A head almost as big as Mika’s entire body popped out of the water and stared at her with its dark orange eyes. Although it had only looked at her, the pressure she felt in its presence was monstrous. It felt like she was staring right into the jaws of death!

Its breaths sounded like growls as the water rippled with every exhale, sending chills down Mika’s spine. All Mika could do in the face of such a creature was stand there. If for whatever reason, it thought of her as a threat or decided to kill her for encroaching on its territory, there wasn’t much she could do.

While she was unable to move, fearing the creature would kill her without even being able to put up a fight, the beast slowly climbed out of the pond, and Mika could finally see its beautiful features.

It was truly a beautiful yet exotic creature with orange fur, a white underbelly, and black stripes covering its face and body.

Although she’d never encountered one of these creatures in her past life, she had heard stories of them in passing.

“A tiger…” The words unconsciously left her mouth. She was both awed and frightened by its beauty and presence.

That’s right! What appeared before Mika was a tiger, an apex jungle predator.

When the tiger fully exited the water, Mika’s jaw dropped.

‘It’s fucking huge!’ She screamed internally, and the beast's presence seemed to amplify, though it could just be her imagination.

It stood almost 1.8 meters tall at its shoulder and about 7 meters long. Steel-like muscles rippled along every centimeter of its body, proving that its title as an apex predator wasn’t just more show.

Mika gulped and glanced at the sword on her waist and couldn’t help but think,

‘Can I even cut through those muscles?’

She immediately shook her head.

‘Maybe if it stood there and let me hack at it, but I doubt I’d be able to deal any serious damage in an actual fight.’

So, she began thinking of ways she could win, but only a few possibilities came to mind.

‘If I could stab its eyes, pierce its skull, slice its underbelly, or somehow shove my sword up its asshole, I might be able to kill it.’

But therein lies the problem. With her height, arm length, and sword length combined, she wouldn’t even be able to reach its head, even if she stood directly underneath it! Also, getting behind such a large creature is anything but easy.

Thus, her only possibility of killing it would be to cut open its stomach somehow. However, Mika has no desire to get close to it, much less underneath it. It would be certain death if she walked up to it with her strength.

She mentally prepared to reach for her sword in case she was attacked but made no physical movements because the tiger was just staring at her.

While not taking its eyes off her, the tiger calmly walked around the pond and dropped its massive body in the front, blocking Mika’s view of the sapling in the middle.

“Haaaaaa…..” Mika released all the air she had unknowingly stored in her lungs, happy that the tiger wasn’t hungry for human children.

However, how the tiger positioned itself made Mika slightly curious about the sapling behind it. It was almost like it was protecting it.

She could sense that the mana fluctuations were dense! It was probably the strongest being she’s come across besides Rodney. Even then, she felt Rodney wouldn’t have it easy in front of this beast!

‘Are those fruits the reason it’s so strong?’ She wondered.

[Yes and no, Host. The real reason for its strength is the pond behind it. Though, it’s probably more intelligent thanks to those fruits.]

‘What do you mean?’

[While the fruits on that sapling are precious and are known as E-- Rank Mind Enhancement Mangos, the pond behind it is filled with Initial-Stage Mana Stones and even a few Early-Stage Mana Stones.]

‘Mind Enhancement Mango? What’s that?’

[It’s a fruit that drastically improves your cognitive abilities for a few hours upon consumption while also leaving long-term benefits, such as enhanced brain functions.]

‘Are you serious?! There’s such a fruit?!’

[Yes. In fact, the System recommends you obtain one of those mangos. Your brain needs all the help it can get, Host.]

Mika’s lips twitched, ‘Fuck you, System!’

However, Mika could barely conceal the shock she felt from this information. A pile of treasures was sitting right in front of her, and the only thing between them was a big ass tiger.

‘No wonder that tiger’s so strong. Hell, even I’d get that strong if I could use all those resources, and I haven’t even completed my Mana Cultivation Technique!’ A light of greed shone in her eyes for a second, but she quickly hid it, fearing that the tiger might sense something strange from her.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

The two kept staring at each other, but Mika slowly took a step back after a while, trying not to make any large movements so as not to startle it.

*Crunch*

She crushed the leaves and tree branches beneath her foot, but even then, the tiger never made a move. It just kept staring at her, almost signaling her to leave.

Thus, Mika kept slowly backing up until she was finally out of sight. Then, she scrambled to the nearest tree and climbed up it! Mika finally settled down only after climbing about 15 meters up the tree.

“Haaa… Haaa… Haaa… What a scary beast! Haaa… Thankfully, it didn’t kill me. Haaa… Hopefully, it can’t climb trees.” Mika exclaimed in between breaths.

But soon, an utterly contradictory thought entered her mind.

“I want to fight it!”

For the first time in her life, she faced an enemy she felt could swat her away like a fly. It was a horrifying yet humbling experience, but it excited her.

Back in her previous life, she could see the peak of what her physical body could do. She could see the peak even when she had just started her journey. In fact, she saw it on a daily basis! Samurai wandered all over Japan’s lands during her time, and only a minority of them could be considered weak.

However, now, just the strength of that tiger seemed so far away, much less becoming a goddess! How could she not get excited? The longer the path, the stronger she could be!

[Ding!]

[A new quest is available!]

Suddenly, an alert from the System resounded in her mind.

Quest? What kind of quest?’ She got curious and decided to check it out.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Quest Name: Mango Marauder]

[Quest Description: As someone who has acquired the System and wishes to transcend to godhood, intelligence is just as important as strength. Luckily, you have encountered a tree containing several E-- Rank Mind Enhancement Mangos to help improve your brain functions. Unfortunately, a Stage 10 Black Core Realm Tiger is guarding these fruits.]

[Quest Objective: Obtain a Mind Enhancement Mango.]

[Time Limit: 1 Month]

[Quest Rewards: [Mind Space Lv. 1] +2 levels, The System will maximize the effects of the Mind Enhancement Mango, a Customized Storage Bag, and 50 Initial-Stage Mana Stones]

[Bonus Objective: Slay the tiger.]

[Bonus Rewards: 300 Initial-Stage Mana Stones, 50 Early-Stage Mana Stones, and a map of The Noxious Jungle]

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mika’s lips curved upward into a grin upon reading about the quest and its rewards, mostly the rewards. More specifically, one of the Bonus Rewards.

“A map of The Noxious Jungle! If I obtain that, I’ll be able to find the quickest way out of this place!”

She was already near a spot recognizable on a map, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find out where she was in the jungle. From there, she should be able to find the quickest way out of the jungle.

However, the Bonus Objective quickly brought her back to reality.

“Killing the tiger, huh? How the hell am I supposed to do that?” She thought up multiple scenarios where she might be able to kill it, but not once did she imagine herself succeeding.

“The only way it might be possible is if I sneak attack it, but the only way that could happen is if it leaves that clearing. Otherwise, there’s simply no way.”

However, she couldn’t just give up on the mission that easily. Who knows? An opportunity might present itself as long as she’s patient.

Mika set up camp nearly a kilometer away from the tiger to spy on it, but she made no move on it, just waiting for an opportunity.

The days went by, but the tiger never left the clearing. It spent most of its time either sleeping or swimming in the little pond. Occasionally, a beast would enter the tiger’s territory, only to be killed and eaten, but it never sought out food.

This frustrated Mika to no end, but she understood why it didn't leave. It was literally sitting on a pile of treasures that could make it stronger! How could it think about leaving? What if some other beast comes and takes the treasures while it’s out prowling?

A few weeks passed, but the tiger still hadn’t left the area.

“Dammit! How am I supposed to complete this quest if it doesn’t move? Don’t tell me you want me to run in there to kill myself, System? Because I won’t do it! Over the last few weeks, beasts as strong, if not stronger than me, have run in there. Do you remember what happened to them?” Mika cursed, “The fucking tiger slapped them in the face, instantly killing them! Ain’t no way I’m running head first into a monster that can turn my brain into mush in one slap!”

[...]

Despite complaining, Mika stayed patient and kept spying on the tiger, waiting for something to happen.

The days continued to go by, and the end of the month-long time limit approached. There were only a few days left, and Mika was about to call it quits on this mission, as she was just wasting her time here, but suddenly she heard noises coming from behind her.

“Ooh-ooh…”

“...Ah-Ah…”

“...ooh Ah…!”

“Ooh-ooh!”

“Ooh-ooh Ah-Ah!”

Mika's face scrunched up, hearing the obnoxious noises from her most hated enemy behind her.

“Fucking monkeys!” She cursed but quickly ran and found a place to hide. She could tell by the noises and how the ground vibrated that there weren’t just a few monkeys. A whole army of them was coming, and she didn’t want to be caught in the middle of it.

Not yet, at least.

A smile slowly formed on her face, “Maybe this is my chance.”

Within minutes, Mika noticed dozens of monkeys swinging through the trees or running on the ground in the tiger’s direction, and leading this army was a giant 2-meter-tall black gorilla!

This gorilla had scars all over its body and carried the scent of blood. Its arms were the size of Mika’s entire body, packed with muscle, and power seemed to radiate off them. Its steps left deep footprints on the ground, and hot air left its mouth every time it breathed.

‘Just what I wanted to see! A giant monkey!’ Mika thought sarcastically, ‘Hopefully, this one doesn’t throw poop like the others.’

She narrowed her eyes and watched as the gorilla and its army of monkeys boldly entered the tiger’s territory. She switched to a better position to spectate, far enough away that she wouldn’t be spotted. Her left hand fell to her side, resting on her katana, waiting for a chance to complete her quest.