The First Civilization

The Grayfang leaped, jaws opening wide to reveal rows of razor-sharp fangs.

Everything happened in an instant.

"Aren!" Someone shouted his name.

His body refused to move. The wolf was too fast.

Just as its claws were about to reach him—

A spear flew through the air. *Thud!* The stone tip struck the beast’s shoulder, knocking it off course. The Grayfang crashed into the ground, rolling across the dirt before jumping back to its feet.

The old man stepped in front of Aren, breathing heavily as he pulled another spear from his back. "I told you to stay inside."

Aren couldn’t answer. His hands were trembling — not because he was weak, but because he’d just realized how close death truly was.

The Grayfang growled, its yellow eyes fixed on the old man. Blood dripped slowly from the wound on its shoulder. It wasn’t fatal. If anything, it looked even angrier.

"Chief!" one of the hunters shouted. "The western fence is breaking!"

The old man glanced toward the sound. For the first time, worry appeared on his face. They didn’t have enough hunters. If the wolves attacked from two sides, the village would fall.

Aren looked around. The hunters were scattered across the walls, some already exhausted, others carrying the wounded back toward the center of the village. His eyes landed on the broken section of the fence, where several logs had snapped near the bottom, leaving a gap just large enough for a wolf to squeeze through.

Then another sharp pain struck his head. A flash crossed his mind — wood, rope, cross-bracing, a stronger wall. The images vanished as quickly as they came.

[Memory Synchronization: 3%]

Recovered Knowledge: Basic Fortification

Aren’s breathing stopped for a moment. "So that’s it..."

The system wasn’t teaching him. It was reminding him.

He turned toward the old man. "The wall!"

The chief frowned. "What about it?"

"If we keep fighting like this, they’ll break through."

"Then what do you suggest?"

Aren pointed at the damaged fence. "Don’t reinforce the front." Everyone looked confused. "Reinforce the back."

The hunters exchanged puzzled glances. "The back?" one of them repeated.

Aren nodded. "If they break the wall, they’ll rush through the gap all at once. If we build another barrier behind it, they’ll be trapped in a narrow space." He picked up a fallen log and laid it across the ground. "Then you attack them one by one instead of all at once."

Silence. The hunters stared at the simple demonstration. Finally, one of the younger warriors spoke. "...That might actually work."

The old man looked at Aren for a long moment. Then he raised his spear. "You heard him! Move the logs! Build a second wall!"

The entire village sprang into action. For the first time, they weren’t just reacting — they were following a plan.

And beyond the broken fence, the Grayfang leader watched everything with quiet, intelligent eyes, as if it understood that something inside the village had changed.

End of Chapter 3