3
Chapter 3
Not far away.
A beast's roar echoed out.
"Rooaaarr!"
That was one hundred percent the Mother Bear's cry.
Since I'm her kid after all, I recognized it instantly.
It seemed the Mother Bear was desperately searching for Jjokkomi.
Oh, Jjokkomi.
Did you come out hunting with your mother?
You weren't wandering all over the place just to find me.
It looks like finding me was merely a coincidence.
Then again, she couldn't have just left the cave without the Mother Bear's permission.
Even though she's huge, she's still a baby.
"Kku-uh......."
Sulking.
Jjokkomi looked in the direction of the roar with regret.
It seemed she wanted to play house a little longer.
We've played enough, kiddo.
"Kkua, kkua-a. Kkukku!"
Jjokkomi said to me.
I could instinctively feel what she was saying.
I'll be back. Wait quietly right here. I love you, Oppa!
It probably meant something along those lines.
"Kku-u."
After licking my body all over.
Jjokkomi slowly turned her body around.
She soon trudged off toward the place where the Mother Bear's voice was coming from.
It seems she realizes she shouldn't take me with her.
Because if she did, it's highly likely I'd be abandoned again, or worse, harmed.
Well, she'll probably come back to play soon.
After all, she even promised she would return.
When it's hunting time, she'll definitely wait for the Mother Bear to look away, sneak out, and come running to me.
I should give her a present next time.
As a reward for this huge favor.
Let's see... what would our Jjokkomi like?
She'd probably prefer some edible meat, right?
Is there any creature nearby that I could hunt?
Huh? What am I talking about?
Aren't I unable to move anyway, you ask?
Hehe.
Pfft! You don't know what you're talking about!
I am no longer a simple Teddy Bear.
I've been reborn as a Teddy Bear that can move!
[Mana absorption is complete.]
Was it because I absorbed Mana into my body for the first time?
It took quite a long time to completely absorb the Mana.
It was all thanks to our Jjokkomi.
Because that blue pebble Jjokkomi brought was actually a mineral containing Mana. I suppose the mineral's name is something like a Mana Stone. Since no other names come to mind, I'll just keep calling it a Mana Stone.
I don't know where she got the Mana Stone from.
Did she pick it up off the street?
She might have kept the glowing pebble just because it was pretty.
She probably didn't bring it to me with the intention of helping.
Because Jjokkomi doesn't know that I need Mana.
Feeding me the Mana Stone was also,
Just her feeding me a rock while playing house like usual.
Anyway.
The time to finally use the Action skill has arrived.
It truly was a long and endless period of patience.
Sob.
I'm a Doll, so no tears are coming out.
Let's cut the crap and use the skill right away.
[[Action lv.1] skill is used.]
Twitch.
Ooh. My senses are coming alive.
My body is starting to move according to my will!
I wanted to let out a cheer.
Sadly, because I am a Doll, no voice came out.
***
The Mana that had seeped into my body.
I read the flow of that Mana.
I also finished adapting to a body controlled by Mana.
I sprang up from my spot.
Hop, I tried jumping high.
Smack, smack! I hit my belly twice with one arm.
It's perfect.
There's no sense of foreignness at all.
It doesn't feel like controlling a Doll.
It truly felt like my own complete body.
I'm touched.
Once again, I felt grateful to Jjokkomi.
If it weren't for Jjokkomi, I would have lived my whole life as an immobile Teddy Bear. Thank you, Jjokkomi!
Soon, I looked around.
Wow! To think I can see my surroundings in 360 degrees!
A wave of emotion greater than when I first experienced VR washed over me.
Me, descending upon another world.
For some reason, I'm overflowing with confidence.
Although only Action has become possible, after achieving something that seemed impossible, I felt like I could do anything moving forward.
Hehe. It means I have nothing to fear right now.
"Grrrr...."
[Poison Tiger lv.70]
└ Pw.140
└ Rnk.Uncommon
...Oh boy.
A terrifying-looking green-striped tiger appeared out of nowhere.
Suddenly, fear surged up like a bursting dam.
I quickly realized reality.
Right, I was a weakling.
I had momentarily forgotten the fact that I'm a frail Teddy Bear.
Thank you, tiger.
Thanks to you, I was able to remember who I am.
I immediately sprawled out on the spot.
Special move: Pretending to be a harmless Doll.
It's a strategy I had devised for survival.
Because I'd definitely get caught if I tried to run away with this Teddy Bear body anyway.
"Grrr...."
"......."
It's fine.
There shouldn't be any problem.
I don't breathe.
My heart doesn't beat either.
I don't even have a heart in the first place.
As long as I don't move using my skills, I am a perfect Teddy Bear.
"Little one."
Huh? Did you just call me?
You didn't, right?
"It's no use playing dead. Even like that, I can vividly feel the Mana flowing through your body."
I see.
You should have told me sooner.
My special move of pretending to be a Doll ended in failure.
Even so, I didn't move.
"You're foolishly playing dead to the end. Since I spoke using the Interpretation skill, there's no way you didn't understand."
I'm not playing dead, I'm pretending to be a Teddy Bear.
Babbling when you don't even know anything.
Besides, even if I moved now, nothing would change.
How am I supposed to run away from a tiger?
Just staying like this is for the best.
Please just go away, tiger.
I'm a Doll, so I taste terrible.
"Even if you possess Mana, I don't usually hunt things that look as tasteless as you... but ignoring my words is a bit insolent. I was originally going to spare you, but—"
Spring! I rose vigorously from my spot.
Hello, Mr. Tiger.
Did you say you'd spare me?
My, you were a nice Mr. Tiger.
I completely misunderstood.
Thank you.
Bow! Bow!
I bowed my head repeatedly, expressing my gratitude.
"......What a funny kid."
Bow!
"Alright, I shall forgive you for ignoring my words."
Bow!
"And don't put on such a crude act in the future. If it had been anyone else but me, they would have eaten you without hesitation."
Bow!
"Hehe. You look hideous, but your actions are surprisingly cute."
Bow...!
"Then I will be on my way. Let's meet again later if fate allows."
Bow!
Mr. Tiger continued on his way.
Staring at his retreating backside, I stuck out my front paw.
And I raised my middle claw.
Screw you! Who are you to put down my looks?
I'm thankful you spared me, but a personal attack is crossing the line!
"Hmm?"
Mr. Tiger turned his head.
Oops! I quickly withdrew my hand.
Bow! Bow! Bow!
"I thought I felt something unpleasant, but it must have been my imagination."
That was a close call.
Goodbye, Mr. Tiger.
***
Moving recklessly is dangerous.
There might be more dangerous monsters around.
I frantically rushed back to my original spot.
To think I encountered a dangerous monster right after stepping just a little bit away from here.
I wonder if I'm just unlucky.
Or if this entire area is just extremely dangerous.
Still, this place is relatively safe.
An empty clearing revealed amidst the dense thickets.
Next to a lone, towering Boxwood tree.
I haven't encountered a single dangerous creature here for nine days.
Did the Mother Bear abandon me in a safe place because she was worried about my well-being?
No, that can't be it.
If she was worried about me, she wouldn't have abandoned me in the first place.
She probably just hid me away tightly in a hard-to-find spot so that Jjokkomi couldn't find me.
Her intentions were truly wicked,
But thanks to that, I easily acquired a safe location.
Let's make this my dwelling for the time being.
Since I have to be here to see Jjokkomi again anyway.
I lay down for a moment.
I needed some peace of mind right now.
Because I was way too tense when I met Mr. Tiger.
Mr. Tiger was stronger than the Mother Bear.
His power was a whopping 140.
Was his rank Uncommon?
It's probably a lower rank than the Superior rank.
Considering the Mother Bear had broken past 100 power even though she was level 35.
To be exact, it was 105.
To sum it up.
It seemed that the Normal rank gained 1 power per level, the Uncommon rank 2 power per level, and the Superior rank 3 power per level.
Mr. Tiger's level was 70.
It seems he received 2 power per level, making a total of 140 power.
Having a high level really makes you a powerhouse.
Because you can be even stronger than those of a higher rank.
But I wonder where Mr. Tiger ranks in strength around here.
I just pray he's the strongest entity. Or at least one of the top powerhouses. Because if creatures like Mr. Tiger are the average here, I have no confidence in surviving.
I was having those thoughts when it happened.
A massive shadow was cast over the ground.
High up in the sky.
A gigantic creature was engaged in Flight with its magnificent wings spread wide.
[Gravity Dragon lv.55]
└ Pw.1650
└ Rnk.Legendary
Wow. There's even a Dragon.
Is it okay for something like that to just fly around in the sky?
Its level is lower than Mr. Tiger's.
But its power was overwhelmingly higher.
Over 10 times as much—that must be the power of its rank.
It was a realm that level alone couldn't overcome.
Just how high of a rank is that thing?
Anyway, seeing something like that makes it clear.
That there must be an abundance of creatures stronger than Mr. Tiger.
And once again, it hits me.
I really am no different from a bug.
No, I'm a monster even worse than a bug.
***
But I didn't despair.
Even though I'm a pathetic Teddy Bear right now, I held onto hope.
I have the Evolution skill.
If I utilize this well, even a lowly being like me might one day be reborn as something great. Just like the saying about a Dragon rising from a small stream.
Of course.
I only had hope under the assumption that I could be reborn as an entity capable of Limit Breakthrough through Evolution. If I'm stuck at the Normal rank forever, my dream of completely transforming will never come true.
Anyway, let's just do an Evolution first.
[Ragged Teddy Bear lv.3]
└ Pw.3
└ Rnk.Normal
My current level is 3.
By consuming 1 level from here, I can use the Evolution skill.
For the record, my level went up thanks to the Mana Stone that Jjokkomi fed me.
[Evolution is possible when Physical Adaptability is 30 or higher.]
Physical Adaptability?
That's a first for me.
Is it a numerical representation of how much I've adapted to my current body?
[Current Physical Adaptability is 51, Evolution is possible.]
Fortunately.
My adaptability far exceeded the Evolution requirement.
I don't know how it's measured, but as long as I passed the mark, that's all that matters.
[Would you like to use [Evolution lv.1]?]
Yes!
================
[Evolvable Species]
◎ Teddy Bear - Normal
================
There was only one option.
It must be because the Evolution skill is level 1.
It's nice that I don't have to think about it.
I immediately selected the Teddy Bear.
[Evolution is complete.]
Huh?
For a moment, a light flashed from my body.
That was it. There was no process of becoming incapacitated for Action, losing consciousness, or falling into a deep sleep.
The result of checking my appearance in the third person through the Helper skill.
I had definitely transformed into a different appearance than before.
From a dirty Teddy Bear into a neat Teddy Bear.
The Status Window information had also changed.
[Teddy Bear lv.2]
└ Pw.2 (+1)
└ Rnk.Normal
Oh. This is really nice.
Even though my level dropped, it didn't really drop.
Including the additional power, my power remained the same.
Unfortunately, I didn't gain any additional skills, though.
I wonder if I can use the Evolution skill again right away.
[Evolution is possible when Physical Adaptability is 30 or higher.]
It seems like I can.
[Current Physical Adaptability is 35, Evolution is possible.]
My adaptability has dropped compared to before.
It must be because I have a new appearance.
Still, I met the Evolution requirements.
[Would you like to use [Evolution lv.1]?]
Yep.
================
[Evolvable Species]
◎ Brown Teddy Bear - Normal
================
Once again, a radiant light enveloped my body.