Chương 5: 1.1.05 - I Come Bearings Pigs

As I jumped through the air, I could feel the wind ruffling through my hair. I felt the same stomach-in-throat sensation that I would get every time I rode rollercoasters back on Earth, the feeling of regret only after you were strapped in. I had that same feeling now. The fall probably lasted a lot longer in my head than in reality, and my quick reminiscence was cut short when I landed on the boar. I caught the boar with both my arms wide, and my knees jammed against the boar's bristled hump.

I made a mental note to close my mouth the next time I had to do this as there was a fistful of boar fur in my mouth. The boar squealed from the shock as it probably had not experienced another creature jumping on its back. I immediately looped the noose I had in my left hand around its neck. It snagged briefly on the bristles before luckily going all the way through. I mentally thanked RNGesus for not screwing me over. I was almost thrown off right after that as the boar started bucking.

I was lifted off the boar's back for a moment as I was caught unaware but landed back down thanks to the rope. This was probably what it felt like to be those rodeo cowboys. I also hoped the bulls back on Earth had better hygiene standards as the next thing that hit me was the smell. It was bad enough that the fur was prickling me through my clothes, but it also smelled like public toilets at a state fair where the cleaners went on strike. If I survived this I would need to teach Marta how to make soap.

Lasting 8 seconds on a bucking bull was considered the gold standard and I would probably qualify for some world record as I held on for dear life. My left hand was strapped to the noose and the right hand clung to the boar's fur. I almost lost my grip when the boar veered sideways and slammed its body against the tree I climbed earlier. The air was knocked out of me as the tree trunk caught the side of my ribs and scraped my cheek. Yeah, that's definitely gonna bruise tomorrow.

The rope was biting into my left forearm as the boar's bucking stretched it further. Another injury to add to the growing list. The boar seemed to realise that jumping around angrily was not doing anything to get rid of the unwelcome passenger on its back and decided to change its strategy. It was probably going to charge against a tree trunk in hopes of knocking me off, or at least that was what I guessed it was going for as I had no intention to find out.

I took that moment of relative stability to release my right hand and cast Spark. I could only hope my innate lightning resistance was enough to protect me as I shoved my hand into the boar's spine. I did not just cast Spark as usual but pushed the spell to the maximum capacity and held it for as long as I could as the spell discharged from my right palm to the boar's spine. I could sense the Weave had sent a notification at that point but I had learnt to keep it closed for later lest I get distracted.

The system can wait, but the boar can't. I did not choose this specific strategy of jumping on the boar's back at random. It was not just to solve for ambushing the boar, but also so I could be as close to the spine as possible so that my spell could attempt to overload and shut down its nervous system more effectively. The boar seized immediately as my spell took effect.

I could see the legs seizing and could feel the electrical charge trying to enter my body, stopped only by my meager clothes and my innate lightning resistance. I kept the spell for as long as I could until I felt my coils start to ache. After what felt like an eternity, though it was probably only a few seconds, I released the spell. It was then I realised I had not accounted for what came after I paralysed the boar. Oh shit I thought, as I felt the boar tilting to the side.

I scrambled to release the rope from my left arm and just managed to do it in time to push myself off as the boar fell sideways. I was thrown off and got knocked into the same tree for the second time that day. It was probably pissed at me for using it without its consent and decided to take it out on me now. Thankfully the impact this time was a lot less and I picked myself up quickly to check the status of the boar. I turned on my Electro Perception to check if the boar's nervous system was still working.

The activity seemed less but it was still working. I did not want to take any chance with it so I immediately pulled out my hunting knife and cast a second Spark in my left hand. I stabbed the knife in the side of the neck aiming for my best guess of where the carotid artery was. I never even studied human biology, much less a pig's, so I was probably stabbing at random. I immediately let go of the knife and slammed my left hand into its spine again. Was this what counted as a double tap in this world?

I pulled out the knife and stabbed around the neck a few more times and made a mess as the blood spurted everywhere. I looked like I was shooting a sequel to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This was all due to the blunt hunting knife, worst starting weapon ever, which I needed to make sure to sharpen before my next hunt. As the blood pooled around the boar's neck on the forest ground, I could see the boar's nervous system finally shutting down. Phew, I breathed a sigh of relief as the fight was finally over.

It was then I could feel a well of energy in the boar, probably near where its mana core was. It felt like it was calling out to me and I let the sensation guide me as I moved my arm toward the source of energy I felt. I placed my hand on its front shoulder area and channeled that energy into me. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. This was the first time since coming into this world that I killed any creature this big.

The fishes I caught either did not have a mana core or had one too small to matter. As I finished absorbing that energy, I could feel a warmth of energy surge into me. It was akin to the feeling of drinking something warm in the middle of winter. Except instead of feeling warm in your stomach, I could feel the warmth surge through my arm that was on the boar all the way to where my core was. I felt another wave of notifications come from the Weave just as the sensation settled.

Before checking the notifications, I needed to get out of here in case the smell of blood drew something bigger than I could handle. I used the rope to fashion a harness to strap the pig so it would be easier for me to drag. While I was strong for a seven-year-old, I was not nearly strong enough to carry a 100-pound carcass on my shoulders and trek through the forest. Even though it was risky and slower than I would like, I began dragging the boar through the path back to the orphanage.

What was normally a ten minute trek through that stretch of the forest ended up taking a whole hour. My arms and back were screaming as I dragged the boar through the forest but I knew I could not afford to take a break. It was only after I cleared the last of the thicket and saw the dirt road back to the orphanage that I took a short break to catch my breath. As I got up to continue the final trek back to the orphanage, I took the opportunity to check on the notifications that had piled in the back of my mind.

[Spark leveled up 3 -> 4] [You have increased your Mana Core Capacity by 400] [You have leveled up 17 -> 20] [You have absorbed a Red Core. You have increased your Mana Core Capacity by 25] [New Soul Mutation unlocked: Nature's Constitution] The immediate thing that jumped out was the new notification about my new soul mutation. That's new, I wondered. Would I be getting a mutation from every single beast I absorb MCC from in the future? Wait a minute! Soul Mutation.

That put it in the same section as the only other mutation I had. Something that I could not get the Weave to show more details in the last two years. Maybe the new entry would finally unlock the description. I also noticed that there was another anomaly. 400 MCC should have given me four levels instead of the current three. Was there some diminishing return or increase in MCC required past level 20? I pulled on the Weave to open my status window.

Status Core: Lightning Affinity (Perfect) Core Stage: Red Stage Level: 20 Mana Core Capacity (MCC) Progress to Core Stage up: 125/500 Core Mutations: (None) Spells: - Electro Perception (Tier 1) - Level 4 - Spark (Tier 1) - Level 4 Soul Mutations: - Adaptive Soul - Nature's Constitution"Ok that's definitely new" I muttered as I saw the text behind the usual Mana Core Capacity change from " Progress to Next Level"to" Progress to Core Stage up". I also noted the Nature's Constitution entry under my Soul Mutations.

I pulled on the Adaptive Soul entry and finally got another screen this time. Adaptive Soul: Your body has absorbed and adapted to having a chimeric soul through fusing with another soul of a being from another dimension. When absorbing Mana Core Capacity from slain foes, there is a chance of obtaining soul mutations that are compatible and deemed beneficial I read that twice, and then a third time. Chimeric soul.

I had an inkling that I was reincarnated into an existing body due to the jumbled memories back then, but this pretty much confirmed my suspicion in the last two years. I thought normally a person would only get Isekai'ed if they were greeted by Truck-kun, but I guess 400 volts would also do the trick. I also opened my new mutation window, which worked on the first try this time. Nature's Constitution: Your physical body is bound to the cycle of nutrient and growth.

So long as sufficient nutrition is provided, your musculature, skeletal frame, and connective tissues will continually develop toward the absolute peak of physical condition your frame can support. Strain, repetition, and conditioning are not required. Your body will grow into what nutrition allows. The meaning of the description did not really stick in my head, the shock of discovering my Chimeric Soul trumped anything else at this point.

I dismissed the windows and looked up, I could see the setting sun cast its orange glow across the tree line, stretching the shadows of clouds and of the forest canopy. The shock of my new discovery made the picturesque scene that would normally amaze feel muted. As I approached the orphanage, I realised what my genius-Damian brain conveniently left out of the plan. Explaining all this to Marta. I could design a railgun but apparently planning a plausible explanation for how I got a boar was where I fell short.

My growling stomach reminded me that I had missed lunch so Marta would have probably been out looking for me. I could see Marta waiting out in the backyard of the orphanage as I got closer. When I approached the bridge to cross the stream by the orphanage, Marta saw me and started running towards me. I started working through all the different excuses and explanations to get out of trouble but I ran out of time as I could already see Marta nearing me.

I quickly blurted out "Marta, before you say anything, I can explain..."

"Thank the lord you're safe!" Marta cried as she kneeled down to wrap her arms around me. She broke out in tears and started sobbing as she buried her face in my chest despite me smelling like a wild boar. Her hands were shaking against my back, afraid to let go as though I might disappear the moment she did. It was then that the guilt hit me. I was never good at thinking through the consequences of my actions growing up. Even when I was given a team to lead when I joined the workforce.

I guess that's what happened when neither of your birth parents gave a damn about what you did. It was something I would need to get better at, especially since Marta was so worried about me. While she was bawling her eyes out, I made a promise to myself to always think of Marta in the future, and also mentally prepared to be wrecked once worry was replaced by righteous anger.