"Hmmm!"

Things were getting complicated.

Mamadou had several hypotheses, but since the goblins were nowhere to be found, he decided to focus on his mission for now.

He pulled out the object the Greater Ark Monkey had given him.

It was a piece of branch with a hollow carved into it. It strongly resembled a compass.

Inside that hollow was a tiny plant sprout. The object itself was small enough to fit in Mamadou’s hand, making the sprout even smaller.

One could quickly notice that the sprout constantly leaned toward a specific direction. It could move. Mamadou had tested it several times by turning around, but no matter what he did, the sprout always twisted itself back toward that same direction.

He had been told that by following it, he would eventually find the first stele.

He had also been warned not to lose the little object.

After confirming his route, he placed it back into his basket.

Then he set off.

Passing beyond his former territory and eventually beyond the goblins’ territory as well, he followed the direction indicated by the strange guide.

After half a day of walking, he slowed his pace.

Since he had no idea how long the journey would take, there was no reason to rush.

After traveling for quite some time, he decided to rest as night began to fall.

Whenever it was time to rest, he perched himself high in a tree and thought through every possible situation he might encounter.

And when it was time to sleep, he always made sure he was stable and never allowed himself to fall into a deep sleep.

Once he woke up, he would simply continue walking.

The whole thing reminded him of hiking.

Or camping.

The only part he disliked was that, just like before, he avoided making fires.

He could have done so within his previous territory or even the goblins’ territory since he more or less knew what kinds of creatures roamed those areas.

But here?

He would not take that risk.

Nor did he want to waste the provisions he had brought with him.

Dried meat.

Then smoked meat.

Occasionally, he would take a bite, but he tried to avoid doing so. It was only during moments of weakness that he allowed himself that luxury.

Whenever necessary, he simply hunted and ate raw meat.

After resting for a while, he resumed his journey.

As he advanced, he felt that the forest was becoming livelier.

The farther he went, the more vibrant everything seemed.

The atmosphere also grew slightly humid. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

He checked his direction.

He had not strayed from the path.

As he continued forward, he began hearing a sound.

At first, it immediately put him on guard.

However, it did not take long for him to realize what it was.

Flowing water.

Just like an excited child, he ran toward the source of the noise.

And his eyes lit up.

Water! It’s water!

Joy surged through Mamadou.

The last time he had seen anything resembling water, it had been mud.

Since then, he had spent his days drinking sap or licking morning dew.

He quickly put down his basket and looked around.

Nothing.

No danger in sight.

The current was gentle.

The water flowed steadily, but the stream was fairly wide.

Mamadou approached it.

For the first time, he saw his reflection clearly.

"???"

"I really am a monkey!"

He already knew that.

Yet somehow, it still shocked him every single time.

Mamadou burst out laughing.

Splash!

Splash!

He slapped the water’s surface, distorting his reflection.

"Ah, water! Real water! But is it drinkable? Well, who cares? Burning a few SP won’t hurt."

Once the ripples settled and his reflection reformed, he took another look at his appearance.

The system hadn’t lied.

Even Mamadou had to admit it.

He looked exotic.

If an animal resembling him existed in his previous world, he would definitely have paid money just to see it.

His overall appearance was that of a monkey, but there were subtle differences.

The skin of his face was light in tone and remarkably smooth.

Without a doubt, if he were human, he would be considered highly attractive.

Is this because I evolved into an Ark Nocyris?

Since snakes are supposed to symbolize beauty?

It was difficult to distinguish a female monkey from a male one based solely on facial features.

Yet Mamadou’s face was closer to that of a human woman than a typical monkey.

Now that he thought about it, his fur was incredibly silky as well.

And on his forehead, he could make out three tiny marks.

They were so small that they were easy to overlook.

Are they my eyes? My Nocyris eyes?

He had a feeling they were closely linked to his ability to detect heat.

And he was right.

There was also a streak of green running across part of his head that no other Ark Monkey possessed.

Ah... so evolving with the Green Bear really did leave visible changes on my body.

Mamadou knew the green coloration could only have come from that.

Oddly enough, it had its own charm.

He was glad he had not turned entirely green.

A completely green monkey might be useful from a practical standpoint.

But appearance-wise?

He thought it would look awful.

"Man, I’d end up in a rare animal museum if I went back looking like this."

Still.

Enough admiring himself.

It had been a long time since he had seen this much water.

Not taking advantage of it would be a waste.

To put it simply, Mamadou had never truly washed himself.

Rain did not count.

Even though he did not smell bad, and even though a man could survive quite a while without bathing, he felt that he had long crossed the limit.

His body did not emit any unpleasant odor.

At one point, he had even suspected it might be the effect of some hidden skill that had never leveled up.

Something like Resistance to Bad Smells.

It was one of the jokes he made to himself.

Without further hesitation, he jumped into the water.

And started moving his legs.

However...

Mamadou had forgotten one tiny detail.

Whether as a human or during his time as a monkey...

He had never learned how to swim.

And thus, the twenty-five-year-old man who had survived all kinds of hardships suddenly found himself staring death in the face.

And thus...

Mamadou drowned.

RIP.