Chapter 11-More Pigs?!

The scent of blood and scorched metal still lingered thick in the canyon air. Yuuta, now calmer, stood amidst the battlefield's ruins. His froggy eyes flicked over the scene—splatters of blackened flesh, chunks of broken armor, and fragments of bone were strewn across the uneven, crater-ridden ground. But what truly caught his attention weren't the guts or gore—it was the shiny promise of loot.

Gold coins sparkled like scattered stars among the carnage, and XP orbs still pulsed with a soft glow, hovering inches above the ground. With a small grunt, Yuuta hopped toward the leftovers, greed gleaming in his oversized eyes.

As he magneted the remaining XP orbs into his body, one by one floated toward him and disappeared in soft flashes of light. The familiar [ding!] sound popped in his ears as a system prompt appeared:

[XP Increase: Level 3 — 25% Progress]

More gold shimmered as he picked it up. Another system message followed:

[Total Gold Coins Amount: 550]

Yuuta let out a low whistle—not bad. He'd worked his slimy little ass off to earn this payday, even if his ass wasn't quite what it used to be. He gave a small nod, satisfied but not too excited. His earlier high from getting the [LIGHTNING BOLT] card had overshadowed just about everything else.

"Still, a pretty good loot," he muttered with a small grin, his wide froggy mouth stretching awkwardly.

He stretched his arms up over his head and bent back, trying to shake off the lingering fatigue from the drawn-out fight. His limbs were stiff, especially his back and shoulders. His entire body ached from the way that spiked club had thrown him into the cliffside.

He winced a little as he straightened up again. "Yeah... definitely not made for cliff-slamming."

Yuuta's bulbous eyes wandered across the battlefield once more. The canyon was barely recognizable. Huge boulders were scattered across the ground like discarded pebbles. One side of the cliff had crumbled into a jagged heap. Deep craters pockmarked the earth where the pigman's enormous feet had landed, as if a meteor had dropped down and punched holes through the land.

Yuuta crossed his arms and looked smug. "Stupid pork bastard. All that muscle and armor, and still lost to a fucking frog."

He chuckled, short and rough. The reality of his new arsenal was starting to set in. He now had two offensive spells: his trusty [Magic Missile] and the freshly acquired [Lightning Bolt]. Both had short cooldowns. Both packed a punch. A grin tugged at the corners of his frog face again. With just these two cards, he could already imagine vaporizing anything dumb enough to mess with him.

But as his mind wandered, something clicked in his thoughts.

"…Wait," he muttered, rubbing his chin with three green fingers. "Back then, during that fight… I got slammed hard. My body was all kinds of fucked up. But then… I healed."

He squatted slightly, deep in thought. His frog face scrunched in a way that could only be described as intensely stupid-looking. Eyes wide, lipless mouth slightly open, and fingers tapping his throat in thought.

"Hold up... I thought that I would only heal when I leveled up?" he mumbled. "Shit doesn't add up."

His memory was sharp—he knew he hadn't leveled up mid-fight. Which could only mean one thing.

"Do I have some kind of healing ability…?" he murmured.

Curiosity piqued, Yuuta tilted his head back and addressed the sky. "Hey, system. Can you tell me if I have some sort of skill related to healing?"

Silence.

Only the soft whisper of wind answered. A breeze rolled through the canyon, lifting the fine dust from the cracked earth and sending it right into Yuuta's face.

"Fuck—!"

The dust stung his eyes immediately. He squinted and waved his arms in front of his face, but it was no use. Tiny grains had found their way into the crevices of his bulbous eyes. He groaned, blinking rapidly as watery irritation flared up.

"Ugh, come on!" He rubbed his eyes with the back of his stubby green hand, pausing between blinks to see if the sting would fade.

After a moment, the worst of it passed. His eyes were bloodshot now, veiny and slightly puffed up—he looked more like a bloated toad than ever. If a mirror were nearby, he'd probably give himself nightmares.

"Okay… not gonna ask some shit again," he grumbled.

He gave the empty air another glance but didn't bother repeating his question. If the system didn't want to respond, then fine. As long as it helped in battle, he'd take it. Whether the healing came from a passive skill or some unknown card effect, it was better than nothing.

"Still weird, though..." he said, tapping his side gently where the worst of the impact had been. It was sore, but not broken anymore. That mystery heal had kept him alive—and possibly won him the fight.

He didn't like not knowing things. But he also didn't like wasting time. The important thing was that it helped him. He could figure out the how, on a later date.

With one last stretch, Yuuta gave the battlefield a final look-over. No more gold, no more orbs, no loot boxes or bonus prizes.

"Alright," he sighed, cracking his knuckles. "Time to move forward and find my harem."

_____________

Yuuta walked through the ruined canyon like a frog who'd just conquered the world—his three green fingers folded tightly over his chest, his long legs pacing with a proud rhythm. The ground crunched beneath his padded feet, fragments of shattered stone and burnt pig armor scattered like discarded memories. Smoke still curled up from some of the broken cliff faces, whispering stories of the battle that had unfolded here.

"Still unbelievable..." Yuuta muttered under his breath. His tone wasn't disbelief—it was somewhere between confusion and satisfaction. The fat armored pigman was actually dead. He had done it. Him, a frog. A talking, spell-slinging frog.

But before his thoughts could settle into anything humble, his pride flared up like a fire rekindled.

"Of course that oinker got cooked," he snorted, lifting his frog chin with a smirk. "I'm the mother-loving Harem Mage King. Of course he'd die to me."

He didn't even flinch at the reality that he no longer had the proper parts for that title. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a thought briefly raised its hand to mention the absence of a certain appendage, but he squashed it down with a stubborn shrug.

"It'll grow back," he grumbled, nodding to himself like someone who was trying very hard to believe their own delusions. "Probably."

The frog kept moving, weaving through boulders cracked in half and gouges left by titanic blows. His posture stayed confident, arms still crossed as if that somehow emphasized his magical superiority.

Yet amid the silence, a different thought crept in.

"Weird," Yuuta said, frowning. "I haven't eaten anything since I woke up in this world. Fought for my life more than once. And I'm not even thirsty."

His feet kept moving, but his mind lagged behind. His stomach wasn't growling, his throat wasn't dry, maybe. It was unnatural. Some kind of system thing, probably. Either way, he wasn't about to complain about not needing to dig up grubs or drink swamp water.

But just as his thoughts turned philosophical, a sudden light flashed against his eyes. Like sunlight glinting off a mirror—sharp, direct, blinding. Instinct kicked in before thought.

His head whipped to the right.

A fireball, no larger than a fist, was screaming toward him. It shimmered with a furious orange core, trailing smoke and heat.

"Wha—?!"

Yuuta launched himself to the side. His frog legs exploded into motion, sending him tumbling out of the fireball's path. It zipped past him with a hiss and exploded against a nearby boulder.

BOOM!

Stone shards flew in all directions. The impact wasn't as devastating as his own [Magic Missile], but it was strong enough to hurt him—badly. If that thing had connected, he'd be halfway to becoming a roasted frog kebab.

He lay on the dusty ground, arms and legs spread wide. Smoke curled from the shattered rock.

"Who the fuck—?!" Yuuta shouted, eyes wide and slightly singed. "Trying to turn me into frog stew?! That's supposed to be my job!"

Anger sparked in his throat. Whoever just launched that spell had guts. He wasn't just some low-tier mob to be barbecued. He was the strongest frog around. Stronger than armored pigs, stronger than mountains. Probably.

He rolled to his side and looked toward the direction the fireball had come from. A figure stood on a ledge just far enough away that details were fuzzy, but Yuuta could make out the silhouette. A long coat flapped in the wind, billowing wide enough to obscure the figure's face. In one hand, a long stick—no, a staff—was pointed casually downward.

Yuuta jabbed a finger forward. "Hey! You overcooked twig carrier! You think you can skewer me alive?! I should be the damned one to fucking skewering you! I'm the damn—"

He cut himself off. No need to shout his titles every time.

But the figure didn't respond. Instead, it lifted its free hand and made a sharp, slow gesture behind its back.

Yuuta blinked.

Then the canyon wind shifted. Dust lifted from the cracked ground. And from behind the tall figure... came movement.

Yuuta's head tilted slightly. He pushed himself to his feet, patting his sides to brush off the dust.

Then his eyes widened.

Figures.

Dozens. No—hundreds.

A small army emerged from behind the ledge and rocks. Clanking armor. Stomping boots. Sharp glints of weapons. Some bore massive axes, others hulking swords. A few were thin and robed, holding staffs much like the first. But what struck Yuuta the most...

Pig faces.

More of them. Again.

They were different sizes and builds, but unmistakably pig-like. Snouts. Tusks. Grunts that echoed through the canyon. The ground shook lightly beneath their combined march.

At the center of the formation, one figure loomed taller than the rest. Nearly twice the size of the armored pigs around it. This one carried something on its back that looked more like a tree trunk than a club.

Yuuta squinted, then groaned.

"You've got to be kidding me. Again?"

He pinched the bridge of his froggy nose and sighed. "Did I get dropped into a pig world or something? Is this just... pig land?"

A slight breeze kicked up dust around his feet.

"Just my luck," he muttered. "I just finished fighting one fat pig, win, and suddenly the entire pig family wants a turn."

As the army continued to advance, Yuuta shifted his stance and squared his shoulders. His expression turned from annoyed to focused.

The 2 last fights had nearly broken him.

But now...

He had new spells.

He had experience.

And most importantly?

He had absolutely no intention of dying to some shitty bacon meat.