CHAPTER 42…………………………………………………………..
‘What is an entity name?’
As I pondered the sudden turn of events, letters began appearing before my eyes.
Name: Alpha Whitey
Species: Beast lv.10
Strength: 33
Agility: 31
Stamina: 33
Skills: 《Omnivore》 《Strong Claws》 《Low Frequency》 《Stealth Maneuver》 《Courtship Dance》 《Crossbreeding》 《Frenzy》
Among the listed stats, a new field appeared: Name.
‘Alpha Whitey… what’s that?’
Does it mean my own name?
As I frowned at the strange designation, a dark shadow fell over me.
Turning my head, I saw the red-haired Captain staring down at me with bloodshot eyes.
“May you grow and prosper, Alpha.”
The Captain’s strong hands grasped my nape and began to squeeze tightly.
I struggled to break free, but my vision quickly went pitch black.
—W-What the hell is this bastard doing!
I roared.
Something rustled nearby, startled.
Turning my head, I saw Leaf the raccoon awkwardly smiling as he extended a fruit toward me.
—I-I wasn’t trying to eat it secretly. I was just hungry, so I wanted a bite first…
Leaf rambled awkward excuses. I quickly turned my head away.
Where I looked, there were no pits, no bushes, and no strange human.
All I saw was a narrow, damp earthen pit.
Or perhaps it could be called a cave wall.
—What… what happened? Where did they all go?
I massaged my throbbing head and aching nape.
After being choked and losing consciousness, I remembered nothing.
Leaf held out the fruit he had carried.
—I brought you here from where you were left behind by the humans. Consider yourself thanked.
—Left behind? Where? Where did they go?
I grabbed Leaf by the shoulders and shook him hard.
Dizzy and wobbling, he tilted his head and answered with a growl.
—I-I don’t know. I was too focused on saving you. The humans probably went back to where they live.
—Hmm.
I had hoped to locate where humans lived and find an exit from this forest, but that plan was now impossible.
—What about the tail? Didn’t you see the severed tail? The thick one with red scales.
I urgently searched around the cave.
After all, the battle with the humans was largely because of Yan-Meat’s tail.
If it was lost, then all our effort would be wasted.
—Tail? You mean the one covered in red scales, squirming…
—Where is it? Did you bring it too? You didn’t leave it behind, did you?
—C-Calm down. I brought it with me.
Leaf rummaged through a corner of the cave.
When the tail, buried and hidden under leaves and branches, finally appeared, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Leaf pulled it out, licking his lips.
—I’m usually not big on meat, but this smells irresistible. I don’t know if it’s because of the tail, but beasts came from all around, making things difficult.
—You managed not to lose it. Good job.
—I thought it was important, so I saved it. Whose tail is it? Did you hunt it?
—It’s Yan-Meat’s tail.
—Ew.
Leaf frowned deeply, then wiped the drool from his mouth and shook his head.
—My appetite’s gone. It’s actually starting to scare me.
The severed tail wriggled violently in Leaf’s hands.
It seemed almost like a living creature.
I took the dinosaur tail from Leaf, feeling its thick, heavy weight.
Scraping the scales with my claws revealed firm flesh and muscle beneath.
A thoroughly savage, primitive form.
Yet its smell was even more tempting than raw bacon or chicken to my starving senses.
I couldn’t control the saliva streaming from my mouth.
I opened my jaws wide and bit into a thick chunk of tail.
It wasn’t tender meat but solid muscle. Tougher than expected, but the resistance made it enjoyable.
As I tore and chewed through the tail with a snap, crunch, Leaf shivered beside me.
—Wow, you really love meat, huh.
Before I could respond, I devoured the rest of the tail.
The flesh was lean, clean, and free of fat, sliding down my throat easily.
When I regained awareness, I was licking the last bits of meat from the bones.
‘No experience points?’
I had hoped eating part of a strong creature would grant experience points.
But sadly, no letters appeared.
Perhaps consuming a body part alone doesn’t grant experience.
‘Then how does one gain experience?’
It seemed the system wasn’t as simple as “eat to gain.”
Shaking off the confusion, I turned my head.
Leaf looked at me anxiously.
—W-Why are you looking at me? You’re not still hungry, are you?
Leaf trembled as if I might devour him.
I considered teasing him but decided it wasn’t worth the trouble.
—Where are we? This doesn’t seem like the treehouse.
Only after filling my stomach did I notice the surroundings.
Leaf relaxed his bristled fur and leaned against the wall.
—This place is closer to where the sun sets. It’s a bit far from the treehouse. Carrying you and the tail there would be exhausting, and the creatures kept attacking…
He rubbed his arms and legs. His fur was patchy, and he had many scratches.
—You’ve worked hard.
I lightly praised him. Saying more felt awkward, and speaking too much embarrassed me.
Still, I was glad he hadn’t abandoned me.
Without realizing it, a strong sense of camaraderie had formed between us.
He had helped by throwing stones during my fight with the Captain and was generally helpful.
My trust in Leaf had grown.
—So this is the western forest, right?
—Not the far west, more like the boundary with the southern forest. The creatures couldn’t follow us here.
—West…
I peered outside the small cave.
The forest was pitch-dark, visibility almost zero.
Dense trees blocked even the moonlight.
Rather than calling it a forest, “dense jungle” seemed more fitting.
Unlike the tall, straight trees of the south, this area had twisted, vine-like vegetation.
‘Even within the same forest, the scenery can vary this much.’
Suddenly, a flash lit up the area.
Snap! A tree broke loudly somewhere.
Crash!
Thunder roared, deafening.
Soon, a heavy rain poured down.
The raindrops were huge, drumming on my head like a massage.
‘I hope I don’t go bald from this.’
Would acid rain exist in this world?
Given the pristine environment, maybe it was safe to drink the rainwater.
—What are you doing out there? Come inside! Stalkers might be around!
Leaf grabbed my shoulder anxiously and pulled me inside.
I shook off the water clinging to me.
—Stalkers?
—Monsters that only appear on rainy days. Big, fast, scary ones.
Perhaps from the rain and cold wind seeping in, or fear of the stalkers, Leaf shivered violently.
‘Stalkers…’
I muttered the ominous name while glancing outside.
Outside, the rain and wind made it impossible to see or hear anything else.
Only the sound of the downpour filled the world.
Leaf stood beside me, staring out.
—The best thing is to hide in tunnels or caves when it rains.
—How long do we stay hidden? How long will it rain?
—Maybe two or three days. If it lasts long, over a week.
—That’s a long time.
I wondered if a week-long storm would cause floods, floating everything away.
—No flooding?
—Flooding?
Leaf tilted his head with a growl.
He made that sound whenever curious. It seemed to be a habit.
—Flooding is when water rises above the trees. Heavy rain could pool water, right?
—Isn’t that the sea? Rain turns into the sea?
Leaf kept growling. He knew some things, but not others.
I realized once again he was just a four-legged raccoon.
‘If he doesn’t know flooding, there probably aren’t serious water disasters here.’
Where does all this rain go? Leaf seemed to notice my curiosity.
—All this rain nourishes Mother Tree. Deep underground, there are unimaginably thick roots.
—Roots?
—Yes. According to Eve, trees can grow just by drinking water. Mother Tree must be the same.
—I see. That makes sense.
I recalled the giant World Tree I had glimpsed. Even ignorant of measurements, I estimated its base could rival a small city.
Its roots spread throughout the forest, explaining why floods wouldn’t be a threat.
—We should head south quickly. With this rain, we’ll be stuck here for days.
Leaf stopped looking outside and curled up deep inside the cave like a coiled snake, closing his eyes.
—I should tell Eve that humans came. What’s going on in this forest?
—They said the humans are destroying the ecosystem. Their goal was originally to hunt the forest’s master.
—Huh?
Curled up, Leaf looked up cautiously, eyes wide.
—Can you really understand human speech? Really?
His question sounded suspicious.
Quickly deducing, I realized understanding human speech was extraordinary.
—No… I think you meant that… How could I understand human speech?
It was partly a gamble. Facing troublesome questions and events, I desperately improvised an excuse.
—Hmm.
Leaf made a short hum, then curled up again.
—Only Eve can understand human speech. I thought you understood because you came from a human city.
—I can only grasp general nuances. I just think that’s what they said.
—Totally nonsensical. Hmm, I was curious what humans talk about.
—Probably trivial stuff. What to eat for breakfast, lunch, that kind of thing.
—No, surely they talk about terrifying things. They sometimes skin animals without eating them, or pull teeth. Scary, right? They pulled your teeth too, didn’t they? Lucky to survive, though.
—My teeth were pulled?
—Y-Yeah. Didn’t you notice?
Only then did I feel the odd emptiness in my mouth.
Rolling my tongue, I realized a canine on the lower right jaw was missing.
‘What…? Why?’
Why on earth did they pull my tooth?
