[Postscript] Thank you. Chapter 15
5. Evil Spirits 014 – Evil Spirit #2
━ Buuuuuu, Buuuuuu.
A loud noise echoed from the treetops.
A beehive the size of a human head stuck to a branch was constantly pouring out bees. Each one was as big as my finger, and let me tell you, they were scary and gross.
Bees! If you had asked me before, I would have run away screaming.
I used to scream every time one came near, but now that I’ve become a magical beast, I could surprisingly keep my cool even with bees sticking to me.
After all, I realized their stings didn’t bother me at all!
Ratel’s honey badger name was no joke. With my strong resistance to poison and thick skin, I was basically a bee-proof fortress.
━ Hey, stay put!
Still, this number of bees was a bit cumbersome. When I brought the blue crystal closer to the ground, they all freaked out and backed off.
I gave a few of the daring ones that didn’t run away a light smack with my palm. Then, calmly, I aimed my egg.
A hard enough egg that wouldn’t break, and its target? The beehive dangling from the branch, of course.
I had failed a few times already, but I knew that if I kept throwing, I’d hit the hive soon enough.
That hive was wafting a sweet aroma, and I was determined to taste that honey. Honey is high in sugar and calories, making it a perfect energy source!
“Just aim well this time. My left hand is just a helper here.”
With the swagger of a basketball player, I launched the egg. It soared in an arc toward the beehive. Then, with a satisfying thud, the beehive fell to the ground.
Buuuuuu,
At that moment, an incredible number of bees poured out of the hive. Even though I knew their stings wouldn’t hurt me, I still felt a little intimidated by their sheer numbers.
But instead of coming at me, they swarmed off in some direction. Maybe they were off to find their queen and set up a new home.
“Sorry for destroying your home.”
As someone who had experienced having my own house destroyed, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.
“But you know, it’s all for survival.”
I picked up the fallen beehive. When I cracked it open with my claws, a golden, sticky liquid flowed out freely.
Having skipped breakfast and lunch, I was mesmerized by the delicious sight and eagerly stuck out my tongue to lick up the honey.
After all the fatigue and stress piling up, that sweetness was simply irresistible. Occasionally, a few larvae found their way onto my tongue.
“They say it’s ‘super high in protein,’ right?”
Eating bugs felt a bit gross. But I couldn’t afford to be picky if I wanted to get stronger.
This forest was home to massive wolves and dinosaur-like monsters. To survive, the only choice was to eat whatever I could and grow stronger than those beasts.
【You have gained experience points.】
Once I cleaned out the beehive, welcome letters appeared before me. It seemed that I could level up even without devouring huge creatures.
“What level am I right now?”
In response to my question, letters popped up detailing my stats.
Species: Magical Beast lv.7
Strength: 25
Agility: 19
Stamina: 26
Skills: 《Omnivorous》《Strong Claws》《Stealth Movement》《Low Frequency》
It seemed all the snacking I had done today had pushed me up to level 7.
My strength, agility, and stamina had all shot up compared to when I was just born.
However, I was still unsatisfied.
Those wolves and dinosaurs were at least several times stronger than I was.
I had a feeling they must be around levels 20 to 30. That was just a guess, but they could be even higher.
“Eat well, sleep well. Get strong.”
It felt like a child’s plan for a new nation, but it seemed there was no better method for leveling up!
“And I want to gain more skills.”
To raise my level, I needed to hunt and eat. That way, I could gradually grow stronger.
But when I had obtained skills, it seemed like I needed to accomplish something called “achievements.”
My sharp claws, which had given Kublai the wolf quite a nasty injury, probably came from having the “Strong Claws” skill.
“Skills could be a huge factor. I need to complete as many achievements as I can to gain them.”
Unfortunately, without a strategy guide or the internet, I had no clue what those achievements were.
Therefore, I decided to widen my range of actions by shaking my body, dancing, and whistling for no particular reason.
I had no idea what actions were related to achievements, so I unleashed whatever came to my mind, no holds barred.
If a random bystander saw me, they might think a crazy beast was wandering in the forest. Even I felt a tad embarrassed.
Maybe my pitiful efforts were recognized because suddenly words appeared before me.
【Achievement ‘Dazzling Movements’ completed.】
【Reward: Skill 《Dance of Seduction》 gained.】
“Hmm.”
《Dance of Seduction》? This seemed like a rather ambiguous skill.
Could it be a skill activated by dancing?
Not precisely what I expected, but hey, I was happy to have gained a skill!
I wondered if there were other actions that could lead to achievements, so I continued with bizarre movements, but half a day passed, and no further letters appeared.
Luck was on my side when I stumbled upon another stream.
Having been attacked by the wolves and dinosaurs further south, I decided to head north to avoid them.
After walking for a while, I heard the gushing sound of flowing water.
Since I was thirsty, I changed course toward the sound and soon found the stream, or perhaps a small river was a better term.
“Can I drink this?”
Unlike the clear and transparent water from before, this one was murky and looked like muddy water.
Just as I was hesitating, a distant horned rabbit bounded up and buried its face in the water, drinking merrily.
“It must be fine then.”
I took a sip of the somewhat questionable water and thought about how nice it would be to have a glass or plastic bottle.
With my limited knowledge, I figured I’d need a tube to create at least a makeshift water filter.
“Wishing for things won’t help, though.”
At that moment, the water rippled violently. With a big splash — Splat!* — a scream rang out.
“What the heck?”
A monstrous creature erupted from the water, snatching the horned rabbit that had been drinking and disappearing below the surface.
That sudden attack relieved my heart when I realized the victim was not me but that poor rabbit.
“I can’t even drink water in peace!”
For now, I had gulped down enough to feel fine, so I distanced myself from the water’s edge before something decided I looked tasty.
“First crocs, then massive wolves, and now dinosaurs? What kind of cursed forest is this?”
【The Ancient Nest: The Land of Monsters】
The letters popping up no longer surprised me. I waved a paw to dismiss them and looked up at the tallest tree.
A giant sequoia, thick as a truck, sprang high enough that estimating its height was impossible.
I buried the eggs and blue crystal securely at the tree’s base to keep them from being stolen.
Then, I shook my body like a dog and did a full-body stretch. After checking my sharp claws, I slowly began to climb the tree.
Rather than speculating based on the letters saying “The Ancient Nest,” I felt it’d be better to see this world with my own eyes.
I clawed and scrabbled up the tree, climbing steadily.
Having gone up quite a bit, the ground felt far away now.
The wind blew with a whoosh, chilling my cheek.
I hadn’t realized it when I was down there, but up in the tree, even a gentle breeze made it sway, making me feel like it could break any moment.
“But a tree this thick has to be safe, right?”
I picked up the pace, moving upwards as I climbed the towering trunk.
After a series of smaller trees, I finally approached the summit and turned my head to behold the newly born world before me.
━ Oh my.
Words failed me. My eyes grew weary from the sight of an endless, green sea that stretched infinitely.
Only faint, distant mountain peaks glimmered white in the far distance.
“What kind of miraculous forest is this?”
The green horizon described as a sea of trees was the most fitting representation I could come up with. I turned to the opposite side to take a look.
And I almost lost my grip and fell, letting my claws relax in shock.
My mouth dropped wide open, air caught in my throat.
The overwhelming natural scenery, witnessing cosmic wonders, often makes humans realize just how small and fragile they really are.
It seems this didn’t change just because I was born a magical beast.
What caught my attention was an enormous tree, rising high in the center of the forest.
Even the giant sequoia I was on seemed small in comparison, resembling nothing more than an ant or a piece of straw.
The sheer size and thick silhouette blatantly disregarded the laws of perspective, sending shivers down my spine.
The physics and nature as I knew them crumbled to pieces. I could feel this was a completely different world from Earth.
“Is that the World Tree?”
The tree that was said to support the world and the universe in ancient myths came to mind. With my limited imagination and vocabulary, nothing else came to mind.
“It was a weirder world than I had ever imagined. Dinosaurs are nothing compared to this.”
I shook my head vigorously, as if trying to reboot the stubborn brain I had built over twenty years. It seemed I needed to develop a more flexible and adaptable mindset from now on.
Seeing the might of that tree, it would not have been surprising if dragons or Godzilla showed up as well.
Shaky-kneed, I made my way back down the tree through the path I had climbed.
It turned out that while going up was easy, going down was the tougher challenge.
Rustle, rustle.
As I got closer to the ground, I noticed a strange beast digging at the base of the tree.
It was using its front paws like me, digging up the roots. And that spot was where I had buried my eggs and crystal.
━ Hey! Get away from there!
I shouted loudly to chase it off. Only then did it look up at me and gaze at the tree above.
With black eyes surrounded by black fur, its body was mostly brown. It was about the size of me, maybe a little smaller.
━ Grraaaah?
It perked its ears up and tilted its head. In its cuteness, I felt an odd sense of déjà vu. It reminded me of some beast I had seen before.
Instinctively, I realized what it was.
“That must be the Demigrass Raccoon!”
The information I had about this world’s beasts was so lacking, and its resemblance to a raccoon made it clear this was no other than the Demigrass Raccoon.
It seemed it was curiously watching me before diving back to dig at the earth.
Soon, the blue crystal’s glimmer began to shine through the dirt once more.
━ Grraaaah. Grraaaah.
It lifted the blue crystal with both arms and grinned widely.
Frowning heavily, I yelled, “Hey! That’s mine!”
I jumped down to the base of the tree. My legs felt a slight twinge from jumping down from a height, but it was nothing I couldn’t bear.
I bared my fangs and fluffed up my fur towards the little guy.
━ Even a beast that can’t talk should know not to steal from others!
━ What are you on about? Things found buried in the ground belong to whoever picks them up first!
━ Huh?
Hearing that unexpected voice was like getting hit in the back of the head with a frying pan. I never imagined the raccoon would talk.
Then again, the wolf and the dinosaur had spoken, so who was I to say a raccoon couldn’t?
But those dinosaurs and wolves felt like a bit of a transcendent mystical beast or magical creature, so I had subconsciously given them the benefit of the doubt.
If I were to compare them to the Pokémon or Digimon I had seen as a kid, they resembled their ultimate forms quite a bit.
However, this raccoon exuded the strong scent of a common mob like me. So the fact that it spoke left me utterly shocked.
The raccoon confidently picked up the egg lying on the ground and declared,
━ Now that it’s in my hands, it’s mine!
