Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: EPISODE.003 (2)
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Crackle, crackle...
A small campfire was already blazing merrily in front of Kuhn, who had ventured into the forest.
It wasn't particularly large, but it packed enough heat to push back the shadows of the woods and the chill of the night.
Starting a fire wasn't all that difficult in the first place.
Whether it was friction heat from a bow drill or striking flint, there were plenty of ways to make fire in the forest even without special tools.
They were skills everyone picked up naturally after years as hunting dogs.
Skills you couldn't help but learn, whether you wanted to or not.
In front of Kuhn lay snakes and mushrooms skewered haphazardly on sturdy branches, dangling in a row.
They were things he'd gathered and hunted just moments ago while wandering the woods. This was exactly why the senior instructor had once mentioned "survivor takes all" instead of the usual "winner takes all."
You didn't even need to fight the other trainees. Just entering the forest meant food was there for the taking.
Which was why it was the survivors, not just the winners, who... of course...
'...in exchange, you'd have to be prepared to fight snakes and wild beasts instead of trainees.'
It was for the same reason that the beasts' presence in the forest had spiked since spring.
He seemed to be the only one who'd realized it so far, but secrets like this couldn't stay hidden forever.
As time passed, more and more trainees would catch on.
'Once that happens, it'll come down to two choices, huh?'
Fight the other trainees, or risk your life against the forest beasts.
Either way, it was a win for the Lion’s Den instructors.
'Definitely not like Loberian Dun Bringer's half-assed Fox Den setup.'
Every detail screamed long, careful planning.
In the meantime, the snakes and mushrooms impaled on skewers were roasting golden-brown over the campfire's heat.
Sizzle...
Along the surface of the mushrooms and snake meat, faint scorch marks bubbled up alongside savory oils.
But one thing stood out about the snakes and mushrooms as they cooked.
Unlike typical edible mushrooms, these were vibrant in color, and the snakes had sharply pointed heads.
They all looked unmistakably venomous. Kuhn, with his wealth of experience, could never mistake them.
'Poison Horn Ghost Mushrooms, Crimson Clown Mushrooms, and Red Venom Vipers.'
He didn't just distinguish them—he knew their names by heart.
Yet that was exactly why he'd gathered them as food. Simple reason.
'If ingesting poison can increase my magic power...'
It didn't have to be from the Witch's Garden.
Not as refined as pure extracts, but the poisons from common forest mushrooms, vipers, or toads were like elixirs to him.
No reason not to consume them.
'But...'
That said, he couldn't keep boosting his magic power with these crude poisons forever.
Even proper elixirs and spirit medicines lost potency with repeated use.
Let alone viper or mushroom venom.
Besides, once you reached a certain level, realizations mattered more than raw magic or aura.
'Can't just keep stacking magic power indefinitely.'
Right on cue, savory oil spread along the long surface of the snake meat.
Sizzle, sizzle...
Normally, you'd cut off the head with its venom gland before eating.
'But now that I've awakened the hidden power of Monstrous Strength and Chaotic Spirits, no need for that hassle.'
Kuhn stared at the perfectly roasted viper head, then let out a chuckle.
Seeing himself salivating over a venomous snake head in this situation struck him as absurd.
'The vipers they released to threaten the kids... who knew they'd end up helping me like this.'
Even the instructors who let them loose probably never saw it coming.
'Who'd guess an aura breathing method that nullifies poison.'
Just as Kuhn brought the well-cooked viper head to his mouth...
"...?"
A faint rustle slipped in from the dense underbrush, deep in the darkened forest.
.
Rustle, rustle.
The sound of footsteps through the bushes grew closer.
It zigzagged a few times but was definitely heading this way.
Judging by how high the bushes swayed, it wasn't anything large.
Kuhn watched the bushes bend and warp, murmuring to himself.
'That guy?'
Sure enough, the creature burst from the underbrush right in front of him, revealing itself.
Fur with a subtle golden sheen and mysterious red eyes.
Grrr...
It was a fox kit, no bigger than a small puppy.
Grrr, grrr...
Having shown itself, it stretched languidly not far away, tail wagging as it circled Kuhn playfully.
No hint of wariness at all.
Its gait was so practiced, it had clearly done this before.
Kuhn chuckled at the fox's antics.
Then he tore off a piece of snake from the skewer and tossed it lightly toward the creature.
Whoosh!
The non-venomous midsection. The kit leaped like a swallow, snatching the meat mid-air!
Snap!
It even flipped in the air—a perfect fox move.
Crunch, crunch.
Kuhn smirked as it chomped down bones and all, like it was the most natural thing.
'Smart little guy.'
He'd first met it about three months ago.
'At first, I thought it was just a normal kit and tried to catch it.'
But no.
It evaded him effortlessly, moving with agility no kit should have, toying with him.
Then, instead of fleeing, it watched him curiously from a distance.
That's when it started hanging around, keeping a peculiar distance.
Recalling that, Kuhn glanced at its tail.
Flanking the main tail were two smaller, adorable ones.
Tiny and easy to miss, but definitely tails.
'Three tails... a Three-Tailed Fox?'
A type of spirit beast or divine creature.
He knew of such things from the doctor's memories.
But to think they existed in this world, not just that one.
'Of course, not certain yet.'
For one, unlike the fox spirits from that world—which resembled foxes—this one looked more dog-like.
Whether due to its youth or something else, he'd need to observe more.
'Looks just like those desert foxes.'
One thing was sure: it wasn't a normal fox kit.
Otherwise, it couldn't roam this forest—full of vipers, lynxes, boars, and wild dogs—like it owned the place.
And...
'It always finds me way too easily.'
If it really was a spirit beast or divine creature.
If such things existed here.
'Maybe...'
I could make that. For that, at least...
'Soon as I leave the Lion’s Den, time to dig through records and interrogate some folks.'
Lost in those thoughts, Kuhn noticed the kit had polished off the snake tail with delighted yips.
Grrr, grrr...
He leaned toward the roasted viper head—
—Grrr!
The kit suddenly growled sharply, bolting into the bushes.
Unlike when they were alone, it brimmed with caution.
And sure enough, a voice echoed from the opposite side of the bushes, toward the forest edge.
"Would you look at this punk? Got a fancy fire going."
.
"...?"
A group of trainees approached noisily.
Leaves, vines, and burrs clung to their clothes—they'd clearly been wandering the woods for a while.
Kuhn's eyes flickered with interest at the sight.
'Five of them... Barison's crew?'
The one who'd spoken was a familiar face, known by a certain nickname.
Smaller than the other kids, with prominent buckteeth.
'Rat, was it?'
The rest of the gang chimed in, agreeing boisterously as they caught up.
"Hey, at least it helped us find this guy."
"Almost wandered the whole damn forest at night."
Maybe from their numbers, or frustration at stumbling in the dark.
Their tone carried clear hostility laced with mocking undertones.
Kuhn shook his head in disbelief.
'Not the first time they've pulled this crap.'
Influenced by their leader Barison, or maybe they were always like that.
They roamed in packs, bullying other trainees.
Even decently skilled ones avoided their group of five—that was the current state of the trainee dens.
Kuhn knew all this well.
But he'd never stepped in... because it never affected him directly.
'So why show up now...'
His eyes narrowed sharply amid the thought.