Steve finished off every last Wind Wolf—except the alpha.
Players used to have a thing for collecting rare mobs. He remembered the Player getting blown up countless times trying to capture a charged Creeper.
Maybe if he gathered enough of these weird-looking creatures, the Player would get curious and come back to check on him.
Sounded like a plan.
He'd slain twenty-five Wind Wolves in total, yielding thirty Wind Wolf Pelts—apparently a guaranteed drop.
He also gathered fifty pieces of leather; counting the two he already had, that made fifty-two.
As for Wind Wolf Meat, he'd gotten a full stack. Even raw, a single leg restored six hunger points. Once cooked, it'd be top-tier food.
He also picked up fourteen Wolf Fangs, though he had no idea what they were for.
On top of that, his level had jumped straight to seventeen. The experience from these things was insane.
To keep the villagers from accidentally climbing into boats, he collected every one of them and stashed them neatly in a chest.
Then he crafted a full leather armor set, replacing the worn-out pants he'd been wearing.
Judging from the Wind Wolves, this world clearly encouraged combat. Until he had Iron Ingots, it was best to gear up however he could.
The villagers had been watching him the whole time. Only when the last Wind Wolf fell and the "magic tools" vanished did they finally dare to move closer.
The air was thick with blood—a nauseating, coppery stench. They were used to hunting in the forest, but this… this was different. Rivers of blood made their stomachs churn.
To make matters worse, the pile of corpses blocked the village gate. They had no choice but to wade through the blood-soaked mud to pry the doors open a crack.
And when they did, they froze at the sight of the dirt mound Steve had built.
"Chief? Chief!"
"I'm fine! What's going on out there?!" came Edmund's muffled voice from inside. It was so faint they could barely hear it.
"The Wind Wolves are dead, but we can't dig you out!"
Tom reached out, poking at the dirt. His fingers sank in easily—but when he tried to pull any away, it refused to budge.
"Go call that lord!"
So they searched for Steve and eventually found him in the room where Elina had been resting.
They stared in disbelief as, with a casual wave of Steve's hand, the unconscious girl suddenly jolted awake, blinking in confusion.
Before anyone could react, a pile of snow-white pelts materialized in her arms, so heavy it buried her to the waist.
"L–Lord?" Tom stammered.
He didn't know why the chief called the creature that, but if even the chief did, then he would too.
Steve ignored him.
"Lord, we're truly grateful for saving our village. Uh… could you please release the chief?" Tom's voice trembled.
After what they'd just witnessed, everyone was convinced Steve meant them no harm. Still, his blocky body made them uneasy.
And the thought of bones forcibly reshaped into squares made Tom's stomach twist.
Then purple smoke rose from the pile of pelts. Tom's eyes widened, but before he could say anything, Elina's body lifted on its own. Her eyes glazed, her face blank.
Steve checked her status: [Elina – Hunter – Novice] had upgraded to [Elina – Hunter – Apprentice].
Her trade list had also changed. The original [Wind Wolf Pelt x1 → Emerald x1] and [Emerald x6 → Bow x1] were now upgraded.
Two new trades had appeared, and the first had been altered to [Large Pelt x1 → Emerald x1].
He checked his inventory—Wind Wolf Pelts counted as Large Pelts.
The new trade options were [Emerald x8 → Hunter's Dagger x1] and [Emerald x32 → Hunter's Relic x1].
The Hunter's Relic caught his eye. Even after the price reduction, it still cost thirty-two Emeralds. Definitely something valuable.
But he didn't trade. He only had thirty-one Emeralds—one short.
Even if he did have enough, now wasn't the time. His priority was getting Iron Ingots and anything related to crafting. The relic could wait.
For the record, he didn't get the "Hero of the Village" buff. So this attack didn't count as a raid.
He went around checking the other villagers' trade lists—nothing worthwhile, no discounts either.
No Blacksmith, no forge. That settled it—he'd store his Emeralds for now.
Before leaving the village, he freed the villager he'd sealed earlier.
That one was interesting. His name displayed as [Edmund Gray – Chief – Master], and his only trade was [Emerald x64 → Trial Certificate x1]. A pretty good deal, all things considered.
Steve made a mental note of it.
Once released, Edmund instinctively stepped back.
Steve's appearance had changed. Still blocky overall, but now covered in dark brown material—armor, probably.
It actually made him seem less terrifying.
The chief's gaze drifted to the battlefield, to the heap of bodies. He swallowed hard, then bowed deeply. "Th–Thank you, Lord, for saving our village!"
He waited, but Steve didn't respond. Spotting villagers motioning to him, the chief cautiously excused himself and backed away.
"Chief! You okay?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Edmund said, rubbing his aching chin. "How's the village?"
"Mostly intact," a villager reported. "The wall only needs a few repairs, but…"
He hesitated, glancing at Steve, and lowered his voice. "That lord… dismantled some houses. They're still standing, but none of us think it's safe to live in them anymore.
"And, uh… everyone's bread is gone too. Probably taken."
The chief frowned and peered through the door's narrow gap—the corpses still blocked it.
"It's fine. We'll rebuild. As long as everyone's alive, that's all that matters."
Tom came running up, panting. "Chief! You should come see this!"
Back inside the house, Edmund froze at the sight—an entire stack of pelts neatly piled beside Elina's bed, while Rose, the village's elderly tailor, was happily running her hands over them.
"Oh, these are premium-grade!" Rose exclaimed, eyes shining. "Look at that sheen, goodness gracious!"
"They're valuable, then?" the chief asked, touching the soft fur. It almost pulsed faintly with magic.
But he remembered—the corpses outside didn't have a single sign of skinning. That made no sense.
"Of course they're valuable! The nobles go crazy for stuff like this!"
Rose was practically giddy, and even Elina, though still pale, couldn't help smiling at her excitement.
"These came from that lord, right?"
Elina nodded. "I think so. They just… appeared in my hands, like before."
"I see." The chief thought for a moment, then nodded. "Elina, this must be the lord's reward for you. Take it home and keep it safe.
"I'll find someone to help you sell it later."
"I… uh…" Elina hesitated, unsure.
But the chief didn't press the issue. After a quick word to Rose, he turned and hurried out again.