2
Chapter 2
I achieved something called an achievement.
Along with it came a reward.
The Action skill, which would allow even a Teddy Bear like me to move.
However......
I still could not move.
Getting up from my spot was also impossible.
That was because using the Action skill required something called Mana.
This is truly ridiculous.
Is this a joke?
Why even give me the skill in the first place?
Are you trying to torture me with false hope or something?
If you give a skill that requires Mana, you should naturally provide a little bit of Mana to go with it!
...I did not go as far as to think that.
There is no way the world is that kind and beautiful.
The world is inherently a harsh place.
Just because I lack the means to acquire Mana on my own does not mean it makes sense for anyone to accommodate me.
I calmed my excitement.
I also cooled down quickly.
Since I am a Doll, I do not actually have a body temperature, but you get the idea.
Anyway, let us just be satisfied with receiving the skill.
This alone is something to be plenty thankful for.
I should stop complaining too.
It is more productive to spend that time figuring out how to get Mana.
Unlike before, the gloominess did not pile up.
Because a faint glimmer of hope had blossomed.
Now, let us think.
First of all, what exactly is Mana?
I have some idea.
It is probably similar to the magic power you see in games.
The power that enables the use of magic.
The energy that helps you utilize specific skills.
It was likely something along those lines.
Next.
How do I obtain Mana?
As you know, I cannot move.
You could say I have absolutely no way to replenish it myself.
Of course, that is only if I think in narrow-minded terms.
What if Mana is an element floating in the atmosphere?
What if it exists everywhere and is drifting around me right at this very moment?
If so, then even without taking any specific action,
could I not replenish my Mana just by willing myself to absorb it?
Am I a genius?
I tried it immediately.
Oh Mana! Come to me!
Gasp! Haa! Be absorbed into my body! Yah!
......
Hmm. I guess this is not it.
It seemed impossible to obtain Mana this way.
I was a fool.
I thought of another method.
During that process, a brilliant idea came to mind.
Why did I not think of this right away?
I do not know how it works, but achievements exist in this world. And when you achieve one, you get a reward. I acquired the Action skill simply by repeating my desperate desire to move every single day.
If I just have this achievement system!
Even without moving!
I might be able to get Mana!
I wished as desperately as before.
I began to endlessly repeat the thought of wanting to obtain Mana in my mind.
I want to get Mana!
I really want to have Mana!
Please give me Mana!
Give me Mana! Hand over the Mana! Waaah!
Ten days passed just like that.
I failed to complete any achievement.
***
Day 25 of Reincarnation.
I still have not achieved any new achievements.
My spirit is not broken though.
I am consistently wishing to obtain Mana.
However, the frequency has decreased compared to the beginning.
Lately, my mind has been filled with other random thoughts.
Even now, I was thinking about something else.
Where exactly is this place? Thoughts like that.
I know that this is a cave.
I was pondering on a broader scale about where this world might be.
It is definitely not Earth.
Because this is a world where monsters exist.
The probability of this being another world is 100 percent.
If so, what kind of world is it?
First of all, it is definitely a Fantasy World.
Not a normal fantasy, but one with slight game elements added.
What is the level of Human civilization?
Is this even a world where Humans exist?
There was no way to know this. I have been stuck in this cave ever since my Reincarnation.
Why are the memories of my past life so faint?
What kind of Human was I before I died?
There were things I could remember, and things I could not.
...Ah, I do not know.
It just makes my head hurt more for no reason.
For now, I should just focus on my current life.
***
Day 30 of Reincarnation.
I still have not completed the achievement.
It seems I cannot get Mana just by wishing for it.
I did not give up.
Since this is the only thing I can do, I am diligently praying that I want to obtain Mana.
And one more routine has been added to my day.
Namely, watching the growth of my siblings.
I did not particularly care whether the bears grew or not, but observing things like that at least made me less bored.
"Rooaaar!"
"Grrr."
My siblings who are growing day by day.
I gave them each a name to easily distinguish them.
The Flame Bear born at level 2 is Urami.
The Flame Bear that was born at level 1 but could one day achieve Limit Breakthrough is Jjokkomi.
Is it thanks to being born at level 2?
Urami's development was abnormally fast.
Even though he was only 30 days old, his size was already about half that of the Mother Bear.
Urami is somewhat fun to watch.
Because he grows noticeably every single day.
Jjokkomi's growth is on the slower side.
Of course, I mean that it is relatively slow.
Although she is infinitely smaller than Urami, compared to me, Jjokkomi was also a massive bear.
I think we were about the same size on the first day though.
Ah. I also want to get Mana and grow as soon as possible.
Successfully accumulated one surprise stack of earnest desire.
Hoping that the achievement would be completed someday, I continued to observe my siblings' actions.
The difference between the two was not just their size.
Their personalities were also completely opposite.
"Roooaaar!"
Urami's disposition was ferocity itself.
He directly inherited his mother's vicious personality.
He devoured his prey very ravenously too.
"Grr."
On the other hand, Jjokkomi was on the gentle side.
To the point where I have never seen her roar fiercely like Urami.
Seeing how careful her every action was, she seemed to have a gentle yet timid personality.
Jjokkomi also had little greed for food.
Unlike Urami who gorged himself, she elegantly nibbled on just the right amount.
She was a kid with very proper table manners.
Ah, and.
One fact I learned recently.
Urami was male, but Jjokkomi was female.
How I found out was nothing special.
By chance, Jjokkomi's private area entered my field of vision, and I saw that she did not have a penis.
I definitely did not look on purpose.
Because my field of vision is always fixed.
"Grr?"
While I was observing my siblings.
Suddenly, Jjokkomi turned her head.
Jjokkomi's gaze was directed at none other than me.
You are finally looking this way?
Nice to meet you. I am your Oppa.
Since I am a Doll with no gender, you can also call me Unnie.
Even if I was born later,
my mental age is higher, so it is correct for me to be your Oppa or Unnie. Yep.
Anyway, surprisingly, this is the first time I have made eye contact with Jjokkomi.
She is such a dense kid that she didn't even realize I was inside this cave.
Urami discovered me a long time ago.
But he only gave me a quick sideways glance.
He never showed any interest in me.
Just like the damn Mother Bear, he treated me like a rock.
However, Jjokkomi was different.
She was the first among the bear family to show interest in me.
Creep, creep.
Jjokkomi cautiously approached me.
"Kkua?"
Was she curious?
Her pace gradually began to quicken.
"Kkua!"
Jjokkomi stopped right in front of me.
And stared at me intently with sparkling eyes.
"Kkuaa!"
It was the look of a young child who had discovered a toy.
***
Day 40 of Reincarnation.
Jjokkomi and I grew close rapidly.
More accurately, I became Jjokkomi's favorite Doll.
Whenever the Mother Bear left her spot,
"Kkua!"
Jjokkomi would inevitably come to me.
And played with the Doll that was me like a little kid.
She never handled me roughly.
She would stroke me carefully and preciously, as if worried she might break me.
She would take a tiny bite,
press down on my body with her front paws,
or attempt to converse using incomprehensible cries, and so on.
But we did not have that much time together.
Because Jjokkomi would not approach me when the Mother Bear was around.
The reason was simple.
Some time ago, when Jjokkomi was playing with me,
the Mother Bear saw the scene, snatched me away, threw me, and scolded Jjokkomi with an angry expression.
I could not understand what she was saying.
She was probably yelling at her not to play with such a dirty thing.
That bad bitch of a bear.
To think she would try to tear us apart.
The discriminatory Mother Bear briefly left the cave today.
Seizing the opportunity, Jjokkomi was playing with me with a bright smile on her face.
"Kkukukuk!"
Sometimes we even played house.
She would pick up a nearby pebble and bring it to my mouth.
"Kkua, kkua!"
Jjokkomi shoved the pebble into my mouth.
Hey, girl. What are you going to do if you actually feed that to me?
I am a Doll, so I would not be able to digest it......
Wait, no. I am a monster, so maybe I can?
Suddenly, Jjokkomi looked around.
Soon, she pulled out a chunk of meat from within her thick fur.
It seemed she had secretly hidden her leftover food.
"Kkua."
Are you going to feed that to me too?
I felt a bit choked up.
I had never been this touched before.
To think she saved her food for me.
As expected, Jjokkomi seems to like me a lot.
Because the affection in her eyes is quite extraordinary.
Could it be that she's even thinking about marriage?
I am sorry, little sister, but we can never be together.
Anyway.
The pebble was a bit much, but I will gladly eat that.
"Kkuuu."
Munch, munch.
The chunk of meat went into Jjokkomi's mouth.
I guess she took it out to eat it herself.
I was just being delusional.
Just as a wave of slight disappointment washed over me.
Urami, crouching in the back, entered my field of vision.
His expression was unusual.
It was an expression full of dissatisfaction.
What are you so displeased about this time to have such a scowl on your face?
Urami abruptly turned his head away.
What is wrong with him.
***
Day 41.
An incident occurred.
Was he jealous of seeing Jjokkomi and me playing happily yesterday? That jerk Urami roughly bit my arm off.
In the end, I lost an arm.
I had become a totally uncool, one-armed Teddy Bear.
"Kkuaa......."
Tears welled up in Jjokkomi's eyes.
With the fallen Doll arm in her mouth, she tried her hardest to somehow reattach it to my body.
As if it would stick.
Jjokkomi made an expression full of despair.
She then fiercely glared at Urami, who was lying down peacefully in the back. Breathing heavily in anger.
"Kkuaaa!!!"
"Grr?"
Jjokkomi lunged at Urami.
It was a first. Seeing Jjokkomi getting angry.
Whack!
Jjokkomi's front paw struck Urami.
Urami didn't just take the hit.
He counterattacked by swinging his heavy front paw at Jjokkomi who was attacking him.
Thud! Whack! Thwack!
It was a bit too violent to be called a children's fight.
At that rate, one of them was bound to die.
Their fight continued for a while.
No, it was no longer a fight.
It was a one-sided assault.
Level, power, and weight class.
Urami had the upper hand in everything.
Because of that, Jjokkomi was gradually pushed back, and eventually ended up taking a one-sided beating.
Urami did not stop.
Unable to suppress his anger, he continued to batter Jjokkomi.
Stop it already.
You've already won.
She's really going to die at this rate.
I wanted to stop them.
I wanted to help Jjokkomi.
However, there was no way.
I resented my powerless self.
Fortunately.
Right before something terrible happened to Jjokkomi, the Mother Bear returned.
The Mother Bear, entering the cave, was startled and pulled them apart. Afterwards, Urami was severely scolded by the Mother Bear.
Jjokkomi was scolded all the same.
It seemed Urami revealed the fact that he was attacked first.
After giving her cubs a good scolding, the Mother Bear tended to the injured Jjokkomi, then gave me a sideways glance with cold eyes. She must have also heard that I was the cause of the fight.
It was a look as if she were looking at an absolute monstrosity.
I felt hurt. Even if I'm defective, I'm still her child.
And that night.
While Jjokkomi and Urami were sleeping soundly.
I was secretly thrown away by the Mother Bear.
Somewhere outside the cave.
***
Day 50.
In the mountains where massive trees were densely packed.
9 days had already passed since I was pathetically abandoned.
The Mother Bear must have truly not considered me her child.
Since she had still left me in the cave, I thought she had some lingering attachment.
Ah. How miserable.
To become an orphan just like this.
The future has become even more bleak.
When I was in the cave, I at least had some hope.
I held onto the hope that Jjokkomi, who liked me, might help me someday.
But now, Jjokkomi is not by my side.
Hoping for someone's help has become impossible.
From now on, I have no choice but to solely crave for Mana, aiming to achieve an achievement that I don't even know exists or not.
"Kkuaaa!!!"
Huh? I think I just heard Jjokkomi's voice.
Is it an auditory hallucination?
Jjokkomi's face is even flickering before my eyes.
...No, it wasn't flickering.
I am seeing it clearly and distinctly.
Not an illusion, the real Jjokkomi revealed herself before me.
"Kkua, kkuaa!"
Jjokkomi's eyes were dyed red.
She must have been desperately looking for me all this time.
Without forgetting, and missing me.
Jjokkomi hugged my body tightly.
As usual, Jjokkomi's flames did not catch onto me.
It's not that I am immune.
Since Jjokkomi has no hostility towards me, the flames simply do not harm me either. The fire a Flame Bear handles is special, you see.
"Kkuuu!"
Jjokkomi put me down and shook her body.
Then, several pebbles fell out from her fur. Jjokkomi picked up one of those pebbles.
Are we playing house right after a touching reunion?
Wait, but the pebble is a little strange?
It's not an ordinary pebble?
The pebble was shining in a blue light.
Anyone could tell it wasn't a simple pebble.