Chapter 13: The Toxin Experiment

As for why Ye Da was worried that a starving wolf wouldn’t eat the meat he had offered—it was because Ye Da had laced the meat. That’s right, he had taken the hallucinogenic toxin sac he’d extracted from the Bouncing Mushroom and used it as a seasoning for the bear meat, gifting it to the hungry wolf.

Afraid that the sharp-eyed wolf would notice something amiss, Ye Da didn’t even dare to poke his head out. He simply listened intently to the sounds outside, ears pricked for the slightest movement.

Ten minutes passed… Outside, apart from the occasional whisper of wind rustling through the leaves and the intermittent squabbling of birds, there was nothing unusual.

After twenty minutes, Ye Da risked a glance outside. The meat remained untouched, and the wolf had not appeared.

Just as Ye Da was about to give up…

Crunch!

Crack!

The sound of dry leaves being trodden underfoot came from the edge of the grove—one step every second or two, betraying extreme caution from whatever creature was approaching.

Ye Da held his breath, frozen in place, lest he frighten away the wolf he’d so painstakingly lured.

Of course, it could have been another animal entirely. But Ye Da dared not stick his head out to confirm. All he could do was wait—patiently, silently.

Crunch. Crunch, crunch…

He waited until the footsteps, which had been sparse, became frequent and rapid. Only then did Ye Da dare to peek out from behind the tree and glance toward the grove.

When the footsteps grew dense, it meant the creature had finally relaxed its guard. As long as Ye Da made no loud noises to startle it, everything would be fine.

In the shadow beyond the grove, a gaunt gray wolf sniffed cautiously at the meat he’d thrown, but still did not take a bite.

Ye Da noted that, although the wolf was little more than skin and bones, its belly sagged terribly, and its teats were prominent—it must have recently given birth.

The wolf’s tail hung limp behind it, its back fur slightly raised—a sign it had not yet dropped its guard.

Could it be… Ye Da frowned. Had it detected something unusual about the meat?

When Ye Da had drizzled the toxin from the Bouncing Mushroom onto the raw meat, he did notice a faint sweet scent. Perhaps that odor had aroused the wolf’s suspicion.

But perhaps that was for the best.

Looking at the wolf’s drooping belly, Ye Da felt a sliver of relief. It had just given birth—if it died, its pups would hardly survive in a place like this.

He was not, after all, a born savage—unless forced to, he didn’t wish to add to the blood on his hands.

The wolf sniffed again and again, then at last let out a mournful howl and turned away, abandoning the meat and slipping back into the darkness of the woods.

Ye Da shrugged. His plan to hunt a wolf this afternoon had failed. He might as well go dig bamboo shoots in the bamboo grove—after all, he still had plenty of bear meat, and even two loaves of bread. Food was no longer a pressing concern.

But just as Ye Da was about to rise and leave, his ears caught another sound—the hurried crunch of dry leaves, as if something was running across them, each step pounding like a drum.

He poked his head out for another look.

To his surprise, the cautious gray wolf had returned. It dashed over, snatched up the meat in its jaws, then quickly glanced around to ensure nothing was amiss before finally starting to eat.

Tsk, tsk. Ye Da, watching from behind the tree, widened his eyes in astonishment.

This cunning beast had even feinted a retreat? It seemed he had underestimated it.

Seeing the wolf eat the tainted meat, Ye Da dismissed his plans for the bamboo grove and once more crouched down to wait, his heart calm.

A long, low howl suddenly split the air.

It’s taken effect! Ye Da’s eyes lit up with curiosity as he poked his head out, eager to see what effect the hallucinogenic toxin would have on an animal.

He saw the wolf snapping furiously at thin air, barking oddly as if locked in battle with an invisible enemy.

Could it be seeing little people, too? Ye Da wondered, recalling how humans poisoned by the mushroom’s toxins hallucinated tiny people.

How fascinating.

He picked up a stone and tossed it behind the wolf. Instead of attacking the stone, the wolf began to bite its own tail, spinning in dizzying circles.

What the… Ye Da marveled for the first time at the power of the Red Umbrella Mushroom’s toxins.

He was suddenly thankful for his analytical glasses. If he’d eaten the mushroom contaminated with these hallucinogens, he’d probably be fighting invisible little people himself—and then, perhaps, attacking his own tail? Except, of course, he didn’t have a tail. So who knew what he’d attack in his delirium.

A wild idea struck him—he wanted to experiment on someone and see how a human would react to the toxin.

But before he could pursue that thought, the wolf let out a miserable wail and collapsed, writhing on the ground in agony.

This is what they call a hallucinogenic sac? Watching the gray wolf convulse in pain, Ye Da’s eyes widened in awe. It should be called a killer sac!

Had he known the Bouncing Mushroom’s toxin was so potent, he wouldn’t have dared try it himself.

This world is too dangerous—I want to go back to Earth!

The wolf whimpered and writhed. Before Ye Da could approach, two fluffy little creatures burst from the shadows—a gray pup and a white one—rushing to their mother’s side.

They seemed to sense her suffering, whimpering in distress. The gray pup clung to her side, licking her fur. The white one, apparently a glutton by nature, tried to suckle even as its mother convulsed on the ground.

Oh no! You can’t drink that! Ye Da, seeing the little wolf about to drink the poisoned milk, hurried forward to save it.

He already felt guilty for killing the mother in such a painful way—if he unwittingly poisoned the two pups as well, he feared he’d be haunted by nightmares.

As he ran, another thought struck him: the mother was the one poisoned—perhaps the pups would be fine drinking her milk?

But then he remembered a news story he’d read: an old woman, known as the Reaper’s Emissary, had once done something similar and poisoned an entire village.

That story had left him with a deep respect for the deadliness of toxins.