The Tiger's Undying Heart (3)
Every animal's heart is its most vital organ. Sure, you can live without a kidney, and even if one lung gets blown away, as long as the heart's intact, survival's possible. But damage the heart—even locally—and the odds of dying skyrocket. Blood is essential to every organ, and the heart pumps it. Even the brain, which controls everything, is just squishy jelly without blood.
Despite all that blood it spilled, more kept coming because the heart was still alive? All the organs, including the brain, were dead, yet this thing felt like it was alive on its own.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
"……."
This heart, bigger than my head, was flaunting its vitality. Even as its owner and every other organ had shut down, it beat on alone.
Fuck. What the hell is going on?
My common sense was getting obliterated wholesale. A severed head, and the heart's still beating? And this was at least six hours after death? Was this saber-tooth tiger not a normal tiger but some zombie? Nah, zombies at least walk around as corpses. No conditions for beating, yet pulsing like it's alive—my brain just blanked out.
F-First, let's deal with the other organs.
Rigor mortis... or something like that. That's what I told myself. My knowledge said rigor mortis only affects muscles. Screw that. This world's not bound by my old common sense. Butchering first, then sort out thoughts later.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
I gutted everything somehow, leaving just the heart. Cut it out separately or not? Decided to cut. The arteries and veins were so tough, even my aura-infused dagger struggled. And when I did slice, blood spurted everywhere—total pain in the ass.
"Phew."
Only after removing the heart could I finally breathe. I grabbed the heart—way bigger than my head—with both hands. Even stripped of surrounding vessels, it thrashed like it was alive.
Is... is this even possible? A heart beating on its own?
Questioning it, I carefully moved the heart to the box I'd used for the golden mushroom. It was so big, the box felt small.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The box jolted with every beat. No sign of stopping. I stared with mixed feelings, then got moving.
Finish the rest first.
Butchering done, dump the organs in the river. If it's still beating by then... dunno. Ask the Gallery.
I rinsed out the saber-tooth tiger's cavity. Then, per Gallery advice, separated the cuts. Checked for rot signs just in case—no issues.
Smoking it... only option?
I pondered the neatly butchered meat piles. Previously, worried about predators sniffing it out, so I skipped. But ditching this much meat's idiotic. Risky future or immediate safety? Even tossing tough parts, the amount's huge.
...Yeah. Go with smoking. Biggest threat's starvation anyway.
Fighting the saber-tooth tiger taught me: beasts can be beaten. But food? Can I outlast shortages? Wall Valley Pills are emergency rations, but Ppareumbo's staple now. Gallery could cut out anytime—smoking's best bet.
Ask the Gallery.
Might be other storage methods. Before meat spoiled more, I posted.
YasaengGrill
Ways to preserve meat long-term? Saber-tooth tiger yielded tons. Wanna store if possible, only know smoking. Anyone know others?
└StarlightPrincess Can I tell you?
└YasaengGrill Hell yeah.
└StarlightPrincess Need lots of salt first. Draws out moisture, lasts longer.
└YasaengGrill Can smoke it like that?
└StarlightPrincess Even better! I'll post a guide soon—follow that.
└YasaengGrill Thanks a ton. How'd you know?
└StarlightPrincess Books, plus my research. Stuck at home, picked up random knowledge.
└Only from bed, right?
└StarlightPrincess Yeah. So?
└Then that "knowledge" is...
└Whoa. Lewd.
└Knew it...
└lol lol got it lol
└StarlightPrincess You idiots. Trust her advice. Bought bulk salt first—pricey, but worth it.
Store meat in jars.
Auction had perfect jars. Snagged five good sizes. Pack with meat and salt. Didn't dump whole cuts—sliced for even salting. Tedious, but for preservation, fine.
Fat too.
Kept at it—jars filled with salted meat. Same for others. Finally relaxed. Per her, spoilage slowed way down. Hauled to cooler cave.
Smoking after dumping trash.
I wiped sweat, glanced at box. Heart-box shaking slightly. Still going.
"Ha, damn."
Absurd—speechless. Second to golden mushroom vanishing. Joking, but what if legs sprout and it runs? Forced laugh.
"Ppareumbo. Hop on. Time to dump this."
"……."
Time to empty blood-and-guts-filled cauldron. Big and heavy—awkward alone, but trick: leftover auction rope. Backpack-style, doable.
"Hang back?"
"……."
Ppareumbo picked piggyback over hanging. Uncomfortable—very—but one-time thing. River's close. It'll handle threats.
Trudged along—reached familiar river.
Splash! Splash!
"Whoa! Nice haul?"
Yesterday's traps: decent catch. Three fish, but huge—trap full. Smiled, dumped guts and blood in river. Felt like illegal dumping, but not sewage—just organs.
Whoosh!
Dump triggered massive fish swarm. So many, could walk across stepping on 'em. Hurried to finish—might eat me too.
What kind of fish...
Explains daily catches. Just that many. Strong current hides diversity.
Retrieve traps later.
More to do—postponed. Trapped fish can't escape. Guts done, back to cave.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
"……."
Gone and back—still beating. Absurd. Realized: special power in that heart. No clue why—ask around. Posted to Gallery.
Anyone seen heart still beating after death?
YasaengGrill Killed saber-tooth tiger, heart still going. Even after full butchering. Vid if you don't believe. Possible? Seriously curious.
└Cheonma How long dead?
└YasaengGrill At least 6 hours.
└Cheonma No idea then. This lady saw one beating, but fresh.
└YasaengGrill Not human, right?
└Cheonma Correct. Problem?
└YasaengGrill Nah.
└SwordTasteStar Heart alone beating? Doesn't make sense.
└YasaengGrill Show you? Kinda gross.
└SwordTasteStar Yes.
└YasaengGrill (video of pulsing heart) See?
└SwordTasteStar Whoa;; Possible?
└YasaengGrill Why ask me lol
└Look at size lolol why so huge?
└Saber-tooth pic explains lol just massive
└Was the dick huge too?
└Why ask idiot
└Fuck curious tho
└Olfather Fascinating. Solo-beating heart rare... Felt any energy inside?
└YasaengGrill Dunno. Insensitive to that...
└Olfather Guess: something sustaining it inside. Like inner core. Slice open?
└YasaengGrill If nothing?
└Olfather Guaranteed. No effect without cause. Something inside's making it beat.
└YasaengGrill Think on it.
└Grill. No meat spoilage?
└YasaengGrill Not sure—knowledge lacking, no discoloration.
└Ah. Heart pumping blood slowed decay.
└YasaengGrill Oh, that?
└Just my guess.
└Don'tAbandonHero Eww! Gross! Mind if I hide comments?!
└YasaengGrill What happens?
└Don'tAbandonHero Vid stays! Just hides replies!
└YasaengGrill If gross, go ahead.
└Don'tAbandonHero Thanks for cooperating!
└YasaengGrill Judaek know why?
└Don'tAbandonHero Nope! But Olfather's right—something inside! Or grill it? Hearts are chewy and tasty!
└PassingDwarf That's my booze snack. Don't touch.
└Don'tAbandonHero Ahh! Sorry!
└YasaengGrill Who're you;; Short commotion. Olfather's right—slice it. Nothing inside? No harm to me.
I lifted heart from box with both hands. Seemed to throb harder.
Blood might spray—change clothes first.
Swapped to work-downgraded uniform. Placed on flat rock, stared.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Really something inside per Olfather? Inner core? Likely. Gripped butchering dagger. Decided: slice regardless. Won't die.
Poke—
Won't even cut a heart.
Dagger wouldn't scratch despite effort. Heart beat harder, like "don't hurt me." But that sparked defiance. Infused dagger with aura.
Felt easier than yesterday—maybe illusion.
No matter how tough, it's still a heart.
Pressed aura dagger to heart.
Vrrr!
"Huh?"
Heart swelled angrily. Vessels bulged beyond swelling. Ominous. Dropped dagger, backed off fast.
Then heart shuddered.
BOOM!
Blue flash and massive explosion. One thought hit me amid it.
Fuck my life.