CHAPTER 48………………………………………………..
—You met the Stalker? My goodness, that could’ve been disastrous!
The sparrow perched on my shoulder flapped its wings and hopped up onto a branch.
For several minutes, the sparrow scolded Mao relentlessly, and the large cat, unable to live up to his size, lay flat on the ground in defeat.
—I-it’s okay. You even got eaten… but you came back alive…
—You went inside its stomach and came back out!? Not just facing the Stalker, but inside it!?
The sparrow let out a sharp chirp.
It was hard to read its facial expression, but if it were human, its face would have gone pale blue.
If we translate this to human terms, it would be like a refined heiress being kidnapped in an alley and then rescued—it would be shocking not to be alarmed.
The sparrow continued scolding, and Mao kept making pitiful excuses.
One thing became clear: every excuse made the situation seem even more serious.
The sparrow flew above Mao’s hunched shoulders with a purr-like flutter, then pressed its face close to Mao’s twitching ears, chirping loudly.
—If Lord Raohu finds out, you’ll be in big trouble. This isn’t something the lady can take responsibility for alone! Where is that magpie? Wasn’t it supposed to serve you today?
—I-I don’t know. I haven’t seen it for a few days.
—So the lady sneaked away, huh? That brat said he had business in the south and hasn’t returned yet.
—Hmph.
I hiccupped at that.
Perhaps the magpie that had been digested and turned into nutrients inside me was making its presence known.
—Th-that time… that guy saved me…
Poor Mao finished his last words in an almost crawling, pitiful voice. After that, he stayed completely silent.
The sparrow, who had been chatting excitedly beside Mao, turned its gaze back to me.
—So you defeated the Stalker?
I nodded.
The sparrow circled around me, inspecting me from the horns on my head down to my toes.
—What kind of creature are you? I’ve never seen anything like this around here.
Just as I opened my mouth to explain, Mao lifted his head and shouted energetically:
—He escaped from the south!
—The south?
The sparrow tilted its head, moving strangely from side to side.
—From the south?
Although it was hard to read the bird’s facial expression, its eyes were full of anxiety and vigilance.
—If he could defeat a Stalker, he’s no ordinary creature. He could survive in the south. But why would someone like that come all the way to the west?
The sparrow treated me like a spy, with suspicion and caution.
That was probably the correct reaction.
Not all animals are dumb, apparently.
Thrown into this strange situation, I suddenly missed Leaf back in the cave.
‘At least Leaf wasn’t such a nuisance.’
Forget rewards—I just wanted to go back south.
But since Mao had dragged me here, pretending to kidnap me, I had no idea how to return.
I would get lost even on the southern forest paths without Leaf, so how could I find my way in this unfamiliar western forest?
The sparrow flitted over and perched on my head again.
—Why come to the west right now? Are you an agent of Yan-Meat? Did he send you to check on the west? What’s your intention toward the lady?
The sparrow bombarded me with questions all at once.
Using my horn as a perch and chirping loudly in my ear was incredibly irritating.
‘If I’m not careful, this could be right in the enemy’s territory. Stay calm.’
I swallowed my rising anger from deep in my stomach and answered calmly:
—Approach? I didn’t approach him. He spoke to me first. I didn’t even know he was there.
—You approached the lady… uh, never mind. Is it true, then? The lady approached him first?
The sparrow turned its body to look at Mao.
Mao opened his big mouth and smiled awkwardly.
—H-he… he’s white, so he stands out. And he’s kind of cute, so I was hiding and watching him.
—No! You can’t just approach any creature! I told you not to judge by looks alone.
The sparrow wobbled on my horn as if it had a headache.
It flapped its wings, flew near my face, and lifted my lips with its tiny feet.
—Just because he looks kind doesn’t mean you can approach. Look at those sharp canines. And his claws… those claws… wait, what kind of claws are those?
Seeing the claws on my forepaw, the sparrow stopped mid-sentence.
It gave a thoughtful chirp and turned its attention back.
—You really didn’t approach the lady first? You ran from south to west?
—Yes, that’s right. I didn’t even know who he was or what he was. If anything, I saved him from danger, so he should be grateful.
—Hmm.
—I followed him only because he promised a reward or something. I’m actually the kidnapped party here.
The sparrow fell silent for a few moments, thinking.
Even the simple fact that it stopped chattering was enough to satisfy me.
After a brief pause, the sparrow spoke in a low, solemn voice:
—Lady, you don’t intend to make this creature your champion, do you?
—I-I wouldn’t. I don’t know what you mean.
Raohu Mao’s body began to tremble violently.
The sparrow sighed deeply at his suspicious, guilty posture.
—Don’t play innocent, lady. I, Pepe, have served Raohu and the lady for years…
—KRAAANG!
A sudden explosion sounded as if the eardrums would burst.
I wondered if lightning had struck nearby, but the sparrow had panicked.
—L-Lord Raohu seems to have returned. I’ll report everything that happened today, understood, lady?
—N-no! If Dad finds out, it’s trouble!
Flapping its wings, the sparrow tried to fly, and Raohu Mao leapt after it.
Still, his claws never touched the bird.
Following the flying sparrow, Mao disappeared somewhere in the vast garden.
‘What am I supposed to do?’
Left alone in the garden, I felt absurd and flustered, almost laughing.
What kind of hospitality is this?
After sitting dumbly for about ten minutes, waiting for them to return, I decided to explore the garden.
The rain-soaked grass smelled fresh, and the scent of fruits and vegetables tempted me endlessly.
The soft crunch of grass underfoot tickled my ears.
‘Even rich animals live differently than me.’
I remembered curling up in a small treehouse with Leaf.
I had thought Leaf was already well-off, but this was clearly a higher class.
‘Definitely not like Yan-Meat, who lived throwing bones around a cave.’
If the southern master, Yan-Meat, was a primitive dinosaur-like creature, the western master exuded elegance.
The aroma of delicious fruits made my stomach rumble loudly.
Perhaps due to emptying my stomach from earlier nausea—or maybe the smell was already making me digest—I didn’t know.
‘With so much here, it should be okay to pick one.’
I plucked a small, tomato-like fruit and put it in my mouth.
The sour taste burst instantly, almost making me salivate and tear up.
‘So sour! Not ripe?’
Soon after, a rich sweetness flooded my mouth, overwhelming the initial sourness.
【Experience points acquired.】
‘Huh?’
I gained experience simply by eating fruit from someone else’s garden.
Eyes wide, I looked at the surrounding fruits and vegetables.
Now it all seemed like a delicious meal and abundant experience points.
‘With this many, I can probably eat a few more. After all, I saved Mao. I was promised a reward.’
I began picking and eating fruit one by one, convincing myself it was justified.
Crisp vegetables went down my throat, tasty and giving experience points—what an opportunity.
Even colorful fruits that looked suspiciously bitter turned out sweet.
【Experience points acquired.】
【Experience points acquired.】
I tasted every vegetable and fruit I could reach, like being at a buffet.
Strangely, despite eating so much, I didn’t feel full.
I felt I could eat everything in the garden.
【Experience points acquired.】
At some point, I paused, tilting my head, noticing that some fruits weren’t giving experience points.
‘Why isn’t this giving experience?’
I held a long, purple fruit in my hand.
It tasted like banana, very delicious, but no experience points appeared.
Not only the purple banana—some fruits and vegetables I ate gave no experience points.
‘What’s different? Is there food that just doesn’t suit me?’
With no other knowledge, that was my only conclusion.
Even Yan-Meat didn’t give me cordyceps because they didn’t suit him.
Perhaps some foods suit certain creatures, and others don’t.
‘I can’t tell from the outside. I guess I’ll just have to try everything.’
While sampling various fruits, I noticed I might have eaten too much.
‘I’ll probably get noticed. The trees look bare.’
Name: Alpha Whitey
Species: Beast lv.12
Strength: 37
Agility: 34
Health: 37
Skills: 《Omnivore》 《Strong Claws》 《Low Frequency》 《Stealth Maneuver》 《Courtship Dance》 《Crossbreeding》 《Frenzy》
Before I knew it, I had reached level 12.
Given the amount of experience I had gained, leveling up was inevitable.
‘Actually, it feels like less than expected. Maybe vegetables give less experience?’
Perhaps vegetables, being easier than hunting, give smaller experience points.
Or maybe, as I thought before, higher levels require more experience to reach the next level.
Having eaten all nearby fruits, I moved toward the pond, continuing my feast.
When I started tiring of the sweet and plain vegetables, I looked for tastier, experience-granting fruits.
‘Wasn’t there Wu Zhonghua in the pond?’
I headed toward a small pond nearby.
Lotus flowers bloomed beautifully, surrounded by stones like a fence.
Raindrops fell, creating ripples on the pond surface.
Colorful fish swam below, mouths opening and closing.
‘Wow, they really set up a proper pond. So those lotuses are Wu Zhonghua?’
It looked more ordinary than expected, and I felt a bit disappointed.
Still, I wanted to taste such a remarkable flower, so I bent down to pick one.
Suddenly, something underfoot rang with a clear, pure sound.
A raindrop had hit empty air beside my foot, scattering like fragments.
‘What… is this?’
