When Do People Get the Angriest? (Merman 3)
When do people get the most furious? When they come face-to-face with the enemy who killed their parents? When someone steals their lover? When a scammer takes all their hard-earned money? All of those are right, and they share one thing in common: having something precious taken away. If you lose something dear without paying a fair price for it, you can't help but rage. And right now, I'm feeling a fury just as intense.
Did I lose something precious? More like something tied directly to my survival—something I earned through blood, sweat, and tears. Stolen right in front of my eyes. It's a miracle my eyes aren't spinning.
"You bastard!!!"
I've never felt anger like this before. Not even when my parents passed away, or when I saw the face of the guy responsible for the accident. At least that son of a... no, that guy apologized and paid compensation. But this shark-headed freak in front of me? He gobbled up the meal I worked so hard to make. And on top of that, he had the nerve to look satisfied. There was no way I could hold back my rage.
"Grng?"
The shark giant looked puzzled as I charged at him ferociously. He had no idea what was coming. "Kaaaaah!"
At least his brain isn't as fishy as his head. Sensing something off about my rage-filled charge, the shark giant opened his maw wide. Teeth packed in there like ivory spikes. One bite from those, and I'd be done for. But trying to bite was his fatal mistake. His posture was already hunched, and now his body dipped even lower. If he moved like a tiger on all fours, maybe he'd be fine, but as a biped, his balance was doomed to collapse.
Kwaching!
I easily dodged his bite by twisting left. His jaws snapped shut with a metallic clang, like steel on steel. But with his balance slightly off, his whole body was full of openings.
To me, big guys are easy pickings.
I targeted his rigid legs. Lose those, and mobility goes out the window. It's my go-to tactic against massive foes. Sure, sometimes it didn't work on saber-toothed tigers or Oriharukon guardians... but
Sreuk!
"Gueeeong!"
Not this shark. His leg sheared clean off under the rippling aura of Cheonma's sword. Without that leg, his balance tipped completely. Just as I predicted, he toppled forward after losing his right leg. He had arms like a human, so he tried bracing with them, but it was pointless.
Now for the head...!
Whoosh!
I swung Cheonma's sword at his head, but then a weird noise came from my left. Instinctively, I raised my left-hand shield without looking. Cliiing!!
"Kuh...!"
A massive impact shot through the shield, sending my body flying. It was an attack I'd half-expected, so I managed a proper roll mid-air.
A tail?
Curious what hit me, I looked over. A thick tail split at the end like a real shark's. Guess this shark giant had all the shark features.
"Kyuaaah!"
"Kreeee!"
So what? He was down a leg. Wonmo was clawing his face wildly, and he couldn't even fight back properly. His tail couldn't reach his face either; it just flailed pathetically. He snapped his huge jaws threateningly now and then, but Wonmo just stayed perched on top. Despite his size, he seemed manageable—but I couldn't let my guard down.
Or maybe it's because there's no water?
Could be. While he thrashed, I approached cautiously. When I reached his head, I shouted up to Wonmo riding him.
"Wonmo! Get off!"
"Kyuu!"
Wonmo's smart as always. She jumped the second I yelled. I plunged Cheonma's sword right into his skull where she vacated.
Kwak!
With the aura surging, the blade sank in effortlessly. The shark giant flailed for a bit after the stab, then went still. His tail stopped whipping too. Bright red blood poured from his head.
Puk! Puk!
Just to be sure, I stabbed a few more times for good measure. No clue where the heart was, so headshots were safest. And with that, the short but dangerous shark giant subjugation ended.
I shook the blood off Cheonma's sword, pondering. Why the hell is something like this here? Is there a sea nearby?
There was that bull shark that tried attacking a deer once, only to get KO'd by a kick. But that one and this shark giant were different species. The bull shark at least looked like a shark; this was a humanoid shark. Was it unique to the Four Seasons Forest, or a 'monster' like the mushroom people? Hard to say.
Come to think of it, even bull sharks are weird. The bottom is a lake, after all.
Bull sharks live in freshwater too, but their main stage is the ocean. That huge lake beyond might connect to one. This is insane. Why would there be an ocean in a forest... wait, no.
Maybe it's not that weird. Just across the river, the environment changes constantly—deserts, snow mountains, swamps. There could be an ocean somewhere in this forest. Screw common sense.
"Hoo..."
Scouting would confirm it, but it's a solid hypothesis. Bull sharks migrating between sea and freshwater. And this random shark giant popping up. I get why he's here, but not how—no other animals sniffed him out.
Guess I have to ask.
No point racking my brain without this world's common knowledge. Time to hit up the Gallery. Olfather would clear this up, even if no one else could. There are beastkin here too, right?
YasaengGrill (photo of shark giant bleeding from the head)
Is a merman considered a beastkin too? It's an animal.
└Cheonma This lady has seen people with animal faces... but never one with a shark face.
└SwordTasteStar Looks kinda like a merman... but not really? No merman looks like that.
└YasaengGrill Are merfolk beastkin?
└SwordTasteStar They're monsters. Same principle as sirens—merfolk but treated as monsters.
└SusanghalJeongdorok Beastkin at least have fur. That's a fish;;
└YasaengGrill True, but fish are animals too. That's why I'm asking.
└SusanghalJeongdorok Did you talk to it?
└YasaengGrill Talk my ass. It stole my hard-cooked fish and ate it, so I killed it.
└SusanghalJeongdorok Killing that thing is justified. Anyway, not beastkin.
└Olfather Even I've never seen this species. Merfolk aren't half-human half-fish like that shark man... What is it?
└YasaengGrill So merfolk don't look like this?
└Olfather (photo of monster-like merman) This is a merman.
└Olfather (photo of mermaid with fish lower body) This is the siren known as a mermaid.
Neither matches that shark.
└YasaengGrill Uh... new species?
└Olfather Probably, but I don't know. Mutation? Or Four Seasons Forest effect?
Olfather doesn't know either. Everyone agrees: unknown species never seen before. Fitting for the Four Seasons Forest, where every freakish animal shows up.
└Thinking about it, Ppareumbo was originally a sloth, right? Sloths can't walk?
└Olfather Good point. Sloths physically can't walk. But Ppareumbo's different.
└This forest is jacked up. Better steer clear.
└What's next;; Neck-breakers incoming?
└Fighting with those necks would be fun lol
└Total idiot lmao
└Isn't that a giraffe? No giraffes here?
└YasaengGrill You got horned horses here?
└Unicorns? Duh. Why ask?
└YasaengGrill Just curious. Horned horses seem weirder to me. Cultural difference?
Anyway, irrelevant. The issue is disposing of this shark giant. Best bet: hand it to Olfather. He'd be thrilled.
Not like I'm finning it for soup.
So I did. As expected, Olfather loved it. I wanted research results too, so no hesitation on the trade.
Olfather Thank you for the daily research material.
No need to thank me. I'm basically just dumping high-end trash?
Olfather Toss me premium trash anytime. Heh heh heh.
"Premium trash" sounds weird. But you said even you hadn't seen one like this, right?
Olfather Yes. Lived a long time, but first of its kind. Like the saber-tooth heart—Four Seasons Forest is changing things for sure.
When do you think it'll affect me? That's my real fear. Changing without realizing it. I don't want to mutate into something weird, so yeah, worried.
Olfather Come to think of it... Didn't you say you're from another world, Grills?
Yeah. Most don't believe it.
Do you, Olfather?
Olfather Let's assume you did. Hard to buy, honestly.
Disappointing but fair. Assuming it anyway isn't bad.
Olfather What do you think mana is, Grills? A power that lets people grow stronger?
Something like that?
Olfather Theoretically, yes. So, can everyone wield mana?
No?
Olfather Academics debate it, but I say no. It's not just talent—it's vessel size, body differences. Like all flora and fauna, humans evolve too.
Olfather dropping evolution theory. I listened seriously. Everything evolved to its current form. Humans included.
Olfather In ancient times, only the chosen wielded mana. Over time, more could. Perfect evolution example.
Olfather Right. Now even the untalented can sense it. Question: In your world, could anyone sense mana?
Sharp question from Olfather. I answered instantly—no need to think.
No. My world had no mana but advanced tech. One bomb could wipe a city.
Olfather So no one used mana. You included.
Yeah. First felt it here.
Olfather Then it all fits perfectly.
Olfather's conclusion after countless assumptions.
Olfather Grills. Listen well.
Go ahead.
Olfather You might already be undergoing evolution.
It hit me hard.