TLBP 13

CHAPTER 13………………………………

4. Suspicious Evolution 012 – Suspicious Evolution #3

The defense of the stronghold continued for quite some time.

The stone walls hadn’t collapsed, but the branches that had been used as a makeshift entrance were torn away without a trace, leaving the outside clearly visible.

—Grrr…

The wolves’ faces were streaked with flowing red blood. Those that were injured seemed heavily drained, panting with their tongues lolling far out.

One of the wolves stubbornly shoved its face into the narrow gap.

I steeled my killing intent, preparing to end this long fight.

—Grrr, woof, woof!

The wolf barked loudly, baring its fangs.

—Ghk!

Grabbing its head, I shoved my fist straight into its open mouth.

The beast tried to bite down on my arm inside its jaws, but my hide—thickened after evolution—suffered nothing more than minor scratches even against its fangs.

With my claws extended, I raked violently at the inside of the wolf’s throat.

Though wolves also had tough hides, their faces—especially the insides of their mouths and throats—were endlessly soft and vulnerable.

—Ghk… gurgle…

The mortally wounded wolf staggered back in agony, collapsed beside the entrance, twitched briefly, and then lay still.

Realizing their teeth couldn’t deal me serious damage, my confidence surged.

If I kept defending the den like this, thinning their numbers, then going outside to face them directly wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

The wolves, wary after seeing one of their own die, stopped attacking and simply stared into the den.

A tense standoff followed.

Catching my breath, I licked the wolf’s blood from my foreclaws.

A message appeared—my experience had increased and I’d leveled up. The fatigue that had weighed on my body after the prolonged battle vanished as if washed away.

“Good. If this turns into a war of attrition, I’ve got the advantage.”

I didn’t know what they were thinking, but dragging things out until sunrise wouldn’t be bad either.

Once the sun rose, the wolves would disappear somewhere, just like before, and wouldn’t show themselves again until nightfall.

“Wait… that means they could come back the next day too.”

I didn’t want these creatures invading my precious home every night. If that happened, I’d be forced to abandon this place and keep moving endlessly.

“There’s no choice. I have to settle this tonight.”

I didn’t want to let a single one of them escape.

If they were going to flee, it would only be after I’d instilled such overwhelming fear that they’d never dare come near this place again.

I slowly stuck my head out of the entrance and bared my fangs at them, hissing with all my might.

—Grrrr!

—Woof!

One of the wolves lunged at me.

I quickly withdrew into the den, trying to lure it inside, but it hesitated and retreated instead of charging in.

“They really are canines. Smart for mere beasts. This won’t be easy.”

I clicked my tongue in irritation.

I tried provoking them several more times, sticking out my head or body, but the wolves didn’t take the bait and kept their distance.

At this point, I might have to go outside and brawl with them.

I wasn’t certain how well my hide would withstand their claws and teeth, but the boiling exhilaration stoked my fighting spirit.

“Was I always this aggressive?”

I was surprised at my own mindset. Perhaps becoming a monster had altered part of my psyche.

Still, at my core, I was human. Reckless rage and blind bravado were more dangerous than the wolves before me.

I calmly assessed our respective strengths.

Every one of them was panting, with severe wounds on their faces and eyes.

Meanwhile, I’d just leveled up and was in peak condition. Maybe I could take on two or three at once.

“…That one worries me, though.”

Among the five wolves, one gray-furred wolf stood out.

Unlike the others with black fur, it had not a single scratch on its face, as if it had conserved its strength.

—Woof, woof!

Though smaller than the others, it barked sharply at them as if issuing commands. It was clearly the pack’s leader—the alpha.

—Grrr…

Whenever another wolf tried to bare its fangs and push into the den, the gray one barked sharply, stopping it every time.

Smart and patient—annoyingly so.

“The leader, huh…”

A thought flashed through my mind: if I killed that one, maybe everything would fall apart.

Groups losing their leader and collapsing was common even in human society.

I didn’t know if that applied to wolves, but it was worth keeping as a last resort.

—Thud.

Suddenly, a massive tremor shook the ground. At the same time, the wolves all lifted their heads and howled in unison.

I frowned deeply at their sudden behavior. Thud, thud—heavy sounds continued.

Something extraordinary was happening.

I retreated deeper into the den, pressing my back against the wall and watching outside.

—Grrrr…

A colossal growl echoed, and moonlight poured into the den.

A cold wind brushed through my fur.

Slowly, I raised my head toward the ceiling.

The roof of my makeshift shelter was gone, revealing two moons hanging in the night sky.

And staring down at me with regal dominance was a single red eye embedded in a massive forehead.

—Grrrr…

“…What the hell is that…?”

I could only gape at it.

An enormous wolf—so large I couldn’t even grasp its full size—had torn off my roof and spat it onto the ground.

I’d thought the small gray one was the leader. Apparently, I was very wrong.

“Are wolves even allowed to be like this…?”

Despite being a beast, this one-eyed wolf exuded the overwhelming presence of a ruler or monarch. Its gray fur shimmered beautifully in the moonlight.

Its massive mouth moved.

“Poisonous great bone. Serpent Queen El—gasa. Did you eat her?”

Its voice reverberated through my body.

Of all things, the first language I could understand in this world was a wolf’s.

I was briefly overwhelmed by emotion, then hesitated over how to answer. The “great bone” and “Serpent Queen El—gasa” must have referred to the snake bones surrounding my shelter.

“Y-yes. I did.”

I answered boldly despite its oppressive presence, though my heart felt like it would burst. The pressure was different from the giant snake—heavier, more suffocating.

The wolf’s red eye narrowed.

“Southern queen. Strong poison. Visible eyes. Turns to stone. Did you kill her? How.”

It questioned me again, its enormous fangs looming before my eyes.

It was so huge that something like me wouldn’t even qualify as a snack.

Yet strangely, it didn’t seem hostile.

If so, I needed to exploit this moment to survive.

I decided honesty was safest.

I raised my forepaw.

“I killed her with these claws. I stabbed her eyes so she couldn’t move, then smashed her head with a stone.”

“Hmmm.”

The wolf hummed deeply and leaned its face closer, staring at my claws before snorting.

“As expected. Stones. That’s something monkeys or humans would do. A weak creature.”

It laughed smugly.

“Not even fangs. Stones!”

It laughed for quite a while.

I desperately tried to figure out what it wanted.

One thing was certain—it was looking down on me.

At first I thought it was because my speech was clumsy, but no. It was treating me like an inferior.

“Well, with a body like that, everything must look small.”

At least it wasn’t on full guard. It was wide open.

I’d killed a giant snake. This thing was big, but it still had a heart and blood.

“The eye on its forehead must be the weak point.”

If it attacked me, I’d tear its face apart without hesitation.

But first, I had to ask.

Taking a deep breath, I questioned it, ready to fight if needed.

“Why are you here? What are you going to do with me?”

“South. Spiders spoke. Snake’s death. Came to confirm. You. Small. Weak-looking.”

“Small. Weak.” The wolf repeated.

The one-eyed wolf, Kubilai, was a powerful beast that had lived for centuries.

His fangs could pierce an enemy’s torso in a single strike, and his massive forepaws could shatter bones with one blow.

Through endless killing and survival, Kubilai had become the alpha ruling the eastern forest.

Beasts either bowed their heads to him or fled in terror.

Only a few—like Queen El—gasa or the Tiger King—had dared challenge him.

“And this runt stands before me proudly? And killed El—gasa?”

El—gasa had survived centuries of molting and possessed two skills: Demon Eye and Blood Poison.

Even Kubilai had struggled with her venom.

So when spiders and scorpions gossiped about her death, he hadn’t believed it.

But seeing her corpse now, he had no choice.

What was this small creature?

White fur—an idiotic color in a forest or jungle.

It didn’t even behave clearly like a four-legged or two-legged beast.

It resembled nothing, yet everything.

The closest match might be the forest ruffians known as ratels.

They were infamous for fearlessly attacking stronger foes and could endure venom.

“But ratels don’t build houses. Bone fences and stone walls… like humans.”

The thought of humans—those vile creatures—made the empty sockets where his eyes once were throb.

He snorted and spoke.

“The southern forest will fall into chaos. No snake. A new ruler must be chosen.”

He considered killing the creature but stopped.

If it was a ratel, the meat would be tough and foul.

To Kubilai, killing meant eating—not sport, unlike humans.

“Then survive, if you can.”

He turned away, then paused and glanced at the small stone house.

“Before I go…”

Perhaps he should destroy this disgusting pile of stones that mimicked humans.

He smashed the stone walls with his paw.

The gray wolf Blanka barked, demanding vengeance for their fallen comrades.

Kubilai glanced at the corpses.

“The dead were weak.”

Weaklings weren’t needed.

And this small, white beast would soon die to stronger creatures of the south anyway.

Especially that uncouth brute who loved tough, tasteless meat.

Thinking of that sly face soured Kubilai’s mood.

“Humph.”

As he turned away, an ominous presence stirred behind him.

“My—my house!”