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Chapter 2
“Grrrrr….”
I bared my teeth and let out a low growl. The faces of the humans who had brought me to this state flashed through my mind again. I should have killed them.
The old me would never have even considered such a thing. There was a time when I dreamed of ascending, after all.
Ascension? To hell with that.
I’d rather pile up karma through slaughter.
I’ll deal with those humans myself—those pests who harm everything around them simply by existing.
Vowing revenge, I looked down at my reflection on the water’s surface.
A blue-furred tiger. The Mountain Lord.
My body was smaller now, my energy mostly gone. It was frustrating, but at least I wasn’t dead. That meant there was still a chance.
First, I need to regain my strength.
I couldn’t avenge myself against those Blood Sect bastards with this pitiful body. Honestly, I was lucky I hadn’t already been eaten by some other spirit beast.
But before anything else, I needed to figure out what the hell had happened. And then—
Huh? Where did the Mountain Lord go? Hm? What’s this—why is there a tiger cub here?
A familiar voice made me lift my head. And I became certain—this wasn’t a dream.
Those bastards had trampled my home first.
They dug up every herb in my territory, captured the spirit beasts under my protection for experiments, and extracted their inner cores.
The zhimjo (poison bird) tilting its head beside me was also one of the beings that had died back then.
Kid, who are you? Your energy feels almost identical to the Mountain Lord’s… Are you his cub? That’s strange—he’s never reproduced before…
The bird tilted its head again and again in confusion, then slowly fluttered down to the ground.
Curiously, there was no poisonous aura around it. It must have sealed its toxins, just in case.
Zhimjo, it’s me. The Mountain Lord.
The Mountain Lord? Hey, kid, don’t lie. The Mountain Lord is a huge blue tiger—bigger than anything I’ve ever seen!
The zhimjo snorted, then spoke soothingly.
Where is the Mountain Lord? I need to tell him the nine-tailed fox is back.
I said it’s me.
Kid, lies aren’t good for a spirit bea—
Should I remind you of what happened when you first came to this mountain? Would that make you believe me?
I looked at the bird with a proud grin.
If I told it things only the two of us knew, it would have no choice but to believe me.
And there were more than enough such stories to choose from.
You acted like you were the last creature alive—so sharp and hostile—and you were scattering poison everywhere. You even tried to chase me out, so I tied you up with kudzu vines and tossed you into a cave…
WAAAK!! WAAAK! WAAK!!
The zhimjo flailed its wings, squawking wildly. It was clearly still embarrassed by our first meeting.
D-Did the Mountain Lord tell you that?! No, he swore he’d never tell anyone—!
Because it’s me, you idiot. Don’t you dare make me someone’s mother.
I smacked its beak with my paw—tap—and the bird leapt in place.
Ignoring it, I sighed at the weak sound my paw had made.
Haah… That wasn’t even a proper smack.
Is… is that really you, Mountain Lord?
If you don’t believe me, I can bring up more stories you’ve tried so hard to bury in your memory…
NOOO! I BELIEVE YOU!! I BELIEVE YOU!!
The zhimjo panicked, flapping its wings so furiously a few feathers flew off. I quietly moved back—those feathers still held traces of poison, and in my current weakened state, even a tiny mistake could kill me.
B-but Mountain Lord… why do you look like a tiger cub…?
…There’s a lot to say about that. More importantly—you said the fox came back?
Ah, yes. He returned to rest for a bit…
The zhimjo still looked uncertain, narrowing its eyes at me.
So I tossed out one more line.
Should I start talking about how you tried flirting with another bird but got rejected horribly?
I’m sorry, Mountain Looooord!!
Good. I think that proves it. If not, I can mention the time you stuck flower petals in your tail feathers to dance a courtsh—
AAAAAAH!! PLEASE! PLEASE STOP, MOUNTAIN LORD!!!
You won’t doubt me anymore?
No more… It’s really the Mountain Lord…
Seeing the zhimjo looking like it was about to cry made me feel a little guilty.
But there was no other way to prove myself.
My transformation was too drastic. I needed help.
Normally I’d go myself… but zhimjo, can you call the fox here?
…Why the nine-tailed fox?
I have a favor to ask—and a warning to give.
A warning?
One for you, too. So please.
…Understood, Mountain Lord.
Sensing something was wrong, the zhimjo nodded and quickly took off.
A short while later, it returned—with a black fox whose nine tails trailed behind him.
Mountain Lord, you called fo—hm?
The fox approached lazily, narrowing his eyes as he looked at me.
A tiger cub? Zhimjo, don’t tell me this is supposed to be the Mountain Lord.
W-What nonsense are you saying about the Mountain Lord?!
Pffft! Don’t be ridiculous! The Mountain Lord is huge and terrifying! Isn’t this just his secret cub? Wow, didn’t expect him to be so capable.
The fox approached me with a teasing grin, lowering his head.
Hey kid, where’s your mom?
Just like the bird, he didn’t believe me at all.
But seeing that smug face full of mischief, any desire to explain kindly vanished.
I approached him with innocent little squeaks—and bit down hard on his nose.
…Huh? Did you bite me? Aww, that hurts. Such a tiny thing knows how to bite?
He wagged his tails lazily, smiling. Clearly it didn’t hurt at all.
Let’s see if it still doesn’t hurt when I bite with full spirit-force.
“KYAAAAAANG!!”
Ah, that scream was lovely.
Just because my body was small didn’t mean he could mock a spirit beast.
The fox bounced in place, his nine tails flailing, trying to pry me off—failing again and again.
Only when his eyes filled with tears and he begged, apologizing and pleading for mercy, did I release his nose.
Look at you—mocking me just because I got smaller. Ugh, I’m not sure I should ask you for help.
W-Who wouldn’t think you were the Mountain Lord’s cub if you look like that?! Ow… it hurts…
The fox rubbed his sore nose with his front paws, sniffling.
But seriously, Mountain Lord—why are you so small? And why is your energy so weak?
I’d like to know that myself, Mountain Lord.
Their questions made me sigh from the depths of my soul.
Even I could barely distinguish dream from reality. Would these two even understand?
Still… they’re alive. I have to try.
Seeing them alive meant I had gone back at least ten years. I didn’t have as much time as I wanted, but simply having the chance was something to be grateful for.
This time, I swore I wouldn’t watch these two die again.
The story dragged on. Even I struggled to explain parts of it, because it was something I’d never seen or heard of before.
But both the zhimjo and the fox listened seriously all the way through.
…I mean, the Mountain Lord isn’t one to spout nonsense, but still…
The bird sighed in disbelief. But he didn’t seem to think I was lying.
Could the Mountain Lord have gained a divine ability?
The fox spoke unusually seriously.
Both the bird and I blinked at him.
The Mountain Lord probably didn’t care about this stuff, so he wouldn’t know. But zhimjo, you must’ve heard the rumors circulating among spirit beasts.
Ah! That one? Something like… when a tiger forms an inner core and becomes a spirit beast, it gains special abilities similar to an immortal…?
Exactly. So maybe the Mountain Lord foresaw the future?
The fox casually rubbed his bitten nose before continuing.
The Mountain Lord has never lied to us.
Yeah. He never lies.
And there’s no such thing as being born a spirit beast. Even if your parents are both spirit beasts, you only gain an inner core by surviving long enough.
Right, that’s why it was strange. He looks exactly like the Mountain Lord’s cub, but we’ve never heard of him reproducing.
But if what he said is true… maybe the Mountain Lord reached the level of an immortal—or an immortal intervened directly.
