When does a person feel the greatest rage?

When they come face-to-face with their parents' killer?

When someone steals their lover?

When a con artist takes the money they worked so hard to save?

All valid answers, with one thing in common: having something precious stolen from you. When someone takes something precious without paying a fair price, anger is inevitable.

And right now, I was feeling every bit as furious. Had something precious been stolen from me?

More than precious, it was something my life depended on. Something I'd gone through hardship after hardship to obtain.

Right in front of my eyes. It would be strange if I didn't lose my shit.

"You son of a bitch!!!"

I'd never felt rage like this before. Not even when my parents died and I saw the face of the person responsible for the accident.

At least that son of a... no, that person had apologized and paid a settlement.

But this shark-head in front of me? It had gulped down the food I'd worked so hard to make. And to top it off, it even looked satisfied. How could I possibly not be furious?

"Grruh?"

The shark giant looked puzzled as I charged at it ferociously. It had absolutely no idea what was about to happen to it.

"Kraaaaaah!"

Apparently, its intelligence wasn't quite as fish-brained as its head suggested. Sensing something dangerous in my fury, the shark giant opened its maw.

Rows of tightly packed teeth, just like a shark's. One bite from those and I'd be done for.

But trying to bite me was its fatal mistake. Its already hunched body lowered even farther.

Things might have been different if it moved on all fours like a tiger, but as a biped, it was bound to lose its balance.

CLANG!

I easily dodged the shark giant's bite by twisting to the left. Its jaws closed with a sound like metal striking metal.

But now that it was slightly off balance, its entire body was wide open.

'Big ones are easier for me.'

I was aiming for its planted leg. Losing a leg would severely limit its mobility. This was my go-to tactic for taking down large creatures like the shark giant.

Sometimes it didn't work, as with the saber-toothed tiger or the orichalcum guardian, but...

SLICE!

"Gwoooooar!"

Not this shark. Heavenly Demon's sword, wreathed in surging aura, sliced its leg clean off.

With a leg gone, it was bound to lose its balance completely. Just as I expected, the shark giant toppled forward after losing its right leg. It had two arms and two legs like a person, so it caught itself with its arms, but that wouldn't help.

'Now for the head...!'

WHOOSH!

I was just about to drive Heavenly Demon's sword into its head when I heard a strange sound to my left. Alarmed, I hurriedly raised the shield in my left hand without even looking.

CLAAAANG!!

"Urgh...!"

A powerful impact traveled through the shield and sent me flying. I'd anticipated the attack well enough to prepare for breaking my fall even as I flew.

'A tail?'

Wondering what the hell had hit me, I looked over and spotted a thick tail. It was forked at the end, like a real shark's. Being a shark giant, apparently it came with all the shark features.

"Kyuaaaaa!"

"Grrrrraah!"

But what good did that do it? It was missing a leg.

It couldn't even put up a proper fight as Roundfur clung to its face and clawed away. Its tail couldn't reach its face either, only waving about pitifully.

Occasionally, it opened its enormous maw to threaten Roundfur, but unfortunately for it, he'd climbed on top.

For all its size, it seemed easy to handle, but I couldn't let my guard down.

'Or is it because it's out of the water?'

That was possible. I approached cautiously while it thrashed about, then shouted to Roundfur on top of its head as I drew near.

"Roundfur! Move!"

"Kyuu!"

Roundfur really was smart. The instant I shouted, he leaped away. I drove Heavenly Demon's sword into the spot he'd vacated—its head.

THUNK!

Wreathed in surging aura, Heavenly Demon's sword sank in easily. The shark giant flailed for a while after the blade pierced its head, then stopped moving entirely.

So did the tail it had been swinging in a desperate attempt to escape. Bright red blood streamed down its head.

THUNK! THUNK!

I stabbed it a few more times to make absolutely sure it was dead. Since I didn't know where its heart was, the head was the safest bet.

And with that, the easy yet dangerous battle against the shark giant was over. As I flicked the blood from Heavenly Demon's sword, a question came to mind.

'Why the hell is something like this here? Is there an ocean nearby?'

There had been that bull shark that tried to attack a deer, only to get kicked unconscious instead. But that shark and this shark giant were completely different species.

The bull shark at least looked like a shark. This thing was a shark shaped like a human. I couldn't tell whether this was just a Forest of Four Seasons thing, or whether it was a "monster" like the mushroom man.

'Come to think of it, the bull shark was strange too. There's a lake downstream.'

Even if bull sharks could live in freshwater, their primary habitat was still the ocean. That made it likely there was an ocean beyond that vast lake.

'This is insane. Why would there be an ocean in a for—no, wait.'

Perhaps an ocean wouldn't be so strange. The environment right across the river changed all the time, after all.

Sometimes it was a desert, sometimes snowy mountains, sometimes a swamp. There could be an ocean somewhere in this forest. Common sense could go fuck itself.

"Whew..."

I'd have to explore to find out, but it was a pretty plausible theory. A bull shark that traveled between saltwater and freshwater, followed by the sudden appearance of a shark giant.

Still, I had no idea why the shark giant had shown up here. If the smell had drawn it in, why hadn't any other animals come near?

'Guess I'll have to ask.'

No matter how hard I racked my brains, the fact remained that I lacked even basic knowledge of this world. In the end, I had no choice but to ask the forum.

Even if no one else could help, Fatheremon—no, Allfather—should be able to clear things up.

You said there were beastfolk here too, right?

Wild Grylls

(Photo of the shark giant bleeding from its head)

Do fishmen count as beastfolk too? Fish are animals.

Basically, this bastard came out of nowhere and stole my lunch.

I got pissed and killed it, but what the hell is it?

└Heavenly Demon I have seen people with the faces of animals... but never one with a shark's face.

└Sword Masta It looks... like a fishman, I guess, but fishmen don't look like that either?

└Wild Grylls Are fishmen beastfolk too?

└Sword Masta They're monsters. Same principle as sirens being treated as monsters even though they're merfolk, not fishmen.

└Suspiciously Beastfolk at least need fur to count as beastfolk. That's a fish;;

└Wild Grylls Sure, but fish are animals too. That's why I asked.

└Suspiciously Did you try talking to it?

└Wild Grylls Talking, my ass. It stole the fish I'd worked so hard to cook, so I killed it.

└Suspiciously Fair enough, you can kill a bastard like that. Anyway, that's not beastfolk.

└Allfather Even I've never seen this species before. Fishmen don't look half-and-half like that shark-man either... What on earth is it?

└Wild Grylls So fishmen don't look like this?

└Allfather (Photo of a monstrous-looking fishman) This is a fishman.

└Allfather (Photo of a merfolk with the lower body of a fish) And this is a siren, known as a merfolk. Neither fits that shark.

└Wild Grylls Uh... does that mean it's a new species?

└Allfather Yes, though I can't say whether it's simply a mutation or something caused by the Forest of Four Seasons.

Even Allfather didn't know. Neither did anyone else. They said it was a completely unfamiliar species, never before seen in the world.

That was the Forest of Four Seasons for you, with all sorts of animals popping up.

└Come to think of it, wasn't the speed-sloth originally a sloth too? Didn't you say sloths can't walk?

└Allfather Excellent point. A sloth's leg structure makes walking outright impossible. But the speed-sloth is different.

└What a fucking weird forest. I'm never going anywhere near it.

└What's next?;; At this rate, maybe an animal with a ridiculously long neck?

└It'd be funny if it fought with that neck lol

└That sounds so fucking stupid lmao

Wasn't that a giraffe? Did they seriously not have giraffes here?

└Wild Grylls Do you have horses with horns here?

└If you mean unicorns, of course. Why?

└Wild Grylls Just curious.

Personally, I found a horse with a horn far more unusual. Was this a cultural(?) difference?

Putting the pointless chatter aside, the question was what to do with the shark giant. The best option was to hand it over to Allfather. He'd jump at the chance.

'It's not like I'm going to make shark fin soup out of it.'

So I handed it over right away. As expected, Allfather was delighted. I wanted to hear the research results too, so I traded it without hesitation.

Allfather

Thank you for giving me my daily research material.

There's no need to thank me.

When you get down to it, I'm just disposing of my trash, aren't I?

Allfather

Feel free to toss any premium trash like this my way.

Ho ho ho.

"Premium trash" sounds strange.

You said this was your first time seeing something like this too, right?

Allfather

Yes. I've lived quite a long time, but I've never seen a species like this.

Between this and the saber-toothed tiger's heart, it's clear the Forest of Four Seasons is changing things.

When do you think those changes will start affecting me?

That was actually what scared me most. Undergoing changes without even knowing it. I was worried because turning into something bizarre was the one thing I wanted to avoid.

Allfather

Come to think of it... Mr. Grylls, did you say you came from another world?

Yes, that's right.

Though no one believes me.

Do you believe me, Allfather?

Allfather

Let's consider it on the assumption that you did.

I find it rather hard to believe myself.

Disappointing, but understandable. At least he was willing to entertain the idea.

Allfather

Mr. Grylls, what do you think mana is?

A power that helps people get stronger?

Isn't it something like that?

Allfather

In theory, yes.

Then do you think everyone can wield mana?

Can't they?

Allfather

There's considerable debate in academic circles, but personally, I don't think so.

People call it a difference in talent, but ultimately it's a difference in the vessel—in other words, the body.

Like all flora and fauna, humans are animals that evolve.

Allfather was bringing up evolution. I paid close attention to his words. All plants and animals had evolved into their present forms. Humans were no different.

Allfather

In the distant past, only the chosen could wield mana.

But as time passed, more and more people became capable of it.

That certainly fits the definition of evolution.

Allfather

Indeed. Nowadays, even those without talent have no trouble sensing mana.

So let me ask you this.

Were there people who could sense mana where you lived?

Allfather had asked a very perceptive question. I answered the instant I saw it. The answer was so simple it didn't require a moment's thought.

No.

Where I lived, we didn't have mana, but science and technology were advanced instead.

Enough to wipe out a city with a single bomb.

Allfather

So you couldn't use mana.

And that included you, Mr. Grylls.

Yes. I sensed it for the first time after coming here.

Allfather

Then everything fits together perfectly.

The conclusion Allfather reached through all those assumptions...

Allfather

Mr. Grylls. Listen carefully.

Go ahead.

Allfather

You may already be undergoing the process of "evolution."

...came as quite a shock to me.