[Author’s Note] Thank you for all the comments, coupons, and recommendations! Tomorrow, I’ll take a stroll around the local government office and neighborhood. After five years in the reserve forces, I guess I won’t be called back again.
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14. Adam’s Son042 – Adam’s Son #3
‘What on earth was I thinking? Why my teeth?’
I kept rubbing the gap where my tooth had been yanked out with my tongue, deep in thought.
The first human I encountered in this world.
Looking back, it was a pretty bold move approaching those guys.
The moment I laid eyes on Yan-Mite’s tail, my bravery shot up like a balloon, and I found myself moving with reckless abandon.
‘Approaching humans is definitely risky. I couldn’t sense any camaraderie from them.’
The archer and two-handed sword man didn’t seem all that tough, but that sword-wielding dude radiated a presence of overwhelming strength.
If I had to compare feelings, he was reminiscent of the forest master or the witch Eve I encountered in the misty woods.
‘He must be one of the stronger humans, right?’
He was called the Leader, strutted about like he was in charge, and was probably at a similar level to the forest master.
‘If all humans are as tough as him, we’re in big trouble.’
If that’s the case, I’d soon be caught by the humans launching a major invasion, destined to become a cooking ingredient or worse, a fur coat!
I couldn’t help but wish that the Leader I met was one of the particularly strong humans.
As Leaf said, the torrential rain kept pouring for hours without stopping.
It felt as if someone left a tap on in the sky, with water gushing down.
The clouds were so thick that I couldn’t tell if it was day or night, casting an eerie gloom over the forest.
With the familiar scent of rain and the deep sounds of wet earth, my thoughts drifted into sentimentality.
‘It would be great to grill up some warm pancakes. But sake would probably be pushing it…’
—Ugh.
Leaf huddled in the corner, letting out soft whimpers.
He looked asleep, but occasionally woke to lick at the scratches on his limbs.
He must have been in pain with all those scrapes and bruises.
I, who had been pretty insensitive to pain and injuries, couldn’t quite gauge how much discomfort he was actually in.
—Ugh, it’s cold.
Leaf shook like he’d been tossed out n*ked in winter.
Despite the chill from the rain and wind outside the cave, it shouldn’t be that cold!
Maybe it was because he’d transformed into a human and lost his fur.
Seeing him shiver as a raccoon was a bit concerning.
I approached him and placed my paw on his back.
I was checking to see if he had a fever, but felt nothing through the fur.
Measuring animal heat was beyond my knowledge and experience, so I figured I had to make a decision.
—Hey, can you change back into a human?
—Huh?
He lifted his head in confusion.
—Can you change into a human?
—W-well, I can, but why?
—Just do it.
As soon as I gave the command, a pop echoed.
A thick fog enveloped the cave, and once it dissipated, there stood a warm human figure.
‘This transformation’s different from last time. Is this really shapeshifting?’
—Cough, cough.
Now in the form of a little girl, Leaf curled up on the ground and coughed.
I placed my paw on the hot forehead of his red, flushed face.
—Ugh, that feels nice.
—Hmm.
I kept thinking as I rubbed his forehead with my paw.
Leaf’s forehead felt like it was on fire, but maybe it seemed that way because my paw was cold and wet from the rain.
‘What should I do now?’
Even back in my human days, I was far from a sickly person, and since I wasn’t used to pain, I was also somewhat ignorant and insensitive to others’ suffering.
—Ugh! My wounds are itchy!
Leaf licked the area between his arm and thigh.
When he was a raccoon, it didn’t seem like much, but seeing a little girl do it felt incredibly awkward.
—Alright. Change back into a raccoon.
—I-I can’t. When I transform, I have to stay that way for at least half a day. Achoo!
—Ah, so there’s that downside.
—I told you. It’s a curse… I need to get Eve to fix it—achoo!
Since he lost the fur from when he was a raccoon, Leaf trembled even more.
Watching his little teeth chatter was almost too sad to bear.
—It must be that the monkey’s claws had poison or something. You’ll feel better after sleeping for a day.
Leaf explained about the attack from the monkeys.
The ‘monkey’ he referred to was a smaller beast, likely a sharp-toothed chimpanzee or something like that.
—Well, I guess there’s no helping it.
I wrapped around Leaf and curled up on the ground.
Turning my back on someone who was hurt while trying to save me would be more inhumane than anything.
—Warm. Thank you.
—Whatever, just don’t give me your cold.
—Spread a cold?
Grrr, he let out a low growl.
Even in human form, that little habit of his apparently didn’t change.
—W-well, I guess I’ll be counting on you. Hehe, it feels so warm. Ugh, it feels like my body is melting.
Without hesitation, Leaf snuggled between my legs like I was a big fluffy blanket or a stuffed toy. I didn’t mind it this time.
His body was so hot that it felt pleasantly warm to me too.
Feeling each other’s warmth on a rainy day made me think of those pancakes again.
It was a moment I fondly longed for home, my previous life—whatever you’d like to call it—back in the boarding house.
‘Strangely enough, I eat better now than I did back then. I’m eating meat almost daily and unwittingly exercising quite a bit.’
The only disappointing part was that I couldn’t enjoy cultural or leisurely activities.
—Mama….
A sweet little word escaped Leaf’s mouth as he dozed off.
‘Mama.’
Did this little guy have parents or family once upon a time?
Judging by his behavior and mannerisms, it seemed he had been living alone for quite some time, making it clear that he must have parted ways with family long ago.
‘Not really my concern, though.’
I must be too sentimental today because of the rain.
I emptied my head and gently closed my eyes.
I wasn’t exactly sleepy, but on a rainy day in a cave, that seemed like about all I could do.
How much time passed?
I woke up as if an alarm had gone off at the sound of my hungry stomach growling.
I turned my head to look out of the cave.
Whoosh.
The sound of wind shaking the trees mixed with the raindrops.
‘At least the downpour has eased.’
It was more of a drizzle now than a torrential downpour.
—Mmm…nya….
I felt the soft fur of the raccoon in my embrace.
It seemed his transformation back into a raccoon had occurred while we were asleep.
He neither looked cold anymore nor seemed tormented by his fever.
Perhaps he’d regained his health, I thought as I carefully rose.
‘I’m hungry.’
My stomach continued to growl.
Just a day ago, I had stuffed myself with meat, but it seemed like digestion was happening at warp speed.
‘Ever since evolving into an edge hog or whatever I am, I’ve been getting really hungry quickly.’
Was my fuel efficiency poor?
It was like needing more fuel and energy to run a giant machine; I might need more food now that I’m stronger.
I gently tapped Leaf’s cheek.
—Wake up, will you?
—Mmm, just a little more sleep….
—I’m hungry.
—Over there in the corner, there are mushrooms and some other things.
Leaf curled into a little ball without even opening his eyes.
—Mushrooms?
—….
Had he fallen back asleep? He was just twitching his perked-up ears in response.
I rummaged in the corner of the cave where Leaf mentioned the underbrush was.
This was also the place where he had stored Yan-Mite’s tail.
Pushing aside the branches and brush, I found a couple of white mushrooms that looked like shiitake and a few items resembling pine cones.
‘Pine nuts?’
I tilted the pine cone around, wondering how to eat it.
When I rubbed it against the cave floor, tiny nut pieces fell out.
I scooped them up with my front claws and popped them into my mouth, the savory flavor immediately spreading across my palate.
It tasted somewhat like a cross between almonds and pine nuts.
‘But this won’t fill me up!’
Now I just felt hungrier.
I kept holding my growling belly while searching for more food in the cave.
But the tiny mushrooms and nuts I’d just eaten seemed to be all that was left.
‘Guess I’ll have to starve until the rain stops?’
I alternated my gaze between the rainy outside and the sleeping Leaf.
‘Should I just eat him?’
Staring at Leaf’s plump body, I drooled a bit.
But then I thought that would probably spoil my night’s sleep.
I poked his cheek again.
—Hey, I’m going outside for a bit.
—Huh? It’s still raining outside. The stalkers will be out there.
—Are those stalkers tasty?
—Um… taste?
Only then did Leaf slowly lift his head, buried in my side.
Due to lack of sleep, his eyes were bloodshot as he groggily opened them.
—Are you planning to catch one and eat it? You should probably reconsider.
—Then I have no other choice but to eat you. I’m so hungry right now.
Leaf rolled his eyes, half-serious, half-joking as he contemplated my words.
Then he exclaimed as if he had remembered something.
—Oh! There’s a flower that only blooms when it rains. It’s called Wu Jung-hwa (Rain Flower), and it blossoms beautifully on rainy days.
—A flower? Ew? Plants?
I was itching to fill my belly with meat, yet here he was suggesting I munch on a plant? My disappointment was palpable.
Perhaps sensing my feelings, Leaf quickly added more details.
—It’s not just any flower. It’s a legendary flower. It blooms only on rainy days, and they’re pretty rare since the stalkers get rowdy when it rains, and only the strong ones get to see them.
—A legendary flower, huh? Hmm.
—It’s said to be comparable to the Cordyceps mushroom you ate not too long ago.
—Now that sounds promising.
I thought about the Cordyceps I had received as a reward for killing the ant queen.
Looking back now, it had quite the exquisite and deep flavor.
‘If I had known, I would’ve eaten that ant queen too.’
The queen ant, which resembled a strange mix of an ant and a woman, hadn’t sparked my appetite much back then.
But now, feeling hungry, I figured I’d be okay eating whatever came my way.
‘Surely only the well-fed complain about what they eat.’
—So, where can we see this Wu Jung-hwa?
—This is the Western Forest, so looking for a big lake or river would be a good idea. I’ve heard they bloom abundantly in the west.
—What does it look like?
At my question, Leaf paused, seemingly deep in thought.
He had shut his mouth because it was something he hadn’t seen before, which made me feel uncharacteristically tense.
After a moment, Leaf replied simply and straightforwardly.
—You’ll know when you see it. You’ll recognize it at a glance.
—What’s that supposed to mean?
I wanted to ask Leaf more details about the Wu Jung-hwa, but he wore an unclear expression as if he had difficulty explaining anymore.
I squinted my eyes open slowly, glancing at Leaf’s awkward face.
—You’re not trying to bullsh*t me with vague answers, are you?
—Absolutely not! It’s just a bit tricky to explain.
—Hmm.
Though he seemed a bit sketchy, he didn’t appear to have any ill intentions toward me.
‘Well, I was planning to go outside anyway.’
I shifted my gaze outside the cave.
Just a few hours ago, the rain had poured down so hard I couldn’t see a thing, but it was starting to lighten up now.
‘With it like that, I should be fine.’
Even though I still felt a bit wary of those ‘stalkers’ said to appear on rainy days, they should be weaker than the forest master or that Leader guy.
—Alright, I’ll be back soon. You stay well hidden here.
—You’re going alone?
Leaf stirred as if he was going to follow me.
—Are you coming too?
At my question, he shook his head vigorously.
—Uh, no. Moving around on a rainy day isn’t good… If I get wet, my fur will get soaked, and I’m still not fully healed… Plus, I’m scared of the stalkers. Please close the door behind you when you leave.
—Got it, didn’t think you’d want that. I’ll just fill my belly and come back, so you can keep napping.
Turning my back on the purring Leaf, I stepped outside the cave.
Pitter-patter, raindrops began to dampen my fur.
I picked up a small rock in front of the cave.
This was likely what Leaf meant by “door.”
Placing it at the narrow entrance, it blocked the view just right.
I turned away from the cave.
I saw a jungle thick with vines, leaves, and trees.
Rustle, the bushes swayed vigorously.
Was it just the wind, or was something lurking out there watching me? It was hard to tell.
With the rain pouring, all scents and presences melted away.
