CHAPTER 47………………………………………………………………
【Experience points acquired.】
【Level up achieved.】
After devouring the Stalker, I felt energy surging through my body.
Name: Alpha Whitey
Species: Beast lv.11
Strength: 35
Agility: 33
Health: 35
Skills: 《Omnivore》 《Strong Claws》 《Low Frequency》 《Stealth Maneuver》 《Courtship Dance》 《Crossbreeding》 《Frenzy》
Before I knew it, I had reached level 11.
Compared to my previous level, my strength, agility, and health had each increased by roughly 5 points overall.
Having leveled up about ten times so far, it seemed that the average increase per level was around 5 points.
‘My strength is already 35.’
I forced my body outward, cutting through the Stalker’s stomach and stepping free.
I could feel my small muscles twitching and expanding beneath my fur.
‘When I was born at level 1, my strength was about 9…’
By that measure, my strength had quadrupled.
Had my power increased proportionally with the numbers?
‘It would be nice to test somehow how strong I’ve really become. Maybe with a grip trainer or some gym equipment.’
I thought it might be interesting to find a benchmark for these stats someday.
—Guh-ek. Urgh. I’m alive.
From the limp body of the Stalker, Raohu—or rather, now it felt better to call him Mao, the giant cat—crawled out.
He coughed up the foreign matter that had entered his mouth.
—Amazing… I thought it was over when I got eaten!
Mao seemed thrilled to have survived the monster’s stomach, circling me and jumping up and down.
—You’re way stronger than you look! And you’re barely born, too.
His cute behavior looked more like a predator stalking prey, probably because of his size.
I spat the Stalker’s skin residue from my mouth onto the ground.
—And you? You’re weaker than I thought. What made you think you could take this guy on?
I nudged the half-eaten Stalker with my paw.
The jelly-like parts were gone, leaving only dry, sandy, tasteless flesh.
Mao stopped bouncing, hunched his shoulders, and muttered excuses in a voice too small for his size.
—I always ate what Dad gave me. I thought I could win, usually.
—Hmm.
I reminded myself again that Mao was the child of Raohu, the lord of the western forest.
Perhaps he was still young for his size.
‘A naive greenhouse flower, then? A housecat that just happens to be big.’
In that case, it made sense why he overestimated his strength and made mistakes.
‘They say lions roll their cubs under rocks… these guys must have a different method.’
But honestly, whether it was the lord of the western forest or his upbringing, it wasn’t my business.
I had almost been eaten by the Stalker, but I got out, filled my stomach, and leveled up—no complaints.
—Where are you going?
Mao leapt in front of me, blocking my path.
I frowned and pushed him back with my paw.
—I’m full now, so I’ll head back. Take care.
—Back? To the south? No way!
—Why not? I’m going.
—Everything in the western forest belongs to Raohu. You can’t leave me.
Mao bristled like an angry cat, growling fiercely.
It looked terrifying, but I no longer feared him.
I raised my paw as if to strike, threatening him.
—Tch. You’re weak, it’s all obvious now. Threats, really?
—Hmph. Come stay in the west with me. Dad will love to see you. If you say I saved you, he’ll surely give a huge reward!
—A reward?
Killing the Stalker had been purely for my own survival.
Honestly, saving Mao was a secondary concern—actually, I hadn’t intended to save him at all.
But at the mention of a reward, my ears perked up.
—What kind of reward? Some cordyceps or a Moon Stone maybe?
I recalled the rare ingredients I had eaten after exploring the ant hill.
If I kept eating such things, my leveling speed would increase and my survival chances would improve.
—Cordyceps and Moon Stones?
Mao tilted his head, apparently not understanding.
I frowned and explained as simply as possible.
—They’re like plants you eat to instantly gain strength. Ingredients that elevate your being in an instant.
—Plants…? You eat plants?
Hearing that, he scrunched his face as if seeing a pitiful human.
From a carnivore’s perspective, eating plants must seem weak and pathetic.
‘The ones who don’t know how to eat vegetables are the carnivores, not me.’
I had always eaten plenty of vegetables even at a meat-heavy diet, so eating plants wasn’t an issue.
—You need to know how to eat vegetables too. After all, you came to the western forest for the Wu Zhonghua.
—Ah, Wu Zhonghua! I know that. It grows a lot in our garden.
—Your garden?
I momentarily thought I misheard.
A beast with a garden was unheard of.
Mao, noticing my interest, opened his big mouth and began chattering animatedly.
—Yes! Our garden is huge! Full of fruits and plants! Surely you’ll find the cordyceps or whatever you’re looking for.
—Hmm.
—Then let’s go!
Before I could react, Mao clamped his large jaws onto the back of my neck.
—W-what!? Hey, let go!
I went limp, like a puppy being carried by its mother.
I hadn’t expected just having my neck held to render me powerless.
‘I have a weak spot here!’
While I was flustered, Raohu Mao lifted me into the air.
He began leaping across the rain-soaked forest trees, carrying me somewhere.
‘This kid is incredibly strong too.’
Like a tiger cub being a tiger, Mao’s physical abilities easily surpassed mine, despite his lack of technique or knowledge.
—Guh-ek.
As soon as we landed, I vomited everything from my stomach.
The ride felt rough, like a terrifying amusement ride.
—We’re here. This is it. Cheer up.
Mao licked my back and neck with his large tongue, trying to help me with motion sickness.
His closeness gave me goosebumps.
—Hey! Don’t lick! Stop it!
I kept pushing away Mao’s large head and body.
Mao hung his tail low like a kitten abandoned by its mother.
—Hmph.
—Hmph?
Looking away from him, I saw two massive rocks like pillars and between them, half my body-sized cone-shaped objects lined up like a fence.
Upon closer inspection, the cones were countless teeth with saw-like edges.
—Father’s canines. He’s old, so sometimes they fall out. They grow back quickly though.
—Good heavens.
I shivered at teeth half my body’s size.
If the canines were this big, how enormous must the rest of him be?
Perhaps even larger than a small mountain.
‘Something strange is about to happen, isn’t it?’
I sensed I was about to get involved in trouble.
The taste of the digested magpie lingered in my mouth.
Perhaps knowing this, Mao pressed his large head into my back, urging me onward.
—Let’s go inside. This is Dad’s garden.
I couldn’t resist his force and was pushed forward.
Inside the stone pillar enclosure, a strong fragrance hit me.
Even in the drizzle, it was powerful enough not to wash away—fresh, green, fruity scent.
I turned my head to find the source.
Soon, red and blue fruits hung thickly on trees before me.
—Wow. What is all this?
Not just trees—vegetables on the ground, exotic flowers, and all kinds of plants surrounded me.
Among the colorful blooms, a small pond further confirmed this was a true “garden.”
As I wondered at the place, words began forming before my eyes.
【The Loser’s Hideout】
—Do you like it? Further inside, there are treasures Dad treasures…
Mao walked beside me, speaking, but I barely heard him.
My eyes were wide at the expanse and variety of food growing there.
—…See! Isn’t it amazing?
I nodded absentmindedly, unsure what exactly was “amazing.”
‘Truly the child of a rich family.’
After all, he ruled over a massive forest.
Seeing such a huge garden made the concept of forest ownership click for me—like understanding a chaebol heir in my past life.
A wealthy child I’d never have met in real life now stood beside me.
‘Becoming an animal must improve my luck. I get to see places like this.’
At that moment, something flapped above my head and landed on a nearby branch.
—Miss, where have you been? I’ve been looking for you!
It was a round, sparrow-sized bird, comically small compared to my head.
It chirped repeatedly, beak tapping.
—Don’t go out on rainy days! Raohu said so. Skaar’s minions could target you!
—B-but…!
Mao crouched, tense, growling.
—I’ve lived fifteen summers now. I’m an adult! Stop telling me what to do.
Mao leapt toward the sparrow perched on the branch.
He clearly didn’t catch it—the sparrow flew to another branch.
—See? You can’t even catch me. With your skills outside, you’d become Stalker food. They’re too dumb to know whose daughter you are. You’d be eaten.
The sparrow warned me twice that I’d be eaten.
I had to agree.
From my impressions so far, Mao was just a giant housecat.
A purebred, likely eating expensive food like Royal Canin, half-eaten before moving to more costly treats.
He kept leaping and swiping at the sparrow like it was an annoying bug.
—This…!
—What are you looking at? That’s just my afterimage.
His claws never touched the sparrow’s feathers.
At first, I didn’t know what I was seeing, but soon I realized it was their play.
The sparrow was like a butler entertaining a big cat.
‘A sparrow servant.’
After a while, Mao tired, collapsed on the ground, mouth open, panting.
—I can hunt Stalkers too. I want to help Dad. I don’t just fetch food—I want to hunt live prey.
—You’ll get your chance eventually. By the way… who’s this guy?
The sparrow eyed me standing below Mao.
Mao lifted his head and exclaimed brightly.
—That guy saved me! He’s a good one!
—Saved you? From whom? You were in danger?
—No… uh… not exactly. I didn’t save him. We just met…
The sparrow looked back and forth between Mao and me, chirping sharply, before flying up to perch on my shoulder.
—You need to tell me exactly what happened, friend.
The tiny bird had a sharp beak, enough to intimidate despite its size.
I responded seriously.
—Hmph.
