NOVEL WEB Chapter 6 - The Special Tiger
< Chapter 6: The Special Tiger >
Metal! War Greymon! Langi!
I dreamed of turning into those forms.
It was quite a sweet dream, though I quickly realized I was dreaming.
Warm.
Someone was gently wrapping around my ‘egg.’
Huh? An egg again?
But who is it this time?
Is it my real mother?
– Squeak?
Ah, it was Brother Beak.
Brother Beak nudged my egg gently with his beak, then smirked and turned away.
Pretending not to care, he gathered twigs and leaves to cover my egg.
When it started raining in the evening, he came over and embraced it to keep it warm.
– Squeak!
Brother… please don’t play with me like a soccer ball.
I panicked when he suddenly started rolling me, but I realized he was moving me to a safer place.
Worried that the egg might break, Brother Beak carefully relocated me and placed me in his nest, standing guard at the entrance.
– Squeak!
Wow, honestly, I was moved.
I had never been protected by anyone in my life.
Not only did Brother Beak protect me, but he also provided me with a ‘home.’
If my makeshift shelter was like a campsite with a rough blanket on the dry ground, Brother Beak’s nest was a five-star hotel.
A feather bed that offered soft cushioning and the perfect temperature.
I learned then: a bed is wilderness; a feather bed is science.
I made a decision.
No matter how special and extraordinary of a genius Tigra…whatever kind of tiger I am.
I will never betray Brother Beak.
Oh, but…
‘What is that?’
Even in my sleep inside the egg, my ‘sensitive’ senses caught onto something.
Something was inside Brother Beak’s nest.
Its intense vitality was so strong that it even sharpened my mind asleep in the egg.
‘Could that be…?’
A thought flashed through my mind.
‘Named’ creatures are also known as ‘spiritual beings.’
And such beings usually have a habit of living while guarding special ‘plants’ that bestow spiritual power upon them.
That’s right. The root of that plant is…
‘Could that be an elixir?!’
Oh my goodness.
No wonder Brother Beak wasn’t too fond of me at first.
‘Slurp.’
Just thinking about the elixir made my mouth water.
How strong would I become if I consumed it?
‘…No matter how tempting it is.’
I am an intelligent being.
A highly reputed Tig…whatever.
What should I do?
I’m not sure.
The elixir is incredibly tempting, but Brother Beak is the first friend I’ve ever made.
It’s an elixir that he cherishes as his life… but just one bite?
‘Sss.’
That wouldn’t be right, would it? Damn.
I never thought I’d be taking cues from a bird.
Ah, damn.
I should just sleep.
Mmm… slurp.
* * *
### A Few Days Later,
Thump, thump.
In the depths of the Verdant Grove, within a secluded mountain valley untouched by humans, a new life was about to be born.
“Squeak!”
The Savage Beak stared at his nest with a tense expression.
A small face he remembered gazed back up at him.
It was clearly not a kin, much less his own chick, yet for some reason, this young creature lingered in his mind.
Without any apparent guidance from its parents, the creature ventured out to hunt without any clear sense of caution.
Unbeknownst to it, Savage Beak had fended off the eagles that had secretly targeted the young creature.
However, the young creature had eventually drawn the attention of the Razor Owl, the dominant predator of this valley, and Savage Beak sensed its imminent doom.
But then, something unexpected happened.
“Squeak?”
The small creature locked eyes with Savage Beak.
Confirming that he was watching, the small creature resolved itself and sprang into action.
Savage Beak could never have imagined it.
The small creature, with unparalleled courage, charged at the Razor Owl.
It attacked the massive beast, several times larger than itself, with such bravery that Savage Beak was deeply shocked.
Simultaneously, a surge of anger welled up from deep within his chest.
Why was the young creature being tormented?
Even that young one fought so fiercely, so what was he doing?
Having lacked the courage to confront before, Savage Beak took a step forward in that moment and tasted a new world.
“Squeak!”
He was not a being meant to be confined to this valley. Nor was the small creature meant to be crushed under the Razor Owl’s tyranny without realizing its dreams.
He wanted to fly.
To dominate the skies and roam the entire continent as the true master of the heavens.
Thump.
Feeling the life stirring within the egg, Savage Beak’s eyes gleamed.
It was astonishing.
Could such primal wildness really reside in that small body?
His heart pounded.
Somehow, he felt that with this creature, he might achieve his dreams.
Oh, the true king of the forest who would rule beyond this valley and the mountain range!
He was now witnessing the birth of a king!
“Squeak!”
Crack!
Finally, the shell broke, and the king took his first step.
Thump! A small front paw!
Crack! A chubby hind paw!
…
…
Blink, blink.
The small creature with the eggshell still on its head blinked at Savage Beak.
Then suddenly,
“Meow?!”
It lost its footing and tumbled forward.
Roll, roll, roll.
The little creature, still trapped inside the egg and rolling frantically, picked up speed and rolled straight off the cliff.
For a king, it was a rather anticlimactic… death—almost.
“…Squeak?”
Savage Beak swiftly caught the egg and gently set it down.
“Meow!”
Flailing his short legs, the little creature finally managed to shed the eggshell and waved his front paws with an awkward smile. At that moment, a mysterious voice echoed in Savage Beak’s ears.
「’Tigrasis Cub’ gives you a thumbs up!」
It was the voice he occasionally heard.
A cub. So that’s your name?
“Squeak!”
Savage Beak shook his head at the rather clumsy appearance of the so-called king. It seemed he would have to keep a closer eye on him for a while. Until he could fully draw out his wild nature.
His heart raced at the thought of flying across the sky together one day.
Until then, he would protect him.
Savage Beak made that vow.
—
“Meow!”
Oh. Savage Beak really did save the day.
I must have gotten my hopes too high, expecting evolution to be something grand.
At the very least, I thought my front legs would get longer…
Snap!
As I waved my arms energetically, I saw my short, stubby front paws. They were still white, fluffy, and chubby.
‘Hmm.’
What is this? Did I get scammed? Or was I dreaming?
Sigh.
“Squeak!”
“Growl!!”
Brother Savage Beak, having some business to attend to, left after congratulating me on my hatching.
Once again alone, I wasn’t scared at all.
The situation was completely different from when I first reincarnated alone.
“Chomp chomp chomp chomp!”
I finished my meal by adding egg white sauce to the food that Brother Savage Beak had gathered.
It was the ultimate weaning food, with rabbit meat accompanied by some unknown berries.
Is this what life with a guardian is like?
Moved by his kindness, I thought I should go inside Brother Savage Beak’s home and…
“Growl.”
Ah. This doesn’t seem right.
Let’s think positively.
Even without this so-called elixir, I was already a sufficiently strong ‘special’ tiger.
Damn!
To lift my spirits, I decided to check my evolved status screen.
—
【Tigrasis Cub Lv.1】
– Traits: [Potential], [Special], [Instant Transformation], [Clue of Evolution], [Sensitivity]
– Skills: [Miniaturization], [Magnification], [Infrasound Lv.2], [Predation Lv.1], [Leg Strength Enhancement Lv.1], [Smash Lv.1], [Razor Claws Lv.1], [Tree Climbing Lv.1]
—
Wow! I sure have gained a lot of new things.
The first thing that stood out was that my level had dropped to 1.
I had sort of expected that.
I didn’t grow up, I evolved.
‘The next growth might require at least level 10, right?’
Seeing that Brother Savage Beak was at level 11, it might be possible only at level 15.
…Still, it’s a bit disappointing. I’ve worked hard to raise my level.
At that moment, I realized that having a lower level was actually an advantage.
“Squawk!”
An unpleasant cry suddenly echoed.
I stopped trying to check my
skills and hastily pushed off the ground with my hind legs. With the flapping of wings, I saw the intruder that had swooped into the space I occupied.
Its ambushing technique and the angle at which it swung its talons were nowhere near as impressive as Brother Savage Beak’s.
‘What the heck! What is this weakling!’
【Ordinary Crow Lv.9】
I thought it was nothing special, but seeing its level surprised me.
Wait, it’s actually level 9? Isn’t that dangerous?
But then…
-Characteristic: [Flight]
-Skills: [Pecking Lv.2], [Snatching Lv.2]
-State: [Confused], [Curious]
For some reason, I could see all the detailed information of this level 9 opponent.
Moreover, it seemed a bit slow.
“Squawk?!”
The crow, flapping its wings and circling in the air, distanced itself and tilted its head as it looked at me. Clearly, seeing my appearance as a cub, it stared blankly at me and made the mistake of approaching me again, not trusting its ‘instincts’.
Squeeeak!
This time, it seemed determined to peck at me with its sharp beak, diving down even faster. But I wasn’t scared at all by its fierce momentum.
Because I had already realized what my ‘specialness’ was.
Thwack!
I intentionally didn’t dodge the attack of the crow’s beak as it glinted and thrust toward me.
Blood spattered, and a dull sound echoed, but that was it.
“Screech?!”
The crow’s beak couldn’t penetrate the skin on my shoulder and stopped there.
I grabbed the crow’s beak firmly and grinned broadly.
“Grrrr…!”
Indeed, the status window was intuitive, wasn’t it?
Once, I had the modifier ‘weak,’ and Brother Savage Beak had ‘swift,’ but now, I’m simply special.
Creaaak!
My skin was tough, and my muscles were strong.
This meant that now, I could hunt level 9 monsters on my own without Brother Savage Beak’s help.
Even though my level had dropped, I had actually become stronger.
It also meant I could grow even more.
In short,
‘I’m a damn strong tiger!’
“Roar!”
Splat!
Just one hit.
The ordinary crow monster that dared to attack me lost its head to my single smash.
“Growl?”
I looked down at my paw with a puzzled expression.
No matter how strong I’d become, could I exert this much power with such a small paw?
The smash I just performed felt different. It was a heavy sensation, incomparable to my usual playful punches…
「You’ve obtained a clue of Magnification!」
‘…!’
So that’s it! That heavy feeling.
The strangely excessive loss of stamina.
I turned my attention to my characteristic.
-Characteristic: [Instant Transformation]
Ha!
So, this is what magnification through Instant Transformation feels like…!
Is this the power of a skill without a level?
“Growl!”
I straightened my shoulders and proudly picked up the crow’s corpse.
A sense of triumph filled me.
I felt like a truly special tiger!
Holding the crow’s corpse, I walked with the confidence of an emperor.
Dragging.
‘…Damn, who made this crow so big?’
Chomp chomp!
「Level has increased!」
「Level has increased!」
「Level has increased!」
Anyway, it was the beginning of a rapid level-up.
Brace yourselves! The tiger is coming down!
.
.
.
.
“Grrow!”
At that moment, while Savage Beak was away for a while, a shadow was watching his nest.
The shadow quietly observed the nest and the small animal guarding its entrance, then turned away.
“Growl?”
The small animal guarding the nest entrance perked up its ears and looked towards the shadow, then soon buried its head and wagged its tail as if nothing had happened.