Oh, I was dead.


    Before the claws could reach my throat, Jer-kel practically threw herself in the way. Her chest plate cracked, and she flew back, her body crashing into the ground.


    I was caught by her moving form and was sent tumbling along with her. I landed hard.


    Instead of crying out in pain, she adjusted her hands to cover my ears, blocking the sound.


    Wha—


    I didn’t need to wonder long. The answer came immediately. Her monster flew high into the air and screamed. The sound was so powerful that the ground trembled beneath us, the very earth vibrating with the force, while the shafeline howled in pain.


    Good. If she could keep that up for long enough, maybe she''d force it to faint.


    But then I noticed the fairy’s ears were bleeding, and not just hers—Jer-kel’s ears were bleeding, too. The pain must have been unbearable, and after a few moments, the fairy stopped her sonic assault.


    The trembling of the air and ground ceased, dropping from intense to nothing in a matter of seconds.


    Jer-kel muttered something under her breath. Frustration. It was clear—the fairy hadn’t had enough time to absorb the ether from the organs, not nearly enough.


    I wasn’t sure exactly how much time was needed, but it was certainly less than I had. She’d barely gotten anything.


    Jer-kel tried to push herself up, but her movements were erratic, as if she had no sense of balance. Her eardrums were destroyed, and she stumbled like a drunk.


    The shafeline, meanwhile, was coating its body in fire and pounced like a wild cat.


    The fairy barely managed to evade it. It became a game of tag, and with every passing second, the shafeline was getting closer to catching her.


    Meanwhile, I focused on Mon, trying to direct it to fire at the creature. The little fireballs shot out, but they were too slow, barely even registering as a threat. The shafeline didn''t even look at them.


    I tried to lift Jer-kel, to drag her to safety, but—holy shit, she was heavy. The armor alone must’ve added over four hundred pounds. There was no way I could do this.


    But I had to.


    My muscles strained, and my legs trembled under the weight as if I were about to collapse. Come on… Come on…


    I slid on a pebble, crashing forward. My chin slammed into the ground, sending a shockwave of pain through my skull.


    That hurt... Oh god, that hurts so much.


    Jer-kel’s bleeding ears suddenly stopped, and I saw many of her wounds begin to close up.


    I snapped my attention to the fairy. Its body was coated in white energy, shimmering like a protective shield. Why doesn’t it just fly higher up? I wondered. It could easily avoid the shafeline, but maybe it’s worried the monster would target us instead.


    Well, whatever. The healer was back online. That was good news.


    Jer-kel pushed herself up and said, "Get to cover..."


    "What about you?" I asked.


    "Don’t worry about me."


    "And the villagers?"


    “There should be some alive. I made sure of that…”


    Her voice wasn’t cold, but I could sense a hint of worry beneath her tough exterior. Maybe she wasn’t as hardened as she let on. There was a difference between hating someone and thinking they deserved a painful death.


    There were definitely other monsters alive. A monster could be lurking around any corner.


    I had a way to fix that.


    I focused on Mon’s senses—its hearing and its sniffing.


    The scent of blood, feces, urine, and sweat flooded my senses. Then, I heard the low growls of monsters, too faint for a human ear to detect. About three of them, closing in.


    They were probably hunting the villagers.


    I know what I have to do.


    I made Mon lead the way toward the monsters and followed it closely.


    The first time I fought a monster, I almost died. To anyone else, my actions might seem irrational, even heroic.


    But it wasn’t about heroism. I wasn’t foolish enough to risk my life for some noble cause. I had once killed myself, indifferent to what the future held. That lack of regard for life made it hard to value my own.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    But now, there was a spark of something in me. I was excited, but also terrified, about what my future in this world might look like.


    The reason I was taking this risk? Because I hated these monsters. I wanted to see them suffer. I wanted to kill them, torture them, make them regret their very existence.


    And, of course, I wanted to save these people. It wasn’t just about revenge.


    I spotted a monster perched on a house rooftop, looking down at a little boy hiding behind a house with his father and another person.


    The monster lunged at the boy.


    Go!


    Mon dashed forward at full speed, kicking up dust as it sprinted. My eyes locked on the monster, its every movement frantic as it closed the distance to the boy. Just as it was within a meter, a fireball, the size of a tennis ball, hit it square in the face.


    “Quaa!” the monster screeched, its pouncing form faltering, and it crashed to the ground in front of the three hiding figures.


    “What the hell?!” the father—at least, I assumed he was the father—yelled in shock.


    The monster clawed at the ground, desperately trying to bury its head to extinguish the fire.


    I didn’t waste any time. I made Mon bite down on the monster’s throat with all its strength. There was a sickening crack, followed by the frantic panicking of the monster, its life slipping away as it struggled.


    I was making my way toward them, running around the building to reach its blind spot.


    My ribs hurt.


    The monster’s claws were embedded deep in Mon’s body. I moved quickly, finally arriving at the back of it. It had no idea I was there.


    With both hands on the hilt of my blade, I struck its spine, aiming to paralyze it. I couldn’t go for a throat cut, as Mon was blocking my way.


    The blade sank deep into its back, but the bone was tough, and the monster struggled fiercely, trying to break free. I kept stabbing the same spot—well, I tried to. My aim wasn’t great.


    Just die!


    After a few more stabs, its lower back finally stopped moving. Mon, at last, ripped its brother''s throat open.


    Personal Level: 4


    Shuralene, Level: 9


    This was my first time feeling this. Suddenly, I knew I’d gained levels.


    My whole body felt stronger. I guessed that was the result of gaining three levels at once.


    I glanced at the family. They seemed slightly terrified of me, as if they hadn’t just been saved by my actions. Maybe it was because of my violent approach, or because I was covered in blood—both fresh and old, from eating raw monster organs.


    Or maybe it was simpler than that. I was working with a monster, the very same kind that had likely killed many of their friends and family.


    I left without saying a word. I’d preferred to keep my identity as a Vlandos hidden, but it didn’t really matter.


    I moved quickly again.


    Now that I could upgrade my body, I wasn’t sure about the potential drawbacks, like fatigue from the energy required for the changes.


    I should only use what I’m confident in.


    I made Mon rip open its brother''s abdomen and take its EPO. I held my breath and ate it.


    The taste and texture were still revolting. My stomach churned terribly, and my eyes teared up again.


    It’s whatever. I can handle this.


    We found another monster in a house. It was sniffing the ground, moving toward a room like a hungry doctor. This time, we didn’t catch it off guard.


    It turned to face us and gave chase. Mon rushed forward to meet it, and the two clashed. Both of their claws were on fire, digging deep into each other’s chests and backs.


    I moved fast—faster than I’d ever moved before. Probably twice my previous speed, though that wasn’t saying much since my body was still twelve years old. I dug my blade into the monster’s hind legs, rendering them useless, then went for its neck.


    Level: 5


    Hm. That one must have been low-level. But it''s impossible to tell anyway.


    I healed my monster, restoring it to full health and…


    Kill… kill... SLAUGHTER.


    Ugh…


    Mon’s thoughts were getting loud, as if the barrier between our minds was breaking.


    I can handle it. I know my thoughts from Mon’s, but this is starting to strain me.


    I felt tired, a headache beginning to form.


    I left the house, moving toward the next target, but that didn’t seem necessary anymore.


    Wait. I can no longer smell the third monster through Mon''s senses. That means the last thing to do is check on Jer-kel.


    Ah, who am I kidding? I can''t really help.


    I looked at her fight. It was still bad, just like before.


    The Shafeline’s tail was wrapped around the fairy’s leg, swinging it around with violent force. The air whistled with every swing.


    That was affecting Jer-kel. Her footing was unstable. Even if I couldn’t help directly, I had to do something—anything. A distraction would be enough.


    Mon, [fire spit]—


    A massive cone-shaped rock hit the Shafeline in the chest. Its body contorted with the impact, and it was thrown to the ground with a loud thud.


    Lo, Lo’jul, and Jim arrived atop their monsters—a giant tree-crab-like creature and a four-meter-tall dog with gorilla and shark features, though not in a Frankenstein way.


    Jim turned to Lo’jul. “Nice shot.”


    “Always.”


    It took them forever.


    The Shafeline lost its confidence, no longer attacking but instead raising its head to the sky. Its mouth glowed white.


    “It’s going to use that flash again!” I shouted.


    The tree-crab monster swung its pincers up, causing massive vines to explode from the ground. One of them struck the Shafeline’s jaw with enough force to make a resounding bang!


    It screamed, trying to leap back, but Lo’jul’s monster slammed a gorilla fist into the ground, causing the earth beneath the Shafeline to disappear, swallowing it into a hole. It tried to escape, but the ground closed in on it with crushing force.


    Jim dismounted and approached Jer-kel. “How bad is the bleeding?”


    “Bad, but I’m okay for the most part. Damn, I almost thought you wanted me to die.”


    “I was thinking about it,” he grinned.


    She rolled her eyes. “I’ll make sure my death traumatizes you for life.”


    Her fairy flew above the Shafeline, which was struggling to breathe, and began to sing a chaotic but not unpleasant sound.


    It’s boiling rage in me. A weird rage.


    I wasn’t sure what its purpose was, but seeing how the Shafeline suddenly fixated on it, seething with rage, I guessed it was a taunt.


    The Shafeline broke through the rock walls, charging at the fairy. But as it leapt into the air, the gorilla-dog jumped after it, catching its leg and slamming it to the ground.


    The tree-crab monster ejected an open pincer, pinning the Shafeline’s neck to the ground. Its other pincer secured its waist.


    Jer-kel clasped her ears. “Blow its head off.”


    The other two also covered their ears. I did the same, sealing my monster.


    The Shafeline struggled against its restraints. The ground cracked beneath it, and the pincers were being forced upward.


    But it wasn’t fast enough.


    The fairy was inhaling deeply, as though charging up a powerful exhale. As soon as the pincers were forced off the ground, the fairy unleashed a sonic boom.


    This time, the force was so intense that the air vibrated violently, the ground cracked, and houses crumbled.


    It’s too much!


    My hand warmed with blood.


    …


    I felt… shaky, like the world was spinning. Oh, this is...


    I collapsed forward, unable to move. My ears—they hurt. They hurt so much.