I Became a Mountain Tiger in a Fantasy World

< Chapter 20: Second Growth >

Before reaching level 20.

I was exploring the forest to keep my promise to Lia.

The vow to help Brother Beak in exchange for a reward.

It wasn’t a lie.

Simply warning them in advance about the goblins’ attack could be of help.

However, doing just that left me feeling somewhat uneasy.

‘After all, the reason goblins advanced north into the Verdant Grove was because of me.’

As a tiger, I should at least take some responsibility.

That’s why I decided to take part in exterminating the goblins.

In fact, this was the practical repayment I promised Lia.

“Growl!”

“Screech?!”

The goblins attacking the human village were not much different from those of Skrillzhak’s Rotclaw Tribe.

【Blood-scent Tribe Goblin Warrior Lv.15】

【Rusty Blade Tribe Goblin Archer Lv.15】

Do goblins all have fixed levels?

Except for a few unusual ones, most of them were level 15, indicating that level 15 seemed to be their growth limit.

Growth limit.

Why were they different from Skrillzhak?

“Screech!!”

The goblins attacking the village immediately lunged at me as soon as they saw me.

But I had already defeated the prison warden alone.

On top of that, with support from Eryllion, these goblins were no match for me.

“Roar!”

Each swipe of my claws left goblins losing limbs and tumbling to the ground.

After easily dealing with the goblins, I turned my attention to the humans fighting them.

Most of the village folk and guards defending the village were below level 20.

Among them, one person stood out.

【Darkluna Guard Captain Robert Lv.25】

-Trait: [Guard Captain], [Swordsman], [Aura]

He fought bravely against the goblins, his sword faintly wrapped in aura, much like my claws were infused with wild energy.

Initially overwhelmed by the goblins due to being outnumbered, he shone the brightest once I joined the fray.

I began to understand the difference between those in their 10s and 20s level range.

‘Mana.’

Both Skrillzhak, who used shamanism, and the guard captain who mastered aura had surpassed the level 20 growth limit.

From this, I gathered a hint.

The dividing factor between ordinary individuals and the strong was ‘mana.’ This was something I could have deduced from my previous life knowledge as well.

‘The maximum level achievable before growth is 20.’

This was the most direct hint that could help me.

I recalled my first growth.

Through evolution, I had returned to level 1.

So the answer was clear.

‘I need to hit the max level and then grow again!’

Are you saying my level 20 is different from your level 20?

I am the Infinity Tiger that grows endlessly!

My hunch was spot on.

And by sheer coincidence, I managed to gain an unexpected reward from that place.

“Wh-What is that creature?”

“Mom! It saved us!!”

“Oh my! Hans! Thank you, Sol! Thank you so much, sob.”

Honestly, that wasn’t my intention.

In Lia’s room, I managed to get a map of the count’s territory.

To the south of Count Bloodmoon’s territory lay a forest known as the Emerald Labyrinth, while to the north was the Verdant Grove.

I had merely come to a village that lay in a straight line from the Emerald Labyrinth (Forest of Greenery) to the Verdant Grove.

I couldn’t have imagined that the ignorant goblins would actually raid a human village, but goblins were goblins after all.

Maybe these guys used the excuse of capturing me to raid the human village.

Filthy goblins!

Anyway, I only supported the most vulnerable-looking area after predicting their route by looking at the map…

“Kitty! Thank you!”

“Kitty? Thompson! This is definitely a divine spirit sent by Sol. Let’s pray!”

“Divine Spirit! Thank you! May Sol’s blessing be with you!”

I ended up being misunderstood.

I didn’t particularly want to save them…

Perhaps because it was a rural village, the people treated me as a sacred being and blessed me.

But that had an unexpected effect.

「Many people have remembered your existence.」

「Your achievements are taking root on the continent.」

「A new clue of evolution has been discovered! Karma acquired.」

「Level has increased! Growth weight applied due to reaching maximum level!」

Hooray!

Thanks to their misunderstanding, I accidentally discovered a new clue of evolution.

Amazing!

Could I become stronger by standing out in this continent?

“Grr!!”

“Ah! The divine spirit is leaving!”

“Goodbye! Meow!”

Hmm, in that case!

I decided to make a cool exit and left a paw print on the ground.

[Lu-deus🐾]

Leaving my name behind in style, the status window soon praised my achievements.

「The name ‘Lu-deus’ is starting to be mentioned in Darkluna Grove.」

Wow! It feels good!

Of course, I didn’t reveal my name just to be a show-off.

Seeing that my achievements were taking root on the continent, I had a hunch.

It was about time for a reaction.

「Spirituality is responding to the achievements left by ‘Lu-deus’.」

As expected!

It seemed my guess was right.

A new clue of evolution.

I could guess what it meant.

I would know if my guess was right or wrong by looking at the growth options.

But to grow, I needed a safe place to stay for a while.

After all, that place would be the best right now.

‘Return to Lia.’

“Grr!”

“Purr!”

Eryllion and I decided to seek Lia’s help once more.

Hmm, it feels like I’m using her too much…

Well!! That’s what a caretaker is for.

If they’ve been chosen by me, they have to endure this much!

* * *

By the way, I now had the status to come and go freely in Lia’s room.

…Embarrassingly, this meant I was being treated as Lia’s pet.

Foolish humans!

How could they not recognize the great Lu-deus!

Someday, I’ll make sure to properly educate them on who the true master of this house is.

For now, though, I need some sleep…

“What? You’re turning into an egg?”

“Grr.”

I gave a half-hearted reply while feeling the soft, fluffy pillow Lia had brought me.

“Aww! So cute!”

“Grr!!”

“Fine, fine. I won’t bother you anymore. Just sleep quickly.”

“Grr!”

Despite her words, Lia pestered me for a while before finally leaving me alone.

Eryllion, as before, began to explore Lia’s room, while I gradually drifted off to sleep.

By the way, it was Eryllion who had provided information about the ‘Tower of Knowledge.’

Now then… Shall I grow?

Actually, I was quite confident this time.

I had the karma obtained from evolving Brother Beak into a phoenix.

Thanks to that, I also acquired spirituality.

And then there was the matter of making a name for myself in Darkluna Grove.

Would the choices I envisioned be available?

With an excited heart, I closed my eyes.

I soon fell asleep as the darkness enveloped me, and familiar words appeared before my eyes.

「Confirming the potential within your body.」

1.【Agile Tigrasis Cub】

…

4.【Tigrasis Tiger】

The pattern was still similar.

I naturally skipped over them.

「The trait: [Potential] offers new choices through karma.」

「Maximum growth weight is applied!」

「Transcendent Friendship」

「Acquired Unquenchable Trust」

「Defeated Tribal Chief」

「Obtained clue of [■■■]」

…

「■■ of ■■」

「Token of Friendship」

So many options.

The phase where Potential was confirming my achievements had passed.

And I realized that my guess was pretty much spot on.

1. 【Divine Tigrasis Tiger】

2. 【Magical Tigrasis Tiger】

3. 【Holy Tigrasis Tiger】

4. 【Demonic Tigrasis Tiger】

5. 【Chaotic Tigrasis Tiger】

This time, the modifiers appeared much stronger than before.

Divine, Holy, Demonic, Chaotic. None of them seemed ordinary.

However, there was a penalty.

「Traits and skills cannot be confirmed.」

It meant I couldn’t get a preview.

But I had a rough feeling.

‘Is it time to choose my inclination?’

In this continent, it seemed that there truly existed beings like a ‘Demon King’ or a ‘Goddess.’

Considering that holy and demonic options appeared, it had to be true.

From that, I could grasp one clue.

‘The being that gave me these abilities must be among them.’

The omnipotent being that granted me the power of the ‘status window.’

Was it a Goddess or the Demon King?

To be honest, it was more likely to be a Goddess if one thought about it normally.

After all, what would a Demon King gain by nurturing a being like me?

‘Unless they wanted to raise me as a demon to destroy the continent…’

If that were the case, wouldn’t they have chosen someone far more consumed by vengeance than me?

So.

‘In the end, it means I might have to fight such beings in the future.’

It might be too far into the future to think about.

But as an aspiring writer who loved to daydream, seeing these choices made me think of the future.

In other words, choosing the holy path would align me with the Goddess.

If I disliked both the Demon King and the Goddess, I’d have to choose something else.

Given these choices, most would probably pick something like Divine, Magical, or Chaotic.

Those seemed the safest options.

It wasn’t clear who among the Goddess or the Demon King was good or evil.

This was when the saying “stick to neutrality” came into play.

However…

I pondered.

Could I choose those options and not be played by them?

After all, if I was growing through their power?

I couldn’t create any variables this way.

I looked at the choices again.

Strangely, the new options didn’t include ‘that.’

Achievements etched into the continent.

There had to be a way to grow along that path.

At that moment,

「‘Potential’ is responding to your will!」

An unexpected third change occurred.

And in the changed options was the path I had been looking for.

0. 【Unknown Night Tiger Lu-deus】

This was it!

I could instinctively feel it.

This was the choice that held the growth direction I wanted.

「Traits and skills cannot be confirmed. Proceed as is?」

Choosing option 0 brought up a hold message, just like during the initial species selection.

In such cases, there was only one answer.

Yes.

“Grr!”

Why was there a growl even here?

Anyway, I responded with “Yes.”

「You have chosen 【Unknown Night Tiger Lu-deus】.」

「You have confirmed the potential for radical growth!」

…

The words on the status window glowed and then shattered into tiny particles. These particles, scattered across the dark surroundings like stars in the night sky, began to form constellations as they grew along with a large continent.

Watching the flora and fauna of the continent come into being and various races flourish, I came to a realization.

History. This was the history of the Continent of Aiden.

There existed a goddess and a demon king, a hero and party members. The endlessly repeating flow of history. Within it, I saw a small star rise into the sky. I gazed at that star with emotional eyes.

The light of the star was still feeble and insignificant. It was unclear if it could even be called a star.

The being that shot that starlight was a feeble mortal.

It was not yet a star. It did not shine brightly. It merely held a trace of potential.

I recognized what that light was. It was a small wish that this mortal had always dreamed of.

「You have decided to write new achievements on the Continent of Aiden.」

The faint light hung among the brilliant constellations, and a strange gaze enveloped me.

「‘The Light of the Continent’ smiles faintly at your choice.」

「‘The Darkness of the Continent’ mocks your choice.」

With the emerging messages, I felt the ‘potential’ within me beginning to sprout.

「‘Followers of Darkness’ have become aware of your existence.」

「The pursuit of darkness begins.」

With the crimson message, the starlit surroundings were once again engulfed in darkness. Amidst the floating consciousness, a faint voice was heard.

「‘The Light of the Continent’ advises you to find the altar.」

…

And then,

「You have evolved into Unknown Night Tiger Lu-deus.」

I embraced my new evolution.