I Became a Mountain Tiger in a Fantasy World

< Chapter 32: The Third Evolution! >

By now, it was a familiar sight.

The night sky adorned with constellations and the Continent of Aiden visible beneath them. I looked at the small light I had sent up amidst the brilliant starlight.

‘Hmm, it’s still faint.’

Naturally. The achievements I had accomplished were merely a few incidents in the Verdant Grove. It would be presumptuous to think I could stand beside the goddess and the demon god, who formed the foundation of the continent, at this point.

So, why am I starting with such grand talk all of a sudden?

It was because the choices appearing before me now were different from the usual.

「Confirming the potential within the body.」

The beginning was the same.

1. 【Divine Night Tiger Lu-deus】
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4. 【Chaotic Night Tiger Lu-deus】

My guess was correct. The adjectives determining my nature could still be obtained even after evolution.

However, I had already rejected such choices.

I decided to walk my own path. That’s why the prefix ‘unknown’ was attached. Perhaps it meant even the system refused to judge what my future would be.

「A new clue of evolution has been discovered.」
「Calculating your achievements.」
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I turned my gaze following the shimmering starlight.

A small forest located beneath the northeastern mountain range of the Continent of Aiden. Tiny particles sparkled at the entrance of the Verdant Grove and in the adjoining territory.

My achievements recorded while defending the Bloodmoon Territory and the subsequent events in the Verdant Grove unfolded like a panorama and then disappeared.

The most recent achievement among them was this:

「Ascended as the rightful leader of the ‘Small Forest.’」
「Became the true ruler of the ‘Underground Mine.’」

In a way, these were the most ‘wild animal-like’ achievements engraved on the continent by me. But the stories behind them were far from ordinary.

I could see Eryllion stuffing detoxifying herbs into my mouth while I lay dazed from spider venom. There was also the scene where we swore friendship under a small waterfall.

At least for me and Eryllion, the events in the small forest were never trivial.

Could it be that my feelings were conveyed?

The light that started from the small forest presented me with a ‘path.’

「’Potential’ has recognized your latent power.」
「Offering new choices.」

The newly emerged choice was enough to set my heart ablaze.

『Path of the Leader』
Unique. 【Baekdu Mountain Tiger, Lu-deus】

This time, there was only one choice.

It was only then that I understood the meaning of the word ‘unknown’ that I had previously chosen.

Baekdu Mountain does not exist on the Continent of Aiden. And even I didn’t really know what a Baekdu Mountain Tiger was.

I had neither met nor investigated a Baekdu Mountain Tiger before.

Why, then, did this choice appear?

It was likely connected to my initial reincarnation as a ‘Siberian Tiger.’

‘A being that does not exist on the Continent of Aiden.’

‘A being that can manifest the potential instilled in me.’

Yes, perhaps the Baekdu Mountain Tiger is the mightiest tiger I have ever imagined.

That is why the system used the term ‘unknown’ and defined me as an ‘unidentified entity.’

This probably carried two meanings.

Firstly, my achievements were not yet as overwhelming as the ‘Light of the Continent’ or the ‘Darkness of the Continent.’

Secondly, it meant that I was an entity yet to be identified on the Continent of Aiden.

‘Interesting.’

A deep, thrilling excitement surged from within my chest.

It felt like I was resolving the question that had persistently troubled me since my reincarnation as a tiger in this other world.

‘Am I a tiger or a human?’

‘Or am I just a monster, neither of the two?’

To be honest, meeting Lia was enjoyable.

It felt like I had become human again, and I even fantasized about living a happy life among them.

However, seeing the people of Bloodmoon grieving for their lost comrades while I remained somewhat indifferent left me bewildered.

‘Perhaps I’m no longer human but merely a monster.’

Such thoughts frightened me.

And now, I had found the answer.

I was still an undefined existence, neither fully a tiger nor anything else. To those who called me a monster, I was merely a beast, and to those who laughed at my cute appearance, I was just a pet.

It matched the story of the flower from a certain poet, fitting perfectly.

Until Lia called my name, I was destined to be nothing. Despite knowing the meaning of existence and the value of life, I had to live as a monster because no one knew who I truly was and I had not been tamed by anyone.

That’s what a name signifies.

To be remembered by someone, that’s what it means.

To me, Eryllion was now more than just the Ellafae of Earth.

“The reason your rose is so precious to you is because you spent time on it.”

If that’s the case.

As a tiger born with a human spirit, what path should I take?

What should I devote my time to in order to exist as my complete self?

Should I become a leader or remain a mere beast?

Should I become a beast, or surpass humanity and be revered like the demon god?

The ‘Path of the Leader’ is the signal flare announcing its start.

Baekdu Mountain Tiger, Lu-deus.

This choice determined what kind of existence I would be on the Continent of Aiden.

‘I will become a monarch.’

That was my answer.

「You have chosen 【Baekdu Mountain Tiger, Lu-deus】.」
「The leader can enjoy additional effects based on the territories they own.」
「It has been confirmed that you currently own 2 territories.」

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「The ‘Path of the Leader’ will guide you.」
「Evolving into 【Baekdu Mountain Tiger, Leader Lu-deus】!」

The name that referred to me changed slightly. With that alone, I could feel a different wildness surging within my body.

‘So, this is the power of a leader.’

I smiled pleasantly.

Somehow, it seemed I would be busier running around my territory in the future.

Just then, as I was about to awaken from hibernation, a disgruntled voice reached me.

「The ‘Light of the Continent’ asks if you have found the altar.」

‘…The altar?’

「The ‘Light of the Continent’ sighs at you.」
「The ‘Darkness of the Continent’ nods at your choice.」

Oh, right! They told me to find the altar during the last evolution, didn’t they?

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I scratched the back of my head with my forepaw. But I had been so busy until now. Couldn’t they at least tell me where it was? When I hinted at this, a light flickered briefly in the sky.

「The ‘Light of the Continent’…」

Oh? Are they going to tell me?

「Says they don’t really know either.」

What the heck!

I was about to protest, but I soon felt my mind drifting.

No! Then what is the altar? Just one word!

「…You’ll know when you find it…」

Forget it. I drifted off to sleep with heavy eyelids.

***

A week later.

Crack, crackle.

Inside a small waterfall in the Verdant Grove, a creature was hatching.

Crack, crackle!

This hatching was different from before. The aura spreading as the being opened its eyes was so intense that the monsters in the small forest all kneeled at once.

The birds, startled by the fierce aura swirling in the forest, flew away, and as I broke through the shell, I stretched my body.

“Grrrr…!”

My miniaturized form hadn’t changed much. But for some reason, the cave behind the small waterfall felt cramped.

Thud.

I lightly broke through the entrance Eryllion had sealed with earth and stepped outside. As I walked,

Thud, thud!

I deactivated my miniaturization and slowly looked at my reflection in the lake.

‘Hmm.’

Only then did I realize why this was called the ‘small forest’ and the ‘small lake.’

Was this place always this small? No. It was my body that had grown larger.

I looked at my thick, huge paws. They seemed capable of fighting the Hulk now. The bones and muscles surrounding my forepaws were that solid and intricately developed.

‘With this size…’

I thought of the Nightpanther.

Being a monster, its size was similar to mine before evolution.

They said the maximum length of a male tiger was 4.17 meters (body length 3.17 meters, tail length 1 meter). Since the Nightpanther and I were similar in size, it must have had a body length close to 4 meters.

‘So, how big am I now?’

If it wasn’t just my imagination, I was now much larger than that Nightpanther. Speaking in numbers, it wouldn’t make much sense and wouldn’t give a clear idea.

‘Let’s find out.’

Indeed, the best way to satisfy curiosity was to check it directly.

“Fer!!”

“Growl.”

Seeing Eryllion appear so small indicated significant changes had occurred.

I hunted nearby monsters to sate my hunger and raised my level moderately. Then I decided to confront the Nightpanther in the deep forest.

It was time to physically feel how much I had changed.

***

Meanwhile, Lia was taking a class on ‘knowledge related to monsters’ through a crystal ball.

[First, we have the ‘Nightpanther.’ It’s quite large, isn’t it?]

Through the crystal ball from the Tower of Knowledge, the image of the Nightpanther appeared like a hologram in front of Lia. Even though she knew it was just an image, she couldn’t help but shrink back slightly at the sight of the large beast.

“How many troops would be needed to face such a monster?”

[The answer to that is quite complex.]

The magician added a detailed explanation for Lia. To summarize, the required forces varied depending on where the Nightpanther was encountered.

[You would need at least three skilled men-at-arms or one experienced knight with a supporting force of at least five in the vanguard. However, the situation changes if it’s in a forest.]

The magician warned Lia.

[They are masters of ambush. You’d need at least two knights to watch the front and rear, ten archers and infantrymen to cover them, or more than two magicians.]

This meant twice as many troops were necessary.

Thinking, “Just for one monster?”, implied how dangerous wild monsters could be.

[If the creatures are particularly skilled at hunting or are mutants, the situation becomes much more severe.]

Lia became curious. Just how strong could monsters be, and how strong could they become?

“Teacher, then how do you determine the danger level of a monster? Can you tell if a mutant is one just by looking?”

The magician smiled meaningfully at her question.

[Good question. The danger level of a monster is surprisingly simple to determine.]

Lia watched as the magician drew two circles on the chalkboard.

One was small, and the other was large.

[The bigger the monster, the stronger it is.]

Lia looked puzzled. Didn’t they say in a previous lesson that larger monsters are easier to kill?

That’s right. What the magician was referring to was relative size.

[For example, let’s say we have the same type of Nightpanther. But if there is one much larger than the others, that one would be the leader of the group.]

Lia nodded. She then asked absentmindedly,

“Then how strong would a Nightpanther be if it were twice the size of a regular one?”

The magician thought for a moment before answering.

[A Nightpanther twice the size? That would mean it has a body length of at least 8 meters.]

When the magician manipulated a device, the projected image of the Nightpanther beside Lia doubled in size.

What did size mean exactly? Even though it was just an illusion, when the size doubled, Lia felt instantly overwhelmed by the presence of the larger Nightpanther.

The magician continued his explanation.

[As I briefly mentioned earlier, size is relative. If a creature of the same type is more than twice the size, it means it has undergone multiple evolutions as a mutant.]

The magician manipulated the device again.

Next to the enlarged Nightpanther appeared the image of a monster with a long trunk and two tusks. Their sizes were similar.

[This is an Amberclaw Elephant. Normally, the Amberclaw would win, but if the Nightpanther has grown to this size, it would win instead.]

“The Amberclaw would lose…?” Lia murmured blankly.

The Amberclaw was a terrifying beast capable of devastating a village. Normally docile, it would turn its surroundings into a bloodbath when enraged. Its tusks, both hard and sharp, were essential materials for crafting fine weapons. When processed, the tusks shone yellow like gemstones, hence the name Amberclaw. This meant it was a rare and powerful monster—a gigantic beast classified as a Level 2 danger.

If such a beast could lose…

[Such a creature would dominate the area.]

The magician nodded.

[Humans would dare not invade its territory carelessly.]

Suddenly, Lia thought of Lu-deus. Despite his normally cute appearance, Lu-deus also grew large and fierce when angry.

‘…Is Lu-deus growing stronger too?’

Lia imagined Lu-deus becoming as large as the Nightpanther.

Shiver.

For some reason, just imagining it sent a chill down her spine.

***

At that moment.

Step, step.

I arrived before the Nightpanther.

“Growl… grrrrr…!”

The beast, which had been growling menacingly at me, began to back away naturally as I approached.

Thud.

With one step, the Nightpanther was covered by my shadow. I looked down at it and thought,

‘What’s this guy?’

It seemed to be half my size.

A thick smile crept across my lips without me realizing it.

I was curious. How much stronger had I become?

It was time to find out.

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【Baekdu Mountain Tiger, Leader Lu-deus Lv.30】

-Complete leader of the ‘Small Forest.’
-Master of the ‘Underground Mine.’
-Traits: [Potential], …, [Leader], [Sturdy]
-Skills: [Miniaturization], …, [Split Lv.2], [Slash Lv.2], [Destroy Lv.2]