Wait! Was I Seriously Just Reincarnated As a Cat?-Chapter 35: Understanding Axis Mundi

And so it was settled—Aristella and her speech managed to rile up my fellow beasts—and now we were all working together. Despite our differences in the past, beasts and humans could finally join forces to stop a common enemy. Things were looking good.

After we settled down and made alliances, I also asked the beasts of my unnamed village to build a much bigger but.

At least large enough to fit a few humans inside.

It took a few hours, but it was eventually made out of mud and straw, and reinforced with wood. At this point, I was wondering where the hell these guys knew how to build so well? Did Croak’mar keep them in labor all the time or something? Sheesh.

But man, I wish my mom were here to see this, I really want to see the look on her face and have her see me grow as her daughter. And not just that; she was the only family I had in this world besides my brothers and sisters who were still asleep in the central housing of the village.

Needless to say, I was a bit... sad.

I didn’t get to know my mother as much, nor am I aware of what she’s up to.

Did she attack Sasobek when I was knocked unconscious? It’s unlikely that she’s in trouble, considering her Emergency Teleportation Skill hasn’t activated yet.

Oh well, it’s better to let it go and not worry so much about it right now—I had other matters to attend to other than panicking like a scaredy cat.

Pun intended.

"So, how do you like it?"

We were inside my hut; Aristella, Conndo, and Rowan.

They sat on makeshift Zabutons that I had my loyal beasts craft, in front of a table.

This was their hut, needless to say.

"So, this is where we’ll be sleeping?" Asked Conndo, looking all around him at the architecture. "Is this even safe?"

"It’s made out of mud and wood. What do you think?" Rowan asked as his sword and shield sat on the table in front of him.

"Guys, show some respect!" Said Aristella, furrowing her brows. "They put a lot of work into building this, so be grateful!"

Rowan crossed his arms, closing his eyes as he said nothing else.

Conndo jumped at Aristella raising his voice, now rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Ah, you’re right, sorry about that!"

Did Aristella have these two on a leash or something? Sheesh.

She may seem sweet and fragile on the outside, but deep down she does know how to get bossy.

"So, you guys said you’re from... Mundus right? Where is that located?" I asked, sitting down like a cat loaf.

"O-Oh, I’m sure you’ve heard of the European mythology, right?" Asked Conndo.

"European... mythology? Wait! That’s the mythology where dragons, knights, and the cliche fantasy genre come from, isn’t it?"

"...Cliche fantasy... genre?" Asked Aristella, visibly confused. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

As was Conndo.

"...Never mind!" I blabbered, waving my paw. "Ignore that, I say weird stuff sometimes."

They all stared at me as Rowan narrowed his eyes after opening them.

"...Hmph."

I coughed and decided to change the topic before I embarrassed myself further.

"So! Mundus. Dragons, knights, metal armor, and magic staffs." I pointed at Aristella’s staff. "That thing screams fantasy land. How far is it from here?"

Aristella exchanged a look with Conndo before answering.

"Well... the Conceptual Barrier, known as the Arcanum, had shattered not too long ago, so we were allowed free entry into this world without having to perform the Mythshift Ritual."

Whoa, she said a lot of things at once that I didn’t understand.

"Arcanum? Mythshift Ritual?" I asked in confusion.

Rowan let out a quiet huff.

"It’s a ritual done by three people sacrificing their skills to the Primordial God in order to open a gateway into another world. That’s how we ended up here, in the Egyptian Mythology."

[Sacrificing Skills?] I said internally. [Why do they have to do that? And why couldn’t they just travel to the Egyptian Mythology without performing this ritual?]]

Spiritus suddenly chimed in out of nowhere to answer.

[[Response. Each continent has its own mythology that is separated by an Arcanum; abstract fields that contain entire spacetime continuums and their own laws and mythology. Everything inside it automatically follows the rules of the Arcanum without choice. Fire exists because the idea of heat exists within the Arcanum, and the fire naturally expresses it. If an Arcanum changes, then all things tied to it change with it across the entire world. That is why every mythology is different.]]

[...Holy hell, that’s a lot to take in! B-But I think I get it. Kinda?!]

My brain felt like it had just been put in a blender.

"...Okay." I said slowly. "So every mythology is basically its own... bubble of reality?"

"That’s one way to put it." Aristella replied.

"Mundus exists under the European Arcanum. This land exists under the Egyptian one."

"And because the Arcanum shattered." Conndo added. "Travel became... pretty unstable. While it is possible without rituals, it is also dangerous the longer it remains open, usually merging with other Arcanums."

Rowan tapped the table once.

"Which is why we were sent immediately, before the merging could start!"

"...Great." I muttered under my breath with a hefty sigh. "So not only does this world have a tyrant Beast King problem, but reality itself has spring leaks or something." I lowered my head. "Give me a break, yo."

None of them laughed at me as Aristella spoke up.

"This is very dangerous, Lady Keiko. If this Arcanum continues to remain open over time, mythologies may overlap. Creatures, laws, even gods could blend into one another!"

[Spiritus.]

[[Listening.]]

[...Is that bad?]

[[Clarification. Catastrophically.]]

"...Awesome." I sighed. "Love that for us."

Rowan leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.

"That’s why Sasobek is so dangerous now. He has a title that enforces absolute authority to all beasts within each Arcanum, and now that this one has shattered, he can call upon the countless other beasts from other mythologies!"

"And that includes... dragons!" Said Conndo in anxiety.

"D-Dragons?!" I yelped.

I felt my tail stiffen up immediately.

"Mm..." Rowan nodded with a low hum. "Dragons are no joke. Not even in the European mythologies. And if Sasobek can summon or enslave them..." He paused, balling his hands into fists. "...We’re in real trouble."

Aristella shivered, but she kept her staff close as she sat on her knees on the zabuton.

"It’s not just dragons! Wolves, griffins, giant serpents... anything that obeys the title ’King of Beasts’ could be pulled under his command by his principle!"

I rubbed my face with my paws.

"So... basically, Sasobek could end up being King of all the scary stuff ever. Including the stuff I don’t want to think about at night."

Conndo paled at my words.

"And you’re planning on taking him down... how?"

I swayed my tail, trying to appear calm.

"Honestly? Step one is surviving long enough to figure out a plan. And we also can’t trust outside beasts, for obvious reasons!"

Rowan tilted his head, clearly unimpressed.

"Survival is not a plan."

"Shut up, dude!" I hissed, though I couldn’t fully hide the quiver in my voice. "Survival is... essential strategy! It’s the cornerstone of every battle plan ever. Trust me."

That’s what I learned reading manga, at least.

Aristella, ever the calm one, finally spoke again.

"Lady Keiko... even if we survive, we’ll need more allies. Beasts, humans... anyone willing to fight against Sasobek. And... someone strong enough to face him directly."

I blinked my feline eyes multiple times.

"Someone strong enough?"

I immediately thought of my mother, but before I could make any guesses about her whereabouts, Rowan spoke.

"I’m actually curious, Keiko... if you’re not influenced by the authority of Sasobek’s title, then how is it the same for the other beasts here?"

I stole a glance at Rowan who sat there crisscross with his arms folded.

"Oh... well that’s pretty easy to explain."

All of a sudden, I brought up my status hub.

[[Name: Unnamed

Titles: Otherworlder, King of the Swamp, Beast Slayer

Race: Wildborn Beast—Black Cat

LVL: 10/20

Strength: 96

Speed: 100

Agility: 104

HP (Health): 1,260

MP (Magic): 1,060

SP (Stamina): 1,590

Intrinsic Skills: Purr-suasion (LV: 2), Night Vision (LV: 2), Silent Steps (LV: 2), Keen Senses (LV: 3)

Special Skills: Ninefold Rebirth (LV: 1), Lucky Dodge (LV: 2), Bad Omen (LV: 2)

Epic Skills: Phantom Claw (LV: 3), Affinity Nullification (LV: 1)

Resistances: Disease (LV: 1), Curse (LV: 1), Luck (LV: 1), Poison (LV: 4), Corrosion (LV: 1), Acid (LV: 1)]]

"Check this out."

They all widened their eyes at my stats, completely baffled.

"King of the Swamp?" Asked Aristella.

"Yup!" I said nodding my head. "It was the title I earned from slaying a big frog guy named Croak’mar, but a better name is Frogzilla! When I obtained his title, I became the new king of the swamp, causing everything within it to obey me."

"So that’s how you made them follow you over Sasobek?" Asked Conndo, confused.

"No, it’s not." Muttered Rowan, furrowing his brows in suspicion. "Even if that’s the case, the effects of the title should’ve worn off since you’re no longer in the swamp. So how are they still not influenced by Sasobek?"

I widened my eyes. This guy had some crazy analysis. Or maybe he was just using common sense, I don’t know.

"Uhh... even after the effects wore off, they were still loyal to me from how righteous I treated them compared to Croak’mar."

"Is that so..." Said Rowan in a low tone.

"Rowan, that’s enough!" Shouted Aristella, pinching his arm as she scowled at him.

"Ah!" He grunted in pain before the mage turned back to face me with a smile. "Thank you for everything, Lady Keiko. We won’t ask for much else. And if you have any questions for us, just let me know. I’ll gladly answer them."

I smiled as much as a cat could before nodding my head.

"Alright, sounds like a plan to me!"

Man, what a sweet girl.