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    The fried steaks of Demon Boar slowly dipped its juices and oil over the pieces of bread, which were cut in the middle, the spongy and white interior slowly turned darker. Ervas munched into it with his sharp teeth, which had been developing the more he had leveled the ''Demon Metabolism'' skill. ??


    On the other side, Jason drank the warm soup and ate the tender pieces of boiled meat, carrots, and sweet potatoes, while drinking ck tea. The soup was rich in vor and texture. Jason was apanying it with arge piece of bread, which he dipped into the soup and then ate voraciously.


    The rest of the party was not so different, Veronica, Aqua, and Charlotte were enjoying the prepared meals, while the nts were eating the corpses of the monsters they hunted today, which also included arge Demon Boar, being eaten by Ivy.


    Even the Live-Dead Nick was enjoying a sandwich while drinking some tea. Although he was expressionless and his eyes seemedpletely dead, he seemed to enjoy the vor and warmness of the tea, as even though itcked a soul, its body still had five senses.


    Through this week, Nick leveled up with the rest of the party and evolved into a Rank 2 Live-Dead Warrior. Jason was teaching Nick and Gwendolyn his techniques and as the two quickly learned Shield, Armor, and Club Techniques, Nick''s new race title reflected this.


    Ervas was still unsure of what could Nick end up bing, will he be a stronger Warrior? A knight? Berserk? It was an interesting topic to often talk about.


    Meanwhile, the Parasite Grass Sisters aside from Gwendolyn had parasitized different monsters, some took over Demon Boars, while others into Goblins, Giant Demon Rats, and de Horned Rabbits.


    As the party chatted about trivial things, a little presence lurked around the trees surrounding the clearing where everyone was enjoying their meal.


    "Peko, peko… that looks way too good! Why don''t they share some, peko? Uwah…"


    It was a young girl, seemingly on her twelve to fifteen years of age, with a slim and flexible body, smooth and glossy chocte-colored skin, and silvery-white hair. She had two rabbit-like ears popping at the top of her head, alongside a small rabbit tail above her butt.


    She wore some very tattered leather clothes that barely covered her t chest and a loincloth. From her knees down below, her feet seemed to be those of a rabbit, covered in the same fur color as her silvery-white hair.


    She had a few scars on her body, alongside some open wounds in her legs, herplexion seemed healthy because she was a beast-person of the Rabbit-kin, naturally possessing a strong physiquepared to humans.


    However, she was starving, as she has not eaten anything decent for a week. The monsters in this ce were way too strong for her, and most of the time she was running away from them instead of hunting anything, barely making her day by eating small bugs or mushrooms.


    "I-It''s right in front of me…! T-That pot…! I should… I think I can grab a bite and then escape! Right? Peko…! Uwah! I can''t resist any longer, peko!!!"


    Guided by her instincts, she could not resist any longer and jumped towards the nearby pot filled with delicious soup, meat, and vegetables.


    "Gubooo!"


    Suddenly, her sight was blocked by arge membrane made out of the slimy blue liquid.


    "Peko?!"


    Aqua, who had already detected the Rabbit Beast-person girl intercepted her with her own body, by expanding it like a nket and capturing the little girl.


    "Aqua, don''t kill her," said Veronica, ncing at the Rabbit-kin girl. She was not surprised at all by her sudden appearance… it seems that they had already detected her long ago, and were waiting for her to appear on her own.


    "Pekoooo! What is this?! A slime? I did not see it! Help me! Help me, peko!"


    "That''s because Aqua was using Stealth and Camouge, it was obvious that you wouldn''t see her so easily, she''s good at merging with the environment," said Veronica, ncing at the girl.


    "…Peko? Please do not kill me! I will do anything! I-I can be your ve! I work hard as long as I get a meal per day! I can clean your clothes a-and… well, guide you through the forest!" said the little girl.


    The party ignored the little girl''s words except for Jason, who was ncing at her with pity.


    "Why does she say ''Peko'' so much?" asked Ervas.


    "I don''t know. She seems to be a Rabbit-kin Beast-person, so I suppose it is part of their dialect?" wondered Veronica.


    "Hey! Don''t ignore me, pekoo! And there is nothing wrong with my dialect, peko!" shouted the rabbit girl, struggling while trying to free herself from Aqua. But Aqua was not a simple rank 1 slime, she was a Rank 5 Slime, strong enough to be capable of getting rid of a whole party of Rank D Adventurers.


    "Guburu!" said Aqua, reprimanding the girl.


    "Err… Veronica, Ervas… Shouldn''t we ask her who she is, from where she is and why is she here?" asked Jason.


    "Oh, yeah… but we are enjoying our lunch now," said Ervas.


    "Indeed, it is important to not interrupt such an important meal as lunch," said Veronica.


    "You two…" muttered Shade, appearing from within Veronica''s body.


    "L-Lunch?! Hey! …Can you share some with me, peko? I am starving… I have been eating bugs and shrooms through the entire week…" muttered the girl.


    "You''re hungry?" asked Ervas.


    "Yes…"


    "I can tell, that''s why you attacked us?" asked Veronica.


    "I didn''t attack you, peko! I was just trying to… well, to take a bit of that hotpot… you have plenty, don''t you? Can''t you spare some, peko?" said the rabbit girl, bing a bit cocky.


    "Here," said Ervas, using Telekinesis to give the rabbit girl a te filled with soup, meat, vegetables, and mushrooms. The steamy scent filled the little girl''s nostrils, her emerald eyes shined brightly as her mouth began to drool.


    "Aqua, let the girl eat," said Veronica.


    "Gubobo…" said Aqua, freeing the Rabbit girl as she began to eat the hotpot voraciously.


    "Nom, nom, nom! Aah! My tongue, this is too hot…! But it so good, peko! So warm… Is there salt in this?! And even other herbs, peko! T-This is the most vorful meal I''ve eaten in my life, peko!" said the little girl, devouring her te of food in mere seconds.


    "I''ll give you seconds but tell us your name and from where youe from," said Ervas.


    "Ah… I am… Pekorina, I am from the Rabbit-kin vige to the south of here… well, it is no longer a vige anymore… just ruins, peko…" she said, as Aqua cleaned her cheeks which were moist with soup.


    "I see… Here, have seconds," said Ervas, he was apassionate soul deep down, and so was Veronica, who took therge bread she had just baked and took out another piece of it.


    "Here, has some bread as well Pekorina. You''re too young to be going around a wild forest on your own, you know?" said Veronica.


    Pekorina was given more food, as she began to gulp it all down, Jason offered her some tea.


    "Here Pekorina," he said.


    "Haah… everything is so good… thank you so much for your benevolence, peko… Snif, sniff,"


    Pekorina then broke into tears due to the generosity of the strangers she had just meet.


    Pekorina thought that the group was going to kill her or even worse, sell her as a ve, but everyone seemed incredibly generous.


    "W-Why are you so generous with me, peko? Are you not humans?"


    "Ah, we are not humans. Well, my father is," asked Ervas.


    "Well, I don''t have any reason to be angry at you, Aqua already gave you a nice frighten. And I am not a human either, look!" said Veronica, taking out her helmet and revealing an empty armor…


    "UWAH! Y-You are a Living Armor?! …but you can talk?" asked Pekorina, bewildered.


    "Yeah, it is a long story… but I am a good Living Armor, you can call me Veronica by the way, or mama Veronica, I don''t mind!" said Veronica, with a smile, materializing her phantom form and revealing her beautiful face, with crimson eyes and hair, alongside phantasmagoric, almost transparent pale white skin.


    "Mama… Veronica? I think I will stick with just Veronica, peko," said Pekorina.


    "And I am Ervas. I am a Half-Demon," said Ervas, revealing the small horn on his forehead, often covered on his own hair.


    "Ah, I am Jason, Ervas''s father, I am the only Human here… Nick is a Live-Dead, I don''t know if you should qualify him as a human… Oh, and those are Aqua, Charlotte, Gwendolyn, Ivy, Ainsley, and Alder!" said Jason, pointing at all the monsters present.


    "Are these all tamed monsters…? I have never met someone capable of taming nts, arachnids, and slimes before… and is that a zombie? But how? It is not rotting…" muttered Pekorina.


    "Well, I don''t think she can see me, so I won''t introduce myself," said Shade.


    "And this is Shade!" said Veronica, taking Shade out of her empty metallic body.


    "Ah! A floating eye?!" shouted Pekorina.


    "Ah! Wait, you can see me?" asked Shade.


    "And it talks! Wait for a second, is that a spirit…? Oh gods!" said Pekorina, realizing Shade''s true identity.


    Then, the party presented the rest of the spirits, Gaia, Sylphid, and Gnome.


    "S-So many spirits… all of you are spiritualist?! I can''t believe my eyes, peko,"


    Pekorina nced at the spirits and their presences, which were mythical for Rabbit-kin who were greatly connected with nature.


    "Anyways, let us continue having lunch, join with us Pekorina, and tell us more about your vige and what happened to them… by the way, do you know other vigers around here? We have been looking for a ce to stay a few days," said Ervas.


    "Y-Yes, dly!" said Pekorina, finding the young toddler that talked through her head rather adorable, even if he looked like a lifeless doll most of the time.


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