When I Reincarnated, I Became Even More of a Gorilla

I wandered around the forest today. I don’t know how much time has already passed since I came to this forest, but it must have been quite a while.

After all, it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen the Orcs that used to attack me often in the beginning.

If they were the same Orcs as the monsters I knew, their setting would have made them increase their numbers quite quickly. I’m not sure about the Orcs here, but at least the small beings resembling Goblins turned out to be just as I imagined, so my expectations may not be far off.

I’ve learned something new so far today. I’m a big guy. How I knew that is because I encountered him.

He is my rival. A bear that lives in this forest. I don’t know what kind of bear he is, but he has red fur and breathes a lot of mana at the same level as me.

The bear had a size enough to grapple with me, so at first, I thought the bear was small, but it didn’t take me long to realize that it was actually me who was big.

I’ve got a record of 0W0L32D with that bear so far, and we’ve never been able to settle on our matter. Both of us engaged in a purely physical battle. Even with my drumming, which was like a projectile attack, it was meaningless because it’s offset by the bear’s roar.

We’ve actually had another fight today, but realizing that things aren’t going to get settled this time either, we just pulled out.

Now then, let’s see what’s good today. For the time being, let’s go around a few spots and see what I can find there.

I haven’t seen any people so far in my exploration here. However, I know for sure that they exist out there. The reason is that I discovered something that clearly looked like letters at a spot I often visit.

If these were just something written by Orcs, Goblins or some other barbarians, I would have given up, but those letters were clearly ink on processed paper.

The barbarians wouldn’t have the need to use such things, so I think that would be enough evidence.

And so, I’ve made it a routine to memorize where I find such things and go around, in the hope of meeting people.

Now, I explore the spots to see what has fallen today. This is the second spot I’m going to today, as the first is the one closest to the cave deep in the forest where I sleep, so it’s a little further out.

Something new has been dumped here today. This is…… a book?

It’s a rather small book, but my fingers are dexterous enough to handle it, so I carefully flip through the pages to see what’s inside.

It seems to be a children’s book. More specifically, a book for children to learn vocabulary. There are pictures next to some of the letters, and children are to remember that’s how they are written.

As I thought, it really is safe to assume that humans do exist here.

I read the book and tried to write the words myself on the ground. With my large physique, the letters I write end up big as well, but it’s no exaggeration to say that I’m the King of the Forest, so I can skillfully use the ground to practice.

＊＊＊

It had been 2 weeks since I had started practicing letters. I could already write half of the characters in the book.

My daily schedule these days hadn’t changed much: in the morning I fought the bear, went around specific spots, maintained the area around my cave and practiced writing.

I go to bed when night falls and get up when the sun rises, and every day feels fresh.

However, after I had gotten this far in writing, I realized that if I had this book, I wouldn’t have had to memorize it, right?

I realized that I could easily express what I wanted to say by pointing to the book. Well, I think it wouldn’t hurt to remember, but I also feel it would be a loss considering the time I used practicing being a waste.

As I realized this while eating a fruit, even though it was a waste, before I knew it, I had sprayed the contents of my mouth.

Haahhh…… As I haven’t seen anyone after all this time, I wonder if this was really worth it?

Well then, to prepare for tomorrow, good night.

＊＊＊

Another day comes, another day for the usual routine.

I had another draw today with the bear, and when I was going around the usual spots, I found a satchel that contained mana in it.

Living like this, I’ve gradually come to understand how to use this thing I call mana. Mana can be circulated throughout the body. Originally, it wasn’t something that moved much, but with persistent effort, it gradually became more mobile, and I can now circulate it throughout my entire body.

This is just my hunch, but I feel that my strength increases by 10-20% when I do this. I’m not sure because I’m originally strong, but perhaps the uncertainty is a flaw of the gorilla that I am.

I wondered if I could use the magicules in the air in the same way, but unlike the mana in my body, I can’t easily move it, and even now, I can only move those magicules a few millimeters at most.

Now then, why am I talking about all this? It’s because objects like this satchel, which are filled with mana, can have its mana observed by others, and to do that, it seems to be necessary to circulate mana around them.

I think the first time I saw magicules, it was because of a Gorilla Instinct or some sort, or perhaps I was unconsciously circulating the mana within me.

Picking up the satchel, when I stuck my hand inside, I was surprised to find that it was surprisingly spacious inside. When I put a number of things in it, it turned out to be that so-called magic bag that I often see in novels and the like.

Considering the size of my body, it’s not reliably large, but still, having something that allows me to store food in is a good find.

I’ll keep this in the container I made for my crib.

This is why I can’t stop going around my scavenging spots.