Chapter 85: Fishman (4)
nxx6bltEvolution, judging by the impression the word gives or the image shown by the media, sounds like something good at first glance, but in reality that is not always the case.L4qTHAH
mQyIf evolution advances in a strange direction, it could even threaten your own life.DZrDp
DAqkc4UTo begin with, evolution itself is something that occurs over countless generations.pyamA
xbaON1Nobody knows what effect genes that have already changed this way will have in the future, nor how they will continue transforming.1osqCw
h9bsPv8Evolution, in which living beings change in order to adapt to the “environment.”yC1
qkuy4jThe problem is that it cannot be viewed only in a positive way.Vw1dl
euNva‘Evolution…?’rBMK
JaCE0v1I narrowed my eyes after hearing AllFather’s hypothesis. Hearing another person’s opinion directly made it feel different.1x2UR
hzmIt was also strange that I could perceive mana immediately, like some protagonist from a novel or manga.MN1x
Io51InJust as AllFather said, maybe my body really was changing in order to adapt to the Forest of Four Seasons.592Zgdn
uZlAfter all, Earth was a civilization built entirely on steel, where mana did not even exist, much less magic.EY3YAy9
GnbThat did not sound like good news at all.vGNO8Z
EfhQKU[WilldGrills: Are you saying I could turn into something grotesque?]sgu
Dhckw[AllFather: Your form itself will most likely remain human but, as you saw with the shark giant, it could also change in a strange way.]1fj
9MaNuP[WilldGrills: And people familiar with mana normally what are they like? They do not become deformed or anything?]Tm18Ia
Gcc[AllFather: They maintain human form. Especially because most possess good physical conditions. The vessel used to contain mana must be good from the beginning.]xusgiXg
Jt40jI am around 175 cm tall. Completely average.12s
5UgjAnd my body was also that of a typical skinny-fat person, full of visceral fat from living off instant ramen.oeMP
xcIFBut lately, perhaps because I had been suffering so much, I felt like the fat in my body was slowly starting to disappear. That made sense.XUCd
62cGHowever.uBbe4SB
OgNThe muscles hidden underneath had started becoming noticeable.qQV9sD
NrZJhThat part I did not understand.liTOT1
8gBCx‘Normally, wouldn’t fat be far more useful for survival?’fElxDt7
jYyGaBI once heard that obesity only started being considered a social problem less than a hundred years ago.ix1X
6GEUntil then, humanity lived by accumulating fat.hwpEU43
UR19OiBecause it helped people survive.ZsMoR
b6HvgAnd evolution is closely tied to “survival.”vSx
WhgUFvTIt did not fit.I5RCb
cBtThen losing fat and developing too much muscle is also because of that…?STWSmU3
OSCXgI do not understand.DTMC
1Jw63L[WilldGrills: Isn’t fat more important than muscle for survival?]Kdo
cAT[AllFather: It is not that you are adapting yourself to the Forest of Four Seasons by your own will.]yElZ
urHg[AllFather: It is the Forest of Four Seasons that is adjusting you to its environment.]3Z6
LscM0[WilldGrills: Is that even possible? I feel like all common sense is exploding into pieces;;]wPGA
GwQsr[AllFather: It remains only a hypothesis.]tkUG
dxxw7Wi[AllFather: Nothing about the Forest of Four Seasons has been revealed.]uoH8
scGj[AllFather: I too am merely analyzing what you show me, Mister Grills.]NJ7
6hTNI ran my dry hand across my face.WR4G7
VSNWaMwEverything was becoming more and more complicated.NvgZoVi
YhXtHowever, there was one thing I knew for certain.FQES6
9mbq9DMy survival was being threatened.KLsxg
uCun5rThis was not simply about finding food or protecting myself from nearby dangers.RebkVqA
i7P0DsThis forest itself was threatening my life in real time.IatF
la8Pa‘Though nothing is confirmed yet…’C3e10Xy
qQBvKAThere were too many signs that my body was truly changing.o0C0JAa
Hl9o4hMy body had suddenly become absurdly compatible with mana.6N30RN
WoMh0xMy physical abilities had begun strengthening at an almost abnormal level.FZCqF
sOOnAnd on top of that, my skin had peeled away while new flesh formed underneath.noN
Gd3FUnless this was the “evolution” AllFather mentioned, an evolution adapted to the environment, none of this would make sense.w17l1
sXkh‘Then did the sloth evolve this way too?’SD9Es
kjcQduI glanced at the sloth still hanging from my back.hoz
u3MVCmIAs always, he wore that relaxed expression.zSsZQsi
Ld7mhIaMaybe he too was one of the products of “evolution.”vyh
7iGYb‘The adult mandragora is the same as well.’U0MsqXb
jUl4jAnd not only animals.kG8rbsf
ReIPlants too.c35Ydz
QL4AAWhether due to absorbing enormous amounts of mana or some other reason.yrz
p3kAJSzThey grew at an absurdly abnormal speed.luC2
9a9[AllFather: As I have repeated to you several times, nothing is certain.]NjB
OEFdKA[AllFather: We need more evidence.]cUB
WFGTj85Evidence…?b0uYadZ
ejgge4UI suppose I will have to keep exploring first.BmY0N3o
JST[WilldGrills: Thank you for the help.]jPWbZT
sQWj09[AllFather: I did nothing.]Aymk
mdx[AllFather: You are the one who has done all the hard work, Mister Grills. I wish you luck in many ways.]fmrSeUi
GiYEven though it unsettled me, I would continue trying my best.ayWfx
JSe1The conversation with AllFather ended there.IitFL
fr4yAnd the moment it did, I let out a long sigh.Gcr
I0vyMaybe this was what it meant to understand something even though you did not want to.Qv75
ftw1XUAll the signs I had seen until now started turning into certainty, and that certainty gave birth to fear.wtsU49H
FABClNHumans always fear the unknown.EkMgeo
7sDYzFAnd honestly, the thought of how this forest might change me terrified me.br8B6V
67iJ‘I do not need to know the cause. I just need to escape…’HGe7E
OyqBut realizing that survival alone was not enough made all my motivation collapse.WPfnzBH
XwuTo the point where all the suffering I had gone through started feeling meaningless.z8AXVw
1BG9E‘That just means I have even fewer reasons to give up.’sBm
MIW2I reaffirmed my determination once more.8wvT8P
AyBIt was still far too early to despair.Gxr9dS
zbJAt least until now, my body had been changing in a positive direction.rv2
PYKAnd AllFather’s hypothesis was still only that.Qgw
ausA hypothesis.J0ZOyr
fus0kYNothing certain.BvDF
HRCN‘I will only be sure once I find more evidence.’uV1WU3x
wkgABut before that, there was something much more important.CpcA9
fsQQW5DI turned my gaze.paE
828O8oIn the place I looked at, only the abandoned empty iron pan remained.fMG9d
mUXThe fish the shark giant had swallowed whole.CFVNE0
i3dzThe fish I had worked so hard to coat with oyster sauce.VY3eFM
lvb‘First, I’m going to eat.’qB3
tjtC16Koreans live thanks to rice.zz8V
bAgIvYsEven if I do not have rice, food is still important.IYv
VxbPmrI used every last drop of the remaining oyster sauce.TXF
VxUos2WIt was unbelievably delicious.hb7
z4ag68jUnlike before, when I had only taken one bite, this time I ate all of it.dMtqJj
mWe‘It’s so good it actually makes me angry.’DIQaq
5A9Maybe because I had just heard something unpleasant, but even with a full stomach I did not feel any better.xool
tCjStill, I needed to shake off this state as soon as possible.tt7194
Md5YNegative thoughts destroy willpower.kvWN3W
sy0Like I said before, nothing has been confirmed yet.pkREz
pihWho knows.9g3jTAP
Jb3HMaybe the shark giant I killed exists outside this forest too.sYjuK
IfcFpFdAfter finishing my meal and completing the circulation of my cultivation method, I started preparing to explore.Zn518A
NOKkOThis time, I would not go downstream.uUEt
IwRsUI was going upstream.KKHdb1
s95eFoI would probably discover many things there.VYH6
vjzce5x‘If I’m lucky, maybe I’ll find another tributary too.’dJz
pW1I hoped that was the case.RBYQ
3ADI hoped my hope would not end up completely crushed.QQEti
6Ds5I cleaned the blood off the HeavenlyDemon sword with oiled paper and finished preparing myself.5boYpV
pP7nmWhen your head is a complete mess, the best thing to do is make your body work.pB5Lh
octThat has always been the case.54Z
Tv1WVcaTitle) I’m going exploring!p6f
hcZ0glzWildGrillsgRPzqb
ojYCxhq(Photo holding sword and shield)hcwHOW
ryVRXThis time I’m going upstream! Wish me luck!mHJyjYK
i8uL└HeavenlyDemon: Do your best. Never forget that this lady is always supporting you.POt9VS
cD633Q└Swordmaster: Are you sure you didn’t forget anything?01Cd
e6jcQNf└HeavenlyDemon: Your conscience?MGyykb
xKzI3└Swordmaster: I was asking Mister Grills haha.pfR6
L17S└HeavenlyDemon: I was just teasing you.aLFdto
yzKLTv└Swordmaster: Then if you get bored, come and cross swords with me.cN3WZ
8A2n└HeavenlyDemon: Just what I wished for. Let us see how far those pitiful skills of yours can go.UC7SU7
SyS└StarlightPrincess: The important thing is to always be careful. Even if your arms or legs break, you’ll be fine, so please be careful.gX0
TDC└WildGrills: Does that count as support?;;v3lsc
Vg9oFh└StarlightPrincess: Did it sound weird? I only meant you shouldn’t worry because you have elixir.bbA2
0kdP└WildGrills: Thanks;;6DTWTQJ
a2Aj└Look at them talking weird because it’s none of their business lmao.EWdHD
R15└Could it be because she survived?UwpCcsR
ncak0Ha└That sounds suspicious~iE5pd
YCOKtt└StarlightPrincess: You people really are awful.k33gX
wsA└SunForEver: Hey. Wait. Where’s the shark? Don’t tell me you gave it away?oWSv
hA5eM└WildGrills: Yeah. I had nothing to do with it, so I gave it away.6Ln
OKEpo└SunForEver: Ah, damn it. Something came up and I missed it. I wanted to use it as a display piece.ywK
kshUQ└WildGrills: Why the hell would you use something that horrible as decoration?;;JbL8D5
9Ec└SunForEver: Because it’s a rare animal. It’s perfect for a collection.4flNCoP
po2hWl2└WildGrills: …EiW
4HrAs soon as I posted on the gallery, it immediately filled with comments that were half support and half jokes.9Xo
8z8EvcI smiled faintly, thinking they were still the same as always, and prepared to leave together with the two animals though in the end, I did not.W1gndr
TGP“Sloth. You’ll take good care of Wonmo, right?”3xEXX
ydWMzpQ“……”4Qld
kDhAt least during the morning he was fine, but after lunch Wonmo always slept no matter what.lbTAuq9
5gEWHe was still a baby, so it was inevitable, though I was not too worried.6bqph
5hj‘I already put up barricades, and besides, the sloth is here. It’s perfect.’J4zBt
Uvc4Now it finally seemed safe to leave.esgNDg
QSX5qAI gave the cave one last glance.mYIh
HW4‘I’m definitely going to have to ask for more barricades.’yOpX
YAmy0The shark giant had entered through an area where the barricades were less tightly packed.ATM9U
VThI had left that space open so I could go back and forth to the river, and it just happened to be the perfect size for him.9YR
RhP6kThough honestly, even if the barricades had been complete, he probably would have smashed through them anyway considering his size.ft9OdKt
LPuRu3‘It’ll be inconvenient, but I’ll have to endure it.’DSh69l0
ZgnUI roughly chose where to install the new barricades and started walking.OS7BFX2
sYRWhoooosh!!Xqxvya
URce2gWhen I finally reached the river, the current was still violently strong.QYcjtvb
KovoI stared at the water for a few seconds before lifting my gaze.5a5VMb
h5jxSOn the other side of the river this time there was nothing less than—rMjqo
JTPl“Wow. Is that a volcano?”NYxFNQh
NA7aEdqA volcanic zone.vXQ2az
1BEzJNIn the distance, a volcano could be seen endlessly spewing lava.j0gBdJ
hVQCysaFortunately, it was absurdly far away, so it did not affect this area, but it was still impressive.AdKxL5l
2e9cekvThe ground was completely dry and cracked, without even a single blade of grass, and lava burst out from the cracks.HyEy
DVhSeriously, this forest was a place worthy of admiration.VYi
3SoI was going insane.FeZWu4O
ZdSKyM‘I guess I should be getting used to space being completely broken by now.’1MNbK
kfQ7I turned around and continued upstream.b7CT
AqfokThe roar of the current and the distant sound of the erupting volcano.X3FnGr
5MQWonderful.b0eX
h00H4cI decided it was time to get used to these things.R8ERHq
E5k9Y4Just admire them and move on.7CQpz
ssFip‘Though I hope that shark from yesterday doesn’t show up again.’WyJV
NUcThat did not mean I was relaxed.8aZW
RzPuJTCA gigantic beast could appear at any moment, so I kept my guard up the entire time.RYvgu
EzUHVbAfter all, animals surely came to the river to drink water.dIr
QK4Splash!Kv7No
GojXJust like what I was looking at right now.UVUoz
gs4Though looking more carefully, that thing had not come to drink water.qt0G
FGFSomething had been thrown flying out of the forest and crashed directly into the river.ZGmX
CffWhat the hell was that?wYbfdG
UnMFo4Flop—yksu
vhZU7GSShortly afterward, I could make it out.oY3TD9m
38SZnSomething floated atop the violent current.gd8
NVVIt was a four-legged beast with spots and a long tail.xodliDT
aLQQI did not know whether it was a leopard or a cheetah because my knowledge was limited, but it was clearly a predator.y2DJ
E7q‘…What the hell hit it hard enough to send it flying?’GNo
uHrLThe creature floated downstream completely motionless.7lFWu
jCdyFVIt seemed unconscious.Rqze
u5BKJust like that deer that defeated the bull shark.uIJiD97
jscmWas something similar living in there?fL7
F2mweGAWith that suspicion in mind, I slowly turned my head to the side.M9ZN
OHcoVtHThere was an area where the trees were absurdly dense.0qBLAFo
DmuaI definitely should not enter there.19MJq
i5eZPRqUuuh! Uuh! Uuh!2Qga9g6
9BWU8wBecause sounds like monkeys could be heard from inside.Mrg
9kw1Or maybe they were not monkeys.IbSYP7E
OXf4mRAnd it was not just one.z3vk
ezPd1dDThere were several.LJQ
yZYI silently passed by the area.I24V0
bmhNo way in hell was I going inside there.1vyb
l2gpEven a normal monkey is much stronger than a person.Bm82e
SHj“…Hm?”WxACo
VbgUAs I kept heading upstream, I found something strange on the path.vpBvX2
KQdA creature with eight legs and some sort of lump on top of its body.HFPobz
ncnDzOverall, it looked like a very slimy aquatic animal.ABByXL
ywtAg0G“…What is an octopus doing here?”hrbgRze
0PX2gQqIt was an octopus.e2B
zS9bAnd it even had purple spots all over its body.D0vybe
0wKAt first glance it looked poisonous, but that was not the strange part.NgwO
em4NPH‘Don’t octopuses normally live in the sea?’tGf
Av2STWhy was there an octopus here?T3fRbtm
U9ecAs far as I knew, octopuses lived in the ocean.gDA
sjugLxI had no idea whether freshwater octopuses existed, but at least not within my common sense.bp3f0e4
6ggHThough maybe they existed in this world.952zi
jKb5‘…No way.’ublaT
xYOHGF2I tried calming my anxiety and continued upstream.v2sQy4j
4NHixAnd the farther I went, the stronger a certain smell became as it hit my nose.iNt
65CThe salty scent of the wind.Jao
XmLPHThe stronger that smell became, the more anxiety filled my chest.Iy6X
XbYKiDWithout realizing it, I quickened my pace and stopped paying attention to my surroundings.bmasX3n
F63qSgTAnd finally, when I reached the end of the river.UPWn
k8UPAnd the end of the forest.COF
tjMvWhat appeared before my eyes was—KAgyQS
skAWhoooooosh—AUQo8Z
df5DA vast blue ocean.OA3ncnc
sZmsMore immense than anything else.HEL
2ljrAnd when I saw it…qbwQ
4lRXG“…Fuck. You’ve got to be kidding me.”k6R
2fWI could not stop myself from cursing.Cmdu
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