Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World

He had forgotten that, in this world, most plants and animals had mutated and couldn't be judged by ordinary standards. Even if both of them were black boar, a pig of this massive size likely required different rearing methods than the tiny one on his farm.

But now that he was here, Kim Haru's curiosity about the mutated creatures of this world was piqued, so he found a spot out of reach to watch closely.

This gigantic black boar was completely black with two long tusks extending from its mouth, resembling a wild boar from his previous life. But unlike a wild boar, its fur wasn't as tough and spiky; instead, it was soft, short, and sparse, like a domesticated pig.

Despite its formidable size and apparent strength, Kim Haru could easily see that not all of its bulk was muscle—there were also waves of fat rippling across its body.

In this respect, it looked surprisingly similar to a pig that was raised solely for its meat.

As he watched the scene in front of him, Kim Haru suddenly felt puzzled.

Why did this boar feel a little bit like his Little Snort?

If he could enlarge Little Snort, then enlarge him some more until he was the size of this massive pig, and added a pair of tusks—well, they'd look nearly identical.

The more he entertained this suspicion, the more similarities he found.

Without even noticing his own social anxiety, Kim Haru turned his head to a nearby member of the Animal Research Institute and inquired, "Where was this pig captured?"

The researcher was thoroughly engrossed in watching the show and, hearing Kim's question, glanced over at him.

"With that small frame of yours, you'd better not think about capturing it yourself. Don't be fooled by how easily our director handles it—he's a Level 2 ability user and will likely advance to Level 3 soon. Even then, he almost got skewered by this pig!"

He pointed to the boar's tusks, "Look at those on its snout—scary, huh?"

Kim Haru: "..."

"Cough." Jang Dojung, who had been listening nearby, cleared his throat reflexively.

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The Animal Research Institute member turned their head at the sound and froze momentarily when they realized it was Director Jang from the neighboring Plant Research Institute.

"Oh, you were asking where it was captured, right?" he stammered, recovering. "Not too far; just exit from the east gate of the safe zone and turn north. You'll pass through a patch of wasteland forest—that's where our director found this boar."

The member looked at Kim Haru, then at Jang Dojung, and finally, fearing that Kim Haru might try something dangerous, he continued, "Actually, if you were planning to catch it, there probably wouldn't be any left by now. Our director heard from an ability-user team returning from that direction that a boar had been running wildly from the north, heading this way for some unknown reason.

Its strength level was very high, and if it kept going, it would soon enter the safe zone and might easily injure ordinary people."

"So, the director went to try and catch it, and, well, you saw what happened."

"The director said that this pig isn't a species native to this area. It likely came here from somewhere else for unknown reasons. Apparently, when it was caught, it was still trying to head east. Who knows what was going on in its head."

"Anyway, besides this one, there aren't any others around here."

East, black, coming here on its own.

No matter how he thought about it, Kim Haru couldn't believe there could be so many coincidences in the world.

He recalled when he captured his Little Snort, and wondered if this enormous pig in front of him might be Little Snort's parent. Perhaps Little Snort, being small and mischievous, had wandered off to play and ended up being caught by him. The big black boar must have been anxious about its missing child and had come searching for it.

This…

Kim Haru pressed down on the brim of his hat, feeling a bit guilty.

Thankfully, the director of the Animal Research Institute had done his job well and managed to capture it. If it had injured someone, Kim Haru wouldn't have known what to do, especially since, in the end, it was technically his fault.

Who would have thought his trap would work this well? Could it even catch a pig from so far away? He wondered if he could catch a dragon if he set a trap and wished for one. Would it really happen?@@novelbin@@

However, it's better not—who knows what kind of strange creature might appear.

While they were chatting, the black boar finally collapsed on the ground, utterly exhausted. Its menacing tusks had already been severed right away, and now, aside from its large size, it no longer posed much of a threat.

After the black boar fell, Kim Haru noticed the director of the Animal Research Institute, who had previously been hidden behind the boar's massive body.

Unlike Jang Dojung, the Animal Research Institute director was a tall man with a muscular body and a rough face that seemed worlds apart from a refined official. He looked more like a barbarian who came out from a primeval forest.

Now, this barbarian stood in front of them shirtless, his upper body covered in the blood that had spurted out of the black boar's wounds. Seeing the boar collapse, he raised his hand, and a ball of water poured over him from head to toe, leaving him completely clean within moments.

Someone nearby, apparently well-prepared for this, immediately handed over a set of clothes.

Just as he was slipping on a vest, the director of the Animal Research Institute noticed Jang Dojung who was standing beside Kim Haru.

He raised a hand in greeting, saying, "Oh, Director Jang, you're here! Did you catch my heroic display just now? Impressive, wasn't it?"

Jang Dojung's brow twitched, feeling that this man could provoke him without even needing half a sentence. But now wasn't the time to argue, not with Mr. Kim still standing beside him.