Chapter 8: A Pig

Chapter 8: A Pig

The pig performed an action Yuno never expected when it approached him.

It regurgitated.

A chewed-up substance hit Yuno's open wounds as the pig vomited. The foul odor became unbearable at that moment, and his injuries started to heal themselves.

His health was… regenerating?

The pig… had healed him?

The events happening before Yuno's eyes created confusion in his thoughts. The creature that had seemed to devour his flesh was now assisting in his recovery?

The pig used its snout to softly touch his head. It wasn't an attack. It was… affection?

Yuno didn't dare move. The pig rested next to him, its warm body pressing against the cave floor.

Sleep soon overtook the beast.

The cave fell into silence.

But Yuno didn't sleep. He couldn't.

His mind raced. His body remained still.

He had to escape.

The moonlight had shifted position by the time something stirred.

The large body of the pig moved slightly before it woke up. A deep, guttural sniffing sound filled the cave.

It lifted its head.

The empty space next to it caught its attention.

The mushroom was gone.

The pig's ears twitched. It lowered its head to the ground, deeply sniffing the air.

Then, without hesitation.

It followed the scent.

A deep, echoing snort traveled through the cave and sent a shiver down Yuno's spine, making his heart pound with fear. The pig lifted its enormous head from the shadowy depths, its nostrils expanding in the ghostly moonlight that streamed into the cave. Everything around him appeared motionless in that instant. The dying embers of the extinguished fire created brief, flickering shadows on the walls as the beast scanned the cave floor with its keen gaze.

The darkness of the cave deepened even further after the fire died out. The entire space seemed to release an unsettling, oppressive atmosphere, hanging over every inch of the place. Yuno's heart pounded inside his chest as the silence dragged on. Dim moonlight shone weakly through the hole in the ceiling, casting silver beams, but it did nothing to dispel the heavy, suffocating atmosphere.

The pig suddenly shifted its position.

With each heavy step it took, the ground shook violently. Every movement of the pig's hooves caused the cavern to quake with powerful tremors, making the air and surrounding stones vibrate. Yuno's breath hitched in his throat as he realized the pig wasn't simply walking around, it was heading straight toward him.

The massive creature loomed over the darkness, its heavy footsteps making the ground tremble with each step. The sound of its stomps created a countdown effect that amplified Yuno's fear with every powerful impact. His mind raced as he struggled to rise from the ground. The situation made it abundantly clear that he would not escape from the creature in his current condition.

Yuno stopped dead in his tracks as the pig stared at him with its tiny eyes. In that moment, he felt completely helpless and weak, utterly insignificant compared to the massive beast approaching him, while he remained defenseless.

A deep instinct began to stir within him. His heart ignited with survival instincts, a desperate need to break free and resist, even though he knew it was hopeless.

Yuno's natural survival instincts kicked in as the pig closed the gap.

"System—Spore Explosion!" he gasped, his voice barely a whisper.

A sudden flash of light exploded from his body as the energy within him peaked. The blast of light orange smoke billowed through the air, forming a thick, swirling spore cloud that consumed the entire area. The rising mist obscured him from view, creating a dense fog that blocked his line of sight to the pig.

Yuno stumbled backward, losing his sense of direction, yet the beast was no longer visible. He hastened his steps, trying to move away from the spot where he had seen the pig. The cave filled with spores, and soon an unexpected development began to unfold. The creature remained motionless, when the expected signs of confusion or hesitation should have emerged. It was eerily silent.

Then.

A deep, contented grunt.

Yuno's heart skipped a beat. What was happening?

The pig took an exaggerated deep breath through its nostrils, inhaling the thick, spore-laden air with remarkable enthusiasm. The creature seemed to delight in the smell, taking pleasure in the pungent air. It snorted in contentment after its deep inhale.

Yuno's stomach twisted with dread. The pig clearly understood the smoke, and it seemed to be savoring it.

The moment of clarity, though brief, only served to deepen his fear. The spores weren't working. The beast wasn't reacting with confusion. Instead, it was enjoying the smoke that should have been a hindrance. Yuno's heart raced as he realized just how powerless he was against this creature. The pig's reaction was almost… affectionate?

The realization hit him like a blow: there was no escaping.

The pig finished inhaling and snorted again, its gaze now fully fixed on Yuno. The thick cloud of spores began to dissipate, and the beast's eager eyes locked onto Yuno once more. His position, previously hidden by the smoke, was now fully exposed.

Yuno could no longer afford to hesitate.

The system's prompt echoed in his mind: Reward Available.

This was his chance. He had to take the reward now, anything that could help him survive.

"System, what's my reward?!" he demanded.

A brief pause followed before the cold, mechanical voice responded, as detached as ever:

[Mission Complete.]

Yuno's breath caught in his throat. His heart raced in anticipation. This could be his only chance.

"Choose your reward: Toughness or Limbs."

Toughness had its advantages, he could endure more damage, withstand the pig's bites and strikes. But Yuno quickly realized that wouldn't be enough. No matter how tough he became, if the pig caught him, he was finished.

What he needed now was mobility.

"Limbs," he whispered, almost to himself.

Suddenly, a warmth flooded through his body. His skin tingled as if it were alive with energy, and Yuno winced, feeling something shift beneath him. It wasn't painful, but it was strange, something he wasn't used to. His body began to glow faintly, and the glow spread from his back down to the base of his torso.

Tiny, stubby growths began to emerge from his sides. At first, these limbs appeared as little more than small bumps, which then developed into tiny protrusions. The small bumps on his body began to grow larger with each passing second. A delicate new force began to develop where he had previously experienced no strength at all.

His body finished the evolutionary process.