Kana's POV
In a forest on the Beast Continent, I was leaning quietly against a big tree by the lake. My eyes were closed and my breathing was steady.
After a moment, I slowly opened my eyes and looked around.
I had clearly been sleeping at home, but in the blink of an eye, I was now in a forest.
At first, I felt panic, but the rough bark of the tree and the cold drops of dew on my skin made me realize this was real.
"Host, welcome to the Beast Continent."
A mechanical voice echoed in my mind.
"You have been placed in the Beast Continent. Please adapt quickly and check your identity information."
After a short time, I accepted that I really had come here.
I checked the system information in my mind:
Race: Fox Clan
Gender: Female
Level: 10
Talent: Berserk Pacify
Attribute: Healing
Identity: Member of the Acosta family, Ancient Forest Fox Clan.
"I was human, so why am I part of the Fox Clan?" I muttered.
"Identity information confirmed. Timed mission activated."
The system ignored my confusion and gave its orders coldly.
"Mission goal: Become pregnant.
Time limit: 2 hours.
Failure punishment: Life reduced to zero.
Special item provided: Magic Flower. Eating it will increase pregnancy chance to 100%."
The voice was calm and emotionless, but the meaning was terrifying.
At that moment, the space in front of me rippled, and a small blue flower with a strange fragrance appeared.
I caught it carefully. Before I could examine it, a countdown suddenly appeared in my mind.
"Life countdown activated."
The system gave me the result I least wanted.
I had no time to question if this was real.
Without hesitation, I ate the magic flower. A heavy sweetness spread through my whole body, making me feel sick, but I forced myself not to throw it up.
"Route has been set. Please check immediately."
A glowing blue map opened in my mind, showing light dots that marked nearby males.
In the vast forest, only one lonely light glowed faintly.
I ran toward it. Luckily, I often exercised, so running some distance wasn't a problem.
Before I saw the male beast, I smelled a strong scent of blood.
Blood stains on the leaves formed a broken trail leading deeper into the forest—the same direction as the light dot.
The countdown in my mind kept flashing.
I had no choice but to follow the blood.
When I finally saw the male beast, the light dot disappeared.
He was leaning weakly against a thick tree. His stomach moved slightly, showing he was still breathing.
I quickly went closer and held my hand under his nose.
He was alive.
But he was covered in blood, his injuries clearly severe.
I didn't want to take advantage of someone who was already hurt, but I had no better choice now.
"Sorry," I whispered softly, unsure if he could hear.
I quickly untied his clothing, revealing several deep and shallow wounds running from his collarbone to his abdomen.
My heart softened when I saw them.
I looked around and noticed some herbs that were like the ones on Blue Star that could stop bleeding.
Glancing at the countdown, I realized there was still time.
I quickly chewed the bleeding herbs and spread them evenly on the deeper wound.
"Hang in there!"
I said this not only to the male beast in front of me but also to myself.
Even as a female, I couldn't help noticing his looks and body.
His face was covered in blood, but I could still see that his features were very good.
His body was also impressive and hard to ignore.
I calmed my nervousness and started following the system's task.
Now, it all depended on my luck.
The forest leaves rustled, and birds flew across the sky in waves.
I felt a warm sensation on my body, probably from the sunlight.
The countdown in my mind froze at the last minute and then slowly disappeared.
I breathed a sigh of relief; I was no longer in danger.
Looking at the male beast in front of me, I reached out again, but before I could touch him, he slid down the tree trunk.
Poor thing.
I sighed. I wanted to find something to cover him with, but there were no tools nearby.
I picked some large leaves and covered him, then clasped my hands and prayed:
"Even though we never spoke, meeting you like this must be fate. I'll come back with a shovel to give you a proper burial."
I vaguely remembered that the fox tribe's territory was just outside this forest.
Following the fuzzy memory, it took me a long time to reach the forest edge. In the distance, I could see faint movements—that was the fox tribe.
Looking back at the forest, I nervously ran toward the fox tribe's territory.
The fox tribe didn't seem surprised to see me.
Some greeted me warmly.
"Kana, what are you wearing?"
I looked at the fox who spoke. The system showed his name: Idris.
I looked down and realized I was only wearing a silk camisole nightgown. The hollow patterns at the waist showed my pale skin.
Most of the other beast people wore only leaves, while Idris, in human form, wore a coarse cloth shirt.
He seemed relatively well-off in the tribe.
"Idris, can I borrow a shovel?"
Idris squinted and slowly approached me.
As he came closer, I felt uneasy.
He bent down, casting a shadow over me.
He sniffed me lightly, his hot breath brushing my ear.
I instinctively moved away and glared at him, asking loudly:
"What are you doing?!"
"Don't worry. I smelled blood on you. Are you hurt?"
I realized I had misunderstood him.
Feeling embarrassed, I explained, "I'm fine. I'm not hurt."
Idris nodded. "You need a shovel, right? Follow me. I have one at my place."
He turned and walked away, and I hurried to follow.
Many fox tribe members looked at me along the way.
It must be because of my nightgown.
"The shovel is inside. Go in and get it."
I looked at the rough cave in front of me. This was Idris's home.
Like most fox tribe members, he used a natural or abandoned cave since they weren't good at digging themselves.
The cave wasn't very deep; I could see the bottom clearly, but Idris's large body standing at the entrance made me feel very pressured.
Thinking of the poor male beast in the forest who had no one to bury him, I gathered my courage and walked inside.
Idris followed me into the cave.
"Where's the shovel?" I asked.
"It's just ahead. Go inside a bit," he said.
I finally found a stone shovel in a corner. A thick branch was tied to it as a handle. It was very rough, but it looked barely usable.
I couldn't help but feel that this place was really backward, or maybe I just couldn't adapt well to the beast people's life.
After picking up the shovel, I turned to leave, but bumped straight into Idris. His strong chest pushed me back several steps.
Idris leaped forward and caught me. The sudden force made me completely lose my balance.
In the end, he held me steadily in his arms.
My black hair fell over his arm, and a faint fragrance from me filled his nose.
I heard Idris's heartbeat pounding faster, so I quickly tried to push him away.
But a male beast's strength was much greater than a female's.
In my eyes, I used all my strength to push him away, but to him, it looked like I was acting cute.
Looking into my pure eyes, he couldn't tell why, but he felt extremely attracted to me.
"Y-you, let me go," I said.
I knew I couldn't force things, or I would only get hurt.
"Kana, I-I like you!" Idris stammered, his face red. "I know many people are after you, but they aren't sincere. I can hunt—I can catch many prey!"
"Let go of me first, I still have something to do!"
"Kana, what's that smell on you? It's so nice." Idris said as he carried me in his arms and walked to a nearby grass nest.
He held my shoulders and gently stroked my face.
Looking down, I saw red marks on my arms from the previous tight hug. They made my skin look even more delicate.
Idris couldn't help swallowing.
Before he could speak again, a sharp pain came from his lower body, and he fell straight to the ground.
I grabbed the shovel and ran out of the cave like the wind, heading straight to the edge of the forest.
I looked back and saw Idris had somehow followed me.
Damn it.
Without thinking, I ran deeper into the forest, trying to return to where the male beast had died.
But after searching for a long time, I couldn't find him.
It seemed I was lost.
Maybe it was because there wasn't enough fate involved.
I felt a little sad. If my child ever asked where their father was, and I couldn't even find a grave, wouldn't that child be too pitiful?
In the end, I could only slowly walk out of the forest with the shovel, leaving it for another time.
What I didn't know was that shortly after I left, the male beast's wounds began to heal visibly with the naked eye.
His eyes suddenly opened, and the purple vertical pupils stared tightly at the herbs that had fallen to the ground.
Third-Person POV
He touched his lower belly, still feeling a faint trace of scent.
Then He transformed into a huge black python and disappeared into the quiet forest.
Kana watched from the edge of the forest. Seeing that Idris didn't follow, she took a different route and ran back to the fox tribe.
She had to admit, her body was pretty strong.
Not long after, she arrived near her family, the Acosta clan's caves.
Many fox beastmen were busy with their own tasks at the cave entrances. Some had noticed the unfamiliar visitor.
Soon, many Acosta foxes gathered around Kana.
They sniffed the air, curious about her unique scent.
This was a special ability of beastmen—they could tell who belonged to their family.
Kana was not afraid. She half-kneeling, letting the tribe members get used to her scent.
After a while, the beastmen made a path for her. An old beastman slowly came forward.
His cloudy eyes studied Kana, then he lifted her chin with his dry, branch-like hands to look at her carefully.
"You should be Uli's child."
The system had given Kana a simple identity. At this moment, whatever the old fox said about her identity, she accepted without hesitation.
"Your father was the best hunter in the tribe. Two years ago, he and your mother disappeared. I didn't expect their child to come back. Raising you wasn't wasted."
"Since you're back, you will take part in the adult ceremony tomorrow."
The old beastman then called two male foxes from the crowd.
"This is your sister. Take good care of her. During tomorrow's adult ceremony, don't let us down."
The old man smiled slyly. Kana felt he was hiding something, but she had just returned to her tribe and decided to get familiar first.
The two male foxes agreed and looked at Kana with curiosity. She also looked back at them.
The old man's words seemed right. Glancing around, only these three looked most like each other and were the best looking.
"Let's go back to the cave. You'll stay with us for now," said the slimmer older brother, Eugene, warmly. "I didn't expect I'd have a new sister."
Yujin snorted coldly. "Then you hunt extra food for winter. I won't give her mine."
Eugene comforted Kana. "Yujin is blunt. Don't take it personally. I'll make sure you have enough food."
They returned to the cave. Like Idris's, their cave was rough but met basic needs. Anything more would be impossible.
Yujin stayed indifferent. Kana didn't talk much to him and chatted with Eugene instead.
In this world, there were many kinds of beastmen, each with unique talents. The higher their level, the stronger their abilities.
Since males were more than females, tribes always faced breeding issues. This was the most important matter.
The adult ceremony tested a female's fertility. The stronger her fertility, the more popular she would be.
Females with low fertility would be gathered and kept in one place to serve males who didn't have female partners.
They could choose the males, but they had to choose. After one year, they could leave, and the tribe would provide basic support.
Males could take them anytime within that year.
"What if someone doesn't want to be gathered?"
"That's the tribe's rule. All tribes are similar."