Limitless Evolution Through Conquering Primal Beauties-Chapter 17 - A Fortress in the Sky

Leonard realized his questions were too convoluted. He took a moment to gather his thoughts.

"Sorry, my questions were all over the place," he said. "How about we start with something simple first? About this village. How many tribes are here, and what’s the total population? And beyond this village, what’s out there? Are there other villages or something?" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Borami nodded, her eyes drifting for a moment as she considered her answer. Then she began speaking in a calm, clear voice.

"As you can see, this village is located at the peak of a giant mountain. We’re surrounded by high cliffs that act as a natural fortress. They protect us from attacks by Mutated Beasts, Hungermen, and also beastkin from hostile tribes."

Leonard listened carefully. His eyes narrowed slightly at the unfamiliar terms—Mutated Beasts, Hungermen. He made a mental note to ask about them later.

Borami continued, "This village was actually built around thirty years ago. Before that, this place was the lair of a dragon."

Leonard jolted. A dragon?

"A dragon?" he repeated, unable to hide his interest.

Borami smiled at his expression. "Yes. A dragon. The strongest wild beast in this region. No one dared approach this place for hundreds of years. But the rabbit tribe’s chief at the time managed to defeat it."

Leonard imagined it—a gigantic dragon, and a rabbit beastkin facing it alone. The image felt strange in his mind.

A rabbit fighting a dragon?

There wasn’t a man in any world who wouldn’t be fascinated by dragons. Even Leonard, not the adventurous type, felt his heart beat faster at the thought of such a legendary creature.

But what shocked him more was the fact that a rabbit tribe—animals that in his old world were small and defenseless—had become the rulers of this place.

Inevitably, he thought of the beautiful rabbit chief, Beatrice.

"After the dragon died," Borami continued, "the rabbit tribe chief built the first settlement here. At first, it was only for her own tribe. But other tribes began to arrive, asking for protection. They wanted to live here too, to unite and stand together against the predators."

"The rabbit tribe chief you’re talking about," Leonard asked to confirm, "the one who defeated the dragon... that’s Beatrice, right?"

Borami nodded. "Yes. She’s the strongest among the tribe leaders in this village."

Leonard exhaled softly. So Beatrice really was that extraordinary. He still had many more questions, but Borami continued explaining.

"Right now, there are eight tribes in this village. Their numbers vary, but in total there are around two thousand of us, we’ve never counted precisely. The largest is the monkey tribe, as you’ve already seen. Besides them, the tribes here are rabbits, cows, goats, pigs, deer, horses, and squirrels."

Leonard tried to memorize that.

"Outside this village," Borami continued, her voice lowering slightly, "there are other villages as well. But those villages are led by predator tribes. They... enslave other beasts who aren’t of their own kind."

Leonard felt his chest tighten. Slavery. Of course.

"The wolves, for example," Borami said, "consider themselves stronger and superior to other tribes. They force other tribes to work for them. And those predator tribes also often wage war against each other, fighting over territory and resources."

She paused, then looked at Leonard. "That’s why we gathered here. We united to face them if they attack. With these natural cliffs, we can defend ourselves."

Leonard nodded slowly. A logical defensive strategy.

"Earlier, you asked whether predators eat our kind," Borami continued, slightly hesitant. "I’ve heard that some of them do. But... most of the time, they eat the same food we do. They just prefer meat."

Leonard sighed inwardly in relief. At least he wasn’t living in a world where cannibalism was normal. That was something.

But one thing still bothered him.

"You said the meat we’re eating comes from Mutated Beasts," he said, pointing at the empty bowl in front of him. "What exactly are they? And what are Hungermen?"

Borami looked at him with increasing sympathy. Leonard could see in her eyes that she was now completely convinced he had lost his memory. But there was no mockery there, only genuine concern.

"Mutated Beasts," Borami began explaining, "are animals that evolved, just like us beastkin. The difference is, they evolve naturally as they grow older. We beastkin, on the other hand, need to absorb Beast Cores to evolve."

"Beast Cores?" Leonard repeated.

"Yes. Energy crystals we can obtain from the bodies of Mutated Beasts after they die. The stronger the beast, the greater the energy inside the core," Borami explained. "If a Mutated Beast eats the flesh of another beast or absorbs another core, their evolution can also speed up. So they hunt each other too, just like we do."

Leonard nodded. So it was like EXP in a game. Kill monsters, get cores, level up. Simple. Exactly like that damn message had explained before.

"And Hungermen?" he asked.

Borami’s expression changed. A faint fear appeared in her eyes.

"Hungermen are strange monsters," she said quietly. "They have a hunger that can never be satisfied. Unlike Mutated Beasts, who calm down once they’re full, Hungermen never stop. They will continue devouring living creatures around them, without caring about anything."

"They have no intelligence either. You can’t reason with them, can’t intimidate them, can’t drive them away. The only way to deal with them is to kill them or run. And worst of all, they always move in large groups."

Borami clasped her hands together. "Out there, Mutated Beasts and Hungermen roam freely. That’s why we’re forbidden from going far from this mountain, except for trained hunters. The outside world is very dangerous."

Leonard fell silent, processing everything.

A dragon. Eight tribes. Slavery by predators. Evolving Mutated Beasts. Ever-hungry Hungermen. A harsh and dangerous world beyond the mountain’s natural fortress.

Now he had a broad picture of the world he was living in. There were still many gaps to fill, but at least he was no longer walking in total darkness.

He asked a few more questions. Borami answered patiently, though sometimes she didn’t know the answers herself.

When he felt it was enough, Leonard finally stood up. His body was still slightly weak, but far better than before.

"Rami, thank you for everything," he said sincerely. "For the food, for the explanations, for... for everything. I’ve troubled you too much already. I’ll go now."

He walked toward the door. One step. Two steps. Three.

"Leo."

Borami’s voice stopped him.

Leonard turned around. She was still sitting on the bed, looking at him with her soft honey-brown eyes.

"Do you have a destination now?" she asked quietly.

Leonard opened his mouth.

But no answer came out.

A destination.

He didn’t have one.