63rd Chapter
21. Alpha White Dog #2
“Is something about to start?”
I glanced around the suddenly dark cave.
It was so dark I couldn’t even see my arm right in front of me.
“Hey, Salome. What’s going on?”
I whispered my question to the Salome who was supposed to be next to me.
But no matter how long I waited, I got no answer.
I felt that something was definitely wrong and reached out into the void.
My hand should have touched Salome, who was right beside me, but instead, it just sliced through the empty air.
“What the heck is happening? What’s going on!?”
I shouted towards Ilgast and Salome.
“What the heck is happening? What’s going on!?”
My voice echoed through the dark cave, bouncing back at me.
Is it really possible for echoes to return so accurately in such a narrow and cramped space?
Chills ran down my spine, and I felt every hair on my body stand on end.
“Stop messing around!”
“Stop messing around!”
“Ugh, what are you trying to do right now!?”
“Ugh, what are you trying to do right now!?”
In my panic, I realized one anxious fact.
‘This isn’t an echo.’
The sounds I thought were echoes were nothing but malicious mimicry, someone copying my voice and tone exactly.
Suddenly, a laugh that sounded like nails on a chalkboard echoed from nearby.
【Most beasts feel fear in total darkness. They become weak and powerless.】
It was a distorted voice, but I could tell it belonged to Ilgast.
In this place, where such a sinister aura and pressure hung, it had to be Ilgast and not some ghost.
“What are you doing? What’s going on?”
【━.】
A weird laugh accompanied a long, hairy thing brushing past my face.
I quickly turned my head, trying to catch the source of the movement.
But once again, there was nothing in my line of sight.
【I can hear your fur standing on end. The fresh scent of fear. You’d better be more scared.】
“Yikes, what’s happening?!”
A prickling sensation raced down my back.
Someone had plucked a thorn growing on my back.
“Why are you doing this?!”
I bared my claws and stood alert on all fours, ready to swing them at a moment’s notice.
Something poked me hard in the side.
It was stronger than I expected, making my body involuntarily j*rk.
“Cut it out!”
I swung my front paw with all my might at the direction where I’d felt the poke.
But my claws swiped through the air without hitting anything.
【What is seen is not all there is. Alpha, don’t just rely on your eyes.】
Voices from Ilgast echoed around me.
I couldn’t gauge his location.
‘Is he trying to eat me? k*ll me?’
My mind raced through thoughts, trying to figure out Ilgast’s intentions amid my tension.
If he really wanted to eat me and k*ll me, he could have swallowed me in one bite without all this trouble.
He had complained about having low magical power, but it was clear he could easily overpower and k*ll me the moment we met.
‘What’s the reason he’s going through this hassle?’
I was just starting to wonder if there was some sort of ritual or procedure that mythical creatures followed that I didn’t know about.
【Left hind leg.】
“What?! Ugh!”
Something struck my left hind leg quickly. With a sharp pain, I let out a yelp.
“Ah! That hurts!”
【What is visible is not all, Alpha. This time, it’s the left front paw.】
Something hurtled in and struck my left front paw.
It felt like being hit with a club, and tears welled up in my eyes from the pain.
“Are you trying to train me or something?! What is going on?!”
【Now it’s the right front paw.】
‘Right front paw…!’
I braced myself for the impending strike on my right front paw, just as Ilgast had said.
Then, something whipped by and struck my right hind leg.
“Ugh, you said front paw!”
【Unlike regular beasts, mythical creatures excel at lying. Now, I won’t tell you where it’s coming from this time.】
With that, Ilgast’s voice faded into silence.
‘So I can’t see, but what am I supposed to do?!’
From what Ilgast said, it sounded like my vision being blocked in this pitch-black darkness was his intent.
It was irrational and ignorant, but his attitude felt like that of a teacher or instructor who wanted to teach me something.
I took a deep breath.
I slowly closed my eyes, sinking deep into my inner consciousness, focusing on my twitching ears and nose.
At that moment, I visualized something rolling over the cave floor like waves.
They say creatures that excel at detecting sound or smell can visualize those sensations in their minds. I must have had that ability now that I’d become a magical beast.
‘I can feel it. This is it? Right in front of me.’
Then suddenly, something smacked me on the back of the head.
Rubbing my sore neck, I grimaced.
“No, I was sure it was in front!”
【What you felt was a stone I threw on the ground. But still, you got half of it right.】
“A stone…”
I recalled the first time I hunted a creature that resembled a human, Marbleing.
Back then, I had thrown a stone to catch their attention.
It seemed Ilgast was doing something similar to what I had done back then.
I was beginning to get angry about being toyed with in Ilgast’s palm.
I had been ready to enjoy munching on his horn, only to suddenly find myself in this ordeal.
【Your fur is turning red. Did you eat a ghost?】
Instead of answering, I growled and fiercely swung my claws around me.
I thought maybe if I flailed randomly, I’d eventually hit him.
【For magical beasts, eating ghosts is almost a fate. They all fell into madness and ended up self-destructing. That was their fate. But you must be different, Alpha.】
Something grabbed my nape and lifted me off the ground.
I struggled to escape the restraint, shaking my limbs and thrashing my claws.
【What you need right now is to feel fear. Alpha, be more afraid. Fear the predators. Then, all your nerves will be sharp.】
While I still couldn’t grasp what I was expected to be afraid of, my body, lifted into the air, was suddenly hurled down.
【Now, I’m going for your neck. This is no lie. In 5 seconds, I’m coming. Try to dodge.】
“Ugh…”
As I regained my footing from being toppled over, I started counting down from 5 in my mind.
I felt pressure weighing me down, as if I was submerged deep underwater.
The ground and cave walls trembled like there was an earthquake.
‘Going for my neck?’
That must mean he intended to take my life.
d*ath, the absolute silence that follows with nothing afterward came to mind, and my excitement calmed, my legs shaking.
“I don’t know…”
Like before, I closed my eyes, channeling all my senses into smell and hearing.
Even though all sorts of anxious thoughts were gnawing at my determination, I couldn’t just sit here and let my neck be snatched away.
As I focused intensely, every sound around me turned into a muffled whisper.
In the midst of all that, a faint sound brushed against my ears, gradually growing louder.
“Oh, I can hear it.”
The thump of my heart echoed in my chest.
On top of that, there was a sticky, humid breath right above my head.
I imagined it came from a wild bear or fierce predator in a frenzy.
At that moment, I sensed the creature’s breath faltering for just a second.
He was probably bringing his raised arm down, so I lifted my front paw over my head in response.
Then, a heavy blow crashed against my bones, sending my body tumbling.
The force was incomparable to what Suka had dished out; it was like a natural disaster.
I worried my left arm might have broken, but I twisted my body and swung my right front paw overhead.
I felt vividly as my claws sliced through something.
With a tearing sound, whatever it was fell to the ground with a thud.
【Well done. I didn’t expect you to counterattack so quickly. My teaching must be effective, huh?】
“That doesn’t seem right at all.”
If it got out that this was how he taught, I’d imagine no one would want to apply to that academy or dojo.
Wasn’t it more punishment than teaching?
Snap, snap! Something crumbled loudly around me.
Surprised, I looked around as the dark space enveloping me cracked and tumbled down.
“What is happening?”
I squinted at Salome, who had somehow stood next to me, and Ilgast, who sat in a chair as if nothing had happened.
‘Was it all an illusion? Since when have I been in a hallucination?’
As I struggled to comprehend my bewilderment, a long horn from Ilgast’s head fell to the ground with a thud.
“Indeed, wonderful claws. You managed to cut off my horn. A remarkable talent. I hope you don’t forget what you just realized and train it well.”
While picking up his fallen horn, Ilgast smiled serenely.
“The talent from Mother World Tree is given without reason. It’s not something you earn through effort. It’s quite powerful, but you can’t develop beyond that.”
Ilgast held out one of his horns to me.
“I had no talent until I ate the Fruit of the World Tree. All I had was a cowardly personality and a body.”
Ilgast was evidently a beast that had fought against various animals before.
Him claiming to have no talent made me tilt my head in confusion.
“How did you become the forest master without any talent?”
“I did whatever it took to survive. Even if I didn’t reach the realm of talent, I developed all my senses. Thanks to that, I could survive for a long time and ultimately became the master of the world.”
I nodded, thinking he had indeed honed his basic physical skills.
The attack upon me in that strange illusion seemed to be a message to develop the physical capabilities I already possessed.
‘Does that mean easily obtained abilities have their flaws? Or that I shouldn’t settle for reality and should strive harder? Something like that.’
I accepted the horn from Ilgast, wondering if it was perhaps a reflection of the survival process he had gone through and his training methods.
Like the last time, it felt alive, pulsing in my hand, but it was extraordinarily hot.
Perhaps this warmth was what Salome and Ilgast referred to as magical power.
“Cultivate your ability to sense crises, Alpha. Suppress your characteristic fiery nature and learn to fear. Your predecessors could not do this. But you will survive longer than anyone.”
I couldn’t quite grasp what he meant, but from the atmosphere and context, it felt like he was giving me some encouraging words.
“You don’t need to tell me, I will live longer than anyone else. I intend to live forever.”
With determination, I bit down onto the horn I held tightly.
Something flowed into my mouth from within that horn.
I gulped it down eagerly, like kissing a balloon full of water.
While I was busy savoring the treat, beautiful letters floated before my eyes.
【You have gained experience.】
【You leveled up.】
【You have gained experience.】
【You leveled up.】
【You have reached the maximum level, and no further experience can be gained.】
【Conditions met. You can now evolve.】
‘What? I leveled up twice in one shot?!’
I felt like screaming with joy.
Eating Ilgast’s horn skyrocketed my level to 15 and allowed me to evolve.
As I had expected, it seemed I could evolve every 5 levels.
“How does it feel? Do you feel powerful? Is there something different?”
Ilgast crossed his arms and looked at me.
He seemed to be enjoying seeing what changes I would undergo after consuming his horn.
“My fur has become shiny instead of dull.”
Salome leaned closer to inspect me like she was searching for hidden treasure, poking at my fur here and there.
“It doesn’t seem like anything has really changed, does it?”
“It looks that way. Did boosting your magical power still leave you lacking in strength?”
Ilgast scratched his chin, deep in thought.
‘They probably can’t see the letters that pop up in front of me.’
These letters were definitely something only I could see.
Could this too be a talent bestowed by the Mother World Tree?
As I organized these thoughts, I was left wide-eyed at the sight of all the animals that could evolve.
‘No way….’
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