It had been three days since Yuuto had begun going deeper into the Rabi Forest, the home of many arctic forest monsters.

He sat atop a very tall pine tree's branches, gazing out into the darkening forest.

The sun was about to set, and the sky was now blanketed with a warm orange color.

In the distance, Yuuto could hear the howls of wolves and the hooting of owls.

But it was the rustling of leaves nearby that made him uneasy.

Yuuto sharpened his senses, focusing his attention on the sound.

Suddenly, a rotting stench entered Yuuto's nostrils.

"Urgh..."

He instinctively covered his mouth and nose, trying to pinpoint the source of the putrid smell.

The stench was pungent, suffocating, and made him feel like he was about to throw up. It was like the smell of a rotting corpse of a rat combined with a 700-year-old latrine and durian all rolled up into one overpowering funk.

His stomach churned, his throat clenched, and his gag reflex kicked in. He fought to keep from vomiting, unsure of what he'd find when he found the source of the smell.

'Where the hell is this stench coming from...'

As Yuuto scanned the surrounding area, a sudden cold air seeped into his bones.

He shivered violently, his teeth chattering as the frigid air enveloped him.

He could feel an icy breeze against his skin, ruffling his hair and sending chills deep inside him.

The rustling of grasses grew louder, and Yuuto could hear the sound of heavy breathing. He peered out into the darkness and saw something.

A figure that resembled a man.

A man with deer-like horns.

No.

Under the moonlight, he saw the monster for what it truly was.

A deer walking bipedal like a man, with exposed ribs and rotting skin. It had very long arms that were almost as long as its entire body. Its hands and fingers were massive, and its legs were bent for some unknown reason.

'Sh*t. Of all the underhanded. How am I supposed to fight with that stench up close.'

I opened the item shop in search of something that would take it down and noticed the M67 fragmentation grenade and a Molotov cocktail.

The items were sent to his inventory as soon as he clicked 'Yes.'

He waited patiently until the wendigo was within range and threw a Molotov cocktail.

The flames engulfed the creature, causing it to scream in agony. The smell of burning flesh, mixed with the rotting stench, made Yuuto feel sick to his stomach once again.

But he had to press on.

He threw another Molotov cocktail at the creature.

He jumped down and quickly followed it up with a grenade and hid behind a tree, knowing the blast shrapnel from the grenade was fatal.

Boom.

The explosion was deafening, and Yuuto felt his ears ringing.

Breathless, he approached the creature cautiously, his nose wrinkling as the stench hit him full force.

The wendigo's body was charred and black, but it was still alive.

It let out a low growl as if to warn him not to get closer.

As it was about to stand up, Yuuto quickly darted toward the monster.

Khao loi![modern_footnote]flying knee[/modern_footnote]

He jumped towards the monster and slammed his knee on its head.

The monster fell backward violently. It struggled as if it was trying to grab him.

Yuuto ducked down from its arms and mounted the monster.

Nameless-Style Forehead-to-Forehead Headbutt!

Before the monster could fight back, he landed a headbutt toward the monster's head.

"Kuh," Yuuto grunted as the dizziness hit him like a speeding truck.

As he recovered, he immediately followed up with elbow strikes toward its face.

Nameless-Style Double Elbow Drop!

Two elbows dropped from a vertical angle and landed against the monster's forehead.

It took three consecutive strikes before the monster was finally dead.

Yuuto sat on the monster's corpse as the moonlight illuminated his face, with an ear-to-ear smile on his face.