King of the Wilderness

Kelly felt a surge of joy in her heart; she knew the opportunity had arrived!

Instead of trying to counteract the incredible weight of the seal skin in the water with brute force, she positioned one end of the dried wood like a massive probe, extending it into the icy seawater, sliding it under the edge of the ice layer and beneath the seal skin.

Then, she executed a deft lever maneuver, using the part of the wood on the ice as a fulcrum, and slowly applied her body weight to the other end of the wood.

This action caused the front end of the submerged stick to start tipping upwards. The upward force wasn’t enough to lift the entire skin, but it was sufficient to push the edge of the seal skin out of the water, bit by bit.

”Come on... a little more...” she murmured softly, her eyes fixed intently on the surface of the water.

When a small piece of fur’s edge finally emerged from the water and rested on the solid ice, the first step was a success!

She didn’t pause, immediately changing her tactic.

The stick’s front end remained lifting the fur, and she slowly shifted her body backwards, dragging the stick along, inch by inch, pulling the seal skin from the water onto the ice.

The stick, lifting the fur, made a ”sah—sah—” friction sound on the ice, while also bringing more fur out of the water and onto the ice.

Then, she continued to pull the seal skin little by little in her direction using the stick.

”I did it!”

At the moment her hand grasped the seal skin, she couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise!

Kelly quickly crawled back to a safe distance, finally displaying an irrepressible elation!

”Oh my God... Oh... my... God! Did you see that?”

Her voice was hoarse and choked with emotion, and the steam she exhaled fogged the lens in front of her, forcing her to raise her hand to wipe it.

”I did it! I fucking did it!”

She incoherently shouted at the camera, excitedly waving her fists, caring little if it might attract danger. At this moment, she needed an outlet, and this cold lens was her sole outlet.

”Just now... right there!”

Kelly pointed the camera at the seething seawater behind her and then at the massive prize by her side.

”Seal skin! A huge piece of seal skin!”

”And this! Look at this! Blubber! It’s blubber! I don’t have to gnaw on bark anymore! No more hunger!”

Kelly once more aimed the camera at herself, tears uncontrollably streaming down her dirty cheeks, leaving two clear trails.

”I thought I couldn’t hold on... Really, just a few hours ago, I thought it was all over, my arrows were gone, my strength was depleted...”

She sobbed, admitting a weakness she’d never confessed to the camera before.

”But... but look!” She slapped the seal skin beneath her with her hand, making a dull ”thump” sound.

”This is the answer! This is the answer this land gave me! It told me, as long as you don’t give up, God and the Goddess of Fortune will favor you!”

She gazed into the camera, her eyes filled with a frenzy of surviving a catastrophe and a near-manic sense of conviction.

”Ah!—Ah! I won! Today, I won a round from the hands of this land! I won!”

She took deep, exaggerated breaths, striving to calm her emotions, taking quite a while before gradually settling down.

As the adrenaline that had supported her ebbed away like a tide, an intense sensation of exhaustion and doubled coldness suddenly swept her entire body.

Only then did she realize her forehead was covered with a fine layer of cold sweat, and her earlier shouting might have echoed for kilometers over the silent ice field.

”Damn it, Kelly, you idiot,” she cursed softly, a sense of lingering fear welling up inside her.

Kelly immediately looked around cautiously, and once she confirmed nothing was watching her, she stood up to begin pulling her prize with all her might, needing to leave this area as quickly as possible.

On the way back to the shelter, Kelly glanced at the Thunderbird at her waist, then at the massive seal skin and blubber in her arms, enveloped by an absurd sense of abundance and safety, from rags to riches! She couldn’t help but laugh again.

After laughing, she dragged the heavy seal skin back to the shelter with difficulty.

With every step, she imagined the upcoming feast, saliva unconsciously pooling in her mouth. She knew she had endless work to do tonight, but all the work revolved around one central theme—eating!

The first thing she wanted to do was send this precious blubber straight into her stomach! To provide the most direct reward and replenishment for her body!

Kelly, with the hunting knife that had accompanied her through numerous tough times, cut a small piece from the massive solidified blubber, about the thickness of two fingers.

As the blade sliced through the blubber, it emitted a soft, muffled ”sizzle,” the texture firm and resilient. She quickly lit a fire, placed a pot on it, and tossed that small piece of seal blubber directly into the heated empty pot.

”Sizzle—”

As the blubber hit the scorching pot bottom, it immediately made a pleasant crackling sound, the edges quickly turning transparent, beginning to shrink and melt.

Soon, a layer of clear golden oil spread across the pot bottom, an intense yet not unpleasant unique aroma began to permeate the air.

This primal, dominant scent penetrated straight through her hungry stomach walls, causing an involuntary gulp.