Flour 1 — Blue Fire Wolf 0!

Ryo blinked as the blinding light faded, revealing the chaos around him. The blazing wolf was still there—barely ten meters away—with the girl trapped in its jaws and a column of blue smoke swirling around its paws.

Okay, Ryo, think. No sword, no spells, no dental insurance.His legs trembled, but some ridiculously suicidal instinct made him step between the monster and the girl.

The creature growled, kicking up dust from the path. The girl whimpered; her big green eyes locked onto Ryo's as if to say, "Do something, you impromptu hero!"

"Stay calm!"

Why did I say that? I'm not even calm myself.

The wolf stoked its flames. The temperature shot up like they were inside a pressure cooker. Ryo felt his soaked socks start to steam.

"Great! First day here and I'm roasting my feet like sausages."

The compass on his chest vibrated so hard it nearly yanked a heartbeat out of him. On the cracked glass, golden letters appeared again:

Priority target detected.

"Priority?!" Ryo snapped. "Let me pick my own priorities!"

But the compass wasn't negotiating. The needle pointed at the wolf with a determination that felt almost mocking. Ryo swallowed hard and looked around for something—anything—he could use as a weapon.

A stick. He found a pathetic, half-rotten stick. He brandished it like it was the Holy Excalibur of the Trash Can.

"Hey! Fireplace mutt! Put the girl down and no one gets… too toasted!"

The wolf answered with a roar that swept the dust from under Ryo's feet. The end of the stick turned to charcoal instantly.

"Perfect…" he muttered, tossing it away. "Plan B."

Plan B? What's Plan B, genius?

At that exact moment, the compass gave a sharp click. The glass gleamed again, and a new message appeared, glowing brightly:

Skill unlocked: Courage I

"Courage? Does that come with an infinite health bar or what?"Suddenly, a tingling ran through his body. The fear didn't vanish, but the paralysis did. He could move. He could think clearly.

"Alright!" he yelled, stretching his arms. "Courage I! Hero mode activated!"

He took a bold step toward the wolf… and tripped over his own laces, kissing the dirt.

"Outstanding start, champ."

The wolf lunged. Its jaws crackled inches from his face—close enough for Ryo to feel his eyebrows singe. He rolled diagonally just in time. The beast bit down on where his torso had been a second before.

As he scrambled to his feet, Ryo spotted an abandoned cart with sacks of flour stacked beside the tavern. He ran over, tore one open, and dumped the white powder onto his arm.

"Let's hope this works like it does in cartoons."

When the wolf turned, Ryo hurled the remaining sack straight at its flaming face. The flour burst into a cloud, enveloping the burning head. There was a sharp crackle, and with a loud BWOOF!, the flour ignited like homemade gunpowder—a blinding flash of flame.

The monster dropped the girl and stumbled back, howling, blue sparks flying from its snout. Ryo darted toward the child.

"Are you okay?" he asked, helping her to her feet.

She nodded through her tears. "Y‑yes…"

"Good. Now run behind that barrel and stay low."

The girl obeyed. The wolf, furious but dazed, regained its footing. Its flames flared again, casting a ghostly blue glow over everything.

Ryo looked at his empty hands, then at the compass."You don't happen to have a 'Magic Spear' skill unlocked too, right?"

The compass blinked and displayed a single message:

Courage I: disables your 'run.exe' for 3 seconds — epic quote, panic kick… avoid puddles.

"That's it?!"

The wolf charged. Ryo ducked behind another sack of flour and, just before impact, kicked it with all his strength. The flour burst out again, enveloping the beast. But this time, he sparked it off with a burning log that had rolled out from the nearby forge.

BOOM.A whitish-blue fireball swept through the street. The blast rattled the windows.

When the smoke cleared, the wolf staggered—its flames had dwindled, reduced to dying embers.

"Of course… the flour stuck to the flames and choked off the oxygen," Ryo realized, still gasping for air. "Mental note: buy flour in bulk next time."

With a hoarse growl, the creature turned tail and fled into the forest, trailing blue smoke.

Ryo dropped to his knees. "I'm alive. I'm still alive!"He looked at his soot- and flour-covered hands and let out a half-crazed laugh.

The villagers, who had been hiding until now, began to peek out. Surprised murmurs rippled through the street.

The little girl ran up to him and threw her arms around him.

"Thank you, thank you! I thought I was going to die!"

Ryo patted her back awkwardly. "So did I, kid."

The old man from the bench approached, eyes wide.

"Stranger… did you just scare off the Azure Wolf?"

"Is that its official name?" Ryo snorted. "Well, yeah. I guess I did."

A metallic click drew his attention to his chest. The compass glowed one last time and displayed a new message:

Courage I completed. Progress: 1 of 7 divine attributes.

"Seven? Seven's a big ask for a salaryman with no insurance!"But he had no time to complain. His vision blurred for a second. Adrenaline overload, maybe?

Before he collapsed, the old man caught him with surprising strength for his age.

"Rest, boy. You've earned your bread today."

Darkness closed in, and for a brief moment, Ryo could have sworn he heard the compass humming a mocking little tune.

Waking Up with a Flour Hangover

He woke up hours later in the tavern's backroom. An oil lamp flickered, casting light on wooden beams and a pile of straw serving as a makeshift bed. A rough, barley-scented blanket lay heavy on his chest.

"On the floor again… at least this time there's no cheap sake involved."

He sat up carefully. Muscles he didn't even know he had ached. Beside him, the brown-haired girl—now brushed and with a bandage on her knee—watched him curiously.

"Are you alive?" she asked with the seriousness of an eight-year-old professional doctor.

"Surprisingly, yes," he replied. "And you?"

"The wolf barely scratched me. The blacksmith says your 'ninja flour explosion' saved me."

Ryo gave a weak smile. "Great name for my first special move."

The door creaked open, and the old man entered carrying a bowl of steaming broth.

"Drink. Good for shock and soot."

Ryo accepted it and took a sip. Root soup… with something vaguely resembling miso. His mood lifted instantly.

"Listen, sir…" he began.

"Call me Toru," the old man said. "And this is Yuna."

The girl gave a small wave.

"Thank you for… everything," Ryo continued. "But honestly, I just panicked and threw some flour."

Toru let out a dry chuckle.

"Sometimes courage is exactly that—panic at the right time. Besides, you've shown that compass doesn't just bring misfortune; it brings small miracles too."

Ryo glanced down at the compass. The needle lay still, pointing at the ceiling as if it were snoozing peacefully.

"Small miracles… big scares," he muttered.

Unexpected Reward

A little later, several villagers gathered in the common room. They offered him a freshly baked round loaf, a pair of decent leather boots, and… a silver coin engraved with the image of a dragon.

"We don't have much," said a sturdy woman, "but it's only fair for saving Yuna and scaring off the Azure Wolf."

Ryo raised his hands.

"Seriously, I just—"

"Take it!" Yuna interrupted, pushing the boots toward him. "You don't want to fight barefoot again!"

"Neither me nor my socks deserve another roasting."Come to think of it, a pair of boots seemed like the biggest divine blessing so far.

Rumors of Broken Roads

After the villagers left, Toru sat beside him.

"The wolf came from the old northern road. A hunter swears he heard laughter near the ruins by the Trickster God's temple."

Ryo choked on his broth.

"Laughter? Like, cosmic prankster type?"

"They say his cult is stirring again. And if the compass has awakened… the world will too."

The air turned colder. Yuna, who was eavesdropping nearby, clutched her rag doll.

"I lost my mother on that road…" she whispered. "She was taken by slavers."

Ryo felt a pang in his chest. "Great, Ryo. Side quest unlocked."

He looked at the compass. It wasn't moving, but something on its surface seemed to pulse.

"How far are those ruins?" he asked.

Toru gave a sad smile.

"Half a day's walk… if you don't run into bandits."

Ryo got to his feet, wobbling a little as he tried out his new boots.

"Then we'll go at dawn. And this time, I'm bringing extra flour."

Yuna looked up at him, eyes wide.

"Can I come? I know the way to Cypress Hill!"

"We'll decide that tomorrow," said Toru. "For now, rest. Both of you."

Ryo nodded. When Yuna left, he closed his eyes for a moment. He was still exhausted, but a full stomach and new boots gave him a little hope.

And there, in the shadows, the compass whispered a faint message:

Current route: Protection — progress 0%.

Ryo snorted, settling into the straw.

"Protection… great. From fighting to babysitting."

The lamp flickered out, and for the first time since arriving in this world, he fell asleep with no fear of mud or flames.

End of Chapter 2.