Chapter 2- Smart little beast

No, no, no!

He didn't transmigrate into another world, did he?

But the facts before him tell him the otherwise.

Caden approach the blasted hole and found out he was on top of the cliff, he can feel the wind blowing against his face. He remembered his direction while escaping earlier seems to be going up so it's understandable that he is now on top. The feeling of looking down below is very dizzying, much more to a tiny creature like him so he gets timid and strays far away from the edge.

Looking ahead, he was very sure he is now on another planet. There is no way the earth he lives on can look like this.

His little mouth opened in shock seeing so many unfamiliar things above and below.

If his eyes didn't deceive him, he saw something flying in the sky but it looks like a mythical creature that can breathe fire. There's also the lake below this cliff and he just saw something big floating on the surface. It doesn't look like an ordinary fish but he is very sure, with his enhanced sight, that he saw it does have purple hair which highly resembles a mythical creature that has the body of a human and a fish.

Not to mention that if he look at the sky, the earth only had one star shining in the daylight and not three! He remembered watching an educational video about how having three daytime stars will lead to the planet's catastrophe, but seeing the lush of green and a very healthy forest below the cliff, it doesn't seem to be the case. His knowledge had once again been overturned.

All of these discoveries made Caden feel so afraid, he is now a kitten and he doesn't seem to have any abilities except for his innate skills, how can he survive in this world? Humans always fear the unknown and the same can be told to Caden. He is now in a very unfamiliar environment, and he was feeling overwhelmed that the thought of escaping from the sure danger earlier didn't bring any kind of relief.

"Are you sure we can find a familiar beast here? What if that map is just a hoax? Someone might have just deliberately put it there for us to see!"

"Didn't you see the entrance glowed earlier? I think this cave is really the entrance to the Spirit Realm!"

Caden heard a sound behind, and his ears perked up, because that conversation just now, he understand it! Are they humans?!

Suddenly encountering a human, regardless of how strange their conversation is, Caden felt so happy. He shook his fur and then run in the direction of the sound.

After running and turning, he finally spotted a bearded guy and a fat guy holding a map in his hand. At the same time, the two just turned in time and spotted him quickly as there is not anything that blocks their sight.

"Look! I knew it! We haven't even started looking for any beasts, we already found one!"

"Doesn't that look like a cub?"

"The younger, the better it is! Be careful, don't think this cub looks young, in fact, it can still injure us, even kills us!"

Kill?

Caden's mind processed the words slowly but he saw them taking out a sack. For some reason, Caden felt afraid of it and had an instinctual dislike for it.

Caden called out to them when he saw them approaching but he only heard a raspy meow coming from himself waking him up immediately, that he wasn't a human, but a beast in their eyes.

He just wants to befriend them but he forgot that their species isn't the same.

Not good! He yelled in his mind.

"Caught i---- it's escaping!" Caden felt afraid of the sack they take out so on instinct he jump away, but seeing that they are about to catch him, he didn't hesitate to run past them and follow the trail the two just take. Seeing that they can enter the cave, there should be a different entrance! He doesn't need to jump off the cliff to get out of this cave! It seems to be easy for him to spot their trails as he can smell the scent of these two people still lingering in the air.

"Hurry up and catch it! Use the card!"

"Okay!"

Caden didn't know what they mean by that, but he look back in a split second and saw that the bigger one holding a map earlier had taken out a what look like a white card, the size of the playing card, bite his fingertips and then let his blood flow to the card. Not even another second passed, and he felt the surrounding suddenly turn cold, then out of nowhere, he saw a plant appearing in front of him without its roots planted on the ground--- it just emerge out of thin air in front of him. The plant's branches as if they were hands, suddenly became longer and reach out to him. Caden dodge them on time but he underestimated how many of the branches can grow longer, not long after, he was chased by dozens of outstretched plant branches.

His body is indeed very light and agile but he is after all so tired from the earlier events, he was panting so hard and felt like he might die if he continue at this rate. Seeing the two humans he had once thought to be light in his darkness, he was so aggrieved. Finally, he slip and tumbled out of the cave which he now realizes to be very different from the one he had woken up earlier. It might have been what the guy said, this cave should be a connection to the mythical world. Seeing the tall trees around and the tall grasses, there's no way this is the same as the world he had seen earlier. Rather, this felt like this forest is so close to his former world. Except--- the people in his former world cannot possibly have that card ability like this one guy just show or this persistent vine plant chasing after him.

Caden was so tired he cannot move any of his muscles anymore, the moment he did stop, he was caught by the vine and was delivered to the two guys.

"This beast seems to be like those basic cats they sell in the market. Just a bit different. This one's too little." The fat guy said as he held the little creature in his big hand. He can easily squeeze Caden's body into a pulp if he wanted to with how small his body is compared to his hands.

"This should be an agile-type beast, look how it easily dodges all our attacks with great accuracy, if not because it is tired, it should have long escaped our grasp." The bearded guy spoke, and his rough hand put him swiftly inside the sack. Caden felt his limbs lose strength when he was put inside. This feeling of powerlessness doesn't seem to be from the tiredness he felt earlier, but rather this sack has a numbing property. Looking around, he was dumbfounded to see the sack's interior doesn't resemble anything like the sack he had seen them using, but it was like a spacious space with white walls. 

Caden look at his paws and had the urge to lick them clean but when he was outstretching his tongue, he suddenly remembered he is human and was so shocked that he stood up with his four limbs, his furs all standing.

Oh goodness--- he is really turning into a cat!

"This is the very first time we caught a beast, never knew it was this easy, just a shame it isn't an elemental type of beast, or else, we could have sold it for a few golds."

Caden who was listening had the urge to rip their faces, who said it was easy catching him? Didn't they just say he was so good at dodging?

But the point is..! Caden almost missed this part, did they just say they will sell him?!

"Fuck! Where is the entrance? Why is it block?!" The other guy exclaimed in shock. 

"I don't know! Didn't we just come out of the cave a few seconds ago? It couldn't have close on its own?!"

Caden listen to their conversation and thought, the entrance disappeared? What triggers it? His knowledge seems to be renewed every now and then.

Anyway, since the entrance was already blocked, they can only go back for now.

Although the interior of the sack is very spacious, when the two began to walk, his body was also shaking along with their hurried footsteps making him dizzy.

It also goes to say that it was only when the crisis was temporarily avoided did Caden felt that aside from extreme exhaustion and the sudden powerlessness, his stomach seems to be empty.

He needs to eat!

But calling out to these two people didn't seem to work as he can only hear them but they seem to not have heard anything coming from the sack.

Caden can only lie down with his palm size body, his long tail wagging from left to right, as he tiredly closes his eyes.

**** 

 

"No special attributes, enhanced skills, a member of the feline family, class and kind unknown, but it shouldn't be too impressive--- 1 silver and 200 copper coins."

"Boss, can you give us to 2 silvers at most, we wasted a white card to catch this little beast that cost us 3 silvers to buy,"

"With this kind of beast? It's already magnanimous of me to give you a silver out of it! Be thankful this one is a cub with strong compatibility to the Ability Users, if this one is a young adult, it can only cost you a hundred copper at most!"

The two who wanted more money can only reluctantly leave the beast store when they heard the words of the merchant, it is best to withdraw now than later if he decides to lower the price again.

 

Caden who was very sensitive to the changes in the atmosphere and the noise, was long awake and heard the conversation.

In his mind, he felt really bitter. Not only was he cheap, but his strong points can also only be summed up as being young.

Why did he transmigrate into a useless beast? He can only sell cuteness but it seems the people here cannot appreciate such cuteness.

His kitten face looks depressed. 

Suddenly, he was lifted by a pair of hands in the air, and when he realized what the other was trying to do, if only his furs are not thick enough to cover his cheeks, he would be blushing in shame now.

Damn it, his integrity as a man was trampled in repeatedly by this merchant! Really wanted to rip this merchant's face off.

"Even though the organ is still little, it is a male, Thomas, give this creature food then put it in a container outside to display for the customers."

"Yes, boss," The young boy named Thomas that is at most 14 to 15 years old carries him inside their shop. His moves are practiced and calm. The moment he was inside, Caden finally had care to mind the sounds coming from the animals outside up for display.

Strange, although he cannot understand them as they don't speak the same language as him and the humans around, he can somehow get what they wanted to express. And it was heartbreaking.

Almost all of them are crying for help, some didn't understand what is happening and are just happy to play and eat, and some are very silent but their killing intent is tangible.

"Here, you should eat."

 

His nose was suddenly invaded by a foul smell coming from that of lump meat, Caden was so so terrified and was filled with nausea as he jump and tried to get away from the meat.

No way is he going to eat that lump of shit!

No! No! No!

"Eh?" Thomas saw the cub backing away from the meat he prepared and was a bit curious. If this boy looked clearly at the tiny creature's eyes before him, he would have seen it had a face of disgust on its little face. 

 

"Boss! This cub doesn't seem to be a carnivore!"

"What? Not a carnivore? Is it that hopeless? Originally I wanted to sell that creature for 3 silvers but now that we know it doesn't eat meat, doesn't that mean this creature is at the bottom of the food chain?"

Eh?! Where did that conclusion come from?! On earth, even if the horse, cow, carabao, rhinoceros, etc., don't eat meat, they are not considered to be at the bottom of the food chain! Yet, in this world, not eating meat means they are at the bottom?!

And boss, I do eat meat, but not this lump of shit!

At least Caden felt he can eat meat, as a person who loves meat more than anything else and hates grass, he won't be full not eating any type of meat!

But that meat should be at least cooked! Not serve raw!

"Should I serve it grass?"

Caden absolutely hates grass or any form of vegetables, especially not this type of raw vegetables and grass! No! No! No!

Caden slowly backed away from the grass that are freshly pulled out and served in front of him.

"It doesn't eat grass too!"

"Give that damn creature a fruit!"

In the end, only the fruit seems to have successfully lured the now-labeled 'picky' tiny animal by the humans around him.

Caden who was about to cry tears of frustration finally settled with the strange fruit in front of him. If not for his advanced smell, he will not dare to eat it.

The smell seems to be delectable enough to lure him into trying. This type of fruit resembled a mango but it tastes like guava just sweeter. Anyway, he is so hungry he doesn't have the time to be picky. He ate the fruit whole only leaving the seeds.

"This cub seems smart, it even knows how to peel and not eat the seeds,"

 Caden felt himself being complacent. Of course, of course! He is the smartest kitten in the world, but upon realizing he is not really a real cat in nature, he felt ashamed and focuses all his attention on eating. A tiny bubble of nervousness appeared in his heart--- he seems to be more and more acting like an animal..? Is it only his perception, or is it really like that? As his worries grew bigger, he only notice at the end when he was full and burping that he had already eaten so many fruits. Looking at the mountain-like peeled fruits in front of him, he felt a bit shocked. He had eaten so much but it felt like he didn't have enough.

"Why did you give Magu fruit to the cub? The shell of that fruit is the toughest, even the strongest hammer and knife cannot penetrate its shell."

Caden was shocked, and then he silently looked at the now grinning kid that is watching him, "Now we know that this cub has sharp claws and strong intelligence. You didn't know boss, but I have observed it while eating, it knows how to separate the flesh and seeds, and it didn't even let its food touch the ground. It seems to value cleanliness, and the method of peeling is also done very methodically--- all in all, this cub seems to be different from the average animal." 

Caden's tail that is wagging from left to right stopped, he was dumbfounded.

"Oh, and it seems it can understand us too."

 

Caden's furs stood up.