Limitless Evolution Through Conquering Primal Beauties-Chapter 19 - A Primitive Task

For several minutes, Borami poured out all her emotions in Leonard’s embrace. Her sobbing gradually subsided into soft sniffles, then into heavy breaths and the occasional shaky exhale. Leonard remained silent, his hand gently stroking her back and hair, allowing her to release the burden she had carried alone for years.

When Borami finally began to calm down, she slowly loosened her hold. She pulled back slightly, then realized something. Her tear-filled eyes widened as she became aware of how tightly she had been hugging him.

She let go abruptly, her face instantly turning red.

"S-Sorry," she muttered shyly, lowering her head. "I didn’t realize I was holding you that tightly."

After crying, Borami felt her chest grow lighter. The weight she had borne for years, the guilt that had haunted her, the belief that she was cursed—all of it felt a little less heavy. As if someone had taken part of that burden from her.

Leonard grimaced in pain. His hand reached behind his back, to the exact spot that had cracked earlier. "Do you realize my rib broke because of that hug?"

Borami gasped.

"What? Broken? Really?" She reached toward him, wanting to check, but Leonard raised a hand to stop her.

"Relax, relax. It’s already healed." Leonard showed the smooth back of his hand without any injury. "Regeneration, remember?"

Borami let out a relieved breath, though guilt was still written across her face. "Sorry. I can’t control my strength when I’m emotional."

Leonard looked at her—her face still damp with tears, her cheeks flushed, her eyes slightly swollen but now much calmer. He smiled.

Borami stared at that smile. Her heart beat a little faster. Warmth crept up her cheeks. A feeling she hadn’t experienced in a long time resurfaced.

"Rami," Leonard called softly. "Are you feeling better now?"

Borami nodded slowly, wiping away the remaining tears on her cheeks. "Yes. I’m... sorry you had to see me like that."

"Actually, it’s the opposite." Leonard smiled again. "I’m glad you told me. I mean, we’ve both cried in each other’s arms now. Pretty fair, right?"

Borami smiled, an enchanting smile that made Leonard forget to breathe for a moment.

"You asked earlier why I was kind to you, right?" Borami said. "I’m not entirely sure either. Maybe... maybe it’s because I feel like we’re similar."

Leonard raised an eyebrow.

"We both don’t have anyone left in this world," Borami continued. "You lost your memories, you have no family, no friends. I... well, you know my story." She lowered her gaze briefly, then looked at him again. "Maybe that’s why I wanted to help you. Because I know what it feels like to be alone."

Leonard fell silent, then let out a soft chuckle.

"I guess you’re right," he said. "We didn’t even know each other before yesterday. And now look at us,already crying in each other’s arms."

Borami smiled again.

Leonard looked at her. "So, are you really sure you want to let me live with you?"

Borami shrugged, trying to appear casual. "Don’t you want to? I’m not forcing you."

Leonard laughed.

"Of course I do. You don’t even need to ask." He looked at her seriously. "But I promise I won’t trouble you. I’ll work. I’ll help with whatever I can. I don’t want to be a burden."

Borami nodded. "Good. Because I have plenty of work."

And just like that, Leonard’s daily life in the primitive world alongside an incredibly beautiful cow beastkin began.

.

.

.

A few hours later, Leonard was already busy with his first task.

"You said you’d help, right?" Borami said while dragging a large hide out of her house. "Here, help me carry this to the river."

Leonard stared at the hide. Huge. Around four meters wide, and just as long. Dark brown, with thick fur on one side. And the smell... yes, it smelled like a carcass.

"This..." Leonard lifted one end, immediately feeling the immense weight. "What kind of hide is this?"

"Mutated Beast hide." Borami lifted the other end effortlessly, as if it were just cloth. "I received it as payment for helping with the birth last night. The woman’s husband is a hunter. They gave me this."

The two of them carried the hide toward the river. Leonard staggered slightly, sweat beginning to drip down his forehead. Borami, on the other hand, walked casually, not looking tired at all.

"So strong," Leonard muttered, slightly envious.

They arrived at a quiet riverbank, somewhat hidden from the main settlement of the cow tribe. The water was clear and flowed gently. Lush trees around them provided shade.

Borami set her end of the hide down. Leonard did the same, though more slowly and with much more internal complaining.

"So," Leonard asked while wiping sweat from his brow, "what are we going to do with this?"

Borami pulled a tool from her waist. It was made of bone, one side sharpened to a crude edge. It looked like a knife, but primitive.

"This is a scraping tool," Borami explained. "We need to clean this hide from leftover meat and fat. See?"

She flipped the hide to the non-furred side. Leonard grimaced at the sight, plenty of red meat scraps and yellowish fat still clung to it. Some parts were even still bloody.

"If we don’t remove the fat," Borami continued, "it will rot and ruin the hide. It’ll become brittle, smelly, unusable."

Borami knelt by the river. She splashed water over the hide, then began to work.

Her movements were smooth but efficient. With the bone knife in hand, she scraped off the leftover meat and fat. Each stroke peeled away the red layer, revealing the pale underside of the hide. Every few strokes, she rinsed it with river water, washing away the loosened grime.

Leonard watched carefully. Even though the task was dirty and foul-smelling, he was fascinated by Borami’s skill.

"It has to be perfectly clean," Borami explained while continuing to work. "No fat left at all. After this, we’ll soak it in a mixture of tree bark."

Leonard blinked. "Tree bark?"

"Yes. It removes the smell and preserves it." Borami smiled at his expression.

After a few minutes of demonstration, Borami stopped and handed the bone knife to Leonard.

"Your turn. Do it like I showed you." She pointed to a section of hide still covered in flesh.

Leonard took it. The tool felt light in his hand. Just bone, with a rough grip and an uneven but sharp edge.

He knelt beside the hide, just as Borami had done, and began to imitate her movements.

And surprisingly... it wasn’t as hard as he’d imagined.

The tool scraped off the fat fairly easily. Maybe because the hide was still fresh, maybe because Borami had started with the easier parts. Leonard carefully followed the hide’s contours, removing the disgusting bits of meat.

Borami observed him for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Do it until everything’s clean before nightfall."

Leonard glanced at her. "You’re leaving?"

"I still have other work at home." Borami smiled. "You can manage on your own, right?"

Leonard looked at the massive hide, then back at Borami. He wanted to protest, but he remembered his promise not to be a burden.

"Yes," he finally said. "I can."

Borami nodded and left, leaving Leonard alone by the river with a house-sized, foul-smelling hide.

Leonard got to work.

He scraped. And scraped. And scraped again.

At first, he thought this would be easy. Borami had made it look effortless. But after twenty minutes, his hands began to ache. The muscles in his arms—unused to anything beyond typing and holding a phone for two years—started to protest. His wrists felt stiff.

He paused, shaking out his hands. Then he resumed.

After an hour, he began to struggle. The hide was too large. He had only cleaned about one-fifth of it—the part closest to the edge. The rest was still covered in clinging fat and meat. His arms felt like they were about to fall off.

But he kept working.

The metallic smell of blood still pierced his nose, making him nauseous every few minutes. Still, he tried not to complain.

And amidst the soreness, the nausea, and the frustration, he suddenly smiled to himself.

’This is better than freezing to death last night,’ he thought. ’This is better than being mocked by those apes. This is better than begging.’

He kept scraping. Focusing on one area, then moving to the next. He didn’t think about how huge the hide was or how long it would take. He just focused on the part he was working on.

One inch at a time. One span at a time.

On a tree not far from the river, a pair of eyes watched Leonard.

Leonard had absolutely no idea.

He was far too busy cleaning the gigantic hide.