Hours had passed, and Ryuji sat hunched in the cabin, the blizzard outside roaring like a living beast, clawing at the frost-cracked windows with icy fingers. His stomach twisted, a sharp, gnawing pain that felt like it was eating him from the inside. No rations, just empty steel cans glinting dully in the dim light, scattered across the floor like forgotten bones. *Someone built this place,* he thought, *but they're long gone, probably dead.* He stared at the crimson panel on his left arm, the Maw System glowed faintly. *My ticket to being the main character, huh?*
"Status open!" he shouted, voice cracking in the cold. Nothing. He tried again, louder, "STATUS OPEN, DAMN IT!" The panel stayed silent, its surface cold as the snow outside. He ran his fingers over it, trembling, caressing it like some idiot with a tech fetish. *Work, you piece of shit.* Still nothing. Hunger clawed deeper, his vision wavering, a haze in his eyes.
His gaze caught a rusty axe, its blade half-buried in the cabin wall, flecked with frost. He yanked it free, the weight solid, grounding him. A flash hit: a man chopping wood, calloused hands gripping a handle, the steady thwack of blade on timber felt like home. The panel sparked, crimson text blazing:
**LEVEL 1 AXE WIELDING ACQUIRED**
**INCREASE LEVEL OR TRAIN TO LEVEL UP SKILL (WEAPON WIELDING "AXE")**
Ryuji's lips curled into a grin, his pulse quickening. *That's what I'm talking about.* Confidence surged, a fire in his chest drowning out the hunger. *I'm Ryuji. I have a system. I have fucking plot armor! No way the main character will die here.* His stomach growled, the blizzard hid the howling beast outside. *Wolf steak sounds delicious. Time to hunt.*
He kicked the cabin door open, snow blasting his face, stinging his eyes like needles. The Frozen Wasteland stretched endless, a white void of swirling flakes and jagged shadows. There it was—the Furcoated Wolfkin. The name flickered in his mind, a scrap from some old adventurer's tale, but the rest was a blur, lost in hunger and bravado. It loomed in the snow, massive. a wolf with a tiger's ruff, white fur shimmering like frozen moonlight, yellow eyes glowing with cold, predatory hunger. Its tail lashed, thick as a tree trunk, claws carving trenches in the ice like a blade through flesh.
*Just a big dog,* Ryuji thought, smirking. He crept through the snow, boots crunching, breath fogging, and ducked into a bush, the sharp scent of pine mixing with the beast's musky reek. His heart pounded, but he felt alive, invincible. *Close enough.* Gripping the axe he lunged from the bush, swinging for its flank aiming to carve through fur to flesh.
The Wolfkin moved faster than his eyes could follow. Its tail whipped a white blur slamming into his chest like a battering ram. Ryuji flew back, crashing through the cabin wall in a spray of splintered wood and ice, the impact jarring his bones. Pain seared his ribs, blood pooling in his mouth as he hit the ground. snow soaking his torn school uniform, the red tie—his mom's gift—frayed but still clinging to his neck like a lifeline.
The crimson panel flickered, cold and mechanical:
**Internal Bleeding Detected.**
**Bleeding Stopped.**
**Pain Threshold: 7%.**
**Target: Furcoated Wolfkin, S-Rank, Blizzard Rust Tier, Lowest Rank in the Dungeon.**
**Weak Spots: Belly (Primary), Neck (High Risk, Obstructed by Ruff).**
**Survival Chance (Head-On Combat): 0%.**
Ryuji coughed, blood flecking the snow, the metallic taste sharp on his tongue. *Lowest rank? This thing's the weakest?* He pushed himself up, ribs throbbing but whole, skin smooth under his torn jacket where gashes should've been. *Healed already? This system's got my back.* He smirked, brushing off the 7% pain like a mosquito bite. *Zero percent? Bullshit. I'm the main character.* The Wolfkin's yellow eyes locked on him, tail twitching, its ruff bristling like a frozen crown. Ryuji's mind raced, calculating: *Speed, 60 km/h. Force, enough to crack stone. Belly's the play.*
The Wolfkin coiled, muscles rippling under its fur, stance readying like a spring. It rushed, a white streak slicing through the blizzard. Ryuji jumped right, boots slipping, face-planting into the snow, the cold burning his cheeks. The beast slammed into the cabin wall, wood splintering with a crack that echoed like a gunshot, before it stopped, shaking its head, wooden chunks flying from its ruff. Ryuji scrambled up, heart hammering, breath ragged. *Fast as hell.*
It turned, yellow eyes narrowing, and readied its stance again, paws digging into the ice. Another rush, straight as an arrow. Ryuji dodged right, puzzled, his legs shaky as he barely cleared its fast claws. The Wolfkin hit a jutting stone, shattering it into jagged shards that sprayed across the snow, the impact rumbling through the ground. Ryuji's eyes widened, mind spinning: *That's… a ton of force, maybe two?*
It came again, same stance, same rush. Ryuji smirked, the pieces clicking. *It's got a pattern. Stance, straight rush, straight line. Simple as hell.* His arrogance swelled, main character syndrome in full swing. He slipped on a drift, falling hard, snow stinging his hands. The Wolfkin lunged, claws aiming for his head. He rolled, breath hitching, and heard a crack. Another stone lay shattered, pulverized to dust, its edges glinting like broken glass in the dim light.
*that's easily two tons of force * he calculated, hands shaking, sweat freezing on his brow. His pulse thundered, but he forced a laugh, shoving the fear down. *I've got its number. This whelp's mine.* His confidence roared back, drowning the doubt.
Testing it, he scooped a handful of snow, the cold biting his fingers like needles, and threw it at the Wolfkin's eyes. It dodged, head snapping aside with eerie precision, yellow eyes never leaving him, not even blinking. *Reaction time's insane,* he thought, stomach sinking. Panic clawed at his chest. *it can easily kill me?* He hurled more snow, a desperate flurry, and bolted for the cabin, he slipped on his shoe laces, breath tearing from his lungs in ragged gasps. His foot caught a drift, and he crashed face-first into the snow, pain spiking through his knees, the cold seeping into his bones.
The Wolfkin charged, stance set, rushing straight. Ryuji ducked, expecting it to sail past. But it stopped, right in front of him, its massive bulk looming, yellow eyes boring into his soul. Hot breath steamed from its jaws, reeking of blood and frost, its ruff bristling like a lion's mane. Ryuji's smirk vanished, his throat dry, heart pounding so hard it hurt.
Then it bit. Jaws snapped, tearing his left leg clean off at the thigh in a spray of blood, the pain a white-hot explosion that drowned out the world. Ryuji screamed, voice raw, and swung the axe wildly, catching the Wolfkin's eye with a glancing blow. It flinched, backing up, yellow gaze flashing with rage. Ryuji crawled, dragging himself through the snow, a thick trail of blood pooling behind him, soaking his tattered uniform. The panel glowed:
**Pain Threshold: 78%.**
The Wolfkin loomed again, its shadow swallowing him whole. Ryuji swung the axe, fear choking his throat, each slash desperate, but they bounced off its fur, not even a scratch, the blade dull against its hide. The beast's jaws clamped on the axe, metal screeching, bending like foil under its teeth. Ryuji yanked, muscles burning, but the Wolfkin bit again, severing his right hand in a burst of blood and splintered bone. He screamed, vision blurring, the stump pulsing with agony:
**Pain Threshold: 90%.**
The beast stepped forward, one massive paw pressing down. His ribcage cracked, snapping like dry branches, each break a spike of pain ripping through his chest. Blood bubbled in his throat, his gasps wet and weak:
**Pain Threshold: 99%.**
Ryuji looked up, trembling, the Wolfkin's gaping jaw hovering over his head, teeth glinting like daggers, saliva dripping onto his face, warm and foul. *No… I'm the main char…* Crack.
**Pain Threshold: 100%.**
The crimson panel flared, its cold light searing through the darkness of his fading vision:
**Achievement Unlocked: The Blizzard's Warmest Meal.**
**Achievement Unlocked: First of Many.**
**Returning the vessel to a safer past.**