Chapter 3
[Fox Orb]
[An orb owned by a Heavenly Fox. It can gather spirit energy, and once it is full, it will create a tail for the Heavenly Fox. * This item is bound to no name*]
[Spirit Energy 105/1000]
Skill: [Fox Fire: F]
Fox fire? For a fox, I suppose that's only natural…
But why does Orb have it?!
Whum
Don't worry? You're saying it's all thanks to you?
Whum
Come to think of it, you're my orb. Why would I get jealous of what's mine?
Still, that monster I just caught must have been strong. It filled my spirit energy by a whole 100 at once.
With things set up like this, I can't not try out my new skill.
And I happen to need a fire right now!
Target locked on!
"Kyuuuung! (Orb, Fox Fire!)"
Whum
With a whoosh, white flames sprang up around the vines and instantly engulfed the monster's carcass.
Wow! It looks like a giant lotus… Wait, no!
"Kyuu! (Orb, stop!)"
The range is much wider than I expected.
Fortunately, putting it out seemed to be up to Orb too, and the flames that had sprung up quickly fizzled out.
But…
The vines didn't burn…?
They were a little charred, but that was about it.
I wondered if they only looked that way on the outside, so I went over and bit one. It was incredibly tough.
But I'm not going to be disappointed by a result like this.
I thought Telekinesis was a garbage skill at first, too, but it turned out to have all kinds of uses.
I'm sure Fox Fire will get stronger as it ranks up…
[Spirit Energy 95/1000]
Never mind! It used up 10 spirit energy! What a garbage skill!!
Anyway, what should I do with this monster's carcass?
Even if I got rid of all these vines, it would still be too big for me to carry in my mouth.
Then there's no helping it.
I'll just tear off a leg and take it with me. Chicken is all about the legs, anyway.
Gnaw, gnaw.
But why is it so tough, anyway?
I put all my effort into biting it, but I couldn't cut through it properly. What am I supposed to do?
Whum
Orb, is there any way to deal with this?
Whuuum
You mean I should use a combo skill?
Whum
Seriously, Orb, where do you get such a good imagination?
All right. Let's give it a try.
Whum
With a whoosh, a smaller flame than before sprang up around the chicken's leg.
And then.
"Kyuang! (Telekinesis!)"
I used Telekinesis to make the flame as sharp as a blade.
It wasn't as wide as before, and I'd compressed it even further, so I thought it might work this time.
"Kyuang!"
I set the blade of flame against the upper part of the monster's thigh and moved it back and forth as if sawing,
and although it didn't cut through the flesh, I could see the spots the blade touched gradually getting carved away.
Ooh!! As expected of Professor Orb. That was a perfect idea!
I was so excited that I kept using Telekinesis to swing the blade back and forth…
Whum
Orb signaled that I should stop.
It looks like it only needs a little more. Why?
[Spirit Energy 80/1000]
…Let's stop.
At this rate, I'll use up all the spirit energy I got just to taste one chicken leg.
But it wasn't all for nothing.
The meat where I'd just used the blade had softened, so if I tore at it with my teeth just a little…!
With a squelch, I tore off one leg, blood spilling out.
There was a limit to how much I could carry in my mouth, so I'd give this leg to my sibling.
That meant I couldn't carry my share back, so I'd eat a little here!
I opened my mouth wide and chomped down on the meat near the top of the chicken leg I'd torn off.
Ah! It's delicious! So delicious!!!
This is insane. It's seriously delicious.
It was the first time I'd tasted something delicious since being born into this world, so I hurriedly tore into the meat.
Haaaaaah, I'm so glad to be alive.
In the end, I ate it all in an instant.
Well, by 'all,' I mean only the part near where the blade touched. The rest is too tough even for a fox's sharp teeth!!
Sigh. I have to leave all this precious chicken behind, but a fair amount of time has passed, so my sibling must be waiting…
There's no helping it. Once I'm stronger, I'll hunt lots and lots of whole chickens for you!!
…
…
…
I picked up the chicken leg I'd torn off in my mouth and headed toward the cave.
It was so big compared to my mouth, and the delicious aroma kept tickling my nose, so the trip back was tough.
Still, thinking about how happy my sibling would be to eat it made me feel secretly proud.
I'll feed them lots from now on and help them grow up quickly, then…
When I reached the area near the cave where my sibling was, the faint smell of blood brushed my nose. I dropped the chicken leg and sprinted toward the cave.
No way. It can't be…
Even as I raced through the bushes, anxious thoughts filled my mind.
And when the cave entrance came into view…
"Kuaaar!"
It was that orc.
Holding my bloodied sibling in one hand.
"Kyuang!!"
I hurled myself at the orc, pouring out my rage.
I didn't have time to think like I had last time.
There was only one thought in my mind: my sibling might die.
"Kyuuaaaaaang!!"
I jumped at its back and bit the back of the orc's neck.
"Kuaaaaaaar!!!"
It went berserk and flung my sibling away, then reached out with its huge hand to pull me off, but I didn't care about any of that right now.
The only thing in my field of vision was my sibling, flying through the air and rolling helplessly across the ground.
Y-you fucking bastard!!
Using the spot where I was biting its neck as a foothold, I twisted my body and dodged its hand.
I'll kill you. I won't forgive you.
The orc was stupid. If it had just stayed calm, it could've caught someone like me in no time. Maybe it was because of the pain in its neck, but it kept flailing around clumsily while I dodged its hands as best I could and tore at its neck.
At this rate, I could finish the orc off soon.
But…
It was stupid.
Wham!
"Kyuueeeeeeng!"
Thud.
It hit me in the head with its club,
and I went tumbling helplessly to the ground.
Who would've thought it would swing the club it was holding at its own body?
The angle was bad, so it wasn't a very powerful hit, but since it struck me in the head, I nearly lost consciousness for a moment.
"Kuaaaaaaak!!"
The orc looked furious.
Shit, am I going to die like this?
Absolutely not. Get a grip.
I focused as hard as I could on my unsteady legs and stood up again.
But my head was spinning, and it was hard to keep my body steady. I must've taken a proper hit to the head.
And even if it hadn't hit me very hard, there was no way a blow from a club swung by an orc that huge wouldn't do some damage.
"Kuaaaaaak!!"
Thud, thud.
The orc came charging at me, making the ground shake.
It was already close enough to hit me if it swung. But I couldn't give up like this. Absolutely not…
"Kyu! (Orb!!)"
I called out to Orb with every last ounce of strength I had.
I wasn't thinking of using any particular skill.
Telekinesis and Fox Fire… neither of them would help me in this situation.
But even so, I shouted with all my strength.
Whum
As if answering my call, Orb blazed with light and flew toward the orc,
Wham!
"Kuaaar?!"
and slammed into the club that was swinging toward me.
It wasn't a powerful blow, but it was enough to knock the club that would've hit me for sure off course…
Seizing my chance, I kicked off the ground with my hind legs and leapt at the orc as it lost its balance,
"Kuaaaaak!!"
and bit down hard on the same spot as before.
This is the third time.
I didn't realize it when I bit it the second time, since I hadn't been thinking about it, but this is already the third time I've bitten the same spot.
So this time, no matter what…
"Kuaaaaaa…"
I'll tear it apart!!!
I heard a crack as I bit into the orc's neck. Now!
I pulled my head back with all my strength,
"Kuaaa…"
With a splurt,
the orc crashed to the ground.
I tore off the orc's neck.
Haa… haa…
I got clear of the orc's falling body and landed on the ground, but my legs gave out and couldn't support me.
But I had to get up.
Whum
Just then, Orb, who'd been beside me, suddenly flew up into the sky, but I didn't care about it at all right now.
My sibling. My little sibling…
I moved toward where my sibling lay.
[Skill acquired]
Shut up. Who cares about that right now?
I stood up again, staggering, and walked toward my sibling.
Get up. I'm back.
Lick
"Kyuu…"
They're alive!
Thank goodness, they're alive—my sibling is alive. Thank goodness.
Lick, lick
"Kyuang (Get up)"
Come on, get up. I brought you a delicious chicken leg.
You love eating, don't you? You're in for a treat now.
Once you try that, you won't be able to eat anything else, you know?
But don't worry. From now on, I'll make sure you get to eat all the delicious food you want.
"Kyuu…"
You idiot! What do you have to be sorry for?
What I thought when I saved you yesterday? Of course, that was just an excuse to hide how attached I'd gotten to you.
Don't you remember how stupidly I threw myself into danger?
Who'd be stupid enough to risk their life just because they'd gotten attached?
No matter how human I used to be, you're my real little sibling.
"Kyuu…"
Don't close your eyes. Please, don't close your eyes!!
I'm sorry I hit you. I'm sorry I was always so hard on you.
I didn't mean any of it. I love you so much…
And when I said I'd kick you out, I was lying, too.
I can't live without you.
If you hadn't been here, I would've died a long time ago.
Being born into this world as a fox was so miserable I thought I'd go mad, but with you here, I could forget all that and keep going day after day.
I used to be human. There's no way I could eat bugs and live mice raw without going crazy.
If you hadn't been here, I definitely would've gone insane and killed myself.
I tried to kill myself, and that's why I was punished like this. Haha, isn't that funny?
…
…
…So please, get up.
"Kyu…"
…Please don't leave me alone.
"…"
Please… please…
Thud.
…
…
…
Crackle, crackle!
[&&%%&!!!]