Here’s a comedic translation of the provided text:
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[Afterword] Thank you for always voting and leaving comments. 105th Episode
35. Magical Beasts and Humans 104 – Magical Beasts and Humans #2
“Curiosity got the better of me, so I came to see why I could feel your energy near the entrance of the forest.”
In one of the man’s hands dangled a necklace-like trinket. A simple accessory made of thin, white thread and a tooth from some unidentified beast.
That tooth wobbled toward me like magnets of opposite poles being drawn together. It made me painfully aware of the gap in my mouth where a tooth should’ve been after leveling up but only getting empty space instead.
‘Is that my tooth?’
The middle-aged man with graying hair mused to himself while slinging a big sword over his shoulder.
“Exceeding expectations. No, it’s gone beyond… Until now, no magical beast thought of fighting a mythical creature in such a short time.”
I racked my memory as I looked at the muscular man with a mix of red and gray hair.
This sudden arrival was a familiar face from my past, the leader of hunters, Batus, or Adam, as he was also known.
He glanced back and forth between me and O Kong. Then, raising the sword he was holding, he swung it down with force at the floor-dwelling O Kong.
[KUAAC!]
With a d*ath scream, O Kong’s head fell right off!
BOOM—!
At that moment, an explosion engulfed O Kong’s body in a cloud of white smoke. As the smoke dissipated like a fading smoke grenade, a few clumps of red fur floated down to the ground.
Batus, or Adam, touched it with his hand, petting it as if it were a beloved puppy. The clump of fur caught between his fingers soon vanished like dust.
‘What the heck? Where did O Kong’s body go?’
I frantically scanned the ground where the smoke had cleared.
There should have been a decapitated body right there, but there was no trace at all. Only the spilled bl**d was soaking the earth below.
Adam, slinging his sword onto his back, explained quietly.
“What you faced was O Kong’s clone. She can create duplicates that look like herself using her bl**d and hair. They’re a bit inferior compared to the original, though.”
He highlighted a piece of tree bark stuck in Leaf’s shoulder as he looked at him. Leaf was aiming an arrow at Adam.
With a sudden swoosh, the arrow flew through the air.
Adam nonchalantly blocked it with his fingers, like he was swatting a badminton shuttlecock. He looked at the arrow sitting comfortably in his palm with a smirk as if he found it amusing.
“Ah, an arrowhead made from a magical beast’s quill.”
He poked the tip lightly with his thumb. A droplet of red bl**d oozed out from his thumb, like he had pricked himself with a needle.
“Nice. Is the bow made from the wood of the Ancient Nest and the silk of Arachne, hmm? Though roughly made, any skilled archer would be flipping out over those materials. Just with this bow, you could become a Gold Grade Hunter!”
Adam trudged over toward Leaf.
“Grrr…”
Leaf trembled, unable to do anything.
Adam extended his hand toward Leaf, then swiftly struck Leaf’s neck with a shining edge of his palm.
[GURK!]
Leaf made a sound like a dry cough.
Lifting Leaf, who was rolling his eyes back and foaming at the mouth, Adam squinted and raised an eyebrow.
“Looks human, but is this that raccoon from before? The one that threw stones at me? I can sense the same energy.”
Adam spoke to the air. Before I could respond, he seemed to determine the answer himself and opened his mouth wide with a smile.
“No, this isn’t a raccoon. It’s a human! Eve, you did it!”
[Wait a second, that thing is a human?]
I stomped over to Adam, who, without a care in the world, erupted into joyful laughter as though he had discovered hidden treasure in the yard.
“This is indeed Eve’s answer! The fusion of human and beast, harmony…!”
He lifted Leaf into the air, cradling him by his armpits. Leaf’s droopy mouth was drooling with a river of spit.
[So, Leaf isn’t a raccoon but a human?]
I questioned Adam once more, who stubbornly sought to dismiss my questions but kept walking away, his thoughts focused on the heavenly forest.
“He’s not a raccoon, but a human. Just pretending to be a raccoon for disguise. He probably doesn’t even know it himself.”
[No way, what are you saying?]
I was stunned by the revelation. Leaf, who I thought was a raccoon turning into a human, was actually a human transforming into a raccoon.
‘So, did he really used to be a fourteen-year-old girl?’
I frowned deeply, clearly in disbelief when an enormous shout came booming from Adam, who had turned his back.
“What are you doing? Hurry up! We need to get out of the forest before O Kong’s original body arrives. Follow me!”
[You want me to just follow you?]
“Yeah, it’s still too early to face off against twelve myths. I was planning to take you in a few years, but you’re growing faster than I thought, so it’s better to get you out now.”
This Adam fella was thinking of taking me somewhere. Given our previous encounters, I was cautious.
But no one knew more about the Behemoth than him or had given me a name.
Maybe he held the key to understanding everything, to unravel the mysteries of this godforsaken world before me.
Adam continued without looking back.
“The place we will go is going to be very good for you. Alpha, you’re done enough growing. Time to become an adult in the human world. I promise it won’t be a bad story for you.”
He spoke with a tone that was soft yet firm, trying to persuade me.
“Now that O Kong has found you, other mythical creatures must be aware of your presence. If you go back to the forest in this state, you won’t have a moment to sip water before you’re thrust into a fight.”
Adam suddenly came to a halt.
He towered over me, extending his hand.
“Of course, I’m not forcing you. The decision is yours, Alpha. You can either follow me to the world of humans or stay in this forest. Everything is up to your will. What I want, what the world wants, is not a dog, but the master of destiny that is a magical beast.”
I didn’t hastily grab his outstretched hand. Instead, I quietly turned to look back.
The World Tree loomed high, its leaves overshadowing the chaotic sounds of creatures and chirping birds from the Ancient Nest, as if it were keeping an eye on me.
In the past two months, a vast amount had happened over there.
Wolves, snakes, ants, the bizarrely human-like creatures, monkeys, gigantic tigers, and black lions. Humans, foxes, and Kublai made up the continuous whirlwind of incidents that had bombarded me nearly every day.
Perhaps it had been more vivid and striking than the life I spent in my mid-twenties as a human.
Honestly, I was surprised that I had even survived this long.
Just two months ago, I was sitting in front of a computer, playing games, and drifting off to sleep. And now, here I was— a master of destiny or whatever nonsense.
[I didn’t even get to say goodbye to those miserable folks.]
“Don’t worry. You’ll return to this forest.”
[When will that be?]
“That’s….”
Instead of answering, Adam stood beside me, gazing up at the World Tree. His face, with its resolute eyes, seemed to convey a mix of nostalgia and bitterness.
After some time lost in thought, Adam finally broke the silence.
“Soon. We will return to the forest. Right now, we might have to retreat, but….”
He shook off his reluctance and took another step forward.
“When we return, we won’t have to escape anymore. Instead, it’ll be the others fleeing from us.”
[I hope it gets to that point soon.]
“Everything depends on you.”
*
Adam and I trudged eastward, trying to get out from under the influence of the World Tree’s forest.
After about an hour of walking, an open plain greeted us.
After living in a forest thick with trees and underbrush, my heart felt fresh in this vast field.
The sun of the morning rose high, illuminating whatever grains were growing beneath, whether they were barley or wheat, while crickets and grasshoppers raced around the grassy ground, spinning my head.
‘Insects are small.’
The grasshoppers and crickets were exactly the size of insects I knew from home.
Having only seen palm-sized bugs in the Ancient Nest forest had made these common ones appear cute even.
Then, suddenly, Leaf, who had been clinging to Adam’s shoulder, seemed to come back to his senses, blinking blearily.
[Aaaah! Help me! Save me!]
Leaf squirmed, trying to escape Adam’s grip. But upon locking eyes with me, he began to calm down.
[H-Hey, what’s going on? Where is this!? Who is this human!?]
[We’re outside the forest. Stay calm; we’re heading to the world of humans.]
[We’re going to the world of humans?]
“Ha, looks like you’ve regained your senses. Now walk on your own.”
Adam set Leaf down. After glancing back and forth between Adam and me, Leaf’s face showed a comical frown.
[The human world? That’s a- a super scary place, right? Ugh.]
Leaf scrunched his face, perhaps feeling some pain in his shoulder from the branch scratch.
Adam had applied herbs and bandaged it with cloth from his first aid kit, but having been impaled through the shoulder couldn’t have felt good.
“Endure it. I’ll take you to a good doctor.”
As we continued walking across the field, a wall made of stones and bricks began to appear, stacked in a neat pattern. Leaf, who had quivered in fear about the human world, had his eyes glimmering at the sight of the wall.
[Look! The stones are piled high! Is that a human castle?]
“No, that’s just a neighborhood wall. Castles are built with much higher, sturdier walls.”
Adam answered Leaf’s question, filling in for me. This guy seemed to understand animal language pretty well.
But it seemed like Leaf could not comprehend human language, as he tilted his head and turned to me with a question.
[What did that human just say?]
[He said if you keep being noisy, he’ll eat you.]
[Yikes!]
Leaf went silent in fright. It seemed Adam found our little exchange amusing because he burst into uproarious laughter.
“Looks like you’re really close friends. My sister Eve and I were like that too.”
I perked up at the mention of the name Eve and looked at Adam’s face.
[Eve is your sister? Wait, sister?]
I tried to calm my heartbeat that surged with excitement from the ongoing battles and wars.
Clearly, Adam was much older than me and was speaking to me quite kindly, so a bit of politeness in my tone seemed best.
“Yeah, she was my only sister.”
Adam trailed his words, something bittersweet lingering in the air. If she was his sister, why did he say “she was”?
I had plenty of questions, but Adam drew the line right there.
Before us arose a fence composed of wood and bricks, with a couple of guards watching at the entrance.
“From here on, I’ll pretend we can’t communicate.”
Adam muttered softly enough for only me to hear. He approached the guards and began speaking.
“Thank you for your hard work since sunrise.”
“Leader Batus, how is the squad of Leader Max doing on their own…?”
“Max’s group will likely be wiped out. I’ll organize additional forces later to retrieve the bodies and supplies. Of course, that’s only if there’s anything left to retrieve.”
“Hmm… That’s unfortunate. Good thing we held a funeral for them before entering the Ancient Nest.”
The guards showed little emotion even upon hearing about the complete destruction of their squad. Humans in this world seemed rather numb to d*ath.
The guards turned their gaze from Adam, leading to me and Leaf.
“So, what about this child and beast?”
“Send someone to Count Judah. Urgently deliver a message.”
With Batus’s words, one guard nodded.
“Understood.”
“Does this one bite people? That big boy you brought from the Ancient Nest?”
A different guard who had been quietly observing me spoke up. I couldn’t tell if it was a woman as her face was concealed by a helmet, but from her thin voice, it sounded likely.
Now that I noticed, the slender outfit beneath her light leather armor contoured nicely.
Batus scoffed with a bit of amusement.
“No beast can be assured to not bite people. But that’s what makes taming them fun.”
“Does that mean he won’t bite? Still, bringing a potentially dangerous beast without a leash into town might be a little problematic.”
To the female guard’s inquiry, Batus shrugged his shoulders.
“Hell if I know. Just give it a touch.”
Batus answered as if he found it all a bother. However, his eyes seemed to say something else as he continued to regard me.
He didn’t need to say it loudly; I could sense he wanted to resolve the situation quietly without causing any havoc.
“Well then….”
The female guard slowly extended her gloved hand toward me.
I thought about giving a little growl in return, but I noticed the male guard had stealthily grabbed a leash that looked like metal.
It seemed my actions would decide whether I’d get that around my neck or not.
‘Better to stay calm, no sense of hostility from them.’
The guard’s glove brushed against my head. Her petting was clumsy and a bit shaky, but I managed to tolerate it.
“Ooh… you’re cute and calm. But wow, those teeth are sharp. D-D0n’t bite me!”
I wagged my tail in a gesture of friendliness, not intending to bite.
With newfound courage, the female guard removed her gloves and scratched my forehead and neck.
“More docile than expected. Your fur is soft, too, what a lovely animal! Oh wow, your tail is so fluffy!”
Having grown accustomed to wielding swords and spears, the rough calluses on her palm were evident. I bore the affectionate scratching with a blank expression.
Batus seemed entertained by my stiff demeanor, chuckling quietly.
“Ha, it works out. Alpha, they think you’re cute and lovely.”
“Is Alpha the name of this child?”
“Yeah, that is.”
“Hello, Alpha.”
With a bright smile and a wave, the female guard greeted me. Instead of waving back, I happily wagged my tail at her.
“So, what’s this girl’s name? She looks as adorably cute as I did in my childhood. How old is she?”
The guard who was petting me reached her hand out towards Leaf. Just as she was about to pet Leaf’s head, Leaf suddenly broke out in a growl.
[D-Don’t touch me!]
Leaf growled and snapped at the guard’s hand. Startled, the female guard shrieked, “Gah!” jumping back in shock.
“I guess we need to sort out the chains for this one, huh?”
The male guard drew closer with the leash in hand, attempting to attach it to Leaf’s neck, binding it to Adam’s grasp.
‘Why does the beastly me not have a leash while the human-looking Leaf gets one?’
After going through various twists and turns, Batus, Leaf on a leash, and I managed to pass through the guards and over the fence.
Under the morning sunlight, chimney smoke curled upward, revealing numerous huts and homes in sight.
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