A New Measure of Might
It was a first. Usually, the creature wouldn't show its face until Jekyeong was wide awake and his stomach had begun to rumble. Yet here it was, arriving so early it was as if its tail feathers were on fire, and actually waiting patiently for him.
The one who wants something always bows first, Jekyeong thought with a sly grin as he slithered down the tree.
"Are we going now? Now?"
"We'll see. How far is this pond from here?"
"Close! Very close!"
Cheongo's words were hardly reliable. To a creature that flew through the sky, almost anywhere would seem close. Jekyeong, on the other hand, had to slither along the ground. He questioned the bird thoroughly, eventually confirming that while the pond wasn't right around the corner, it wasn't terribly far either. He also confirmed that, as expected, it lay in the direction opposite the river.
It's no coincidence.
Ever since he had heard about the humans across the river from Cheongo, Jekyeong had consistently moved away from it. But before long, he realized something was off. At some point, everything around him had changed—both the things he could see and the things he couldn't.
The trees and grass grew taller and more lush, and the breeze felt crisper and more refreshing. It was no illusion. The further he traveled from the river, the more pronounced these differences became. Cheongo claimed it was only natural. Jekyeong didn't understand what was so natural about it, but the change was certainly welcome.
Finding a branch to spend the night on and hunting for food had both become much easier. Part of it was because there were more beasts roaming around, but it was also because they were much larger. To put it in perspective, the giant wild boar Jekyeong had risked his life to hunt before would barely qualify as average here.
The beasts here weren't just well-nourished; they felt like entirely different species. Jekyeong recalled his parent from this life, whom he had lost only days after hatching. Perhaps that colossal serpent had also come from somewhere far beyond the river. Had she traveled for days on end, searching for a safe haven to lay her eggs, before finally settling in that cave?
If that's true, does that mean monsters like her are crawling all over the place deeper in?
The thought was suffocating. Yet, at the same time, it brought a strange sense of relief. If such a place existed, it meant it was a realm untouched by human hands.
"Let's go."
Perhaps he would venture there one day, but that would be a matter for the distant future. As they set off, Jekyeong told Cheongo to keep an eye out for any suitable prey. Since he didn't know how long the journey would take, he planned to fill his stomach if the opportunity arose.
"Okay! Okay!"
Cheongo chirped enthusiastically and soared higher into the sky. It was a rare display of eagerness. Though the bird's motives were transparent, Jekyeong didn't find it annoying.
The Pond
Jekyeong crossed paths with quite a few beasts during his journey. To say their senses were sharp would be an understatement. Many of them could detect an opponent from a vast distance using sight, smell, hearing, and every other sense at their disposal.
If they deemed an intruder weak, they would close in for the kill; if they sensed danger, they would flee without looking back. Occasionally, however, those who considered themselves apex predators stood their ground instead of running. It might have been to defend their territory, or perhaps it was simply the pride of a beast refusing to back down before any foe.
"Grrrrr..."
A beast that resembled a bear but possessed a lion's mane growled, lowering its posture. Its snout dripped with thick, sticky saliva, but what truly caught Jekyeong's attention were its massive forepaws planted firmly on the ground. Judging by their sheer thickness, a direct strike from one of those paws would easily snap a sturdy tree in half or rip it out by the roots.
A bear versus a snake. On paper, it was a terrible matchup. Of course, things might be different if the snake were a giant anaconda, but this bear-like beast was larger than any of the massive bears Jekyeong had marveled at on the internet in his past life. Objectively speaking, a creature of this scale was less of an animal and more of a monster.
Strange.
But why? Even with such a monster looming before him, he didn't feel the urge to curse his luck or turn tail and run. Jekyeong reared up, looking down at the hostile beast. His gaze was as calm as his mind.
"Roaaar!"
The bear roared menacingly, yet Jekyeong felt no sense of danger whatsoever. He was almost bewildered by his own inexplicable confidence. Had he slept too deeply today? Was he still half-asleep?
Amusingly, the source of his confidence was provided by the very beast before him. As Jekyeong flicked his tongue and stared down at it, the creature—which had looked ready to pounce just a moment ago—hesitated and took a step back.
Jekyeong was certain the beast was terrified. The question was, why? Looking at the creature, which seemed on the verge of fleeing if given even the slightest push, Jekyeong decided to test his strength. He whipped his tail—not at the beast, of course, but at a small boulder nearby.
Crash!
With a single strike of his tail—one that carried weight but was far from his full strength—the head-sized boulder shattered instantly. Startled by his own destructive power, Jekyeong fought to keep his composure. He pulled his tail back as casually as possible, flicking his tongue again with an audible hiss.
Hiss—
Now, the beast was utterly petrified. It might have been his imagination, but Jekyeong felt he could actually read the terror on its face. At that moment, he finally understood why this monstrous creature was so afraid.
I'm stronger.
It was a simple truth he hadn't realized until now. He had been so focused on scraping by day after day that he hadn't even grasped his own physical condition. If he had to make an excuse, it was because he hadn't expected his entire world to change overnight.
That was no ordinary shedding.
Right after completing the molting process, he had felt sturdier and stronger, but that wasn't the half of it. Only now did he truly understand. It was a rapid evolution unlike anything he had experienced before. If his previous growth had been a mere increase in physical size, this shedding was a profound internal transformation.
He could feel that his skin, muscles, and bones had grown incredibly dense. Unleashing enough force to shatter stone felt completely natural, as if it were something he had always been capable of doing with ease.
The bear-like beast now looked almost pitiful. Its desperate urge to flee was evident in its awkward posture and forced, strained growls. What puzzled Jekyeong was why, despite its terror, it refused to run. Did a four-legged creature really doubt its ability to outrun a legless serpent?
Ah. I see.
Jekyeong's slit pupils shifted toward a tree behind the beast. Nestled among the branches of vibrant, multicolored leaves was a miniature version of the creature before him, pressed flat against the wood and frozen in fear.
Hiss—
Jekyeong cast a final glance at the mother beast, who was still offering its hollow threats, and slowly backed away.
"Why are you turning back? Back?"
Cheongo flew down and asked.
"I'm not turning back. Just stepping away for a moment."
"Why? Why? That thing is way weaker than you!"
"It is. But a parent protecting its cub is dangerous."
"Huh. I don't get it. Don't get it at all."
Jekyeong hadn't expected the birdbrain to understand anyway, so he let it slide. Cheongo didn't press the matter further.
There's no need to leave a bad taste in my mouth when I have this guy around.
In the past, he would never have let such easy prey escape. But now, he had a capable partner. Finding food would be simple enough. Besides, what he had told Cheongo wasn't entirely an excuse. Parents were strong—especially those with their young nearby.
They're gone.
When he returned to the spot a short while later, the beasts were nowhere to be found. Only a pair of tracks, one large and one small, remained.
"How much further do we have to go?"
"Not much further! Almost there! Almost there!"
Cheongo's wings flapped with renewed vigor. Jekyeong's briefly relaxed mind tensed once more.
"Over there!"
The spot Cheongo pointed to with its wing looked unremarkable at first glance. However, once Jekyeong squeezed through the narrow gaps between the wildly overgrown trees, a landscape vastly different from the outside world unfolded before him.
Unlike the healthy trees outside, the trees just a bit further in were tilted to one side like grass bending in the wind. Specifically, they were leaning inward. Deeper still, the trees were so heavily slanted that their roots were exposed. It looked as though a violent typhoon had swept through, but from another perspective, it almost seemed as if the trees had struggled to crawl toward the center.
Whichever way one looked at it, it was a deeply bizarre sight. Even to Jekyeong, who knew what lay ahead, it felt eerie. An unsuspecting traveler stumbling upon this place would likely have shivered in terror.
It does feel a bit gloomy.
The pond Cheongo had mentioned was not yet in sight. Soon, however, another strange phenomenon caught Jekyeong's eye.
"Over there. Over there,"
Cheongo whispered, its voice much quieter than usual. The warning was unnecessary, as Jekyeong's gaze was already fixed on the spot the bird was pointing to.
Mist. A thick shroud of mist hung over the area. But Jekyeong knew instantly that this was no ordinary fog. For one, it had a faint greenish tint, and it carried a foul, musty odor.
"If you go in there, the bad frog will know right away! Right away!"
"Is there anything else unusual?"
"Nope! Nope!"