[Author’s Note] Thanks for the recommendations and comments as always! Chapter 13
4. Suspicious Evolution 012 – Suspicious Evolution #3
Some time passed with me guarding my fortress.
The stone walls held strong, but the branches I used to block the entrance were gone, leaving the outside wide open for all to see.
Growwwr…
The wolves outside were dripping with red bl**d. The injured ones were panting heavily, tongues hanging out like they just finished a marathon.
One brave little wolf dared to poke its head into the narrow opening.
I steeled myself, ready to end this long fight with a little bit of m*rder.
Rowwwl, Woof, Woof!
The wolf barked loudly, showing off its sharp fangs.
Gack!
I grabbed its head and shoved my fist right into its gaping maw.
It tried to bite down on my arm, but my toughened skin after the evolution only earned me a few minor scratches from those canines.
I raked my claws inside the wolf’s mouth.
While its skin was thick, its face and especially the insides of its mouth were squishy and vulnerable.
Gack, Gahh.
The mortally wounded wolf staggered backward, whimpering in pain. It collapsed beside the entrance, writhing for a moment before going completely still.
I felt a surge of confidence knowing their teeth couldn’t do much damage to me.
If I could just defend my home and thin their numbers a bit, I wouldn’t mind stepping outside to deal with them directly.
The remaining wolves looked wary upon seeing their companion fall, stopping their attack to gaze into my fortress.
Thus began a tense standoff of nerves and glaring.
I calmly licked the wolf’s bl**d from my claws.
A message popped up saying I leveled up with some sweet experience gain. The exhaustion from the long battle washed away like a refreshing breeze.
‘Alright, keeping this stamina war going puts me in the driver’s seat.’
I wasn’t sure what the wolves were thinking, but time spent stalling while waiting for the sun to rise could work in my favor.
Once the sun was up, the wolves would likely pull a disappearing act like last time, hiding until nightfall.
‘Wait, does that mean they could come back again the next night?’
I definitely didn’t want them making nightly visits to my precious home. If they did, I’d have to abandon it and move somewhere else.
‘Nope, I need to settle things with these guys tonight.’
I wasn’t about to let a single one of those wolves escape.
If I let them run off, I’d want to instill a fear in them so strong they wouldn’t dare return.
I poked my head outside the entrance, showing off my fangs while growling loudly.
Grrrr!
Woof!
One brave wolf lunged at me, head first.
I quickly ducked back into my home, trying to lure it inside. But it hesitated, backing off a bit instead.
‘Man, these wolves are smart for beasts. This won’t be easy.’
I clicked my tongue in annoyance as things weren’t going according to plan.
I tried sticking my head or body out a few more times, but they were keeping their distance and not falling for my taunts.
At this point, I might have to step outside and just throw down with them.
I wasn’t sure how much my tough hide could handle their claws and fangs, but the adrenaline bubbling up encouraged me to fight.
‘Was I always this aggressive?’
I surprised myself with this newfound inner spark. Becoming a magical beast must have changed a part of my mindset significantly.
Of course, deep down, I was still human. I had to be careful with foolish rage or recklessness, more so than the wolves right in front of me.
I assessed our strengths with cold logic.
The wolves were all panting heavily and nursing serious wounds.
On the other hand, I’d just leveled up and was feeling at the top of my game. I thought I could take two or three of them at once.
‘…But that one over there is a bit concerning.’
Among the five wolves, I was particularly watching the standout gray wolf.
Unlike the others with torn faces, this one had no visible wounds and seemed to be keeping its strength in reserve.
Woof, Woof!
It was smaller than the rest, but the way it barked and commanded the other wolves proved it was definitely the leader or alpha.
Growwwl.
When one wolf tried to poke its head into my home with its teeth bared, the gray one barked loudly, urging it to back off.
Smart and patient? That’s quite a hassle for me.
‘The pack leader…’
A sudden thought flashed through my mind: What if I killed that wolf, would everything fall into place?
It wasn’t unheard of in human society for a group to collapse after losing their leader.
Though whether the same applied to wolves, it was still worth considering as a last-ditch strategy.
Thud.
Suddenly, a huge rumbling shook the ground. The wolves looked up to the sky, howling in unison.
I grimaced at their sudden antics. Thud, thud, more loud noises echoed.
Whatever was happening didn’t seem ordinary. I retreated into my home, pressing against the wall and peering outside.
Growwwl.
A massive growl reverberated, filling my den with moonlight.
A chilling breeze ruffled my fur as I slowly lifted my head to look up at the roof.
Where had my makeshift roof gone? I could see two moons floating in the night sky.
And there, a monstrous red-eyed beast loomed over me, glaring down in a sophisticated manner.
Growwwl…
What the heck is that…
My jaw dropped as I looked up at the gargantuan wolf that had torn my roof off and spat it onto the ground.
I’d thought that little gray one was the pack leader, but I was clearly mistaken.
Is it even okay for a wolf to be this big?
This one-eyed beast radiated overwhelming dominance, like a regal ruler among creatures. Its gray fur shimmered gloriously under the moonlight.
It opened its massive jaws.
A giant poisonous bone. The Snake Queen El-Gasa. Have you eaten her?
Its deep voice reverberated through my entire body. I was surprised that I could finally comprehend the language in this world, and it was the wolf’s speech.
I was momentarily touched but quickly hesitated about how to respond. The giant bone and the Snake Queen El-Gasa must refer to the bones of the snakes surrounding my den.
Y-Yeah, that’s right.
Though I answered confidently without being crushed by its intimidating presence, my heart raced like it might explode. The pressure from this gigantic snake was quite different than what I had felt before.
Its red eyes narrowed in intrigue.
Southern Queen, strong poison. What is visible. Turns to stone. Did you k*ll her? How?
The one-eyed giant wolf asked again. Each time it spoke, its gaping mouth filled with colossal fangs hovered right before my eyes.
Honestly, those fangs were probably as big as my whole body. I felt like I’d make a lousy snack.
But for some reason, it didn’t seem to harbor any overt hostility toward me. If that’s the case, I should utilize this situation to the fullest and try to escape.
For now, I figured answering truthfully would be the best way not to provoke it.
I lifted my paw toward it.
I killed her with this claw. I poked her in the eyes to keep her from moving, then smashed her head with a rock.
Mm-hmm.
The wolf leaned in closely, intrigued, examining my claw with its red eyes, followed by a snort.
Indeed. I understand. You brought down a rock. A tactic for weaklings like rabbits or humans. What a weak little beast you are.
The giant one-eyed wolf spoke nonchalantly and then burst out laughing heartily.
Not even teeth. A rock, really!
It seemed delighted by whatever whimsy it had for quite a long time, laughing to itself.
I wracked my brain trying to figure out what it was getting at, what it wanted.
But I had no clue what was going through the wolf’s head, being human and all.
One thing was evident: it viewed me with quite a condescending attitude.
Initially, I thought it was because its speech was clumsy and awkward, but it clearly treated me like some underling.
‘Well, if you’re that huge, it’s expected to look down on everything.’
I felt lucky that it wasn’t overly wary of me. This wolf seemed alarmingly relaxed and complacent.
I had taken down a giant snake! This wolf might be huge, but it was bleeding, just like me.
‘That single eye on its forehead must be a weak point.’
If it decided to attack me, I was set on giving its face a good scratching. But first, I needed to check one more thing.
Taking a deep breath, I focused on a question for it. Depending on its answer, I was prepared for battle.
Why are you here? What do you plan to do with me?
Southern forest. The spiders spoke. The snake’s d*ath. I came to confirm. You. Small. Look weak.
Small and weak. The wolf repeated, eyeing me skeptically.
Kuubilai, the one-eyed wolf, was a strong beast that had lived for hundreds of years.
His ever-growing fangs could pierce through enemies in an instant, and his massive front paws could shatter bones with one blow.
He struggled daily, eating beasts to survive, until he found himself becoming the alpha ruling the eastern part of this enormous forest.
The other beasts either bowed down to him or scampered away in fear.
Occasionally a crazy beast would boldly attack him, but those were only the strong ones that survived for centuries like the Queen El-Gasa or the Tiger King.
‘How dare this little creature stand proudly in front of me. And it claims to have killed that El-Gasa?’
Killing the queen snake, heavily armed with poison? He found it hard to believe there could really be such a creature.
El-Gasa was a snake that had shed its skin for hundreds of years, equipped with two skills: Ma’an and bl**d Poison.
Even if we put Ma’an aside, her poison had challenged even Kuubilai.
So when the spiders and scorpions chattered about the snake’s demise, he had doubted his ears. Kuubilai came south, bringing his pack to verify the truth.
As he gazed at the snake’s carcass, he couldn’t deny the Queen’s d*ath.
What could this small beast possibly be?
Kuubilai stared down at the creature before him.
Completely white with fur, it had a distinctly foolish color that made it stand out in the forest and jungle. It even behaved in ways that made it unclear if it was a four-legged or two-legged creature.
It didn’t resemble any particular beast he knew, and in some ways, it seemed to resemble all the beasts he was familiar with.
The closest resemblance might be to a Ratel, informal troublemakers of the forest known for bravely charging at stronger foes.
If it were those, he could understand it enduring the snake’s venom.
‘But I’ve never heard of a Ratel building a house like this. Making a fence out of bones and a home with stones, that’s just like a human.’
Humans, those vile and despicable creatures, made Kuubilai’s long-lost eyes throb with pain.
He snorted dismissively to shake off the memories and finally spoke up.
Southern forest. There will be a great commotion. A forest without a snake. A new leader must be chosen.
He thought about killing this creature right here but decided against it.
If it was a Ratel, then its fur would be tough and its meat unappetizing.
According to Kuubilai’s principles, killing a creature meant it was specifically for eating.
He was fundamentally different from humans, who found joy in hunting just for the sake of it.
Then, survive if you can.
Having spoken those words, Kuubilai turned to leave. But he paused as if struck by a thought, staring back at the small stone house where I was huddled.
Before I go back…
What if he just smashed this obnoxious little stone heap that imitated humans?
Kuubilai swung his front paw wildly, demolishing the stone walls here and there.
Woof, Woof! One of the gray wolves, Blanca, barked. Wasn’t it time to reclaim revenge for their fallen comrades?
Kuubilai glanced at the ground, noticing a few wolves sprawled out, dead, inside and outside the fence.
Weaklings d*e.
He responded nonchalantly.
Weaklings had no place in his pack. Only strong beasts deserved to follow Kuubilai, the ruler of the eastern forest.
And the small, seemingly weak creature before him would soon be killed by the powerful of the southern forest, with or without his involvement.
It might have been lucky enough to slay the Queen due to its poison resistance, but soon those who’d heard about her d*ath would create chaos in the woods.
At that point, this conspicuous white-furred creature was bound to be the first to d*e.
Especially with those uncultured creatures with a taste for tough, tasteless meat lurking in the southern region.
The image of that insidious face made Kuubilai feel distinctly agitated. He wanted nothing more than to leave that wretched place and cut ties with its southern region.
Hmph.
Laughing derisively, he turned away. Just as he was about to head back to the eastern forest, he sensed a strange and sinister presence behind him.
My, my house!*
