NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10
Chapter 10
—–CROW—–
A sudden, new, and unwelcome guest had intruded upon my peaceful, problem-free daily life.
“Meow~”
It boasted snow-white fur that belied its dark heart.
It possessed beautiful eyes resembling the sky, yet held a personality hotter than any hellfire.
“Sss! Ssssaaa!”
“Stop stealing my food! There’s one right next to you!”
It was mealtime. Surprisingly, the cat wasn’t a picky eater who only wanted meat. Admittedly, after tasting Amrita, meat probably wouldn’t even cross your mind. I understood. But still…
“Ssssaaaack!”
“You damn cat! Get off!”
“Hiss!!”
Why did it keep stealing *my* food? Was there a difference between the Amritas? They were all the same size, weight, and taste. It could just eat a different one, but this white cat insisted on taking the ones I was about to eat.
“Ssssaaa…”
“Meowww…”
After countless fights over food, we finally reached a small compromise. We’d share instead of stealing. The height of inefficiency: splitting two Amritas in half when we could each just eat one whole. However, the cat seemed to like this arrangement. Whenever it was mealtime, it would bring me two Amritas, eyes sparkling.
“It’s already fully grown.”
Oh, and remember my tail that was bitten off during our first encounter? Amazingly, it grew back after I ate some Amrita and some time passed. It regenerated faster than a lizard’s tail.
Munch, munch.
Of course, as soon as my tail grew back, the cat would promptly bite it off and enjoy its snack. It loved my tail so much that I hadn’t seen it intact for more than two days since it regenerated.
“It sure eats well.”
Every time I saw it eat, I thought it looked so satisfied. The problem was that it was eating *my* tail.
“Meow?”
“Sss.”
“Just eat.”
The cat tilted its head, seemingly noticing my gaze. Then, as if understanding my words, it continued munching on my tail.
“At first, we couldn’t understand each other at all.”
These days, we could at least understand each other’s basic intentions. I’m angry. I’m sad. I’m happy. Just these simple emotions were enough to improve our relationship. We had reached our food compromise using these emotions, after all.
[The damn cat eating my tail again today]
-Author: YonggariSnack
(Picture of the cat happily eating the Gallery Master’s tail)
This damn cat is tearing off and eating my tail again today. It’s gotten bolder after its lucky win in our last fight, but this time, I’ll definitely win.
-LOL. Did the Gallery Master lose again?
-At this point, shouldn’t he just live without a tail?
-Our kitty is eating so well.
-Gallery Master, can I try your tail too?
└(Author): You wanna die?
└Sorry;;.
-What’s the current win-loss record?
└From the Gallery Master’s perspective, 14 matches, 6 wins, 7 losses, 1 draw.
└(Author): I won the first fight too. It’s not a draw, it’s a win. So it’s 7 wins and 7 losses, not 6 wins and 7 losses.
└But you passed out too.
└LOL.
└Since the kitty woke up first, wouldn’t it be fair to give the kitty the win?
└(Author): You’re out.
As I lived with the cat, I naturally started sharing its existence on the gallery. Pictures of us eating together, pictures of me teasing it after winning a fight, pictures of it sprawled out sleeping in my spot. The gallery had become centered around me and the cat. People were so focused on us that there were even ridiculous posts saying that they started and ended their days with our posts.
-But that cat. Doesn’t it look familiar?
└LOL. I’m not the only one who thinks so, right?
└Agreed. It’s super cute, but the more I look at it, the more I shiver.
└It’s like it triggers PTSD.
└Wow, that’s a perfect analogy.
And for some reason, people said they felt an inexplicable chill when they saw the cat. I was fine, so what was it?
“Meow~”
“Sss?”
Well, whatever the case, my daily life now was vastly different from before. I used to spend all day browsing the gallery, but now I spent less time on the gallery and more time dealing with this cat.
“But that cat’s growth rate is abnormally fast.”
Like a protagonist who surpasses their talent and catches up to their rival, refusing to be left behind. The previous fights were proof. In the beginning, the cat won due to its superior physical abilities. But with my rapid adaptability and growth, I quickly turned the tables. My win rate started to increase, but recently, for some unknown reason, it had become even again… no, considering our last fight, the cat had actually pulled ahead.
“It doesn’t feel like it’s hiding its strength.”
It wasn’t like a strong opponent holding back. I could tell because I felt the clash of our full strength. It was growing at an abnormal rate, catching up to me whenever I got stronger.
“Honestly, I thought my growth rate was ridiculously fast, but the cat is even faster.”
Frankly, I knew it now. I couldn’t *not* know. Both the gallery and my own senses told me that I was rapidly growing stronger.
“Meow!”
Lick.
“Ugh, what’s this now?”
It was playing on its own just fine, so why was it licking my face? I narrowed my eyes and quickly pulled away, trying to decipher the intention behind its meow.
“Sss.”
“I’m busy. Play by yourself.”
It wanted to play together because it was bored. I was busy trying to figure out how to beat it; it was so carefree. Perhaps understanding my refusal, it puffed out its cheeks, making a “I’m sulking” expression… was it?
“That’s not a sulking face.”
I knew what its sulking face looked like, and this was different. Then what was it? I’d never seen that expression before. Just as I was about to rack my brain for an answer, my instincts screamed, and I quickly dodged to the side.
“Meowww!”
Bang.
As I dodged, the cat’s small mouth opened, and a blast of compressed air shot out like a cannonball.
“Ss-Sss?”
“Holy crap, what was that?”
It wasn’t life-threatening, but it was powerful enough to knock me unconscious if I hadn’t dodged. I stared at the cat, breaking out in a cold sweat from the unfamiliar attack.
Roll, roll.
But the cat, as if it had done its part, ignored me and went back to playing with the Amrita.
Dumbfounded.
“What the hell was that?”
I wrote about the attack and posted it on the gallery.
[Those who know magic or magical beasts, how do you do this?]
-Author: YonggariSnack
The cat just came up to me and spat out air? And suddenly, the area in front of it was swept away by the air it spat out. The power wasn’t enough to cause serious injury, but it was perfect for subduing. What the hell was that?
-Isn’t that Lion’s Roar?
‘Lion’s Roar?’
Was the attack the cat just used Lion’s Roar? It was the same term used in martial arts stories when monks shouted “Hah!”
But in SEH, Lion’s Roar was an attack skill.
‘Right, I was too surprised to think of it right away. Even though the power was weak, it was definitely Lion’s Roar.’
Lion’s Roar was a skill mainly used by beast-type characters, and even then, only by special individuals. There was even a saying among users that those who could use Lion’s Roar were chosen ones. It was a debuff & area-of-effect attack that went beyond a simple intimidating roar and inflicted actual damage. Those who mastered Lion’s Roar could literally erase everything in front of them, as if a typhoon had swept through.
‘It’s definitely not a skill just anyone can use.’
I turned my head slightly and examined the traces of the Lion’s Roar.
‘It’s definitely Lion’s Roar.’
Yes, this wasn’t a simple roar. The traces were faint because the power was still weak, but I could see that dust and pebbles had been swept away in the direction the sound had traveled.
Flick.
‘Where did that cat learn that?!’
Self-taught? Was that even possible? If so, could I ask it to teach me? It was a bit embarrassing to bow my head and ask for its teachings, but I couldn’t resist Lion’s Roar. You had to see it in person to understand. Just watching the Lion’s Roar of the mountain god who resided in the back mountain of the academy made you exclaim, “Wow, that’s so cool,” and “That’s insane.”
-This is a strange combination.
One cat, busy playing with Amrita, seemingly oblivious to what it had just done. And one venomous snake, wondering if it could even learn by asking the cat for teachings.
A voice, observing the two, drifted from the depths of the cave, carried by the wind.
—–CROW—–