I Became a Mountain Tiger in a Fantasy World

< Chapter 9: The Little Beast and the Savage Beak (2) >

I stared blankly at the monster in front of me.

Its pupils had turned blood red.

Its entire body was covered in feathers imbued with flames.

It was twice as big as ‘Savage Beak’ bro and was at least 20 levels higher.

Even more,

「’Guardian of the Essence’ expresses anger towards you.」

The epithet had changed too. Guardian of the Essence?

Could it be that there was another entity besides Savage Beak bro that protected the spirits?

‘……’

【Raging Flame Savage Beak Lv.35】

No way!

It clearly says Savage Beak!

So, why are you attacking me!!

“Kiieeek!!”

As Savage Beak bro screeched, my body was swept away by the shockwave.

Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!

A hot pillar of fire grazed over my head.

If I hadn’t been small enough to be blown away, I would have been turned into a tiger barbecue.

I could already smell the aroma of roasted meat. Is this smell coming from me?

‘No! Bro! Have you finally gone mad!’

“Grrrr!”

“……Krrr.”

“??”

That was when I first realized.

A truly mad creature has a different look in its eyes.

That wasn’t Savage Beak bro.

It was a crazed bird.

For reference, whether it’s a person or an animal, it’s polite to ignore them when they’ve lost their mind.

‘Save me, I mean, save this tiger!’

“Kiaaack!”

With every flap of Savage Beak bro’s wings, fiery feathers were scattered recklessly.

If it weren’t for my small size and [Sensitivity], I’d already be a goner.

“Grrrr!”

I threw myself in the direction of the swirling wind. With the addition of Leg Strength Enhancement, I felt my body lift off the ground.

No joke, at that moment, I was truly flying.

Have you heard of it? This is the Fly Tiger!

‘Goooddaaaah!’

Isn’t this what hovering in the air is like?

The problem was that I couldn’t change direction at will, but since I moved with the wind, I naturally dodged the feather attacks.

So what do I do now?

Of course,

Run awaayyy!

I instinctively used Magnification Smash to cushion the fall and landed gracefully.

I thought it was an excellent improvisation, even if I do say so myself.

As soon as I landed, I pushed off the ground and sprinted forward.

By enhancing my rear legs with Leg Strength Enhancement and Magnification, my body shot forward as if I had executed a movement technique.

Had I finally become a martial tiger?

Although my breath was caught in my throat from continuously using skills, the important thing was that I was alive.

After putting some distance between us, I glanced back.

While I was desperately running away, our Beak Brother,

“Kyahhh!”

“Krugh! Kieeek!”

“Kroarrr!”

was giving the goblins a harsh lesson.

Indeed! The natural order is that crazy ones are subdued by even crazier ones!

Beak Brother! Keep rampaging!

Just when I thought I could catch my breath,

「‘Guardian of Essence’ screams in agony!」

「‘Guardian of Essence’ expresses anger towards you!」

“Kyahhhh!”

Beak Brother, who had been slaughtering goblins, soon soared into the air and charged towards where I was.

It was then that I noticed something was off with Beak Brother’s condition.

Smash!

“Growl?”

“Grrrr──!”

In the blink of an eye, Beak Brother’s beak, which had almost struck me, stopped right in front of my face.

I realized upon seeing the beak dripping with blood.

‘Had he been sparing me all this time?’

It seemed that Beak Brother could have killed me any time he wanted.

I could feel his beak trembling at the tip as it hovered in front of me.

I stared blankly at his face.

From his burning pupils, I sensed deep anger.

Despite his anger, he was shedding bloody tears with a painfully contorted expression.

Why on earth……?

Then I noticed that Beak Brother’s gaze was fixed on the ‘belt pouch’ I had made from the root of the elixir.

‘Could it be that Brother’s transformation……?’

「‘Guardian of Essence’ resists the command of the essence!」

「‘Guardian of Essence’ screams in agony!」

.

.

.

「‘Guardian of Essence’ warns you to flee!」

* * *

‘Damn!’

Only then was I able to grasp the situation.

It seemed that things had escalated because I, like a fool, had tried to protect the essence and ended up getting involved.

“Grr!”

You should have said something beforehand, Brother Beak!

Ah, right, we can’t do that.

Not being able to speak was frustrating.

Should I teach us sign language later? But then again, I don’t know sign language either.

Anyway, the important thing now was to calm Brother Beak.

Whoosh!

I used my tail to untie the pouch.

Do you know how hard I worked to not lose this? I almost tripped several times trying to hold it with my tail!!

And now I get this kind of treatment despite all my effort.

Damn, but if I return it, everything should go back to normal, right?

Thud, roll.

Since I couldn’t use my tail like a hand, I just grabbed the pouch and shook it, letting the ‘Essence of the Sky’ roll onto the ground.

At that moment!

Snap!

Brother Beak swallowed the small orb-shaped essence along with the dirt.

“Caw.”

Oh, is it over now?

Brother, are you back to your senses? I won’t say anything, so please stop breathing fire.

“Grr!”

I grumbled quietly, watching him closely.

Hmm.

Whoosh!

‘Damn!’

It seemed like the essence was seriously pissed off.

Well, I did see the prefix ‘underdeveloped’ in front of the name ‘Essence of the Sky.’

But still, it was unfair.

Oh essence, your guardian is saying it’s okay!

「‘Guardian of Essence’ rejects the command of the essence!」

It seemed like the essence was the software and Brother Beak was the hardware.

Hey, I was just trying to help! In my opinion, the essence had a terrible personality.

This is why you shouldn’t spoil things!

Ungrateful bastard!

“Grr!”

「‘Guardian of Essence’ warns you to run away!」

Did you hear that?

I quickly distanced myself from Brother Beak.

Alright, I’ll let you off because of Brother Beak.

Ungrateful essence! I hope you get digested and disappear!

.

.

.

I leisurely settled down and watched Brother Beak’s fire show.

Since Brother Beak, who had swallowed the essence, no longer chased me, I could observe him comfortably.

‘Phew, it would have been a disaster if I had eaten that essence.’

I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to gulp it down.

But Brother Beak had done things for me… I held back, thinking of loyalty.

Honestly, I was planning to return it later and get something in return.

‘Still…’

I didn’t feel bad at all.

Goodness, to be rewarded for doing a good deed?

It seemed that this life was definitely on the right track, unlike my previous one.

Yeah, this is how it should be!

“Chomp chomp chomp!”

I munched on a well-roasted goblin, easing my tired body.

The rewards from this recent incident were more substantial than I had expected.

「Level up!」

「Endurance increased due to continuous combat!」

…

「Bone density improved due to intense exercise!」

Not only had my endurance increased, but my agility and strength had also gone up, and my bone density had improved.

How had I changed?

Kaang!

I extended my claws and felt how sharply they were honed. This was akin to a level-up in its own right.

Leveling up and increasing stats?

As expected, surviving a life-threatening situation brings a surge in growth!

“Grr!”

It was a bit disappointing not to have acquired the essence, but just discovering the existence of stats was satisfying.

There were no stats displayed on my status window, so it seemed there was more than meets the eye.

I shouldn’t rely solely on my level, should I?

By the way…

“Screeech!”

Brother Beak’s level gradually dropped as his anger subsided.

Seeing the flames covering his feathers weaken, it appeared that this was only possible when he was truly enraged.

The term ‘Raging’ had now changed to ‘Angry.’

However, Brother Beak hadn’t just updated his dark history through this incident.

【Flaming Savage Beak Lv.17】

The prefix ‘Swift’ had been replaced with ‘Flaming.’

Seeing the faint heat still lingering on his feathers, it seemed he really had gained the ability to control fire.

Perhaps the loss of the essence was Brother Beak’s ‘evolution’ trigger?

Once he fully vented his anger, he would truly become a Flaming Savage Beak!

How cool is that?

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

Oh! It seemed my guess was correct.

To think I would discover a clue to evolution like this!

Finding many clues to evolution would surely be a great help during the next growth phase.

Indeed, it was an excellent choice to keep the essence!

Mmm, I felt my excitement rising!

Brother Beak! Burn all those goblins to ashes!

“Chomp chomp!”

「The condition to acquire [Frenzy Lv.1] has been identified through continuous predation!」

Automatic hunting was amazing!

“Grr!”

As I excitedly devoured the roasted goblin, I suddenly felt a sense of unease.

‘Frenzy?’

Did any goblin ever possess such a skill?

From my recollection, neither goblin warriors nor archers had such a skill.

Which meant,

“Grr…!”

I stayed on high alert, sensing my surroundings.

Something was off.

The goblins were rushing at us like zombies.

Now that I thought about it, those goblins had chased me as if they wanted to kill me, but now they were only charging at Brother Beak.

As if their target had been predetermined.

The goblins ignored their impending death and lunged at the large beast.

One thought flashed through my mind.

‘Could it be that someone is controlling the goblins?’

Brr.

It was then that my fur stood on end, and my survival instincts sent a warning.

‘It’s coming!’

Swish! Thud!

I scrambled with all my might to get out of the way.

At the same time, I saw a massive chain strike the spot where I had just been.

“Grr!”

Instinctively, I lowered my stance and bristled my fur.

Thud, thud.

Cold sweat dripped down my face.

In front of me stood a small goblin wielding a large wooden staff.

It was just a single goblin, but the ominous aura it exuded made my heart shrink.

And it wasn’t just the aura that made me feel this way.

‘Damn.’

“Screech!”

Clang!

Behind the mysterious goblin, I saw Brother Beak bound by a large chain.

Despite breathing fire, he had been captured without even being able to resist.

I narrowed my eyes sharply.

Around Brother Beak, I could see geometric patterns etched in the air.

Any modern person would recognize it immediately.

‘A magic circle!’

Brother Beak was completely bound by chains shot from the magic circle.

Thud.

The goblin finally stopped in front of me and looked down at me.

Then, shockingly, what came from its mouth was not a ‘scream.’

“What are you?”

“…Grr!”

The goblin spoke.

【■■■■ ■■■■ ■■ ■■■ Lv.25】

A chill ran down my spine.

I couldn’t even comprehend its name.