A Special Tiger
I dreamed of transforming into Metal! War Greyho! Lang!
It was a pretty sweet dream, though honestly I'd figured out it was a dream ages ago.
Because something soft and warm was wrapping around my "egg."
Huh? An egg again?
But who is it this time?
My real mom?
—Kiirook?
Ah. Big Bro Savage Talon.
He gave my egg a few experimental taps with his beak, snickered, and turned away. Then, pretending not to care, he gathered twigs and fallen leaves and piled them over me. When rain started falling that evening, he sidled over and brooded me under his wing.
—Kiirook!
B-Big Bro… you can't treat me like a soccer ball.
He suddenly started rolling me and nearly gave me a heart attack, but it turned out he was just moving me somewhere closer. Worried the egg might crack, he carefully relocated me into his own nest, set me down, and took up a guard post at the entrance.
—Kiirook!
Man. I was genuinely moved.
In my entire previous life, not once had anyone ever protected me. And this guy hadn't just protected me—he'd given me a home.
If the hideout I'd built was a camping spot with a blanket thrown over bare dirt, Big Bro Savage Talon's nest was a five-star hotel. A feather bed with plush cushioning and the perfect temperature?
That was when I understood.
Beds are wild beaks. Feather beds are science.
I made a decision.
No matter how much of a special genius Tigrasis… whatever-the-hell Zhuge Tiger I was—I would never, ever betray Big Bro Savage Talon.
Uh. Except…
What's that?
Even asleep inside the egg, something snagged on my acute senses. Something sleeping inside Big Bro's nest. The fierce life force it radiated was so intense it jolted my slumbering mind wide awake.
Is that what I think it is?
A thought flashed through me.
"Named" monsters were also called "spirit beasts." And most spirit beasts lived by guarding a special plant that had bestowed spirituality upon them.
Which meant the root of that plant was…
That's a spirit herb?!
Holy crap.
No wonder Big Bro hadn't been thrilled about me. There was a reason.
Slurp.
Just thinking about a spirit herb made my mouth water. How strong would I get if I ate that?
…No. Even so.
I am a sentient being. A lofty Tigr… whatever-the-hell.
Damn it, what do I do?
I don't know.
The spirit herb was incredibly tempting, but Big Bro Savage Talon was the first friend I'd made in this life. It was a treasure he valued like his own life… so just one bite?
Tsk.
Yeah, no. Damn it.
Never thought I'd be reading a hawk's mood.
Ah, screw it.
Just go to sleep.
Zzz… slurp.
A few days later—
Rustle, rustle.
Deep in a mountain ravine of the Verdant Grove, far beyond the reach of human footsteps, a new life was about to be born.
"Kiirook!"
Savage Talon stared down at his nest with a tense expression. The little face that used to look up at him floated into his mind. The creature wasn't of his own kind, and it certainly wasn't his chick—yet for some reason, that young beast kept sticking in his thoughts.
A creature that set out to hunt with no caution whatsoever, as if it had never received a scrap of parental guidance. Without quite meaning to, Savage Talon had driven off the eagles that had been eyeing the little thing.
But in the end, the beast had drawn the attention of the eagle owl that ruled this ravine, and Savage Talon had known instinctively that the young creature would soon be killed.
Then something unexpected happened.
Kiirook?
The tiny life form locked eyes with him. Confirming that he was watching, the little creature steeled its resolve and acted.
Savage Talon never could have imagined it.
That the tiny beast would charge the eagle owl head-on. The courage to throw itself at a predator several times its size struck him like a blow. At the same time, rage surged up from deep in his chest.
Why torment a young beast?
That little one is fighting—so what am I doing?
Until then, he had lacked the courage to strike. But in that moment, Savage Talon took a step forward and tasted a new world.
Kiirook!
He was not a creature meant to stay trapped in this ravine. And that little life was not a creature meant to be crushed under an eagle owl, never free to chase its dreams.
I want to fly.
I want to rule the skies and roam the entire continent as a true master of the heavens.
Thump.
Sensing the small life hatching inside the egg, Savage Talon's eyes lit up.
It was astonishing. Could wildness this fierce truly dwell in such a tiny body?
His heart pounded. Somehow, he felt that if they stayed together, he could achieve his dream.
True sovereign of the forest—the one who would cross this ravine and rule the entire mountain range!
Right now, he was witnessing the birth of a king!
"Kiirook!"
Crack!
At last the shell split, and the king took its first step.
Thud!
A tiny front paw!
Crunch!
A plump hind paw!
…
…
…
Blink. Blink.
The little life form, still wearing a piece of eggshell like a hat, blinked up at Savage Talon. Then—
"Gyaarong?!"
—it misstepped and tumbled forward.
Roll, roll, roll.
Trapped in the shell it still hadn't fully shed, the little beast rolled faster and faster—and plunged straight off the cliff.
A rather anticlimactic death for a king… almost.
"…Ki-kiirook?"
Savage Talon snatched the egg mid-fall and carefully set it down.
"Gyaarong!"
Flailing on short legs, the creature finally wriggled free of the shell and waved a front paw with an awkward little smile.
At the same moment, a mysterious voice rang in Savage Talon's ears.
Tigrasis Tiger Cub gives you a thumbs-up!
That voice he heard from time to time.
Tiger. Is that your name?
"Kiirook!"
Savage Talon shook his head at the rather unimpressive sight of his king. Looks like he'd need to stick around a little longer—until the cub could draw out its wildness.
The thought of soaring through the skies together someday made his heart race.
Until then, I'll protect you.
That was Savage Talon's vow.
"Gyaarong!"
Whew. Leave it to Big Bro Savage Talon for the rescue.
I'd gotten my hopes up too high after hearing about the evolution. I at least expected the front legs to get longer…
Flick!
I gave a vigorous wave—and there they were. Short little front paws. Still white, still fluffy, still plump and soft.
Hmm.
What is this? Did I get scammed? Or was the whole thing a dream?
Tsk.
"Kiirook!"
"Grrung!!"
Big Bro Savage Talon congratulated me on hatching, then took off somewhere—probably had business to handle. I was alone again, but I wasn't scared at all. This was nothing like the first time I'd reincarnated on my own.
"Chomp chomp chomp chomp!"
I topped the food Big Bro had stockpiled with a drizzle of egg-white sauce and finished my meal. Rabbit meat with some mystery berries on the side—the finest baby food around.
So this is what life with a guardian feels like?
Naturally, overflowing with gratitude, I headed into Big Bro Savage Talon's nest to check out the spirit herb…
"Grrung."
Ha. Yeah, no. That's not happening.
Look on the bright side. I was a special tiger who didn't need some crummy spirit herb to be strong.
Damn it!
For a change of mood, I decided to check my evolved status window.
Traits:[Potential], [Special], [Instant Transformation], [Clue of Evolution], [Acute Senses]
Skills:[Miniaturization], [Giantization], [Infrasound Lv.2], [Predation Lv.1], [Leg Strength Enhancement Lv.1], [Smash Lv.1], [Blade Claws Lv.1], [Tree Climbing Lv.1]
Whoa! Look at all that stuff.
First thing that jumped out: my level had dropped to 1. I'd roughly expected that. I hadn't grown—I'd evolved.
Next growth will probably require level 10 or higher, right?
Big Bro Savage Talon was level 11, so maybe it wouldn't even be possible until level 15.
…Still a little disappointing, though. I'd worked hard for those levels.
The very next moment, I realized the lower level was actually a blessing.
"Caw!"
An ugly cry out of nowhere. I abandoned the skill list and kicked off the ground with my hind legs.
With a flap! of wings, an intruder snagged the empty air where I'd just been. Its ambush technique, the angle of its claws—nothing about it compared favorably to Big Bro Savage Talon.
What the hell is this amateur?!
Traits:[Flight]
Skills:[Peck Lv.2], [Snatch Lv.2]
Status:[Flustered], [Confused]
I'd written it off as nothing special—then I saw its level and nearly choked.
Level 9? Isn't that dangerous?
And yet… somehow, every last detail of this level-9 opponent was laid bare. On top of that, the thing seemed a little slow.
"Caw?!"
Flapping in a circle through the air, it put some distance between us and tilted its head at me. Staring at what was clearly a cub, it ignored its own instincts and made the mistake of approaching again.
Whoosh!
This time it meant business—beak gleaming, diving at full speed to skewer me.
But I wasn't scared in the slightest. I already understood what my "specialness" meant.
Thud!
I deliberately didn't dodge the flashing beak. Blood sprayed and a dull impact rang out—and that was it.
"Caw?!"
The crow's beak had stopped dead against my shoulder hide, unable to punch through. I clamped down on that beak and grinned a thick, slow grin.
"Grrrr…!"
Status windows really are intuitive, huh?
No "Weak" like I used to have. No "Swift" like Big Bro. Just Special.
Squeeze!
My skin was tough. My muscles were dense. And now I could hunt a level-9 monster on my own—without Big Bro Savage Talon's help.
My level had dropped, but I'd gotten stronger. Which also meant I had that much more room to grow.
In other words—
This is what a goddamn strong tiger big bro looks like!!
"GRAAAWR!"
CRACK!
One hit.
The Normal Crow monster that dared attack me had its head blown clean off by a single Smash.
"Grrung?"
I looked down at my paw, a little puzzled. Even if I'd gotten stronger, could this tiny foot really produce that kind of force? That Smash had felt different—a heavy, crushing sensation nothing like my usual kitty punches…
Acquired a Clue of Giantization!
…!
So that was it. That heavy sensation. The stamina that had drained away far more than it should have.
I turned my eyes to my traits.
— Trait: [Instant Transformation]
Hell yeah!
So that's what Giantization through Instant Transformation feels like…! Is this the power of a skill with no level attached?
"Grrung!"
I squared my shoulders and nobly picked up the crow's corpse in my jaws. Tiger-high was surging through me. I truly felt like a special tiger!
Carrying the crow's body, I strode forward with the swagger of a king.
Drag. Drag. Drag.
…Ah, damn it. Who the hell made crows this big?
Chomp chomp chomp!
And so began the storm of level-ups.
Brace yourselves! The tiger is coming down!
…
…
…
…
"Crook!"
And at that very moment, while Savage Talon was briefly away, a shadow watched his nest. The shadow quietly observed the nest and the little beast guarding its entrance—then turned and left.
"Grrung?"
The little beast at the nest entrance pricked its ears toward the shadow, then decided nothing was amiss, buried its head, and wagged its tail.