In some clan territory, not so far away.900Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡys7mFaYJIv

As Axel gathered his things, someone knocked his room's door. Without looking upwards, he called for the person outside to come in.

"Did I interrupt?" an pleasant old woman's voice called behind the young man.

"Not really" Axel's tone was carefree.

"Have you thought of our offer?"

"I already said no"

"Unbelievable... Do you know how much I scolded my son to not get in the way for this? Apart from that idiot, Our [Walnut Woods Clan] will always welcomes you into the family with open arms. I have seen no better man fit for my granddaughter than you. Why don't you think about it more, before refusing? You might regret it" the old woman said in a kind tone.

"There are better guys out there, trust me" Axel sighed "just to avoid any misunderstandings, I didn't mean to save your granddaughter or anything. I have marked that mammoth as my prey for the past three days, and I finally got the opportunity to strike it. Don't get me wrong, but I'm thankful for your granddaughter for distracting it. That's why I offered you people 1/6th of the meat. Nothing more, nothing less"

Axel just carried his bag and went down stairs.

"Hey! The warrior is here!" the tavern manager laughed "Did you sleep well, kid? Wild celebrations yesterday, eh?"

The tavern guests let out voices and whispers of awe, and admiration.

[So annoying...] Axel winced as he recalled the events of last night. A group of drunkards tried to force him to drink, and fought with all of them to release him. He managed to win, of course, but how could he predict that all the warriors of this clan would try to challenge him? Although they can't measure up to him, they didn't give him the opportunity to rest after killing that mammoth.

That's not an excuse though, since he won anyways. Axel wasn't like those simple woods beasts. He was a [Chromite Bear Beast] and a previous member of the [Hollow Lands]. Like everyone in this giant region, he had the ability to shape-shift. He had black hair, and white bangs. His eyes were electric blue. Something like killing a mammoth was as easy as taking a walk, although he underestimated that mammoth's unusual fast speed. It didn't matter much, since he killed it in the end, thanks to it being distracted by a bear shape-shifting lady from the [Walnut Woods Clan], which is another new clan he met after they thanked him for saving their princess. He gave them 1/6th of the kill to avoid conflict, but he was surprised they accepted, thanked him and treated him kindly, unlike his own clan, back in [Hollow Lands]. They even tried to get him to join them by marrying their princess, but he refused. He had his own plans, and knew that this clan was weak, therefore, they wanted to have a strong leader.

He still got dragged into their celebrations though, which is why that lunch of his had to be breakfast for the next morning.

[This took longer than I thought, but I'm finally going home] he thought, feeling relieved [right now, my priority is to increase my level and become stronger, only then I can achieve my goals].

Axel's determination knew no bounds. He was a different person compared to the the past.

Unfortunately, his momentum was completely broken after he saw the state of his home when he got back.

The dead mammoth fell from his shoulders.

Huge Piles of burnt wood and rocks scattered all over the cave, and two corpses at the crime scene .

"..."

"..."

"...!!!"

How does it feel when you want to say "home sweet home", but the place looks like a scene from a horror movie?