

He moved at a speed that definitely did not correlate with his physique, and he worked with such efficiency that definitely gave off his experience. He was someone with a story, and a warrior that wielded an axe for sure.

Well, probably. That was my hypothesis based off of my current observations, and that was just a theory I had. Nothing that proved my point yet, but I knew something was up with him.

I kept watching him chop down the last eight logs, keeping an eye on his movements and making sure that I could follow what he was doing. After all, with his experience, maybe I could pick something up with basic observation.

However, he finished way too quickly for me to grab any kind of information easily. In fact, there was not a lot of time for me to just watch and investigate, because he had finished within a single minute.

"I'm done. Please collect the firewood and put them into a neat pile," he said softly as he took the axe and began to carry it back to the cabin, "I'll be right back."

I watched him go, before heading over and stacking the split logs in the shape of a pyramid. I worked meticulously and silently, thinking about the circumstances of my current scenario.

Even though I did get stronger, the power levels weren't as drastic as I wanted. I wished that I had the power to look at other people's statuses and figure out their numbers so that I could compare theirs to mine.

Without that kind of comparison available, I was lost in where I stood in terms of capability. Was I nearly as strong as the guards in the village? Was I reaching the strength that Alise was? There were so many questions and I didn't know how to get them all answered.

I wish I had a guide to learning how my system worked. Just trying to do all of this blind was really irritating me, since I would have to put time and effort into spouting different codewords, hoping to find some kind of answer to my problem.

Nothing came to me. No strokes of inspiration, nothing to help me out in this mental battle, nothing to provide me security and safety.

All I got was just random blabber from my brain that didn't help me at all. Nothing that could give me an 'aha' moment to figure out the solution to this mystery and come out like Sherlock Holmes after accomplishing an impossible task.

I was just lost. I was a lamb that found itself in a random field with nothing to help it find its way back, without any kind of clues or help to bring any sense to the matter.

Well, at least all of that thinking let me go on auto-pilot mode and finish up stacking up all these logs easily. I looked at my work, and nodded delightfully as I casually stretched my shoulders.

I had set up four pyramids of logs, all set perfectly and neatly. Each and every log was accounted for, with none of them just laying around on the grass.

The best part was that I barely broke a sweat doing any of this. That had been way too easy, and I couldn't help but feel a little proud of myself, especially since I had been able to complete all of this within a few minutes.

"You finished already?" asked Alexander as he came back, carrying what appeared to be two pastries in his left hand, "That was quick. Then again, you are quite strong for a two year old."

He then handed me one of the pastries, which I gingerly took with both of my hands. I silently stared at the bread, and couldn't help but feel giddy about the prospect of eating this delight.

The entire roll was glazed on top with some strange pale yellow gel, that seemed to glisten in the sunlight. The crust was crisp and airy, and the bread had been stuffed with something that was thick and crumbly.

"It's a small snack," Alexander stated as he took a casual bite of his roll, "A simple roll that has a honey glaze on top with pork stuffing."

I nodded casually, before silently thanking him for the meal mentally, then bit down.

The food wasn't bad. In fact, this was the perfect pick-me-up I needed after a short exercise. I just wished the meat was seasoned with something at least.

Still, I did finish off the entire bun, and got ready to keep on working. After all, I had just gotten my little lunch break, so I was good to keep on going.

"Alright, your next job should be something that you're familiar with," Alexander said casually as he started to wipe the crumbs off his beard, "You just need to clean up the floor of the cabin, ensure that there's no dust on the tables, and fix the bed. Try not to move anything out of order."

"Okay," I said simply, before moving on back to the house and sighing as I moved. Honestly, this day was boring enough, I just wanted all of my work to be over.

Maybe if I finished all the house work fast enough, I could go ahead and go study some more with Esther.

I almost finished learning the alphabet, so being able to read stories and gather information should be within my grasp. That was something I wanted to do for sure, and having Esther help me was a bonus.

She was someone I could honestly call a kindred spirit, and a potential excuse to get rid of my status as 'unique' off my hands.

As soon as I got to the cabin, I got to work immediately. I wiped down all of the tables with a damp rag, brushed the floor down with a broom, and worked on the bed.

I was halfway through the process of straightening out the blankets when the doctor came inside, dressed in a thick coat and some hiking boots, along with a belt that had a decently long dagger strapped to it.

"Ah, I see that you're almost done with all your work for the day," the doctor said softly as they casually went over to the corner and grabbed a large backpack, "Are you going anywhere after you have finished?"

"I did plan to go to the village center to hang out with Esther again," I replied, while diligently continuing my work, "Why?"

"Is it too much to ask that you hang out with her tomorrow?" he asked, and I couldn't help but turn towards him in confusion, "I will give you the day off tomorrow to hang out with your friends at the village center to make up for this hassle."

I stared at him, thinking about the scenario. What did this guy want me to do that would need me to stay longer? This was my first day of work, there was zero chance that I was going to learn anything about pharmacology.

What was going to happen now? This situation could lead to anything, but I could get some idea based on current observations.

For example, how the doctor was dressed in some thick clothing and was getting a large pack. Obviously, he was going to go hiking, and was most likely going to invite me to travel around with him.

This meant three things. A: He was a nature hobbyist, and wanted to explore the area around him. B: He's a hiking fanatic, and wanted to go hiking with someone. Or, C: He's probably going to go collect ingredients.

At this moment, there was only one outcome I wanted to happen, and that was option C. Even though the chances of A and B occurring were still relatively high, I really doubted the doctor was going to go and get a two year old to hike and explore with him.

Besides, if he was going to explore or hike, he'd have some kind of weapon with him, and I really don't think he's a warrior at all. He doesn't give off the vibe of a trained combatant that had to cut down foes to survive.

There's also the fact that I don't believe the doctor would willingly go ahead and explore the forest after what happened to me. That would definitely act as a deterrent for anyone to go through the forest by themselves, or even the mountains.

After all, he was the one saying how dangerous those two locations were, so we're not going to do anything too strenuous.

Right now, there was no issues in denying his request. If anything, that would probably set me back in my attempts to make some kind of deal with him to learn his craft.

Best to take the offer and march onwards.

"Alright," I said, "Let's go."

"Good!" The doctor stated happily as he hefted the bag over his shoulder, "Come on then, let's get going. If we're fast enough, we'll be able to be done before the moon rises."

I got off the bed, and patted the blanket down, before moving to follow him to wherever we were going.

After all, this was a good moment to try to build some better relationships. I wasn't planning on ditching any chances I could snatch my hands on.