"It's gone."
Lena's voice was barely above a whisper.
She stood there holding the empty animal-skin bag, her small hands gripping it so tightly her knuckles had turned white.
That morning, following Colin's instructions, she had divided the last of the wolf jerky into fourteen pieces. Every scrap had been distributed.
Now—
There was nothing left.
Except a thin pot of broth.
Silence spread.
Thirteen pairs of eyes drifted—some subtly, some openly—toward Colin.
For three days, he hadn't hunted. He had stayed near the outpost, searching for herbs, tending to the sick children.
Now the cost of that choice was clear.
The newcomers looked at him with pure dependence.
Hope.
Goff and Lena, however, saw something else.
Worry.
Because they understood—
Starting tomorrow, hunger would return.
And Colin would have to go back into the forest alone… risking his life again to feed them all.
The air felt heavy.
Hard to breathe.
Colin said nothing.
He simply nodded.
Then he turned and walked to the wall, looking down at the gathered survivors.
Old.
Young.
Men.
Women.
All thin. Pale.
Like fledglings waiting to be fed.
He watched them quietly.
Then, something in his gaze changed.
He understood now—
This couldn't go on.
One hunter feeding everyone?
That wasn't survival.
That was collapse waiting to happen.
What they needed…
Was a system.
"Everyone, come here."
His voice wasn't loud.
But it cut through the silence.
They gathered quickly, looking up at him.
"From today onward," Colin said, "we change how we live."
His eyes swept across them.
"Uncle Goff."
"I'm here," Goff stepped forward.
"You choose two capable women. From now on, you don't just defend—you hunt. Set traps. Catch anything edible. Rabbits, birds, whatever you can. And gather plants—roots, fruits, anything safe to eat."
Goff's eyes lit up slightly.
He nodded firmly.
That—
Was something he knew how to do.
"Sarah."
"Yes," the woman answered immediately.
"You take charge of processing. Meat, hides, firewood. I want every piece of prey fully used. And the wolf pelts—turn them into clothing. Winter is coming."
The women exchanged glances, then nodded.
This, too, was familiar work.
Then—
Colin's gaze landed on Lena.
She froze.
"Lena."
"I—I'm here!" she straightened nervously.
"You will manage all food and supplies."
The crowd stirred.
A child?
In charge?
"All food goes through you first," Colin continued. "You record it. You distribute it."
He paused.
Then spoke slowly—
"Those who work eat more. Those who don't… get soup."
The words landed heavily.
Lena's face turned pale.
She could feel it—
The doubt.
The suspicion.
The weight.
It was crushing.
She almost broke.
But then—
She looked at Colin.
And met his eyes.
Calm.
Steady.
Trusting.
Not a single trace of hesitation.
You can do it.
That unspoken message reached her.
Something stirred in her chest.
She bit her lip hard.
Then nodded.
"Yes!"
Her voice trembled—
But it didn't waver.
Colin gave a small nod.
He had chosen her for a reason.
She was young.
Unbiased.
Untouched by the self-interest of adults.
And more importantly—
She could grow.
"As for me…"
Colin's gaze swept over them once more.
"I'll handle the biggest prey."
A faint pause.
"You just do your jobs… and wait for the soup to boil."
Those simple words—
Carried absolute confidence.
It spread through the group like fire.
In that moment—
Something changed.
Not just survival.
Structure.
Order.
A system.
That night—
While everyone slept—
Colin sat alone atop the highest point of the outpost.
He opened the system.
[Kill Points: 12]
Not much.
He had planned to save them.
For something bigger.
But now—
Efficiency mattered more.
"I need to stop relying on luck…"
He exhaled slowly.
"System. Exchange for Basic Tracking Technique."
[Confirmed. Remaining: 2 Kill Points]
Knowledge flooded in.
Not power—
Understanding.
How to read bent grass.
How to interpret blood trails.
How to identify scent patterns carried by wind.
Fragments—
Connected instantly by Lin Yue's analytical mind.
Forming a complete system.
Colin opened his eyes.
The forest had changed.
What was once darkness—
Was now information.
Movement.
Signs.
The wind itself whispered secrets.
Without a sound, he stood.
Slipped down the wall.
And vanished into the night.
The forest welcomed him.
And immediately—
The difference showed.
He no longer searched blindly.
A glance at dew patterns told him something large had passed.
A sniff of soil—
"Wild boar… fresh. Less than an hour."
He moved forward.
Eyes sharp.
Mind clear.
Then—
He saw it.
A subtle disturbance.
Leaves turned the wrong way.
A trail invisible to anyone else.
A faint smile curved his lips.
No more luck.
No more guesswork.
From this moment on—
He was the one passing judgment.
Every creature that moved in this forest…
Would leave evidence.
And he—
Would find it.
The trail led him deeper.
Faster.
Straighter.
Until—
He stopped.
Before a cave.
Dark.
Silent.
Bones littered the entrance.
Gnawed clean.
The stench—
Rot. Decay.
Predator.
Colin's gaze dropped.
To a massive footprint.
Wide.
Heavy.
Distinct.
A bear.
A Blackwood Cave Bear.
Once—
Something he would have avoided at all costs.
Now—
His eyes gleamed.
Not with fear.
But hunger.
Because what stood before him…
Wasn't just danger.
It was—
A mountain of flesh.
And a fortune in Kill Points.