I Became a Mountain Tiger in a Fantasy World

< Chapter 3: I’m Sensitive Right Now >

In the eastern part of the Continent of Aiden, within the Kingdom of Gragor, lies a jungle connected to the Forest of Elves.

This jungle was known as the ‘Verdant Grove’.

The Verdant Grove was always lush and green, a special place overflowing with mysterious vitality and unknown energy.

The stream that flowed through it was the Yunia River, which originated from the World Tree, making it an expected marvel.

While reading a book titled ‘The Verdant Grove’, the young lady raised her head and asked a question.

“Dad, are the monsters living in the Verdant Grove really that strong?”

Count Bloodmoon smiled at his daughter’s question.

“What kind of monster has our princess fallen for this time?”

“Hey! Would you stop treating me like a child? I’ll be entering the academy next year!”

The Count gazed at Ria, who glared at him with a pouty face.

Cordelia Beatrice von Bloodmoon.

At fifteen years old this year, she was the second daughter of the Bloodmoon Count family, showing more aptitude for magic than swordsmanship.

Perhaps because of that, Ria showed interest in rumors related to monsters and magic, unlike other young ladies her age.

“Anyway, Dad. Listen to this. A long time ago, there was a monster that absorbed the power of other monsters by devouring them.”

“And you still believe in such legends when you’re about to enter the academy?”

Count Bloodmoon teased his daughter mischievously. He also knew the contents of ‘The Chronicles of Dragons’.

Wasn’t it like a fairy tale?

“Then do you know this? That monster longed for humans so much that it sometimes visited human villages.”

Of course.

The story of the hero who set out to subjugate the monster, joining forces with a dragon to barely defeat it, was a very famous tale.

He wondered why she was bringing up a story dismissed as a myth, but Ria soon got to the point.

“The Magic Tower traced relics and legends and found that ‘On the night when the moon and starlight become one’, this year, that monster was born in the Verdant Grove.”

“My goodness! Is that really true?!”

When the Count asked exaggeratedly, Ria’s cheeks puffed up.

Regardless, the Count was thinking about how to tease his daughter next.

Until Ria blurted out the following words.

“Anyway! So, I decided to tame that monster.”

“…Huh?”

The count blinked his eyes and looked at Lia.

Tame a monster?

Is that even possible?

But his daughter seemed indifferent to the feasibility of such magic.

“Tame a monster?”

“It’s pitiful!”

“Hmm…?”

Lia spoke as if she felt a strong sense of duty.

“They say it comes to the village because it misses humans, right? There must be a reason. So, I’m going to develop a magic spell that allows me to talk to animals based on ‘Familiar’ magic!”

The count was momentarily speechless at Lia’s attitude, her eyes shining as she spoke.

She was always a mature child, but at times like this, she was so pure she seemed almost foolish.

But why did he feel a bit ashamed of himself for thinking, ‘If a monster appears? Kill it,’ when he met his daughter’s gaze?

The count smirked and said with a chuckle.

“But will the monsters listen to us?”

“That’s something we won’t know until we try.”

“Hmm.”

The count thought it was an impossible task, but he decided to support his daughter.

Even if she dug into something with all her might and ended up failing, the experience would be a great foundation for her future.

However, he did feel a bit bitter.

‘Even if Lia somehow manages to create such magic…’

Even if she could talk to monsters.

He couldn’t let Lia stand on the side of monsters.

The reoccurrence of myths did happen occasionally.

According to the stories passed down, the history of the appearance of the Demon King and the Hero on the Continent of Aiden repeated periodically.

So,

‘If they were exterminated by the Hero and the Dragon, there must have been a good reason for it.’

The count did not want his daughter to get involved in such complicated battles.

Of course, it was something that happened once every few thousand years, so the chances were almost non-existent.

Still…you never know, right?

He suddenly looked up at the sky.

The night when the moon and starlight become one.

Indeed, a week ago, a fleeting moment had come when the whole world was shrouded in darkness.

‘A monster…could it be? No way.’

Count Bloodmoon looked at the distant Verdant Grove and then prayed to Sol.

He prayed for the peace of Bloodmoon and Lia’s future, hoping that they wouldn’t encounter anything like a monster.

* * *

And just inside the Verdant Grove.

The problematic monster born on the night when the moon and starlight become one,

“Grr.”

was now crawling through the bushes.

With dark brown fur resembling a tree and stripes camouflaging it,

called a leopard print, it was rare on the Continent of Aiden.

Would you believe if it made the body’s outline look blurry?

In short, this small, insignificant creature had passive skills like [Camouflage] or [Stealth]!

Of course, that overpowered baby predator was me.

‘Good. I haven’t been spotted, right?’

I stealthily extended my short legs, advancing 1mm at a time.

If someone saw my crouched, waddling form, they might ask if I was baking bread, but that’s because they didn’t know me well.

Watch closely.

I’ll show you the greatness of this body.

‘A tiger always gives its best when hunting a rabbit.’

By the way, my current target was an actual rabbit.

【Horned Rabbit Lv.4】
-Characteristics: [Horns], [Sensitivity]
-Skills: [Horn Strength Enhancement Lv.2]
-Status: [Calm]

The opponent was two levels ahead of me and had horns, a ferocious creature.

A mutant rabbit with antlers on its head.

This jungle was that dangerous.

Even a mere herbivore couldn’t be underestimated in this fantasy world.

As the first tiger to set foot in this world, I couldn’t leave this disrupted hierarchy unchecked.

I meant I was hungry and needed to hunt.

Sorry, rabbit. I have to eat too.

After moving for a while in my bread-baking pose, I finally approached its rear.

Was this what it felt like to aim for a surprise attack? My fur stood on end, and I lowered my stance.

‘One, two! Push!’

I gathered strength in my hind legs, crouched my body, and then sprang forward with all my might.

Boom!

An earth-shaking impact, unlikely from my small body, occurred as my form shot forward like an arrow.

「Using Horn Strength Enhancement Lv.1.」

Did you notice?

My new skill!

But I didn’t stop there.

With an increase in skills, naturally, I had to use a ‘combo’ as well.

After all, I was a proud tiger!

“Grr!”

Leaping through the air, I emitted an infrasound and swung my front paw. The rabbit, sensing something with its acute senses and trying to flee, froze for a moment.

Seizing that opportunity, my front paw accurately struck its head.

Whack!

The incredible reflexes of a feline!

Missing was not an option.

“Squeak!”

Before the creature, now in critical condition, could scream, I bit down hard on its nape. Originally intended as a finishing move, my small size left me dangling from the rabbit’s neck.

Unfazed, I lifted both paws high.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A triple cat punch! Take that!

“Eek—”

Soon, the rabbit fell without even a scream.

Ha, did you see that? The strength of this body!

“Grr!”

I proudly squared my shoulders and checked the results of my hunt.

No injuries, no failures in stealth, and a perfect attack.

Shouldn’t I be granted a title like Rabbit Slayer for this?

「………」

Tch, fine, if there’s no title.

Anyway, I felt immensely satisfied.

Catching a single rabbit might seem like a big deal, but anyone facing a horned rabbit wouldn’t say so.

The first time I hunted a rabbit, I let it scream by mistake, and the subsequent arrival of other beasts nearly killed me.

From that experience, I learned that ‘subduing’ and ‘capturing’ were more important than attacking. This is why predators go for the nape first.

Dragging the rabbit by its neck, I began to move like the dignified beasts do.

Using my impressive biting and muscular strength, I lifted the rabbit. But its legs dragged on the ground.

‘…….’

Ugh, how humiliating.

The majesty of a predator comes from its size, after all.

“Grr!”

But there’s no need for disappointment.

I had already found a clue on how to increase my ‘size.’

That’s also why I kept hunting rabbits.

* * *

“Grr! Grr!”

Dragging the rabbit’s corpse back to my lair, I hastily shoved it inside and erased any tracks left on the ground.

After meticulously checking my surroundings and hiding in the bushes for a while to ensure safety, I finally entered my lair to feast on the hunted rabbit.

Whew, that was exhausting.

“Chomp chomp chomp chomp!”

Then, the message I had been waiting for finally appeared.

「You have continuously consumed Horned Rabbits and acquired the [Sensitivity] trait!」

Yes!

Honestly, I didn’t expect it to work, but it really did.

I had hunted rabbits a total of six times.

With those six hunts, I not only acquired the [Horn Strength Enhancement] skill but also the [Sensitivity] trait of the rabbit.

You might wonder how I thought of obtaining skills and traits by hunting rabbits.

That was because of the ‘acquisition condition’ I learned from hunting a mole monster.

.

.

.

「Through your first predation, you have discovered the acquisition condition for [Claw Sharpening Lv.1]!」

Right after that, I checked the acquisition condition and found out it was ‘Karma Accumulation.’

‘Karma Accumulation?’

In short, it meant accumulating experience points.

By hunting and consuming a creature with ‘Claw Sharpening,’ I had a chance to acquire that skill.

When that achievement accumulated to a certain point, ta-da!

I could acquire the skills of that creature just like now.

By the way, I haven’t seen the mole monster needed for this since then…

It turned out that Brother Mole was a weak yet skillful unique monster.

I miss you, brother.

Anyway!

Flinch.

As soon as I acquired the [Sensitivity] trait, I felt my sense of the surroundings become much sharper.

In other words, I had now become a predator equipped with the sensitivity of a herbivore.

Plus, with Horn Strength Enhancement!

I got stronger today!

“Growl!”

Of course, there was a price to pay for this.

「Your Karma decreases upon acquiring traits.」

This was why I hadn’t leveled up despite hunting the Level 4 rabbits six times.

‘But now that I’ve gotten what I wanted!’

The horns remained, but that trait was of a different nature.

There must be special conditions to acquire it.

Putting aside my regret, I decided to level up first.

Generally, bigger creatures had higher levels, so I thought that if my level increased, my size would also grow.

‘Wait for it! Bulk up!’

* * *

But things never go as planned for a tiger.

I looked up at the sky with eyes hardened by my harsh reality.

Just like in online games, where bullies would show up at beginner hunting grounds to torment newbies, could you believe I was in that very situation now?

“Whoosh—!”

Damn, that bastard came again?

【Blade Owl Lv.12】

Damn thug.

There was a reason I called him a thug.

“Spit!”

“Whoosh—!”

Starting a few days ago, that creature had begun to show up and demand the prey I had hunted, like some kind of bully extorting lunch money from a kid.

Unbelievable.

Even here, there was a thug acting like a school bully or a back-alley gangster.

‘Damn it.’

With tears in my eyes, I reluctantly placed the rabbit down and slowly backed away.

“Whoo-hoo-hoo!”

Seeing this, the owl puffed up its body and laughed mockingly at me.

‘This bastard?’

They say revenge is a dish best served cold.

For a tiger, revenge starts right now.

That owl had no idea what it meant to mess with a sensitive tiger.

For the record, I intended to remain perpetually sensitive from now on.

I began to keenly observe the owl’s level and the surrounding animals.