Too many things had happened in such a short amount of time for Mamadou to fully process them. Deep down, however, his objective had not changed much.

He looked at the monster lying before him, seemingly incapable of moving.

He immediately used his Evaluation skill.

[Austral Green Bear Level 10]

[A bear-type monster characterized by its green coloration. The Green Bear is highly aggressive and will attack anyone who enters its territory. Compared to other bear monsters, the Green Bear is average in size but possesses tremendous strength.]

That’s what it calls average size?

It’s bigger than me.

I risked my life escaping from Level 10 monsters. Who would’ve thought I’d end up with one right in front of me under these circumstances?

"Let’s eat. I’ll deal with everything else later."

Mamadou bit into the Green Bear.

Chomp!

Chomp!

Chomp!

He began devouring it.

Surprised by the intensity of his hunger, he ate without stopping.

He ate until nothing remained.

Where does everything I eat even go? I feel like I could win an eating contest against giants.

Mamadou’s level had increased in the meantime, rising from Level 1 to Level 2. Since leveling up added points to each of his stats, his base attributes had increased during the process.

Once he was full, he was still at the foot of the mountain. His heart beat with excitement as he considered what to do next.

Mamadou was currently Level 2.

He didn’t know what level that strange monkey was, but it was certainly very high.

He remembered that in games there were usually only a few situations where you couldn’t analyze a target: either your level was too low, or your opponent’s level was so absurdly high that it no longer made sense.

He wanted to head straight to the summit of the mountain and gather information, but he restrained himself.

The monster itself had advised him to explore the surroundings.

He had only just evolved and knew nothing about the extent of his new abilities, so it was in his best interest to test them.

Furthermore, he wanted to level up as quickly as possible.

He picked up the stone axe beside him.

[Stone Axe]

[Experience has reached the required threshold. Ark Nocyris has increased from Level 1 to Level 2.]

"Perfect timing."

Mamadou began exploring the area below the mountain.

He remained as cautious as ever, but this time he killed every monster he encountered on sight.

Yet his level barely increased.

He concluded that the requirements for an Ark Nocyris to level up were probably more demanding than those of a normal Ark Monkey.

At the very least, he likely needed to fight stronger monsters.

After all, a single Green Bear had been enough to take him from Level 1 to Level 2.

He didn’t get discouraged and continued hunting.

He intended to hunt until he grew tired of it.

He encountered several types of monsters: Nocyris Snakes, Ratasor Moles, Lesser Mice. Their levels generally ranged from 1 to 3.

By the end of his little adventure, he had nevertheless managed to reach Level 3.

He knew that if he wanted to reach higher levels, he would eventually need to change hunting grounds and challenge stronger prey.

But before that, he needed to prepare.

"I think that’s enough."

"It wouldn’t be good to alter the ecosystem of this place too much. Gaining another level is already a decent achievement."

"I’ve made good progress."

He had spent several uninterrupted days combing through the area, and eventually he decided it was time to move on.

"It’s time to find a new hideout."

"I’ll make it even better than the previous one."

Mamadou didn’t realize that he was unconsciously avoiding climbing higher up the mountain and lingering around its lower regions.

After several days, he had found a new cave.

It was slightly larger than the previous one.

The cave had so much potential that it could be divided into multiple rooms.

So he got to work.

Once again, he began carving stone and shaping the walls.

He genuinely felt that all this hard labor was making him stronger.

He checked repeatedly and noticed that whenever he performed physical labor for an extended period, his base stats fluctuated slightly even without leveling up.

To him, this was an interesting discovery.

Physical work was something he should embrace.

He even created a dedicated training room inside the cave, complete with exercise equipment adapted to his physique.

Naturally, everything was carved from stone.

At one point, the thought of becoming ridiculously muscular crossed his mind.

He found the idea amusing.

So he continued keeping himself busy.

Work.

Hunting.

Thinking.

Eventually, something clicked, and he emerged from his daze.

"What am I doing?"

"I’m getting far too comfortable living like this."

And he was absolutely right.

He no longer questioned the gradual changes in his behavior.

He thought only about surviving from one day to the next. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

If things continued this way, it wouldn’t take long before he was completely consumed by this world.

He would become a part of it.

"I’m starting to forget my goals."

"Remember, Mamadou."

He remembered.

This was a world where only the strong survived.

He remembered that this life, where he could die tomorrow simply because he was weak, was now his reality.

"I need to become strong."

"Strong enough that I won’t fear anything anymore."

"Remember, Mamadou."

He remembered that he had originally been a company executive.

He had lived at the top of a technologically advanced world, far removed from many forms of insecurity.

And then, finally, he pushed deeper into his memories.

He remembered.

That day, I was on my way to the company’s headquarters.

My car was rammed by a black van.

Yes.

I remember.

And then...

Then...

A wave of hatred surged through Mamadou’s mind.

That bastard killed me.

They had me assassinated.

"I have to go back."

"I have to reclaim everything that belongs to me."

"No one will benefit from my property."

"Everything I built with my own sweat and effort."

"Yes, I’ll return."

"I’ll find everyone responsible..."

Mamadou let his anger explode.

He had accumulated an enormous amount of stress until now.

"And then I’ll kill them."

"All of them."

"I’ll make their lives miserable before I kill them. Yes..."

Mamadou suddenly felt his state of mind becoming increasingly unstable.

Realizing the abnormal level of rage building inside him, he forced himself to calm down.

After all, he still considered himself a civilized person.

He decided that he had wasted enough time.

It was finally time to climb to the summit of the mountain.

He believed he would learn far more there than by continuing to wander aimlessly around the foothills.