The forest was relatively close to the village—about a thirty-minute walk if you didn't stop too much. Jay walked without rest, eyes fixed ahead, a mix of exhaustion and determination in his stride. Branches clashed in the wind, and the scent of damp wood filled the air.
"Perfect… this forest looks like it wants to kill me, but hey… work is work," Jay muttered as he ventured deeper among the trees, wearing a nervous smile.
He searched for a clearing where he could move freely. The space was wide, and sunlight barely filtered through the leaves, casting strange shadows on the ground.
"Okay… basic Earthling traps, survival-on-a-budget level… hope this works," he murmured, kneeling down.
Jay got to work:
He found a long, sturdy root. "Natural rope… courtesy of the forest, thanks," he said, yanking out a thick root. He stretched it, measured it, tested it with a few tugs.
He chose a tree with a strong trunk. Using the root, he made a loop in a circle, tightening it so it would snap shut as soon as something stepped on it.
He lifted a medium-sized heavy log. He balanced it between two crossed branches, held up by a thin stick. "If this doesn't work… well, at least it's a workout," he said, sweating.
He tied the thin stick to the loop. When the loop tightened, the stick would move and the log would fall, trapping whatever triggered it. Not lethal—but definitely painful.
Jay stepped back and admired his work.
"I'm proud of myself… though this probably only catches overweight squirrels," he said, brushing off his hands.
Then he climbed a nearby tree. Not very tall, but high enough to hide. He sat on a thick branch, legs swinging.
He pulled out a piece of dried meat from his pocket—his "emergency treasure."
"Well, time to sacrifice my dinner… hope it's worth it," he murmured, dropping the meat into the center of the clearing.
And the waiting began.
10 minutes… Jay scratched his head.
20 minutes… Jay yawned twice and started watching clouds through the leaves.
30 minutes… Jay was completely bored, picking his nose without shame.
"I'm outta he—" he began, shifting to climb down—
But a loud noise stopped him.
THUMP… THUMP… THUMP…
Heavy footsteps. Very heavy. Jay swallowed hard and crouched, peeking through the leaves.
"Of all the things that could show up… it had to be this…" he whispered, voice trembling.
A horned lion emerged from the bushes. Its mane was short, its body muscular, eyes locked onto the dried meat. It walked slowly but firmly, like it knew nothing could intimidate it.
Jay held his breath.
The lion sniffed the air, lowered its head, and took one more step—
SNAP
The trap triggered. The loop snapped tight, the stick gave way, and the log dropped sideways, pinning the lion's leg.
The beast roared, thrashing wildly but unable to escape.
Jay didn't waste time. He scrambled down from the tree—nearly slipping twice.
"It's over, horned Simba," he said with a serious expression.
He drew his pistol, gripped it with both hands, and approached slowly. His heart pounded so hard he could hear it in his ears.
He aimed at close range.
"Good night," he whispered.
BANG BANG
Two shots to the head.
The lion collapsed, motionless. The forest fell silent.
Jay lowered the weapon slowly.
"Okay… okay… it worked…" he exhaled with relief, wiping sweat from his forehead. "I'm not useless after all."
And so began his first real hunt in this world.
Jay decided to cut off the parts of the lion that looked valuable: its horn and a few teeth. If he remembered Earth stories correctly, ancient people used things like these as weapons, charms, or even modern jewelry. So he figured he'd separate them to sell later.
He didn't have a knife, but he tried anyway—using brute force and sharp rocks.
"Ugh… come on… get out already!" he grunted as he wrestled with the corpse.
After a good while struggling with the body, Jay finally managed to extract the horn and several teeth. He took a deep breath and decided to carry the entire lion carcass back to the village.
As he walked, his usual sarcastic humor kicked in:
"No way I'd do this in Caracas… I'd rather go to protests than hunt a lion for food… not a chance…"
The trip from the forest took another thirty minutes. When he reached the village entrance, Jay wondered where he was supposed to deliver the body to see if it was worth anything.
As he walked through the dusty streets, he spotted the old man who had given them a ride. Jay raised his arm, happy to see him, and approached to ask where he could take the lion's body.
The old man's jaw dropped. Almost no one—if anyone—could hunt a lion without proper weapons.
The man pointed him to a place and even gave him a slip of paper with the name written on it. Jay looked at it… and frowned. He couldn't understand a thing.
It was full of scribbles that looked like a mix of game symbols and badly written Morse code.
"This language looks like a mashup of puzzles and broken code…" Jay thought.
Still, he thanked the old man and headed toward the indicated location.
He walked down the street the man had pointed to and began comparing the letters on the paper to the wooden signs. After a while, he found one that matched. He went in.
Inside were several tables and a reception desk at the back. The room smelled of leather, old wood, and a hint of uncured meat.
Jay approached the receptionist—a rather pretty girl.
"Hi, I'm here to sell a lion's body. I think this is the place?" he said, showing the carcass.
The receptionist's eyes widened in surprise, but then she smiled professionally. She inspected the body, took notes on a clipboard, and decided to buy it.
She handed him a pouch of coins.
Jay took it, having no idea what the currency was called or what it was worth… but he didn't really care. He'd never been good with money back on Earth, and this world wasn't going to be any different.
He didn't want to sell the horn or the teeth just yet, so he kept them hidden.
Back at the inn, he climbed the stairs to his room. Nekotina wasn't there, but Jay assumed she was either resting or eating.
He closed the door, collapsed onto the bed, and shut his eyes for a while to rest.
Dark.Dark.Darkness everywhere.
And from somewhere far away, a muffled voice echoed:
"Jay… hey, Jay… wake up!"
Jay opened his eyes as if he'd only slept for two seconds. In front of him was Nekotina, staring at him with a scolding expression—like a mother catching her child mid-mischief.
"I was dreaming about flying empanadas…" Jay murmured, his voice raspy.
Nekotina frowned.
"Empa… what?"
Jay tried to explain, gesturing with his hands like he was describing a sacred creature.
"Look, they're like fried dough pockets that—"
"Jay, go downstairs and eat," she interrupted firmly. "They're probably serving dinner already."
Jay got up with the weariness of an 80-year-old grandpa. He yawned so hard it nearly dislocated his jaw. He took off his torn vest, then his jacket, left in just his black cargo pants and an equally worn black T-shirt.
They both headed down the inn's stairs. In the dining room, a worker brought them dinner—simple, but food nonetheless.
Jay dove into the plate like he was racing against time, devouring it at a speed that would shame any Earth-world eating champion.
Nekotina, on the other hand, ate with delicate, almost elegant movements.
Jay looked at her and spoke with his mouth full:
"Hey kid… you sure you're not some kind of noble? You eat way too slow for my taste," he said, pointing at her with his spoon, crumbs flying.
Nekotina puffed her cheeks, offended but amused.
"You eat like a wild beast. At least learn some manners," she replied in a teasing tone, accompanied by a shy smile.
Jay paused for a few seconds. It was the first time he'd seen Nekotina smile. Without meaning to, he smiled too.
As they kept eating, the inn's doors swung open and three figures stepped inside.
Jay saw them and immediately thought: Adventurers. What else could they be?
The first wore light leather armor, several straps holding small pouches, and a confident expression. He was agile, sharp-eyed, and wore a cocky grin—someone who talked first and thought later.
The second had a large bow on his back and a quiver full of arrows. His clothes were dark green, his posture calm and serious, with eyes that seemed to analyze everything.
The third was bulkier, muscles visible even under his clothes. He carried a large shield and a heavy sword at his waist. His expression was that of someone who'd seen too many battles for one lifetime.
The one in light armor spoke loudly:
"Who here knows how to make traps? We heard someone took down a Horned Lion outside town."
Jay raised his hand on reflex. He didn't even think about it. His body reacted before his brain.
The man in leather armor approached.
"How about working with us? We hunt beasts, make good money."
The word money hit Jay's brain like a divine lightning bolt.
"Alright," he replied without hesitation.
In his mind, one absolute truth echoed:
Money = food.Food = life.
The adventurers nodded proudly.
"When you're done eating, meet us at the village gate. We'll be waiting."
Jay blinked, confused.
"Seriously? At night? Isn't that a bad idea?"
But he didn't say it out loud. He just raised his hand and replied:
"Perfect. I'll be there."
He finished eating as fast as he could and stood up from the table.
"Get some rest, Nekotina. I'm off to work… so I can afford food that tastes better than this flavorless stuff."
Just then, a dry cough came from behind the counter. The woman who served the food was staring at him with sharp eyes.
Jay let out a nervous laugh and quickly corrected himself:
"I mean… it's delicious! A hundred points!"
The woman just clicked her tongue.
Jay swallowed hard. He was already in more trouble than he could count.