Chapter 59: The Madman of the Forest – Part 1
“Hey, you little black furball! Who gave you permission to swipe your claws at me on our first meeting?”
Despite blocking him with my front paw, an electric jolt surged through my body. I could only think that this was a deadly threat to my life. If I hadn’t defended myself, my neck would’ve twisted into a modern art masterpiece.
“Ugh, this j*rk…”
Once I realized my life was in danger, my vision blurred red as bl**d rushed to my head. A furnace of rage bubbled up from my spinal cord, heating my chest to a boil.
“This is fun! I was going to rip you in half in one go,” said Skah, the black lion, with an amused glint in his eyes.
While I shook from fear, he maintained a relaxed voice, continuing, “I was only aiming for your windpipe out of mercy. I thought I could send you off painlessly.”
With that, Skah slammed his paw down on me, pressing me down with sheer force. I felt myself sinking into the ground, as if the sand were eagerly swallowing my legs like nails being hammered in.
“What the—this j*rk is heavier than he looks!?”
Though not larger than the forest creatures I had met, Skah’s weight and strength exceeded my imagination. His physique was like a compressed giant, squeezed into a tight package.
“Where does this strength come from?”
If I relaxed even a little, his paw would surely pierce through my defenses and take a swing at my neck. I braced myself with all my strength, getting through this with sheer grit. The grinding sound of my teeth echoed, a reminder of the last time I had to unleash such power—when I choked the three-eyed wolf to d*ath.
Every muscle in my body screamed as I struggled against that oppressive weight.
“Ugh…!”
“Hmm?”
Finally, through sheer will, I managed to flick his paw off me. Skah stumbled, losing his balance, and I felt a flicker of triumph.
“Not bad,” he said, stabilizing himself with a hint of surprise in his voice.
I inhaled deeply, trying to calm my racing heart, but inside, it felt like a bonfire was stoked even higher.
“Did this little j*rk just throw the first punch at me?!”
“Seriously, this guy’s making me angrier by the second!”
Clenching my claws, I swung at his luxurious mane with all my strength.
“Planning to fight back, huh?”
He raised his paw to block, still maintaining his composure, “Ugh!?”
But my claws tore through his black hide, droplets of bl**d splattering into the air. Clearly taken by surprise, he backed up with wide eyes.
Skah licked the bl**d from his paw, coldly saying, “I can’t believe you cut me with those little claws. Are you one of Lao-Hoo’s underlings?”
Gone was the relaxed attitude he had moments ago. Now, covered in his own bl**d, he grabbed the dirt beneath him angrily.
“You made me bleed? Don’t think you’ll d*e peacefully now.”
His muscles rippled beneath his black fur, readying for conflict.
In a strange turn of events, I found some calm amidst his looming ferocity.
“I guess I can’t avoid this fight.”
I glanced around, spotting the Tartar hyenas cackling as they circled me and Salome. They were growling menacingly, ready to pounce at any moment.
“Those hyenas? They’re no big deal. Thank goodness for that.”
I dug my claws into the ground, bristling my fur and spikes. My muscles tensed up like a sprinter at the starting block, flames of determination invigorating me.
“Whoa, I’m turning red?!”
At that moment, Salome, who had been nervously standing beside me, squeaked in alarm. She stepped back a few paces, her tension palpable.
“What’s going on? My white fur is suddenly turning red. No way…!”
“Cackaw!”
“Eek!”
“What’s happening?!”
I couldn’t keep up with the mood changes around me. Right as I pondered the shift, I noticed my white fur was stained with red.
“Could this be a skill activation?”
I felt a surge of power and confidence, as if I could take on those hyenas now.
“There’s even foam at the mouth! That’s definitely a sign of disease!”
Skah, who had carried a cold, arrogant demeanor, was now frazzled.
“Th-that beast has rabies! Must be one from the South! Did it eat a ghost!? What on Earth are you keeping around, priestess?!”
At Skah’s panic, Salome fluttered her wings and soared into the sky.
“I didn’t know it would come to this! Alpha, what on Earth is happening!?”
Both Skah and Salome began to retreat from me cautiously, as if I were a formidable carrier of d*ath.
“d*mn it, I’ve been scratched! I’m cursed! Cursed!”
Skah cursed while looking helplessly at his wounded paw. This turned out to be my golden opportunity.
I lifted my claws, ready to leap at Skah in fury.
“I’ll take you down!”
“Ahhh! That lunatic! Everyone, back off! Run away!”
“Cackaw!”
The fear was palpable as Skah and the hyenas darted away from me.
They exchanged glances, disgusted, before disappearing quickly over the horizon like something foul.
Watching them shrink away, I stood tall on my hind legs, raising my front paws high and bellowing.
“Don’t run, you cowards! Fight back! Face me like men!”
Cawing fiercely, I could hardly contain my rage as I raked at the ground with my claws.
“Ugh!”
Maybe it was the scratching that brought my mood down a notch; I couldn’t complain after all that chaos.
Looking up from my excited rampage, I spotted Salome with her eyebrows furrowed, looking very concerned.
“Your fur’s finally coming back to its normal color. Tell me, have you eaten a ghost?”
“If you mean that Duoksini guy, then yes.”
The memory of that grotesque creature’s dry texture made me grimace. In a forest where everything is delicious, he was less appetizing than a garbage dump. The sand underfoot would probably taste better.
As the thought of Duoksini’s flavor lingered in my mind, Salome suddenly gasped in horror.
“Oh no! This isn’t the time to talk about legendary warriors or festivals! You barbarian from the South! What in the world were you thinking?!”
I felt offended by her sudden outburst.
“What does that mean?”
“Is history repeating itself? The good news is, we caught it before the end stages.”
Salome hovered down slowly, returning to my side and examining me for any signs of illness.
“How long has it been since you ate a ghost?”
“A few days…? Why?”
“You may not realize, but you’re sick. It’s not immediate, but if your mental corruption spreads, something terrible will happen.”
The gravity of her words sent a chill down my spine.
“I’m sick?”
I looked at my front paws and fur. Nothing seemed wrong—but then again, who really knows?
“What happens when it gets worse?”
“You’ll be consumed by rage until the moment you d*e. A beast like you who can talk has the potential to turn into a ghost in the worst-case scenario.”
“I’m turning into a Duoksini?!”
“Yes!”
“What the…”
That was a conclusion I never thought I’d reach. Eve, the witch, surely hadn’t told me anything about that when I gobbled Duoksini down.
“What the heck is going on?”
As my mind spun with confusion, Salome, noticing my silence, gently tapped me on the head with her wing.
“Don’t worry too much. Skah may have freaked out and fled, but it takes at least half a year for the disease to spread and worsen. You can treat it before then.”
“Thank goodness.”
Relief washed over me at the thought of a possible cure. I almost feared I’d have to d*e as some bizarre creature.
“If I’m going to change, I’d rather turn into a human than a monster.”
Judging by my gut feelings, Ilgast was likely a deer before becoming a mythical creature. He must have been a strong and special deer to have once been the ruler of the forest and obtained the World Tree’s fruit, but he was definitely a deer, nonetheless.
Just like how Wildling evolved into a human form like Eve after eating the fruit, Ilgast must have eaten the fruit of the World Tree to gain a human appearance as well.
I clenched my front paw and flexed it. I had gotten used to moving my body enough to hold objects, but when I was born from the egg, even standing was a challenge.
“Honestly, I’m not feeling too awkward in this body. It’d be awesome if I could fully control my limbs. I just want to scratch my back!”
I may be a four-legged beast, but I could stand on two legs like a human and use my front paws like hands.
However, the one downside was that I couldn’t reach back to scratch my back due to my stiff joints.
From time to time, when my back itched, I couldn’t help but wish to become human, if only to get a good scratch.
After the spikes grew, my back had been itching even more, a constant reminder like a mosquito bite.
Every time, I would rub my back against trees or make a makeshift scratching tool, but nothing truly satisfied.
If only I could use my amazing claws to scratch my back, I would feel like I was in heaven.
“Wait, is that why mythical creatures always scratch my head or back?”
Perhaps they remember their time as animals and understand the physical inconveniences. They must know just how to scratch or massage my itches because they’ve been through that animal life themselves.
Lost in thought, Salome seemed to misinterpret my silence and gave my head a few light taps with her wings.
“Don’t stress too much. If Ilgast is around, he should be able to treat this. They say magical power is needed to cure rabies.”
“Magical power, huh? But didn’t Ilgast say he was out of strength? That pretty horn doesn’t seem to do anything at all.”
“Then let’s hurry to get some evening primrose. If we’ve made it this far into the wilderness, we must be close to the habitat. How we’ll handle the poison of those frogs is another question.”
Salome sighed heavily, seeming to face a daunting task. It appeared poison was a significant threat for her.
“I got the frogs covered.”
I replied confidently, my claws feeling the residual anger waiting to be unleashed.
*
“Here is the habitat for the evening primrose.”
After walking through the western wasteland for a while, a huge cliff appeared before us.
Looking up at the steep slope, I expressed my confusion.
“I don’t see anything.”
“We need to go up.”
With a swift grip on my shoulder, Salome soared up the cliff.
Suddenly, I spotted numerous holes perforating the rock face, resembling gigantic lockers or storage units.
“This is the lair of the Chili Poison Dart Frogs and the habitat for the evening primrose. It’s best to brace yourself. I heard these frogs joined forces with the poison insects from the North. It might not just be frogs we’re dealing with.”
Salome gently set me down inside one of the holes in the cliff.
Up close, the holes resembled deep entrances carved into the cliff. Inside, croaking echoes rose and fell like a haunting melody.
“This looks just like a frog apartment!”
“Are you really thinking of going in alone? The tunnels may not be deep, but those frogs are genuinely dangerous.”
Nodding at Salome’s worried expression, I affirmed, “Yeah, you might get killed by the poison.”
Though it was an odd relationship, I didn’t want to see my close companion d*e from poison.
After chatting with her, I figured she wasn’t a bad creature at all. Though she spoke formally, she was quite relatable, which naturally made me like her.
“Salome, are you going to stay here in the West?”
“Of course, this has been a home for the swallows since ancient times. Why do you ask?”
“Just curious. I’ll be right back; wait here for me.”
Leaving behind her puzzled frown, I slowly ventured into the cave.
“Though I hear the frogs, I can’t see the end. Salome said it wasn’t deep, though.”
How long had I walked through that seemingly endless tunnel?
As I stood in the dim cave, my eyes slowly began to adjust.
Soon, I encountered creatures I never expected to meet.
“You guys aren’t frogs, are you?”
“Ribbit!”
