Faust spent an entire week going into the forest to search for materials, then returning to his camp to observe the bear. By this point, the patterns were already clear. First, the bear would wake up, then leave the cave while sniffing the surroundings, and afterward, it would go into the woods to hunt. Except for one day, it had always returned with more food. It would always return around the same time too—when it was already night.
As for the materials, most were impossible for Faust to find. Ash seeds, for example, only grew in the land of demons, and Faust was quite far from there. Midnight flower and Loctus grew on ice-covered mountains and deserts, respectively—also very far from his current location.
This world was divided into continents, each spanning millions of kilometers. The continent Faust was on was called Mainland, inhabited mostly by humans, although other species existed—like beastfolk, albeit in far fewer numbers. The Cursed Continent was what humans called the land of demons and other "evil" races. There were also the Great Kim'Shir Desert, the Blossoming Jungle, Mossar Island, and the Central Draconic Peaks. Each of these places had unique cultures, inhabitants, and environments.
During this time, Faust spent some of his days learning from Red, who had become unusually talkative. Faust entered the bear's cave two more times in search of useful items. He didn't risk taking the bodies—the bear could probably track him, and even if it couldn't, the risk wasn't worth it. None of the corpses were armed; most were completely mangled. The bear did a horrible job of killing them peacefully.
After gathering enough materials, he began making a poison with Red's help. Most of the ingredients were random plants, with a special herb as the main component. It was called Huntress' Luck—a star-shaped herb that was actually quite common. Normally, it had no effects, but when mixed with other substances, it could become potent.
Following Red's guidance, Faust started preparing the poison.
"Water first. Boil."
Faust had crafted a small wooden bowl. It took him quite some time, but he managed. He used leather as insulation to prevent the wood from catching fire and placed it over a small firepit he'd built far from his main camp so the bear couldn't track him by smoke.
The water began boiling.
"Throw leaves. Remove water."
Faust tossed a handful of leaves into the boiling water. Once the water began changing color, he poured it out, keeping only the soaked leaves.
"Cook them."
He returned the leaves to the bowl and allowed them to cook, following Red's instructions carefully. Red could now speak in slightly longer intervals.
When the leaves were done cooking, he removed them and placed some rabbit meat into the bowl, extracting the juices. Once some liquid seeped from the meat, he discarded the meat and put the leaves back in. They started fusing with the meat's liquid and turning into a dark color—but then, they began to crumble.
"Failed. Fire too strong."
Red's voice echoed in Faust's mind.
He had failed the concoction. He tried again, failing the same step five times. Then, on the sixth try, he succeeded. The leaves turned dark and shimmered slightly without crumbling.
Next, he filled the bowl with water again and added the Huntress' Luck herb—a yellow, star-shaped plant about the size of a fist. He placed the bowl over the fire. As the water turned slightly yellow.
The water's color quickly changed, going from a light yellow to a vibrant orange. It began bubbling violently, like lava.
"Wait." Red's voice echoed in his mind.
Faust was sweating—partly from the fire, partly from the mental toll. He didn't wait to fail again.
As the liquid darkened, nearing a brownish hue, Faust quickly removed it from the fire and poured it into another bowl to cool. If he had done everything correctly, the poison would be dark brown and have a strong odor. If he failed, it would blacken and completely lose its scent.
He waited. After a few minutes, the liquid settled—it was dark brown. He had succeeded.
Faust was panting, satisfied with the result.
"Now. Repeat."
Faust was expressionless. He had spent so much time making just one dose—now he needed more. That meant more bowls, more herbs, and more patience.
Over the next few days, he gathered materials, carved bowls, and attempted the concoction. With practice, his failure rate dropped from one in every two attempts to one in four—until eventually, he stopped failing altogether. He had mastered this specific poison. He knew every step, every color shift. It had become second nature.
He continued observing the bear and making more doses for several days.
Since he wasn't traveling far, he didn't find any goblin camps or villages—neither human nor beast folk.
As for why he wasn't inscribing more runes or training his mana? He had already inscribed hundreds of runes around his main camp and near the bear's cave. He would likely never use even a tenth of them, but he preferred being overprepared.
Mana training was different. According to Red, it required full days of focus. Faust barely had time—when he wasn't making the poison, he was eating or sleeping. He chose to prioritize tasks with immediate benefits. Occasionally, he fired a mana bullet every once in a while. His aim had improved quite a lot. His physical condition was also improving from constant running and foraging. His boar companion simply followed him around—he didn't ride it. He practiced javelin throws by hunting rabbits, whose meat fed them and whose juices served the poison-making process.
He also discovered more about the bear. First, it no longer went out daily—just every other day. The temperature was dropping steadily; winter was approaching. The bear was likely preparing to hibernate.
Second, its prey had changed. Now it hunted only small animals or defenseless herbivores. Since Faust had arrived, he hadn't seen it bring back to its cave a single human, goblin, or beast folk. He crafted a rough timeline in his mind: the bear had probably hunted far-off villages at first—human and beast folk alike. Then, as the cold set in, it began targeting goblins and carnivorous animals, maybe even other bears. Finally, it had shifted to easy prey like deer.
One day, Faust followed the bear from afar. He watched it eat fish from a river and later hunt a deer. Interestingly, its perception was poor—it didn't even react when Faust made noise.
This was the base for his plan. He planned to wait until winter had fully arrived, then ambush the bear in its cave. He would coat his javelins with poison. According to Red, the poison might knock the bear out. In the worst case, it would disorient it. If it came to that, Faust was prepared—with plenty of grenades and javelins. Quantity was not an issue.
If the creature was dizzy, it likely couldn't resist half or full-powered detonation runes. But if Faust was wrong about this, he probably would end up like the other corpses.
But that led to another problem—a bigger one. Faust had experienced winters before. He knew how punishing they were. It was already cold, but snow hadn't started falling yet.
"Probably another two months until winter. I need shelter, warm clothes, and food. Food shouldn't be too hard, but if that fails, I need a stockpile of my own."
Faust considered the challenges. Storing meat without spoilage was difficult. A cave helped since it was cooler, but not enough. The bear probably didn't care, but Faust did. Meat would have to be gathered closer to winter. For now, he could store herbs and plants—which lasted longer. He already had about a week's worth of moss.
Shelter, in theory, was easier. Even though he had failed to build one before. Warm clothes required leather. Hunting a lot of rabbits and stitching their pelts together would be inefficient, but it was a last resort.
He glanced at his goblin, who carried a sack of supplies, and at his boar, mostly used as a mount.
"I need a bigger bag," he murmured. "I'll have to try making one."
With that, he set his priorities. First, build a proper base. Second, acquire clothes that would not let him freeze to death. Finally, stockpile food—close to winter, to avoid spoilage. Unlike meat or plants, glowing moss didn't seem to rot at all.
His plan was settled, so Faust returned to the forest. He gathered wood, leaves, rocks, and any materials that could help him survive the coming season.
The winter would persist for about two to three months, but would only start in about two. That was all the time he had to prepare.
He had already decided to subdue the bear, so he had to wait for that time, wait until the opportunity came. Each step felt heavier now, he couldn't mess up, or it would equal death.
The forest, silent and vast, held all he needed—if he was fast enough, smart enough, and careful enough to take it.