(protagonist’s POV)

I noticed a problem as I sit in front of the fire in my house, eating the mat of the bear that I killed last week. I preserved it freezing the food outside. The problem… I don’t have a name. I know that I had a name in my previous life, but I can’t remember it at all. Not that I mind, but it’s troublesome to not have a name.

I look to the axe leaning on the wall. Norse mythology huh? Well, let’s adopt a norse name. Jokul should be fine. It means ice, for what I remember. After all, I appeared in the middle of the ice. Alright, problem solved. After I’m done eating, I go out of the house, where a mound of dirt waits. I’m making some charcoal.

It’s the third time this week, since I’m gathering charcoal to cook meat without much smoke. Of course, I’d like to smoke meat, but I’d like to hunt a lot. After all, it would be boring to hole up on my shelter. I raise my right hand, and with the sound cutting air, the axe comes to my hand.

With him, I open the mound, looking to the charcoal. Good, this will do. Hanging the axe on my back, I take a basket that I made of braided willow bark. It’s already half-filled, so I fill it up and store int inside the shelter. Alright, I should go out and explore a bit. I have a good sense of direction, so this should be easy.

I start wandering through the forest. From time to time, I make a mark on the trees with the axe. Man, this five years old body I nice to use. It has power to compensate for the size, and it can be helpful when sneaking around. even though the axe is too big for my size, I can wave it around easily without getting tired.

Kami-sama told me about monsters. I wonder if there’s some to fight in this forest? Not that I’m a blood thirsty guy, but I can’t help but like fighting, since I had my time in high school. Good times. And true to my foreshadow abilities, I meet a monster.

I looks somehow like a bear… but it’s almost five meters tall while standing, with long and sharp claws, and a horn coming out of it’s forehead, his fur is perfectly white. Of course, it has a demonic looking face. What’s with this thing, it’ a perfect monster. Well, it may be intelligent, so let’s try communication.

I smile with sympathy, saying as I raise my hand in a friendly gesture:

(Jokul): “Hello, Kuma-san! My name is-“

(Bear?): “GAHHHH!”

(Jokul): “IT isn’t GAAHH!”

I retort as I take a step back, avoiding the swipe attack. I order the axe to come to my hand, and he detaches itself from my back and comes t my palm, way quicker than drawing it. the bear comes again with is paw, and I jump over him, landing behind him, easily leaping three meters high and five in distance.

I make a quick spin and sever one of it’s thick legs. He roars in pain, falling a bit to the side. I jump on his back and run on the direction of his neck. I don’t want to damage his skin too much. So, I jump and elbow-drop on the back of his head, making him fall face-first on the snow.

I release the axe and grab his horn with one hand, positioning myself on the side of the bear, with my other hand grab below the bears head. With that, I violently twist and break his neck. Good. I immediately shove his corpse in my inventory. I made some experiments, and I discovered that time doesn’t flow inside the inventory.

I’ll skin this guy later at home. Although I’m immune to the weather, I’d like some extra clothes. The guts will be the line, and the needle… well, I can make that out of wood, but it won’t be efficient. I need to find metal. I wonder if there is a mountain around here?

I know how to take the iron out of the ore thanks to kami-sama’s knowledge, as well how to identify the ore from stone. I need a higher point of view. I choose one of the taller trees and start climbing easily, as my strength is more than enough to pull my small body.

Eventually, after struggling with the annoying branches, I arrive to the top of the tree. I take a look around, being able to look over the trees. Wow, there’s trees as far as the eye can see! Holy shit! It’s a big forest!

Well, I can see some mountains in the distance, very, very far away. Wow, my eyes are good, I can see far away and in high definition as well. Again, kami-sama, thank you. I shall kowtow for you tonight. Alright, decided, to the mountains!” let’s ignore the big shadows flying around them! I’m sure that they’re aren’t monster or anything like that!

My axe shall cleave these bitches! I wonder if I can ride one of them. wait, what if they’re something like wyverns? I bet that their meat tastes good… I clean the droll leaking from my lips and jump down, the great distance not even bending my knees.

By the position of the light coming from the sun, judging that it’s the same as earth, the mountains are to the north. Next destination chosen! For the sake of wyvern steak! I immediately run back to my shelter.

As I store my stuff on the inventory, I look at my shelter. Can I? I imagine the hole of inventory appearing below it, and so it does, big enough to swallow the shelter. The shelter sinks in the whole quickly, disappearing inside. How convenient!

I happily cross the lake by walking on the thick ice. Oh, all of it barefooted, as I don’t have shoes. Well, I don’t need them either. Ah, I want a warm bath different from the cold bath that I had on this lake after breaking some of the ice.

I discovered that I’m immune to temperature. This cold can’t harm me, even after a bath and the water freezes on a layer on my body, it doesn’t hurt my body. I also tried to put my hand in the fire, and it didn’t burn me at all. Not even my hair burns, so I guess that I could take a bath on boiling water.

I wanted to try that, but I’d need a bathtub for that. I need either clay or metal, but clay is more plausible. I’m crossing the lake because of the river feeding it, coincidentally coming from the north, I’ll follow it for the water source that I can take without needing to melt the snow.

I’ll enjoy the scenery while I walk. Well, if I get bored, I can just leg the fuck out of the way and get there in less than a day… or in two. I want to hunt more of that giant white bear.

Wait, what’s with this enticing smell? It isn’t food at all, neither any kind of flower or perfume that I’ve ever smelled. It’s so good… absentmindedly I follow the smell, and soon my enhanced ears detect signs of battle.

My heart beats faster, my breath turns a bit rough and my senses turn sharper. Somehow, I’m feeling elated to find fighting in the forest. I run towards the sound, unknowingly taking out my axe from my back.

What I get to see is two of those horned bears fighting. Are they fighting for territory? Whatever, my blood is rushing, and my head is filled with thirst for fighting. I want to kill those bears, no matter what. My head is throbbing, my body feels hot and my grip on the axe is stronger than it should be.

I jump, falling on the back of one of the bears as they are distracted fighting each other. Without hesitation, I aim for the spine of the bear, and dig the flesh deeply with my axe, the blood gushing from the heavy wound, staining my clothes.

I damage the spine of the bear, but he surprisingly doesn’t die immediately, so I pull off the axe and hit again… and again and again, making even more blood come out. the bear starts to fall, dead, and I jump on the direction of the other.

This one notices me and attacks me while I’m in the air with a bite as I approach its head. However, I’m a step ahead, attacking with the axe on the horizontal, hitting inside his mouth. The axe digs the flesh easily, cutting off the upper part of his head, leaving the lower part of his jaw on his body, gushing blood.

As his body fell backwards, his blood fell on my back, covering my body. Somehow… this felt really good…