I dragged my heavy body away from the riverbank.
Soaked through, shivering with cold.
Water dripped from my fur, each drop taking a bit of body heat.
Had to find a safe place.
I forced myself forward.
The wound on my leg still ached faintly, my back also bruised in several places.
Got struck by rocks too many times in the river.
But I couldn't stop.
This area was completely unfamiliar.
Don't know what dangers lurked.
I walked a few steps, then stopped.
Pricked up my ears, listening carefully.
Rustling of wind through leaves.
Bird calls in the distance.
Nothing abnormal.
Kept walking.
After another dozen steps, stopped again.
Looked around.
The tree species were different from before—leaves broader, colors deeper.
Trunks crawled with vines, some blooming with pale purple flowers.
The air held a damp, fishy smell mixed with earth and rotting leaves.
Swept too far by the current.
Completely didn't know where this was.
I kept walking forward, stopping every few steps to observe.
This had become instinct.
Surviving in the forest this long, the first thing I learned was staying vigilant.
A seemingly ordinary vine might be a disguised Vine Serpent.
A seemingly calm patch of grass might hide ambushing Burrow Rats.
A seemingly beautiful flower might be a Fang Bloom waiting for prey.
This world was like that.
One careless moment and you'd become someone else's meal.
Walking along, I saw a massive old tree ahead.
Trunk thick—probably took three or four Forest Wolves nose-to-tail to encircle it.
Roots tangled and complex, forming several narrow crevices with the ground.
I went over to observe.
First looked around from a distance—no abnormalities.
Then slowly approached, sniffing.
No scent of other magic beasts.
At least no beasts had stayed here recently.
I checked several crevices.
The first too shallow, could only hide half my body.
The second deep enough but entrance too wide, not safe enough.
The third just right.
Entrance very narrow, just fitting my body, slightly more spacious inside.
For larger predators, couldn't squeeze in at all.
This was it.
I struggled to squeeze into the root crevice.
Inside was dark, dry earth and rotting leaves carpeting the ground, giving off a faint musty smell.
I leaned against the roots, gasping heavily.
Pain everywhere.
I lay down, closed my eyes, then opened them.
Adjusted my position so I could see the entrance.
Couldn't fully relax.
Then sank my consciousness into the space.
Still had some Burrow Rat meat inside.
I counted—five pieces left.
Not much, only enough for two or three more meals.
But had to recover somewhat now, otherwise even walking would be difficult.
I took out several pieces and began eating.
Chewing, swallowing.
Magic power contained in the beast meat slowly spread.
Warmth flowed from my stomach to my limbs, pain lessening somewhat.
[Gained 4 Experience]
[Gained 3 Experience]
[Gained 4 Experience]
Three pieces down, only two left in the space.
I checked my status.
[HP: 85/155]
[MP: 60/110]
[Experience: 149/200]
Much better.
Though not fully recovered, at least I could move normally.
Saved the remaining two pieces for emergencies, would find food tomorrow.
I leaned against the roots, staring at the darkening sky outside.
The sun had already fallen below the treetops—would be dark soon.
Would rest here tonight.
But my mind couldn't stop.
Every time I closed my eyes, I'd think of what just happened.
The scene of three Forest Wolves hunting us replayed continuously in my mind.
That suffocating feeling still lingered.
I opened my eyes, staring at the roots overhead, trying to sort through my thoughts.
The situation had been like this.
At first we could barely maintain distance, but soon the pack deployed an encirclement.
One pressed from the front, compressing our escape space.
The other two flanked from both sides, cutting off retreat.
Coordinated so seamlessly, like an instinct carved into their blood.
They'd been learning since birth how to cooperate, how to surround prey, how to exhaust prey's stamina during pursuit.
And me?
Desperately dodging and fleeing, yet always suppressed within the encirclement.
Every attempt to run left, a wolf blocked left.
Charge right, one on the right too.
That feeling, like being covered by an invisible net—no matter how I struggled, couldn't escape.
If facing just one, could at least maneuver for a while, find chances to flee or use terrain to gain distance.
But facing three coordinating wolves, I found no breakthrough.
Every path was blocked.
Finally forced to the cliff edge, jumping into the river became the only choice.
And this was just three ordinary Forest Wolves.
What if it were five? Eight?
I didn't dare imagine.
This was the terror of pack hunting.
Not simple numerical advantage, but coordination, tactics.
One wolf's threat might be just one, two cooperating became three, three coordinating seamlessly jumped straight to eight.
Far exceeding simple addition.
Thinking this, I couldn't help but think of Waspy and Brownie.
We had no coordination, no tactics, hadn't even discussed beforehand what to do when encountering danger.
We were just three magic beasts who happened to be together, not a team.
So when facing true pack hunting, we lost so thoroughly.
I closed my eyes.
The wolves' coordination needed almost no communication—one glance, one low growl, and they understood each other's intent.
That was the coordination accumulated from long-term cohabitation, trust brought by blood ties, cooperation driven by instinct.
And what did I have?
I opened my eyes, staring at a point in the darkness.
I had the dimensional space.
The Dimensional Cheek Pouch.
Could store items, could contain living things.
Waspy and Brownie could both be put in the space.
Before, I'd only treated this ability as a convenience.
Release them when needed, put them away when not, protect them when avoiding danger.
That was all.
But now, I began viewing this ability from another angle.
What if I used it in battle?
The moment an enemy attacked Waspy, I put Waspy in the space—enemy struck empty air.
Then released Waspy from another direction for a surprise attack.
Or, I drew the enemy's attention, lured it to a certain position, then suddenly released Brownie to ambush from behind.
Strike and withdraw, withdraw and release again.
Appearing and vanishing unpredictably, enemies couldn't figure out how many we were.
Dodging, transferring, ambushing, retreating...
Tactical possibilities were endless.
These were things ordinary beast groups couldn't do.
Wolf packs relied on blood ties and instinct—coordination was seamless but also had limits.
Too far apart and they couldn't provide timely support, battlefield too chaotic and they'd lose coordination.
My spatial ability still had limitations—had to make contact to contain.
As long as companions were beside me, I could instantly put them in the space and release them anytime.
In battle, this coordination was more direct than any natural teamwork.
Closer than blood ties, more controllable than instinct.
More importantly, I could see other beasts' information.
Species, level, traits, skills, even evolution conditions.
Other beasts wanting to evolve could only rely on luck and trial.
Everything was unknown.
But I could see.
I could know what Waspy needed to evolve, could know what conditions Brownie lacked.
Could actively guide them toward stronger directions.
This wasn't ordinary containment—this was cultivation.
Cultivating my own team.
"If I had enough companions..."
Once this thought emerged, it couldn't be suppressed.
Three, five, ten...
Each carefully selected, each evolution direction planned, each coordinating seamlessly with me.
By then, forget three Forest Wolves—even if the Wolf King came personally, I might not lack the power to fight.
I took a deep breath, calming myself.
Don't think too far ahead.
Most important now was finding Waspy and Brownie.
They were waiting at the thicket.
But for the future path, I already had direction in mind.
Before, taking in Waspy and Brownie was more going with the flow.
Waspy was injured, I saved it, it was willing to follow me.
Brownie's habitat was taken, I helped it, it was willing to move with me.
I'd never actively sought companions, never deliberately screened who was suitable or not.
Everything was by chance.
But now it's different.
After experiencing today's events, I understood a truth.
In this world, lone travelers don't go far.
No matter how strong an individual, can't match a coordinated group.
I had to have my own team.
Had to actively seek, contain, and cultivate.
To gain a foothold in this survival-of-the-fittest world.
To never be this pathetic again.
I rolled over, finding a more comfortable position.
Outside, the sky had completely darkened.
Would rest here tonight.
Tomorrow at dawn, continue north.
The thicket was north at the forest edge.
Though didn't know where the current swept me, as long as I kept going north, could find it eventually.
And tomorrow onward, while traveling, I'd watch the surrounding beasts.
If I encountered suitable ones, would try making contact.
Thinking these thoughts, I drifted into exhausted sleep.
In my dream, I returned to that cliff edge.
Three Forest Wolves surrounding me.
But this time, I wasn't alone.
Beside me stood Waspy, Brownie, and many beasts I didn't recognize.
They all looked at me, waiting for my command.
I took a deep breath, then—
Opened my eyes.
Day had already broken.
I moved my stiff body, crawling out from the root crevice.
Checked my status.
[HP: 95/155]
[MP: 90/110]
After resting a night, recovered quite a bit.
Though not fully healed, enough for traveling.
I looked up at the sky—sun in the east.
Then north was that direction.
Took a deep breath and took the first step northward.