CHAPTER 28…………………………………………
9. Elixir 027 – Elixir #3
The younger of the two masters of the southern forest.
The home of the scale-covered tracker Yan-Mite was a massive cave carved into a cliff.
The black, pitch-dark opening was terrifying, like the mouth of hell yawning wide. Huge stalactites jutted down from the ceiling like fangs.
To eyes accustomed to darkness, countless skulls, teeth, and claw-like remains scattered across the floor were clearly visible.
These were likely the remains of prey that had entered the cave but never survived.
Among them, there were skulls easily three or four times the size of my head. Judging by the bones, I guessed they belonged to enormous bears or tigers—or something similar.
“Indeed, this could be called the home of a top predator. The cave is huge. I wonder how far it extends…”
“Eek! So many bones, bones everywhere!”
Leaf squeaked in a tiny, panicked voice. I worried that we might anger the owner of the house and become his next meal.
Red eyes flashed here and there throughout the cave. I saw enormous lizards flicking their tongues, slurp, slurp.
“These aren’t food. At least, not for today—they’re my guests. If I were to eat them, it would be after leaving the cave tomorrow.”
At Yan-Mite’s words, the lizards reluctantly turned and retreated.
“They have huge appetites. But while you’re guests in this cave, rest easy. You won’t be attacked.”
Perhaps he said it to reassure us, small creatures, but Leaf and I silently agreed to run like crazy as soon as we stepped outside the cave tomorrow.
“So this is the elixir, huh?”
Yan-Mite’s thick fingers took the glass bottle from me. He rattled it around, as if inspecting it, and then skillfully opened the cap.
“Ugh, what a foul burnt smell. And so black… Whoever drinks this will surely have stomach trouble for days. What is this made of? Do you know?”
I broke out in a cold sweat, unsure how to reveal that my bodily fluids had been used in its creation.
Animals’ senses were hard to comprehend, and revealing the ingredients might anger them.
As I nervously fidgeted, the dinosaur snorted.
“Hmph. Well, it’s no ordinary strange ingredient. It’s a potion made by the witch Eve. In fact, it’s better not to know. Knowing might make it impossible to drink—you’d find it disgusting. Best to just hold your breath and gulp it down in one go.”
He spoke casually, as if swallowing bitter medicine, and tossed the bottle straight into his mouth. Crunch, crunch—the sound of him biting the glass echoed loudly through the cave.
“Oh? Surprisingly tasty. I feel full of energy. I can feel new flesh growing. It’s been a long time since I felt something like this as a child. How’s it going—are your wounds healing?”
The dinosaur Yan-Mite turned his back and neck toward me. I hadn’t noticed before in the chaos, but long scars ran along his scales—huge claw marks.
Pink flesh was bubbling up along the cuts, both impressive and a little gross.
I frowned, and Yan-Mite prattled on about his wounds.
“These were inflicted recently. Kubilai’s talent slowed their healing. That annoying fool… Of course, he also got badly injured, so he’ll be in pain for a while. Not sure who attacked him, but he even bled heavily between his legs.”
I realized the wounds on Kubilai’s body were caused by me. Knowing he’d been severely hurt gave me a quiet sense of pride and satisfaction.
“Excellent. The wounds have fully healed. I feel invigorated.”
Yan-Mite thumped the floor with his thick tail.
Even this simple movement tore through the air with a deafening roar.
Leaf even covered his ears with both paws.
Feeling an uncontrollable power, Yan-Mite swung his tail wildly. Bones and skulls shattered, and stalactites disintegrated into dust on the floor.
Sizzle, sizzle.
Among the bone piles, a dark-red object darted away. Yan-Mite stopped and growled in dissatisfaction.
“Ants… still lurking in this cave.”
“Ants?”
He lifted a pile of skulls, showing me a massive ant, as thick as my forearm, raising its front leg.
Sizzle, sizzle.
Its mandibles clicked against each other.
“Be gone.”
Yan-Mite pressed the ant with his paw. The enormous ant, like a real one, popped and died instantly.
“This cave was originally an ant nest. They’re still lurking in spots. I need to kill the queen, but she went underground. I blocked them with bones so they can’t come up.”
As Yan-Mite swept the bones aside with his tail, a huge tunnel appeared—a passage resembling the entrance to Leaf’s treehouse.
A gust of wind rushed through. Footsteps echoed faintly.
“I’d go in myself if I could, but neither I nor my friends are small enough for this tunnel. If you were my size, I’d have done it.”
“Yeah, too big for me to fit. No other entrance?”
“No. I searched the whole cave. This is the only underground tunnel. So… would you go in and kill the queen? You look strong for a young animal; you should be able to handle the ants.”
“No… hmm…”
I hesitated, unwilling but silent. Refusing the dinosaur might get me eaten in a fit of anger.
As I pondered, he gestured, and the lizards crawled out from a corner.
A long mushroom-like fungus grew on his back. Upon closer look, it was a huge fungus releasing spores over the ants.
“I don’t eat plants, so I don’t need it. But you or Leaf might. Want it as a reward?”
“No, that’s…”
“That’s Cordyceps! And huge!”
Leaf interrupted my hesitant refusal, eyes sparkling, approaching the fungus as if it were a divine artifact.
“I never thought I’d see this in person. Incredible… amazing!”
“What’s so special about it?”
“Don’t you know Cordyceps? It’s a rare mushroom. It can instantly evolve the creature that eats it!”
“You know a lot, raccoon. Even I’ve never seen one this big. But unfortunately, it doesn’t suit me or my friends.”
Yan-Mite bared his fangs, probably smiling despite his fierce face.
“Instant evolution…?”
Hearing that, the fungus on the insects, which once seemed disgusting, now looked valuable and delicious.
Judging by Leaf’s reaction and Yan-Mite’s confident offering, it seemed more valuable than the ginseng I saw in my human days.
“Evolution… instant evolution.”
I recalled the moments I had grown far stronger after evolving.
Though experience gain slowed afterward, consuming this might allow me to level up and evolve again.
“Just need to kill the queen ant?”
“Yes. That alone will make them abandon the cave and move elsewhere. Likely the northern forest, where the many-legged creatures live.”
I rested my chin on my hand, thinking.
I had a jewel that could drive insects away.
No matter what the ant nest was like, that jewel could easily repel them.
“Why are you even coming along? The passage already looks narrow.”
I grumbled while crawling along the tunnel floor. Leaf replied from behind.
“Can’t help it. Should I spend the night alone among those giant lizards? Better to enter the ant nest.”
“True.”
We crawled further into the tunnel.
Sizzle, sizzle?
Occasionally, giant ants blocked the way, but shining the crystal made them recoil and retreat.
‘Easy. Just keep going straight.’
Yan-Mite explained the queen hides in the deepest chamber.
Branches in the tunnel appeared, but Leaf guided me.
“You’ll see sticky, jelly-like stuff. That usually leads to the queen’s chamber.”
“Are you sure?”
Though knowledgeable, Leaf seemed nervous and clumsy; I didn’t fully trust him.
“About 4 out of 5 times, it’s correct. The queen raises Wildlings inside the chamber. She squeezes their fluids to help lay eggs. It’s a symbiotic relationship.”
“Indeed, mutual benefit.”
I thought of ants raising aphids; here, Wildlings replaced them.
“I’ll eat all the Wildlings. Hehe. If there are many, I might take one out as well.”
I giggled, and Leaf whispered behind me:
“Symbiosis… a cool word. So can we say we’re symbiotic too? Helping each other like this?”
“We? You’re just dragging me into trouble. Keep bothering me, and I’ll eat you.”
“B-bothering…”
Leaf whimpered. I preferred him quiet than endlessly talking.
‘If you stay calm, maybe I could even treat you like a pet.’
Of course, that was a dream. In a jungle where survival was hard, protecting another was reckless.
Leaving the demoralized Leaf behind, I continued crawling through the ant nest. Soon, a wide tunnel appeared, big enough to stand.
‘Finally, some space.’
Though still narrow, the open space felt liberating.
Gwiing, gwiing.
Gwiing.
Hearing the cute sounds, I smirked. They were calling me.
Ants along the way shrieked at the blue crystal’s light and fled.
Finally, I discovered a room filled with white droplets.
“Wow… what is all this?”
Leaf gasped. I too nodded, astonished at the Wildlings filling the room.
“Excellent. Good.”
About nine of them. As I entered, the ants feeding the Wildlings backed away.
Gwiing, gwiing.
The white Wildlings clung to our feet.
“So cute! White ones are very rare. They eat only fruits and juice. So soft! Cool and pleasant.”
Leaf lifted one Wildling. Like a rubber ball, it stretched and bounced, squeaking gwiing.
I grabbed one too.
‘They eat only fruit.’
The black ones tasted good, the blue ones from the witch’s skin were sweet—but I wondered about this white one.
I held it tightly and opened my mouth wide. The Wildling flailed wildly.
“Wh-what are you trying to do!?”
