NOVEL NEXT 4 - I'm Hungry
After getting firewood from the forest, I immediately started cooking.
Oh, I should have asked that person if they had a knife so I could clean the fish.
No, the size wouldn’t have matched anyway.
I skewered the fish I had caught earlier.
Five big ones on each skewer.
By arranging the firewood neatly on the ground and lighting a fire on top, the preparation is roughly complete.
How do I light a fire without matches, you ask?
“Whoosh~”
I can breathe flames from my mouth.
Flame Breath.
One of the virtues a monster should have.
Breathing out a breath was as simple as breathing.
Just as no one teaches you how to move your arms and legs, I instinctively mastered it after reincarnation.
With its original power, I could easily burn down an entire forest, but I deliberately breathed softly.
“The color of the flame turned blue, why?”
The flames that should have been red suddenly turned blue.
My tongue might turn blue after drinking Powerade, but…
“It should be fine…?”
It feels a bit hotter, but I don’t know why.
I folded my arms while looking at the blue-burning firewood.
The fish won’t all burn up, right?
Well, if it gets too hot, I can just move it away.
“Hmm, but can I just eat these whole without cleaning them?”
I stared at the freshwater fish skewers.
Normally, I would have to remove the scales, blood, and intestines.
But cleaning small fish with these huge hands without special tools was nearly impossible.
It might be possible with large fish species like tuna, but this is a river, so large fish couldn’t be caught.
Whole freshwater fish skewers were the best option.
I carefully placed the skewers around the fire.
I secured them firmly with stones and watched the fish cook.
The scales burned away, and the fat in the flesh melted, causing oil to drip to the ground.
The fish were cooking quite appetizingly.
The savory smell pricked my nose.
I slowly rotated the skewers with my index finger, cooking the fish completely.
Even though I chose the largest branch among those around, it was still as small as a toothpick to me, which was inconvenient.
It was cumbersome and annoying, but I endured, believing I would be rewarded in the end.
So, when I finally try a grand bite…
Munch munch.
Munch munch.
Hmm.
“It’s mediocre…”
I had starved for a week in the cave.
I caught fish with my own hands at the riverside and even got firewood to cook them carefully.
Despite all that, the taste was peculiar.
Burnt scales and small bones rolled around in my mouth.
Perhaps because I didn’t remove the blood, a fishy smell pricked my nose.
The texture of the intestines chewed together with the flesh was dry and the worst.
I had a somewhat picky palate in my previous life too.
I was a gourmet who valued the proper cooking of vegetables and the evenness of meat.
Even though I became a monster that looks like it could chew up live beasts whole, my palate remained the same.
Still, I ate it all because I was hungry.
I threw the empty skewers into the burning firewood and sighed.
“Haah…”
It feels like I’ve eaten about 100 fish, but my stomach still feels empty.
This must be how a hungry person who hasn’t eaten for a week would feel after filling their stomach with just one cabbage leaf.
“Not only is the taste an issue, but I’m not feeling full either.”
I’m thinking about catching more fish, but.
To fill my stomach, it seems I would have to catch fish until they’re extinct in this river.
“I need food that’s better quality and more quantity!”
I stood up abruptly.
I had a good idea.
If it’s hard to fill my stomach with fishing, this time it’s hunting.
This was nature.
Wouldn’t there be at least one big beast that’s worth eating, though not as big as me?
A high-grade Wagyu beef would probably satisfy both my stomach and palate.
“That’s wishful thinking.”
I stood up.
A large body needs a lot of food to move.
It would be nice if I could be satisfied with pet food like dogs or cats, but this monster needed food that tasted good too.
‘They say even animals won’t look at pet food once they’ve tasted human food.’
My palate, accustomed to stimulating modern food.
Is there anything that can satisfy it?
Well, I’ll find out by looking.
Behemoth walked.
He walked through the vast Great Gehenna Forest.
With each step Behemoth took, vibrations echoed through the earth, and birds fled.
Small beasts entered their burrows or fled, desperately trying to avoid the monster’s gaze.
An overwhelming sense of pressure emanated from Behemoth.
Even though his true form wasn’t revealed under that full moon, all creatures that encountered him must have felt like they were facing a massive wall like Mount Tai.
Humans referred to all creatures that weren’t born from a mother but ‘naturally’ occurred as monsters.
Monsters are different from other creatures.
Among monsters, there are species that look similar to Ain, but.
They all have a common trait of being ferocious and enjoying killing people.
Moreover, they have mysterious appearances that can only be explained from a magical perspective.
A dragon with three heads or a cyclops that is 15m tall are typical examples.
Disgust, pressure, and fear.
These three emotions were all that Ain and humans felt when facing monsters.
Monsters had a habit of trying to kill unconditionally regardless of the number of opponents or their strength.
To the strong, monsters were more disgusting than cockroaches, and to the weak, they were more frightening than a bear that hadn’t eaten for two weeks.
“We definitely made eye contact just now, right?”
“Yes, definitely…”
“Then, how are we still alive?”
Goblins and hobgoblins stared with stunned expressions at Behemoth, who was passing by and waving to them.
“If we made armor with those scales, how good would it be?”
“You can say that after seeing that? You’ve got nerve. Ack, that guy pissed himself!”
“N-no! This is just spilled beer!”
Dwarves observed Behemoth from underground using a special camera.
“Our family holds hands, and goes together. Nobel Mart. I’m happy. Nobel Mart, happy happy happy, Nobel Mart, Nobel Ma↗rt~☆”
Elves put their hands together and prayed for Behemoth.
Numerous monsters are born and live in the Great Gehenna Forest.
That’s why humans don’t live there.
The only intelligent beings living in the Great Gehenna Forest were the Ain who had lost in competition with humans.
The Ain always encountered monsters.
Each time, the lives of the Ain living in this land disappeared one by one.
For them, monsters were just frightening predators and hateful creatures.
Therefore, the Ain must have pondered considerably on how to define the Behemoth that appeared before their eyes.
The Behemoth that suddenly appeared in the Great Gehenna Forest was different from other monsters.
Judging by its appearance, it was clearly a monster, but its actions were completely different.
If it were other overwhelming monsters, they would demand sacrifices or try to kill, that’s what they should do.
But Behemoth just passed by the Ain or merely waved its hand.
Occasionally, there are monsters with high intelligence that can communicate.
Elder Dragons are a representative example.
But, they only used their intelligence to harm the Ain, never acting in a friendly manner.
That was the nature of such species.
For the Ain, the existence of Behemoth was sensational.
It was a mysterious being not recorded even in their ancient history books.
“Wouldn’t the Lizardmen know about that monster? They’re reptiles too, right?”
“They say that creature is called Behemoth, something from myths or legends… Anyway, we’ll know when we go there.”
The Ain had different cultures, habits, and physical conditions.
Unlike goblins with an average lifespan of 30 years, elves could live disease-free for up to 5000 years.
Unlike orcs who regard destruction as a sacred ritual, dwarves regarded creation as a sacred ritual.
The Ain fought every time they met.
With comments like: what about age, being barbaric, don’t be formal, constantly pecking at each other, they couldn’t possibly get along.
The biggest reason why the Ain lost to humans was not only because of their inferior population but also because they couldn’t unite.
Therefore, the Ain designated territories to avoid encountering each other as much as possible, but.
“Shouldn’t we tell other Ain about the great one now?”
“I think so too. Nilia.”
“We need to meet with other Ain.”
“Through a messenger?”
“Don’t use vulgar language to the chieftain.”
“It seems everyone wants to meet, what should we do?”
“We should go.”
“Hah, elves would make a fuss if we don’t wear underwear, right?”
“Those who don’t understand the art of nudity, can’t be helped.”
With the appearance of Behemoth, for the first time in hundreds of years, an atmosphere of unity formed among the Ain of the Great Gehenna Forest.
And their meeting.
Takes place after Behemoth hunts a cyclops and a manticore.
『The cyclops that had dominated the gold mine for a long time has been subjugated.』
『As a result, dwarves can now freely carve numerous crafts using gold.』
『The manticore that used hobgoblins and goblins as food has been subjugated.』
『As a result, the goblin tribe can now hunt and gather without fearing the manticore.』
『The elves continue to praise and sing of Behemoth’s achievements.』
『Faith in Behemoth increases.』
Elf Faith: 40
Orc Faith: 0
Beastkin Faith: 0
Goblin Faith: 20
Dwarf Faith: 20
…
…
Total Faith: 180