Chapter 3
Chapter 2: Gekokujou
I quenched my hunger by going after the small preys.
It was through this that I was able to pa.s.s the night.
The number of preys I had devoured total to four. 2 of which are rabbits, one is a frog, and another one is a lizard.
Having a meal like this, if I were still human, then I would have undoubtedly already thrown up. There’s no question to it. With this meal, and last night’s rest, there’s no more doubt left within me.
Monster.
I am a monster.
Seeing this hideous form of mine has already become somewhat normal. At the very least, I no longer quiver when I see myself.
Besides, it’s not all that bad. I noticed it when I had first hunted. This body is considerably more formidable than that of humans.
Eyes that see in the dark, nails that can tear apart its preys, and fangs strong enough to crunch with. Such power could not even be compared to a human’s puny strength.
Furthermore, there is no longer anything to fear when it comes to unclean water. This body’s resistance is exceptional, unclean water won’t graze it.
Humanity had shed many things through the course of evolution. And those things that humanity has lost, this body still possesses.
If I so desired, I could live the rest of my days like this, and I wouldn’t have the slightest bit of trouble. Because this body is actually more convenient than my human body.
Of course, I’d like to be excused from having to be reduced to living here as a monster.
Slumping down beneath the shade of a tree, I began to think.
Now, what should I do?
I definitely don’t want to become a monster.
I had once read something about a situation like this before. It was a story about a man who became a tiger. In that story, the man grew insane, and he became not only a tiger in mind, but even in body.
I don’t wish to end up like that.
Chances are, I am in a different world. And most likely, I am no longer human. Then in that case, I must find a way to go back.
Now, what should I do?
I pondered my course of action to myself as I toyed with the rabbit I’d caught just before daybreak.
Thinking back on it, didn’t that goblin talk?
"Get feeds", he said.
He said, he certainly did. If so, then he is capable of speech.
Since mutual understanding is possible, then wouldn’t that imply that there are other goblins as well?
I may not know how to return, but if there’s a community, then there should be a way for me to get information.
With that, I set my mind. I take the rabbit and begin to walk towards that den.
But as soon as I did, I felt a chill run up my spine, causing me to stop in my tracks. As I felt that sensation run up me, I immediately jumped into a bush.
The fear circulated throughout my whole body, causing my feet to quiver uncontrollably.
Curious and alert, I strain my ears. There, a painful whizzing sound entered my ears. At the same time, I spotted a giant spider around the size of two grown men, walking like a king.
My heart was calm like ice, but my limbs quivered with no signs of stopping.
Logic questioned the monster’s ident.i.ty, but my instinct roused some sort of primordial fear towards the beast.
My body couldn’t help but shake to the power balance between the predator and the prey. The one eating and the one being eaten.
Six completely red, inhuman eyes, swam around as it looked for its prey. While six limbs, each comparable to a human’s height, carried it.
"Kisha!"
The moment I thought that it had suddenly stopped moving, that monster spider abrutply jumped into a bush opposite the bush I was hiding in.
"Guwoo!"
The creature hiding within the opposite bush was startled, and panic-stricken. That creature had the hideous head of a pig, and at the same time, it had two legs to walk on. In other words, an Orc.
Panicked, the orc tried to run away, but the monster spider chased after it. The orc tried to jump out of the bushes, but the monster spider skillfully moved its long limbs with a speed far too fast for the eyes see, driving it into a corner.
Driven into a corner, the orc was pushed down from behind with two of the spider’s legs. Then, the monster spider brought its chilling jaws towards the orc’s head. With a ‘chomp’, it bit into the head of the orc, crus.h.i.+ng its cranium and releasing a plethora of spinal fluid, brain matter, and blood, into its mouth. As the pieces of that hideous pig head swam within that carnivorous aperture, the monster spider voraciously devoured every single bit of it as it took its time, enjoying mealtime.
Seeing the battle of the two monsters at the top of the food chain unfold right before my eyes. This monstrous body of mine, could not help but shake.
However, I gathered every sense of reason I had within my body, mustering whatever courage I could to leave without a sound. After I’d taken some distance, I immediately sprinted as fast as I could and I headed towards the den.
I, who have and should have lived amongst humans all my life, had just been awoken to the absurdity of nature, the law of the jungle.
△▼△
"Gigi!"
Incomprehensible sounds escaped my mouth, as I screamed while I ran.
But upon reaching the den, I could not help but feel hesitant to enter that dark and narrow hole. However, I could spare no time dallying for that giant spider may come at any moment. Having no time left, I raised my voice, and called out towards the den. A short while pa.s.sed, and the goblin from before came out.
"Feed."
The same, hideous face, accompanied by a gaze that couldn’t be described as anything else but hate. However, there was one thing that startled me, the difference in our heights.
Though I had only pa.s.sed a night outside, it would appear that I had already sprouted a fair bit.
I handed the rabbit to the goblin, and it glanced at it, without saying a word. Then it disappeared into the den. I didn’t know whether I should chase after it or not, but after a while, it came back out. With a stern look, it roared at