I Built a Divine Zoo in Another World

The rest of that day passed much faster than Lukas had imagined. The sun seemed to move twice as fast across the sky, the hours slipping through his fingers like water as he absorbed every moment with the eagerness of someone who had finally found what he had been searching for.

After the long conversation about mana, the Mana Source, and the Path of the Warrior, Clavor did not begin any physical training.

Instead, he led his son through different parts of the forest, turning the rest of the morning into a true living lesson.

He showed him which plants could be used as medicine, plucking leaves and explaining their properties.

”This one here, with the serrated edges, is excellent for stopping bleeding. Just crush the leaves and apply them directly to the wound.”

He then pointed to a bush covered with small red berries.

”These are poisonous. A single bite can paralyze your muscles for hours. If you eat more than three, you could die.”

Lukas listened to every word with heightened attention, his violet eyes studying every plant, every flower, and every detail his father pointed out. He did not want to forget anything. Every piece of knowledge might save his life one day.

Clavor also showed him footprints in the damp earth, explaining which belonged to harmless animals and which indicated the presence of dangerous monsters.

”Look at these tracks here. Three claws, deep, with uneven spacing. They belong to a Day Wolf. They usually hunt in packs, but they rarely come near the manor. Even so, if you find fresh tracks, return home immediately.”

”A warrior does not prevail through strength alone,” Clavor said as they walked, his calm, steady voice echoing through the trees.

”Knowledge saves more lives than a sword. A sword can fail. It can break. It can be lost. But knowledge... knowledge is always with you. It is the most reliable weapon a warrior can possess.”

Lukas listened carefully, engraving every syllable into his memory as though they were priceless jewels. He memorized every plant, every footprint they found in the soil, and every mark left on the trees by different beasts.

Whenever his father pointed to claw marks on the trunk of an ancient oak, explaining that they had been left by a Stone Bear, Lukas tilted his head. He studied every detail with the eyes of someone who truly wanted to learn.

When the sun stood high in the sky, its intense light piercing through the canopy, Clavor finally stopped at another clearing. It was different from the first one, more open, with fewer trees around it, and a massive boulder standing at its center, dominating the landscape.

Without saying a word, he walked toward the boulder.

It stood nearly two meters tall and was wide enough for three men to stand side by side. Its gray surface was covered with patches of moss, and small plants had rooted themselves in its cracks, showing that it had remained there for years, perhaps even decades, unmoving and unchanging.

Lukas looked at his father in confusion. What was he planning to do with that boulder?

Clavor placed one hand against the rock, his fingers resting on its rough surface.

”Pay close attention.”

He took a deep breath, his shoulders rising in a slow, controlled motion.

Without using mana. Without any glow appearing around his body. Only pure physical strength, forged through years of relentless discipline.

His muscles tightened slightly beneath his skin, lines of power taking shape across his arms and shoulders.

The next instant...

He pushed.

The enormous boulder slid across the ground as though it were nothing more than a wooden crate, scraping against the earth and carving a deep groove into the soil. The sound of stone grinding against dirt echoed throughout the clearing, startling birds from the nearby trees.

”Wow...”

Lukas’s eyes widened so much they nearly popped out of their sockets. His jaw dropped slightly.

It was already unbelievable. The boulder had to weigh several tons, perhaps five, perhaps ten, he could not even estimate it. Yet Clavor had moved it using nothing but his own body, without any magical or supernatural assistance.

”This...”

The man lightly patted the boulder as though greeting an old friend.

”...is only the strength I developed by training my body for years. No mana, no special abilities. Just muscles, bones, and discipline.”

Lukas approached the boulder, his heart pounding in his chest. He reached out and touched its cold surface, feeling the marks left by its friction against the ground. He tried pushing it himself, planting his feet firmly as he exerted all his strength.

With some effort, he managed to move it as well. But that was mainly because of the ability he had inherited from Tilbo, the enhanced physical strength his bond with the creature granted him.

Without it, the boulder would not have moved at all. The difference between the two of them would have been enormous, almost comical.

He knew that. He could feel it in his muscles, in the way his body responded differently than it should have. Tilbo’s ability was a crutch, valuable assistance, but it was not truly his own.

Clavor watched his son’s effort and smiled, fully understanding Lukas’s abnormal strength.

”Now...”

His voice became deeper, more solemn.

”...watch the difference.”

He took a deep breath, and Lukas felt something change.

The air around them seemed to grow heavier, as though the very atmosphere had condensed in response to Clavor’s presence. A silver energy flowed through his father’s body, coursing through his muscles like an underground river. There were no explosions. No dazzling lights or dramatic special effects. But Lukas could feel it.

It was mana.

The primordial energy of the world, channeled through the Source within Clavor’s heart, flowed through every fiber of his being. His father’s muscles seemed to gain a different firmness, a density that had not been there just moments before. It was as though Clavor himself had become more solid, more real.

Then...

Clavor clenched his right hand into a fist. His fingers tightened, his knuckles turning white beneath the skin. He threw a single punch, his arm moving in a swift, precise arc.

’BOOOM!’

The explosion echoed through the forest, an artificial thunderclap that shook the leaves from the trees and made the ground tremble beneath Lukas’s feet. Birds took flight in every direction, while small animals fled in terror.

The boulder simply disappeared.

No. It had been reduced to hundreds of fragments that flew in every direction like shards of a gigantic pane of glass. Some pieces were as large as Lukas’s fist, while others were as fine as dust. Dust covered the entire clearing, a gray cloud hanging in the air for long seconds.