Chapter 69

Demon Forest (Forest).

The massive forest where the most demons reside in the Demon Realm, and the place where the dimensions between the Continent and the Demon Realm twist.

Like any wilderness, Demon Forest is a land governed by the law of the jungle: survival of the strongest. To the mighty, it’s a bountiful land overflowing with food, but to the weak, it’s merciless, offering no guarantee of safety.

Every day is a struggle for shelter and food. When you see sweet fruit right in front of you, your first thought should be how to protect it. You must constantly stay alert, always on edge.

Collaboration or cooperation? Unless you’re some lowly goblin, it’s not even worth dreaming about. If someone’s weaker than you, they’re prey. If they’re about your level, they’re a deadly rival you’ll fight to the death.

This is the basic mindset shared by most ferocious beasts living in Demon Forest.

“Guh…!”

Even the young barbarian who’d just lost a territorial battle possessed this mindset. That’s why he had just fought a life-or-death struggle against a Night Mulberry Worm and was now fleeing due to being outnumbered.

The young barbarian feared what lay ahead. Having lost his cave to the Night Mulberry Worms, how would he survive? The harsh environment of Demon Forest was far too cruel for a young boy.

But the barbarian boy didn’t give up. Remembering the times he’d torn apart much stronger monsters with his teeth, and when he’d plunged a stone knife into the eye of a sleeping wyvern, he reaffirmed his will to live.

I’ll survive. I’ll catch those who try to eat me and cut off the throats of those who try to kill me. I’ll keep going as long as I can.

He couldn’t imagine what awaited at the end of this life. After all, he couldn’t even solve the immediate problems of food and shelter. Still, the barbarian boy had only one wish: to eat his fill and sleep warmly. To realize this simple desire, the young barbarian continued his small struggle.

“Hah…!”

Right now, that’s exactly what he was doing.

Thud.

Through the pain gripping his wound, the young barbarian limped along the tree branches when something caught his eye.

It was unlike anything he’d ever seen before. Its size wasn’t much different from his own, rather scrawny. It wore a thin, pure-white pelt.

Its skin showed no fur on its hands, nor did it seem as tough and leathery as a lizard’s.

Though curious, the barbarian boy felt hunger more strongly than curiosity. A burning, fierce emotion rose within him, heating his mind.

‘Female!’

Having seen many beasts in Demon Forest, the barbarian boy knew that females were generally weaker than males—physically speaking.

There was no doubt this creature was female. Her perfectly pale and smooth face only confirmed his thoughts.

Crouching low on the branches, ready to pounce at any moment, the barbarian boy prepared to devour the weaker prey before him.

Now.

BOOM!

“Aaaargh!”

“…I’ve been watching you since the start, and now you finally show your fangs.”

The barbarian boy shot forward like an arrow, leading with claws and teeth sharpened from tearing apart countless beasts.

Where should he start eating? The belly didn’t look very meaty, maybe the thighs? No matter the choice, he expected it to be soft compared to the monsters of Demon Forest. This white-skinned creature lacked thick fur or bulky muscles.

Crack.

Swish.

“Gah!”

What kind of sorcery was this?

The future the barbarian boy had envisioned didn’t happen. Instead, he found himself flipped over by the white-skinned figure’s arm.

KABOOM!

A suffocating shock spread from his back through his entire body. Slamming into the hard ground, the barbarian boy could barely gasp for air. His vision went black as his blood surged.

In the fading consciousness, the boy heard a voice.

“Hmm… let’s see what kind of beast attacked me… oh, it’s a human?”

Never in his life had he heard such words.

…

***

“Gwaaah!? Gaaaah! Kyaaak!”

The barbarian boy wildly swung his arms around.

He remembered everything that happened before he lost consciousness. The foe he underestimated turned out to be incredibly strong, and the boy was easily subdued without a chance to fight back.

In the wild, subjugation equals death. That’s how he operates too. Even if an enemy seems stronger, knock them unconscious and either feast on their flesh or finish them off while they’re down.

The fact that he woke up meant he had awoken before his captor decided to kill him. Maybe his guts were already being eaten.

That’s why he flailed his limbs—to drive away whatever might be attacking his body.

But instead…

Rustle!

All he touched was some thin fabric—thinner than leaves, softer than down.

“Gwaah?”

“Oh, you’re awake?”

The same voice from before spoke again. Turning his head toward the sound, the barbarian boy saw the white female from earlier standing there.

…Much stronger than himself.

“Aaaaaaah!”

The boy screamed rawly upon seeing her. The fear etched in his memory resurfaced.

Seeing her again shocked his whole body, making his hands and feet tremble uncontrollably as he curled into a ball.

While part of him was relieved she hadn’t killed him yet, it also made the situation more dangerous. She could kill him anytime, whether he was asleep or awake.

“It’s okay, don’t be afraid. I won’t attack you.”

The barbarian boy couldn’t understand the strange words coming from her.

Her gesture of extending both hands toward him seemed threatening, nothing more.

After all, every interaction the boy had with other creatures in Demon Forest involved attacks aimed at taking his life.

“I’ve prepared food for you. I tried to make it as universally tasty as possible since I’m not sure what you like.”

“Gwaaah! Kyaah! Gwaaah!”

The boy couldn’t comprehend her gratuitous kindness.

“Gwaah!”

Baring his teeth, he growled. Against such overwhelming power, it was meaningless resistance, but it was all the boy knew.

Show hostility, threaten the enemy, and stubbornly survive.

The warmth of the soft fabric covering his body felt strange and unfamiliar.

“Are you not hungry? Your ribs are sticking out… Hmm, I wanted to share a meal and hear how a young child like you ended up living in Demon Forest…”

“Kyaah! Kooaah! Gwaaah!”

When the woman took a step closer, the boy instinctively stepped back. He wanted to run, but the incomprehensible muttering of the woman kept growing his unease. Coupled with his empty stomach, it only added to the confusion.

Then, the woman raised a finger as if realizing something.

“Oh! Or perhaps… you don’t know how to speak?”

“Gwaaah! Kyaah!”

“Aha… so that’s why you couldn’t lower your guard. Hmm, well then…”

The woman stepped aside.

“Come on, uh… what should I say? Would you like some food?”

“Kyaah…?”

Hidden behind her delicate frame was the meal.

Steam rose from it, clearly warm to the eye. The smell of roasted meat stimulated the boy’s hunger.

Unable to resist, the boy charged forward on all fours, shoving the food into his mouth as fast as he could. His cheeks swelled up like balloons, soup dripped from his lips, but he paid no attention.

There was plenty of food. All hot dishes. Despite the pain of burning his tongue and palate, the barbarian boy couldn’t stop gorging himself.

Who knows when, where, or who might snatch the food away?

Having experienced such things multiple times, the boy knew nothing of restraint. As quickly as possible, he ate as much as he could while the “strong female” watched silently.

“Munch! Gwaah! Haa! Phew!”

Still, despite the boy’s frantic efforts…

“It’s fine, you don’t need to rush. Eat slowly.”

The woman picked up a roasted chicken leg the boy hadn’t reached yet and offered it to him gently.

CRUNCH!

The barbarian boy grabbed it and devoured it in one bite, crunching on the bone.

The woman smiled tenderly as she watched the barbarian boy, a smile completely incomprehensible to him. The act of giving up her own food was equally perplexing.

“Haha…”

An expression promising no harm.

With a face so pure, the woman waited patiently for the boy to finish eating.

“Nom, nom.”

Though the woman annoyed him, the boy was too distracted by the warm, delicious food in front of him to care.

To him, her smile resembled that of a flytrap luring insects with sweet scents before devouring them mercilessly.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

“Grrr… Nom.”

“Although I have nothing fancy, eat as much as you want. There’s plenty of food prepared for you.”

Ironically…

Despite believing it was a trap, despite thinking her smile was fake…

The boy couldn’t shake it off.

Because the warmth he felt for the first time in his life…

Was so unbearably sweet…

***

Snooze…

The barbarian boy quietly stared down at the woman sleeping peacefully right in front of him.

Surprisingly, unlike the flytraps he associated her with, the woman did nothing after the meal. She neither restrained his body nor tore a single piece of flesh from him.

She simply said goodnight, lit a campfire, and laid down on a square cloth.

Naturally, the barbarian boy didn’t sleep. Pretending to close his eyes, he waited for the perfect opportunity.

You can’t let your guard down.

That’s the wild—for all her smiles during the day, she might stab you in the back when you least expect it.

“Whoooo…”

The woman sighed peacefully in her sleep. The night air was heavy and cold.

The barbarian boy glared coldly at the sleeping woman. The warmth of the sunset dinner was nowhere to be found now, replaced by a chilling gaze. It was almost desolate.

“…”

Thud.

A beast moved.

Approaching a pile of rocks nearby, it picked up the largest, hardest-looking stone.

Big enough to easily crush a human skull.

Sleeping or unconscious enemies always make for good prey. Since they can’t respond until directly stimulated.

Biting or punching wouldn’t likely kill the woman in front of him. He needed something more decisive, something that would ensure instant death.

And right now, this rock would do just that. The beast firmly believed it.

Lifted high above, the rock loomed over the woman’s delicate face.

Just smash it down hard, and he could collapse her features, claim all her food, and never envy the Night Mulberry Worms who stole his cave. Her food tasted great, and her soft cloth kept him warm.

Greedy desires bloomed in the beast’s heart. Thorny flower buds quivered precariously.

Just bring it down.

She gave him strange food, but who knows what ulterior motives lie beneath? In this perilous wild, you have to strike first before getting struck.

The beast’s hand trembled. He’d faced far more dangerous situations before, so why was he so tense? Why was he hesitating?

It should be simple—just close your eyes and bring the rock down once…

“K…”

The rock fell.

Not on the woman’s face, but beside her on the ground. It was placed down quietly.

Some unknown emotion suppressed the boy’s murderous intent. Suddenly, he felt uneasy.

“Whooo…”

The woman breathed steadily. Unable to disturb her peaceful slumber, the barbarian boy, like a defeated beast in territorial combat, quietly slipped away.

Back into the forest.

Back into the wild.

Back to where he belonged…

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