8 All I want for christmas... is a big bowl of beef!

[Level: 1] > [Level: 2]

[Usable points: 0] > [Usable points: 1]

[Usable points: 1] > [Usable points: 3]

[Aura: 0] > [Aura: 1]

Following this strange, smart fox gave me just the right amount of time to process everything that happened.

First off… I leveled up!

From one side, I could feel the simple joy of achieving quantitative growth. But on the other hand…

Save for the two attribute points and one bonus in my aura, what were the benefits of leveling up?

'I mean, two points are great and all, especially with the third one I've got from this side quest…' I took a second to recall the unexpected notification. 'But I guess level-ups are not that big of a deal all on their own?

I still didn't know how hard it was to raise one's stats in this world. I didn't even know whether or not the benefits of improving my attributes would stay once I returned back home.

But for now, I allowed myself to wallow in the momentary satisfaction that came from a sort of proof of my growth.

'The question now is, how do I distribute the stats? And why exactly has my aura grown along with my level?'

I had a lot more questions than this world offered me answers. But Rome was not built in a day, and that would be roughly twice as long as I spent in this unfamiliar place!

After sorting my thoughts regarding the recent level-up, I brought my attention back to the situation at hand. Even though I spent quite some time thinking, the fox continued to guide me deeper and deeper into the forest.

'It clearly has some sort of destination, purpose in mind,' I thought after a mere moment of observing the cute beast.

Still, even though I knew it was something potentially necessary, going deeper and deeper into those shadowy woods…

I couldn't say I felt comfortable doing so. Thankfully, my journey quickly came to an end when I emerged from between the trees at the entrance to a small, lush clearing.

Contrary to the shadows that filled every nook and cranny of the woods I've just left, this small, open space was basked in the bright sunlight, oh so different from the silvery light I witnessed on the starlight plains.

And right in the middle of the clearing, a massive, white beast basked in the warm rays of the sun.

'Oh my god…'

My heart clenched while my body froze for a second.

The beast in front looked just like the fox that guided me here… with the exception of how massive it was. Assuming its lush, white fur doubled its real size, the flesh and bones of this beast could easily rival the size of a school bus!

Yet, low on the side of this magnificent beast, a long, dark gash marked its lustrous fur.

'It's injured!'

Something deep in my soul ignited, fueling what happened next.

The massive fox raised its eyes first to my guide and then to me… Only to see me tear my shirt off as I hurried towards its wound.

"Just who did this to you?" I wailed, only half aware of what the heck I was doing.

I got to pet the smaller version of this fox… but approaching the massive one, especially before I could indicate I was here to help rather than harm…

Sadly, in the moment of holy fury, I couldn't care less about a reason. Before the massive fox could even get a proper look at me, I covered its wound with the cloth of my shirt before dropping my backpack down and pouring everything down on the ground… again.

I scattered the useless cans aside, quickly finding and grabbing the small medical kit I was reasonable enough to pack up. But for this venture into the total unknown, it was a must-have, an assumption of mine that proved true way sooner than I wished.

'Shit,' a curse escaped from my mouth when I opened up the small box and realized yet another obvious truth.

The content of the medical pack was designed for helping humans, not beasts the size of a damn school bus!

"Shit…" I powerlessly fell down on my ass, mindlessly looking through whatever I could find inside.

Badnages? They were better than my shirt, but could I even wrap this entire roll around the fox once? Disinfecting water? That could help… but if the wound was still fresh, I could easily see darkened scabs of solidified blood marking the injured area. Maybe some painkillers? But would medication designed for human use even work on a beast like that?

If yes, then what dose should I administer? Or should I do if those medications turned out to be poisonous for such a different being?!

Startled by all the doubts and worries, I grabbed the disinfectant and the bandage, the only items I could think of using at the moment… Only to realize the third, obvious truth.

If I were to spray an open wound with a disinfectant, then it would itch. And causing more pain to a wounded beast was usually the easiest way to experience its retaliation!

Overwhelmed by all the hasty thoughts going through my mind, I turned my eyes towards the fox's head which was nearly as massive as my entire body. And as I looked back into its huge, black eyes with a sense of powerlessness mixed with pity…

An idea struck me.

My eyebrows moved up as a happy grin appeared on my face. I dropped the bandages and turned back to the pile of my stuff, only to grab the kitchen knife I brought with me just in case.

Both the normal and the massive foxes twitched… But they clearly didn't consider me to be capable of ever reaching them with my newly obtained blade. Rather than alerted, they appeared curious about what I planned to do with such a silly and weak blade.

There was no hesitation in my moves. I raised my newly found weapon… and brought it down to my left forearm, sliding down and leaving a long but relatively shallow wound.

I only needed to give a show and explain what would happen in advance, not martyr myself to gain some pity points.

Having no further use for it, I dropped the knife down before leaning and grabbing the medicinal supplies I dropped earlier. As I uncorked the bottle and sprayed the disinfecting agent on my wound, I made sure to exaggerate the expression of discomfort that came when my wound started to itch like crazy.

The content of the travel medicinal bag was clearly much stronger than whatever my mom kept in our home supply of meds and drugs.

The foxes continued to stare at me for a moment… Only for the big one to slowly turn its mouth towards its wound and nod at it before looking back at me.

'I guess it's... Allowing me to do it?' I tried to guess, biting my lips as I approached the fox's side. Then, I removed my own shirt and clenched my ass while grasping tighter the bottle in my hand.

'Here goes nothing,' I thought, closing my eyes before pouring a healthy dose of the disinfecting agent onto the fox's bloody fur.

Contrary to my worried expectation, I didn't feel its fangs instantly closing on my flesh, bursting my insides and crushing my bones. In fact, I didn't sense it react at all, allowing me to slowly open my eyes before carefully covering the now slightly cleaner wound with a patch I made with the bandages. Then, I took a step back, gulped down my saliva, and looked at the massive fox's head.

"That's… that's all I can do."

AN excuse. This was nothing but a silly excuse for someone who wasn't competent enough to properly help. Here I was, proving just how much better I was than an average Joe, god damn it!

Yet, rather than paying attention to my antics, the small fox approached the pile of cans and grabbed one of the beef-flavored meals in its mouth before running up to me and dropping it down at my feet. Then, it sat down and looked up with expectation bursting in its somehow bright, black eyes.

"Wait, is this what you wanted?" I muttered, puzzled by the situation… Only to just ignore my own confusion and go with the flow. In three simple moves, I brought the can up, and opened it up with a single pull before pouring it…

Into a bowl that the smaller fox already prepared with some leaves and sticks, just near enough the bigger fox for to eat without moving an inch.

'I guess they prefer beef over medicine,' I thought, quickly adding up all the other cans of beef I could find, quickly creating a small pile of wet, conserved meat.

A pile of wet, conserved meat that the bigger fox stared at with the same, shocked expression I saw its smaller counterpart make just some time ago!