TLBP 06

CHAPTER 06………………………………….

[Work Review] Thank you for reading. Please give me a recommendation~_~. Chapter 6

2. Encounter with the Unknown 005 – Encounter with the Unknown #2

I charged fiercely at the remaining two.

Startled by my ferocity, they swung wooden sticks wildly in every direction. I took some hits on my torso and shoulders, but I felt no real pain.

Without slowing down, I collided with one of them and knocked it to the ground.

“━!”

The one pinned beneath me struggled frantically.

I raised my fist and struck its face with all my strength.

After landing four consecutive punches on its jaw, it twitched weakly and became submissive.

The last one was kicking desperately at me while I sat on its companion.

I got to my feet and stood confidently in front of it.

Most of them were about my size, but the final one was a head shorter, so I looked down on it.

Its face was shadowed by the sunlight behind me.

“…Nishu.”

Its grotesque face, with eyes slanted to the sides and jagged teeth, made it look both strange and visibly worried.

Any intelligent, sentient being would naturally tense up if a creature its own size had already taken down its comrades and was threatening it.

━Karrureuk!

Even I was impressed by my own roar. It was a truly beastly cry.

As I had when fighting wolves, I raised both arms high into the air.

Perhaps intimidated by my exaggerated posture, it hunched its shoulders and trembled.

The victory was clearly mine; unless it pulled a gun from its pocket, there seemed little chance the situation would turn around.

Even if it wanted to flee, I wouldn’t have blamed it. But instead of running, the nervous creature chose to attack me.

“━Uooo!”

Prepared to risk death, it swung its limbs desperately. Clinging to me, it struck my jaw and chest with its fists.

I could withstand it, but when it bit my arm, the pain was sharp, even with the adrenaline dulling sensation.

━Let go!

I slammed my fist down onto its face. Several strong punches later, it still didn’t release its grip.

“Kuhehe!”

The thing biting my arm let out a panting laugh—a sound that wasn’t speech but a clear mockery directed at me.

Its red eyes were filled with madness and grim determination.

I felt a fear unlike the one I had felt with the wolves, a shiver running down my spine.

The saying about a cornered rat risking death to attack a cat came to mind.

It was clear that the one biting my arm had decided to hurt me at any cost, even if it meant dying.

Pain shot through me as if my flesh were being torn off, and I cried out.

━Gah! This bastard’s trying to die!

I dug my unbitten claws into its face, raking mercilessly. Reddish wounds appeared on its gray face, bleeding.

After several more scratches, it finally released me and fell to the ground, blood streaming from its face but still grinning.

“Spit.”

Bits of flesh had been torn from its mouth—they were pieces of skin ripped from my arm.

“…Bakanishu.”

━What is this bastard saying now!

Angered by its attitude and injury, I grabbed a flat rock from the ground and smashed it onto its head.

With a loud crack, it rolled its eyes.

Approaching to check if it was dead, I felt faint breathing—it seemed it had only fainted from a concussion.

At my feet, the fallen little demons were squirming, making shallow groans. Nobody seemed truly dead—just bruised, bitten, and beaten.

━Eating is damn hard.

Finally feeling the situation was under control, I let out a sigh. My rough breathing slowed, and my blood cooled.

The pain I had been ignoring began to return—the bruises from sticks on my back, the kicks, the bitten arm.

Every breath brought a cough and chest pain; my ribs, struck by fists and kicks, might even be cracked.

I remembered a day when I had gotten into a fight with drunken customers while working at a bar.

Even then, adrenaline had masked the pain, but once it subsided, the agony always came flooding back.

‘At least I survived. Not too badly hurt.’

I forced a positive thought.

Survival is essentially a clash of those who eat and those who are eaten, those who take and those who are taken from, each risking their life.

Even lions on the savannah were injured while hunting bison for a meal, sometimes fatally.

‘Without risking your life, you can’t eat. Makes it all the more delicious.’

I limped toward the chunk of meat roasting over the fire. The surface had burned black during all the chaos.

I lifted the unknown animal meat with its stick.

Scraping off the charred exterior revealed thick, juicy flesh.

Though burnt outside, the interior was perfectly cooked, steaming and tempting.

I bit into it with a loud crunch—the sharp sound of my teeth tearing meat tickled my ears.

Being roasted over an open flame, the fat had drained, leaving a smoky, fiery flavor in my mouth.

It wasn’t a complete meal, but it was certainly a taste of civilization.

The chunk of meat, half my size, disappeared quickly.

Spitting out the cleaned bones, I noticed something odd.

‘Tasty, but I’m not full.’

I had eaten a quantity comparable to my own body size—my stomach shouldn’t be empty. Yet the hunger remained.

I felt confident I could eat two more oxen—the emptiness in my belly was bottomless.

━What the hell is happening? What should I do?

Frowning in confusion, I searched the little demons’ campsite for more food, but found only useless junk.

“…Nishu.”

I saw the little demons crawling away, trying to escape from me.

Even though they could be called another species, in a broad sense, I considered them human-like. Originally, I had thought of them as mere nuisances.

But after tasting the roasted meat, they began to appear to me as moving food rather than sentient beings.

[Experience gained.]
[Experience gained.]

Multiple notices of experience points appeared.

I realized that experience points increased not merely through slaughter but when I hunted and “consumed” something.

A white light began to surround me—it was the level-up effect I had experienced before when enough experience points had accumulated.

The pain from bites and scratches vanished as if washed away.

The sensation of new flesh growing was indescribably pleasant, sending shivers down my spine—almost addictive.

[Level Up!]

Species: Monster lv.3
Strength: 11
Agility: 8
Stamina: 10
Skills: Omnivorous, Strong Claws, Stealth Movement

Overall stats increased. Agility and stamina rose by 2 points each.

I wasn’t sure exactly what the numerical values represented, but my body felt lighter and stronger—my physical abilities had undeniably increased.

The new skill, Stealth Movement, caught my attention immediately. It seemed that like “achievements” in games, certain actions or conditions granted new skills.

‘I don’t know how to use it yet, but it can’t hurt to have it.’

I looked at my claws and muttered:

━Strong Claws!

My shout echoed among the ruins, but nothing else happened. It didn’t seem to be an attack-activated skill.

I flexed and swung my claws in every direction—no major change.

‘Being able to retract and extend my claws like a cat is nice.’

It seemed to be a persistent, passive skill rather than an activated special move.

What about Stealth Movement?

Like a cat sneaking into a warehouse, I raised my heels and moved. My footsteps were almost completely silent.

‘Even stepping on dry leaves or twigs doesn’t make a sound. Amazing.’

I could approach the little demons without being detected unless I made deliberate noise.

I wasn’t certain if the skill had activated, but it was a remarkable ability.

‘If I move silently, no one will know. I could even catch the daytime rabbits.’

Even though I was full, I worried about tomorrow’s food. Unlike previous anxious days, hope filled my heart.

Even the wolf that had tormented me since birth, and these little demons who used tools and fire, were no match for me.

‘This monster species might be stronger than I thought. Did I fight well?’

Satisfied, I gathered the remaining bones and buried them—both as a personal ritual and to prevent other beasts from sniffing them out.

‘So what exactly were those creatures?’

After burying the last bone, I reflected on their identity. Their taste lingered in my mouth.

Contrary to expectations, their lean muscles and fat went down smoothly, like the beef I rarely got to eat.

I decided to call them “Marbling” instead of goblins, as the latter name felt unappetizing.

The taste of Marbling scored 8 out of 10 in my book.

‘I’ll have to hunt them again if I see them in the forest. And other beasts too.’

I resolved to track and rate all creatures and plants in the forest, creating a survival guide.

‘Alright, I’m full. Now what?’

Looking up, the sun was still high—plenty of daytime remained.

Even though I was full, having daylight left was fortunate. I thought it best to find a new home.

‘Or maybe I’ll just build one from scratch. I can see the materials.’

I glanced at the still-burning campfire and the flat stones scattered around. I could use them to make a makeshift shelter here.

Even as a monster, I was human inside—I couldn’t sleep in a cave or a tree like a beast. I didn’t want to lose the precious fire.

‘I could dig a shallow trench, place flat stones on it, and make a small hearth to protect the fire.’

I gathered dry branches and leaves to feed the fire, then collected flat stones.

They were thick and heavy but manageable. Some bore unknown wedge-shaped characters and strange drawings.

‘Did the Marblings carve these?’

The inscriptions looked ancient. Whatever their origin, creatures that used only sticks as weapons probably couldn’t carve stones.

‘There must have been a more advanced species, one that could use stone like me.’

Of course, I wasn’t leaving writing or drawings—I was building a house.

‘Feels like a proper construction project.’