《Reject Human. Become Demon. [Mutation Evolution LitRPG]》


 Chapter 1: The Flames of Lucyfer

    ¡°GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!¡±


    Here I stood, atop a moving van, undeterred by the danger and cackling like a madwoman. The forces of wind and motion threatened to toss me away at every passing moment, so that my blood-red skin may be peeled by jagged asphalt.


    I only responded by digging my feet in further, and spreading my arms wide open, as if to welcome and embrace the whole entirety of the world, that had only worked to hurt me. I would return that pain one day. Tenfold, a hundred-fold, more. But that would not be today, for tonight was a night of joy and celebration.


    My dream was complete, I had achieved it. The proof was in the weight that settled upon my head. For was there anything more comforting, than the subtle weight of my horns?


    I was reminded, with every passing moment, that I had become a demon, just like I always wanted. The modifications and the surgeries were difficult and certainly not cheap, but the euphoria of it was indescribable to anyone who had never experienced it.


    I pity them.


    I took a deep breath of the city air, even the lingering smoke and dust felt soothing upon my lungs. People walked around, and cars drove past, yet it all felt shallow to me. Their lives were dull, boring, and unexciting.


    I''m aware that I''m wrong, of course. They are all equally complex beings, with inner worlds just as rich as my own.


    And yet, How?


    Why are they so content to remain as uninspired as they are?


    Why do they all look and feel the same, if they are supposed to be unique?


    "Hey! Lucyfer! You okay back there?"


    My friend, Harold, called out to me. He was the one currently driving the car, a large gentle bear of a man. At least, most of the time.


    I crouched down a little, making sure to keep my balance, lest I fall off and die. "I''m perfectly fine. Great, even."


    "Oh," he laughed. "That makes sense. You were just laughing for an entire minute straight. Which is nice, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re happy. I was worried when you stopped."


    "What was the joke, and why did it stop being funny?" Someone added from the backseat. It was Tella, another amazing friend. She stuck her head out of the window.


    I crouched, and then crawled over to where she should be. I grabbed her face and she shrieked. I laughed, before it was my own turn to scream, when my friend licked my palm and bit down.


    ¡°Ew! Gross!¡±


    ¡°Eh, that¡¯s not what you said last night!¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, how about that!?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Gladly!¡±


    ¡°Challenge fucking accepted mate!¡±


    The journey continued, and I relished the freedom that I had. I sat down at some point, as I watched civilization gradually disappear from view.


    It grew more quiet, the districts filled with activity transitioned into more humble residences. The quality of housing dropped lower and lower until we arrived at an area that could be called the slums, and beyond even that, the city died and gave way to nature.


    We entered the forest, a different kind of noise filling the ambiance. Trees towered up above, with animals both small and large just shyly staying out of sight.


    We neared our destination, I could see it now. From sharp electronic lights, to the blazing flames of a massive campfire.


    The van came to a stop, and I jumped from the roof, landing heavily with a smal cloud of dust. I could not help it, the side mirror of the van and even its tinted windows were too appealing not to look at.


    I admired what I had become. A demoness through and through, complete with the impossibly red skin, and the sharp angular features. Big curving horns struck out of my skull, pointed proudly towards the skies. My eyes were sharp and menacing, shaped and colored like that of a goat¡¯s. I flexed a little, and my toned body rippled beautifully from what was visible under the open front of my leather jacket.


    "See something you like, Lucyfer?" Harold asked, as he rounded the van.


    "Did you win the grand prize yet, you fucking narcissist?" Tella came from behind me, a can of beer already in hand. How very thoughtful of her.


    "Yes." I responded simply to their praise and snatched the alcohol out of Tella''s hands. Her vehement protests fell on deaf ears. "I''m amazing."


    She eventually pried the bottle away from me, only to find that it was already emptied. Harold scurried over to the back of the van to take out some equipment, meanwhile I wrapped a hand around Tella''s shoulder and led the both of us towards the big campfire, and the well-decorated hut in the middle of the woods. There were plenty of people here already, some singing, others dancing, all in various states of partying.


    I could not wait to join them.


    Harold rejoined us, armed with a strong collection of chains and other machines of steel and leather. They looked fun, and I scurried over to the man to get a closer look at the selection he had on offer. I felt at the weight and texture of them all to judge their quality.


    "Oh, I cannot wait to use these." I grinned, explaining what each one did with the cadence and showmanship of someone filming a commercial.


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    ¡°Just use them already if you like them so much, you fucking demon!¡± Tella huffed, eyes definitely glued to the things I was holding.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m a fucking demon alright,¡± I laughed, and she rolled her eyes, which only made me cackle harder.


    ¡°That was bad and you should feel bad.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t.¡±


    I played around with the chains some more, trying really hard to get them untangled after I tossed them around one too many times.


    It didn¡¯t work. I couldn¡¯t do it. Crap.


    "They should hire you for promotion," Harold joked. He took the chains from me to fix the problem I created, but also found it difficult to undo the destruction that I wrought. Heh. I win.


    "You''re absolutely right." I agreed with his idea, then sent a message to my manager and agent.


    "Holy shit you actually asked them." Tella laughed.


    I shrugged. "I''ve worked with them before."


    "Showoff." Harold scoffed.


    "Showoff." Tella nodded.


    "Showoff." I did not deny.


    Many pairs of eyes had locked onto us by now, but I knew most of the attention was because of me and how I looked like a literal demon that had crawled out from the depths of hell. I couldn¡¯t help but preen at the attention, no matter how arrogant it may have been. I didn¡¯t become a demon just to be fucking timid about it.


    "An offering for the devil," a man who sort-of looked like a bartender walked up to me. I knew the guy, had big dreams of owning his own bar, but actually worked a 9-5. In his outstretched hands was a single glass filled only with the cheapest swill. "Goat piss."


    I grabbed the offering and downed the foul alcohol in one go. It burned at my throat and through my stomach as I gave all the people watching a benevolent smile. My unnaturally long and sharp canines gleamed in the light of the night.


    "That was a wonderful offering of goat piss,¡± I praised. ¡°You have outdone yourself."


    "I thank thee, Lucyfer." He bowed and walked away, keeping the same pose, until he ran into a chair and fell.


    ~~~


    A weary yet satisfied sigh escaped my lips. I stared at the blazing campfire, and enjoyed the comforting heat against my eyes. My chest rose and fell as I panted languidly, the cold night air sending a prickling chill across my naked skin.


    Sweat dripped from my body in lazy streams. It traced glistening lines across my blood-red skin. I almost envied my friends who got to see such a view in full, when I could not. But being the hot demon was at least an infinity beyond getting to merely see one.


    Another deep breath flowed through my nose, and it was as if I could feel the energies flow through my demonic flesh. I was absolutely the star of the show tonight, and it was so much fun. Why did it feel so different to fuck as a demon than as a human?


    And yet, for all my boasts, it still ended. I enjoyed it for as long as I could, but I still eventually grew tired. I yet remained a mortal, no matter how vicious and absolutely gorgeous I looked.


    I could not walk through hellfire, I did not possess unbreakable strength, I could die to a single bullet. No matter how much I loved my horns, my eyes, or my own skin, they did not give me the power that I sought. The single path to true freedom which I coveted with all of my heart, was beyond the reach of these weak mortal hands.


    I wanted more than to feel comfortable in my own body. I¡¯m a fucking demon, and this world is too small for my dreams!


    As if the world took offense to my thoughts, a screeching sound suddenly drew all eyes toward the dirt road. A car spun across it in a storm of smoke and dust, until it finally stopped and crashed into a tree.


    "Holy shit." A curse escaped my mouth as I stood on shaky legs. I squinted my eyes, unable to recognize the dirty white car nor the plate number.


    The airbags had gone off on the driver''s seat, and I saw movement from within as the car broke down further. My people shouted and came over, worried and willing to help, but I had a very bad feeling about the situation.


    I listened to my gut instinct and crouched down, my hands searching the ground for a weapon, any weapon. A slight groan escaped my lips when my fingers brushed across something hot and fierce. I decided that it was good enough, and grabbed the flaming stake from the campfire.


    I stood back up and crept closer to the scene of the car crash. The door of the vehicle opened, and out came a bleeding and injured man.


    In his hands was a gun.


    I saw him point it at my friends. His hands were shaking, and he was delirious, but a deep terror sunk into my soul at the thought of the people that I loved being slaughtered and stripped of their freedom to live.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!¡±


    A primal and guttural roar rumbled out of my throat as I broke into a run, faster than I''d ever managed before. My body was moving before I knew what was going on, and I heard the deafening sound of gunshots mid-stride.


    I noted, with detachment, the balls of lead that pierced through my torso. The pain was a slow trickle of emotion that I deftly ignored. I did not slow down for a second, and soon I was upon the bigot who wished to impose his will upon us. I endeavored to impose my will upon him instead.


    Squelch.


    The sound rattled in my ear, fresh and true. I swatted aside the man''s gun, and forced it to shoot uselessly at the sky. At the same time, I used the burning stake in my hand, and plunged it into his eyehole. The mounting terror was visible on his face, but I quickly slammed my body into his.


    We both went down in a heap as I felt the life rapidly leaking out of my body. Idly, I wondered how the red of the blood looked against my skin, although I supposed that was information we already found out in the prior revelry, albeit not at these volumes.


    Agh, fuck. I just became a demon too. I just finished my long transformation. I had achieved my lifelong dream! Did I not deserve to enjoy it for at least a little bit longer? I have so many more ideas that I wanted to do¡­


    Tears began to stream down my eyes, but not a single one of those thoughts caused me to hesitate. I smashed my hands repeatedly at the wooden spike embedded into the man''s skull, burying it further inside. It was still on fire, and those same flames advanced towards the rest of his body, and even towards myself. I was not deterred by it in the slightest, for I was already dead. I only wished to use my last moments letting out all the rage and frustration inside my rotten heart. I wanted to die swinging.


    My control slipped past that final ledge. I released the deep well of loathing and resentment that I kept trapped within, hidden and waiting for the proper time. Instead, it was now wasted on this worthless sack of shit, whose death would change nothing. My legacy would be the end of a totally unremarkable man, and both our names will be forgotten.


    Fuck. FUCK. FUCK!


    I cried. I made my sorrow heard. I grew weaker, and eventually collapsed.


    "Thank you¡­" I heard the quiet murmurs of my friends just before I died.

 Chapter 2: The Gates of Haell

    I''m a baby.


    A literal baby.


    A HUMAN Fucking Baby!!!!!


    I plunged into tears for the hundredth time since my reincarnation. My wails echoed across the light pink walls of my room and towards the rest of the gigantic house. And by gigantic, I meant in the sense that a lot of the architecture and the furniture were scaled as if they were meant for the use of giants.


    Because they were.


    Loud rumbling footsteps soon echoed down the hallway. The thick wooden door of my room was flung open, and in came my mother who was at least 2 meters tall. That alone was still very much believable, but my father ducked in right after her, and he stood at the full and proud height of three meters. I should have gotten used to it by now, but it was still a sight to behold.


    Mahka, my mom, quickly came over to my reinforced crib. It was literally shining with magic, the temperature and airflow within kept at pristine conditions.


    The blonde woman scooped me up into her arms and cooed at my face, rocking me like a baby.


    Which I was. A baby.


    Rallem, my father, peeked in from the side with a silent intensity. His calloused hand poked my cheek, and I giggled, catching the offending finger and chomping on it.


    I could no longer remain sad, in the face of their love.


    "There, there, Haell. There, there." My mom hugged me to her shoulder, patting me on the back until I burped. I was not yet proficient in Angelian, the main language of the Angelore Empire. But I had managed to pick up on my new name.


    Haell. It could be pronounced as either ''Hail'', ''Ha-Ell'', or my favorite ''Hell''.


    Most commonly, people used ''Ha-ell.''


    They picked a good name. I was thankful.


    My mom passed me to my dad, and I fit in his palm. He handled me so carefully, as I was rocked back and forth by a single hand. I laughed at the silly faces he made, and the tickles that he gave.


    Fuck. I love them. I truly do. More than I ever did the parents that I had before.


    I was brought to tears again, and my dad panicked, afraid that he had done something wrong. Mom crossed her arms jokingly for a second, just to make him nervous, before she reassured her husband and took me from his arms.


    She held me lovingly and sang a sweet yet haunting lullaby. It brought out all the grief and regret from the past, but also my current happiness and eternal gratitude for the present.


    The tears came out even harder, and I felt a bit sorry as my parents grew more and more worried. But I couldn''t help it. It was their fault for being so great.


    "Aha!" Mom exclaimed, struck by an idea, as if a lightbulb just went off in her head. She palmed me off to Dad, who looked warily between us two. For one precious second after the hand-off, I was quiet and searching. But then I burst into tears again, and my screams did not spare his ears.


    Dad rocked me back and forth, while his eyes darted around, searching for something to calm me down. His funny faces did not work¡­ aside from the single tiny chuckle that got mixed into my cries. So it did work a little. But it really shouldn¡¯t! He had such severe features, that trying to make funny faces only made him scarier. The only reason why I laughed was because my sense of humor was equally fucked.


    I also knew that he was trying, and that was all I needed.


    My dad thought to pick up some toys from the bed while carefully balancing me in his other hand. He shook around a bell and then it floated, the echoing chimes leaving a distinct and fantastical impression on my ears. A soft breeze blew around the room.


    I began to calm down, transfixed at the display of magic. And then my mom came back, to show me even more of it.


    ¡°Hey Haell!¡± She gave me a soft and reassuring smile, though I could still see the worry underneath. ¡°It¡¯s your favorite. Watch.¡±


    I sniffed, staring at the loose soil in her palm. In her other hand was a wand, and she flourished the tool with a gusto, making weird baby noises at me that I didn''t think were magical chants.


    I mimicked them just in case.


    ¡°Aaga! Agu! Gugu!¡±


    ¡°Daaawwww¡­¡± My parents melted at the sight, and Mom nearly lost focus on the magic she was doing. She realized this just in time, and tried to play it off as part of the performance. ¡°It¡¯s time! It is time now!!


    She gave me her best grin and swung her wand around the loose soil on her palm. The dirt she gestured at shifted, and something green poked out of it.


    I gasped, despite having seen this many times before.


    Magic.


    My remaining sobs quickly gave way to giggles as I watched a stem grow rapidly. I clapped my tiny hands when leaves began to sprout. All signs of my earlier tantrum were gone by the time the vibrant flower bloomed, replaced instead by a contagious joy that had both my parents smiling at my cuteness.


    Dad tucked me back into bed as I was still laughing and yelling in excitement. Mom handed me the flower that she had willed to bloom, and I accepted it with awe.


    I held the gift close to me on clumsy fingers. With love and joy in my heart, I hugged my flower to sleep.


    ~~~


    "Haell. Hey. Haell."


    My eyes fluttered open, and I looked at my dad leaning over my crib. His large eyes stared right into my soul, still and unblinking.


    "Come... ¡­Dinner." I did not get some of what he said, but I understood the gist of it.


    I pushed away his hand and fell back asleep.


    "Uhh¡­" I heard him mutter. Dad poked at my cheek, but I ignored it. He poked some more, and it was hard to keep on sleeping, but I endured. My pride as a baby depended on it!


    I finally broke when he started tickling my belly.


    Okay, fine! I''m up I''m up! I giggled and smacked his fingers, which my dad found cute. He happily scooped me up with a single hand.


    "WEEEEEEE!!!" I enjoyed the sensation of being lifted up and up, as if I were flying. I flapped my hands as if they were the wings of a bird. It was only made all the better by how tall my father was. He had no problems waving me around some more, just so I could have more fun.


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    We strode out of my bedroom and towards the dining room. The ceiling was high, and the light-green walls were tastefully decorated with paintings and trophies. All relating to the adventures and battles that they¡¯d experienced.


    "Rallem! Haell!" My five meter tall grandfather greeted us from his equally gigantic seat once we arrived at the dining room. He had his own table all to himself. Not that the old man was unwilling to share, but even my parents who seemed so big, paled in comparison to his size.


    Dad gave his own greetings, and they exchanged small talk, little of which I understood, but I gathered that it was mainly about me. Dad sat me down on my own special baby chair right after.


    "WWEEEEEEEEEE!!!" I shouted my joy when I was picked up, chair and all, by my grandpa and then placed atop his table. I cheered and pointed at his wrinkly face obscured by his thick beard. He looked like a giant old pirate, scars and all.


    "Buuh!" I slammed my hands on my tiny baby table.


    Grandpa Golex laughed. "Got the spirit this one! Why, I remember¡­" He started talking about some of his childhood memories, of playing in the streets and getting into fights. He was from a land far away, and a time long past. The lands of the humans were small and barren, their enemies aplenty. From the naturally large ogres, to the kobolds that dreamt of becoming dragons.


    My eyes wandered towards the open kitchen midway through the tale. A lot of the language was still too hard for me to parse, being not even a year old. My mom was currently chopping up an elephant-sized creature, while my dad hefted a ginormous pan fit to feed an entire village. We were having armozard tonight.


    The wonderful smells soon reached my nose and I began to drool. My grandfather saw my interest and laughed.


    "Eat, Haell! Eat big and grow strong!"


    I cocked my head at him. Is that what it takes, to become as big as you?


    Do I want to become as big as you?


    ¡°Awa! Guh! Muga!!¡±


    Grandpa cooed at my feeble attempts to speak.


    The meal arrived soon, while my grandfather was in the middle of another rant. He talked about how this continent was conquered, or maybe a third of it at best. From Arrival they sailed to Jurrasca, before finally making their way here to Grandera. A slaughter followed, and I could tell that my grandfather enjoyed the bloody combat from the vividness of the descriptions that I hardly understood. He was not quite as overjoyed with the many atrocities of the Angelore Empire, and he had many choice words about them, which was good. But he still worked for that same machine of despair regardless.


    Oh well. He¡¯s nice! I¡¯m sure he has his reasons.


    ¡­Or rather, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s complicated. War is terrible, and I hope we never find ourselves on opposing sides.


    The world suddenly lurched when Grandpa carried me back towards the ground, much to my delight. It really was like experiencing an amusement park ride. Being a baby was great, at least in this life.


    The meal that followed was delicious, and I ate it as if my life depended on it. It was the taste of fantasy and of another world, a monster born at a higher level than most humans would ever achieve.


    Strangely enough, it reminded me of the family I was born with back on Earth. They weren¡¯t nearly as rich or capable as my parents here were, but they never held back on anything when we had guests. The only difference now was that I ate like a queen with every single meal. I hope I don¡¯t become spoiled and out of touch because of this!


    I decided that I preferred this world after all, no matter how I missed the friends that I left behind. Varyala had just as many problems as Earth, but here I actually had the means to fight back and resist.


    I just had to go and get it.


    ~~~


    _________________


    Name: Haell Zharignan


    Species: Human


    ¡ªMutations¡ª


    Human Heart: Level 1


    Human Brain: Level 1


    Human Skin: Level 1


    Human Eyes: Level 1


    Human Flesh / Human Bones / Enduring Musculature (synced) : (All) Level 1


    Dextrous Hands: Level 1


    Flutter Feet: Level 1


    Adrenaline Gland: Level 1


    _________________


    My impossibly soft bed lured me to sleep the moment I laid down, but there was something else that kept me up at night.


    My Status Screen. It was the game-like interface floating right in front of my face. This hologram-esque thing was something that only I could see, and everyone had one similar to it, but never the exact same. It was something I knew I could pull up and dismiss at any time, but hadn¡¯t been quite successful in doing so until a few days ago. The descriptions were still beyond me, but I felt that I was close to being able to view them.


    This was apparently called the Self Scriptures in the Empire, which made me want to fucking puke, but thankfully my grandfather let it slip that it was actually called by a different name before these so-called angels arrived. It was simply referred to as ¡®The Status¡¯.


    Nice going Grandpa! Reveal ALL secrets!


    I fell right asleep and dreamt of the apex monsters that were killed to give me a bed this soft.


    ~~~


    I¡¯m awake! I am awakening!!


    I woke up the next morning, just in time to watch the sunrise from the window. I yawned loudly and contemplated crying to call for my parents, but I decided against it. I wasn¡¯t going to be a little shit, and I had just remembered what I was doing last night.


    I was checking out my status screen.


    Name: Haell Zharignan


    I brought it up again with a single flex of my will, and I paused at the name. Lucyfer was no more¡­ and I had to accept that.


    I didn¡¯t regret how I died. If anything I was happy to find out that I did have it in me to make that sort of sacrifice. I never took myself for the type.


    Lucyfer was actually a name that I came up with myself. I knew that I could change it back to that if I wanted, even if the Status never acknowledged it. But the point was that I didn¡¯t intend to change the name given to me by my mom and dad, not this time. Haell Zharignan sounded real fucking cool, it was given to me by people that I actually liked, and I did not wish to cling to a symbol of the past. I had to move forward.


    No matter how bad the timing of my death was, no matter how it happened just when my dreams came true, which I barely ever got to live out. I just had to fulfill those dreams even harder.


    Species: Human


    I began to cry. Right after that cool speech I made to myself, and that resolute declaration, I broke down into tears. But could I be blamed for feeling this way and getting emotional? I would never see my friends again! All the work that I had put into becoming a demon had become undone! I was a literal baby, and that was not helping matters!


    I allowed my emotions to flow through me, I cried and sobbed but I took care to not be too loud and wake everyone up.


    And once that was done, and I had finally calmed down, I distracted myself with all the new things that I loved about my new reality.


    The status. The magic. The impossible game-like system that governed the world!


    These things filled me with more hope than anything I ever encountered back on Earth. I truly did love this new magical realm far more than I ever did my home world. It was just really bad timing when I was taken.


    So I reached out for it. Not for the past that made me sad, but for the future and the potential that filled me with excitement to no end. I had already seen a small part of it, of what was possible, in the short time that I¡¯d been here. From how impossibly nimble my mother was, to how she could use literal magic. My dad was 3 meters tall, and my grandfather was almost TWICE that height!


    Clearly, this world ran on an entirely different kind of logic than my own. What was previously impossible may now be mundane. The laws of physics have been tossed right out the window, replaced by actual fantasy. Reality could be bent to the whims of magic and Status! So how could there ever be any limits!?


    I strained against my blankets. An adorable growl escaped my chomping mouth. I raised my hands towards the roof of my bedroom and began to chant.


    ¡°Gates of Hell!¡±


    ¡°Pandemonium!¡±


    ¡°Sin of Pride!¡±


    ¡°Gacha Roll!¡±


    ¡°Abra Cadaver!¡±


    It did not work. I only felt embarrassed. I slurred every syllable and every word in the way that babies did. I could not bend reality to my whims.


    There were limits that I did not yet understand. The magic of this world was very clearly not omnipotent, not even for me. I should have known that already, but I just fell and spiraled into my own hype. It¡¯s a bad habit that remains unbroken across two lives¡­


    However! Things were still different than before. More fantastical. My Status Window told of my species, so who was to say that it could not be changed? The few times I''d gone outside, I''d already seen sapients who were not quite human. Some weren''t even humanoid!


    And then there were my body parts. The Mutations available in my Status, each with a Level attached. Either through usage, by pushing past my limits, or through some other method, I would be able to raise those levels and strengthen my body to a supernatural degree. And given that the entire section was literally called ''Mutations''... it would be pretty fucking dumb if I could not mutate them. Change them. Achieve the demonic form I¡¯d always craved!


    Not just in appearance, not just in vibes, but in power.


    I will achieve my dream in a way even more complete than before.


    A demon, with the power of one.


    A demon, able to use actual magic.


    A demon, that could make her own way.


    A demon, that was in every sense of the word, Free.

 Chapter 3: The Anatomy of a Human.

    _________________


    Name: Haell Zharignan


    Species: Human


    ¡ªMutations¡ª


    Human Heart: Level 1


    Human Brain: Level 1


    Human Skin: Level 1


    Human Eyes: Level 1


    Human Flesh / Human Bones / Enduring Musculature(synced) : (All) Level 1


    Dextrous Hands: Level 1


    Flutter Feet: Level 1


    Adrenaline Gland: Level 1


    ¡ªSoul Feats¡ª


    Reincarnator


    _________________


    We were at our front porch as Mom rocked me in her arms. I looked down from the tall hill that our house was built on, watching the many sorts of people passing by. Their sizes didn¡¯t vary nearly as much as our household, few of the species did really. From what I could see, only ogres had that much variety to them, and not many of them seemed to stay in this area, likely for a lack of accommodations.


    Humans walked around town, working in a variety of fields. From managers to guards, and even as clerks and builders. Centaurs ran as messengers or pulled heavy wagons, meanwhile, ogres worked on construction or in more martial disciplines, if never as the leader. I saw a crustecar child who looked like a giant crab playing with humans, belfegors, and more; but the way they threw rocks at him certainly seemed like it was going way too far. A larger crustecar woman tried to shield her child and pull him away, only to be berated and shamed by the parents of the other children who were nearby.


    The people here lived in houses that looked a lot worse than our own, albeit still decorated as was customary in the Angelore Empire. A lot of them were apartments, and I¡¯d noticed that it was mainly one species or another that stayed in a particular building. Which made sense given the different body shapes and sizes, however it seemed like outside of work or some kids playing, people mostly hung out with those like them despite living together in such a congested space. Weird, but not unexpected I supposed. Maybe I was just overanalyzing things because I¡¯d overheard some things in the times that I¡¯d gone out with my parents.


    A glance to the side showed that we were right at the edge of town, right next to the tree wall.


    The tree wall was a maze of trees that covered the whole town like a wall. It was made by nature mages, and specifically rigged with modified plants meant to entrap and murder all would-be intruders. It had grown to be far bigger than initially anticipated and was now essentially a secondary town in itself just right next to ours. There were ramps, platforms, and whole houses up in the expansive canopy. They had everything they needed locally and had little need to come down to Latarus proper.


    I watched the plenty of belfegors swinging around the branches of the tree wall. They were a species of people with skin that could change colors and even gain slight bumps, ridges, and changes in textures. The ones that I saw predominantly had brown skin and bark-like texture, although some instead had smooth brightly colored skin, but they were few and far between. They were roughly humanoid in shape, if all bald and entirely hairless.


    I looked back at my Status Screen while nursing just a very small headache¡­ except it wasn¡¯t painful. It felt¡­ good even, and the more I worked my mind over, the more the strange pressure grew. I didn¡¯t even think it was new, just a sensation that I¡¯d always felt, but only now that it had grown to such an extent that I felt it.


    Deep breaths¡­ I tried to relax, but I found it hard. It was as if my mind itself was drooling like a dog, rabid in its desire to think, think, think.


    [Human Brain has reached Level 2!]


    Instantly, the pressure abated, as I stared at the notification that popped up in front of myself, in all the sensations that I could understand. From a monotone voice suspiciously like my own, to text writ and suspended in mid-air.


    I considered this for a moment, I tried to ascertain if I was thinking better, but I could not really tell. Maybe it was related to this Soul Feat that I got, which definitely wasn¡¯t there a week ago.


    [Reincarnator - You have retained the memories and the personality of a previous incarnation. Your Brain is upgraded to be able to hold the ego and intelligence of an adult human. This does not affect the Mutation''s Level. Your brain will still develop at the same pace common to your species.]


    I gathered that it was a one-time boost, making my brain a lot more advanced than it would otherwise be. I would¡¯ve preferred a more multiplicative advantage, but it was a welcome one nonetheless.


    The path to demonhood wasn¡¯t easy. I shall pave it myself, with both my own blood and that of my enemies.


    "Baby, baby cute baby!" Mom suddenly opened her mouth wide as if to eat me. I laughed and protested, pushing away at her face with my flabby arms.


    The chair rocked as we played, and Mom eventually took me out to touch grass. We played around on our front lawn as the people beneath our hill toiled for their meager few pieces of bread. Those at the tree wall were probably suffering attacks right now, as was a constant for them who served to shield the rest of town.


    I reiterate, again, that I am not spoiled! This is all perfectly normal!


    I looked up at my mom, until she noticed my gaze and looked back. Her blonde hair blew slightly into her face, but her smile was still more than visible. It might look unhinged to the untrained eye, like she was plotting something nefarious or insane, but I knew that there was only kindness in her expression. She was so much more than any family I ever had in my past life, and she was not the only one. My dad was very gentle, and my grandfather utterly cool!


    It was crazy. How am I so lucky!?


    I couldn''t help but hug my mom, and I could almost hear her heart melt as she hugged me back.


    It was nice to see her so happy, and for such a simple gesture at that. I will make them all proud. I''ll be the best demon I can be!


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    ~~~


    I contemplated my status and my build as mom patted me softly on the head. Some of the Mutations were very self-explanatory, but most were just labeled as that of a "Human."


    I was never quite sure what that meant, to be a human. I always seemed to be failing at it, somehow. But now that I could view my descriptions, I may finally be able to solve the lifelong mystery!


    Then I could make sure to do the opposite.


    [Human Heart: The Human Heart strives even in the face of hardship. Significantly increases stamina regeneration.]


    The description popped up, after I imagined the sensation of pressing a button, but with my mind. It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out that I could do that.


    The Human Heart was an organ that increased my stamina regeneration, which was nice.


    More stamina meant I could function for longer. Being able to function for longer meant more training. And more training would surely lead to more levels!


    Those levels might give me the option to change my species, not that I had any basis to think that was even possible. But even if that weren¡¯t true, more levels would still give me power, and power was something I gravely wanted. The true freedom that I desired may only be obtained through one of two ways, after all. Either through extreme luck, or extreme power.


    Only one of those was reliable.


    The Human Heart strives even in the face of hardship.


    There were some pleasantries attached to the description of the Human Heart, which I did not care for. But I still considered it for a moment, because they might not be mere empty words. To strive in the face of hardship¡­ Could that perhaps be an effect to increase my willpower?


    It was an interesting question, but one that would have to wait to be asked until I could properly vomit out words.


    [Human Brain: The Human Brain has advanced pattern recognition capabilities.]


    ¡°I want everyone to know that this Mutation has already leveled up, which naturally means that I am very very very smart. A genius, even. Thank you.¡±


    That entire sentence and more came out as an incoherent string of baby noises, and Mom squished me because of it.


    I accepted my punishment.


    The enhanced pattern recognition given by my brain should aid a lot with repetition, which would in turn allow me to train even more efficiently. The skills and the knowledge that I learn would be more easily retained, and it synergized very nicely with the Human Heart. Having more stamina would allow me to truly take advantage of what this Mutation brings to the table.


    The Human Brain had terrifying long-term potential, and mine was even better than normal because of my Reincarnator Soul Feat.


    [Human Skin: The Human Skin produces advanced sweat, that is capable of cooling down the body, and restoring stamina.]


    Wow. The whole point was to sweat. That''s a smelly offer!


    Okay. I shouldn''t say that.


    I giggled to myself, and my mom was just happy that I was happy.


    Supportive parents were amazing.


    [Human Eyes: Eyes that are equally capable of seeing at short and long distances.]


    This one did not seem all that special. It seemed very generic even, like it was only describing what human eyes were already capable of doing. But I was sure that something being a Mutation was better than not.


    I wondered briefly what even decided which of my body parts were a Mutation, and which weren''t, because clearly not all organs were Mutations.


    I shrugged and moved to open up the next one. But something was different about them.


    Human Flesh / Human Bones / Enduring Musculature(synced) : (All) Level 1


    Why are they ¡®synced¡¯? What does that mean??


    I metaphorically clicked on the label.


    [Warning! De-syncing the following Mutations may cause severe injuries.]


    [Do you wish to de-sync the Mutations: Human Flesh, Human Bones, and Enduring Musculature?]


    [Yes / No]


    No! Definitely not.


    I closed away the window, happy to get that question answered. It made sense, too strong a muscle could break bone, bones could pierce through flesh if they grew too big, and I was sure there were plenty of other concerns too. It was good that there was a safeguard for that kind of thing.


    I proceeded to check out the synced Mutations individually.


    [Human Flesh: The Flesh of a Human is highly adaptive to their environment. You have gained a resistance to poison and disease due to the environment of your birth.]


    I saw great potential in the Human Flesh¡­ for the species as a whole. It¡¯d allow them to cover a large stretch of territory as differing groups of humans could adapt to a variety of different conditions. It put into perspective Grandpa¡¯s boasts of his personal conquests, and the very small and sparse mentions of how instrumental humanity was to settling the conquered lands.


    Yay! We''re winning!


    I suspected that such takeovers involved a lot of violence, death, and worse.


    Yay! We''re winning even harder!


    "Oh? What is Haell so happy about?" I heard my dad ask, and I looked up to see him arrive.


    There was a severe look on his face.


    Severely sweet that was! But that was certainly not how most people would interpret it.


    I quickly crawled up to his leg, and hugged it.


    "Hey! Careful there!" He shouted, but it was with mirth. The giant of a man stopped at the edge of our lawn, looking pleadingly at Mom, and with two whole baskets of food carried in his arms.


    I pondered the next mutation, without letting go of my dad''s leg.


    [Human Bones: A skeletal structure that is sturdy, yet flexible.]


    Eh. A tad unexciting, not gonna lie. But I was sure that it would be a strong and versatile foundation.


    Not that I''d keep it for long, because I intended to evolve all of my body parts into demonic ones instead. I just needed to figure out how I could possibly do that first.


    [Enduring Musculature: Muscles with high endurance. Can be forced to function, even when torn and broken.]


    Another Mutation that allowed me more endurance. I was beginning to see a pattern here¡­


    "Alright Haell. Let''s go. Leave you poor father alone." Mom finally took pity on dad, and pulled me off his legs.


    He sighed in relief, and placed the baskets of food in front of our house. My mom released me, and I immediately rushed towards the offered bounty.


    I smelled it from afar. Fruit, sandwiches, barbecue, and even a pizza-like loaf of bread.


    I started eating right there and then, getting sauce and crumbs all over myself.


    [Dextrous Hands: Hands that are dextrous.]


    Yeah. No shit.


    Are you sure that¡¯s even true? I wondered as I kept making a mess of myself while grabbing any and all morsels nearby. Ew! That was a bug!


    I moved on to the next thing.


    [Flutter Feet: Feet that can shift positions gracefully and with minimal loss of speed and momentum.]


    I looked at my feet, and immediately tried it, but I could not even stand. Instead, I just fell on my butt. This Mutation was a scam.


    I ate even harder in retaliation.


    Mom and Dad happily watched me work on the food, but the latter gradually grew worried until he pulled me away from my prize.


    "Bap!" I made my displeasure known by smearing my dirty hands all over his arm. I also bit him for good measure.


    "Haell." Mom said, both exasperated and laughing uncontrolably. "I''m glad¡­ ¡­appetite. But¡­ ¡­don''t overeat."


    Those were some big words and long sentences, but I managed to decipher them with my Level 2 Human Brain.


    "Sowwy¡­" I said.


    Both of my parents froze.


    "Rallem¡­" My mother addressed dad slowly.


    "Yes, Mahka¡­" He returned the searching look. "HAELL JUST SPOKE HER FIRST WORD! WITH MEANING! AND INTENTION!"


    "YES! I KNEW IT!"


    "YEEAHHH!!!"


    "WOOOOO!!!"


    They both crowded and hugged around me, crushing my poor baby body in between their enormous bulk. I flailed and struggled to breath, but I still endeavored to return the embrace as best I could, stuck within their arms as I was.


    From their melting expressions, it seemed that I at least managed to well and fully convey my love.


    "Luv!"


    Me saying that also helped, and my parents freaked out once again.


    Such fucking goofs.


    I loved them.


    [Adrenaline Gland: A gland that is activated when certain conditions are met. Enhances raw muscular strength and perception speed. Consumes a great amount of stamina.]


    I did not expect that from how all my previous Mutations were designed. A lot of them were based on endurance most of all, but this one was the exact opposite of that. This gave a situational boost, for when the time truly called for it. To burn away our generous stamina reserves, for a truly worthy final surprise.


    I was growing to like this basic Human package.


    Not that I was at all tempted away from my demon path!


    Begone! Begone, all that is good and holy! BEGONE!


    I was eventually put down on the ground by my very huggable parents. Dad tried to get me to stay still, to wipe the grime off my face. I eventually magnanimously allowed him to do so.


    I crawled up to his lap and fell asleep.

 Chapter 4: Baby Steps.

    Grandpa Golex sat beside me, his gigantic body dwarfing my small form. Joining us today were my pregnant Aunt Fiya and not pregnant Uncle Baston. Not that we were actually related, they were my parents'' friends and party members from back during their Adventurer days.


    Neither of them were human.


    Aunt Fiya was of a race of people called a fountan. A species capable of producing usable mana. She shared a lot of the same features as that of a human, and it was hard to even pick her apart at first glance, aside from the bright sky-blue hair that Fountans were known to have.


    Notably, Fiya did not have a right hand. In its place was a wooden prosthetic overgrown with vines and leaves. The plantlife growing on the wood wriggled and writhed, likely because of the mana-producing organ underneath that did not stop beating like a heart. This was not unique to her, but a feature that all fountans shared.


    Uncle Baston also looked very much like a human, but with very different proportions. In particular, his limbs were way too short but very muscular. Another difference was the size of his eyes, ears, and nose. They were very big. Baston was of a species of people called the ishkawtans.


    The four of us were relaxing nicely on our front lawn, drinking juice and exchanging stories. Further down the hill, my parents were having a fight.


    Not one that was angry or anything. They were literally going to fight, as in a friendly spar. My dad was armed with a greatsword, while my mom had a heavy staff, topped with a large crystal shaped into some sort of helix structure of various colors. Red, blue, brown, and a nearly white green.


    They both had metal-plated leather armor on, but it did not cover everything. Large parts of their back were exposed, revealing the roomy tunic within, and only the outer or forward-facing parts of their limbs were armored.


    ¡°Why wittle armur¡­¡± I blushed upon messing up my words.


    Grandpa immediately perked up. ¡°So you noticed! That¡¯s because we¡¯re humans! Less clothing is better for our sweat to do its work.¡±


    ¡°Veri smelly!¡±


    ¡°Indeed!¡±


    The confrontation happening down the hill continued.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry Rallem, but I¡¯m going to have to utterly destroy you,¡± Mom told her husband in a heartbroken tone. ¡°I must show Haell how cool her mother is. So I¡¯m afraid I must beat you up.¡±


    She raised her large staff, and the design of it made me think of various natural disaster working in harmony.


    Dad chuckled and shook his head. ¡°I suppose I must give my level best too. Show Haell what¡¯s out there, or at least a part of it.¡± He didn¡¯t seem quite as enthusiastic but he raised his gigantic sword regardless. And by gigantic, I meant relative to my three-meter-tall father. The weapon was decorated with various sigils and carvings depicting patience and a measured approach to battle. ¡°I apologize in advance, for the embarrassment that will follow.¡±


    ¡°Yours.¡±


    ¡°No you.¡±


    ¡°No you.¡±


    The two temporarily retired adventurers taunted each other some more. I was bouncing on my seat in excitement and anticipation for the fight to come.


    Grandpa Golex laughed boisterously. "That''s how adventurers are supposed to be! Not these Angel-suckers that now run the guilds! Have some pride! Be free! HUMANITY FUCK YEAH!"


    "WOOOO!!" I also cheered, raising up my two chubby little arms. I''d rather be a demon though. But still. WOOOOO FUCK YEAH!!!


    "Golex!" Mom shouted with a furious look on her face. It looked as if she was about to start shooting fireballs at the old man. "What the fuck are you saying in front of my daughter!?"


    Dad snorted, but tried to hide his laughter. He failed.


    "What!?" Mom snapped at him next.


    "Dear. You also cursed."


    Her expression froze for a moment, before she clamped both hands over her own mouth. "I-it''s all your fault! Both of you! I forgot I wasn''t supposed to either! Argh!"


    "You''re just dumb!" Fiya laughed from my side, and I spilled some juice on her for insulting my mom. "Hey!"


    Baston laughed. "That was your fault, honey. You shouldn''t say such things out loud, even if they''re true." He found some juice spilled all over him too. "Oof. Clever, this one."


    "Hah! See! My baby''s on my side!" Mom pointed the butt of her staff back at her husband. "Now fight! I''ll show Haell one H(a)ell of a show!" She turned to me briefly. "Ah! But make sure to remember that you can be whatever you want when you grow up! You don''t gotta be an adventurer! It''s very cool though! Except when it¡¯s not! Which is often!"


    I nodded in understanding, grateful for the reminder even if I didn¡¯t need it. That they didn¡¯t wish to twist me to their own ideals made me happy, even if that really should have been the bare minimum.


    Mom¡¯s jovial smile remained, but both her and Dad¡¯s eyes sharpened. They watched each other like evileyes. (A species of monster that could extend their magic¡¯s range through the medium of sight.)


    With a nod, they exploded into motion. I could barely follow their movements, and I only understood the general idea of what was going on.


    Dad charged at Mom, and she dislodged and shaped the soil to pelt him with spikes and bullets of stone. He pushed through and tanked a few of them, while blocking and swatting away the majority with his oversized sword. It was when he got closer that the magic came to life much faster. The earth underneath him hampered his movements, and a storm of fire manifested to surround him.


    Dad was damaged, injured by the display, but he was not surprised. It must have been painful but he continued his advance. He slashed down at my mom, but the sword was parried away by the weight of her staff and a magical gale of wind. All the other magics stopped and a massive burst of fire manifested right next to Dad¡¯s face, an attack that clearly missed on purpose. But it was not fast enough as in the same moment, Dad had regained his balance and slammed the flat of his sword onto Mom¡¯s side. There was a crack and an impact, before she was tossed away and forced to her knees.


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    The view of the battlefield suddenly disappeared, and I looked up at Grandpa in confusion, for he had blocked my way with his massive hand. It took a few moments of us staring at each other, before the reality finally caught up to me.


    I had been so transfixed, that I had started subconsciously crawling towards them.


    "Exciting isn''t it!?" Grandpa chuckled loudly. "But you best stay back. It''s dangerous for you yet. Wait til you grow big and strong! Like me!"


    YEAH!! I nodded with sparkling eyes, and then fell back.


    Mom groaned and writhed on the ground for a short while, until she was able to sit back up and heal herself with a spare wand. The dancing and lengthening of the grass around her hinted that it was nature magic.


    "You''d be dead if it hit. Burnt." Mom was the first to speak up.


    Dad took a deep breath. "So would you if I used the sharp end."


    "Yeah!" Mom agreed, annoyed. "And that''s going to be a fucking pain to fix! My attack didn''t leave your equipment damaged! I even missed it on purpose! Unfair!


    Dad smirked. "So mine was stronger then?"


    "We would''ve both died." She stressed.


    "Yes. But my attack was still stronger."


    "That''s not how it works!"


    "I think it is! Go brawn!" Fiya pumped her fist up.


    "I''m obligated to go for brains then," Baston said. "Us mages gotta stick together."


    Mom and Dad digested the words of their friends, and then they both turned to me with eyes full of hope, looking to a baby to settle the debate.


    I then turned to gramps to try and foist this terrible role on him instead.


    "Gahahaha! I wanna hear what you''d say to get out of this situation!"


    What!? That was some terrible reasoning, so I blew him a raspberry and turned back to my hopeful parents.


    "...Luv. Both!"


    That''s what I settled for, and it had the intended effect. Their hearts both melted, and they squeezed me in between their hard metal armor. The hug was less than comfortable, but I returned it regardless.


    They went for another round of fighting, after a short break.


    "It was a tie and you know it." Mom readied her stance. "Now time for my victory.


    "You''re right. It is indeed time for my victory," Dad simply stated and charged. He sped through the clearing like a raging bull, kicking up grass and ground as he ran. Mom also began to run away, this time making sure to keep her distance while peppering my father with projectiles of fire and earth from afar. She also mixed in some sharp winds and thin slicing beams of water into her barrage. The former in specific was hard to keep track of and easy to land, but they didn¡¯t cut quite as deep as highly pressurized water.


    It quickly became apparent how much more agile my mom was. She ran around with grace and speed, switching directions on a dime, meanwhile, my dad could just barely keep up in actual speed, but he was left behind with every turn. He swatted away what projectiles he could, but minor injuries began to appear on his exposed limbs. Mom almost got caught in some vines that Dad tried to use to pin her down because he was able to use magic too. Which was confusing because I knew it required a focus and magic apparatus¡­ Aha! It''s in his belt with a crowning green jewel at the center. Probably.


    No wait! I looked at Dad''s boots, and found them to be studded with gems and enchantments, same as his belt. That too! Whichever one!


    The vines did slow my mom down a bit, but not nearly enough. She was able to step away from them, and either burn or leave the offending plantlife behind.


    I crawled closer and closer towards the action to get a better look, until my grandpa had to pick me up and pull me back.


    I did not let that dissuade me, as I watched their fight and began imagining myself in the same scenario.


    I swung at the air. I pretended to cast magic. I bounced around and rolled.


    I made all of those motions while crawling at the edge of Grandpa''s large lap.


    The battle raged on and on, it showed no signs of stopping. The two combatants were a blur as they circled around our hill without pause.


    Dad stomped and charged after my mother, and she in turn made sure to always be a step ahead of him lest she be caught out. And then she failed to take that one step ahead and was caught, her magic momentarily failing¨Cexcept it was all a ploy and Dad¡¯s feet suddenly sunk into the now muddy ground! The man was momentarily put off balance, and Mom¡¯s barrage of magic returned with a renewed vigor now that Dad was at close range.


    My father swiped and swatted around him through the pain, but Mom deftly dodged and parried the clumsy swipes. My dad moved to get out of the mud pit, which was an easy endeavor for someone as strong as he was, it really only served to briefly put him off balance. But it was enough.


    Something happened, and Dad immediately stumbled again just after getting out.


    Mom had taken out a dagger and sliced at his exposed legs, all the while continuing to cast with her staff on the other hand. She immediately jumped away when Dad whirled around to catch her with his weapon. The magic then stopped for a mere moment, only for a large spike of earth to spear out of the ground and barely miss my father.


    "I win." Mom announced.


    Dad took a deep breath, as if about to argue, but he relented in the end. "Yeah. You win that one."


    "Hah! See that Haell! Your mom''s better!"


    "A fluke." Dad protested, his breathing heavy. Blood dripped from every bit of exposed skin.


    Mom shrugged. "Sure."


    ¡°We both need a rest.¡± He slumped down to the ground, and vines began writing around him as he used healing magic.


    Mom decided to help him out, taking out a separate wand. A bright light shone in between them, causing their wounds to glow in turn and heal faster.


    Mom and Dad fought again after a short break, and this time Dad did not immediately rush in. He chased after Mom like before, but with a far more controlled pace. He remained on the defensive, parrying and dodging the woman''s magic while trying to corner her somewhere within the wide reach of his weapon.


    I found myself crawling again, mind alight with the possibilities. Grandpa picked me up and put me in his lap so that I may no longer be able to wander off, but I still found my way down from there, dropping clumsily back onto the grass.


    The fight continued as Dad weathered more and more projectiles. He made sure to always be moving and looking for an opportunity to pounce on my mother. The woman was forced to react to even the lightest of stabs, for it was a very heavy weapon wielded by an equally heavy man.


    A swing of Dad''s greatsword went wide, and Mom immediately fell back and ran while channeling a great beam of water. Dad shifted his stance and used his greatsword as a moving shield or to swat away the stone projectiles that still occasionally shot out of the ground.


    I got up from my crouch and tried to mimic their movements. From the way Mom twirled her staff, to the flow of magic; the sword, and the martial arts of it. Slowly, on wobbling legs I stood, as multiple vines snaked from the grass, which Mom was still able to dodge, but it limited her movements and herded her toward where my father wanted her to be. That was when Dad suddenly threw his sword and sprinted, narrowing my mom''s options even more. She swung her staff, gathering flames around her, but Dad only dove through the fire and crashed into the woman, sending both their bodies rolling upon the grass.


    My parents both turned to me at that moment, and then they squealed.


    "Haell!"


    "Haell you''re walking!"


    They rushed forward, having forgotten entirely about the spar or its conclusion. They had excited looks on their faces as they removed their helmets, stopping just short of me.


    "That''s it Haell! You can do it!" Mom cheered.


    "Come on! Just one step in front of the other!" Dad demonstrated with his own feet.


    I looked up at them, and scrunched my brow. I understood what they wanted, so I took control of my body, forcing my tiny legs to support my tiny weight.


    Come on!


    Slowly, shakily, I pushed my foot forward. I took a single step, and then my hearing was entirely and completely overwhelmed.


    ¡°YES!¡±


    ¡°HAELL¡¯S WALKING!¡±


    ¡°AAAAAAAHHHHHH!¡±


    ¡°OOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!!¡±


    ¡°OUR BABY GIRL IS GROWING UP!!!¡±


    Mom and Dad cheered like crazy, jumping up and hugging each other, before they scooped me up and sandwiched me in between their embrace.


    I returned the courtesy of course, happy about the milestone, and overjoyed that I could make them happy. Grandpa too was crying and cheering in the background. Fiya and Baston had kind smiles on their faces.


    I was so happy for their support, and I''d be looking forward to receiving more of it once I begin my training proper. I had seen what was possible, and now, armed with the ultimate ability to toddle; I must go further beyond! For there was no way a demon''s martial and magical prowess would lag behind.

 Chapter 5: Happy Birthday!

    [author]


    Check THIS</a> out. I made a masterlist of content warnings for all the chapters... Although I''ve only gotten around to doing the first dozen chapters. If this is something that you need or want, then feel free to check it out. This series will generally be on the fun side I believe, although my definition of that is also kind of skewed, but there would also be big spikes of distressing content every now and then. That''s just life. To live is to be in conflict, and conflict can very quickly become fucked up.


    [/author]


    I toddled down the hill with explosive enthusiasm, and my parents were only content to watch my inspiring marathon. Today was my birthday, and we were going to celebrate it at the orphanage, one that was run by another pair of Mom and Dad''s adventuring buddies. But before all of that, we had to pick up Fiya and Baston first. Their house and store was just down the hill.


    I fell.


    I tripped and fell on my face, after a particularly bad step that my balance could not recover from.


    Mom and Dad immediately rushed over to help, but I pushed myself up before they could.


    A demon never gives up! They always get back up!


    "Dear¡­" Mom choked. "Our baby is so brave¡­"


    "I know¡­ I think she''s braver than any of us. No matter how much we''ve risked our lives."


    "True. So true¡­"


    They began bawling, and I looked back at them, unsure if I was being made fun of. But I took the compliment. I certainly deserved it given how I gave my life to save my friends before!


    Wow. I actually do deserve it, kinda. I was making a joke¡­


    Eventually, we made it to our destination, just below our hill. It was a beautiful and large building made only of wood, with an expansive garden growing around it. The architecture was wonderfully made, a perfect marriage between nature and craftsmanship.


    I was sure that it had to be maintained by Baston regularly, lest it gets overgrown or worse. It was a lot of effort for a home, and I admired them for it. The house also served as their store.


    I face-planted on the ground a couple more times before I finally made it to the front door. The garden was conspiring against me, tripping my little toddler feet with its wile roots and vines. I vowed for vengeance at a later date.


    My parents did try to help me during the long journey, but it was important that I learn how to walk by myself. So it was with a heavy but resolute heart that I had to decline their offers to carry me the whole way.


    I dusted myself off and did not allow the experience to bring me down. Above the door was a plaque decorated with countless flowers that read ''Plants & Healing.''


    This place also served as their store.


    I knocked upon their home.


    "You''re here!" I heard Fiya''s greeting before the door even opened.


    "Aunt Fiya!" I jumped her leg and squeezed. She patted me with her prosthetic. There were flowers growing on it, and they smelled lovely.


    "Well, aren''t you a cute little thing. Happy Birthday Haell!"


    "Hapi Birtgay!" I echoed with my baby voice.


    "It''s not my birthday, silly! It''s yours!" She picked me up and booped me in the nose. Aunt Fiya walked on inside, and my parents followed, making us a party of four.


    The inside of the house was enchanting as always, with small spotlights of sunlight streaming in from the open parts of the roof, and straight towards the plants they kept inside. They were arranged in neat but freeform quadrants, forming twists and corridors out of their leaves.


    Uncle Baston was further beyond in the space, and he was currently tending to a customer or a patient. It was a man with an annoyed and badly constipated look on his face, along with a terribly damaged arm.


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    Baston pointed his wand at the injury, with a potted plant underneath. The vines and flowers made their way up, and so did the injury begin healing. Flesh mended itself, and the broken bone realigned.


    The guest looked relieved as he tested out his newly healed hand. He looked at Baston, with what I could only describe as scorn, and then left a couple of silver for the healing.


    Baston blinked, as the customer turned to leave. "Excuse me, sir. Your payment is a couple silvers short."


    The man clicked his tongue and looked back. "It''s enough."


    "Uh, no it''s not?¡± He scratched his head. ¡°I believe we talked about the price beforehand, and it''s a gold in total¡­"


    "Well, that''s clearly too much. That''s why I''m giving you this advice, to not overcharge your patients."


    "Oh¡­" Baston actually looked thoughtful for a second. "I do certainly agree that the cost of healing could be prohibitively expensive. If you''re going through hard times, then I don''t mind letting today go¡­"


    "NO!" The man shouted, enraged. "I am not on hard times! Business is doing just great! Especially this run, I managed to get some goblin parts for cheap because the Thornrock Village got attacked by a massive wave!" It appeared that he was a merchant, and he took offense at the implication of being poor.


    Baston blinked. "Well, then if that''s the case then there is no problem, right?"


    Fiya placed me back down on the ground, as we continued to watch the interaction unfold. She glanced warily at her pregnant belly, before exchanging her prosthetic for one meant for war.


    The new prosthetic implement was shaped like a spiked mace, complete with enchantments and flowers growing across its surface. I caught a glance of the pulsing mana organ kept hidden underneath. It looked kinda like those fart bags that people used for juvenile pranks.


    "No. There is a problem," the merchant stated, as if his wisdom was God''s gift on Varyala. "This is borderline robbery! In broad daylight, I might add!"


    ¡°Eh? I¡¯m not robbing you. You would know if I was.¡±


    We, on the sidelines, chuckled. Baston was strong in all the ways that the merchant was not.


    The violent kind.


    ¡°Besides,¡± Baston continued, our guest did not quite get the joke. ¡°I actually offer the cheapest healing in town!¡±


    "And that''s exactly the problem!" The merchant spat with a victorious expression upon his ugly average mug. "They are professionals. Humans. It is only right that a scout gets paid less for subpar healing work!"


    "Ishkawtan." Baston corrected the slur, showing anger for the first time in this interaction, but the merchant paid him no mind.


    The stupid stooge had noticed our arrival earlier, and twirled around to face my parents. "I am giving a charity here for even choosing to patronize this place, do you not agree!?"


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    ¡°Nuh-uh-uh!¡± I also chimed in like a good baby.


    The merchant stumbled over himself a little. His face shifted rapidly between fear, and anger, beforeultimately settling into a sickeningly fake smile. "Please. This whole shop is an abomination! I thought, maybe, perhaps there could be some greater purpose planned for this unnecessary establishment. But the wisdom of Angelic God and His Angels prove true once more! A scout should scout! That is exactly what you were made for!"


    There was a beat of silence. The world went still.


    The merchant huffed, completely unable to read the room, and utterly satisfied by his speech.


    The guy was just being so open and confident about his hatred and prejudices. Like everyone thought the same way as him. And the worst part was that he was right, based on what I''d seen of this world. This kind of thinking was normal here, and I just wanted to punch them all in the face and tear it all down!


    A palpable pressure descended upon the room. Not from me, unfortunately. But from my mother, my father, Fiya, and Baston. They battled to remain calm, but I could feel the tension in the air.


    Perhaps it was true what they say. That a baby has beastial instincts that an adult lacks. Because I could very clearly feel this massive shift in the atmosphere, yet the merchant remained oh so blissfully ignorant. He even began moving, presumably marching triumphantly towards the exit. Everyone else was frowning, me especially. How could he still think that he convinced anyone!?


    ¡°No¡­¡± Someone lost control, and it was me. I should have known better, I did know better, but perhaps my new-found youth had made me more impulsive. A lot more impulsive.


    "NO!"


    I shouted from the top of my lungs and ran with the fury of a thousand demons. I crossed my hands in front of my face and brought to bear the depths of hell with one massive tackle.


    Bam!


    The blow connected, and the hateful man stumbled. I smiled, excited, like a piranha that had tasted blood in the water. I pulled my arms back for another heavy slam, and the attack¡­ never arrived.


    The same leg that I attacked kicked me across the store before I could press the advantage. I was tossed across the ground, and I rolled painfully for a couple of meters. I saw for a brief moment, the contempt in the merchant''s eyes, directed straight towards me.


    And then I could perceive nothing anymore, for my vision became clouded and imprecise. The pain I felt before was only the precursor, as it came back in greater force the moment I tried to move. The damage was severe, my ribs were broken, and my lungs hurt like hell. I coughed up blood, and soon my vision was overwhelmed by an even more veritable flood of red.


    I blinked. I took a deep breath, in and out. I wiped away the blood and sweat, without regard for the pain and the disorientation.


    And then I raised my head, and took in the chaotic scene before me.


    There was shouting, there was cursing, but not a single sound came from the previously noisy merchant. Uncle Baston was holding a wand, so I presumed he had cast the magic binding the visitor''s legs. Aunt Fiya had her mace prosthetic buried in his back, and my father had plunged his massive sword through our guest''s heart. The merchant could not even utter his final words, for Mom had blown away his head, sending it splattering into the far wall.


    It took a few moments for my sluggish thoughts to catch up, but I felt relief once I understood.


    I wasn''t sure if what happened was for the best, but what I knew for certain was that I had utmost faith in this family that I finally found.

 Chapter 6: Belated Happy Birthday!

    I awoke with a start. The immediate thought that entered my mind was if I had died for a second time, and lost my shot at what I had always wanted but had been too proud to ever admit.


    An actual, supportive, and loving family.


    Relief flooded me the next moment, when I found that they were still there. My parents and their two close friends, all hovering protectively over my prone form. I turned to observe more of my surroundings, and noted with amusement how I had woken up in a literal bed of flowers.


    "Ugghhh!" I grunted, the pain all over my body finally catching up to me.


    "Haell!" Dad shouted, having noticed that I was awake. Everyone else turned to me with a start, but Mom slapped away Dad''s hand when he was about to pick me up.


    "Stop! We''re still healing her. And she''s still injured."


    "Oh, right¡­" He looked sad, so I hugged his finger. I appreciated the thought.


    "Okay! Anything I need to do?" Dad said, having perked right back up.


    "We''re casting, but just¡­ comfort her."


    Dad did as asked while Mom shone a soft light on me, and Baston caused the vegetation around me to wiggle as if in a very strong breeze. The flowers were here to heal, not just for my comfort.


    Not that I would be complaining if it were. It''s very cozy.


    I allowed myself to slip into unconsciousness again, as my body still felt so inexplicably tired. I was in good hands, and the rest of my birthday would be upon me, the next time I awake.


    ~~~


    Good Morning!


    The thought bubbled to the forefront of my mind, and I stretched my arms out wide. The warmth of the sun battered across my face as I opened my eyes to a glorious sunrise.


    We were at our front porch, and I found myself cuddling with both Mom and Dad.


    It was a wonderful day, and my body felt good and rejuvenated. It had been healed in full.


    "Hey Haell," Mom said, looking down at me with a smile.


    "Oh, she''s awake?" Dad sighed in relief.


    ¡°Yap!¡± I confirmed. I hugged them both and held on as tight as I could.


    Eventually, Mom placed me back down. I looked back up at them, but instead of the warmth I expected, Mom''s expression was stern and serious. I had fucked up and now I''ll pay the price for it. It was so nice while it lasted, but I caused them so much trouble, so of course they''d be mad and angry and fuck why did I do that? I caused so much trouble for my folks. They ended up killing someone. I don''t know how valuable mana is, but I just made them waste it to heal me!


    It''s something that I''m used to, really¡­ but I''ll admit to myself that it hurts¡­ so bad¡­ that we''ll abandon each other, just like I once did with my previous family.


    Am I such a horrible person, for it to always end this way?


    "...Haell. Haell. Haell!" Mom''s voice suddenly jolted me back to awareness. I looked at her, and recognized the worry in her face.


    "I¡­" I swallowed. And then I bawled. I couldn''t hold it in and began crying right in our front lawn.


    Dad quickly reached over and scooped me up. "Hey. Hey. What''s wrong? Does it still hurt somewhere?"


    "It''s okay, baby." Mom also embraced me from the side. "It''s okay. You''re safe. It''s fine."


    I sniffed, meeting both their eyes. My lips quivered as I screamed.


    "EM SOWRY!!!" I bawled. I held onto their hands as the tears flowed unabashed.


    I sniffled and I cried. I kept going until I tired myself out, and only then did my parents put me back down on the ground.


    "Haell." Mom said, in as gentle a voice as she could muster. "We''re not mad, okay? If anything¡­ We''re proud that you were willing to stand up for our friends, for Baston like that. For what''s right."


    Dad nodded, his face even more serious than before. "What that guy said was not okay. And it''s only natural to be angry at that."


    I sniffed, a little bit of color returning to my expression.


    "But," Mom said, and I winced, my heart crushed for a second time. They were just trying to be nice, in the end¡­ She took my hand gently into her own. "While we don''t think what you did was wrong, you placed yourself in danger. We couldn''t protect you in time. For that, we are sorry."


    What¡­?


    It took a few seconds for her words to catch up to my mind. When it did, I immediately jumped to her arm and hugged it tight. No. No! It''s my fault¡­ Mine¡­!


    "Please don''t put yourself in danger like that again," Dad said, patting me on my tiny back. It was a comical sight, with how big his hands were. "Even if you''re right, we would still very much worry if you get hurt. Or¡­ or worse¡­"


    "That''s right! If you see something like that again, then just tell us and we''ll bash their heads for you! No need to risk yourself," Mom declared.


    Dad scratched the back of his head. "Eh, well. Most people are kind of a bit speciest, right? Kind of."


    That was the term used here, since we were indeed of different species.


    Mom crossed her arms and leveled him a glare. ¡°So?¡±


    "I''m not saying it''s a good thing!" Dad quickly defended himself, before turning back to me. "But just¡­ keep in mind that that wasn''t an uncommon sentiment. I¡­ wish things weren''t that way, and I''m so proud of you for understanding it so soon, but maybe don''t immediately attack¡­"


    "A child wouldn''t understand that nuance." Mom cut in. "And should we really be teaching our daughter to be lenient like that? They''re your friends too! Surely they don''t deserve to be treated that way."


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    "Of course I agree, dear¡­ But what we can do is limited. Please. Haell might just get herself in more trouble if we don''t teach her how to properly navigate this situation."


    Mom sighed. "Fine. Haell¡­ Just, try not to escalate things into a fight. Especially if you''re not sure that you will win. And just tell us about it, if something happens. Make sure to keep yourself safe, above all else. Okay?"


    "Okay¡­" Of course, I could understand perfectly what they were talking about. And I also understood now, that they were just genuinely worried about me. I wasn''t about to be disowned or anything, and I would''ve realized that if I''d just thought about it for one godsdamned second. So why didn¡¯t I? Where the fuck did that come from!?


    I grasped both their hands in mine, and muttered, "...Promise."


    ~~~


    ¡°Alright! It¡¯s your birthday!¡± Mom clapped after we¡¯d all had a chance to rest. ¡°It was actually yesterday, but then that happened." Anger crossed her features for a moment, but I could now tell that it was not directed at me. It disappeared as quickly as it came. "So a belated happy birthday to you, Haell! Today''s going to be a wonderful celebration!"


    "Yay!" I cheered, genuinely glad for a party.


    Mom handed me off to Dad, and I clung to his arm as we made our way down.


    We met up with Fiya and Baston right by their house and then made our way to the town proper. The cobbled streets were busy and packed, especially since we were close to the southern gate and were within the poorest district. Traffic got held up by people watching a centaur argue with his employer about getting paid more for the injuries he took during the job. But the merchant woman shot him down with a derisive sneer, stating that the contract was final and that he should¡¯ve pulled the wagon harder.


    ¡°Then I wouldn¡¯t be late, and you wouldn¡¯t be injured.¡±


    I saw the interaction almost turn into violence just as the guards arrived. The centaur saw this, and walked away with a huff and a limp. The human merchant smiled, as if she¡¯d won the argument.


    The audience that had gathered dispersed back to their daily lives with a sigh. Most of them were tired already even this early in the day, their figures clearly showed that they had barely eaten anything. I heard several muttered prayers to the angels as they left behind the commotion that had just happened, and the damnable human woman who had completely forgotten about the centaur whose life might actually be ruined.


    I was very familiar with the desperation of people who did not have a safety net.


    We got back on the road as I seethed, having already spent far too much time glaring at the small-time store owner who was now loudly supervising some ogres with their work. Wait, was that a slur? Goddamn, she really didn¡¯t need to be so verbally abusive. They were doing the work properly and carrying stuff from the wagon to her store¡­ but it was none of my business. I wasn¡¯t strong enough yet to make it my business.


    As we walked, I appreciated what I could of my surroundings. The general design of the buildings of this town was a weird mix of simple and utilitarian, but well-decorated with carvings and things. This was apparently because of some superstition about how it made the structures stronger, which my mom hinted at actually being true. Magic was real, the supernatural was present in everything, and I for one approved of pretty windows and walls.


    I didn¡¯t know how much their inhabitants appreciated the commonly religious designs though, given how fucking cramped they were. The buildings could get really tall, especially for the apartments, as space in the town proper was a premium that couldn¡¯t be easily expanded.


    Now, the tree wall did get extended all the time, but then you¡¯d have to get used to living up in the trees, amongst a different community, and constantly assaulted by monsters. The people there were also regarded as being farther away from the Angels or some bullshit, which was¡­ bad? It sounded like a good thing to me, but it was not a very popular option. I was just a rebel like that, very punk.


    And then there was the Impenetrable Barrier Range to the east. It was a mountain range that made Everest look like a hill, somewhat visible from here even if we were nowhere close.


    The Angelore Empire had tried to invade it before, but that event was seldom talked about, almost a taboo. My grandfather thankfully didn''t care one whit about that, so I got to hear all about it. The place was almost a gigantic wonderzone in itself, featuring monsters of very high levels compared to what could normally be found in mundane landscapes. The sapient inhabitants were even more vicious, from creative and unyielding dwarves, to harpies that ruled the sky and made full use of what their allies could make. Because that was the most terrifying thing about them, their two races lived in harmony. The dwarves lived within the mountains, mining it for ore and smelting tools and weapons of war. The harpies gathered parts and materials from all over the mountain and beyond, sometimes even acting as merchants for the dwarven wares.


    ¡°This perfect combination broke Angelore¡¯s army, and ground the ¡®Crusade to Civilize Grandera¡¯ to a complete halt.¡± Grandpa had said. ¡°I barely managed to escape with my life after I was cut off from my allies by the flying harpies, and then stalled by the dwarves and their mastery over earth magic and more. Even the two angels that had intervened were eventually driven away by the might of their greatest champions. It was amazing.¡±


    It was a very inspiring tale, and I would love to meet them all someday.


    "We''re here!" My mom said. The apartment blocks had turned into smaller houses and stores, but giving far more space for single families. The place we had arrived at was a very wide building with a massive tree growing through the roof in the middle. It had a large outdoors area out front, tastefully overgrown with trees and grass, and occupied by a playground, tables, and benches. Children were running around and playing, but the two adults there immediately noticed our arrival.


    ¡°Oh hey! You made it!¡± Luine turned away from playing tag with the children to greet us. She was a black woman in rogue-ish clothing, even though I knew she was trying to be more casual.


    ¡°Welcome! Happy birthday!¡± Salaire drawled lazily, getting up from the tables to the groans of many children who wanted to hear the end of the story she was reading to them. Salaire was belfegor woman who was paradoxically very easy to find. Her skin was smooth and a bright pink, and the dress she wore was a strong blue. She wasn¡¯t going to be sneaking around up in the trees anytime soon, but in exchange, she looked positively fabulous.


    They were the last two members of Mom and Dad¡¯s adventuring party, and the two of them owned the Latarus Orphanage. It was named after the town because of some politics stuff. Unimportant.


    Luine talked with my parents, meanwhile Salaire was busy poking me in the nose. I of course did not take that lying down, so I poked her on the nose too. She retaliated again, and we got into an intense boop-off until dad decided to hand me to the belfegor woman. I stuck my tongue out at her, and she did the same.


    ¡°Der!¡± I pointed my new steed toward the proper direction, and she allowed me to play with the other children. I saw many species among them, from humans, to kobolds, and everything in between. They were all getting along well enough.


    ¡°Happy Birthday!¡± they greeted me upon Salaire¡¯s prompting.


    ¡°Hapi Birtdey two!!¡± I returned the greeting of the orphans. Salaire laughed along with the children. No one ever bothered to correct me, because they all just expected me to thoughtlessly copy what was said. I''m not actually a dumb baby! I¡¯m a dumb adult demon in a baby¡¯s body! Get it right!


    Grrr!


    I played tag with them, which mostly consisted of me toddling around while the other children stayed just a little bit ahead of me, taunting me. I fell a fair number of times, and Salaire came close to pulling me away many times, but I didn¡¯t give up and I resolutely gave chase.


    I did manage to tag someone, but I suspected the kobold boy just let me have that win. The ones who chased me afterward tried to match my own speed. It was all good fun.


    ~~~


    I was spent. I was tired. I sat down and breathed in a large mouthful of air. The action carried with it the scent of grilled meat and baked sweets.


    I instantly got up, all my reserves rejuvenated. Some centaurs had delivered a whole carriage-load of food earlier, and now they were all set out on the many tables. My cake was the centerpiece, and my parents carried me over to blow out the candle. The feast started right after, with a plethora of birthday songs sung by whoever wanted to participate. I received gifts from a lot of people, ranging from clothwear to toys. My parents and the other adults present had the most to give of course, and I received whole enchanted items from them, as well as great works of art that I could display in my room, including a very cute portrait of me from my dad, and an abstract family painting from Mom. I had no idea what the economy was like here, only that we were rich as fuck, but holy shit even I could tell how extravagant the presents I received were. Whatever revolution was happening would hate me, which sucked because I was totally on their side otherwise! Probably.


    All in all, it was weird how similar to Earth our customs were, but I definitely had lots and lots of fun.

 Chapter 7: Go to Church.

    We were en route toward the baron¡¯s manor at the very center of town. That was where most of the shepherds that ruled this town lived, and where the big church was located.


    We failed to attend last month''s service because I went and got myself injured. The following day when we were supposed to come to church was spent instead on actually celebrating my birthday. I was very happy for it.


    Speaking of the incident that happened back then, when I was punted across the room and a man was killed; some guards did come by to talk to my parents about it. They were this close to trying to arrest Baston and Fiya when we arrived, but Mom and Dad had quickly explained the same situation that their friends had already described, about how I was punted across the room by the merchant they killed. The guards listened somewhat nervously to their story, and they expressed sympathy in the end. Other than a quick fine, and what I presumed might have been bribes, there wasn''t anything else done¡­


    I hadn¡¯t always been on the right side of the law in my past life. I¡¯d worked whatever odd job I could, which included smuggling some things sometimes. I knew just how people were willing to look the other way for the right price¡­ or just because of incompetence. But I wasn¡¯t expecting there to not even be a trial. The guard here had seemed very strict, if anything.


    This leniency made sense, however, when I found out that my parents were actually nobles. Knights to be specific, humans couldn¡¯t climb any higher than that.,. They couldn¡¯t be the lords of their own territories, nor was the title hereditary, which was bizarrely annoying because I certainly did not want to be a noble, but being deprived of something just because of my current species was grating. Everyone else must feel even worse, because humans were very well off in the empire, relatively speaking.


    Regardless, their titles were enough to sweep under the rug the death of a merchant or two, which was great news. I was glad that I really didn¡¯t cause too much trouble for my parents in the end.


    We eventually reached the central river that divided the north and south of the town. The streets here were cleaner, and the stores fancier. People were healthier, perhaps happier, their clothes not tattered and with a few fancy embroideries. There were some very well-decorated houses clearly made for leisure.


    They were nothing compared to what was on the other side.


    We crossed the large bridge along with many other people. The place was very busy today because it was a church day. We arrived on the other side, and the change was immediately apparent. From houses and mansions of gleaming marble, to exclusive shops and stores with shining glass fronts. The roads of the noble quarters were patrolled by templars in shining armor instead of the common guards. They all walked in at least groups of five, and were very agreeable to the people that lived there. They watched those who came from the other side of the bridge closely, questioning those who clearly didn¡¯t belong here if they lingered off the path to the church for too long.


    A curious tidbit that I¡¯d learned was that very few of the people here were even actual nobles. Most were just very wealthy humans. Knighthood was a difficult thing to achieve, and the only proper nobles were those of the shepherd race.


    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± Mom announced, and we found ourselves in front of a fenced manor. We entered through the glimmering gates, and stepped towards a destination of white brick roads and immaculately maintained hedges and lawns. There was a large mansion in the middle, surrounded by relatively smaller buildings of differing purposes and denizens. I was sure the place was big enough to qualify for a palace.


    Our destination dominated the whole left wing of the manor, and it was even more imposing than the homes and mansions. It was a gigantic cathedral, whose outside face alone was already decorated with countless depictions of the angels. Most of them were very pale, androgynous, and winged humanoids with twisting features that almost made their flesh look like trees or tendrils shaped as people. Instead of hands, they had swords, axes, or spears growing out of their arms. Some had spikes sticking out of their back as either arrows or javelins, and others yet didn¡¯t even have proper feet but instead had various implements therein such as more spears, spikes, and blades.


    And those were just the small fry.


    We entered inside the massive building, and the amount of art crammed within was staggering. The glass of the walls depicted a thousand battles, and the ceilings were filled with paintings of the Empire¡¯s greatest triumphs. There were statues of the archangels hanging from the massive pillars, and each of them looked properly eldritch. From a massive eye lined by many organic lenses, to a sapient crossbow with a biblically accurate number of sensory organs and other facial features.


    There were other equally unique ones, but I knew that all of the other archangels had died in a battle that happened centuries past.


    Fucking awesome.


    We walked with the constant stream of people of varying species, making our way towards where our seats were supposed to be. Some weren¡¯t even humanoid, and I couldn¡¯t help but have my eyes drawn towards the gigantic ten-meter-long sapients among us.


    One of them was a sundertop man who looked like a triceratops with far shorter but more numerous horns. His whole body was covered in bright gold and white feather-fur, concealed only by the bright white suit he wore. It must''ve been difficult to put on, but the civilized and the sapient must wear clothes, no matter how impractical. To do otherwise would be the mark of a savage.


    The other was a tyranight woman. She looked like a bulkier tyrannosaur, but with particularly large and long arms. Her scales were black as the night, and she seemed sluggish this morning. A tight green gown clung to her body, just like with the other giant. Except I¡¯d heard that tyranights did often wear clothes unlike the sundertops.


    I found these dinosaur-looking fellas to be so cool, but there were so few of them.


    My parents greeted the people as we passed them by, and the trip toward the front where the humans were supposed to sit was slow and tedious. At least I could tell that my parents didn''t enjoy it either, but that made me question why they even bothered.


    The other races thinned as we made it to the very front row, the seats for a long way around this area occupied only by humans. I noticed that Dad towered over the rest of our peers, as most humans here were only an inch or so taller than what was average back on Earth. Those who reached the same heights(literally) as Dad were few and far in between. It required some specialized Mutation Evolutions, and it had its downsides too.


    I felt calmer once we¡¯d taken our seats. At the front, upon the podium and the stage, was Priest and Baron Lathary. His skin sparkled like glitter, and there was a natural crown of gold and silver growing out of his skull. He was a shepherd, the baron of the town of Latarus, and its highest religious figure. The two leadership roles often intersected and were always held by the shepherds, from what I understood.


    There were a couple dozen of them up on that stage. There were seats prepared for each of them, all facing towards the gathered crowd as they watched us all with benevolence in their eyes. I knew they were at peace, and by their grace and that of the angels, so was I.


    Truly, they deserved their place at the top.


    NO.


    My fury threatened to boil over, but I managed to calm myself, blastedly drawing upon their influence.


    For that was what the shepherds did. They influenced the minds of those around them, bent me to their will, no matter how gently. I even suspected it was a passive effect, at least to an extent, and see it''s totally not their fault. It totally was their fault, and I wanted them out of my fucking head!


    I cried because of it, for how powerless I was to fight back right now. I didn''t care how it looked, I just made myself into a nuisance.


    Mom picked me up, and rocked me in her arms. "Shh¡­ shh," she said. "It''ll be okay. It''ll be over soon," then she paused. "You just have to get your baptism later."


    I cried harder.


    Eventually, the church service began. Priest and Baron Lathary raised his left hand, giving a gesture to quiet down. Those at the front passed on this message to those behind them, and then they passed it on to those behind them in turn. A process that repeated itself until the message reached those at the very back.


    Everyone just knew what to do. It was one of our common social rituals, I supposed. It could easily be skipped anyway, since there were sound enhancements that could carry and project Lathary¡¯s voice.


    The murmurings died down, and the priest and baron finally spoke.


    "I greet you everyone, as you greet me. I honor you with my leadership, as you honor me with your loyalty. It makes me happy to see that you have all made it here this month, safe and sound. It is a testament to our bonds, that we still remain standing, and strong, so close to savage and uncivilized land. The Angelic God and His Angels are with us, and we are instruments of their will. Let us pray."


    Everyone bowed their heads and clamped shut their eyes. I got away with not doing so, because I was a baby.


    "I bless you, my fellow shepherds. For assisting me in my holy task, of seeing to this land''s prosperity. May you continue to do well in your work, and may you shepherd our sheep, with both purpose and power."


    "Amen." They chorused.


    "Now, please bless the humans, just as I have blessed you." The other shepherds followed the baron''s words, and they stretched out their arms towards our direction. Lathary continued, "Bless you, humans, for you have acted as our hands and feet, and in your duties you have not failed. You follow your shepherds with loyalty and obedience, and in doing so have cultivated even greener pastures. May you continue to be the leaders of the other races, to make the rest of the sheep understand the grand design that we are all meant to follow."


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    "Amen," the humans at the front seats chorused. So did my parents mouth the same word.


    "Now please bless the ishkawtans and the fountans. Creations of Archangel Angelo Himself."


    Mom and Dad stood, stretching their arms towards the back, and I watched them without following suit. Fiya and Baston had not attended today, nor on any of the days that I had been present. Luine and Salaire on the other hand were both here, but they and the orphan children were scattered all across the hall, and towards their proper places, with people of the same species. It would not do for them to be together and think they were equal after all, even if two of them were literally married.


    "Bless you, ishkawtans and fountans, for you were created for a purpose. The Angels had given you the tools with which you shall serve, and for hundreds of years you have enriched our civilization. From the fountans who allow the other species to make use of magic, to the ishkawtans who make use of their senses, to warn us of oncoming danger. We bless you and your service."


    "Amen."


    My parents sat back down, and then the Fountans and Ishkawtans turned to bless the next group.


    "Now please bless the Ogres who were among the first to accept the rightful rule of the Angelic God and His Angels, second only to the humans."


    The ogres were people around 4 meters tall, with rough rock-like skin and generally muscular bodies. Their height actually ended up blocking the view of the others who may want to see the Shepherds up on stage. But they were meant to sit behind the Iskawtans and the Fountans, and so that was where they stood. It did not matter that the shorter people behind the ogres may only listen to the projected voices, but could not truly see the show. Fortunately, there were light mages projecting the uncanny and unmoving likeness of Priest Lathary across the entire space. I preferred that to the real thing certainly.


    Amen to that bullshit.


    "We bless you, Ogres, and your chief Rag''Narok who was able to see the Truth and the Light of the Angelic God and His Angels. For centuries your kind has pledged your fealty, and we can feel and see it here, how you have served your purpose well as our vanguards and protectors. May you continue to bear the burden of our crusades for centuries more."


    "Amen." The ogres spoke in their gravelly voice, and soon they were also blessing the kobolds behind them.


    My attention was more piqued, however, by something that Lathary had just said. I remember only this week, that my grandfather had told me of a very interesting story. About how Rag''Narok and the late Archangel Bladillo had dueled, and it was the former''s defeat that cemented the fealty of the ogres.


    It was still quite an inspired story on its own, of course. But it was very curious that the duel was entirely omitted from the prayer. Perhaps it was only a coincidence, but it could also be a purposeful omission.


    I just get that feeling.


    The prayers and blessings continued on and on and on. Until finally, the priest finally neared the end.


    He heaved a weary sigh, before he began to address the belfegors, showing just how much he truly cared about them. They were of the same species as that of Salaire, the bald pink woman from the orphanage.


    "We bless the belfegors who are here with us today, for they have shown wisdom that some of their brethren have not. You have realized the mismanagement of your lands, and you have reconciled in your hearts the wisdom in accepting the rule of your betters. I vow to you, as the baron of this town and as a shepherd, that we will surely herd that sheep that you are towards a better path. So please, convince your allies that yet remain scattered in the fringes of this continent." Lathary''s voice began to crack, he became emotional. "I do not wish for bloodshed either, but we will use a heavier hand if we must. So please, allow them to be saved as you have been saved! Before it is too late¡­ Amen."


    I¡­ was not privy to the intricate details of this conflict. I only knew of the basics. But what I did know, was that the nation of New Grandera that the empire would never acknowledge, truly did live in the very fringes. Their territories were two small pockets in both the very north and very south, occupying the spaces that intersected both the ocean and the impenetrable barrier range. They had made alliances with some of the only entities that could resist the might of the Angelore Empire.


    So what, pray tell, did this shepherd expect of the local belfegors? Did he want them to send out an email using the non-existent internet? Maybe send out a stork to carry a letter over, telling what were likely to be complete strangers that they should surrender?


    What is the game plan here???


    The centaurs sat back down on the ground, and the belfegors they just blessed stood, to in turn bless the most unfortunate of all.


    The crustecars. A species of people that looked like giant blue, red, or purple crabs. They were typically about as tall as half a human, but far wider. One of their claws was a large and savage weapon, while the other was a collection of three dextrous hand-claws that were thinner and more dextrous. Curiously, from the few crustecars who were even present in the settlement, I¡¯d noticed that quite a few of them were missing one or two of those smaller hands or even whole arms.


    Not that I could see any of them right now, being in the front row and all, as an all-important human (baby).


    Priest Lathary began to address them with barely concealed scorn. "You of the crustecar people. We bless you here today, in hopes that you will be better. We bless you as a reminder of the mercy that was shown, when we spared your people. You who are cursed with bodies like that of the cursetaceans, mindless creatures that have plagued the Angelore Empire for centuries. You whose terrifying exteriors only reveal the vile, disobedient, and rebellious nature underneath!" Lathary took a deep breath. The rage was no longer concealed at this point. "Even now our coastal towns and cities are under assault by your brethren. You have constantly shown yourselves to truly be no different from the cursetaceans that you''ve descended from. Our people are being killed, and our babies eaten by the invasions of the crustecars and the cursetacens!" The priest took a deep breath, and I did the same. I felt Lathary''s rage, and the genuine grief he feels for his people¨CWait, fuck! This is his mind control. Fuck! You''re wrong anyway!


    I reminded myself of the truths that I knew, from the many stories Grandpa had told. The cursetaceans were literally cursed creatures, born from when the Angels tried to kill the Cursed Dragon Cursifix. The mythical creature created the cursetaceans as a final ''fuck you!'' to the angels and their empire, and quite honestly it was a very respectable ''fuck you!'' The accursed critters were still a big fucking problem to this day, arguably the biggest. They just kept on coming, endlessly, they never ceased to attack the territories of the Angelore Empire, and nothing else. Or at least none of the other sapient kingdoms and polities, unless if they were in the way, but only if there were no other routes leading to the ocean. There was always another route, because it would be way out of character for the empire to not conquer its neighbors. That was always the goal!


    In contrast to all that bullshit, the crustecars had been in this continent since before the angels even arrived on the planet of Varyala. The empire''s forces then conquered them when they landed on the shores of Grandera and now the crustecar kingdoms from deeper down the sea were trying to take revenge for their people who had been unjustly persecuted. Which means it''s completely justified! And Lathary is dumb! This whole thing is dumb! The church, the shepherds, the angels, all of it! Fuck you, fuck you, FUCK YOU!!!!


    I kept on shouting in my mind, to try and get rid of the invasive mental influence, for that was all I could do. The magic clung to me like a parasite that just wouldn''t let go, and its constant presence made me seethe.


    "But the Empire only wants peace," the mind control prick known as Lathary continued. More like Lathar you in oil and burn you with fire! "All we want is to lead you all to a better tomorrow. To shepherd the sheep that you are into greener pastures. That is why I do commend the efforts made by the crustecars here today, to try and correct even a meager amount of the wrongs committed by their people. Sinners that you all are, there''s still a path open to redemption. So work hard, toil, become a shield against those that invade us, including that of your own people. Show that you''re different! Show that you can change!" The priest panted, hands gripped around the podium. "...Amen.


    Well, that was fucked up. I thought, as everyone settled back down to listen to some songs.


    The lyrics were horrendous, all about how the angels were great and shit. But I had to admit that the actual melodies were nice. It¡¯s good art.


    We had an even more lengthy sermon afterwards which didn¡¯t prove to have any value. People settled in to listen, while I instead worked on dozing off properly. Good sleep is important!


    The Priest drawled on and on, speaking about how the Angels arrived, and saved the humans from their sorry lot in life. The then human queen Shanayah was given the opportunity to turn into the very first shepherd of the planet.


    "This is not an uncommon arrangement for planets under the Heavenly Hegemony. Angels are sent out by the grace of the Angelic God, in order to save the many worlds of the galaxy. Humans have often been a vital part of this, as they are present on most planets. And it is from them that we shepherds are made, a higher being ascending from the flawed. So keep faith, my sheep. Perhaps someday, you too may be uplifted by the angels."


    A higher being¡­ I banished the desire to live up to his expectations. This constant mind-control aura from all the fucking shepherds in front of me was really pissing me off. I could just claw their faces off.


    But more importantly than that, was how the human queen became a shepherd. This was a story I genuinely loved, and not because I believed in the righteousness of the angels and their mission or anything, but because of how it unambiguously affirmed my own dreams.


    It gave precedent for a human evolving into something else. It was possible to evolve and change one¡¯s species. Therefore demonhood should be similarly achievable. I just had to work hard and figure out a way, without asking for the help of the angels. Then again, the concept of demons doesn''t exist in our culture at all, so maybe I could trick them into it¡­


    I snapped back to attention right towards the end, when I heard something potentially interesting. Lathary had circled back to the topic of Shanayah. The First Shepherd and Angelore''s One and Only Empress.


    "Empress Shanayah was someone who worshiped the Angelic God in a time long past, and a land long forgotten. For while we know much of her heroic feats and battles, some from even before the advent of the angels upon Varyala, all those tales barely scratch the surface of Empress Shanayah''s true history."


    Priest Lathary opened his Angelic Bible into another page. He cleared his throat and spoke in a higher-pitched voice.


    "Oh how I''ve looked for you in the past life of mine. I was ridiculed and persecuted for my faith, in a land ruled by ignorants. Those who denied His light and salvation! But I see now, upon your descent, Archangel Angelo, that I was not mistaken. My faith that persisted, even in the face of reincarnation, has been rewarded!" Baron Lathary took a deep breath, his eyes steady. "That was a direct quote from Empress Shanayah herself, before she was even crowned queen, when she was yet a human woman. She had spoken of an alien world, with¡­ buildings of steel and glass, metal birds that released chemical trails of death, and invisible waves that threatened to warp the people''s minds called ''the internet''. It''s so hard to imagine, I would not be surprised if it was in another plane of reality entirely. How hard it must have been for her, to exist in the unfathomably dangerous hellscape that was Earth!" Lathary was shaking now, with both sympathy and awe. "But even then, the light of God reached her! Even then, her faith remained true! She knew her role, and she followed in His Angelic plan! And for that she was rewarded! She was not forsaken! Even in death, even after death, SHE WAS SAVED!"


    Lathary panted, and I must say that even I was taken aback in awe by the delivery. And of course I am because that''s his mind-fuck power. Fuck you! Get out of my head!


    "...You are all called to the same. To have faith, no matter what happens. Do not doubt. Always pray. And follow not what you want nor your own selfish desires, but instead walk the Angelic path paved for you. Obey and follow the plan of the Angelic God and His Angels!" Priest Lathary took a deep breath. "Do so, and you shall be saved, just like how Empress Shanayah was saved."


    My rage settled into a cold fury. I considered Priest Lathary''s words.


    I was not convinced, of course. I will never be convinced to throw away my freedom. But it certainly was interesting how there was another reincarnator among us. One so open about it and broadly believed. One who was even from the same world as I.

 Chapter 8: Baptism.

    Finally. After hours spent listening to stupid bullshit, and then socializing, we can finally¨C


    "Alright. Time for your baptism Haell," Mom said, forcing a smile.


    I looked at her, mouth agape.


    I began to cry.


    I did not stop when we exited the massive church. I did not stop when we strolled through the manor grounds, greeting the mostly human staff along the way. I did not stop crying even when we¡¯d arrived at the central fountain along with a sizable crowd. Some were there just to watch, and others also had babies or older they wanted to have baptized.


    I was still bawling at the top of my fucking lungs when Lathary and the other shepherds showed up.


    Lathary tried to preach about dedicating our lives for the good of the empire, and the greater hegemony as a whole. How great it is to move for the angels and all that bullshit. I could tell he was getting very annoyed at the nuisance I was making of myself.


    Good.


    If he wanted to baptize me, then I sure as hell wasn¡¯t going to make it easy!!


    I began to grow irritated at myself for disrupting such an important tradition, but I knew that it was the priest¡¯s own feelings that were spreading towards us because of shepherd bullshit. So I just took satisfaction in knowing exactly how I was making them feel, and then I cranked it up even higher, wailing like a broken siren.


    The other people with us were more easily fooled and controlled, and they began complaining about me. I could feel Mom¡¯s protective hold grow tighter, and I just clung to her harder while continuing to bawl. My throat was beginning to get sore, but a little bit of pain was not going to beat me!


    "Shh!" Mom reprimanded with a similarly irritated expression on her face. I immediately shut up and watched as her face turned to one of worry. "Sorry baby¡­" she whispered, and then turned her glare towards the priest at the front. So the mind control aura works on even her. Damn.


    That certainly wasn''t Mom''s fault, so I hugged her to show that I wasn''t upset.


    ¡­And then I returned to my regularly scheduled crying.


    There was no stopping this train, and soon the other babies and toddlers were answering the call, turning our wails into a very loud chorus.


    Unfortunately, despite my interruptions, the babies were soon taken to the fountain, and then washed under the artificial waterfall. The statue of twisting flesh and bone was said to be a small part of a small part of the Angelic God¡¯s likeness. The whole procedure honestly looked kind of fun, but it was the principle of the thing. I did not wish to do it, and I certainly made my displeasure known.


    The shepherds washed and baptized the babies, but Lathary only watched on. Curiously, it was only when it came time for our turn, the baron stepped forward to do the baptism himself.


    That was flattering and all, but that did not change my trepidation over the process. Magic literally existed, so who was to say that this was a mere formality that did nothing? For all I knew, it could be binding my soul to eternal servitude towards the angels!


    I certainly did not want that.


    So I redoubled my efforts. I wailed and thrashed and tried my hardest to escape from my mom''s grasp.


    She grew distressed at my behavior, and I felt a bit bad about that, but I refused to give anything but my best effort for this. The first¡­ second fight of my life! After that merchant fuck.


    "Haell. Haell¡­ what''s wrong? It''s okay. We won''t hurt you¡­"


    I looked at my mom''s worried face, and I nearly broke. But I refused to give anything but my best effort for this. It was my first¡­ perhaps second fight in this life, and I had no intention of losing.


    "Just give her here," Lathary''s resonant voice called out to us, and Mom nearly handed me over to the bad shepherd man. But she thankfully pulled away at the last second and shot him a hostile look.


    "My baby''s distressed. I just want to calm her down."


    "That''s why I want you to give her here. I''ll calm her down, and then we can have this baptism." His eyes suddenly focused on me, and I felt a looming dread.


    Mom jumped away, causing a scene. Dad did not have his sword, but one look at his posture told that he was ready to throw hands.


    Mom addressed Lathary without care for all the bystanders around. "You try and use your mind magic on Haell one more time, and I¡¯ll make you regret it.¡±


    A look of pure rage came to his face. Lathary looked around at the now murmuring crowds and his fury only burned hotter. "You dare threaten me!? A shepherd!? Have you gone mad?!"


    Mom''s eyes were resolute, but it was Dad who answered first as he stood with his wife. "Yes."


    "It is not madness to protect our daughter." Mom added.


    Lathary''s eyes searched around, the other shepherds looked at him worriedly. There was a crowd of people here, and we had already caused a scene. I could feel his anger, as it resonated with me through his magic, but for once I welcomed the sensation of just how mad this had made him. The foolish shepherd even turned his furious gaze at myself, and he just looked silly for holding a grudge towards a baby.


    I stuck out my tongue and blew him a raspberry.


    I could not resist.


    Lathary¡¯s composure cracked, and so did my parents¡¯. The former with resentment, but the latter also could not resist.


    Mom and Dad could not help but laugh, and I was glad to have brought a smile to their faces even in this situation.


    Lathary looked like he was about to blow a gasket soon, but he took a deep breath and calmed his emotions. "It seems you both have some¡­ issues that you need to work on. And your child is already showing a rebellious nature," he said the word as if it were a curse. "This reflects badly on your parenting. And in that respect, you must learn. Just as we shepherds guide civilization, so too must the parents guide their children. Do you understand?"


    There was a beat of silence.


    Mom looked like she wanted to retort, but Dad placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back. She looked at him, and the towering man shook his head.


    We walked away, without another word. Priest Lathary will forever lament, without ever receiving an answer to his question.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ~~~


    Sweets, fruits, and juice! My parents were still worried about me because of how much I''d freaked out during my supposed baptism, so they took me to ''A Taste Of Rainforest.''


    It was a pretty high-end restaurant, built upon a small forested park in the middle of the upper district. Everything about it was outdoors, from the tables and seating, to the belfegor staff who hang around in decorated platforms atop the trees. They had all chosen bright and eye-catching colors for their skin!


    The owner attended to us personally, a jolly middle-aged human woman. She was very respectful towards my parents, and in turn towards me.


    We had a nice meal of belfegorian cuisine, consisting of a plethora of reserved and marinated foods that could take literal years of preparation. I''d heard that from Salaire.


    We went back home afterwards, and I fell asleep in Dad''s arms. My mood was successfully lifted, and my stomach was full to bursting.


    I shat myself on the way.


    ~~~


    Mom carried me back to my crib, and I woke up for a brief moment, to get my diapers changed. Dad had run to the bathroom the moment we arrived, in order to clean himself up. This was because I shat myself while he was carrying me. Just, a big stinking pile of it, right on his chest. Poo all over his clothes. The works.


    I should feel bad. And I was definitely embarrassed. But¡­


    "Ehe¡­ Ehehehehe!!" I laughed as my mom dressed me back up. She shot me a somewhat reprimanding look, but she could completely hide the smirk from her face.


    "Now Haell¡­ You should not¡­" she scoffed in barely contained laughter. "You shouldn''t shit on your dad! Or me!"


    Mom could not take it any longer. She burst into giggles. "If you must though¡­ then Rallem. Definitely do it on Rallem. Your dad. Not me." She could barely get out the words in between fits of laughter.


    ~~~


    We had our usual dinner, myself and parents seated around a table, while my grandfather loomed at us from his own oversized accommodations.


    Mom and Dad were talking, and the subject of what happened earlier came up.


    "What do we do about her baptism?" Mom asked.


    "Maybe we should talk about this later¡­" Dad glanced back at me.


    "It should be fine. She''s just a baby. But that''s why it''s so frustrating. Church clearly distresses her. All those people, the weird rituals. Do we have to take Haell?"


    Dad rubbed at his chin. "I mean, we''ve been chased out of many towns already after butting heads with the local shepherds and rulers. Haell probably just had a bad day. It''d be fine next time¡­"


    "But what if it isn''t? Things almost came to blows last time."


    They worried about what may happen next time, unaware of how much I truly understood, although Dad was a bit more careful and considerate of me and what I may hear. Mom expressed her worry about my baptism and their treatment of the baron, although I gathered that she was more annoyed than anything at the prospect of potential harassment or even the dreaded politics.


    "Hah!" Grandpa Goler butted in, waving his mug of alcohol around knowing full well that I can''t drink it and it sucks! Except he didn''t know how much I wanted it, and he certainly wasn''t doing shit on purpose. "If that baron Thallamy or whatever¡­"


    "Lathary," Dad supplied.


    "Right. That cunt."


    "Language!" my mother rebuked.


    "No fucking respect for the elders¡­" Grandpa grumbled. "But as I was saying! I got one more adventure left in me. One more. So if it comes down to a fight¡­"


    "Dad¡­" Dad addressed his own dad. "Please don''t talk about dying like that¡­"


    Grandpa scoffed. "I failed. I could not seize immortality. I could not defeat age. And so this is the best I can do. You lot, however¡­ it''s not too late for you yet. Achieve what I could not. Specially you, Haell! I can feel that true adventurer''s spirit in you! Not like the pussies they make of them these days!"


    "Yeah!" I cheered, lifting up my own cup. It was filled with water.


    "Golex!" Mom snapped. "Look at what you taught her!"


    "I taught her not to be a spineless adventurer but a damn adventurous one!"


    Mom grumbled some more, but the topic eventually failed into my twice-failed baptism. I was already absent for my first one on account of being punted across the room.


    Not that they insinuated in any way that it was my damn fault. The merchant took all the fall for that one, and I completely approved of that narrative.


    "It''ll be okay," Dad reassured my mom. "She was just¡­ feeling bad today. But I''m sure we can get her baptized next month. Okay? We won''t need to move out and be chased away again."


    I sighed sadly upon hearing that. I so wished I could give that to them. I could tell that my parents weren''t devout at all in the slightest, but their position only necessitated that they keep up appearances.


    It meant nothing to them. To go there and do the little social dance of pretending to be good Angelians. To have me be baptized over inconsequential superstitions, nothing but a silly little bath.


    But it meant something to me.


    And so I chose to come clean. I trusted them, and they deserved to know why I might get them chased out of town.


    "Soul Feat," I ground out, my voice far clearer than before, no longer that of a powerless baby. "Reincarnator."


    My parents raised their brows, but it was Grandpa whose eyes widened. His hands slammed down, and the wooden table almost splintered. The gigantic chair he was sitting on was flung all the way towards the kitchen.


    "Reincarnator!" he shouted, his old legs already a tad shaky from the exertion. "You¡­ you!"


    All of us just looked at him with both confusion and concern. Grandpa blushed a little and sat back down, proceeding to explain.


    "Soul Feats are¡­ I don''t know what it''s like out there anymore, but they were bloody rare in my day. Maybe there''d be a rumor or two about them, but it was so hard to confirm. People took it for superstition or the like."


    Dad nodded slowly. "Yeah¡­ I''ve heard of some soul¡­ things¡­"


    "None of which were ever confirmed," Mom added. "We didn''t really give it much thought¡­"


    "Well, it''s true," Grandpa informed us. "That she even knows about soul feats means that Haell is definitely telling the truth. I can see it in her eyes. She''s always been a brilliant child."


    I blushed and giggled.


    "And that she knows that particular soul feat by name¡­" Grandpa trailed off. He continued after seeing our questioning looks. "Reincarnator in particular means that Haell here can remember her past life¡­ just like Shanayah."


    My parents blinked at the mention of the empress. This was part of why I even considered telling them. There was precedent for such an outlandish story as mine to be believed.


    Mom and Dad looked at me, eyes boring into my skull.


    "Is this true?" Dad demanded, his large and terrifying visage that I''d gotten used to once again intimidating. I winced.


    "Yes¡­" I answered guiltily.


    I caught Mom glowering at him for a split second, before turning back to me with a softer tone. "Is that¡­ why you do not want to be baptized?"


    I nodded, then clarified, "Worship. No one." My face contorted in an angrier stare. "Mind control. Bad!"


    There was silence around the tables for a moment, before Grandpa jovially cackled.


    "Yes! Yes that''s right! Don''t just let them decide that for you! Don''t allow the damn shepherds to rape your mind! Don''t just follow and follow all these bastard angels! Have a true adventure and be free!"


    His speech did not fail to raise my spirits, and I once again raised my glass of water for a toast. "Hell Yeah!!!"


    I laughed and continued my meal happily, sending nervous looks down to my parents who seemed to be discussing in a private whisper. Mom did not even reprimand Grandfather for the terms he used.


    Finally, Dad turned towards me, a sigh escaping his lips but he looked at peace now. "You''re still our daughter Haell. No matter who you were before."


    Mom smiled and squeezed her husband''s hands. "If it''s that important to you, then we''ll not let anyone force you into a baptism. Or to go to church for that matter. We''ll cut down anyone who tries to do otherwise!"


    Dad laughed nervously, "We should avoid that¡­ But I also agree. We''ll protect you if anyone ever tries to force you into anything. And sorry if¡­ that''s also what we did earlier¡­"


    "I¡­ No." I croaked out, my throat heavy with emotion. I was worried about what they might think, with my prior memories, and the deviant ideas that came with it.


    "It''s fine!" I got out, before the tears finally came. I was so happy that in the end, they were still the supportive and kind parents I''d come to love.

 Chapter 8.5 (Interlude): The Genocide of The Inhex.

    ¡ªGrandpa Golex POV¡ª


    ¡ªWell over a century ago¡ª


    ¡°Aaaahhhh¡­!¡± I expressed my utmost serenity and excitement for the upcoming battle. The smell of salt was a balm to my soul as we rapidly approached our destination. The shore of Hivania had come into view, and with it the inhex that called the continent home. I¡¯d been briefed prior, but it was still so¡­ weird to see sapient people so far from the human form. They looked like very large dark-purple ants with a trio of separate mandibles on their face. Their sizes ranged from tigers to rhinos.


    I¡¯d love to trade blows with the more gigantic of them, especially since I''d crossed into the 4 meters of height after my recent evolution. Our fight would be glorious. Legendary even!


    And it would be a fight, of that there was no doubt. So many of them were arrayed on the shore, and while I wasn¡¯t fluent in the body language of giant ants, I was pretty sure that they were preparing for war. The siege weapons they were busying around laid bare their intent to resist til the fucking end.


    As they should.


    Such was the right, and the duty, of all life on Varyala.


    ~~~


    I scowled at the army gathered before me, their screeching and incomprehensible way of communication grating against my ears.


    What the angels did was shameful, and the enslavement of the inhex was not right. I was happy enough to fight and conquer them, but this was too fucking far. It was dishonorable, and it was wrong.


    ¡°Are you fine with this, Shanayah?¡± I asked my friend, and now queen. I didn¡¯t know if we were even still friends.


    ¡°It is the will of the angels. It is the will of the Angelic God.¡± Shanayah¡¯s voice was serene, yet laced with intense devotion. I felt a compulsion to agree, but I quickly buried that feeling. I had¡­ stayed away from her ever since she evolved into a shepherd of all things. I felt a little bit bad about that, but I just didn¡¯t appreciate having my head messed with, even by a comrade of a thousand battles. Especially not now, when we couldn''t see eye to eye at all. Not after all that she¡¯d done.


    What happened to her, and why did she just immediately fall to her knees the moment the angels arrived? Why did she drag the rest of our party to a secretive evolution ritual where only she came back from alive? Why, Shanayah? Why?


    I took a deep breath, and then left the empress. I was liable to make a mistake that could not be undone if I stayed near her. I already have, countless times, and the only reason I remained free and alive was because she took pity on me.


    It was infuriating. She was infuriating. And I was infuriating for being happy to have survived.


    I walked across the staging grounds, watching the crowds of inhex agitatedly crawling around and over each other. They were in despair and in rage, and plenty of them lashed out only to be put down by the angels with ease, or put down by the soldiers stationed around the perimeter. The only reason why the situation hadn¡¯t blown over into all-out war again was because of the downright shameful leverage my faction had gotten over them.


    I really wished that they would just fight.


    ¡°Stop. Stay still. Form into ranks. March in formation!¡± Archangel Darshello¡¯s voice thundered from above. Her enormous body consisted of separate layers of flesh and bone shields that shuddered with every word. A thousand eyes glared at all the inhex people below, and every mouth roared in unbearable annoyance.


    Archangel Vivilent was doing the same thing, his appearance instead that of a thousand blades condensed into a porcupine-like ball. He spun with every perceived mistake of his unwilling subjects, sometimes right among their ranks.


    Archangel Degrace whipped his uncountable number of tendrils around, gesturing wildly to the inhex, and then blaming them when they couldn¡¯t follow the rapid instructions of a being over level 160. A meager few of them were taught how to speak angelic for the purposes of communication, yet he still did not hesitate to kill even those crucial soldiers.


    Archangel Koraxis was shouting from higher up, desperately trying to sound calm, but the strumming of her crossbow body and the massive bolts of flesh and bone fired at anyone who tried to disobey revealed her furious discomfort at the disorder of the inhex people.


    Except in reality, they were actually the most organized foes I¡¯d ever faced. The chaos that we saw was only our interpretation of it. I¡¯d faced them in battle so I knew that no other army could keep track of each other like the inhex could, no other swarm could ever react with the same swiftness as they.


    So how can the angels not see that when it¡¯s so apparent, and they¡¯re allegedly so intelligent!?


    In the center of it all was Archangel Angelo, guiding the efforts of his fellow archangels, and of the many regular angels scattered along the space. This was why I really didn¡¯t want angels at the command. It was going to take forever to get anything done. They¡¯d already killed so many of the inhex soldiers¡­ and civilians, before they could even begin their final march.


    ~~~


    ¡ªCurse Dragon Cursifix POV¡ª


    My eyes snapped open, furious at the wondrous dreams that were broken. My instincts blared out a warning just before disaster struck, but an organic crossbow bolt of golden white flesh and bone still managed to strike my left eye despite my attempt to dodge. The pain and the humiliation of it was unforgivable!!


    I roared, fury overtaking my mind as the projectile dug into the protective bone of my brain. White hot rage clouded what remained of my vision, and my curse mana was only all too happy to respond in the same tune, forcing my anger to even greater heights. The roiling hate manifested as a burst of aura, dwarfing the paltry amount that I passively leaked out which had by itself turned this entire mountain into The Cursified Wonderzone. My baleful presence staggered half of the already diminished attacking army, and drove more of them insane even from so far down the mountain.


    Because why were they trying to scale my mountain in the first place!?


    The evil within me stirred even stronger, the magic flowing through my veins rose to greater heights of power. I poured it all into my lungs, and then unleashed a draconic breath down at the inhexes who had thought they could usurp me!


    A foggy blast of pure blackness swallowed half of The Cursified Mountain, leaving none that it directly touched alive. The foolish inhex died in droves, unaware of their own demise as their bodies were disintegrated in an instant.


    Those who were much further away survived for one second, screaming in delicious agony as their insides twisted, and the flesh of their bodies died. Further still, and they experienced the mind-bending pain of having one¡¯s flesh both stripped away and transformed.


    And then there were the ones who survived, hidden on the literal other side of the mountain. Not just their bodies, but their minds too broke under the pressure, twisted into horrid amalgamations of their former selves. Some just fell, unmoving, unresponsive, like dolls with their strings cut. Others ran away as they should, overtaken by the fear one should have for a superior being. My favorites were those who grew confused, unable to comprehend their surroundings. They started attacking anyone and anything in sight, destroying whatever order remained. Friend backstabbed friend, brother dismembered sister, and sister devoured brother. It was a chaotic sea of betrayal that I reveled in. It was my power that caused that, and the curse mana twisting through every inch of me sang in approval. I wished nothing more than to spread this same fate to all that lived in this world and beyond!


    ~~~


    ¡ªArchangel Angelo POV¡ª


    My single eye twitched in displeasure as it gazed through my lenses of flesh at the battle happening a horizon away from where I flew above the vast oceans. I was not expecting the dragon to be this strong, and I expected more from the inhex that had dared to kill one of my angels. It was already so difficult to wrangle them together into a proper march¨Can effort that I admittedly did not truly succeed in, through no fault of my own¨Cbut now they couldn¡¯t even serve as a distraction so that their betters may properly take on the hated foe!


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    I twitched and twitched and twitched, for why did the people of this world love so much to go against my plans? Angels were supposed to dominate any resistance the locals may have. Even if it were possible for an angel to fall, an archangel was never supposed to be in any danger. And yet why was a mere beast on the same level, if not actual power, as a Serafim!? That was an absurdity that could not be allowed. The anomaly must be purged. But things were just not in proper order, my plans had been put into disarray by the dragon¡¯s first move. It was not right that we angels would have to retreat, but we were not like this beast, we could show wisdo¨C


    The dragon shot forward and snapped two whole angels into its mouth. The beast rumbled and huffed in hateful disrespect as it swallowed, before killing all others in the vicinity without ever giving them the chance to heal.


    ¡°VIVILENT, DARSHELLO, DEGRACE!¡± my holy voice thundered not into my surroundings, but right into the ears of my faraway flockmates. ¡°Kill the blasphemer and protect our young!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll not forgive this animal!¡±


    ¡°I will protect.¡±


    ¡°Look upon me and perish.¡±


    Holy magic flowed to my single ear, and through it I heard their replies. Koraxis remained by my side, and I adjusted her aim carefully for the next shot. My halo glowed as I poured holy magic into her, further increasing the power that she could already hardly contain, and healing her from the backlash at the same time. I could feel the sheer agitation emanating from her as she pulled back the string of her body, cranking with force and gathering vast amounts of holy magic. She too was enraged at the deaths of our kin, but soon this hateful abomination shall fall under the might of the Heavenly Hegemony.


    But then another cluster of the innocent and holy angels died. This slavering beast dared to kill more of our young. It used that chaotic burst of speed once again to rapidly close the distance before the archangels of our flock could close in. It chose to be cowardly, terrorizing the children instead of facing the true wrath of the flock!


    ¡°Koraxis! Fire!¡±


    My stalwart ally did as I commanded, and the bolt flew true, impacting hard against the side of the dragon. It did not fall from that, unwilling still to let go of its blasphemous ways when it should have kowtowed for forgiveness long before we even arrived. But that was only to be expected of heretical swine. They must be put down.


    Degrace caught up to the dragon just as it reached the next cluster of angels, and my archangel friend redirected the beast¡¯s head with a snap of his whips before it could snuff out even more of our sprouts. The dragon roared and retaliated, which did manage to take out many of Degrace¡¯s tentacles as he dodged around, but that was a futile effort against an angel. Not that I expected such a mindless creature to understand.


    Within moments, Degrace regenerated what he had lost, and with the same holy powers that allowed for such a miracle, he struck back against the dragon again.


    The animal roared, and it attacked some more. Degrace was taking more damage¨Cwhich any damage at all was unacceptable heresy¨Cbut it was far from the point where he was in any actual danger. Koraxis even managed to get another shot off, which didn¡¯t hit anything immediately vital, but it still provided crucial damage. Degrace¡¯s attacks too were gradually crushing scales and ripping them away. This was a hunt, and we were those blessed with the wisdom to attain victory. All for the will of the Angelic God.


    And then more than half of Degrace¡¯s body disappeared in one go. His flesh and bone rapidly regenerated, but the blasted dragon continued tearing into my flockmate even as he tried to piece himself back together. Even such terrible wounds were something an archangel should¡¯ve been able to shrug off, but to be forced to heal so much and so much would strain even our inexhaustible source of holy power. And what¡¯s more¡­ the foul creature was somehow suppressing our divine right to heal with its own unholy magic!


    ¡°NO!¡± I shouted, seeing the predicament of my good friend. ¡°Don¡¯t let him die!¡±


    Our young, our sprouts, the angels that were close by all dove in at my command and I felt a pang of regret as I saw just what was about to happen. Arrows flew from them once they were in range. Axes impacted the dragon¡¯s scales, followed by other limb weapons such as swords, spears, and more. Even with such a level difference, the holy power that we of the flock wielded was such that they could still chip and crack the scales of this massive beast.


    But it wouldn¡¯t be enough, I knew. The dragon turned away from Darshello for a moment, and swiped at our children. It opened its sickening maw and crushed without remorse that which was holy. The animal went on a rampage, even reaching the archers at the back and going after the others that were just coming towards itself. All the while its magic raged like a storm around it, rotting, twisting, enfeebling, and more.


    My eye pulsed with anger at the sight as Koraxis rumbled beside me in her own rage. I guided her aim once more, and this time we hit the dragon where a mortal¡¯s lungs would be. Vivilent then arrived, and he immediately tore into the beast even more. He was almost grabbed by the creature, but that¡¯s when Degrace reentered the battle and redirected the claw. The dragon blurred into motion, aiming to crush and rip apart Degrace with its maw, but Darshello arrived just in time to take the blow instead. Her many layers of shields weathered the assault claw and teeth with utmost bravery, and Vivilent dove in and sliced through parts of the monster¡¯s face and throat just before it could crush our archangel friend.


    This was the power of the angels. This was a symbol of our authority. I wished such methods were not necessary, but there would always be those opposed to order and were slaves to chaos. It was our calling, our duty, to remove those fools who chose evil over what was evidently good.


    ~~~


    The battle continued in the skies. It raged with unrelenting violence. My eye strained with the fury that I felt at how nothing was going according to plan. We archangels were hard at work just trying to contain the power that the evil dragon could bring to bear, and even our young were forced to continue to be involved as they both dove into battle and acted as healers for the archangels among us. The foul creature used its evil magics to curse and weaken our forces, and even though such maledictions were well within our capabilities to counter¡­ I had to admit that they were still terrifyingly dangerous. So many promising angels had already fallen, all for the selfishness of a useless being that knew only to sleep atop its mountain while poisoning the land.


    But the dragon was visibly slowing down now. It was breathing hard, so many of its scales had been flayed apart, and countless bolts were sticking out of the flesh underneath. If there was any blessing to be had to this misfortunate encounter, it was that the dreadful animal could not heal itself at all. Its demise was already predestined, and by the Angelic God we shall deliver.


    I prepared for the final push as I contemplated the defiance shown by the monster. It was a prime example of the disobedience and rebellion that the Angelic Scriptures warn heavily about. Even under the assault of so many of the angels that wielded His will, it still would not yield. The dragon continued its resistance, it continued its struggle, and in doing so, it only spread despair. For every angel that it had killed, so many more people would suffer; unguided, ignorant, and without faith.


    ¡°Fire!¡± I growled out, feeling an intense well of hatred for this creature. Koraxis shot an arrow right at the spine of the wicked monster, and the dragon¡¯s flight cut out for a short moment.


    That was when everything truly went wrong.


    With a burst of power, the accursed dragon surged forward and aimed not for the archangels, but instead chose to slaughter the more defenseless angels. The monster roared and growled, in what I could only interpret as a sneer and a chuckle, as it continued to ignore the archangels in pursuit of easier prey. It was shameless, it was dishonorable, it was vile, but none of my wisdom would ever reach it for such an abomination knew not reason. It cared for neither justice nor righteousness, and it must only be put down.


    ¡°Stop the dragon! Kill the heretic! IT¡¯S WEAKENED NOW! IT¡¯S ON ITS LAST LEGS!¡±


    My words stirred my brethren to action. The archangels redoubled their efforts to save those under our care. They put themselves in front of the beast to halt it in its tracks. They formed an impenetrable defense, unwilling to allow this massacre to continue any longer. The dragon then showed far more power than it ever had before and caught Vivilent in its mouth. The archangel did not go down without a fight, but the terrible energies present in the body of the beast killed him as he drowned within the enemy.


    The dragon coughed up blood, showing just how much my dear flockmate did to help us even in the end. The foul creature had no mercy and went after Degrace next. Its arm broke from the force of its own swipe, but that mattered little to my friend who was turned into paste.


    The Curse Dragon Cursifix was burning the last vestiges of its life all in order to do as much damage as it could before it died.


    Just how low can you go?


    ¡°Retreat!¡± I screamed. ¡°RETREAT!¡±


    Our opponent was already dead. There was no need to feed it any more precious lives. Our pride and our conviction would not be tarnished to do what was only wise.


    Darshello immediately moved, protecting the remains of Degrace as the severely wounded archangel struggled to pull himself back together. She weathered the assault of the dragon valiantly as the other angels came and contributed their own healing to the resuscitation of a vital flock member. Darshello allowed not a single angel more to fall until Degrace could move once again, after which she guarded the retreat to ensure that the vile and heinous dragon was kept in check. Even as her layers of shield were ripped away, even as her flesh and bone were sundered, and her body lost so much of its overwhelming mass; Archangel Darshello did not let the dragon pass.


    And then the Curse Dragon breathed. The skies turned black as a beam of void pierced through the horizon. No other angel was left once the pitch blackness cleared, and only Darshello remained in the realm of existence, spent and a mere husk.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!¡± I screamed. Koraxis shot her next bolt and it sunk deeply into the remaining eye of our hated enemy. It did not stop the vile beast from finding what remained of Darshello, and ripping apart what was left.


    Of the forces that I brought here, only I and Koraxis remained. We were the only archangels left.


    Tears streamed out of my eyes as I commanded Koraxis to finish off our nemesis. I watched in detached fascination as the dragon just kept on coming no matter how many bolts had been stuffed into its face. Its body would inevitably fall apart by itself, every single movement only tore through its flesh further, yet still the dragon remained completely fixated on killing the two of us who remained. Even without eyes, I could feel its glare, but when I mustered the energy to glower back, it did not even care.


    The beast fell, eventually. It almost made it to where we once were, but we had long moved away from that position as our enemy made its slow way forward. The dragon roared for one last defiant time as it fell into the ocean, and somehow, terrifyingly so, I understood exactly what it meant.


    And then the very fabric of the universe responded. The seas turned both turbulent and still as a deep blackness blossomed from its fathomless depths. An endless terror was born, from a resentment that did not die even in death.


    The nightmare was not over.

 Chapter 9: The Munchkining Begins.

    [Dextrous Hands has reached Level 2!]


    [Flutter Feet has reached Level 2!]


    [Human Bone, Human Flesh, and Human Musculature have reached Level 2!]


    [Human Brain has reached Level 3!]


    [Human Heart has reached Level 2!]


    [Adrenaline Gland has reached Level 2!]


    The days passed me by, turning into weeks, months, and even years. I never had to go to church again, which was great. That was a waste of time put to better use. Even my parents stopped going because they never enjoyed it either, and while there were the occasional people who came by to bother us about it, nothing really bad came of declining their advances. A bit of shunning and rumors didn¡¯t really do much, when our own actual close circles were tight.


    I spent a lot of time napping, as a baby should. I played with my enchanted toys, for even to this day I was still enamored by the smallest applications of magic.


    I learned about this world. The planet of Varayala, the Angelore Empire, and more. Our house had a big study, and the first thing I did was to consume all the ones meant for entertainment within. Mom and Dad asked me directly if I was even interested in children¡¯s books given¡­ my past, but I reassured them that it was fine, and that I would love to have them continue reading me bedtime stories. It was good fun.


    I made new friends, though most of them were from the same place. I frequented the orphanage a lot just to hang out and play. I just liked the vibes there better, than pretty much anywhere else. Even the children had all these vague customs about who took the lead, and who decided what games we were playing that day. There was even some unspoken bullshit about letting certain races win more for whatever stupid fucking reason. I just got into fights over it, and no one enjoyed themselves. It wasn¡¯t worth it.


    Only the orphanage was different in this regard, because of how equally Luine and Salaire treated their children. If I actually wanted to play with the other children, then that was where I went.


    _________________


    Name: Haell Zharignan


    Species: Human


    ¡ªMutations¡ª


    Human Heart: Level 2


    Human Brain: Level 3


    Human Skin: Level 2


    Human Eyes: Level 2


    Human Flesh / Human Bones / Enduring Musculature(synced) : (All) Level 2


    Dextrous Hands: Level 2


    Flutter Feet: Level 2


    Adrenaline Gland: Level 2


    ¡ªSoul Feats¡ª


    Reincarnator


    _________________


    I¡¯d grown stronger throughout the first four years of my life. I¡¯d gained levels just from playing like a child should. My body grew stronger through both my Mutations, and by simply growing up and becoming bigger.


    I decided that I¡¯d given myself a happy enough second childhood, and that it was time to begin the grind to reach for the horizons that I desired. I didn¡¯t know yet how I could possibly become a demon, but I had heard of this thing called Mutation Mutation. It¡¯s when someone uses the material from some other creature to enhance an existing Mutation upon reaching the evolution threshold. It was absurdly dangerous and rarely ever worked, but I wanted to try. That was my best and only plan at this point.


    In order to even try, I needed to reach level 10 in something.


    The leveling of Mutations was a vague and uncertain process. What worked for someone might not work for another, some were just talented in strange ways, earning levels for seemingly doing jack shit.


    I was not one of those people. My average ass would reach level 10 around my twenties(age), and I would stay there for the vast majority of my life if I lived normally. I needed to take more drastic measures. I needed to train and exert myself.


    Using one¡¯s Mutation was generally accepted to be a good way to speed up the acquisition of levels. The amount varied, and sometimes people could hardly see a difference despite working twice as hard. But I resolved myself to try.


    Demonhood would not be handed to be on a hellish platter. Which was unfortunate, I would really prefer it if it was. But failing to get all that I wanted for free, I was more than prepared to work for it.


    ~~~


    The skies were clear, the sun was shining, and the peaceful winds blew across my hair as I sat in the gentle shadow of a tree.


    The one thing on my mind on this beautiful day was violence and war.


    ¡­Okay. That was two things. They come in a bundle!


    I sat on our hill, in the mini garden that I¡¯d requested Baston to magic up. It was very fun to watch plants grow so fast, and I knew Baston¡¯s magic could make them into whips and vines and thorns that could restrain and vanquish a foe. I imagined for a moment wielding those powers for myself, it certainly seemed fun.


    My thoughts returned to more primitive and mundane methods. I also wanted to be a powerhouse in martial prowess, so I was considering all the many options that I had to gut and crush my foes. From swords that could cut off limbs, to axes that could cleave through armor and flesh. Hammers that delivered heavy blows, spears that skewered hearts aplenty. I could also go for bows that could let me strike from afar, or a scythe for maximum cool factor!


    There were so many to choose from, and I knew I wasn¡¯t going to master everything. I could hardly use them all at once to begin with. So I had to pick one. I couldn¡¯t have a harem of both sharp and blunt objects. Proper violence required proper commitment. And while I rarely ever had that for people, I would never cheat on my sword!!


    So which to choose, which to choose¡­


    The image of myself as a demon ramming through hordes of soldiers and beheading entire dragons sent a wonderful shiver through my spine. I couldn¡¯t wait to get to that future¡­ and I believe I have made my choice.


    I felt bad for all the other cute and sexy weapons, but there was only one thing befitting that of a proper Demon Lord.


    A classic, something that exuded the simple brutality that I sought, but with a high skill ceiling that would reward mastery and finesse. A weapon that I wanted to learn, an image that would not be remiss in my hands hundreds of levels later.


    The Greatsword.


    ~~~


    All that thinking made me hungry, so I went back inside the house to find myself a snack. One direboar sandwich and a full belly later, and I was back at our front lawn, looking for a stick.


    There were plenty of twigs and things to choose from, but none of them were quite right. I turned my search towards our trees instead, and I climbed their trunks to find myself a good branch. I snapped a few, until I finally found one that was kind of around the proper length.


    It was still far from the proper shape, but it¡¯d have to do for now. I swung it around a few times, imagining that I was a demon, and that my blade was cleaving through entire armies of monsters and more. I pictured all the angels and how they must fight, swinging around their weapon limbs, or moving in very unnatural ways for the archangels.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.


    Thankfully, I knew someone who did. I¡¯d be lying if the availability of training did not serve a factor at all in my decision making. But my reasoning was still sound.


    Dad strode out of the house just in time, carrying his own greatsword that looked quite a fair bit more imposing than my own. I did not let that discourage me, however. I returned his nod and watched as he descended down our hill. Only once he was halfway down did he focus. I could almost feel the surrounding air pause in his vicinity, as if the world itself held its breath.


    And then he swung. It was a motion that flowed so well, I almost missed that it happened all. The wind parted seamlessly upon his slash, but it also exploded out into a heavy gust. The people that lived around us were very much used to him already, but my dad still demanded a fair bit of attention, especially from curious kids who enjoyed a good show.


    Dad continued his exercises, uncaring. His movements glowed from techniques to stances, switching between a classic overhead slash, to a light and graceful stab. He swept his arms in a wide arc, he dug in his feet to put forth more force behind a single blow, and his sword flashed in a flurry of motion that only appeared as vague blurs. I had to strain my eyes and my mind just to keep up, and even then I failed, but I at least caught some of the way my dad carried himself and more.


    I stood back up and carried my own stick of a sword. I swung it in all the ways that I saw my father do. I glanced back down the hill at him and focused, understanding more of what it was that I must do. I followed what I could of the movements of his arms, and I gradually adjusted my grip, bringing it even just a micrometer closer to the perfection right in front of me.


    It wasn¡¯t until a while had passed that I noticed the lack of footwork in my movements. I corrected for that, and instantly found my focus having trouble doing it all at once. So I focused on footwork for the moment. My feet shifted rapidly as I tried to decipher the borderline dance that my dad was doing. He slowed down after a time, and I knew it was only for my benefit that he did. I memorized all the patterns that emerged, carving the movements into both my mind and body with every passing iteration. Slowly, as the day wore on, I finally began to incorporate the footwork properly with my sword swings. The proper balance, the proper stances, the proper mixtures. I watched my father like a hawk and absorbed it all. This was what my Human Brain was made to do.


    Unyielding effort, relentless training, trance-like repetition. I saw the mistakes in my stance, I fixed the way I carried myself with every stroke, my movements grew more graceful with every cycle. I took advantage of every Mutation and every part of my current existence, for no matter how I yearned to become a demon, I was a human right now, and I would not neglect my current powers and capabilities.


    The future that I desired could not be reached if I hold anything back for stupid and inane reasons.


    My arms began to hurt, and my legs felt like jelly, but I paid them no mind. Sweat poured out of my body, but that only made the embrace of the wind cooler. Every thump of my heart was like a gong ringing through flesh and bone, a constant building pressure that had finally reached a whole new peak today, but I knew that it was not my enemy. I panted from the sheer exertion, every breath was a struggle, yet it was never enough to bring me down. I just kept on swinging my sword over and over, memorizing the routine and improving upon it with every iteration. My mind processed it all, and from the patterns, the beginnings of a more complex framework was built. To be able to move as if without thought, to act in a manner that almost seemed automatic. New instincts were being carved into my very soul.


    Yes. This is the goal. Demons rule, but I¡¯m yet a human, and I¡¯ll be damned if I do not make full use of what I have!


    I finally collapsed into a heap, the sun bearing down on me from above. My heart continued to thunder in my chest, almost painful, but never quite crossing that threshold. It was well past midday, and I was both exhausted and starving. It truly went to show just how effective Mutations were, even with how low-level mine still were. I didn¡¯t even know if I could¡¯ve kept that up for that long at any point in my past life, even in the highest point of my prime.


    ¡°Haell. Are you alright?¡± The world suddenly darkened as a shadow passed overhead. It was my dad, and I answered him with a loud grumble of my stomach.


    He allowed me to rest for a good few minutes before he carried me inside.


    [Human Heart has reached Level 3!]


    ~~~


    "So, Haell¡­" Mom started, in between bites. We were currently having dinner. "I heard you learned to wield the sword earlier from your father?"


    "Yep!" I said, taking a big bite out of my own meal. I had grown enough to gorge on common meat, like this firm piece of chicken in between my teeth.


    "That''s great!" Mom smiled. She spoke not in Angelian, but in Varyalan Standard. It was the language nearly everyone on the planet spoke, until the angels came along. "Is that what you wish for in your future? Normally, I''d tell you to experience lots of things and figure out what you want from there. And I still think you should. But you are¡­ wiser than most kids, I suppose. Given that you remember your past lives."


    "Well¡­ I definitely want to learn and experience lots of things, Mom! Maybe some other weapon would fit me¡­" I replied in the same language. I realized that my words were not very enthusiastic. I didn¡¯t want to switch to something else. After just one day of practice, not even with a real sword but with a stick, I had already fallen in love with the art of it.


    This had never happened before, and I knew how to use weapons in my past life. From common guns, to military knives, I''d received some admittedly informal training with them, but I was never this passionate about any of them. It was just a tool to use for self-defense. Not a wonderful way to move my body, like I now felt about the sword.


    There was, however, one other thing that I definitely wished to learn. Something that my mom was an expert in. "Can you teach me magic?"


    Her eyes widened, almost sparkling. "Yes! Of course!" she nodded, excited. "It can be very dangerous though, so make sure to listen to my instructions, and to never try using the wands without adult supervision." She whispered something, in the end, "Unless if it''s really necessary, or you''re in danger. Of course."


    "Okay!" I agreed with a downright infectious smile on my face, almost uncaring of all the rules and regulations that she laid out.


    ~~~


    "Okay. So. I''m going to teach you magic."


    My expression brightened at Mom''s words, and I immediately reached out to grab the wand. She instantly pulled it out of my reach.


    I pouted.


    "Nuh-uh-uh," she said, pacing across our front yard. We were still speaking in Varyalan, much as it might be socially frowned upon. The hill was decently separated from everyone else, and I was trying to get all the practice that I could. It¡¯d be important once I start venturing past the borders of Angelore. "This is not a toy. You are not to use it without my express permission. For that matter, don''t use blades either without supervision. I don''t know if Rallem has already told you that."


    I rolled my eyes a little. "Yes Mom¡­"


    She laughed. "I will teach you magic, but we gotta take it slow, understand?"


    "Yes," I nodded, this time with more enthusiasm.


    Mom crouched and sat cross-legged after that, so that we may be closer to eye level. She showed me the wand, and began explaining how it works.


    "There are components to the wand. First is the focus, usually placed at its very head." She pointed at the star at the tip of the wand. "This is what allows for the manipulation of mana in the first place."


    "Next are the repositories." She gestured towards the fractal gem embedded in the center of the body. "This acts as a storage for the mana. Without mana, then there is no magic to be done. Are you following so far?"


    I nodded, and asked a question, "Why use a wand then, instead of just sticking those components onto say a sword?"


    "A very good question!" she cheered. "That is¡­ a complicated one. But it''s commonly understood that magic is performed by one''s mind, using a focus as the tool, and the repository as fuel. That connection, if artificial like with us humans who aren''t born able to wield magic, is best facilitated with something roughly shaped like a wand or a staff."


    "No one''s sure why that''s the case," she continued to explain. "Swordsmen always love to go on and on about how they are ''one with the blade'' and all that nonsense¡­ and yet the sword doesn''t function nearly as well as a magic conduit even in the hands of a master."


    "What about if you just used the focus and repository as is?" I asked.


    Mom chuckled. "That works even worse."


    "Oh," I puzzled it out in my mind. "But¡­ why?"


    Mom laughed again. "It''s good to be curious, Haell. Never forget that. Maybe you''ll figure it out for certain one day¡­ That being said, there are theories about it. Do you want to hear them?"


    "Yes! Definitely yes!" I stared at her with intensity.


    "Okay, okay!" she acquiesced. "Alright, so the leading theory right now I would say, is that it has something to do with how Rituals and Enchantments work."


    "Rituals and Enchantments?"


    "Yes. We won''t get into that today, or we''ll be here all day. But speeding through an explanation, Rituals are stronger but temporary, whereas enchantments, like the ones we have in the house, are permanent but weaker. They also require mana and a repository or two to power them."


    I knew that enchantments were artistic carvings, filled in with magical materials, that depict the sort of effect you wish to accomplish.


    "I see." I committed everything my mother said to memory.


    "They typically require different materials, but there are methods that work equally well for either. And yet Rituals never fail to be stronger than its counterpart. It is widely accepted that the temporary nature of it, in itself, holds great magical significance."


    "Okay¡­" I was unsure what that had to do with staves and wands.


    "In the same way that the permanence or lack thereof of something can have magical significance, I believe that wands and staves have magical significance as well. Other weapons and tools are meant to do something else¡­ but wands and staves are widely believed to be related to magic, the tools with which to wield the mystical arts."


    "Oh." My eyes widened. The sensation of a puzzle clicking into place was intoxicating. "Oh! Clever! I believe you Mom!"


    She smiled, and scooped me up into a hug. "Thank you, Haell. I believe me too."

 Chapter 10: Swords and Magic

    It was a wonderful morning. The sun was shining, the birds chirping, and rays of golden light were shooting through the air. I tried to catch these wisps of magic, running around the yard and laughing. After a day spent on theory yesterday, Mom had finally deemed me ready to try and learn some magic.


    "Remember, Haell," she said, focusing on her wand and the control over magic, "mana is not something that can be seen. At least, not typically. Certainly not the mana which are not your own. It is a force that can only be known. Its presence can be felt. The first step to learning magic, is to perceive this mystical force."


    "Okay!" I said enthusiastically. I watched the brilliant light show harder, and strained my mind to feel what I must.


    Something in the air. A force behind the shining light. The elements all had their own little quirks.


    They can shift between forms, though the different kinds of mana all have different preferences. From floating like gas, to flowing like water, some even bunched up like a solid. But for light specifically, it was most erratic. Weightless like a wisp, it yearned to race forward the moment it was let out of storage. The mana was excitable, transient. Forming light mana into a complicated structure was difficult.


    I breathed. I reached out my hand, and swished my arms across the air, to try and get a grasp at this mana. I knew it was there, right along the path of the shining rays.


    A passing impression crossed my mind.


    It was so faint, I didn''t know if it was real, but for less than a second I perceived the void of space being crossed by the shining brightness of light.


    "I can feel it," I said. "I know it''s there. Maybe. I''m not sure. It could just be my imagination. How do I know?"


    Mom nodded. "Yes. That is a common problem, I''m afraid. Are you just fooling yourself into thinking you''ve succeeded, or have you truly gotten a grasp of the magic? I would tell you that you''ve succeeded once you''re truly confident about it, but I''ve seen many prospective mages who were definitely confident, but nothing else."


    Light was one of the safest elements to use despite being quite a bit more volatile than its counterparts, because it didn''t have much destructive potential. Other than blinding someone of course. It could be used as lasers, attacks that were very hard to dodge, but it was difficult to get the proper amount of heat for it to even deal damage. That was why Mom wanted it to be the first thing I learned to use, for my safety and for the possibility of even learning rare healing magic, but she did offer to switch to some elements that were far easier to master. Water in general was favored by a lot of species who couldn''t use magic naturally, and humans were even more biased towards the element. It could also manifest healing, if even more uncommon than that of light.


    Apparently people could just connect and understand certain elements more easily than others. This was something commonly believed to be an inborn trait, but it could also be a reflection of someone''s mentality, or some other manifestation of their being. So I agreed to switch to the water element that humans favored heavily. I wasn¡¯t yet fully a demon, and I may yet have human strengths.


    Mom smiled and took out another wand, this one of different shades of blue and wave-like designs. She summoned up some water, and then stopped. She pointed at the spot where they came from.


    ¡°I¡¯ve concentrated water mana here. Touch it and try to see if it works for you.¡±


    I nodded and did as my mother asked. A bubbling sound, a subtle stream, humid dew. Those were the images I thought I imagined, but they were so vague that I didn¡¯t know if I was just imagining things.


    Well, I definitely was imagining things, that was the entire fucking point. But I didn¡¯t know if it was even because of the magic, or if I was just picturing shit by myself. Like a placebo effect.


    ¡°Aaaaahhhhhhh!!!¡± I scratched my head and tussled up my hair.


    ¡°Haell! What¡¯s wrong!?¡± Mom immediately dropped her wand to help.


    ¡°Oh, no no. It¡¯s nothing Mom!¡± I explained to her my dilemma, and she chuckled at my problems!


    ¡°I get it. It¡¯s what all prospective mages struggle through. If they¡¯re on the right track, or if they¡¯re just being delusional and are just wasting their time.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ am I?¡±


    She looked me straight in the eye with a completely straight face. ¡°There is value to be found in the journey itself.¡±


    A beat of silence.


    I groaned and my mom laughed harder than before.


    ¡°A good journey won¡¯t let me vanquish my foes, Mom!!¡±


    She sat down right next to me and stared at the endless skies above. She hummed. ¡°Is that how you view magic, Haell? As a tool to inflict violence upon your foes?¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course not! It¡¯s a way to inflict violence, yes. But it¡¯s also exciting just by itself, wondrous, magic is fantasy and dreams come true. Even if there was no one left to kill, I would still use magic for the sheer joy of it.¡±


    My mother looked at me oddly, concerned. Maybe I should have worded that better.


    ¡°Just so we¡¯re clear, Haell. I don¡¯t mean to chide you. I¡¯m passionate about magic, but I don¡¯t think viewing it as a tool is wrong either.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Mom. It is a tool. But it¡¯s certainly not just a tool. Magic has more potential than that.¡± I stared right at the sun for as long as my eyes would allow me. It was for longer than I could¡¯ve done in my past life. ¡°It¡¯s anything. It¡¯s everything. Magic is free, so I too will be free as I use it. Whether that is to create, to destroy, or just to entertain.¡±


    ¡°Well. That¡¯s good.¡± She stood back up and brushed herself off. ¡°Be careful though with making all those foes. Make sure to be safe. And try to have morals too, if you have the luxury.¡±


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    I chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s some great advice, Mom. Morals? Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Do you disagree?¡±


    I jumped back to my feet and stretched, preparing for more magic training.


    ¡°No, not at all.¡±


    My parents still cared for me as a child, but I was glad that they were more frank about their advice, instead of coloring them with the idealism of youth. They realized I was already very jaded upon their many interactions with me, but they didn¡¯t love me any less.


    I deserved this. I deserved them. It¡¯s great.


    ~~~


    "Hey Haell, Mahka," Dad called out to us, coming back from town. My brows unfurrowed upon seeing him, and I fell onto the soft grass from whence I came. I¡¯d been touching water and light mana for the past few hours, trying to feel them, and I thought I succeeded somewhat.


    I did. I definitely did.


    Maybe.


    ¡°SWORD!!¡± I yelled at my approaching father, still sprawled on the ground. I would get up soon, and then I¡¯d make progress in learning the greatsword. If tsunamis were not in my future, then I¡¯d at least slice up my foes!


    Mom shrugged. ¡°That was a great first day, Haell! You can switch if you want. Don¡¯t be discouraged!¡±


    I flashed her a thumbs-up and then continued to lay there. I definitely wasn¡¯t going to give up on literal magic. I didn¡¯t think I was physically capable of it.


    Mom smiled and let us be, going back inside the house. I knew my parents had a lot of free time to help me out, because this was their vacation from a long series of adventures, and the time it would take to raise me. They had more than enough savings to just semi-retire as they pleased.


    "Here," Dad said, and I fumbled to catch the plank of wood that he tossed.


    I stared at it once it was in my hands, before I finally recognized it as a training sword perfectly sized for myself. I looked back at my father and shouted for the second time, "Sword!!"


    He chuckled, "Yes Haell. That''s indeed a sword. A greatsword, for your size. And today you''re not just going to watch. I''m going to teach you properly."


    "Okay!" I exclaimed and quickly got into a stance. That was the first thing my dad corrected.


    "Sorry, Haell. But that''s wrong. It was cute to watch you try and copy me, but just mimicry alone isn''t enough. It feels strained and awkward for you, doesn''t it?"


    "I''m just not used to it yet, I think," I countered, although I already had a feeling he''d prove me wrong. "I''m also way too weak, my body yet undeveloped."


    Dad nodded at my reasoning. "That''s precisely the problem. Your physique is different."


    "Right. So when I grow older¡­"


    "Your physique would likely still be vastly different from my own."


    "Ah." I saw the issue. My three-meter-tall father was right.


    "A greatsword is a heavy weapon that would cause strain upon its user regardless, but we¡¯re trying to minimize the unnecessary ones," Dad explained, then told me to try making a few practice swings.


    I did so, putting my all into them. I recalled my mimicry of Dad yesterday, and did the same thing.


    Dad showed me his stance again. He swung, and his strikes were far more casual, flowing into each other and only straining for the big finishers.


    "That''s what you need to learn. You know your body most of all, so come to know it more. Feel at your balance, the strain in your muscles, and then find the right position for yourself."


    Upon his instructions, I tried different slight variations of the same stance for a while, learning what works best for my body. I''d likely have to relearn them as I get older, but it''d be gradual, and would not be a problem so long as I didn''t stop training.


    Dad made me perform the overhead slash over and over, he told me to focus on that for the foreseeable future. To make the move mine, engrave it into my instincts, and shave away all the inefficiencies. It was a long road ahead, but I faced it with a smile, excited for the day when I would finally become a demon.


    ~~~


    My arms were in pain, I had been repeating the same overhead slash for hours. Dad intervened only minimally, to correct the flaws in my form. Even when my muscles began to ache, he made sure that my stance remained proper. This was what my mind and body would remember, and I had to make sure to have the perfect foundation.


    Mom''s arrival signaled the end of the session. I slumped on the grass as she laid out an entire picnic for us to feast upon.


    I toddled over unsteadily towards them, until Dad offered to spoon-feed me like a child. It was a bit embarrassing, but that feeling was drowned out by the care, and the fact that I was a literal child. It was no problem for me to be pampered by my parents, so I sat all the way back and relaxed as they did just that.


    ~~~


    We finished our lunch and ended up sprawled out on the grass. The wind was cozy, the sunlight comforting, and I nearly fell asleep.


    Unfortunately, we were interrupted by an uninvited guest. Lathary arrived, in his shining robes and equally shining skin, with a pretentious crown growing out of his head. He had guards with him, in the form of two ogre templars in white and gold plate armor.


    ¡°Mahka, Rallem,¡± he greeted my parents.


    ¡°Baron Lathary,¡± Mom stood up to greet him, while my dad carried me back into the house.


    ¡°Ah, I actually meant to talk to the¡­ three of you today.¡±


    My parents both narrowed their eyes at that, but Dad acquiesced, standing a distance away with myself in his arms.


    Lathary nodded. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in church for a while.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t been.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a shame. Is there a problem in particular? I¡¯d tried to send people here before to inquire, but¡­ they weren¡¯t able to find a suitable solution.¡±


    Mom shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s no problem in particular. We just decided that it¡¯d be for the best if we did not.¡±


    Lathary frowned. ¡°It¡¯s important. For you to receive proper guidance, especially at this stage in your lives.¡± He gestured towards myself.


    ¡°Eh. It¡¯s a decision plenty of people make, no matter the stage in their lives. I don¡¯t see you hounding them all for answers.¡±


    The two towering guards shifted at that, but did nothing else. It could almost be excused away as involuntary movements, that they just needed to stretch, if the hostility wasn¡¯t so palpable around them.


    ¡°I would if I could, Mahka. I wish everyone would attend. We¡¯ve still got more capacity, and I even have it set up to where more people could listen in from the courtyard, we''ve extended the sound enchantments. But alas, it is not quite possible, no matter how I try.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well then I guess we¡¯re just one of those people that fail to fill your courtyards then.¡±


    His annoyance bled through to his passive mental influence. Lathary sighed. ¡°You¡¯re not stupid, Mahka. You know that it is those in your position, of power and influence, that need guidance most. Many will either prosper or suffer, by you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    Will she really?


    ¡­Nah. I¡¯m familiar with that excuse. No one ever does.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Lathary did not buy it either. He turned to leave. ¡°Your talents are a gift by the angels. Never forget that.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Mother repeated, with all the same enthusiasm.

 Chapter 11: Hunter.

    I prowled across the grass, my eyes searching for tracks. My surroundings were entirely quiet, save for the snickering of my mom and Salaire in the background. And also the noise of the rowdy children around them. Not to mention the many people of differing species walking across the street¡­


    Okay, it wasn''t quiet at all. But I ignored all of them and moved on with silent steps, closing in on the tree with a foot sticking out the back.


    "T-there''s no one here!" A girl whispered from behind the trunk.


    "Ah gosh darnit!" I exclaimed. "I thought there was someone here, but it turns out I was wrong!"


    I heard giggling as I pretended to turn around, but I only allowed my prey that small moment of hope before I ran towards her hiding place and burst into view.


    "I found you!" I shouted menacingly, pointing at the ishkawtan girl.


    "Nooooo!!!" She protested, falling to her knees. But the game of hide and seek was cruel, and it did not care for morals or honor.


    I left my victim and searched around the front yard of the orphanage a little bit more, looking up at the same canopies and checking behind the same boulders. The playground was similarly unoccupied, same with the underside of the tables and the chairs. All those that I had caught were now licking their wounds under the belfegor Salaire, their caretaker.


    Luine, her wife, a human woman, was out of town. Same with my dad. Their whole adventuring party had decided to take a break here in this town of Latarus, but they still went out to adventure and hunt in random pairs every so often. Nowhere far, only a short trip that would last for a week at most.


    So my mom and Salaire were here to hang out, while their partners were away. I had come here too to play, and for something my mom had planned for later.


    The both of them followed me inside when I entered the orphanage building, having nothing better to do. The children that I''d caught also followed, really making my arrival obvious and loud. But it shouldn''t be a problem, because I''d definitely just catch the still-hiding kids if they tried to run and change their hiding places now.


    I checked the corners and corridors as I walked, trying my hardest to ignore the peanut gallery behind me. I entered the kitchen, and immediately found my new victim.


    "Aha! Found you!"


    She gave me an uninterested look, a human girl with pale white skin contrasted with hair as dark as the abyss.


    "Oh no. You found me," she deadpanned, barely even trying.


    And then she went back to tinkering with the straw doll she was making.


    You know what? Respect. Her name was Moonwash, a girl three or so years older than I. She typically just kept to herself and her own projects, largely uncaring of whatever went on around her. Frankly, I was surprised that she even made the effort to move at all for this game of hide and seek.


    My search continued, and it didn''t take long to find a young ogre sprawled out under the tables, hiding. Her name was Angerly, and she nearly cried.


    I found more in the bedrooms and the classroom that they had, complete with a blackboard and chalk for writing. Salaire and Luine took the education of these children seriously. I sat in on their lessons pretty often, because I too required knowledge of the world.


    The toilets and stalls were deemed as off-limits for this game, but there was still someone hiding there. I only found him because he couldn''t keep his mouth shut, and laughed when we passed by, unaware that I had the adults following behind me. Salaire told him off, and it was funny to see how she sounded so uninterested.


    I shouldn''t say that. It''s a common thing for belfegors.


    Salaire and Luine''s bedroom was even more off-limits, but I was sure there''d be someone so I checked. The centaur girl hiding there was told off far more harshly by Salaire as she all herded us out of the room, moving faster than she''d ever had.


    There were still two left missing, once I''d scoured the entirety of the place. There were steps built onto the tree piercing through the center of the building, and I climbed them to get to the rooftop. I scoured the ground, and then looked to the expansive canopy of the biggest tree I¡¯d ever seen when that failed to turn up anything. There were platforms, hammocks, and a whole house up there. I squinted my eyes and found my prey just happily dozing off in one of the hammocks!


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    ¡°AHA!¡±


    The kobold boy nearly fell when I called out to him, having long fallen asleep in the middle of the game. I¡¯d expected to find the missing belfegor boy here instead, but no such luck.


    "Ahhh¡­ did I win?"


    "No." I said. "One more left. Tell me?"


    He chuckled. "As much as I''d love to sell out my fellow orphan, I don''t know where they are."


    "Fair," I shrugged and kept on searching. I climbed the big tree and watched the branches, I checked on the treehouse within. None of them turned up my prey.


    I eventually had to give up, and we went back down.


    "Gerry!" Salaire shouted once we were back in the courtyard. "You win¡­!"


    Gerry the belfegor slowly climbed his way down from the trees, his skin color set to completely blend into the wooden bark. It turned out that he''d been there from the beginning, but I somehow missed him even after extensively searching through the canopy.


    "Hooray!" He cheered, once he was back on the ground. The boy slowly raised his arms, until they were spread wide and towards the sky.


    "Hooray," I parroted and smiled.


    We had a healthy lunch after that. The orphanage was well provided for, as the caretakers were once wealthy adventurers.


    Come to think of it¡­ "What was your party name?" I asked Mom and Salaire innocently between bites of my stew. It was weird that it never came up in my four years of life here¡­


    "Ahh¡­ Well, you know¡­" Mom averted her gaze.


    Salaire grabbed my shoulder and turned me around, chair and all, to face directly into her intense stare. Her voice was faster than any other time she''d ever spoken. "I just want you to know Haell¡­ that whatever our adventuring party name is... It was the idea of your mother!"


    "Wha¨C Hey Salaire! Don''t sell me out like that! You guys agreed to it too!"


    "No." she shook her head. "It was you. All you. Remember that Haell¡­"


    "Okay!" I believed her!


    "Nooo¡­! Haell, don''t believe her!!" Mom pleaded.


    I gave her a bright smile. "I''m sure you came up with a great name, Mom!"


    She shrunk away from my positivity. "A-Ah. Yes¡­ Of course¡­ Let''s just leave it at that¡­"


    We continued to eat until Moonwash, the quiet and crafty girl, spoke up. "The Piss Hunters."


    Half the table choked. The other half managed to bark out a proper wheezing laugh. I ended up engaging in both extremes, my eyes snapping over to Moonwash. She remained calm, eating like she had not just said something so random and absurd.


    "Moonwash what the fuck!"


    "We''re eating!"


    "Say it again!"


    "Fish hunter!"


    "I like fish¡­"


    "The most you''ve spoken in days, and that''s what you say!"


    "It''s in the toilets. Not hard to find."


    The kids had their own opinions, but I understood what Moonwash meant in a sudden flash of inspiration.


    The look of utter embarrassment on my mom''s face when I turned to look at her confirmed my suspicions.


    But I was a good daughter. I would not out her like that.


    "Mom. What''s a piss hunter?"


    There was nothing wrong with an innocent question, however.


    "A-ah¡­ I''m not sure, Haell," she forced a smile. "I''m sure it''s nothing."


    "Hm. Okay!" I decided to show her enough mercy and shelve the topic.


    "No¡­" but Salaire was not willing to be quite so magnanimous. "It''s not nothing. It''s Mahka''s party name¡­ that she came up with!"


    The kids all turned and laughed at her. Moonwash did not struggle to remain stoic in the consequences of her own words. Mom buried her face in her hands.


    Of course, being the pious daughter that I was, I made sure to take my mother''s side. "I think it''s a cool name, Mom!"


    "Yeah!" the kobold boy from earlier agreed. The other orphans followed suit.


    "Nasty piss!"


    "It smells bad¡­ why look for it?"


    "P-P-Piss Hunters! The Piss Hunters! Here to hunt the piss the piss!"


    We eventually calmed down and returned to our meals. Mom felt the need to explain herself, so I got the backstory to the name.


    Apparently, one of their first quests was to find and kill highrenas. They were known to mark their territory with urine, so part of the process was to look for those traces. And then Mom had the shining bright idea to name her party The Piss Hunters because of it.


    "Don''t use a joke. Think of the long-term consequences for a name," Mom gave us some very sage advice. One I intended to follow for sure. "You might come to regret it."


    "I don''t¡­" Salaire proudly declared. "I just tell everyone that you came up with it!"


    "AAAAAHHHHH!!! You''re equally guilty! You fucking idiots agreed!"

 Chapter 12: Envy.

    Mom gave us a quick lecture about magic in the orphanage classroom. This sort of setup was not common in the empire. Education could sometimes be provided by parents or apprenticeships, but the most common method was to have certain big employers that would provide the training in exchange for a set period of work that would follow. They often took in entire families who would work for them for generations under that sort of system. That was what I was able to pick up from Grandpa¡¯s ramblings.


    I knew most of the things Mom was discussing about magic already, so I just sat back and relaxed. At some point, Salaire decided to hang out in the back with me.


    "You''re¡­ very smart," she said with a curious stare.


    "Thank you!" I said, and then focused back on the lesson. I knew, of course, what Salaire was getting at. I had shown intelligence well beyond what a four-year-old human should have.


    The reason was simple. I was a reincarnator. I should be closing in on my forties, if you add up both of my lives. It''d be quite sad if I was literally as dumb as a common four-year-old.


    My past life was something that I wasn''t keen on talking about. Even to my parents, I had only told them about the bare minimum. And they were fine with that. They realized that I was uncomfortable with the topic, and didn''t press me on it. They were far more understanding than the parents that came before them. I loved them. Family was great when it was.


    Soon the discussion was over, and we moved back to the front yard. We gathered around Mom who sat cross-legged while holding a wand. She summoned rays of light to the delight of the orphans, who jumped around to try and catch them. She then turned them into a few shining orbs that floated around, and this too went over really well with the excitable children.


    The behavior of different kinds of mana could differ greatly, and light in particular was difficult to hold in place like this. It yearned to shoot out in a random direction, hence a dispersed ray was its most common manifestation. But of course, my mother was an accomplished mage, perhaps the most accomplished in the entire town. So she could do at least this much.


    I repeated the same exercise that I''d done plenty of times before, of attempting to feel and to know the mana. The other children eventually calmed down and did the same.


    And then the lights winked out.


    "The mana is still present, just like earlier," Mom explained. "But it is not activated."


    To manifest or to activate the mana. To will it into existence, in a way that affects things physically in an obvious and immediate way. That was part of the process of using magic, but mana could still be present without doing any of that. It''d simply remain as an invisible force, having minimal impact on physical reality. If the caster lets go of it, then the mana would disperse back into the environment.


    Moonwash walked around us, while we were all trying to guess at where the light mana was currently present. She stretched out her hand towards a certain spot, and Mom raised her brows. Moonwash continued to silently walk around, only stopping at seemingly random points, to gawk and focus on a nearby area.


    "Amazing," Mom said. "You were able to guess where exactly the mana was."


    Moonwash was praised by my mom, as she did what I still could not. I shook my head of the unnecessary thoughts, and stomped across the ground. I felt at the mana, how it flows, light was different, it was more active than any other element and¡­


    Fuck! Why do I feel so annoyed?


    I fumed silently, taking a few deep breaths.


    "Haell, are you okay?" Mom asked, having noticed my behavior.


    "Yes," I answered instantly. "Just¡­ breath the mana?"


    Mom laughed. "Well, it is true that mana interacts with the world in stilted and strange ways. The keyword being that it still interacts. So deep breaths might work."


    So patronizing towards me, and yet Moonwash received nothing but praise!


    The thought surprised me, once I was finally able to put it into words.


    Fuck. Am I jealous? Of an actual child?


    No, no, no. It can''t be. Just some stupid, meaningless stupid thoughts.


    I walked around some more, weaving across the orphans who were doing the same. I bumped into Moonwash eventually, and she just stepped around me without paying a single whiff of attention, as if I wasn''t even worthy of her time. Uncaring of everything else going on around her, she simultaneously kept track of the mana around us while working on finishing her doll.


    I felt a strong twitch of anger.


    How fucking arrogant do you have to be? We''re all here doing our best, and here you are oh so high and mighty. Don''t even need to pay attention, huh!?


    I blinked, and then stared at her. She met my eyes, and then patted me on the head, before walking away.


    Fuck. I really am jealous. And need I fucking remind myself? My parents are great. And these guys are all orphans! Arrrggghhhh!!! What am I doing getting all envious of some poor orphan girl who''s done nothing wrong!??


    It was so fucking embarrassing I could die for a second time. But I acknowledged the feeling, and allowed it to wash over me.


    I was no stranger to shameful feelings within myself. Emotions were just a part of life. What mattered was what I did, not what manner of thoughts intruded upon my head.


    I am a demon. A bundle of desire and vice at my core. But whichever I indulge in, and whichever I discard, shall always be my choice.


    I felt better already, after working through it all in my mind.


    With a bit more skip in my steps, I continued to feel and know the mana around me. I knew it was there. I was confident already in my ability to determine its presence, and even the general amount. I still couldn''t do it as precisely as Moonwash could, but that was fine. It wasn''t a race.


    And even if it was a race, I was younger than Moonwash. So I might still be winning!


    After the exercise with light mana, we tried some of the other elements. First, Mom summoned and floated around some of the water, turned it into ice, and then back. She explained how water mana could be turned to ice like that, if with a steep cost and with a particular interpretation that not every mage had. She discarded the shards of ice and blobs of water on the ground, and then informed us that there were long streams of water mana flowing all around us.


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    I pawed at my surroundings to try to get a feel for it just like I practiced a few days ago, and I encountered a familiar sensation of resistance upon my hands, almost as if I were underwater. It was a phantom sensation of course, but that in itself was a part of how mana works. It left those kinds of impressions. And that was how my psyche interpreted water mana.


    Moonwash was also able to feel the water mana easily, but that was just how she was.


    We moved on to nature after water, and immediately Gerry, the belfegor boy that defeated me in hide and seek, was able to feel the nature mana with accuracy rivaling that of the Moonwash, if not greater. I soon noticed how the other belfegors were also more talented in this element than others, even if not to the extent of Gerry.


    "There are general differences in talents, among the different species. That much is true," Mom explained. "Just like how belfegors have stronger grips, or how humans can remain active for very long. Keep in mind that there are also talents that cannot be seen in our Status."


    She looked all the children in the eye one by one. "But that doesn''t mean that anyone is better or worse. That any species or race is better than the other. We are all people, and we''re in this together. We are equal."


    The children nodded, inspired, although I saw some who looked more reluctant. One of them actually had the guts to speak up. A centaur, a species native to this continent.


    "That''s not what they said in church," the boy said with a nervous scowl.


    Mom smiled, "You''re right. It isn''t."


    ¡°But what about the fountans?¡± He gestured towards the one-handed children who were just moments ago walking around blindly, unable to feel anything. ¡°They cannot do magic. Why force them to do this?¡±


    ¡°I am forcing no one, they participated of their own volition.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s useless!¡±


    Mom shrugged. ¡°I believe there is value in trying. Why couldn¡¯t they explore their potential? Failure is not uncommon, and I am sure they already knew the likely result of their attempts going in, but that is no reason to scorn their efforts. Everyone fails at some point, but sometimes it is better to experience that pain than to be burdened with bitter regret.¡± Her face was mournful at that last sentence, as if she spoke from experience.


    ¡°Yes!¡± I had to give my agreement. ¡°Who cares what the shepherds think! If they want to try, then fucking let them, asshole!¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± the centaur boy shouted. ¡°You¡­! That¡¯s blasphemy!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care smelly face!!¡±


    ¡°My face isn¡¯t smelly! You are!¡±


    ¡°Nuh-uh! I can smell it from here! Eww ewww ewww!!¡±


    We argued inteligent back and forth for a few more moments, my mom unable to hold her laughter. I smiled at seeing her be cheered up, and then I returned my focus to my mana-sensing practice once I had won the argument through facts and logic.


    We cycled through other elements, until Mom arrived at something that she was a bit reluctant to use.


    Selfishly, I still asked my mom to let me have a go.


    "Fire!"


    Mom frowned. "That¡­ is one of the most dangerous ones. Even unignited, it could hurt you¡­ maybe not truly, but it could be painful."


    I nodded, having already heard and known this explanation. It was like how I could perceive the resistance of water, so too could the heat of fire be felt. It was why Mom was so reluctant to use it. Because at our last training session, I ended up getting hurt, or at least, I felt pain.


    Mom looked towards Salaire.


    The belfegor woman shrugged. "What is the harm? As long as you do not ignite, then no damage¡­ maybe a little bit of pain??"


    Mom sighed, and then ordered everyone to back away. I was, on the other hand, cheering.


    She reiterated why it was dangerous to everyone, and then summoned a ball of fire on her palm. It was just like what one would find in the burning seas of hell.


    Mom then snuffed it out, but informed us that the mana was still gathering in that same spot.


    "Now, keep your distance, don¡¯t actually touch it, and see if you can still feel the mana."


    I nodded and came closer, so did a lot of the other children. I saw strange flashes of red and orange above my mom''s palms that weren''t truly there. I imagined entire armies of demons walking confidently through flames.


    I could feel it, I knew. I closed my eyes to confirm. In the darkness of my mind, a certain direction shone like a beacon. I knew it was there without even looking!


    "I found it!" I exclaimed. This was the sheer and utter confidence of knowing mana that my mother had told me, but had never really felt for myself before. "It''s what you''ve been teaching me! I know it, I know it, I know it!" I vibrated and jumped around in place.


    "O-oh? Really? Well, that¡¯s certainly a stronger reaction than with any other element we¡¯ve tried¡­¡±


    "Yes!" I shouted, and then pointed to the left of Mom''s head. "You moved it!"


    Her eyes widened, and then she shifted the fire mana around some more, at times splitting it into two, and then making it gone entirely. She stretched its shape, and shrunk it to almost nothing, but every single time I knew exactly what she was doing, with accuracy even greater than what that Moonwash girl had shown!


    Mom smiled. "Dang. Well, looks like this really is the element for you¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± I agreed. I jumped for the ball of fire mana, but it flitted away from my grasp. I frowned, pouted, then tried again!


    ¡°Now, now, Haell,¡± Mom chided softly, still keeping the magic out of my grasp. ¡°I just explained why you shouldn¡¯t touch it. It can be painful for some.¡±


    ¡°But I wanna!¡±


    ¡°Haell, it might hurt you¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine! You said it¡¯s just like¡­ a phantom pain, right? No actual damage?¡±


    ¡°W-well¡­ I did¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, Mom!¡± I pleaded. ¡°I can do it! I¡¯m capable too!¡± My gaze naturally shifted to Moonwash for a very brief moment. ¡°I¡­ you can¡¯t shelter me forever. I will get hurt at some point. But I¡¯m strong. Please.¡±


    She blinked. I could see her resolve waver. She wanted to keep me safe, but my spirit could never be sheltered.


    Mom eventually nodded, and I plunged my hand into the mana.


    Heat. Unbearable heat. I felt the pain of touching a stove. I experienced the agony of being cooked alive in the cauldrons of hell. The flames were almost alive, caressing my arms, and pulling me into an unwanted embrace.


    I hissed.


    Mom almost made the magical energy dissipate once she saw my wince, but I met her eyes and my resolve got through to my mother.


    I did not shy away from the burning pain in my arm, I knew that was simply the concept behind the mana. It was not activated. I was not actually being burned. I was safe, and more than that, I had to get through this in order to move forward.


    I kept my hand plunged in, and slowly the burning sensation lessened. From that of keeping my hand inside a scorching oven, to something more manageable like a single small candle, until eventually it was only a dull heat, comparable to basking in the desert sun.


    "I did it, Mo¨C!" My mother crashed into me before I could finish my sentence. She hugged me tight and stroked my hair, praising me for what I''d done.


    "Yes. Yes, Haell. You did it. I''m so proud of you. I''m so so very proud of you. Never forget it. Don''t you forget it. You''re my one greatest treasure in the world."


    My vision started to become blurry. I could not help it. The emotions welled up past the boiling point, and they flooded out. I cried into my mom''s embrace, holding her close, and getting snot all over her hair. My wails echoed throughout the orphanage, my surroundings disappeared entirely from my view. My mom did not let me go throughout the whole entirety of it. She was never this emotional for Moonwash or any of them, no matter how much talent they showed.


    Not that they were inferior or anything. And certainly not that my mom couldn''t be proud of them too. I just felt so silly now, feeling competitive all by myself, becoming insecure that she''d¡­ she''d¡­ leave me behind for them. Just like the parents I used to have back on earth, they always talked about how that child or that cousin was so much better than I.


    My mom and dad. My true mom and dad. They were not like that. They were truly my family, and they were already proud. I didn''t need to prove myself to them. I had nothing to prove to them. They already loved me and more.


    But I''d still make them even prouder, more than they or anyone else ever believed to be possible.


    I owed them that much. I owed it to myself.

 Chapter 13: Fire Away.

    Excitement coursed through my veins. My palms tingled as I held on for dear life at the fire wand that my mom had handed to me. After so long, I may be able to finally cast a spell.


    "This is a practice wand, with very little mana, and a very weak focus. But it could still be dangerous, specially so close to yourself. So if I tell you to stop, then you immediately drop the wand. Understand?"


    "Yes!" I nodded vigorously. I could tell she was still worried, but it didn''t take long for her to give in to my pleading.


    "Hm. Okay, so. In order to begin casting spells, one must first connect with their wand. In the same way that you can feel the mana, feel the repository and the focus until they are shining beacons in your consciousness. Try and connect to it first, but absolutely do not try and cast anything, understand?"


    "Of course, Mom!" I proclaimed, and then did as she asked, turning the weight of my focus on the wand upon my hands. I was able to find the repository, which was the tiniest of gems. It was still filled with mana, and while being contained like this certainly muffled its presence, the heat of the non-existent flames still stood out to my senses.


    Next was the focus. This was a bit harder to find. I did feel something brushing at the edge of my consciousness, but nothing more concrete than that. Mom came to my rescue after a minute of that.


    "Were you able to feel anything, Haell?"


    "Yes! I found the repository. As for the focus¡­ there''s something. Like a word just at the tip of my tongue, but I can''t remember it!"


    "Oh, very good! That''s excellent progress already!" She patted me on the head. I giggled. "Let''s try joint casting this time. Maybe you''ll pick the rest up faster."


    "Joint casting?" I puzzled Mom''s words as I came closer to her.


    She grabbed hold of my same wand, her hands smothering my own.


    "Joint casting," she explained, "is when two mages use the same wand or staff, allowing them to make use of two minds for the same cast, maybe even more."


    "Oh! So then they''re able to cast stronger magic!" The idea of working with my mom to create a fucking nuke was very exciting!


    Mom chuckled. "In theory, yes. But essentially it''s like¡­ hmm¡­ Do you remember what the repository and focus are for?"


    "Yep! The repository stores mana. Focus controls it!"


    "Very good!" She patted my head again, and I squealed. That was, uh. That did not happen! "To be more specific though, think of the focus as say a ladle, or a tong¡­ whatever kind of tool. Because that''s what it is. A tool to move and operate mana. But just as tools are typically operated with the hands, the focus is operated by the mind."


    "Technically everything is operated by the mind!"


    Mom chuckled. "That''s not wrong. But you know what I mean."


    "Ehe¡­ Yeah."


    "Right, so anyway. The focus is the bottleneck. Just like how a pot could overflow, or how a rope might snap with too much weight. A focus too could not take control of way too much mana."


    I scrunched my brows. "Okay¡­ so if it''s¡­ If the focus is the limiter, then¡­ what is the point of having multiple mages on the same wand?"


    "That''s exactly where I was leading you." Mom smiled proudly. "The answer is that the finesse is in the mind. The control of the mana, and even the will and meaning imbued. We''ll get to that later, but essentially two brains can take control of the same mass of mana for greater¡­ precision in the magic, among other things. That''s the theory, anyway. But of course mana can be such a delicate thing to work with, and in practice people would just get in each other''s way. It is a skill that would require you to painstakingly master it anew for every person that you try to do it with, so that your orders, your interpretations, and more do not conflict.¡±


    "Oh," I said. "So then why are we doing it?"


    Mom smirked and grabbed both my hand and wand. "It''s a useful tool for teaching. Just¡­ make sure not to send any commands at the mana alright? Just feel it happen. Feel how I connect and command the focus. And then try and replicate it later for yourself."


    "Okay!" My eyes sparkled and sharpened. I brought the brunt of my focus towards the wand and nothing else.


    Mom grunted in affirmation and began. I observed both the focus and the repository. A stream of fire mana came out. It was being dragged out. Like by an unseen hand, or a whispering guide. Natural flows, or even telekinesis.


    I closed my eyes and pictured it all. The fire mana that was controlled by my mother. It shifted in shapes, it thrashed and flickered, it roamed around in the air. I turned my attention towards the mana, and finally felt the connection towards the focus. I could imagine it as a cradle that moved around the energy, or strings that took control. But none of that was right, because it really was more like telekinesis. There was a resonance, and the mana just moved according to the will interpreted by the focus. I just had to fill it with my ideas, and then I could wield the wand to cast magic.


    "I got it!" I blurted out, before shrinking away a little. "Well, maybe."


    Mom laughed. "Try it then!"


    She let go of my hand and the wand. I focused back on connecting with the tool, putting particular emphasis on the focus.


    I tried to move the mana out of the container, like what my mom just allowed me to experience. The mana did not budge. I tried harder, and still I failed.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    I took a few deep breaths, sensing the frustration building up. I imagined questing hands crawling out of the focus to grab the mana inside the repository. I got a response, and the fire mana did come out, but it slipped through the fingers of my metaphor. The mana was wild, it was like a gas that wanted to dance into motion, similar to how real fire would. I tried for a while longer, but the day was over before I even knew it.


    I had a great dinner.


    ~~~


    I was back at practice the next day, and this time I chose to focus on how it was just like telekinesis, moving objects with my mind. After an hour or so of focus, I did get the response I wanted. The fire mana moved out of the repository and I managed to wiggle it around, before I lost my metaphorical grip and it dissipated into the surroundings. But movement certainly happened.


    "Mom! Mom! Can I cast spells now!?" I excitedly bounced up to her.


    She patted my head, and congratulated me on a job well done, but reasoned that I needed more practice first. I agreed and resolved myself to master magic through sheer and relentless effort. It was the only thing I could do, for I never was the most talented. I didn¡¯t always give it my all either in my past life, but for magic, for this new chance to live, I could not bear to do any less than my absolute best.


    I started with the smallest amount, forcing the gas-like ethereal substance to remain still. I kept doing the same thing until the sun had gone down, and I had to have dinner again.


    The following days blurred by, as I became obsessed with my magic practice. I made the small amount I could control bob up and down, and then I had it circle around me. After a few days, I was stretching and playing with its shape. A week passed, and my dad was back from adventuring. My sword training resumed, and quite honestly I never should have neglected it. My goal was to master both the sword and the magic.


    In terms of sword practice, I still spent most of my time on the overhead slash, but Dad helped me find the perfect balance for other maneuvers too like the sweep, or a quick stab. I worked on my stance, and how much weight I placed into every attack. Not every strike required my full commitment, rather doing so would leave me open. Therefore I learned a variety of options, of varying levels of force, and then I repeated them all a million times over, or at least what felt like it.


    [Dextrous Hands have reached Level 3!]


    [Flutter Feet has reached Level 3!]


    [Human Brain has reached Level 4!]


    It certainly worked if nothing else, and the level-ups told me that I was definitely on the right track. The extra pattern recognition helped a lot with this kind of repetitive training.


    A stronger mind also paid dividends for my magic practice, which I made sure to never neglect. I only missed one day because Mom forgot to have my wand recharged by a fountan. She bought me more fire-based practice wands after that, so that I had spares. I did suggest to just let me use some of her ''real'' wands which had a much larger capacity and stronger focuses, but she rejected my proposal.


    I managed to control two separate blobs of mana, and I became more adept at freely changing the shape. The range upon which I was able to do so had also increased by a fair amount. From only mana that was right next to me, to a radius extending out by a meter or two. It got exponentially harder the farther away the magic was.


    This was apparently a process reliant more on the brain, than the focus. The act of taking the mana out of the repository created a bond between it and myself, which was also why mana dissipated into the atmosphere once I lost my metaphorical grip on it. The repository itself made the establishment of this connection towards the mana easier.


    "Curiously, the planet itself produces mana naturally," Mom explained to me. "It alters the landscape and enriches the natural treasures therein. I''ve heard that it affects leveling speed too, although not by much. Only enough to make a difference if you planned to live for centuries."


    "Immortality!?" I snapped to attention, dropping the ball of mana I was practicing on. "Where!? When?! How!?"


    "Whoa, slow down there girl. You''re like 4 years old. You don''t need to be this fuc- freaking desperate." Mom''s smile became more complicated. "Although I suppose you''ve lived a full life already, and even died¡­" She didn''t even know how or when. How young. I hadn''t told her. I was still avoiding the topic of Earth. It was behind me. It had to be.


    She cleared her throat. "Anyway! Level 80 would give you about 500 years give or take. 160 would be where true immortality lies. For humans anyway. It varies by species. But 160 being immortal is almost a given. Humans are¡­ on the shorter-lived side. As far as sapient species go."


    "I see¡­ so I need to get level 160¡­ but is that for like, all of my organs? Or just one of them?"


    Mom gave a hearty laugh. "Already planning on reaching those heights, hmm? Well, it''s good to be ambitious. And I would definitely be happy if my daughter were to never die." Her eyes began to water. "Just thinking about it¡­ I¡­ I¡­ Waaahhhhh!!!"


    "What? Mom!" I sniffed and hugged her leg. She picked me up and carried me close. We both ended up crying because her crying also made me want to cry. It''s all Mom''s fault!


    Our tears dried out eventually, and Mom continued her prior explanation. The answer to my prior question was that every Level in every organ did increase its longevity, but most important of all were the synced Flesh, Bone, and Musculature Mutations. Flesh especially.


    "If there''s just mana all around us, then why don''t we just use that?" I wondered aloud. I observed my surroundings, trying to get a sense of the planet''s mana


    Mom chuckled at my question. "It''s subtle. The mana is¡­ different somehow. It''s incredibly difficult to even feel it, to know it''s there."


    I grunted. Mom continued, "If you can hardly sense it, then controlling it is out of the question. To begin with, it''s already difficult to grab hold of mana once you''ve let it go. You''ve seen that in your practice."


    I nodded.


    "It''s even more difficult, damn near impossible, to ''steal'' the mana from another mage," she finished.


    "Hm." I considered this. "Well, it is difficult, but at least this ¡®world mana¡¯ is not being controlled by a different mage, right?"


    Mom whirled around me with an intense look in her eyes. "But it is! Maybe. At least parts of it. I think. I felt it when I actually tried to interact with it! The same resistance as when you try to do that to another mage''s mana! Well, not entirely the same. It was different. But definitely similar!"


    I blinked.


    "Everyone keeps calling me crazy. And I''m not saying I''m absolutely right, but how can they be so sure I''m wrong!?" Her words started as a whisper, but transitioned into full-blown shouting at the end. "Ah! Sorry baby!"


    "Not a baby anymore!" I pouted. "But I don''t think you''re crazy." She brightened at my words. "I don''t know if you''re right." Oh come on Mom don''t get sad! "Point is, as you said¡­ no one knows how the fuck the planet works right?"


    Mom nodded at my words.


    "Well then we can''t be sure,¡± I continued. ¡°But what are you saying? That there''s like an immortal mage at the center of Varyala?"


    Mom laughed. Hard. "That''s a fuc-fudging image! You also cursed! I caught that young lady! Stop it!" She cleared her throat, and got back on topic. "But no¡­ Well, maybe. It''d be funny. What I''m saying though, is that I think the planet is alive in some way. Maybe not in the same way we are. But it''s able to control and direct mana if nothing else. Or at least grab hold of it? It could be like a force of nature, random and chaotic. Present. Beautiful."


    The day ended after that, but the training only continued on the following morning. After more than a few months of this, I had managed to gain even more Levels, bringing all of my Mutations to at least Level 3. My brain managed to reach the whopping level of 5, which meant that I was undeniably a genius.


    It''s undeniable.

 Chapter 14: "Society." (Clown Emoji.)

    This was Granuel. The child of Baston and Fiya, and a cute baby toddler. He was an ishkawtan like his father, for that was how species worked in this world, provided it was even possible to procreate. The species is inherited from one parent, and the same Mutations carry over. The Mutations of the other parent would have little to no effect, but they could still pass down certain traits, like how Granuel¡¯s hair was a very dark blue, owing to his fountan heritage.


    ¡°Activate fire magic!¡± I shouted, and proceeded to tickle the boy. He laughed and we played, chasing each other around.


    I was still kind of miffed that Mom and Dad went out to hunt together for probably a whole week or more, just before I got to finally manifest magic and summon fire. But I wouldn¡¯t let that get in the way of having fun in the present.


    I ran around and chased Granuel until he got tired, and then I carried him around like an airplane, to the boy¡¯s great amusement. I still itched to hold a sword and manipulate magic, to continue my training regimen. An annoyance built inside me because I wasn¡¯t doing just that. But there was more to life than constant training, so I pushed it all down and burnt my excess energy some other way.


    I ran many laps around our hill, holding Granuel above my head as he shrieked happily. We crawled on the grass, we rolled around the hill, I climbed the trees while Granuel cheered. It took quite a long time due to me being a human with monstrous endurance, but I grew exhausted in the end.


    I collapsed on the grass and laid down. I smiled as Granuel did the same, falling asleep in short order.


    The sky was bright and shining, and the warmth of it was paradise on my face. My whole body was drenched in sweat, and the exhaustion came out as desperate pants. The clamor of the crowds below faded, and I breathed in the rampant nature all around us.


    I¡¯d grown to love this feeling, the sensation of being truly spent and completely drained. It was a new experience, for I never liked going to the gym in my past life, even if I did begrudgingly do it.


    [Human Skin has reached Level 4!]


    ~~~


    ¡°Hey, Haell. Get up. Come on, you¡¯re dirty.¡± Fiya nudged me with her foot, and I groaned up at her. I quickly perked up once I saw the assortment of fruit on the tray that she brought. All of it was chilled to perfection, and there was even a pitcher of ice if I preferred it to be even colder. Refrigerators were by no means common here, but our families certainly could afford the luxury, and it was great.


    We went back to their house/store afterward, and I did a quick change of clothes. I played board games with Fiya while Granuel slept, and I got to watch Baston at work shaping a sculpture out of plants. It was meticulous work, shaping the figure of a woman with an axe and a pointy shield in place of hands.


    Evel, an angel that often hung out in this continent. She should get a job.


    It was a relaxing time with only a few customers coming by, usually for healing. The town guards who came by were rude, but the guards of the tree wall were not. Most of them were belfegors, and they were a lot more jovial, apparently having a long-standing deal with Baston for heals at a discount. Baston also managed to sell some poisons, as well as certain substances that had to be sold under the table.


    For lunch, I wanted to eat at some dinner, and Fiya agreed to come with me. We brought Granuel along, and I carried him as we walked the busy streets.


    ¡°People of Latarus!¡± I heard someone shout after having walked a block or so. It was a woman wearing the brown and yellow colors of the army. ¡°You are safe here. Provided for. But do you know who you owe your prosperity to? The army! The soldiers fighting on the shores of Grandera as we speak, holding back the crustecars of the deep that seek to destroy and devour our lands. They are the cousins of the cursetaceans that have hunted our empire for generations, they have come from the deep just like the creations of the accursed dragon. And They. Are. Coming. For. You.¡±


    The people of the outer district¨Cmy neighbors¨Clistened, huddled in with those of the same species, and exchanging whispered words among each other. I saw a crustecar child among them, looking down dejectedly at all these pronouncements. It didn¡¯t help that people kept a wide berth from her, widening every time the soldier upon the pulpit of crates talked about the savage crustecars coming to savage our lands.


    ¡°So I ask you, dear citizens!¡± The soldier continued her tirade. ¡°Will you continue to be protected? Or do you wish to be the ones to protect your fellow countrymen, to provide for your family!?¡± Her voice turned softer, but no less fanatic. ¡°I know it is a hard ask, I know it is difficult and scary. But know that if you were to die, then you would be honored, and so will those you live behind be taken care of. The prosperity the crustecars threaten to take away, we will give back tenfold!¡±


    A great cheer rose in the crowd, especially for the final part. The people here were given an enemy to hate, they were given a way to feel superior and just, and more material rewards were dangled in front of them, which many here sorely needed.


    There was a hunger here that I was only beginning to understand. I¡¯d seen poverty before, I¡¯d come close plenty of times in my past life, but there was something different about the way the Angelore Empire ran itself. The possibilities were gravely limited, unless if you were a human or better. There were nets to catch those who fell through the cracks, but these nets had saw-bladed thorns. From terrible working conditions, to enlistment as basically meatshields and probing scouts, to even literal fucking exile. There were no homeless people in the town of Latarus.


    I had to remember that our house by the hill was the exception, this wasn¡¯t a well-off area by any means.


    Fiya touched my shoulder, a smirk on her face. ¡°Hey, Haell? Feel like enlisting?¡±


    I shook my head and we both laughed at the fucking joke.


    What a waste of fucking time.


    ~~~


    We had a nice dinner at a kobold¡¯s place. He breathed his fire softly, cooking the meat just right.


    It was nice to see. Kobolds were known for the raw power of their breath attacks and not finesse, but Mutations were more versatile and malleable than that. They were called Mutations after all, they could mutate.


    Maybe I can use that concept to become a demon! Make my eyes goat-like, turn my skin red, get some bloody cool hooves. I didn¡¯t even have that last in my last life. Aaaahhhhh it¡¯d be sooo coooll!!


    I requested that we go through the market districts afterward, and not just because I wanted to look at the many monster parts on display and dream of a better future. The better ones were on the other side of the river anyway, but I liked the vibe much better here.


    I perused the shops, grabbed some snacks, and ate them on the way. Fried chicken was a staple in any world, even if it wasn¡¯t exactly chicken! Heh. I can think of a few many people who would totally fit with a chicken Mutation!


    I was looking at the skull of a cowboar that an adventurer was proudly boasting about killing, having drawn quite a big crowd. The rest of her party was inside the diner behind her, having drink after drink. She was the only one who oddly didn¡¯t seem drunk despite the outlandish things she was saying.


    ¡°And then I heard a revelation from the angels themselves! The weakpoint in the head. I had to be brave and face the beast, to walk ahead of my friends and protect them from harm!¡±


    Yeah, no shit the head is a weakness. What the fuck are we talking about?


    I shook my head and was promptly distracted by a different stall. It was of two crustecars bedecked in accessories of shells and stone. None of their jewelry looked in any way expensive, but they were certainly expressive. Suitably interested, I left the boasting woman and went to visit the stall across the road. Fiya followed behind me, carrying Granuel in her arms.


    ¡°Man, why don¡¯t people like our bracelets? They¡¯re so coo¨C¡±


    One of them was speaking, but the other quickly elbowed her. ¡°Shhh! We have customers!¡± He turned to us, and I could almost feel the smile that I could not discern in his, well, literal crab face. ¡°Hello there! I¡¯m Billy and this is my sister Berry. We¡¯re here trying to keep the tradition of crustecar crafts alive¨C¡±


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    ¡°Crustecrafts.¡±


    ¡°--We do not call it that.¡±


    ¡°Aww, but I like the name,¡± I interjected.


    ¡°O-oh? Well, then, I suppose some people do call it that¡­¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± I clapped and picked up a necklace. It was a bunch of shiny shells and smooth rocks of varying sizes strung together. The hair rope was golden and tough.


    ¡°An excellent eye! That is an accessory that means ¡®Life¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Nice. I like life. Life good.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! I like her.¡± Berry said.


    ¡°Yay! I like you too!¡± I high-fived two of her three humanoid hands. I also bumped my fist with her big claw.


    ¡°It is a way of language of the crustecar people,¡± the brother said. ¡°The sizes of the rocks correspond to letters of Varyalan. This cluster here is the letter ¡®L¡¯. The three small ones in succession is a break, to indicate the letter is complete. And then the next letter is ¡®I¡¯...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like morse code!¡± I blurted out.


    The two crustecars stared at me for a second.


    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s what it is!¡± Berry congratulated me. ¡°Well, we call it Morsian. But you¡¯re incredibly close! Very smart!¡±


    ¡°Yes. You know of it?¡± Billy asked.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. I¡¯ve heard about it.¡± I did not lie. How else would I know about something if I didn¡¯t hear about it?


    ¡°Oh?¡± He grew excited at that. ¡°People are talking about our language? Really!?¡±


    I laughed awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot of weird friends and acquaintances.¡± Which is certainly true, the people around me are weird, but I didn¡¯t hear about Morse Code from them.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s common knowledge. But it¡¯s definitely very interesting!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Thank you!¡± Again, I thought he was smiling. That was the energy he gave off. Fuck, how can I even tell? ¡°So umm, would you like to purchase that?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Well, maybe. Plus a few other ones. How much?¡±


    ¡°One gold each!¡± Berry declared proudly. Billy slapped her across the carapace.


    ¡°Oi! We¡¯re not here to rip off people!¡±


    ¡°Eeehhh. But we do need the money¡­¡±


    ¡°She is a child, Berry!¡± Oh right. I¡¯m literally five.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    I handed them enough silver to form a gold coin. Turns out that I had just enough.


    Berry immediately perked up, but Billy pushed the money back to me, although I definitely felt the hesitation there. ¡°Please. We can¡¯t accept this.¡±


    ¡°Yes we can!¡±


    Billy leveled her another glare, and Berry wilted.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± I pushed it back into his three hands. ¡°How about for three¡­ no, four of them!¡±


    Berry perked right back up. ¡°Deal!¡±


    ¡°Berry¡­ you know it¡¯s still way too much¡­¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No. Your people¡¯s culture, the struggles that I know you face, it¡¯s worth something. It¡¯s worth at least this much.¡±


    They both began to wail. That made me take a step back in surprise and worry, but Fiya whispered to me that it was just the way crustecar¡¯s cried, for joy or for ill. Tears did not fall from their eyes.


    I smiled, having understood, and waited for them to calm down. They helped me pick out the trinkets afterwards, and I even got to learn a bit of Morsian. A brief thought entered my mind if some poor soul got reincarnated into a crustecar¡¯s body¨COr shit! They¡¯re not a poor soul. There was nothing wrong with being a crustecar. They¡¯re cool.


    I didn¡¯t take the ¡®life¡¯ necklace for myself, I gave that instead to Granuel, who promptly began chewing on it. That¡¯s right, little guy! That¡¯s the spirit!


    I also picked something out for both my parents. ¡®Love¡¯ for the both of them.


    It was no surprise that the crustecars had made multiples of the word. People were obsessed with it, no matter the world.


    I was considering what I should get for myself when an adventurer barged into my conversation.


    ¡°A bunch of stupid trinkets?¡± said the same woman who was bragging about the cowboar she slew. ¡°Who¡¯s going to buy that?¡±


    ¡°I would!¡± I quickly rushed to defend my new friends. Fiya was shielding Granuel with her body¡­ and she¡¯d already equipped her mace prosthetic.


    Nice. I have backup.


    The adventurer looked at me. ¡°Ah, a child. Is that what you¡¯re doing now? Corrupting the youth?¡±


    The crustecars remained silent. Sad and scared.


    The braggart rummaged through her pack and brought out a thick book. I¡­ recognized it.


    Oh no. This is why people hate adventurers. This is why my grandpa rants about them so often.


    Okay, people as a whole don¡¯t actually hate adventurers. I do. And so do most of my friends and loved ones.


    ¡°Everyone has a purpose, a divinely ordained role. And yours isn¡¯t to be sitting in the market here, selling silly little trinkets.¡± She explained¡­ without actually opening the book. This was what had become of the adventurers. Glorified preachers. Those who went to hostile lands to teach the ignorant. Except they actually mostly stayed within the empire¡¯s borders. Not that they never fought monsters anymore, but they only went after the weaker ones now apparently. Or at least, those were no longer the most highly acclaimed or lucrative of jobs. It¡¯s fooling some stupid noble into hiring you so that you may peddle your embellished tales of glory in peace.


    The adventurer here finished her explanation, about how the crustecar shells were hard to protect the other citizens at the frontline of battles. ¡°Even now, your people invade our homes and destroy our livelihoods. You have a duty to make up for that, so do something productive with your life instead of selling literal scraps.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Maybe we should just go¡­¡± Berry said dejectedly. Billy could not bring himself to disagree, but I did.


    ¡°Wait! I still haven¡¯t picked out mine. You gotta help me find it. Something along the lines of revenge, or vengeance, or just victory in battle. Come on.¡±


    They glanced at each other, before deciding to help me out. The adventurer clicked her tongue and asked if they even had a permit to be here.


    The two crustecars froze.


    ¡°Aha! I knew it! No one respectable would actually sign up on this bullshit! Guards! Hey guards!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Billy shook. ¡°We should really go, sorry kid.¡± He handed me two bracelets, but it was too late. The guards were quick to respond for once.


    ¡°What is going on here?¡± A tall man asked, about as tall as my mom. I strongly doubt he¡¯s as high level though. No way.


    The adventurer explained the situation, and the guard whirled around on the two crustecars.


    ¡°I see. What do you have to say for yourselves?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ we tried!¡± Berry cried. ¡°You didn¡¯t allow us to register.¡±


    The guard nodded. ¡°That is the law. Your species isn¡¯t fit to lead a business. But now you have committed a crime knowingly.¡±


    ¡°But we tried! No one would hire us! I tried!¡±


    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s strange, because I¡¯m pretty sure that the army would have accepted you if you actually did try. You have only yourselves to blame.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to be a soldier! I don¡¯t¡­ it¡¯s too scary and dangerous!¡±


    The guard shook his head. ¡°It is your duty, it is your role, and it is what you were made for. And it is in your attempts to shirk your duty and purpose, knowingly, that we are having problems today.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ you can¡¯t just decide that¡­¡±


    ¡°I did not. It was the angels themselves who decreed it to be so.¡±


    Billy tapped his sister¡¯s carapace. Their eyes met and he shook his head, stifling whatever else she wanted to say. Tears continued to flow out of Berry¡¯s eyes.


    I pulled on Fiya¡¯s skirt, but she gave me a soft shake of her head, hiding her weapon. She refused to fight, and I understood, even if it annoyed me. It could only annoy me for I was not yet strong enough to destroy whatever or whomever it was that displeased me so.


    In the end, Billy and Berry were sentenced to five months of community service in the form of joining adventurer parties in culling the local monster population, so that they may ¡®finally put their tough shells to good use.¡¯


    Failure to comply would summarily result in execution. There was no in-between here, for Angelore had few prisons.


    ¡®Victory.¡¯


    ¡®Freedom.


    I finally read the Morsian in my own bracelets once they had left. I got the latter one for free, and it was something that Billy and Berry chose for me of their own volition.


    I loved it.

 Chapter 15: Manifest!

    "Can I activate magic now!? Now!? Please!" I bounced on my feet just as I and Mom arrived at the yard. Mom and Dad were finally back from adventuring, and I was so excited to finally start making some fire.


    "Oh fine," Mom sighed with a smile. "Keep the mana as far away from yourself as you can manage, and then activate it, just as I''ve taught you."


    "Okay!" I brightened, before promptly tuning everything else out to focus only on this one thing. This sole moment.


    I stretched out my wand before myself. I extended my consciousness towards the tool, and let it meld with my self-image. The mana was present in the repository, and I carefully drew it out with the focus. The energy thrashed against me, but I held it steady, having long gotten used to the untamed power of fire mana.


    I pushed it away.


    A meter


    Two.


    More. I can do more!


    I strained and applied force toward the wisp of mana. I extended it to the very edge of my range, and then I went further, without ever losing control of a single whiff.


    Three meters.


    "To manifest the mana requires a simple mental command. An exertion of your will." I recalled Mom''s explanation. "Just like an archer looses their arrow, so too do you activate your mana. Pack it with your image, what you wish for it to do. The warmth of a campfire, the gentle heat of a grill. The fire that burns within, but is quenched from the outside. The flames that slaughtered my templar chapter and finally set me free!¡±


    Now!


    Images rushed into my mind as I thought of my fire.


    The last campfire I saw in my past life, the way I burned at the end along with the stranger who killed me. An escape from a burning building, the ignition of a stove. Cooking at the grill.


    No. More!


    I reached deeper into my imagination, for no one ever told me that magic had to be realistic. I thought of the realm of hell, the home of demons. I recalled my glorious form, in the final days of a life long past. A goddess of a demon, but something was missing.


    The fire that consumed all. The flames that burned the unsinful. What I could not wield before now made manifest.


    Now show yourself. HELLFIRE!


    A bright orange light burst into life in front of me. It roiled as if angry, it licked and lapped at all those that came close. I felt the heat on my face, it started to become uncomfortable. I had the mana hover high above the ground, but the grass still caught fire.


    I heard a shout that I couldn''t make out. Mom suddenly scooped me up, and shielded me with her back. She ripped away the wand from my hand, and tossed it far away. My attention snapped back to reality, and I found myself being carried farther away.


    "M-mom?" I struggled.


    "Oh, Haell! You''re alright!"


    "Uh. Yeah." I brought a hand to my face, and found it a bit irritated from the heat, but certainly nothing serious.


    My mother put me down, and patted around my body. "Oh your face is so red! Does it hurt anywhere? Here? Haell!"


    "I''m fine! I''m fine! The skin is just a little irritated is all."


    "Oh thank Varyala," she sighed and slumped down. "That was way too strong! What was that!?"


    "Uhm. Fire?"


    She blinked. "Well. Yes. You''re right. It¡¯s fire." She took a deep breath. "Sorry. I overreacted. I just¡­ that was unexpected."


    I smiled at her. "It''s fine Mom. But how''d I do?"


    "Well¡­ really good!" She fumbled for a wand strapped to her side, and started shining down a light upon my face. I felt a soothing sensation, as what little damage I did started to heal. Certain elements can have more esoteric uses like healing, and light was one of them. "That''s way too good for a first try. If you managed that with a small smattering of mana, then you''d have the efficiency of a fucking dragon with max-level brains! Probably. Not that I ever met one¡­ However! Haell!"


    She tried not to sound mad, but I winced at the smallest amount that leaked through. Argh! She loves me, I know that. Why am I so sensitive with her!? I''m not normally like this!


    Mom sighed and patted my head. "Hey, hey. It''s okay, it''s okay. I just wanted to know¡­ how much more mana does your wand have?"


    "Hm? Well, I only used a little bit as you instructed¡­" I checked the practice tool, and then found the tiny repository to be empty. "Uuuhhhhh¡­"


    "Right. It''s empty isn''t it?"


    "Sorry¡­"


    She ruffled my hair again. Her words flowed so fast I could hardly keep up. "It''s fine. You didn''t even realize you were doing it right?"


    "Yes¡­"


    "Well, that means that it''s really become natural to you! Instinctive!"


    "Ohh!!" I raised my hands up high, and Mom gave me the double high-five I wanted.


    "You''re not off the hook though, missy!"


    "Eeeehhhh¡­." I whined. She pushed through.


    "It could really become dangerous if you just did things by instinct. You could end up hurting yourself."


    "Oh¡­" I shrunk a little.


    Her face softened. "Don''t you worry, Haell. It''s not an unsolvable problem. You just need more training. You don''t want to accidentally damage yourself in the middle of the fight, do you?"


    "No," I replied, feeling a bit better.


    We returned to our yard after that, finding a large portion of the grass still burning. Every element of mana had their own little quirks, and that was fire''s.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The mana provided the spark, and it was burned as the fuel for the flames, for that was how fire worked. It required fuel. But it would of course continue to burn if it found an alternate fuel source, hence our ruined front yard.


    Mom ran back to the house to get her big staff, and a nature wand. She quickly put out the fire with water, and then made the grass grow back in its place.


    The plants were a bit wild and crooked in their growth. Making the biomass quicker would inevitably result in more long-term problems and defects. That was the quirk of nature magic, these new plants should be far less healthy than normal. Mom shrugged. "Eh. No one will notice. What do you think, Haell?"


    "You''re right Mom! I''m sure it''ll be fine!" I affirmed.


    She nodded, satisfied. "Now, Haell. What did you think went wrong?"


    "Well, I ended up using too much mana¡­"


    "Hmm, yes. You did. But that was a practice wand. The focus was deliberately made weak. The amount of mana it could handle is severely limited. So how did you use too much mana?"


    My eyes widened, nigh sparkling. "Because I''m amazing, and I just broke one of the fundamental rules of magic!?"


    Mom''s expression broke, and she laughed uproariously. It took nearly a minute for her to calm down. "Yes Haell," she wheezed, finally collecting herself, "you are indeed my most amazing little girl. But!" Awww. There''s a ''but.'' "You can''t break the rules of reality¡­ yet." Yay! She believes in me!


    Mom continued to explain, and I settled in to listen, forgetting the jokes for a moment. "So you know how fire magic relies on creating a spark of flame that is then fueled by mana, but could also be fueled by other things?" I nodded. "So, what happened was that you used about the maximum amount of mana your practice wand affords you. This created a strong flame¡­ that should have lasted for maybe a single second or so. The mana fueling it would have very quickly run out. But something that I haven''t taught you yet, and specially important for fire magic, is that you can supply more mana to an existing lump of mana under your control. You just have to keep pouring more of it into the existing lump, without ever exceeding the capacity of your focus. Because you cannot physically¡­ or I suppose mystically, do that. The focus can''t do it. It''d be like going to a pond, and trying to scoop out all the water at once with a single cup. You can''t do that, but you can fill your cup back up with every sip. Or in this case, you fill it back up as you¡¯re taking a sip."


    I blinked. "So what you''re saying is¡­ I managed to figure out this advanced technique on my own!?"


    "Yes Haell! You got it! It''s amazing! You''re amazing! I''m so proud of you!" She lifted me into a hug, and I returned the embrace. My expression then turned into surprise as another realization hit me.


    "If I''m this much of a genius, then maybe I can force a pond into the cup! The ocean!!"


    Mom laughed. "I have not once encountered that in my decades of adventure, but I believe in you Haell! Follow your dreams!"


    "Fuck yeah!!"


    "And don''t curse!"


    "Pack Yeah! Like a pack of wolves!¡±


    ~~


    The rest of the day was spent in magic training. Mom taught me some exercises so that I don''t hurt myself by just thoughtlessly handling magic. I learned to always be aware of the amount of mana I''m holding, and I studied the process of pouring in more mana which I had accidentally done prior. That whole process was apparently called the ''Replenish Loop.''


    The replenish loop was of course the cause of the problem to begin with, but the solution wasn''t to shy away from it. Only by understanding the technique could I use it in a purposeful way.


    I got so into training that I ended up skipping swordsmanship for today. Magic was just way too awesome as something that was totally absent in my previous world. But I still felt kinda bad when I saw the huge imposing man walk away with just a little bit more slouch to his steps.


    ~~~


    "Sorry Dad. I got too excited with magic yesterday. But it''s the sword all the way today!"


    "It¡¯s fine, Haell." Dad smiled. I could tell it was genuine.


    "Thanks Dad. But I do genuinely love and I want to learn the sword. So let''s get to it!"


    ¡°Alright. But¡­ there¡¯s really no need to hold back on my account, Haell. I¡¯m not¡­ I don¡¯t feel nearly as passionate about my craft as your mother does for hers.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Why do you keep doing it then?¡±


    My father thought about my question for many seconds, before finally settling on an answer. Or perhaps he was debating whether to even answer.


    ¡°I don¡¯t hate it. Not anymore. It¡¯s just a way to make a living. And power affords you many things, like safety.¡±


    ¡°That it does.¡± I nodded sagely.


    Dad chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m quite as hungry for it as you are either, Haell. But I do support your dreams.¡± He patted me on the head. ¡°Just remember that there¡¯s no need to push yourself. If you decide you prefer magic, then well¡­¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m gonna have to impose more and more, Dad! I do like magic, but I also like the sword! I¡¯m a demon that will master both!!


    ¡°I-I see. Well, it¡¯s no imposition at all. I might not enjoy swordsmanship, but I do enjoy teaching and supporting you.¡±


    A grin found its way to my face, and I readied my stance, now freshly motivated.


    Even that joy gradually faded away as a shining beacon in the background, as I prepared myself to once again master every stroke and more.


    Overhead slash.


    The maneuver brought with it a familiar sensation.


    Left to right sweep.


    All the flaws to my methods were hammered away through endless repetition.


    From every direction, I''d learned to attack. Every pattern was memorized by both the mind and the body. The sword became a weight that came as naturally as the weight of my own head upon my shoulders. Not a lifelong companion, but a part of my body.


    Time became a blur. My focus was heightened to the limit, the world around me forgotten. Even the concept of violence was ignored, the purpose of the sword set aside. I was only a machine, expressing my own mechanical way of beauty through the weapon.


    Perfect precision.


    Robotic accuracy.


    I felt something impact my head.


    I ignored it.


    I felt another thing, this time by my thigh. That too was set aside.


    "Haell! Haell!"


    My ears heard things, but I judged them to be unimportant.


    "HAELL!" my father''s booming voice finally brought me back to reality.


    "Ah! Dad! Hey!" I hastily saluted¡­ for some reason. I nearly fell over, only now realizing my sheer exhaustion, but I managed to lean on my wooden sword at the last second.


    "You really were in a trance back there," he laughed. "Well, I think that means you''ve got the basic strokes down pat."


    "Oh! Nice! Go me!" I pumped my fists.


    Dad clapped. "Now it''s time to change up your training." He showed me small balls of rolled fabric in his hands. "You don''t just mindlessly use the moves you''ve learned in a battle. You pick and choose based on the moment."


    He tossed one of the balls at me.


    It didn''t hurt. They were soft.


    "You''re supposed to dodge. Or try to hit them if you can," Dad explained. "I''m going to be throwing this at you while you practice from now on, so you need to remain aware of your surroundings. Dodge them as best you can."


    "Alright." I shifted my stance and faced him. I resumed my practice, getting in a good groove again after a while, until a ball landed on my head. That brought me back to reality, making me realize that my attention once again slipped.


    Even when I did see the projectiles coming, it was still a toss-up whether or not I''d be able to dodge. My reactions were slow, and I did not have the necessary instincts for evasion. On top of that, I got way too absorbed in myself and what I was doing to even pay attention to my theoretical opponent.


    I knew that I was from being able to hit the pellets at the moment, and I begrudgingly had to agree when my Dad pointed it out. For now I¡¯d focus on learning how to evade first.


    Overall, my first day of this sort of training resulted in a lot of failures. But when had that ever not been the case?


    I would not be discouraged, and I would never stop. Not until I had made of my body the strongest weapon it was always meant to be.

 Chapter 16: Dont Scream For Ice Cream.

    I walked the busy streets of Latarus with Granuel in tow. The ishkawtan boy was now five years old, though he was no less energetic than when he was a toddler. I made sure to tighten my grip on his arm in case he tried to run off.


    The roads were very busy today because a company of soldiers was coming through. There was a frantic energy in the air as their stay was actually sponsored by the state, meaning that they partook of the many inns, taverns, and more. Even I felt reassured by their presence, content in the knowledge that they¡¯d vanquish the so-called rebels of New Grandera.


    Hey, wait just a minute! That¡¯s not how I think!


    I searched my surroundings, and sure enough there was a shining beacon of a shepherd walking with a group of soldiers and adventurers. I immediately turned right into a different street, so I didn¡¯t have to deal with them and my mind getting scrambled.


    ¡°Haell?¡± Granuel called my name.


    I patted him on the head, and then kept pulling him along. I took another turn because of our detour and then I paused when I saw an inhex person crossing the street.


    The inhex were a species of people who looked like dark-purple ants the size of a tiger. Their six legs were of different shapes and functions, and upon their faces were three oversized mandibles arranged like that of a crane''s.


    They were generally a rare sight, at least here in Latarus, to the point that I had only heard about them from stories. They were¡­ essentially slave soldiers most of the time, and specialized units of the military were tasked with handling them. I didn¡¯t know that there was some mixed in with this expedition. It was the first time I¡¯d seen one in person.


    "Hey! Haell! Haell!" Granuel pulled on my arm excitedly, his hands pointing towards the inhex walking along the road. I tried to shut him up, having a bad feeling about what he was going to say, but the boy shouted his next words before I could stop him. "A monster! There''s a monster here! Wow!!"


    My breath caught in my throat and I facepalmed. "Sorry, he''s a child, doesn''t know better." I lowered my head apologetically towards the inhex.


    "No, no. The boy''s right!" Another voice joined in, this one a soldier walking right beside the inhex, likely their handler. She pushed the inhex person roughly. "He truly is a fucking monster! It''s quite hard wrangling these beasts, haha!"


    The inhex let out a shrill scream of a whistle before he spoke with a deep rage and vitriol. "How about I wrangle your neck and kill you, Banda? Then I''ll show that boy what a real monster is, and murder everyone in this square!"


    Banda laughed, the sound both challenging and tense. I was not surprised about the inhex''s reactions, which was why I was already herding Granuel away.


    "But I wanna see monster!" He protested as I pulled harder on his arm. I tightened my grip, and thought hard about how I could get him to not attract any more attention towards us.


    "Ice cream," I finally spoke, taking a page out of Fiya and Baston''s book. "Shut up and I''ll buy you one. Don''t and I''ll feed you salad. With broccoli."


    The kid''s mouth hung open, and then he closed it back up. Granuel clamped his free hand over his face and gave me a resolute nod.


    Heh. Cute.


    "You won¡¯t actually do shit." I heard the soldier say behind me, projecting confidence. Some of the people around us were now hesitating to get closer, but they were interested enough to not run for it. Fools. "We''ll kill your queen. Your species will die out. And their blood will be in your hands!"


    The inhex approached her with his mandibles aimed threateningly in the soldier''s direction. He chuckled darkly. "For you? A nobody? You think anyone will care if you die? You think they''ll ruin the precarious balance with my people? For a single unimportant inconsequential soldier?"


    I gulped and navigated across the gathering crowd, cursing as more curious people came to gawk at the commotion from what they thought was a safe distance, instead of doing the smart thing and staying away. I had to weave and push my way through them, getting cursed at for daring to disturb the show. I had to hold back my retorts which would have absolutely annihilated them.


    My hands hovered to my waist, and the wand strapped therein. I was under no illusion as to how weak I was, not to mention the subpar quality of my practice wand, but it was still better than nothing for the situation I found myself in!


    The official story about the inhex people was that their queen, the mother of all the inhex, and the only one of their species that could reproduce, surrendered herself to the empire. Apparently, she was so distraught by the vile and destructive nature of her offspring, that she sought solace in the angels and their teachings. She wished to die for this plague that she''d unleashed upon the world, but Archangel Angelo offered her a different path. He offered the inhex a chance at redemption. To atone by risking their life against the empire''s enemies. To be the vanguard against those that threatened it. The inhex shall redeem themselves by carrying out the Angelic God''s will, as communicated by the angels and their close followers!


    ¡­All of that was bullshit, of course. I did not need any further hints to come to that conclusion, but my grandfather was still only happy to elaborate. From how he was part of the invading army sent to the Hivania Continent, to how the inhex were so dangerous as opponents due to how united and absolutely vindictive they were. The inhex did not even speak Varyalan, much less Angelian, instead they communicated in screams and screeches that Grandpa did not even know was an actual language for the longest time. Their people had little coherent governmental structure, and they did have conflicts. But if an invading force came, then they sure as hell were putting aside their differences and uniting like no other.


    The war with them ended with the capture of their queen and mother. She most definitely did not give herself up. That was such utter obvious bullshit, and I still couldn¡¯t believe that anyone¡¯s bought it for even a single second.


    I was pretty sure that most of that was supposed to be classified material, but goddamn did the man not care.


    I had absolutely no complaints.


    The inhex man was growling(?) now. He stared at the soldier, standing on his hind legs to appear bigger. But he understood the consequences, or at least the possibility of it, if he truly went on a rampage here in the middle of the street. The less behaved they of the inhex were, the more their queen suffered, and the fewer eggs she was allowed to lay.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    "That''s right," the soldier said. "Know your place, insect." She smirked. "It''s because you''re like rabid animals that your queen gave herself up to us."


    "She did not¨C!" The inhex person had just started to scream, when a tossed mug of beer landed on his head.


    "Fucking insect! You''re disgusting!" Someone shouted from the sidelines, and the rest of the crowd followed like partifuclarly small-brained imbeciles.


    "We''re allowing you into our town and this is how you act!?"


    "This is why we don''t like insects in our homes!"


    "You''re a pest."


    ¡°Is this how you want to be redeemed!?¡±


    The inhex in question had gone still. Even with his vastly different anatomy, I recognized that sort of look. This was just the calm before the storm. He''s about to explode, and very violently at that.


    There were guards across the crowds, but I did not trust them to keep the peace. If they were actually interested in doing that, then they would have already intervened and de-escalated the situation. Instead they just watched. One of them was even laughing, and yet another joined the crowd in hurling further insults towards the poor inhex man.


    "We''re running!" I whispered to Granuel. He grunted a response, but no words came out because he still had a hand clamped over his mouth.


    I allowed myself a small smile, and then I pushed myself through a centaur couple that were making out. What the fuck are you doing in this situation¡­?? I tightened my grip on Granuel¡¯s arm and forcibly pulled him with me, making sure we did not get separated now.


    "You don''t deserve the mercy the angels gave you!" I heard the fading taunts and jeers behind me.


    "Your kind should just be wiped out from the face of this planet!!"


    "Your queen included!"


    "Shanayah is the only queen in my heart!!!"


    ¡°Empress actually! Even better!¡±


    "I will hunt you all down!!" That one was said by a kid. Their parents should really get them the fuck out of here!


    "What was your queen even thinking, to create monstrosities like you!?"


    "You can''t even do your one job fucking right!"


    "Your queen''s a slut! And she''s being raped by the angels!!!!!"


    ¡°KKKKKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!¡± The inhex screamed in response to everything, a sound so full of rage and sorrow that it silenced all other voices. I did not understand what it meant, but I felt it was something profound in their ancient and mysterious language.


    I did not even know what the language was called.


    The tension that has been building up since earlier finally broke. Metal clashed against chitin, flesh was torn, and bones were broken. A dozen weaker screams rang out, and the smell of blood reached me from behind. I was ahead of the crowd, but that meant little once panic set in, as most of them were bigger and faster than me, especially with the burden of a smaller child to carry.


    "Aaahhh!!!"


    "No, no, stop!!"


    "I have children!"


    "Wwaaahhhh!! Mommy!"


    I was pushed, shoved, and shouted at. It took all I had to squeeze at Granuel¡¯s arm and keep him from being separated from myself. The boy yelped in pain, but remained quiet at the threat of ice cream. It was so out of place, I found a reason to laugh even in this situation.


    The good humor in me died out when I chanced a glance behind me. The inhex man impaled an ogre man with his front limbs, and then bit the head off a human woman. He paused for a second, and I saw him brace, facing towards our general direction. He leapt, and the unlucky people who were in the way were swept and battered aside. Curse my luck, he landed right in front of me.


    I saw, in near slow-motion, his unsteady head turning towards me. His front legs were thick, both sharp and heavy. His back legs reminded me of a grasshopper¡¯s, it was how he managed the previous burst of speed. The legs in between were more lithe, delicate, ending in dextrous claws and fingers.


    The inhex¡¯s mandibles chomped once. He adjusted his posture, compound eyes peering straight at my own. I was about to die.


    HELLFIRE!


    As if I¡¯d let it end here and now!


    I scooped Granuel up, and carried him as I jumped towards a nearby alley. I set off a sudden blaze behind me, singing parts of the inhex¡¯s face and interrupting the vision of his bulbous eyes.


    Instincts borne out of my recent evasion practice screamed at me, and I jumped to the left, narrowly dodging a spearing limb. My wand was lost and dropped, but I hardly cared at the moment. It was out of charge anyway.


    The sharp ring of metal on hard surface sounded out behind me, and I couldn''t help but look back even as I scrambled further away from the scene without ever slowing down. The soldier from earlier had returned, and she slashed against the tough exoskeleton of her foe with a manic smirk on her face.


    I understood then that she likely wanted for this to happen, she provoked the inhex man on purpose. Either that or she¡¯s the biggest idiot I¡¯d ever seen. And that¡¯s a steep contest.


    The soldier was an utter scumbag, and her opponent was a slave thrashing against the chains that bound him. I would have done the same. Worse, even.


    But none of that mattered. Not how I felt for the plight of the inhex, nor how I hated the soldier¡¯s methods and everything she represented. I had to get away and run to safety, so that was what I did. Not just for myself, Granuel too relied on me to keep him safe. But also definitely for myself, as I still hadn¡¯t even gotten started yet on my dream of becoming a powerful demon!


    I crossed the alleyway, and exited out the other side. People in this area had heard of the noise, and maybe understood some of the danger, but they were mainly frozen in place, unsure how to act.


    I ignored them and ran, I ignored their words of protest and confusion. I ran and sprinted and dashed, as if danger was still just right behind me. My legs hurt, I pushed myself harder than I was meant to, but I did not care. Anything was better than dying this fucking soon. My momentum was only put to a halt by a raging river.


    The Latarus River.


    I was in the middle of town now, I knew. The river bisected the whole settlement in two. My head swiveled around, and I saw how the people were just going about their day, manning their stores, walking the streets, talking and even having pointless inane arguments.


    My eyes settled on a store called ¡°Summer Snow.¡± The building was done in wood, and of a tropical design. It looked more tribal because of the carvings and other pieces of art that covered most buildings in the Angelore Empire. I loved the practice by itself, but it apparently made the structures tougher, which might actually be true even if it made no sense to me. Magic was weird, and magic was everywhere.


    In the absence of knowing whatever else to do, I went inside the shop and greeted the fountans manning the reception. Right before them were tables filled with ice cream, the containers radiating cold. The workers were supplying the enchantments with a continuous stream of mana as they worked.


    I nudged Granuel forward, and gestured for him to pick what he wanted. He looked back at me with pleading and unsure eyes.


    I laughed, harder than I meant to. The tension that I had unwittingly been holding onto bled out of me in a sudden wave. My feet felt unsteady, I nearly collapsed. ¡°It¡¯s okay Granuel. You can speak now. Good job holding it in for so long.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± The boy cheered, hopping over and picking his flavors. I tossed the staff a full silver, leaving a generous tip that I hoped went to them, instead of whoever their boss was.

 Chapter 17: Furious Attack!

    I found myself back at the orphanage after Mom and Dad dropped me off to play. They didn¡¯t want to risk me going out on my own for the time being because things were tense around town. Sentiment about the inhex reached an all-time low, which just exacerbated the problem of people provoking them into acting. Thankfully, there were only a meager few passing through town, and they would be gone soon¡­ sent off to die in a war that they wanted no part of.


    I¡¯d had a lot of time to think about that, following the incident. I was pissed at having almost died, of course. But I was always aware that I would¡¯ve lashed out far sooner than most of them, put in the same position. It was always the slaver at fault, not the enslaved. Someday, I would be powerful enough to destroy this paradigm.


    ¡°Aaahhh!! Noo! The Inhex has got me!¡± My thoughts were wrenched towards the kids playing on the playground. It was typically a fun sight, but today I found their method of play to be a tad distasteful.


    ¡°Rawrr! I eat you!!¡± Angerly roared, poorly pretending to be an inhex. The ogre girl held onto the boy that she¡¯d caught, pretending to eat him.


    ¡°Run! Run away from the inhex!¡±


    ¡°Aaahhh!!¡±


    ¡°They will get youuu!!!¡±


    I really didn¡¯t want to ruin their fun, they were just kids who didn¡¯t know better and anything I did here wouldn¡¯t really have an impact when it was the entire town that thought this way, perhaps even beyond. But, I had to¡­ I wanted to do something, even if it were just to appease my own ego. Because this situation bothered me, and I¡¯d be damned if I did nothing about it!


    ¡°Hey!¡± I shouted at them, a bit of anger leaking in my tone. I masked it as confidence and dominance. ¡°Let me play as the inhex next!¡±


    They looked towards each other, and it was Angerly who readily agreed to my plan.


    ¡°Okay! You are inhex now!¡± She scooted forward so she was right next to me. ¡°Haell, right? I¡¯m Angerly!¡±


    I looked up at the girl who was supposed to be my age, but was already as tall as a high-schooler.


    ¡°Yep. That¡¯s me! Now scram before I, an inhex, gets you!¡±


    The other children took that as their cue, and I began prowling for my hunt. My face contorted in an expression of anger and grief, a deep weariness that settled into my exoskeleton.


    ¡°You took her¡­¡± my voice came out as a rasp. ¡°My queen. Our mother. You took her from our home and imprisoned her!¡±


    I caught an ishkawtan girl, and lacerated her body with my front legs, sharp like a lance.


    ¡°Gurk!¡± She hugged her hand to her body and fell.


    I continued, ¡°You take her hostage so that we will listen. You force us from our homes to fight your battles!¡±


    I feinted many times over, and caught a centaur boy younger than I. We collapsed in a heap, and I cut apart his body with my inhex wiles.


    ¡°You enslave us! You ridicule us! You humiliate us for your pleasure!¡±


    I caught up to Angerly who was still laughing from our play, but there was a hint of dread now in the atmosphere. Everyone was trying their hardest to ignore it.


    ¡°And yet it is our fault, when we fight back for even a fraction of the harm you¡¯ve done!?¡± I caught her by the foot, and the ogre girl fell in a largely exaggerated manner. ¡°You treat us as tools of war, yet lament when the blade is pointed at your own!?¡±


    ¡°How about you free us then!!¡± I screamed as I chased the remaining children. ¡°Let our queen go! Quit using us as hostages against each other!¡±


    One by one, I caught and brutalized all of my opponents. ¡°Give us back our empire. Give us back our continent. Give us back our life!¡±


    The final person to fall was Moonwash, who did participate in the game, but just hang back for the majority of it.


    ¡°I would if I could,¡± she said, with an uncharacteristic somber. Her expression remained neutral and devoid of emotion, but her presence seemed to radiate with sorrow.


    I blinked, and got off her.


    Moonwash dusted herself off, and sat on a nearby table. I found myself joining her, in absence of anything else to do. The other kids were already huddling together again, talking about who the next inhex should be. I didn¡¯t know how many of them actually got the message, or if they thought I was just playing like them.


    ¡°Describe to me what an inhex looks like,¡± Moonwash commanded. It took me a few seconds to process that.


    She wanted to make a drawing of them, it seemed. So I talked about the experience I had a few days prior. I emphasized how a whole crowd provoked an inhex man into action, and I described in great detail the sickening grin on the soldier¡¯s face who started it all. They were doing it on purpose, they wanted the inhex to slip up, meanwhile, they were just trying their damn hardest.


    Moonwash kept quiet all throughout my tale. She barely even met my eyes. I would¡¯ve thought she wasn¡¯t listening, except her hands worked rapidly throughout the entire time I was talking. I gave her the benefit of the doubt and waited, allowing hours to pass as I just watched her whole process. In the end, she came up with a masterpiece, a struggle between an inhex that conveyed such sorrow and his wide movements, and a human soldier who met him with her blade, trailed by a legion of fanatical and unthinking supporters.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I chuckled at Moonwash¡¯s bluntness.


    ¡°Can we be friends?¡± I asked, feeling an uncharacteristic knot in my heart. I¡­ felt envious of her talents once, but now all I saw was a girl that I desperately wished to be my friend. It felt so stupid, how I almost lashed out before. I was both proud and glad that I did not.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Moonwash¡¯s response was as curt as ever.


    ¡°So¡­ we¡¯re friends then?¡± I asked to confirm.


    Her head turned towards me a fraction. ¡°Of course.¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    I hugged my new friend.


    She returned it, and her longer arms wrapped around me.


    ~~~


    There were so many injustices currently that just did not sit right with me, but I could do nothing about it, being as weak as I was. I wished to become stronger, so I reapplied myself to my training. I worked further on the sword, while simultaneously having to dodge balls and pellets that randomly came my way.


    Dad made sure to mix it up, and he increased the force and finesse of his throws as I got better at dodging. I was constantly kept on my toes, the next improvement always just a single step away.


    One time, I managed to hit a moving pellet out of the way with my sword, and Dad had high praise for the maneuver. He was so impressed that he integrated it into my training, one where I didn''t have to just hit the damn small things, but my strokes had to be in proper form.


    Sometimes play was also integrated into my training, and my parents took me to the orphanage for a better environment. They insisted on escorting me there for months after the inhex incident was over and done with, and all of them had already left, but I hardly complained about it. It was, after all, nice to have Mom and Dad around.


    I introduced the orphans to the game of dodgeball, and I immediately dominated from the first match. Not only were my Mutations more advanced than those my age, aside from those who were born stronger, but I also had the advantage of a whole different lifetime of memories. One where I had played the game plenty of times before, because I did love to move my body, and playing some sports casually was an enjoyable use of my time.


    I always managed to rope my friends into it, even the ones who were more the indoors type. That streak did not stop another life later, as I managed to drag Moonwash out for some games. She was terrible at it, as to be expected, but I could tell that she did have fun.


    ¡­I''ll also admit that I got at least a little bit of enjoyment from seeing her fail for once. But we were friends, and it¡¯s all in good fun!


    The rules were altered as we played more games over the coming months, until I was surrounded on all sides by the other children, armed with not just one, but dozens of projectiles. It was intense having to dodge and keep track of them all, and it was too much even for me¡­ at first. I learned very quickly, with my mind brought well past the human standard because of my Reincarnator Soul Feat, not to mention the improvements afforded by my now Level 4 Flutter Feet.


    I became a master at dodging, just as the other children too became better at their aim. It really felt like we were pulling each other up.


    Eventually, they did learn to just overwhelm me all at once, leaving no room to dodge no matter what I did. I pouted for a little while, a few days at most, but I got over it and offered to play a different game. This time we all had full freedom of motion as we played dodge tag, where everyone else was ''it'' and the way to tag me was by hitting me with one of the only handful balls afforded for the game. Chasing me down to hit me with it was a valid tactic.


    This again was a learning curve, but it was something that really paid dividends for my training. I became much better at tracking multiple bodies in motion, imparting upon me some solid responses and instincts for combat situations.


    Over a year of this passed, and only then did my dad deem me worthy of finally sparring. I was so excited when we faced each other off, our wooden swords held high.


    The anticipation boiled over, and I immediately rushed off into battle¡­!


    ¡­I promptly got my ass handed to me.


    I didn''t know what else I was expecting, really. But I got back up, and sparred again. Dad switched from attacking, to defending, to meeting me in the middle, with a healthy dose of holding back.


    I hammered myself against the indomitable wall that was father over and over, honing my technique further all the while. My pattern-recognizing brain really helped with this, helping me to improve rapidly. The other Piss Hunters also sparred with me, including Mom, whenever they were around. This gave me a more well-rounded education, and I learned of all the different styles of fighting. They weren''t equally good, but they all at least knew how to handle something as fundamental as a sword. Add to that physiques that would literally be godlike back on Earth, and I never once managed a win, or even a proper hit! Grrr!!


    Eventually, Dad reached a point where he started using feints, and I fell hook, line, and sinker for them.


    My mind knew of the moves he was using, I''d learned and internalized the different patterns. That was why it was all the harder when my opponent deviated from those same pre-established patterns. My brain was doubly wired to recognize and react to them.


    I had to relearn a lot of things, differentiate the real from the fake. It took a lot of work, and practice, and constant repetition, but that had always been the case. I continued to hone my instincts and my swordsmanship, until I came upon a new realization.


    The feints were predictable, at least in a way, to a certain extent. They appeared in specific circumstances, in response to openings or lack thereof. I then extrapolated from that and saw all of swordplay as reactive to one''s opponent. I could predict a lot of things based on the current state of battle, which I was already doing to a great extent, but I could take it further. I had to step back and take a look at the bigger picture, instead of being stuck in the moment while fighting.


    I immediately used this new epiphany, and tried to build upon it. Results were of course not instant, it never was, but I managed to learn how to command the flow of battle and even use feints of my own. I allowed myself to be pushed back in order to bait my opponents into overextending, I pushed harder to get them to defend. And in those moments when we were in equilibrium, I made sure to keep a particular eye out for feints because that was where they were most common. I even made deliberate openings to get a predictable response.


    These improvements resulted in myself almost getting a hit in multiple times, but by sheer physicality I was thwarted. My opponents were not just common adults, but some of the best fighters among them!


    It was good that I had plenty of internal motivation because constantly losing could really get one down. Namely, power and demonhood. The two most important things.


    ~~~


    My magic training naturally continued alongside physical combat. I loved magic after all, there was no way I''d ever let it go!


    A lot of my time was spent honing my image for fire, and the image I imbued into my magic upon manifestation. This was because while I managed to get a really good result the first time I did it, it wasn''t yet possible for me to do so consistently. Not to mention that it took a while to get the proper image, even when I did succeed. It was far from viable to use in actual combat.


    And so I trained and trained until my personal understanding of fire deepened and seeped into my core, to where I could consistently call upon it at a moment''s notice.


    It took over a year of training, but I eventually graduated from using a practice wand to something more practical. A true wand that mages would use in war and battle.


    My handling of mana improved by leaps and bounds through constant effort and practice. I learned a whole lot of new tricks, and I became able to wield a variety of elements other than fire. Not that I was very good at most of them, some because I did not have a good image to match, and others because I had trouble manipulating the consistency and innate characteristics of their mana, but it did not hurt to at least try. I wouldn''t focus on the ones I wasn''t amazing at, as I preferred to specialize, but knowing at least a little bit about the more common elements could be useful in the future.


    I did a lot of exercises in regards to the mana replenishment loop, allowing the flames to burn at the maximum capacity it was able, all the while constantly replacing whatever amount of mana was consumed as fuel for the blaze. Later on I began to do this with distractions around me, such as dodgeball and other similar training methods. It was mostly my parents and the Piss Hunters doing it, as I got scolded when I tried to make a game of it with the kids in the orphanage. It was dangerous and I should have known better. Mom took away my wand privileges FOR AN ENTIRE DAY!


    What I hated most was how sad she looked, when she barred me from the wand.


    All in all, it was hard grueling work that culminated in me reaching the level of 9 with my brain at the young age of eight. At least two levels higher than my next best Mutation.


    I was only 1 level away from a Level 10 Mutation. At that point I''d have the option of evolving the Mutation in order to advance it even higher, but I wasn''t sure yet about what I wanted to do when the time came.


    Well, I knew exactly what I wanted to happen. I wished to become a demon. That much was obvious.


    But I still had no idea how to do that, only that my Mutations would very likely play a large role.


    I needed to make more serious inquiries into the matter, and soon.

 Chapter 18: Tree Magic

    I arrived at the foot of the tree wall, the magically sustained patch of forest that protects and surrounds the town of Latarus. Tall towering trees stood at unnaturally even intervals, their barks just a little bit too smooth, with branches and roots lacking some of the chaos of their typical formations.


    ¡°Let us go!¡± Salaire cheered, causing her unusually elegant coat of white fur to flutter. Her wife Luine was also with us, along with all of my friends. Which meant Granuel and Moonwash both.


    I looked at the thick heavy-duty fence that separated us from the tree wall. I knew of the dangers that lay just beyond. From natural traps to unnatural ones, pits and spikes, vines and thorns, and poison galore. My arm immediately yanked Granuel away the moment he even took one step towards it.


    ¡°Wha¡­ Haell! Let me GO!¡± I knew it! He was about to jump to his death, the bloody idiot!


    Moonwash was sketching on a piece of parchment. She walked over to the fence with a very curious expression. I think. Most people would still find her face to be blank and unexpressive. Frankly, I might be seeing things that aren¡¯t really there.


    I swatted her hand when she tried to touch a leaf that was bright and purple. These color-coded leaves were really only present on the outer edges of the tree wall, and I didn¡¯t think it was for a lack of poison in the rest of the plantation. I¡¯d seen Baston turn a toxic blue plant into a regular unassuming green over a difficult and intensive magic session.


    Luine ruffled my hair. ¡°Wow! Such a caring big sister you are! Haha!¡±


    I rolled my eyes and pushed her hand away. ¡°Moonwash is older than me.¡±


    She grinned again, but this time it was genuine. ¡°I know. And she¡¯s brilliant. But she¡¯s also¡­ very different. So thanks for getting along with her. I was actually worried for a good second there!¡±


    Lacking the words to respond, I just looked at Moonwash standing right beside me. ¡°She¡¯s right here.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    I snorted.


    ¡°Alright. Ride¡¯s here!¡± Salaire called out. A platform lowered from the canopy, held aloft by ropes of vine.


    ¡°Welcome¡­ to the treeopia!¡± A blue-green belfegor man in a flamboyant tunic held out his hand. Salaire grabbed on and he helped her up to the platform. Luine just jumped and climbed from the side of the makeshift elevator. I tried to do the same, but gave up after one leap and the lack of height that resulted from it. I and my friends took the proferred hand, and I felt the unyielding grip of a higher level belfegor that could crush my fingers.


    The elevator shifted, and it shook as it ascended. I looked over the railing and marveled at the sight of our town, divided by a very wide street in the very center and intersected by an equally imposing river. The settlement was big, very big, to the point that I doubted it would be called a mere town in a medieval setting. I wasn¡¯t quite sure for modern Earth standards.


    People milled about in the familiar place, there were those that stood out for being so much larger than their peers. I spotted two sundertops swaggering towards the baron¡¯s mansion, the people who looked like white feathered triceretops. A tyranight was lounging by the river, one of those people that looked like a black-scaled tyrannosaurus. There was an ogre taller than grandfather walking down the main street, followed by a contingent of people walking in a very disciplined manner. I pegged them to be soldiers, that seemed a bit much for guards.


    The elevator jolted to a stop, and I had to grip the railings tight to maintain my balance. I turned back around and said hello to the two ogre guards as tall as my father.


    We were led further into the tree wall, a place that amounted to its own village or even town really. Platforms were nailed onto trees, or outright grown unto it. Bridges connected the houses built around or even inside the trunks, again a mix of regular constructions and living plants shaped through magic. I walked across them, and saw patches of busier ¡®streets¡¯. They had their own bakeries and pharmacies, it was a self-sufficient place. The people were friendly and amicable, perhaps overly so.


    ¡°Hello there¡­!¡±


    ¡°Hi kid!¡±


    ¡°Never seen you here before!¡±


    ¡°New face!¡±


    ¡°So elegant again, Salaire!¡±


    ¡°Did you just come here to gloat???¡±


    ¡°How are the children Luine?¡±


    ¡°How do you¡­ keep giving birth!?¡±


    I returned the greetings directed at me, and laughed at the ones said to Salaire and Luine. They seemed to be decently popular and well-known. People weren¡¯t only using the bridges to travel around, there were plenty of traffic on the large branches around us as people swung themselves from place to place. The majority of the population here seemed to be made up of belfegors.


    ¡°Yellow alert!¡±


    ¡°Froggior!¡±


    ¡°166 degrees! Five Front!¡±


    People were suddenly shouting, and bystanders that were just minding their own business earlier repeated the message. The people of the tree wall were suddenly stirred into action like a disturbed hive.


    I felt a tug on my arm as Luine spoke. ¡°Come everyone! This will be fun!¡±


    ¡°Okay!!¡± I responded with zero hesitation. I had no idea what was going on anymore, but I was indeed already having fun.


    We crossed rope and wooden bridges with a purpose, jumping from platform to platform. There were a good many people heading in the same direction, and those who decided not to join got out of the way, wishing us good luck.


    We reached our destination on the outer edges of the tree wall. I could see the sizable clearing that surrounded it, and the untamed forest beyond, its trees generally shirted than that of the wall.


    A croaking groan of pain resounded from below, and I looked down from the random platform we¡¯d perched ourselves on. There was a froggior stuck in the foliage, a frog monster the size of my mom, with funny and ridiculous proportions. Legs large enough for bipedal movement, thick and springy for jumping. Its hands were small and thin, the body slimy, and a face that looked stretched and derpy. The creature was stuck against some plants, leaves were winding around and sticking to it, refusing to let go.


    I heard a whistling sound just beside me. Luine had taken out her bow and loosed an arrow. ¡°What are you waiting for? Kill it!¡±


    She loosed another arrow, and I understood what was expected of myself. I was quite excited too, to finally get to fight my first monster even under such conditions. My parents were going to kill Luine later for this, but that was emphatically not my problem!


    I grabbed a powerful wand from my belt and shot out an experimental stream of fire mana towards the froggior. I manifested the magic, and a streak of flames crossed the air before harmlessly dissipating into a wide cone. The mana naturally fell apart and separated once it was out of my control, and the physical fire traveled along with it, pulled along. Countless other projectiles landed on the monster in the time that I made my attack.


    As I thought. I can¡¯t reach from here.


    That was how fire mana worked. It could be hard to hit far-away targets with it. It didn''t naturally travel very fast in the air, and the flames were easy to crumble and separate.


    But it¡¯s not a problem that can¡¯t be overcome!


    I raised my wand again as arrows, boulders, and more elements struck around the entrapped monster. Granuel too was tossing rocks at the froggior, and Moonwash was doing the same with magic.


    It was, quite frankly, just worse than what Granuel was doing. Maybe about as strong, but even less accurate.


    I gathered the fire mana into a growing ball, and then compressed it. I held it there for a few seconds, focusing, until I managed to draw out a single strand from it, still connected to the larger roiling mass. I then wrapped that single thread around the ball of mana.


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    Sweat dripped from my brow, a dull throbbing blossomed in my head. But I kept at it. I repeated the same process, twisting the mana around itself, knotting it together, until finally, it looked like a roiling ball of yarn.


    Now.


    I loosed the projectile, and activated the mana just as it exited my range.


    A fireball roared into existence. It streaked through the air as a single mass. It traveled with a whistling rush of wind, ultimately hitting the tree next to the monster I''d aimed for!


    "Yes!" I pumped my first, staring at the burning wood. The fire impacted with a heavy splash, quickly covering a large piece of bark. The tree was on fire, and it was spreading towards the countless plants surrounding it!


    Wait, that¡¯s a bad thing!


    Someone lobbed a mass of water at the fire I started, before I could truly panic.


    Luine addressed the human mage with a friendly bellow. ¡°She¡¯s a kid! Bad aim! Still training!¡±


    ¡°Have a nice train! Become strong!¡± He squinted to get a better look at me. ¡°She must be what, ten or something?¡± Eight, actually. ¡°That¡¯s really good for your age! Keep up the good work!¡±


    ¡°I will!¡± I waved back.


    ¡°You should also put that out.¡± He pointed at me, and I felt momentarily confused until my feet began to feel very hot.


    My earlier attack had set the wooden floor beneath me on fire.


    ¡°Ow, ow!¡± I jumped away and gathered fire mana around the flames. I then wrenched the mana away, causing the flames to follow and dissipate harmlessly into the air. I repeated the process until only embers remained, and then I stomped those out.


    It didn¡¯t take much longer after that for the monster to breathe its last.


    ¡°It¡¯s dead!¡± Someone announced, and the crowd erupted into cheers. People immediately began descending the branches and towards where the monster was, the majority of them belfegors. They used magic to control the plants on the ground, in order to untangle the dead creature from the traps. The rest of the community reacted as well, and a new wave of motion was carried out as they moved with a purpose. Harpoons were shot, the corpse of the frog was pulled up, people crowded around it and began dismantling it right then and there as a group.


    Blood was drained and preserved in jugs, meat was sequestered away and carried off by others to shops and butcheries, bone was taken to the proper workshops, and skin was hung like laundry to dry and be treated later.


    They moved with a practiced purpose, their cooperation near seamless even as they nearly shouted at each other and negotiated right on the spot. And all the while, they had a merry and jovial attitude.


    I decided that I liked this place. Couldn¡¯t we have just lived here instead?


    ~~~


    ¡°FLIER!¡±


    ¡°Yellow-Red Alert!¡±


    The shouts came just as I was about to devour the popsicle I bought. Luine suddenly pushed my head down, and I understood. I crouched down and found a place to hide, pulling Moonwash and Granuel along with me.


    A heavy caw resounded from above just after I disappeared from view. I looked to the canopies and saw a large shadow crossing through it as I remained alert. Another screech followed, but this one it was of alarm, confusion, and aggression. Leaves and branches twitched and writhed unnaturally, and then the invader suddenly began plummeting down.


    The enemy was revealed in that moment, a cross between a bird and a wyvern, colored a yellowish brown. It was unable to move properly as some sort of red slimy goo clung to its form. It seemed to be clotting, spreading, and hardening.


    ¡°Tirruk,¡± Moonwash supplied the name of the monster.


    Luine was already gone from her spot, and Salaire was doing her best to hurry on over as well. I saw a blur in the branches, it was Luine bouncing up and running across any and all surfaces gracefully until she landed on the cow-sized tirruk, deftly avoiding any of the goo. She slashed at its face with a dagger, taking out an eye or two out of four, before hopping back away to dodge a retaliatory peck.


    The tirruk lost altitude, and the arrows that followed didn¡¯t help, which didn¡¯t only come from Luine. She ran up right next to it again and held a dagger in both hands. The flurry of strikes that I couldn¡¯t even follow shredded a wing, and the beast truly began to fall in an uncontrolled way.


    The bird fell through platforms and bridges, before ultimately getting entangled in sticky branches and vines. People scattered out of its way and helped each other get to safety.


    Salaire dropped down right on top of the tirruk. Serrated beak tore through her fluffy dress, and the white of it began to be dyed red. I screamed out in horror at her injuries, but the belfegor woman just took it, holding the monster in an unyielding chokehold. More attacks landed on her, and her fluffy clothes were soaked more and more in blood, but the pecks and claws seemed to somehow penetrate less and less with each subsequent bite.


    It didn''t take long for more help to arrive. The ranged attacks had to slow down because of Salaire¡¯s presence, but more belfegors soon dropped right next to her, trying to steer clear of the goo. Their gear was quite a bit different, studded with spikes and serrated edges. The design was more than merely uncomfortable once they began hugging the bird, crushing its limbs and penetrating to the bone.


    Luine suddenly appeared after I¡¯d lost track of her for a while. She stepped out from the shadows of some nearby leaves followed by spikes of darkness that struck the bird. They didn¡¯t puncture very deep, but the monster visibly weakened the moment they made contact.


    Luine finished the fight by diving right into the fray, weaving past the other combatants and systematically slashing through the enemy¡¯s flesh. The creature¡¯s range of motion narrowed with every slash of the woman¡¯s daggers, the crucial joints and organs accurately targeted. At some point, the creature finally stopped moving, and it was pronounced dead after a few more attacks that landed.


    Cheers resounded from the surrounding crowd, just as excited for this kill as the last, even though it must happen frequently here. The dead tirruk was swiftly sequestered away, and the inhabitants of the tree wall wasted no time in processing it for more usable products. The broken structures were not neglected for a second more than necessary. People immediately went to repair them, mending bridges and fixing platforms, using both physical labor and magic. The plants that were spent and damaged sprouted anew.


    It was fortunate that no one died in the attack, but injuries were inevitable. I saw how the community helped each other, getting the wounded and helping them back to their feet, with a generous amount of healing provided, of both magical means and mundane. I briefly wondered about the costs when a fountan man passed right by me, muttering to himself about precisely that. It seemed like they had a set amount of funds, to pay for the medical care of residents caught up in these attacks.


    I sat back down on a nearby bench as the adrenaline finally started to come down. Granuel and Moonwash joined me, and I bought the three of us new popsicles as our previous ones were kinda dropped. The ishkawtan woman at the stand gave me a generous discount.


    Luine and Salaire returned a short while later. The former walked with a barely noticeable limp that might have just been my imagination. Salaire meanwhile was as spry as could be, already healed to the picture of health, with even her fur coat being cleaner than it should have been, bereft of blood.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with that?¡± I asked, forgetting what I initially wanted to do.


    ¡°Vladmonke fur. Absorb blood, become tougher.¡±


    ¡°Ooohh!! That sounds nice. Your skin was also mighty tough!¡±


    A red alert should¡¯ve been around her same level, a truly dangerous foe. Yet her skin held up better than I expected it would.¡±


    ¡°Ah. That is because it¡¯s not natural belfegor skin.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°She enhanced it with the materials harvested from another monster,¡± Luine answered for her wife.


    ¡°You can do that!?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes. Although it is a very dangerous process that could leave that specific Mutation crippled for life.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not necessarily good even if successful,¡± Salaire added, ¡°Only different. I can¡¯t change colors anymore. I¡¯m always pink.¡±


    ¡°You could¡¯ve picked something else,¡± Luine countered. ¡°It¡¯s likely that you would have kept whatever color you had during the change.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I like pink. You like it too. Don¡¯t lie.¡±


    ¡°I¨CWell, yes¡­ But it¡¯s not very practical!¡± she mumbled, blushing a little.


    I chuckled, then pouted like a child. Which I was. A child. ¡°Aaaahhhhh! Quit distracting me! Luine! You¡¯re still injured. I¡¯ll heal you!¡±


    She smiled curiously at me, happy for the reprieve. ¡°It¡¯s just a scratch. But alright.¡±


    A big grin crossed my face at the go-ahead, but I quickly tempered my own emotions, meditating on the proper headspace.


    Healing magic was something that my mother really wanted me to learn, and I had no complaints about it. We¡¯d tried the common and readily available elements, from flows of water to brilliant flashes of light. All forms of mana that I could somewhat wield, but nothing that really stood out. It was plain as day that I lacked the talent for them.


    So instead I drew upon the memories of my past life. From all the times I sat alone in a park, not wanting to go home. To the times I¡¯d wandered into reserves or went hiking with my friends.


    I loved the quiet of the forest, the countless sounds that depicted ongoing conflicts lying just out of sight. The smell of the air, the breathtaking sights, the moments spent around a crackling campfire. I could feel the silent presence of my friends, as we existed as just another segment of a greater whole.


    I poured all of those feelings out into my current spell, a slowly pulsing mass of nature mana, far more still than its fiery counterpart, and seeking to grow into countless branches and leaves.


    I thought of untamed landscapes as I Luine towards a particularly verdant tree branch nearby. The leaves began to grow just a little bit larger, the bark crackled in its own sprout. So did scratches on Luine¡¯s arms and legs heal, as I thought of the natural course of life and the resilience it could so often show.


    Such was the healing magic I had found for myself.


    Incredibly inefficient for combat, unable to direct vines and roots to strike at a designated enemy, but very effective at healing, and at being the catalyst for plantlife to grow as they please.


    It was only natural, for nature to be untamed.


    ¡°That will be a hundred gold please,¡± I joked, holding out my hand with a big disarming smile on my face.

 Chapter 19: Some Very Light Sparring. For Fun.

    I stood before Dad, the both of us raising swords of wood towards each other. I heightened my focus and watched him closely, our steps drawing a circle on the hill''s grass. A deep breath flowed into my body, and I burst into motion upon its release.


    I started with the classic, an overhead slash, but it was easily parried. I stabbed from there to try and get my Dad off guard, but the attack was swatted away. I flowed into a rhythm, every stroke mastered over years of effort. All of my attacks were still deflected by the much larger man.


    We continued our spar, as I honed my swordplay further. I memorized every block, every possible shift from every position, until I could recognize them all without thinking. My brain was working overtime to memorize Dad''s patterns, and while I wasn''t arrogant enough to claim I had surpassed the literal century he''d spent with the sword, I could definitely feel that I was making progress. I should be good enough to get a glancing blow or two if my Mutation levels were just a little bit closer to his own.


    The spar shifted. Dad ceased only blocking, and met me blow for blow. I knew he was still holding back, but it still took a lot out of me every time our swords met. It mattered little, my body could keep on functioning for a long while yet, I knew that through sheer experience. I''d long ago learned my limits and how much I could push past it.


    I dodged a particularly wide strike, and then I dampened the next blow by stepping into it before I blocked. My feet shifted rapidly on the ground, almost like a dance, as I weaved my way around the battle, trying my hardest to find a proper opening to strike.


    I had consciously decided to incorporate more footwork into my movements, once I realized that I was once again slacking in that department. It was something that was so easy to forget in the heat of battle, once I''d locked swords with someone. But being in constant motion was a big advantage for a human, even if I didn''t intend to stay that way. I''d poured way too much time into evasion and mobility training, to just let it be forgotten.


    So I made full use of my Flutter Feet, constantly making myself into a moving target. The extra range of motion certainly worked to give me an advantage, however Dad only showed more of his true power in response, and the large man simply rotated with minimal steps, making sure that he was always facing me. I could not maneuver into a blind spot, and I was expending a lot more stamina than he was!


    My advantages as a human would allow me to keep functioning for a while yet, but I would lose at this rate even if we had the same endurance. That was far from the case, as although Dad¡¯s larger size made his stamina lower than it otherwise would be, he was still leagues above what I was capable of.


    The spar shifted again, before I could be totally axhausted. This time Dad was on the offensive. I watched every stroke of his sword, and decided in the moment what was the best way to block or parry. His attacks flowed unpredictably, still throwing me off guard at times, but I had built my instincts up enough to react properly to most of them. This same training that I''d repeated nigh religiously everyday would further build me up into a swordswoman that could overwhelm and adapt to any foe.


    Footwork, footwork!


    I''d panicked when dad had forced me into the defensive, making me forget one of the fundamentals yet again. I sought to immediately remedy my error as I stepped back and deflected my father''s sword. I ran and jumped around, to make myself a slippier target. It was quite difficult to keep track of both the exchange of swords, the footwork, and the terrain behind me, but what was the point of training if I didn¡¯t learn.


    My evasion training paid off, as I continued a retreating defense, circling around our hill. I did not take the full weight of any of Dad''s heavy strikes, instead trying to redirect them all with as little effort as possible. My previously separate instincts were melding together further, turning me into a swordswoman who was fast on her feet, but still able to hit like a truck with her greatsword.


    I saw some great success with my retreating tactic. My dad was unable to minimize his movements like earlier, by only turning his body enough to face me. This time he had to give chase, which meant I wasn''t just losing out hard on the endurance battle.


    If this were a real battle, then my opponent would have the option of just not giving chase, but that would be when I bust out my wand or staff, to magically bombard my opponent from afar.


    Not that I would actually win regardless, as again, our specs were worlds apart. I knew for certain that Dad was still holding a lot of his strength back.


    It was still a nice fantasy to have, and I was certain that I could one day turn it into a reality.


    I collapsed on the grass over an hour later. I''d burnt out all my energy, and now I just laid there, staring at the sky. It was still a beautiful blue, even in another world. The sun seemed brighter than before.


    Dad plopped beside me, and we sat in companionable silence for a while. He was usually a man of few words, but a single nod from him was able to convey that he was proud.


    We had lunch inside later on. The entire family was there and Grandpa spoke about his own experiences in the battlefield. Of humans standing their ground clad in armor against larger and stronger foes. Our enemies were always so confident at first, but we outlasted them and won.


    It was a tactic that was still relevant, if a bit diminished. We now had a much larger pool of talent to choose from, owing to being part of a multi-species empire.


    I wondered for a moment what I would be able to do as a demon, and what I would lose. I could attest through my training, that the human build certainly had a lot of potential. It was easy to see how I could possibly reach the very top with it, as a tireless warrior able to adapt to any situation, with the capacity to train and retain that training much more rapidly. But my mind was made up, and I would not be tempted away from demonhood. I was prepared to lose and have to rework years of training. The sunk cost fallacy will not claim me, I¡¯m ready to throw away the effort I''d put into mastering my human Mutations!


    My dream will be fulfilled.


    I went back out of the house after my meal, both of my parents with me. I was well rested, and ready to get back into practice, my true goal and dream always within my sight. If only I knew how to actually do that, what it takes to become a demon¡­ I really need to find out soon.


    I''d already taken out my wand to do some practice, when some guests came up the hill to visit. It was Luine with one of her children in tow, a human boy.


    "Ah, Haell," Dad spoke up. "That''s Therick. He also wishes to learn the sword. You two could spar."


    The boy''s name was pronounced as ''The Rick''.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "You could even make a friend!" Mom added. "You know, if you get along. No pressure or anything. But as proud as we are of you for all the effort you put in¡­ you''re nine! Maybe have some fun too? Make some friends?"


    ¡°Hm?¡± I found my mother¡¯s words strange. ¡°I have friends. There¡¯s Moonwash, and then there¡¯s Granuel¡­ There you go. Friends.¡±


    Come to think of it, that''s not a lot¡­


    I considered that maybe Mom had a point. I treasured my friendships so much in my past life, but I''d hardly made time to make new ones here, and I might not even be paying enough attention to the few I did have. "I''ll try, Mom¡­ We''ll see though, about this Therick."


    She patted me on the head. "That''s all I ask."


    Luine and her charge made it up the hill and to our front lawn.


    "Hey Piss Hunters!" Luine greeted loudly. Mom facepalmed, and Dad grinned.


    Luine pushed the kid with her forward, and the boy introduced himself. He was older and about half a head taller than me.


    "Hello... I''m Therick. You''re Rallem''s daughter, right?" He asked me.


    "Uh. Yeah. I am."


    "Nice! I wish I had a cool parent like that!"


    There was an awkward air for a moment, upon the words of the orphan. The boy in question just plowed on without regard.


    "But I won''t let that get me down! Rallem told me he''d train me, and I was also told to come here and be your sparring partner! So let''s spar!"


    That I could do. "Alright!" I drew my sword and my opponent did the same. We began circling each other as the adults stepped back to give us space.


    Our eyes met, there was a tension in the air. The wind blew across the hill, and I lunged, my opponent barely able to react.


    Our swords bounced off each other with a snap. Therick shifted his stance, but I reacted a hair faster, forcing him to block at a bad angle.


    The boy was pushed back. I could see a panic in his eyes that was never present when I faced my parents and their friends. I dug my feet into the ground, judging that my enemy wasn''t in a position to immediately take advantage, and then I pushed forward with more force put into the blow.


    Therick was forced to back down again, and I continued my offense. I did not relent. It was all he could do to defend.


    Therick panicked further. The situation was entirely out of his control and all he could do was retreat. I pressed my advantage, and he chose to try and forcibly break through. His hands swung back for a big attack, and I knew instantly that he overcommitted. In that same moment, my sword slid right up to his neck.


    "My win," I announced. I panted even as the most pleased smile ever made it to my face. Having trained against only the best of adventurers, I had seldom tasted victory in this life. It was such a sweet treat that I''d nearly forgotten. I forgot that it was even the goal.


    Therick dropped his sword and nodded dejectedly.


    We took a few minutes of break, before we went right back at it. This time, Therick did not let me set the pace from the get go, and we met in the middle, exchanging parries and attacks. I gathered that we were just about evenly matched in strength, despite the size difference. I suspected that my higher levels and his larger mass made us about even.


    Our physical specs aside, I was pretty sure that I won out in technique. I read and parried Therick''s every strike, I did not fall for any of the feints that he tried. None of his attempts even came close to the experience of having to fend off my dad.


    Meanwhile, Therick could barely block my own attacks, causing him more strain or allowing my wooden sword to strike at his flesh. I would be winning harder if this were to be a real battle.


    He should already be bleeding out with the amount of damage I''d dished, the tendons that I''ve hit would have long ago ruined his grip. But while I was sure the adults would mention that in the review, the spar still continued. Not that I minded too much, as if I imagined that we were both wearing armor, then him suffering little to no damage at this point would have been believable.


    This spar could take a while, with the Mutations available to us humans. I was fine with that, I always spent this much time in training, and for once I got to be the one dominating the battle. My opponent wasn''t actually that bad; Luine, Dad, and some of the other Piss Hunters have been giving the orphan children advice on the things they wished to learn.


    That said, I was curious to see if I could get a hit on his vitals, and end this fight sooner. Therick made sure to always protect his head and heart, even as he left way too many openings that I did not fail to take advantage of and skewer.


    So I sought a way to overcome the guard that he did have. Instead of aiming for vitals, I could more slowly make my way there. I made a slight feint, which Therick quickly moved to block, but he completely misread my actual aim. My wooden sword crashed upon his hand, and the boy yelped in both pain in surprise. He let go of his sword, nursing his reddened fingers, only to find the tip of my practice blade pointed an inch away from his head.


    "My win."


    "Yes¡­ it is¡­" he sighed, before forcing himself to brighten up. "That was amazing! I couldn''t get a single hit in! It was almost like fight Luine or your dad!"


    I smirked and pulled him back up to his feet. "Yeah, well. I''m just great." I had a habit of bragging. "But no¡­ I''m nowhere near their level."


    "Heh. Yeah. I know just how fast and how heavy their hits could be."


    We were given pointers again by the adults, after which we resumed our battle.


    It was difficult to try and pull the same trick I did prior, as there''s a sword guard in the way. I had to get the right angle, and I could hardly do that if my opponent was aware.


    So instead I went on the offensive again. I found that I really enjoyed being the one on the attack. I slammed my sword against Therick¡¯s over and over, shutting down any attempts at retaliation. I pushed him back again and again, adding feints and even other non-sword approaches. I won the third match by kicking him in the knee, and I won the fourth by honing my swordplay even further, overwhelming my opponent until he failed to react and got himself slashed across the torso.


    The fifth match saw me moving around a lot more, weaving in and out of the way and utterly confusing my opponent. I kinda forgot about it again, but that was in part thanks to myself not really needing it as I had no trouble winning with a frontal assault. This time, with more active footwork on my part, it did not take long for Therick to give a big opening, and through it I skewered his heart.


    Metaphorically. We were of course still using wooden swords.


    The last battle of the day was the hardest. I went on the offensive, pushing harder than I ever did, and Therick had little recourse as he frantically sought to defend himself from attacks that could seemingly come from any direction. He screamed to no avail.


    I could already see my victory approaching, with plenty of slashes landed on less lethal areas, but then Therick suddenly started fighting back with a force and speed greater than my own. I panicked and tried to match him blow for blow, but I ended up getting pushed back hard for my trouble.


    I jumped back and went on the defensive, wary and analyzing. My movements shifted toward more evasion, and I noticed that while Therick¡¯s swings were certainly stronger, they had also gotten overall worse than before. Wider for no reason, more predictable, without even any feints mixed in.


    The adrenaline gland!


    It finally dawned on me what was happening. So I decided to just draw the fight out for a little bit, finding little trouble dodging my opponent''s desperate attempts.


    As predicted, it didn''t take long, not even a full minute, for Therick¡¯s stamina to start flagging. His swings lost the power behind them, he was panting hard, with eyes unclear, likely not even entirely sure of what was in front of him.


    I stepped aside one frankly pathetic swing, and then held the blade of my wooden sword right against his throat.


    "I win."


    Therick looked at me. His expression seemed a mix of aghast and upset for a moment, before he fell on the soft grass.


    The older boy had fallen right asleep.

 Chapter 20: Teach a Lesson

    ¡°Alright people! Today we are learning about geography,¡± Luine said, pinning a large world map on the board. It was Moonwash who made it. I could tell by the beautiful and prominent signature on the very center of the map.


    ¡°Nice job,¡± I told the girl beside me. We were seated at the very back. ¡°Planet Moonwash is very beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, not looking up from the wooden sword she was carving designs into, nor acknowledging my joke.


    I shrugged and listened to the lesson. Nothing I didn¡¯t already know, but a refresher was good. I would someday travel this world and beyond, and it was fun just imagining the different adventures I would have in the future.


    Near the right edge of the map, on the lower end, was Grandera. It was the continent where we lived in, depicted as being separated into three major parts. To the west was where we lived. Edengar, the nation ruled by Queen Eden, was filled with beachy shores, verdant plains, and varied forests. Not that the entire place was under the Angelore Empire¡¯s control.


    Running down the middle of the continent was the impenetrable mountain range that split the continent in two. It ran beyond the shores and well into the oceans, speaking of tales about mountains that rose up from the seafloor. I was pretty sure that wasn¡¯t how mountains were supposed to work, but that only made this world more exciting.


    Lastly, to the east was the elven forest. It was a mythical place where everything was just bigger. Their trees were said to make our own look like grass, and monstrosities that would threaten whole towns here were commonplace and weaker than the elves that called it home.


    Luine spoke about other places too. From the Isla Tropics above and to the left of Grandera on the map, consisting of many smaller island nations that made a larger whole. It was said to hold a variety of sapient people that could rival the rest of the world combined in diversity.


    There was then a large expanse of ocean beyond our western shores called the Leviathan¡¯s Feast, and beyond that, left-of-center of the map, was Arrival. It was the continent previously known as Wargrove, home to the humans, ogres, and kobolds. That was where the angels first arrived, and the Angelore Empire¡¯s origin point.


    West of it was Hivania, home of the inhex and the late curse dragon. It was a rocky and desert-filled place that was difficult to live in. South of Arrival was Jurasia. It was a very large continent filled with all sorts of environments common from hot to temperate climates. That continent was where the dinosaur-like sundertops and tyranights were from, and the rest of the wildlife did not stray from that motif.


    ¡°Haell, I have a gift for you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I turned my head to the right and saw Moonwash handing me the sword that she had been making. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I am giving this to you. As a gift.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± My mind finally caught up to the sudden departure from the lesson. ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    I smiled. The suddenness of it surprised me, but I felt warmer and happier the more I held on to the gift. It was beautifully made, and the fact that a friend made it for me only added to its value. I held the wooden sword close and hugged it to my chest.


    Salaire took over for Luine, and presented a different map, this one depicting our immediate surroundings. She spoke of the many opportunities and dangers just nearby, but stressed that no one should just thoughtlessly try to take them without thought. The monsters in these forests were not to be trifled with, and even the people could be dangerous.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Moonwash spoke again. ¡°Can you do me a favor?¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°I¡¯d have to hear the favor first. But probably.¡± Making blanket promises is stupid!


    "I want ink."


    "Ink? You mean for writing? I should have some. I also have paint, and dye¡­¡±


    "No. I meant enchanted ink."


    "You mean the ink that solidifies and creates enchantments!?"


    "Yes."


    I opened and closed my mouth a few times, unsure how to process her frank reply. Enchanted ink was expensive. It required some kind of liquid medium to make, like the blood of strong magical creatures, or the sap of certain plants. The recipe also required, among other things, crushed mana repositories and focuses. Those were materials that someone could make multiple wands with!


    And now Moonwash was just boldly asking me to hand some over¡­


    "...I''ll ask Mom and Dad," I eventually answered.


    "Thank you."


    Another beat of silence.


    "What are you going to do with it?" I queried.


    "Make an enchantment."


    I figured as much¡­ Is she doing this on purpose!?


    "What kind of enchantment?" I endeavored not to be annoyed.


    She pointed at the beautiful sword in my hand. She specifically touched the ridges that made out the carvings. "This."


    I blinked again. "I thought you were giving it to me?" I was quite happy about the gift too¡­


    "I am."


    "Oh?" I perked up. "But then I thought¡­ you were going to use it for enchanting?"


    "Yes."


    "Right, so¡­"


    "I''ll give it to you."


    "...Oh! You want to give me an enchanted sparring sword!?"


    "Mhm." She nodded.


    "Well, thank you! I''ll go see about getting enchanted ink for you!"


    Moonwash gave me a curt nod, and then returned her attention to the lesson happening at the front.


    There were now children attacking Salaire who was pretending to be a warsymbol. A quadrupedal creature that looked like a mix between a bear and a T-rex.


    It was so stupid that I had to join.


    ~~~


    Another day.


    "Ah! I lost again! You''ve no mercy!" Therick raised his hands in defeat, having suffered yet another loss in Angeless. It was a bit like chess, except the angel side of the board had an advantage from the start. "I already can''t beat you in sparring! Why are you this smart too!?"


    Because of my Soul Feat. My mind is far stronger than what its level would suggest.


    I shrugged and took a sip of my juice. We were currently seated outdoors, and I watched the children playing on the orphanage playground. "I''m just that good."


    Therick groaned, slumping at the table. "The angels are supposed to win, you know? This is blasphemy!"


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    I laughed. "I''ve always found it more inspiring, to win against insurmountable odds.¡±


    Therick gave me an odd look. "I don''t know if you should be saying that¡­¡±


    "Ah, fuck off,¡± I started another game while I watched Granuel play dodgeball with the other children in the playground.


    I clapped, and he waved back.


    ¡°I am losing, but is it just me, or are you playing worse?¡± Therick asked as he moved his rebel side of the board. The angels were under my control this time, and it kinda rubbed me the wrong way if they won, but I also definitely didn¡¯t want to lose, so I was doing more than enough to win with my superior units.


    ¡°Nah. It¡¯s just your imagination. Don¡¯t worry about it¡­¡± I trailed off, eyes drawn towards the dodgeball game happening. There were people from outside playing with us right now, and they were winning against Granuel¡¯s side when my friend was the one dodging, but now it was the outsiders who were on the backfoot because while Granuel wasn¡¯t the best when it came to power, his throws were accurate and he could predict precisely how his opponents would move. The rest of his team also did really well upon his instruction.


    The dodgeball game eventually came to an end, and I cheered upon seeing Granuel¡¯s team be the overall winner. The boy himself was even more happy about it, laughing and hugging his team like they just won the Superbowl.


    All the good humor left me, when I saw what happened next.


    Granuel was shoved by a human boy, one of the kids who came from outside the orphanage. Following behind him were a whole posse of goons, including some of the orphan children. They were mostly human, but there were also the odd ogre or centaur among their group.


    They were the ones who got their asses kicked in the earlier game of dodgeball.


    ¡°Hey! What gives!¡± Granuel complained, having recovered from having been shoved. His legs might not have been built for travel, but they were at least excellent for standing his ground.


    He was not able to similarly recover when he was pushed again, multiple times, until he finally fell.


    "Do you think it''s funny!? Do you not know who I am!? Show some res¨C!"


    The one who assaulted my friend could not finish the rest of his sentence as I''d tackled him hard. We fell in a bundle of limbs, shoving and pulling and biting against each other. We disentangled a moment after, with me clearly being the winner. I rolled my arms, and finally remembered that I was still holding the wooden sword Moonwash gifted to me earlier.


    Fuck. I don''t want to accidentally break this!


    I debated whether to toss it away somewhere safe, but it was a weapon, and I might have just started a fight. If I did not use the sword out of fear of breaking the thing, then what even was the damn point of it!?


    "Wha¡­" the leader boy of the bullies groaned to himself. That finally startled his goons out of their dumbfounded expressions, and they went to help their de facto boss.


    "You¡­" he addressed me once he had gotten up, "How dare you¡­ Do you know who I am!?"


    I believe I''ve overheard it earlier. His name is¡­ Soph¡­ soap? Soap!


    "No clue!"


    My shout caught him off balance.


    "Well, I''ll have you know that I''m¨C"


    "I don''t care, soap-boy! You suck! Pathetic! Sore loser! Fucking dumbass!"


    I helped Granuel up to his feet while Soap-something struggled to find his words. He was well and totally put off balance.


    "I am not¡­" he was interrupted again, but not by myself. Instead, the laughter of the gathered crowd had grown too loud, eclipsing his own shouted words.


    Even some of those who were supposed to be on his side failed to suppress their own giggles.


    Soapy-boy¡¯s face reddened in both anger and embarrassment. He screamed and threw a punch.


    I dodged easily to the side, finding the blow too telegraphed and predictable. My feet tangled with his as we passed each other, and I tripped him just like what he did to Granuel earlier. Only, Soapboy fell face-first.


    He raised his head after a few seconds. I lazily met his eyes with a punchable smirk on my face.


    "Get her!" he managed to get out, after an embarrassing few moments of floundering his words.


    His group froze, unsure what to do. They looked back-and-forth between him and myself. I, for my part, just stood smugly with my arms on my waist.


    ¡°What are you waiting for!? NOW! ATTACK!!!¡±


    They finally exploded into motion, after another embarrassingly long delay of confusion.


    Their panic was funny, the hysteria of their charge hilarious, but I was still being chased down by over a dozen people my size, or more!


    I fell back on my training instinctively. I kept track of all their positions, using my footwork to dodge and redirect their punches and kicks. It was no harder than playing tagball, the game where everyone threw balls at me along with a frantic chase.


    I retaliated against my foes whenever the opportunity arose. Be it by using Moonwash¡¯s sword to strike at their torso and legs, or by tripping them up and sending them crashing towards each other, eventually knocking them out into a bundle of limbs.


    I avoided any lethal blows and permanently-debilitating injuries. As pissed off as I was at them, they were still a bunch of children at the end of the day, so I had enough good sense to hold back. I didn¡¯t even think about using magic and burning them all to ash! It would be so easy, and would serve as really good practice in many ways, but it truly never ever crossed my mind!!


    There was a centaur in their group. She charged at me and I could in no way outrun her strides. So I dodged at the last moment, taking advantage of how her ability to make turns wasn¡¯t nearly as good, meanwhile my Flutter Feet were perfect for that.


    "Aahh!" she yelped. I landed a strike with my sword when she passed me by, and I actually took care to not put as much force into it. But the gesture still caused enough pain for the child to just fold over and cry.


    This feels like I''m the villain¡­ But that is totally not the case! They started it!


    The ogre among their group stepped forward, and the human children scattered to the side. I was keeping him away earlier by just putting other people between us, but it seemed like that would not work forever. Soap had caught on, and commanded his misguided forces.


    Sweat started to run down my face as I sized up my opponent. Nearly two meters tall despite being around the same age as me, the ogre species started with all Mutations at a Level of 10. I nearly grabbed for my wand, but decided against it. That would be an unacceptable escalation of a conflict between literal children.


    I''ll just have to beat him some other way!


    "Well? Still think you''re so tough!?" their leader said from behind the ogre boy. I was even more fucked, as I had become surrounded. Shit why did I start poising myself for a 1 on 1 duel!? That was very dumb. I should have kept moving.


    "I am," I answered with a confidence¡­ that I surprisingly did feel. I squared my shoulders, and took a stance, hefting the comfortable weight of my sword.


    He scoffed. "Against this many? No way!"


    "Maybe you''re just weak, that''s why you can''t even picture it!"


    "It''s not weakness!" he protested, gesturing for his lackeys to attack. "This is what leadership is! You''re the one who understands nothing bitch!"


    The ogre in front of me charged, and so did the dozen other kids that had me surrounded. But the reinforcements never arrived, for I was not as alone as either I or Soap-kid thought.


    Angerly, an orphaned ogre, came up from behind their group, and pulled them back. Granuel and Therick lead the others, and prevented the enemy from reaching me. Moonwash¡­ sat and observed, but I thought I saw her give me a reassuring nod.


    Fuck. This escalated real hard. A full-on fucking brawl. This is so going to get me in trouble later, isn''t it?


    Even as I made the realization, I moved to escalate things even further. The enemy ogre rushed after me, and he tried for a grab. I dodged the first few ones, as even if he could match and even exceed my speed and grace out of sheer Levels, I was just that much better trained than him.


    Unfortunately, I was well outmatched physically. He was faster than I, and his longer reach was pushing me further and further into a corner. Eventually, an attack did come that I was in no position to try and dodge, so I deflected it with my wooden sword. I put my full force into the maneuver, no longer holding back as I did before, and yet I was still pushed back by the blow.


    I struggled to instantly right myself, aware of the crack in Moonwash¡¯s gift. But I had managed to at least stave off the worst of the damage, while putting the much stronger foe off balance.


    Far from an ideal trade, but I did not waste the opportunity for I was unlikely to get another. I immediately dashed forward and swung my sword hard into the ogre boy¡¯s leg.


    There was a yelp of pain and a resounding crack. But it was not my opponent¡¯s legs that had broken, instead it was my sword. My heart too broke at the realization. Moonwash¡¯s gift to me had been ruined.


    I chanced a glance back, and the ogre boy had collapsed on the ground, clutching at his leg. He was crying and wailing loudly from the pain.


    I winced, still feeling hopeless and alone. The weight of the broken gift hung heavily on my palms. Come on, boy ogre. You''re way tough. I know that I didn''t actually break anything! Ugh. More problems.


    I walked away sadly from the scene, not wanting to be caught off guard if the ogre boy decided he still wanted to fight. The overall brawl had mostly slowed down, the kids hurt and tired. There were few actual injuries that I could see, as they mainly just shoved and pushed at each other. They all knew not to take things too far.


    If anything, I was the one that went the furthest¡­ fuck.


    "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?" I cringed when I heard Luine''s shout. The doors to the orphanage building slammed open, nearly breaking in half from the force of the high-level woman.


    "What she said!!" Salire followed after her, walking very fast.


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡± I recalled the purpose of my visit today. ¡°I¡¯m making friends?¡±


    My smile was not convincing.

 Chapter 21: End of Innocence.

    "I¡­ I''m sorry." I tried to sound sincere. Luine decided to make us all apologize to each other, after catching us having a grand old brawl.


    I couldn''t even fault her for it. If I were the adult in charge of things, I might have made the same call out of sheer annoyance.


    "Hmph. You should be." Sophicus, the person I nicknamed Soap-boy, scoffed at my apology.


    "Sophicus!" Luine shouted his name. "Apologize!"


    "No!"


    "Haell apologized to you. The whole point of this is to make up."


    "Well, I don''t mind forgiving her."


    "But what about the wrongs you did? Has she forgiven you for that? You also still need to apologize to Granuel."


    "Hmph. But Haell just admitted that she was in the wrong, didn''t she? And Granuel was provoking us."


    My eye twitched in annoyance. "I did err probably, sure. You, on the other hand, pushed Granuel to the ground for no fucking reason!"


    "It''s just a little bit of roughhousing. With some good lessons taught. Don''t be so lame."


    "Oh. Well then, everything I did to you was also just roughhousing and tough love. Thank you for telling me, Sophicus. I retract my apology. I did nothing wrong."


    "Haell¡­" Luine touched a hand to my shoulder.


    I nearly shrugged her off, but thought better of it at the last second. I gave her an apologetic look, then stalked off.


    I had far more pressing matters, than coddling some stupid boy''s ego. His parting words fell on deaf ears.


    I gathered what remained of Moonwash¡¯s gift, before I made my way towards the older girl with heavy and remorseful steps. My vision already wavered before I even made it towards her.


    After what felt like a long and harrowing march, I stood right before Moonwash. She was sitting peacefully on a bench, undisturbed by Luine or Salaire as she was one of the few that weren''t roped into the big fight earlier.


    "Hey¡­" I started.


    "Hey." She returned the greeting like every other time. I didn¡¯t let it bother me.


    "I''m sorry¡­" I mumbled. It was already a dozen times more sincere than the apology I managed earlier.


    Moonwash tilted her head a fraction. "For what?"


    "Uhhh¡­" I fumbled my words, and settled for showing the broken remains of her gift to me. "This?"


    "Oh. What about it?"


    "I broke it!"


    "Yes. You did."


    "Exactly! So, you know¡­ I''m sorry about that."


    "It''s fine. That''s what weapons are for." Moonwash smiled. That was exactly my reasoning earlier! It honestly startled me to see her smile, as she always seemed so unaffected by anything. She punched my shoulder very lightly. "Good win."


    ~~~


    ¡°Hey Angerly.¡± I approached the ogre girl who rallied everyone else to my side earlier. She was currently lying down on the soft and lush grass.


    ¡°Oh, hi Haell!!¡± She smiled wide, turning her head toward me.


    I sat down beside her. ¡°Thanks for your help earlier. I might have actually lost otherwise.¡±


    She barked out a laugh, boisterous and proud. ¡°Hah! Maybe! But you could¡¯ve still won!¡±


    I snorted. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah!¡±


    We both laughed, and a companionable silence settled between the two of us.


    ¡°Hey, wanna be friends?¡±


    ¡°Can we be friends!!??¡±


    We stared at each other, having spoken at the same time. One person laughed, and then the other followed, until we were both rolling around on the grass in our good humor.


    I eventually managed to collect myself enough and wipe the tears off my eyes. ¡°Great. Friends!¡± Four in total. Enough for a full party of five!


    ¡°Yes! We¡¯re friends now!¡± Angerly got up and scooped me into a hug. I endeavored to return it even if the force was too tight and crushing.


    I felt like I¡¯d be losing somehow if I tapped out.


    ~~~


    It was the next day. I was having a really good day. I had lunch with all of my friends, Angerly¡¯s meal was severely extended because she ate more than any of us, and Moonwash was making me a new training sword to replace the one I broke. I¡¯d asked my parents about the enchanted ink, and they agreed. Mom had a lot of the necessary materials in stock. Ritual ink shared a lot of similar ingredients to enchanted ink.


    The rest of us were eating dessert, just a massive pile of rainbow-colored cotton candy, while engaging in the good old tradition of debate.


    ¡°Fire is the best element, clearly! It¡¯s my favorite! It''s the coolest!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s literally the opposite of cool!¡± Therick protested. ¡°You should just focus on the sword. You don¡¯t gotta get mana from someone else, or just run out in the middle of battle. Magic is so unreliable!¡±


    ¡°I can just do both! And you literally always lose to me Therick!¡±


    ¡°Ack!¡± He groaned, as if struck. ¡°Y-you¡¯ve been at it for longer than me! And your dad is like the best swordsman!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna be a businessman like my dad!¡± Granuel interjected. ¡°The magic of money is the best!¡±


    ¡°Guys, guys. We¡¯re talking about the best magic element here.¡±


    ¡°No! Swordsss!!!¡±


    ¡°Gold magic! To give me gold!¡±


    ¡°Okay, that might actually exist. Shi¡­ttake mushrooms, how does the economy...¡± I trailed off.


    I hissed taking a sudden sharp intake of air. My eyes turned towards a glittering presence in the streets, and I found just what I was expecting.


    ¡°A shepherd.¡±


    A low growl escaped my throat, I almost turned hostile right then and there. I felt the mental influence, subtle and insidious. From the shining skin that demanded attention, to the¡­ aura or signal or whatever it was that allowed them to passively affect the minds of all that surrounded them.


    It wasn¡¯t exactly magic, at least not in the sense of what I¡¯d been practicing. But that same training had allowed me to get a feel for such esoteric capabilities, whether they be the work of a mage, or a naturally occurring phenomenon.


    It wasn¡¯t really under their control given how it was likely a passive effect. I could hardly fault them for a natural trait that they couldn¡¯t even turn off. They were just natural-born rulers through and through, and no matter how I felt about it, I had to acknowledge their position. Perhaps someday I could successfully change things, but for now all I could really do was to bow my head in supplic¨C


    FUCK THAT!


    I growled louder, the sound raw and beastial. My hands automatically reached for my wands as my temper threatened to boil over. It was only Therick¡¯s voice that stopped me from attacking right there.


    ¡°Haell. Haell!¡±


    ¡°WHAT!?¡± I snapped. I saw the attention of the visitors briefly turn my way, but they had more important things to attend to as Luine and Salaire went to meet with them.


    ¡°I¡­ Are you okay?¡± Therick asked, genuinely concerned.


    ¡°You seem¡­ angry,¡± Granuel added helpfully.


    ¡°Never better,¡± I ground out my answer through clenched teeth.


    The conversation out front had reached a fever pitch, voices raised high enough for me to make out. The people accompanying the shepherd turned out to be adventurers, lowering my collective opinion of their group even further, to a point I didn¡¯t think was even possible.


    I seethed quietly as I listened to them talk. The adventurers were led by a single human man, and the rest were of varying species. From a crustecar, to a belfegor, and even a kobold. Their party leader took a moment to brag about how his party was the ideal one, with people in their proper places, led by a proper leader.


    They had apparently come here to preach before, but were barred from entry by Luine and Salaire. So naturally, the fucking cowards snitched to the nearest shepherd, going on about how this orphanage was keeping the light of the angels away from the children. They wished to ¡°enlighten them while they yet remain untainted by the world.¡±


    ¡°Get them while they¡¯re young, dumb, and impressionable,¡± I translated in my head.


    ¡°Do you have anything to say for yourself?¡± The shepherd woman that came with them asked Luine. Of course, Salaire couldn¡¯t possibly be in charge. ¡°It seems like you haven¡¯t been upholding your duty to these children. Do we need to¡­ revoke the holy license of your orphanage?¡±


    I could feel the hostility wafting off of Luine as she struggled to maintain a calm facade. The adventurers stepped back, having felt this pressure.


    ¡°It is no problem, honored shepherd,¡± she bowed, her voice surprisingly even, if sharp. ¡°There have just been¡­ incidents before. Adventurers that incited violence among the kids. Therefore I took it upon myself to ensure that they grew up in a more peaceful environment.¡±


    ¡°We are adventures too.¡± Salaire placed a steadying hand on her wife¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I know just how violent the world out there can be.¡±


    Tressica the shepherd, and Kroy the adventurer, both frowned at how Salaire had inserted herself into the conversation.


    ¡°The Party Propers is a renowned adventuring company,¡± Tressica told Luine. ¡°Surely it must not have been difficult to find out that they are a reputable group of well renown.¡±


    Luine bowed deeper, no matter how humiliated she must''ve felt. I didn¡¯t have that same kind of patience. ¡°We chose to err on the side of caution, my lady. Many adventurers of well renown have come through our doors, and the way they preached and bragged taught all the wrong lessons to our children.¡±


    ¡°Those are some¡­ very heavy accusations. I expect a full report later.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°That being said,¡± Tressica continued, ¡°a little bit of research should¡¯ve very easily proven and shown that the reputation of Party Propers is true and unembellished. It seems to me like you failed to do your due diligence, and therefore have caused your students an opportunity to learn and grow closer to the Angelic God and His Angels. A grave mistake which puts into question whether you are even fit to be running this facility¡­¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Luine scowled. The sheer distaste managed to partially get through her facade. The woman¡¯s arms shifted nigh imperceptibly toward her waist, where I presumed her weapons were hidden.


    I too reached for my own. A genuine full-strength fire wand whose focus capacity exceeded what even my brain was capable of, and a dagger that I only knew how to use due to my past life. I had no illusions as to how weak and useless I would be in a fight, but I felt for Luine and Salaire. I have seen just how much love and effort they had put into raising these children, and these people want to just take that all away for no fucking reason!


    That¡¯s preposterous, it¡¯s absurd.


    So if the two of them decided on violence today, then I¡¯d damn well help them. Even if I were a weak 9 year old who could do nothing against the tyranny of levels.


    ¡°There won¡¯t be a problem,¡± Salaire said, giving Luine¡¯s shoulder a squeeze. ¡°They are free to teach the children about¡­¡± she paused. There was a disgusted grimace on her face when she continued, ¡°...the truth.¡±


    ¡°Oh? But what about your prior offenses of barring us entry?¡± Kroy smugly asked. ¡°It truly seems like they don¡¯t have the best interest of the children at heart. And how I feel for the children¡­¡± His eyes flicked towards the shepherd.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Tressica agreed, her face twisting lightly into a very punchable smirk. ¡°I do find it perplexing why they even refused in the first place. Do they harbor doubts perhaps? Are they raising these kids to be heretics?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Luine growled, but she took a deep breath and held in whatever outburst. ¡°It is not heresy, I am only looking out for the wellbeing of my children. I had my doubts because of some very negative past experiences, but if an honored shepherd is vouching for this party, then I welcome you all with open arms. And if you still have doubts about my motives, well¡­¡± she rested her hands at her waist, almost grabbing the weapons hidden therein. ¡°That would be for you to decide. I will abide by the will and the wisdom of the shepherds.¡±


    Something told me she wouldn¡¯t actually do that. In fact, Luine would most likely do just the exact opposite. I was almost tempted to wish for such a reality to come to pass, if only for the sheer hype that would arise from it. But I knew that was a bad thing. I would just have to create my own hype, once I was strong enough.


    ¡°I see,¡± Tressica said after a long moment of contemplation. ¡°Very well then. But just to ensure nothing like this ever happens again, then I would need to give you some proper Guidance.¡±


    Luine¡¯s eyes hardened. She suddenly backed away when Tressica approached.


    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong, Luine? Do you disagree? With me? A shepherd? A priestess?¡±


    Luine thought of a proper answer, but couldn¡¯t come up with any, so she just kept on backing away while the shepherd slowly, inexorably moved forward. Tressica¡¯s face grew more malicious, while Kroy was enjoying this situation very much. The rest of his party were quiet and still, serene and uncaring of whatever situation was happening in front of them.


    Something felt very wrong with this scenario. Well, obviously, it was hellishly fucking wrong. But there was something there, just on the tip of my realization.


    ¡°Magic,¡± Moonwash suddenly spoke, only now looking up from her all-important task of carving wood into a sword shape. ¡°The element¡­ It¡¯s something I feel sometimes from the shepherds. Cognition, emotion, thought and ideas made manifest¡­¡±


    ¡°Mind Magic!¡± I finally put the pieces together after the clue Moonwash gave. I pointed a finger at fucking shepherd. ¡°She¡¯s trying to mind rape Luine in broad daylight!!¡±


    That got everyone¡¯s attention. The shepherd in question abruptly turned towards me, her calm facade immediately broken by a few uttered words from myself. I was amazing.


    ¡°That is not ¡®mind rape.¡¯ It¡¯s proper Guidance for those who err and divert from the proper path.¡± She began marching toward me, and I could feel the mana in the air around her, lightning-fast and sticky. ¡°It is an ability granted to us by the angels, something that we are meant to use. Therefore it is holy¨C¡± Luine and Salaire stepped in between us before she could get any closer, for which I was eternally grateful, but I still scurried further away, just in case.


    I knew, of course, that it was borderline impossible to actually brainwash someone without first apprehending them. At worst I might receive spikes of certain emotions or thoughts if Tressica got her claws on me here. But I still did not want my mind to be fucking touched.


    ¡°Who is this child?¡± Tressica asked. ¡°Is this the kind of nonsense you¡¯re teaching the children?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not one of ours,¡± Luine calmly informed her. She had a grave expression of gritted teeth on her face as she periodically swatted aside what appeared to be nothing but air.


    There was mind magic there, of course. Unless if Luine was just doing a weird dance. Mana was weird, an uncertain thing, and it could be affected by common physical things to varying degrees. Which meant swatting it like a fly might work. Sometimes. For certain elements. And depending on how powerful the strikes and the striker are.


    ¡°She is the granddaughter of¡­¡± Salaire glanced at me, and I gave her nod, ¡°Golex. The Hero.¡±


    Tressica¡¯s eyes widened. She stared at me, still furious, but now calculating. ¡°I see. I would like to have a word with her, then.¡±


    ¡°Ask her parents,¡± Luine succinctly countered. I felt grateful for her keeping this mind-rapist at bay.


    ¡°Do I need to? I¡¯m a Lady of the Lathary Household. Surely I can talk to one of my subjects, no?¡±


    Luine hummed thoughtfully. ¡°I don¡¯t think her grandfather would quite appreciate that¡­¡±


    Tressica looked displeased by that comment. They went back and forth a fair bit more, the topic shifting back to Luine¡¯s alleged heresy and her transgressions toward adventurers as a whole. At some point, instead of her just having made a mistake against the Party Propers, her crimes had become against the entire guild as a whole.


    Luine managed to deflect everything however, stating in kinder terms how she wished for her mind to become her own, and that it was already in the service of the angels, but she was allowed discretion for her own expertise. ¡°I appreciate and respect you, but with all due respect, you are not an expert in rearing orphans, nor in the art of battle.¡± Tressica was furious about those comments, but Luine just kept on bowing and apologizing while doing the exact opposite and refusing all of Tressica¡¯s commands. They reached an impasse, and somehow just¡­ moved on.


    I suspected it was because there were only two Level 40+ people in town aside from the Piss Hunters. They could do so much damage if they were given a reason to, and then they could just up and leave. If my grandfather participated, then the whole of Latarus could fall.


    ~~~


    I found myself between Granuel and Moonwash. We were sitting with the other kids, listening to the prattling of adventurer Kroy. The rest of his party offered words of agreement as he continued to preach.


    ¡°For the humans among you, we were created to be versatile, suitable for a number of roles. You can be a soldier, a merchant, a leader, a follower, a deacon, an adventurer, all manner of things! We are the lifeblood of this nation, and we act as the arms and legs of our true rulers.¡±


    Kroy asked the human children what they wished to become, and began giving out some career advice. He talked about how to properly conduct yourself for an interview, how to register at the adventure guild, how to approach the church and the shepherds, and more.


    It was surprisingly sensible.


    Granuel decided to butt in, once the subject of his interest arrived.


    ¡°I want business!¡± he shouted.


    Kroy looked perplexedly in our direction, his eyes roaming over Granuel until a subtle disappointed scowl crossed his face.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry to say this boy, but you can¡¯t be a businessman. I¡¯ll get to the prospects of you ishkawtans later.¡±


    ¡°What? Why can¡¯t I!? I want to!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not that simple. Not all the species are suited for it. We humans and a select few shepherds are the only ones doing it for now, although if a blessed Angel took interest in such matters then I am sure they would do wondrous work.¡±


    ¡°Ehh¡­ but who decides that I can¡¯t! I¡¯ll try and prove you wrong!¡±


    Kroy laughed, as if talking to a particularly stupid child. The gesture ground on my nerves more than this conversation already had. ¡°We already know it¡¯ll go wrong. You can¡¯t try, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°No! It¡¯s my dream! I have to try and struggle!¡±


    Tressica heaved a sigh, suddenly inserting herself into the conversation. ¡°Luine, do your orphans really not understand something so basic?¡±


    It was Salaire who answered. ¡°Granuel is not an orph¨C¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Belfegors are not great speakers. I was talking to Luine.¡±


    The rogue scowled at the disrespect shown to her wife. ¡°He¡¯s not from here. Not an orphan.¡±


    Tressica raised her brow, glancing back at me. ¡°Really? Every troublemaker is just conveniently not part of your responsibilities.¡±


    Luine affected a shrug, although it came off more hostile than she intended. Or maybe that was exactly her intention. ¡°It¡¯s true. You can confirm it later if you want.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Kroy, continue.¡±


    The man did as asked. He talked more to the human children, notably ignoring me with a complicated glare. He did try to get some headway with Moonwash, and my friend answered his questions in her typical manner.


    ¡°What do you want to do for your future?¡±


    ¡°Make things.¡±


    ¡°What kind of things?¡±


    ¡°Plenty.¡±


    ¡°...Can you specify?¡±


    ¡°Swords, armor, chairs, tables, crowns, shirts, leather, bows, string, dagger, hammer. Magic, add magic to a lot of them, most even. Enchantments. Shield, arrows, fortifications, wall, base, secret base, treehouse. Big ritual. Mask, claw, gauntlet, leggings, pants¨C¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay! I get it! I¡¯d suggest you narrow it down, maybe pick one of these companies, get an apprenticeship. A friend of mine, a smith, actually just had an opening¨C¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°...No?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Kroy tried for a while longer to get Moonwash to join any of the different organizations he was promoting, but he eventually had to give up, unable to get through to the girl. When asked why, Moonwash elaborated that she wanted to do it all even if he thought it unrealistic, and that while she was willing to learn from another craftsman, she wanted to make her own way in the end instead of being one specific person''s apprentice.


    I was very impressed by her logic.


    Kroy(don¡¯t be so coy) moved onto the fountans and ishkawtans among us. Granuel was still uncharacteristically reserved, clearly deep in thought, because of what happened earlier. I knew the pain of having one¡¯s dreams be rejected, and I would punch both Kroy and Tressica in the face if I knew I could get away with it.


    ¡­I¡¯d probably do it even if they didn¡¯t bully Granuel. They just have those kinds of faces. Very punchable.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you already know what you were made for,¡± Kroy started, ¡°For the fountans, you can already start working now. Your job is so easy and simple, I¡¯m almost envious! Just plug a mana repository into your mana fount, and it¡¯ll charge on its own. Personally, I¡¯d recommend trying to find some work in Sophisticated Founts. They pay really well and you barely have to do any additional chores other than supplying the mana. For those who are interested, I can take you to them later.¡±


    ¡°As for the ishkawtans,¡± he continued, ¡°we can always use more people on watch. Specially now that the rebellions are moving closer to our territories, refusing to cooperate until the end. Even now, our armies face them in battle, to protect our freedom and way of life, but who knows when those savages might strike here in order to kill and maim those we care about? So for those who are interested, I could take you to the guard or the military later. They have scholarship programs that will train you up so that you can then use those abilities to keep everyone safe!¡±


    He took on questions after that, and there were a surprising number who were interested, especially among the fountans. Most of them shouldn¡¯t really be of working age yet, but a lot of kids would jump at the opportunity of being an ¡®adult¡¯, even if the novelty would wear out real fast.


    The fountans, at least, almost had a comfortable gig lined up from birth. But that was still no excuse to stifle their potential and keep them away from opportunities that other people were provided and allowed.


    ¡°What about business,¡± Granuel piped up. He had stood up, pulling on the hem of Kroy¡¯s shirt. ¡°I want to do business.¡±


    ¡°Oh. You again. How many times must I say that you can¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°But why can¡¯t I? Give me one of those things¡­ recommendations, that you¡¯re giving to others!¡±


    Kroy sighed. He placed a hand on each of the boy''s shoulders. ¡°You can¡¯t do it. It¡¯s literally not allowed. An ishkawtan cannot run a business. If you¡¯ve been listening earlier, then you¡¯d know that only humans, shepherds, and angels can do that.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­ but my Dad runs one! Business!! Very successful! I wanna do that too!¡±


    ¡°Is your dad an ishkawtan like you?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Kroy furrowed his brows. ¡°Then you must¡¯ve been mistaken. An ishkawtan cannot be permitted to run their own business. They¡¯ll mock it up.¡± His voice turned sharper at the end.


    ¡°But Dad does a good job! I¡¯m sure I can¨C¡±


    ¡°Enough! You can¡¯t do it, and that¡¯s final!¡±


    ¡°But¡­ but¡­¡± Granuel¡¯s lips began to quiver. It didn¡¯t take long for him to begin to cry.


    He sniffled and whined. I quickly ran towards him, and offered him a hug. I gently stroked the boy¡¯s back as he cried into my shoulders.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll find a way, okay? You don¡¯t have to give up¡­¡± My words were tender but my eyes were set into a hard glare. I glowered at the adventurer who made my little brother cry!


    ¡­We¡¯re not siblings. I know that. But it felt like it regardless!


    ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± Kroy scratched at his head. ¡°You can¡¯t run your own business,¡± I glared at him harder, ¡°but you can serve as an advisor to someone? I can ask around, maybe some would want an ishkawtan apprentice in that area,¡±


    Granuel only cried harder. Kroy eventually gave up and moved on to the other kids who were more willing to play his game.


    I kept my gaze trained on his back as he walked away. The most violent of thoughts crossed my mind, but I knew not to act on them. Not yet. Not yet.


    ~~~


    The sun was starting to set. Kroy had addressed every species present in here, and the topic had somehow circled back to the fountans and ishkawtans. I felt that it was somewhat aimed at Granuel and the things he¡¯d said, which only upset me further, but I could be wrong. The fountans and the ishkawtans were truly popular in the empire, as some sort of divine figure crafted by the angels themselves, almost like the shepherds. Although not nearly as beloved.


    The adventurer droned on and on and on, showing the Angelic Scriptures and the illustrations therein.


    I suddenly snapped back into focus when I saw a particular image in the book.


    It was that of a man, a human. There were five archangels above him with varying makes. From a floating eye with wings, to a sentient crossbow, and even a solid mass of blades, who looked like a hedgehog with swords for spikes.


    ¡°As you can see here, the angels showered their gifts upon the first of the ishkawtans and the fountans. You are valued members of the community, with a purpose given to you from the start¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t listen to the rest of his ramblings as my eyes continued to be fixated on the book on his hands. Arrayed around the human in the illustration were a bunch of unclear silhouettes, the presumed gifts given to the first ishkawtan and fountan. But the more I look at them, the more I thought¡­ that the vague outlines looked familiar. They were shapes that I¡¯d seen before, and there was a general theme to them. An eye with veins training behind, a dismembered hand, a leg, the mana fount of a fountan.


    They were body parts. Just like how a Mutation may be enhanced or altered with the organs of a different creature, the angels used the same method, except they did it all at once.


    I had just discovered the method to become a demon.

 Chapter 22: Coming Out

    _________________


    Name: Haell Zharignan


    Species: Human


    ¡ªMutations¡ª


    Human Heart: Level 7


    Human Brain: Level 10 (Max)


    Human Skin: Level 6


    Human Eyes: Level 5


    Human Flesh / Human Bones / Enduring Musculature(synced) : (All) Level 5


    Dextrous Hands: Level 5


    Flutter Feet: Level 6


    Adrenaline Gland: Level 4


    ¡ªSoul Feats¡ª


    Reincarnator


    _________________


    [Human Brain has reached its current maximum level. It will not gain any further levels until it has evolved. Do you wish to evolve this Mutation? Y/N]


    I achieved my first level 10 Mutation just in time for my tenth birthday. I was well ahead of the curve, but certainly no unheard-of prodigy. It was still an amazing feat, and my lack of supreme talent only made me more proud. I¡¯d tear down all geniuses with sheer perseverance and effort.


    No.


    I declined to evolve my brain for now. I had a plan, and it involved having all of my Mutations at the precipice, and then evolving them all at once with a suitable enhancement. The enhancement would be a matching material; an eye for eye, a leg for a leg, and so on for all of my available Mutations.


    Now, would this actually work?


    I had absolutely no fucking idea.


    I was basing it off of one illustration on the Angelic Scriptures, a book that was definitely full of bullshit. But, I was desperate, and this was my one lead. I was gambling on my guess of the method used to create the ishkawtans and the fountans being correct.


    It was dangerous, it could kill me, but I was willing to bet it all for a chance. A chance to actually achieve all of my dreams.


    I¡¯ve already died once. What is one more?


    For now, however, it was a day for celebrations. We were gathered at the rooftop of a high-end restaurant in the upper district. Me, all my four friends, my grandfather, my loving parents, and the rest of the Puh-P-P-P-Piss Hunters. It was a more private affair, just as I wanted.


    Human servers and waitresses set the table, and we sat around the large circular construction of rare and ancient wood. There was a turntable at the center filled with cakes, meat, and every other kind of meat. Underneath them were various enchantments that emitted different kinds of temperatures and humidity, keeping all the food at their individual perfect conditions.


    I blew on the cake candles and wished everyone a happy birthday. Laughs and gifts followed, and I finally received Moonwash¡¯s fully enchanted gift. It was a beautiful training sword with a sliding switch.


    That was how switches typically worked for enchantments, the main repository was just directly disconnected from the circuit in order to turn the item on or off. The lights and air conditioning at our home worked the same way.


    I gave it a few swings, and ended up damaging a few very expensive windows because of the wind shockwave it produced. My parents assured me it was fine, and I felt very happy for the gift I received.


    I thanked Moonwash and treasured the sword forever.


    ~~~


    I dressed myself in my full regalia. From a flowing black and red dress that I treated myself to for my birthday last week, to makeup that seemed to submerge parts of my face in the deepest of shadows. Necklaces writ in Morsian hung from my neck, the both of them conveying ¡®Victory¡¯ and ¡®Freedom¡¯ respectively. I completed the look with a headband that Angerly gave me as a present yesterday. A pair of horns that stood tall and proud atop my head.


    Perfect.


    I grinned, staring at my own reflection. I looked dangerous, I felt powerful, like I could take on anything in the world. I felt just that bit more confident than a moment ago, if only a little.


    I should thank Angerly for how perfect her gift was. I allowed my mind to wander, staring at the pink walls of my room. Angerly couldn¡¯t have ever known how much her present meant to me, because the empire had no concept of demons at all. No myths, nor legends, not even rumors. I didn¡¯t think the native cultures had any idea what a demon was either.


    This was very strange, considering that we were ruled by literal angels. But of course, whatever inexplicable parallels our current reality might have to the fiction and folklore of Earth, there was no reason at all for an entire species to work like how the humans had envisioned them back in my homeworld.


    In Angelism, the common belief was that people would return to the Angelic God¡¯s side once they died, should they be found worthy. Heaven. Otherwise, they would be cast off into the void, uncaring, unfeeling, unexisting, for all eternity. Hell.


    This was why the people of this place were so adamant in either killing or reforming the heretics and ¡®rebels¡¯. From their perspective, we were only making things worse for ourselves, for the eternity that would follow our short mortal lives. And if we were too far gone to be cast off into hell anyway, then we might as well die now instead of causing any more disorder before we go.


    Having reaffirmed who the enemy was, I gave myself one last glare, before turning away from the mirror with a grin plastered on my face.


    One foot in front of the other, I made my way through the spacious hallways and towards the dining area. The door creaked open, and I saw my parents and grandparent, waiting for me with welcoming smiles.


    I almost retreated and ran away right then, but my pride would not allow me to do so. This was the most nerve-wracking thing I¡¯d ever experienced and I had died once before.  But I was stronger than my fears and my worries, so I did not shrink away from the family meeting that I had called.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I greeted them cheerfully, forcing a smile on myself.


    ¡°Hey Haell! So excited to see what you¡¯ve in store for us today!¡± Mom smiled back.


    ¡°We¡¯re here for you no matter what.¡± Dad nodded.


    ¡°This better be good!¡± Grandpa upped the pressure by a lot. I chuckled at his antics. I was made even more nervous despite knowing that he was joking, although the jovial tone was also reassuring in its own way.


    The chair creaked along the ground as I took my seat. I opened my mouth to speak, but found that I did not hold the proper words. I took a few minutes to churn over my thoughts, and my family patiently allowed me to do so.


    ¡°Loss for words? Why, I was lost for words once when I first killed a monster in¨C¡±


    ¡°Dad,¡± my own dad spoke. ¡°Please. Not the time.¡±


    He laughed. ¡°Yeah. I know. Just fucking with you.¡±


    ¡°Golex!¡± It was my mom who shouted.


    ¡°Oh, sorry Mahka. Just friggin with you.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I think that¡¯s worse¡­¡±


    ¡°I want to become a demon!¡± I shouted over them. When in doubt, just jump right in!


    ¡°I like it! Follow your dreams!¡± my grandfather instantly responded. At least Grandpa¡¯s on my side!


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Mom thought it over for a few seconds, settling back into her seat. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a demon before¡­¡±


    Dad took a minute, before he decided on what to add. ¡°Can you tell us more about it Haell? So we can better help you.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± I pondered where best to start. ¡°Demons were mythical creatures from my home. Earth. You know how I¡¯m a reincarnator. These demons didn¡¯t really exist¡­ but they were very cool, so now I want to become one by changing my species!¡±


    Mom and Dad shared a look. Grandpa spoke first. ¡°Interesting. I¡¯ve heard about these demons¡­ from the only other reincarnator I knew. One from the same world as you, even! What are the odds! But curiously¡­ she described demons as real and actual beings that tempt and lead humans astray. Why are you talking about them like they¡¯re fictional?¡±


    I knew he was talking about the Empress Shanayah. He was in her party hundreds of years ago. Grandpa didn¡¯t really want to talk about it, but he¡¯s famous, word was bound to reach my ears eventually.


    I shrugged. ¡°I mean, they¡¯re superstitions. People say that demons are around, but like¡­ where? It¡¯s all just beliefs upon beliefs, and while I thought they were pretty cool, and I even changed my body to match, and I certainly considered myself to be a demon by then¡­ the mythical idea of a demon from hell with magic bullshit just¡­ didn¡¯t exist?¡±


    ¡°Oh, now ¡®hell¡¯ I know!¡± Mom exclaimed. ¡°But isn¡¯t that the void you are tossed in if you don¡¯t follow the angels or whatever? There are people in there!?¡±


    I laughed. ¡°No. My world¡¯s hell is a little bit different¡­¡±


    I went on to explain more about Earth¡¯s demons, their usage in cultural and religious texts, as well as how they were depicted in contemporary works. From evil wicked entities, to cruel violent monsters, to sophisticated schemers, to humans just in a different color scheme.


    ¡°Okay¡­ I have a lot of questions,¡± Dad started, being deliberately gentle in his wording, ¡°but first and most importantly, Haell. Why do you want to be a demon? A lot of how they are depicted seems¡­ well, kind of bad? And evil?


    I felt a lump in my throat at the perceived rejection, but I knew it was a very reasonable thing to ask. I¡¯d long agonized about how I would even broach this subject, and I had a comprehensive response ready.


    ¡°That¡­ is how most people view it, yes. It has¡­ a lot of negative connotations. But for me it¡¯s always been a symbol of freedom. To rebel against all odds, even against the divine. It is a form that represents power. It is a form that has been attributed to me since I was a child, called a demon for the things I liked and how I behaved. I felt such great shame for it for the longest time, until I realized that I am indeed the demon they feared and hated, and I like it that way. I didn¡¯t want to go to their churches, I didn¡¯t want the life of a slavering wife that¡¯s stuck at home caring for a bunch of goblins, I don¡¯t like them. The people in my circles. The people I was obligated to be around, instead of me choosing to be with them. They were boring. Our interests never aligned, I was never interested in which bone they sprained this time, or where their fucking child puked. I didn¡¯t like the silent pressure to give them my money for no fucking reason, or to attend stupid events where I¡¯ll only feel miserable. I didn¡¯t want to jeopardize my friendships because they were stoners or gay or whatever else my folk were fucking afraid of. Which I am both of those things by the way, Mom, Dad. Or well, at least one of them. I¡¯m definitely not stealing drugs from Baston or anything behind your back¡­ That was weirdly specific, but I swear I¡¯m not! I¡¯ve just thought about it, is all¡­¡±


    I paused to process my own words. I lost track of my own ramblings at some point.


    ¡°I''m sorry Haell,¡± Mom started. ¡°That your parents weren''t weren''t half as good as us!¡±


    "Not even a fourth!¡± I happily provided.


    ¡°An eighth!¡± she countered.


    ¡°Tenth!¡±


    ¡°Not even my pinkie toes!¡±


    ¡°No, no. Not at all.¡± I laughed, thankful for the reprieve.


    ¡°It goes without saying as well, Haell,¡± Dad added. ¡°But it¡¯s fine that you¡¯re gay. And the drugs¡­ Well, we can¡¯t stop you when you¡¯re older. But be safe, keep in mind who you do it with¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Dad. I know all that stuff. I¡¯ve lived it once. Also, I¡¯m bi is what I meant to say. Not gay.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, that¡¯s fine too.¡± He smiled, but he was still clearly very worried about the next part. ¡°So, about becoming a demon¡­¡±


    I remembered what I¡¯d forgotten to add earlier, so I hurried to shout it out. ¡°Demons are also just really cool! I want to look like one. It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s freeing! Euphoric! And then I want to be as powerful as that appearance would suggest and more!¡±


    I slammed my hand down onto the table, producing a piece of parchment that depicted my idea of a demon. Humanoid, with blood-red skin, goat-like eyes, hooves instead of feet, very muscular, long curving horns, wings, and even a thick and strong tail! Not the ones like those of a succubus, which was fine and all, but it always felt like that of a lower tier demon to me. I wanted to be the big and strong and dangerous ones!


    Mom, Dad, and Grandpa leaned over to look at the drawing I¡¯d produced. I didn¡¯t do it myself of course, it was Moonwash who made it in a way that was even better than whatever it was I had in mind.


    ¡°Well, I like how it looks!¡± Mom said.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what will make you happy,¡± Dad agreed. ¡°It¡¯d be hard to get a good biomancer to begin with, but¡­ Well, actually, it¡¯s your dream right? You want to work for it? You¡¯re gearing up to become an adventurer, yes?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. I want to change my species. Not just cosmetics. I¡¯ve already done that before!¡±


    All three sets of eyes turned towards me so fast, Grandpa¡¯s gaze most intense of all.


    ¡°Ah! But I do intend on becoming an adventurer!¡± I quickly amended, giving my grandpa a thumbs up. ¡°A real one, very adventurous, not a glorified traveling preacher!¡±


    Grandpa laughed, though the glint in his eyes remained. ¡°That¡¯s good! But what¡¯s this about changing your species.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, as mentioned, I want to become a demon through and through with all the power that entails. Humans are¡­ Well, you guys are cool. It''s as good a species as any other. But I want to be a demon instead.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but biomancy doesn¡¯t work that way, Haell,¡± Mom explained. ¡°It won¡¯t change your species, or your Mutations. It might even lead to them not working properly anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah. I figured. I¡¯ve asked around, learned some stuff.¡± Mom and Dad had lots of books, and I certainly wasn¡¯t just training my combat prowess. I got some good at-home education too. Plus whatever I pick up from the rest of the Piss Hunters. ¡°I have a theory though¡­¡±


    Mom¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°A theory! My baby¡¯s got theory! Come on, hit me with it!¡±


    She had leaned over the table, eyes boring into my own. I chuckled. ¡°Okay, mom. Uh, do you have an Angelic Scripture here?¡±


    Dad raised his brow. ¡°Changed your mind, Haell? You want to do Angelism? We¡¯ll still love you either way, of course. But I got the opposite impression with your whole presentation here.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. But in a fun and loving way. ¡°Species change has been done before. The angels have done it. No matter my feelings on the matter, there¡¯s no reason to not reference their work.¡± Granted, I didn¡¯t really look at the scriptures for the longest time, because I thought it just sucked ass and I didn¡¯t really want anything to do with it. At all. Ever.


    That was a tad narrow-minded, and I ended up closing off some pertinent information for no reason.


    Grandpa grunted as Mom left to fetch the book. He¡¯d seemed pensive ever since I mentioned changing my species. Well, he does love humanity¡­ And I do think that¡¯s fine. Just¡­ I want something else for myself.


    Mom returned, and gave me the Angelic Scripture. I searched for the proper page, which took a few minutes, more¡­ goddamn this book is thick.  Eventually, finally, I found the picture I was looking for.


    ¡°See here? The gifts the angels are giving to the first ishkawtans and fountans? Well, they look remarkably like eyes or ears and shit, right? I¡¯m thinking that¡­ they¡¯re using the same system for altering Mutations, but instead doing it all at once to trigger a change in species.¡±


    ¡°Haell!¡± Mom shouted. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Okay, that¡¯s brilliant and maybe it does work that way.¡± She muttered to herself for a few moments, lost in thought, until she finally remembered that she was supposed to be screaming. ¡°But that¡¯s fucking dangerous!¡±


    ¡°Language Mom!¡± I joked.


    She clamped a hand over her mouth.


    ¡°I was joking¡­¡± I¡¯d also cursed so much during this entire conversation already. Mom¡¯s just letting it go because of how clearly important it all is to me.


    She chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m the one who keeps saying that. So that was completely fair. That being said, I really cannot stress enough how interesting¨CI mean dangerous this all is. The process you¡¯re talking about, Mutation Squared, has a laughably low success rate, and it typically results in the Mutation becoming unusable somehow. Now compound that with doing all the Mutations at once, including that of vital organs¡­¡±


    ¡°I know all that, Mom.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Right, so¡­ You want to do it though?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m confident.¡±


    She blinked. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯m confident?¡±


    ¡°No, no. I get that. But, I mean¡­ why? Like, is there something about you that makes it viable, do you think?¡±


    ¡°Maybe? I feel like I can do it. I feel like it¡¯s the only way forward. This has always been my dream and my soul yearns for it!¡±


    ¡°Dreams are important, and I fully support you in your dreams. But this seems wildly dangerous¡­¡±


    ¡°...I want to try though. It¡¯s all I¡¯ve ever wanted! Or well, it¡¯s what I wanted the most! And I know it¡¯s dangerous, but that¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you to help me. I definitely don¡¯t wanna die or be crippled for the rest of my life, but I already got a second shot at it! At life! I wanna achieve it all this time! I want to try!¡±


    Tears were spilling out of my eyes by the end of that rant, and I hurried to wipe them away. Mom grabbed me before I could and pulled me into an embrace.


    ¡°Oh, Haell¡­ I know. I know that you were someone else before. Perhaps we all were, but none of us remember. You do, though. You¡¯re my brilliant child. So, if this is truly your dream, then of course you can pursue it, and of course we¡¯ll help you. Just, please don¡¯t leave us? Please.¡±


    Dad had crouched over to us at some point, joining the embrace.


    I hugged the both of them tight, crying my eyes out as I made the promise.


    ¡°I won¡¯t die. I¡¯ll successfully become a demon!¡±

 Chapter 23: All The Preparations.

    Tears streamed from my eyes as I read about the romance of Romera and Julian. Many of the books here glorified angels and all the bullshit that entailed, and this wasn''t an exception, but I couldn''t deny that it was very well-made. I could enjoy things, even if I found the message to my own views, and the books published in the empire were no exception. Love and sacrifice was a universal theme, and having made the ultimate sacrifice once myself, I had gained a whole new perspective on it. Few people could experience that sort of growth.


    I closed the book and blew my nose. The sound nearly echoed in the very silent building we were in. Paintings and sculptures of the biblical angels loomed over me from the ceiling, as if judging, but thankfully I cared not for their opinion. I was currently at the big library in the nicer part of town with my friends. My parents had passes to come here of course, and they were able to share it with me.


    ¡°I want a forge,¡± Moonwash spoke. Her voice was even, but the noise was enough to startle us in the quiet halls of the library.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked dumbly, which was a rarity because I knew I always sounded so intelligent.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have one!¡± Angerly sniffed, still crying from her own children¡¯s book. We didn¡¯t have a printing press or anything, but the arts were taken seriously, especially in more influential circles, so the local library of most towns had a lot of things.


    I was reminded once more that despite her towering over us, Angerly was the same age as me.


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s too bad,¡± Moonwash said, giving no indication of how her statement was not really addressed to Angerly.


    She likely meant to talk to me, or even Granuel, so we could ask our parents for her. Luine and Salaire were of course also ludicrously wealthy, but they also had a lot more expenses than anyone, given that they had a lot more mouths to feed, and they were trying not to show too much favoritism.


    ¡°If only I could do a business¡­!¡± Granuel lamented, looking away from the book he was reading. It was about mercantile and economy stuff, and I was glad he hadn¡¯t given up on his dreams. If he¡¯d allow it, then I was fine with just putting my name on shit, and he could run everything. Then again, I wasn¡¯t going to be a human forever, and who knew how the empire would treat demons¡­


    ¡°You can,¡± Therick told him, putting down his book about different schools of swordplay. ¡°I can put my name on it, but effectively it¡¯s yours.¡±


    Seemed like he had the same idea as me. That was good.


    ¡°But then it wouldn¡¯t really be my own!¡±


    ¡°I get that¡­ but it¡¯s the same arrangement between Haell and your parents, right?¡±


    ¡°I know that!¡±


    ¡°Right, so¡­ it¡¯s not ideal, but maybe it¡¯s not the worst? If it works, right?¡±


    ¡°It is the worst though! Why can¡¯t I start my own business!? Why can you!? It¡¯s not fair¡­¡±


    Therick sighed. ¡°Yeah¡­ You¡¯re right¡­ Sorry. I was just trying to help.¡±


    ¡°AH! No. That¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡±


    ¡°SSSSHHHHH!!!¡± A librarian suddenly hissed at us in passing. She was a giant human woman, wearing a rome-ish office librarian attire.


    We quieted down after that, and she left.


    I spoke in a whisper, ¡°Moonwash. You meant to ask me earlier if I could ask my parents for a forge, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I also wanted to see if anyone else had any ideas.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, I just have an even better idea. I think at best I could get my parents to ask someone that could then give you access to their forge¡­ or there is another option, which I think could allow me to get you a full forge and any other facilities you need.¡±


    Her head snapped towards me, eyes watching my own like an owl. I instinctively gulped. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°A pact.¡± I collected myself and faced her properly. ¡°Between us. I think you¡¯re very talented, and I¡¯ll come up with ways for you to explore most things. Now, just limited to favors from my parents. But in the future, I¡¯ll be strong enough to shatter the very heavens.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± She paused for a moment, eyes still boring into me. I knew that she was just thinking, but it was still a tad intimidating. Wait. Why am I being intimidated by a literal child? That¡¯s embarrassing.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Moonwash finally said, extending a hand out for me to shake. I grabbed it hard, and completed the gesture.


    Thus a new pact was born and made.


    ~~~


    I told my parents about the pact I made, and though a bit skeptical, they agreed to have a forge made. Moonwash¡¯s request actually came at the perfect time because I was just about ready to graduate from my training gear. I needed some real steel or better, and Moonwash was more than willing to make me the things I needed.


    Not that my parents couldn¡¯t just procure them for me. There were plenty of shops, and even craftsmen that would be willing to make something custom. But I really liked the idea of having my own smith and maker friend that could outfit me for my adventures. It¡¯s a classic. And I wanted it enough to potentially delay my descent into demonhood.


    I also considered it to be a very important preparation for the future. I couldn¡¯t just do everything myself, I needed true friends I could trust; a party even, at least for a while.


    I and all my friends built not just a forge, but essentially a homebase for the five of us. None of us knew what we were doing, of course, except for Moonwash who had actually read pretty much all of the publically available books that were related to the topic. She also had access to the big library from Luine and Salaire. Something they did regularly allow the kids to use.


    We tried to do it by ourselves, hauling wood and relying on earth magic to build much of the structure. Granuel was great at it, and only Therick was completely incapable of using the element among our group. Basements were dug using the magic, supports were placed, pillars were raised, and then I and Therick climbed up to put up the wooden beams and roof above. Getting a foundry built was harder because we might have forgotten that in the initial plans, so we had to smash a hole through the ceiling in order to make a proper chimney. Granuel volunteered to shoot big rocks at it until a wide enough hole was made, and none of us had any complaints about it being a bad idea. The boy at this point could lift rocks halfway to becoming a boulder, but he couldn¡¯t actually toss them that far. There was only so much distance the mana could carry a rock until it dropped on its own, and thus the ceiling wasn¡¯t actually reachable. All we did was ruin the floor we made, but strangely no one was upset. We laughed at the little ineffective detour, and then I and Therick just smashed holes into the roof with hammers.


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    Maybe we should¡¯ve used saws. But we were children! So it¡¯s forgivable.


    Mom, Dad, and the rest of the Piss Hunters helped towards the end of the project just so it didn¡¯t look too amateurish, though none of them were really builders either. They did have some experience due to making Mom¡¯s illegally large basement, and other probably equally illegal things.


    The rooftops were nailed tighter to be sure they didn¡¯t pull on our heads. The foundation and the walls were packed harder by earth magic and added onto where necessary, preventing a collapse. I noticed that they made the place a lot more defensible too, but I didn¡¯t comment on it. The forge was widened, the crude hole we made for the ceiling patched up, and the chimney was straightened a bit more to ensure it could do its job the best it could.


    The building was finally finished after a couple months of work, and it was¡­ functional, if a bit lopsided. Some of the bricks used were uneven, with several parts sticking out. Walls curved and looked subtly different based on who had worked on it the most, creating weirdly shaped rooms. There were way too many beams holding up the ceiling, and not in an ordered way.


    A client might be unhappy with the result, but I certainly was not. None of us were, even Moonwash approved of the imperfections.


    It was a home for all five of us.


    ~~~


    I stared at the somewhat dull and crinkled steel sword in front of me. The greatsword was surely ineffective, but it had the proper weight and general shape to it, therefore more than enough for my purposes. It had taken a few weeks for Moonwash to get this far, for it was a new kind of creation that she was making. The girl might seem like a genius, and she definitely was, but she couldn¡¯t actually just create masterpieces on the first try. A lot of the things I¡¯d seen her do were things she had built upon mountains of study and iterations, a lot of them resulting in ¡®failed products.¡¯


    It was the first time I¡¯d seen her learning process in full, and it was¡­ very familiar, actually. She basically began to live in that house we built, forging for hours on end, taking up the majority of the day, and even forgetting to eat and drink. Moonwash heated the ingots, hammered them in the anvil, and then quenched them with the proper oil. She did that over and over again refining her technique and accounting for flaws in the methodology with every try. It reminded me of myself, swinging my sword countless times, just to perfect a single stroke, of a single stance.


    I felt just a little bit more kinship with the girl.


    After a few moments more spent admiring the fruits of Moonwash¡¯s labor, I raised the sword high, and then swung it down. The blade whistled through the air with a weight unlike that of common wood. It was a departure from what had become familiar, and I found my slash slightly off mark.


    I noted the difference, before repeating the same motion again, only shifting the amount of force I gave ever so slightly. It still wasn¡¯t perfect, the new weight wasn¡¯t etched into my instincts yet, and thus I repeated the same action again and again. I did this for every stance and every maneuver, letting the hours turn to days, and the days into weeks. I didn¡¯t just relearn what I already knew, but I came up with new moves to compensate for and even take advantage of the added weight.


    Moonwash also began to learn some amateur leatherworking. Luine hired someone to hold lessons in the orphanage, but it was clearly meant for my friend, although a lot of the other kids would also benefit.


    Moonwash finished my armor after a month or so more, a plated leather set that left the inner part of my arms, and the back of my legs exposed to take better advantage of a human¡¯s build. The back of my torso was also open in parts, to allow in air, and expose the rejuvenating sweat that I shed.


    The armor was another thing I had to learn how to use, and it was far less simple than the adjustments I had to make for the sword. It was an entirely new piece of gear that I had no experience with, and Dad and the rest of the Piss Hunters had to teach me how to properly use it. From how to deflect blows, to how to best compensate for the weight and even use it to my advantage.


    My armor clearly had more gaps than what I imagined, intrinsically making maneuverability better than it would otherwise be, but the leather and the plates still restricted my movements compared to only wearing thin fabrics. That was another thing I had to train with, how to best move with those added restrictions, and familiarizing myself with the added rigidity to my movements.


    Time passed once more. Enough sweat poured out of me to fill a bucket many times over, which was disgusting to think about, but the hard work also made me proud. The effort was fiendishly difficult and grueling, but I met it with the enthusiasm of a proper demon. My friends cheered me on, spurred forward to make larger strides in their combat skills as well. Angerly swung her mace with force far greater than what I could accomplish due to her Mutations being further evolved than mine from birth. She destroyed our wooden dummies over and over until Moonwash decided to make some out of steel, but those too still had to be repaired every so often. Angerly actually got a steel weapon from Moonwash before I did because hers was far simpler to make. The ogre girl also managed to go out hunting with Luine before I could, and Mom and Dad did not listen to my pleas to let me do it too.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Haell! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get there!¡± Angerly encouraged.


    I just stuck my tongue out at her and dashed around in my armor under the harsh glare of the summer sun.


    Both Moonwash and Granuel learned how to use a shield, because they were both spellcasters and needed a way to at least keep themselves safe from the back. Moonwash was not very passionate about fighting, but she recognized the importance and the extra leveling speed it could potentially give was very tempting for the girl.


    ¡°I want to gain more levels. Take me with you when you hunt.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Glad to have you!¡±


    Granuel on the other hand did enjoy casting spells and flinging rocks, but it wasn¡¯t really what he had in mind for the future.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get so strong they¡¯ll have to let me make business!!!¡±


    I chuckled. That was both how it worked, and how it didn¡¯t. But if he meant to also tear it all down, then I had an ally in my little friend.


    ¡°Sure! Power is great. There is freedom in strength. Remember that, Granuel.¡±


    That was the truth of both this world and my previous one. True freedom came only from either extreme power, or extreme luck. Extreme power should be obvious, it would allow one the freedom to act as they pleased. Extreme luck on the other hand meant that someone managed to act with freedom, because they were lucky enough to not be trampled by the powers of the world.


    Only one of those methods was reliable in any way.


    Therick joined me for training plenty of times, being taught by my father as well. He had gotten a steel sword, but hadn¡¯t tried out armor yet. We did much of the same things, and the boy was dedicated, but not nearly as much as me, taking more breaks and rest days despite the human body allowing for a fair bit more exertion than how much he pushed it.


    Then again, other than Moonwash, there wasn¡¯t really anyone that came close, within my friend group or without. We were actual literal children so that made total sense. Hell, even adults wouldn¡¯t apply themselves this hard, including myself from my past life.


    I guess I¡¯ve already been changed by this world without ever realizing it.


    Once I¡¯d gotten enough proficiency in using my heavier attire and weapon came the spars. One of the first things I learned was how to spar without debilitatingly injuring our opponent, but I didn''t fight any of my friends, because it could be very dangerous if we didn¡¯t know what we were doing. Instead, my spars were against the Piss Hunters and I predictably lost. No matter which Piss Hunter I challenged, I was always on the back foot.


    I swore that they just wanted to bully poor little old me. Hell, Salaire didn¡¯t even know her way around the sword at all, her body was more built for strength, not speed. But she still beat me handily everytime because her slow movements for a level 40 was like supersonic to me!


    I swore vengeance and threw myself at them with the fury of a thousand angry chipmunks. I kept on coming at them and losing, over and over, no matter how much I was left to taste the dirt afterward. It was all so I could be the one making them taste dirt in the future.


    I love you of course, Mom, Dad, and everyone else too. But I will have my revenge! Dirt to mouth. DIRT TO MOUTH. DIRT. TO. ALL. THE. MOUTHS!


    RAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!


    My battlecry was cute and squeaky.


    [Human Flesh, Human Bones, and Enduring Musculature have reached Level 6!}

 Chapter 24: At The Gates and Beyond.

    I arrived at the southern exit of town, flanked by my parents on both sides. I was wearing my full regalia, the metal parts now coated with an outer layer of fantastreel.


    Fantastreel was a high-quality metal, typically only used by those at level 20 or above, which was already a high milestone to achieve for the common people. At least, for those that started at level 0. The metal was tougher, denser, and heavier than steel. A full suit of it would interfere with my movements too much, and Moonwash was only able to work with it because some of her Mutations had actually evolved well past Level 10 already. She was older than me, and her rate of leveling was also undeniably faster.


    Another interesting thing about her prowess was that her levels could be very lopsided. There was this generally accepted theory called Level Equalescence. It''s a bunch of complicated stuff, but the gist of it is that Mutations equalize in level because higher-level Mutations somehow pull the lower-level ones up. The existence of the crustecars seemed to prove this as their shells actually started at a level 10, and they experienced faster leveling speeds in general for those earlier levels, but they plateaued like so many people when their mutations finally balanced out. It also made their young especially vulnerable and slow, because their shells were just a little bit too heavy for them to lift properly.


    It was strange how their carapace alone was at level 10 to start. Wasn¡¯t that basically their bones, which should be synced together with their muscles and flesh?


    But it wasn¡¯t. That bones, muscle, and flesh were to be synced was never a hard rule of the Status System. Rather, there were no absolutes at all when it came to this world, only suggestions.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I enthusiastically declared, and my mom and dad giggled at the way I took the lead.


    We climbed up the stone ramp and towards the large metal gate beyond. The guards nodded to my parents as we walked past them and onto the sturdy wooden bridge beyond. The construction ran across the tree wall, splitting it in half and protecting those who cross from the dangers therein. But I knew that was only a facade, as the guards had access to a switch that could collapse the bridge at any moment, dropping the people crossing down to the most dangerous of plants yet waiting right below the bridge.


    That didn¡¯t stop anyone from crossing the bridge, and neither did I hesitate. I walked the solid planks with a spring in my steps, waving to the belfegors and the other people on the tree wall, who enthusiastically returned the greeting.


    ¡°Hi there!¡±


    ¡°Good luck out there little soldier!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a child! It¡¯s too dangerous out there!¡±


    I smiled. I loved how they were some of the happiest people here, when they were the ones actually living most dangerously. The other people around us however murmured, and I could tell the opinions they held were mostly negative, be they humans, ogres, ishkawtans, or otherwise.


    ¡°What are they trying to do to that child?¡±


    ¡°Mom, look look! Tree people!¡±


    ¡°Ssshhhh! Be quiet or they might eat you!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I heard about that! Why are they even allowed to be here!?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ They sound cheerful and nice.¡±


    ¡°Idiot! They¡¯re away from proper civilization, away from proper laws, and the churches they have access to are led by mere deacons! They have no proper shepherd priests.¡±


    I found the stupid rumors to be stupid, so I just rushed ahead for the gate on the other side, navigating around a wagon, and then quickly hopped down the ramp that led away from the bridge. I did not let whatever was said earlier dampen my enthusiasm.


    ¡°Freedom!¡± I shouted, not caring for the looks people gave me as came and went through Latarus, taking the unpaved road that led through the untamed wilderness beyond.


    I scurried off to the side and ran around the wide clearing that surrounded the whole of town, doing some stretches and feeling the clang of my armor as I moved my body. I tried for a cartwheel, flipping and jumping through the ground, laughing the whole way. I loved the open space that this provided, but what I wanted more was murder.


    I grinned and sprinted off into the distance, away from civilization and into the dangerous woods.


    ¡­


    I made no progress. My legs were certainly trying, and my feet were exerting themselves to move forward, but I found all of my momentum stopped. I slowly turned my head around and waved at my father.


    ¡°Hi Dad!¡±


    He sighed, though couldn¡¯t hide the small smirk.


    ¡°And where are you going young lady?¡±


    ¡°Over there!¡± I pointed at the treeline opposite the tree wall. The forest was generally shorter than what we had made of our defenses, but while the tree wall was definitely far more dangerous in sheer murdering power, the untamed lands beyond felt far more ominous because its violence could very well be aimed right at us.


    Exciting!


    ¡°Haell, don¡¯t just run off!¡± Mom scolded from beside us, both stern and amused.


    I finally stopped struggling against Dad¡¯s grip.


    ¡°Ah, right. Of course. I knew that.¡± I gestured them forward. ¡°Lead the way, Mom, Dad!¡±


    They chuckled and Dad took the vanguard while Mom brought up the rear, myself sandwiched in between them.


    I couldn¡¯t help but gawk every which way as we made our way into the forest, listening for every sound. The comforting rays of the sun dimmed, blocked out by the canopy. I heard birds singing, monsters roaring, and animals scurrying around the bush.


    That bush in particular. I screamed out a warcry and drew my greatsword, slashing into the thick brush with my heavy weapon.


    It suddenly caught on fire, and I felt the heat lick at my arms, burning me. A shape darted out, a horned rabbit with a ruby-colored horn. I gritted through the pain in my arms, remembering the way I died, and drew a wand from my belt. I molded and strung the mana like yarn, and then shot it at where I last saw the bunny disappear to. A fireball roared to life, and set another bush on fire, also lightly burning a tree.


    ¡°Haell!¡± Mom shouted, swiftly grabbing my arm and making me wince from the pain. She shone a light upon my wound, and the burns rapidly began to mend. ¡°There, there. You¡¯re alright. You¡¯re fine.¡±


    ¡°Mmm,¡± I grunted, almost feeling like crying.


    Mom stepped back after I was fully healed. Dad stood with her, and the both of them looked at me worriedly.


    ¡°Haell,¡± Mom crossed her arms, not nearly as amused as earlier. ¡°What happened?¡±


    I looked into the brush and pointed. ¡°Uh. It escaped?¡±


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    My mother sighed. ¡°We¡¯re not worried about the hunt, okay? We¡¯re worried about you. Why did you just¡­ run off?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, I found some prey that was scurrying through here.¡±


    ¡°Did you know what it was?¡±


    ¡°Well, no¡­ But it was small! And it really was just a horned rabbit. They¡¯re weak.¡±


    She held my arm and ran a hand through the newly healed skin.


    ¡°Not weak enough.¡± Mom shook her head. ¡°Please listen to our instructions and don¡¯t dash off by yourself, okay? I don¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡±


    I sniffed at the care they showed and blushed. ¡°Okay Mom¡­ I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    Her heart melted and she pulled me into a hug, our armor pieces clanging together.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she smiled. The cheer had returned to her face. ¡°I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re okay!¡±


    ¡°All the things your mom said,¡± Dad ruffled my hair and retook his position at the front. ¡°What we¡¯re doing is dangerous. Hunting, killing¡­ adventure. So keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°Yep! All in my head now!¡± I walked behind him with a new respect for the dangers of this place.


    ~~~


    Ten or so minutes later, we finally encountered another monster. This time, it was the one charging at us, a fat turtle-esque lizard monster the size of a bear. It was called an armozard.


    I immediately drew my sword, eager for a fight. Mom held my shoulder before I could run off.


    I never got the chance to do proper battle as Dad¡¯s sword crashed into its head. The animal buckled, it nearly bounced from the force. The shell-like scales cracked, and large chunks of grotesque flesh and brain matter leaked out. The next slash came before I could even fully register the first, and that pulverized the monster¡¯s head and part of its torso.


    ¡°Hey, what gives!¡± I complained, the wind taken out of my steals. ¡°Why you kill steal Dad!? Not cool!¡±


    He looked back at me with a very mild chuckle. ¡°Kill steal? What?¡±


    ¡°I was going to kill it, and then you stole my glorious combat?¡±


    He looked at me, and then at the corpse of the monster that died. ¡°That would have been reckless, Haell. Don¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Mom nearly shouted into my ear from behind. ¡°You were about to rush off again! What did we just talk about? I always thought the priests were just being stupid again when they talked about the dreaded rebellious phase!¡±


    ¡°Eh, didn¡¯t you also have that phase, Mom?¡±


    ¡°I wish! But I didn¡¯t rebel until the end, and then I left for good. Also, we¡¯re talking about you right now, Haell!¡±


    ¡°The monster was coming at us, I didn¡¯t pick the fight!¡± I complained and pointed at the dead animal. The difference between a monster and an animal was murky, and almost purely cultural.


    ¡°You still should¡¯ve waited for our go-ahead. Which we would not have given. You would have gotten yourself seriously injured or even killed.¡±


    ¡°Aww, come on, Mom! It¡¯s real combat. Of course there¡¯s always a risk, but I gotta take a chance at some point.¡±


    She stared at me for a moment, before tearing up and then hugging me close. ¡°No Haell! Don¡¯t die!¡±


    Dad also hugged us from behind. ¡°That¡¯s right, Haell. Please don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Wha¨C Mom, no! I¡¯m not planning on dying! I don¡¯t want to die!¡±


    ¡°But you just said you¡¯ll take all the risks!¡±


    ¡°Ahhh! Objection! I didn¡¯t say all!¡±


    ¡°Okay, some¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­ well, okay, yes.¡±


    ¡°See!?¡± She started bawling again.


    I looked to my dad for help. He was keeping an eye on our surroundings while giggling softly to himself.


    He shook his head and wrapped his arms around us as well. ¡°I get that you will have to take risks, but you did not think about it at all. That was not an opponent you could beat.¡±


    We finally broke the hug and sat on some nearby boulders. The once proud rocks were how reduced to being our chairs!


    ¡°How do you know that, Dad? I could¡¯ve won!¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°No. You couldn¡¯t have.¡±


    ¡°Yep. No such way!¡± Mom wiped the tears away, and was back to being cheerful.


    ¡°Ehh¡­ I¡¯m being bullied.¡±


    ¡°No, no. We¡¯re not bullying you! That monster was over level 20!¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± I shouted, pausing for a moment. ¡°Okay¡­ Maybe you¡¯re right¡­¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have known,¡± Mom shook her head. ¡°But that¡¯s precisely why you should listen to our instructions and not just run towards whatever dangerous thing you see next.¡±


    ¡°Oh look a dragon,¡± I replied, looking up at the sky. I promptly began to jump up and down, trying to fly toward it.


    ¡°Haell, don¡¯t joke about that!¡± Mom chided angrily, having actually looked up in search of the mythical creature that could potentially end whole nations. ¡°We don¡¯t know what we might encounter out here, and I can¡¯t be second-guessing if your alerts are serious or not!¡±


    Her voice was serious and enraged in a way that rarely ever happened, not even with my earlier mistakes. She was always so loving and understanding, and I realized that I really did go way too fucking far with my joke. My actions had been the very height of Mount Stupidity ever since this adventure started. Why did I even do that!? Am I truly fucking stupid!??


    My mind protested at the accusation, but my actions spoke differently. I had to change course and not wait for something truly bad to happen before I learned.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± I shouted and bowed deeply. ¡°I¡¯ve been a little shit. And I could¡¯ve gotten myself and everyone hurt. I¡¯ll do better from now on, and I won¡¯t do that again, I promise!


    ¡°Language, Haell!¡± Mom said. ¡°But, yes. I don¡¯t enjoy¡­ this, you know? Getting mad and scolding you. But¡­ well, that¡¯s a great promise. I¡¯ll be holding you to it!¡±


    We hugged again, we were doing that a lot today.


    I returned to the earlier topic after a while. ¡°How did you know that armozard was level 20 though? Is there an Identify Skill!?¡±


    ¡°An Identify Skill?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a concept from my world. Where someone could find the level of someone else.¡±


    ¡°...Huh? I thought your world was like¡­ no magic? Just¡­ well, magic is everywhere, so that¡¯s fuc-fudging weird! So how could there be such a thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Fiction. By a concept from my world, I meant in fiction.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Mom said, understanding. ¡°Okay, yeah. I get it.¡±


    She explained to me how she actually knew the monster¡¯s level.


    ¡°First off, you should know that armozards are born at level 10.¡± I did know that, from the education and access to monster encyclopedias I¡¯d received. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have picked a fight with one in the first place!¡±


    ¡°Eh, I think I can maybe take on a level 10.¡±


    She narrowed her eyes at me.


    ¡°I mean, I have great gear, and I¡¯m really good at fighting, I think, even against children with higher general levels! I could even take some over level 10!¡±


    ¡°Haell¡­¡± Mom sounded very concerned, and I deflated.


    ¡°Okay, okay. Never mind.¡±


    She patted me on the head. ¡°You are amazing, stronger than we ever were at your Levels, and I¡¯ve no doubt you actually stand a solid chance.¡± My face lit up, and my Mom huffed in annoyance when she noticed. ¡°But! It¡¯s an unnecessary risk. You haven¡¯t even fought for real against a monster yet!¡±


    ¡°...Yeah. That¡¯s a good point, Mom.¡± I looked at the forest around me. ¡°This has just been so exciting that I got carried away.¡±


    She finally actually explained how to tell someone¡¯s Levels.


    ¡°It¡¯s all instinct.¡±


    ¡°...So you''re not sure?¡±


    ¡°Haellllllll¡­! Come on¡­¡±


    I laughed. ¡°Sorry, Mom. Continue, continue.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± she pouted. ¡°It¡¯s called Level Sense, in that it gives you a general sense for someone¡¯s level. It¡¯s an instinctual reaction that can be found in many wild animals, either because they live in the constant dangers of the wilderness, or are just born with the ability somehow.¡±


    I looked her up and down. ¡°Mom. If you are a monster in disguise, I still love you all the same.¡±


    ¡°What? No, I¡¯m not. But¡­ thanks. Yeah. That¡¯s a good thing.¡± She convinced herself that it was true. ¡°Anyway! The actual way to get it is to well, hone your instincts. Be on the constant alert, use your senses to feel the world around you, and face genuine¡­ danger.¡±


    ¡°So I gotta live in the wilderness?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s definitely an effective training method! But just adventuring and fighting and killing monsters regularly should allow you to get it. The struggle of life and death hones your burgeoning Level Sense like a blade through a whetstone.¡±

 Chapter 25: Finally! Some Proper Wholesome Violence!

    I found myself in a clearing, facing a lone wolf. Not in the sense of people who liked to call themselves that, but an actual wolf that was alone. My parents deemed it to be an acceptable enough target, with Mutations apparently ranging around level 5.


    We circled each other, myself and my opponent. It was the animal that eventually made the first move, lunging towards me.


    I dodged, with only a slight delay to my reaction. The wolf missed and turned towards me, but my sword impacted against its head before it could make another attack. That move sufficiently stunned my opponent, opening it up for another follow-up slash.


    The wolf¡¯s face was gouged out again, and it staggered back. Its instincts took over, and it tried to run away, but I was hot in pursuit. A leg broke with another slash, a kick tripped it up, a stab towards the torso spilled more of its lifeblood, until finally after a dozen more slashes, my enemy stopped moving.


    It was probably dead before even that, but it was better to be safe than sorry.


    ¡°I did it!¡± I announced to my parents.


    ¡°Yes you did!¡± Mom chorused. She ran up to myself and hugged me tight.


    Dad followed closely behind and wrapped the both of us in a hug.


    We ate our packed lunch right after, in celebration of my first-ever successful hunt.


    It was¡­ well, I didn¡¯t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The trepidation and the nervousness also disappeared. I was calm, far calmer than I thought I would be. I¡¯d enjoyed sparring quite a bit, so I thought it¡¯d just be more of that but more nerve-wracking. But as it turns out, once I recognized that I was in real actual danger, the literal years of training took over and I became a machine meant only for violence.


    Good to know.


    ~~~


    I breathed out and held my dagger against the wolf¡¯s carcass with the intent to skin it for its pelt. My good mood steadily returned, and it rapidly lifted as I stared at my first-ever kill. The prior fight barely tired me out, so after only a quick rest, my parents offered to teach me how to butcher it. I accepted their offer, because I couldn¡¯t just let good loot go like that, and I wanted gear made from the remains of those that I have killed. That was so metal.


    It was a sublime feeling of satisfaction. Subtle, like how a meal I cooked for myself might taste just a tiny bit better, for that simple fact alone. It was by my own efforts that it was made.


    ¡°Make a cut like this,¡± my mom instructed, slicing into the animal¡¯s hide on the other side. ¡°Try not to get too much meat on it, but too much is better than too little.¡±


    I took her advice and promptly made a mistake, making unintended holes in the hide. I went the other direction and left way too much meat that would need to be cut away, wasting it in the process.


    It was a frustrating effort as I didn¡¯t know what I was actually doing, and I ended up ruining much of the hide as a result. But my parents were patient, and they helped me every step of the way, which in the end resulted in me getting enough material to make a pair of gloves from the remains of a decently large wolf. What a bargain.


    We cooked a little bit of the meat for a second lunch. I also kept the bones, in case I could pester Moonwash to make something of them. I wanted to commemorate my first step into becoming a badass in some way.


    ~~~


    The rest of the day continued, and I managed to fight a few more animals or monsters.


    I fought a bushpider, which was basically a giant spider that disguises itself as a bush. I lightly tossed a rock at the thing, to have a more fair fight, especially given that my parents were the ones to spot it. But it still turned out to be a trivial battle. The monster charged straight for me, so I just whacked it with my sword, and then whacked it some more until it stopped moving. It was probably stronger than I, but my equipment was just cheating.


    We found a pair of wolves next, and I convinced my parents to let me give it a shot, on account of how easily I took out a single one of them.


    This time, their teamwork did make the fight a lot harder, but I managed to dodge and keep the wolves away, relying on my blade to extend my range and limit their movements. I finally caught one of them out when I weaved through the trees, and I struck the animal in the middle of its torso. That slowed it down enough for me to only have to deal with the other wolf, whom I quickly caught with a quick stab, and then tore apart with only one more hit.


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    The remaining wolf was swiftly executed.


    In the last fight of the day, I got to play support. Mom tracked down this tyrnossaurus-bear hybrid thing that I knew was born with level 40 Mutations. We found the warsymbol in a large clearing, with a few pieces of chewed-up bone littering the ground. It was almost as tall as my dad standing on its hind legs, which meant that its total mass was even more monstrous considering that it was quadrupedal. The monster was predominantly covered in thick scales, but there was fur instead for all the joints.


    Mom and Dad discussed whether they should even do the hunt. Normally, they were confident in their ability to take such a beast on, and the many body parts that could be harvested sold for a pretty penny. It was considered a rare thing to even encounter one.


    The problem this time was of course that I was with them. They were loathe to put me in any kind of danger.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine!¡± I protested. ¡°I wanna see you guys being cool too!¡±


    My parents exchanged a look, but that gave them the push they needed. Mom told me to stick right next to her as she cast spells, while Dad took on the brunt of the beast¡¯s aggression.


    I managed to negotiate a slightly more active role for myself.


    ~~~


    The battle began after we had each positioned ourselves properly. I and my mother were far behind the warsymbol while Dad approached it from up front.


    He bellowed out a challenge, and the beast roared in response. Its steps resounded loudly across the clearing as it charged with a surprisingly sleek grace. The monster immediately lunged in a bite once it got in range, and Dad dodged to the side. Attacks from the front claws followed, and my father¡¯s sword met the natural weapon in a heated exchange that pushed him back but drew blood against his foe¡¯s scales.


    The warsymbol roared again without a trace of pain. It was a primal sound that invoked the terror of every animal that could ever be a predator. My dad slashed at its face during the time it took to bellow, leaving a deep gash across the scales and drawing further blood. The monster however only grew more enraged, uncaring for the damage and hammering into my dad in the same exact clash. Sword against claw.


    It was a frantic exchange that was hard to even follow, creatures that big should not move that fast. Every strike of the enemy was faster and heavier than my father¡¯s, and for the first time I saw the impossibly large man be pushed back in an exchange of attacks. I could feel the pressure from where I stood as the air whined upon the forces involved. A few made it through my dad¡¯s guard, raking across his drake leathers and heavy mythril. The blows staggered him into an even more disadvantageous position.


    My father switched strategies, instead choosing to be more defensive, deflecting and redirecting the beast''s thrashing strikes. The maneuver worked, and faster trickles of blood began to pool down the warsymbol¡¯s paws. A spear of earth struck the enemy in the face at an opportune time, and the beast was thrown off, allowing Dad to land a slash on the exact same spot. Mom readied another projectile as the monster began to be pushed back. She signaled me with a nod, and I immediately fumbled for my wand, preparing and then launching my fireball. I was barely on target, and I only nicked the enemy by the shoulder. The flames lingered for a meager few seconds, before they were put out by the sheer motion of battle. More of Dad¡¯s strikes began to land as Mom¡¯s spells began coming. Her flames stayed longer, however they still rapidly cooled down once the mana that remained to fuel it ran out, leaving the blaze with only the level 40 hide to fuel itself with. She only sent a few of those fire spells out as the bulk of her offense relied on rock bullets further propelled by the wind.


    The attacks of my parents drew a rich harvest of the warsymbol¡¯s lifeblood, and I liked to think my own spells at least caused a distraction.


    My dad ran around the front of the enemy, keeping the warsymbol off balance, and minimizing the risk to himself. He ended up backing away into a copse of trees, and I saw how the creature¡¯s attacks managed to uproot and snap their trunks.


    I realized that my father¡¯s movements were being limited by wanting to keep the monster¡¯s attention off of myself, unwilling to move towards our direction. It made me redouble my own efforts, and I ended up emptying my wand, and then my spare within minutes.


    Mom switched to fire at one point, she took precious seconds to gather it into a coherent fireball, one so hot it was mildly painful just being close, but I said nothing in fear of distracting her. My mother loosed the projectile a few moments later, and it landed squarely on the warsymbol¡¯s head.


    The monster roared in pain, the agony of flames too much to ignore even for something so bullheaded, and Dad took the opportunity to get a couple of slashes on its chest. Unlike my own fireballs, the fire from this one did not so easily dissipate on its own, staying on our opponent¡¯s face. The bear became enraged even further, if that was possible, and my dad was forced to hop away from the bleeding and dying creature. Thankfully, while its swings were stronger, they¡¯d also gotten a lot more sloppy and imprecise. I figured that the fire on its face was also hampering with its vision some.


    Mom dragged me around the cover of the trees a few times to make sure we kept away, but soon the battle was finally over. It did not end with any dramatic final attack, the beast only whimpered as it finally could move no longer. Dad hurried the process along, and the beast died soon after, beheaded after several strikes on the neck.


    I let out a breath that I did not know I was holding. The tension left me, replaced by a sense of accomplishment and cheer. I celebrated, jumping around, and Mom lifted me up to her shoulders, like I was still a baby. I didn¡¯t mind, and we made our way back towards my father. He was sitting on the ground and breathing hard, sweat pouring over his form, but in a way that said he could¡¯ve kept going for much longer if it were necessary.

 Chapter 26: Harvest Season

    We returned home before sundown after a fruitful day of hunting and adventure. I wanted to do more, to stay the night and brave it out in the wilderness, but my parents refused. They told me that I was too young and inexperienced, that I wasn¡¯t ready.


    I argued that I¡¯d had plenty of experience in the matter back on Earth. I loved nature and the peace that it brings, though admittedly I didn¡¯t have to do the same level of fighting, nor were the dangers present quite as extreme. A single gun gave me a huge advantage against most animal encounters.


    My parents agreed to consider it, and I was sure I¡¯d be allowed to rough it out in the wilds eventually. There was no rush.


    I talked more about Earth on the way back, feeling a rare comfort in speaking about my old home. I spoke of the life I lived before, who I was, and who were the other people with me. I kept the topic on the good times, the friends I loved, and the fun that we had. Minus all the adult things, of course, I didn¡¯t need to tell my parents about that.


    I couldn¡¯t help the realization that I¡¯d had such a better time here in Varyala than I did back on Earth. It was certainly exciting, what with the fantastical possibilities, but I reminded myself that things here weren¡¯t necessarily better. Far from it.


    ¡®Haell¡¯ was simply far more fortunate than ¡®Lucyfer,¡¯ the person I was before. I was not blind to the many problems I¡¯d already been forced to bear witness to, in the years I¡¯d spent in this singular town of Latarus.


    My mom showed a particular amount of interest on that topic, so I told her more about it on the condition of giving me more time to hunt and adventure. It was an intense negotiation that resulted in me securing outings every other day, instead of just once per week.


    ~~~


    We made it back home, but instead of going straight to my house and into the bed that called out to me, I went instead to the building that housed Moonwash¡¯s forge. The exterior of the house still had that strange lopsided look, but it actually felt a lot more fantastical than the well-made homes. I liked it.


    ¡°Hey Moonwash,¡± I greeted as I entered inside. I made it through the small living room and toward the larger workshop beyond. Moonwash was hard at work at the forge, and I could somehow tell that she knew I was there but the older girl was too busy to attend to me right now.


    I smiled, found a bench nearby, and sat.


    The sounds of a hammer hitting metal echoed in my ears as I closed my eyes.


    ~~~


    ¡°Haell.¡±


    I stirred. The afternoon had turned into a deep night before I realized it. Moonwash was sitting right beside me with a steaming plate of food.


    I accepted it gratefully and began eating.


    ¡°Owh rigsht,¡± I said, my mouth still full of pork and bread. ¡°I havfe shomething fhor ysou to makte.¡±


    Moonwash¡¯s cooking was actually some of her weaker creations. I gathered that she preferred to make more ¡®permanent¡¯ things, and those that were more ¡®beautiful.¡¯ Which wasn¡¯t to say that it wasn¡¯t still bloody delicious, because the meal definitely was. She was an overachiever through and through.


    ¡°What is it?¡± She asked, unsurprised. Moonwash was still dirty from working the forge so long, and so was I filthy from the activities of the day. I was still wearing my armor, cloaked in dried blood in many places.


    I rummaged through my bag and produced a couple of small pieces of hide.


    ¡°This is from my first ever successful hunt, and the first thing I ever butchered. I want you to make me something, like say gloves, or maybe socks.¡±


    Moonwash accepted the wolf pelt and looked it over.


    ¡°These were harvested very poorly.¡±


    ¡°I just told you it was my first goddamit!¡±


    ¡°Oh. Right. That makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Why does that make me feel even worse?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


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    ¡­


    ¡°Right¡­ So are you going to do it?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I would be happy and honored to do it.¡±


    ¡°Nice!¡±


    ~~~


    A new dawn arrived. I had fallen asleep on the couch instead of ever returning to the home just up the hill.


    Today, my friends had all gathered in the living room of our house, and we had a great and amazing chat about my first hunt. Angerly was actually taken by Luine and Salaire a few months prior on a similar excursion, so I wasn¡¯t the first of us to go out there and test ourselves against the monsters beyond.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Therick looked at his fist and clenched it. ¡°That¡¯s so cool. Just like in the stories. I wanna do that too!¡±


    I snorted. ¡°Most of those stories are probably embellished.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you did too?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! I am honest about how amazing I am!¡±


    ¡°You should learn how to harvest monsters properly for the next time,¡± Moonwash chimed in. That was her takeaway from it, apparently.


    ¡°You already said that yesterday! I get it! Geez.¡±


    ¡°I also did terribly with that, Haell!¡± Angerly flashed me a thumbs up. ¡°We¡¯re the same!¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah!¡± I high-fived her.


    Granuel laughed. ¡°I would fire you both if you were my employee!¡± A bit of his humor left. ¡°Then again, you can¡¯t be my employee. I can only be Haell¡¯s. Why is this idiot allowed when I¡¯m not!!??¡±


    I grabbed him in a side hug as I saw tears threaten to spill out of his eyes. I didn¡¯t even protest being called an idiot, choosing to be mature enough to not try and correct my friend on how ill-misinformed he was on the topic.


    A few more hours passed of us just hanging out and enjoying each other¡¯s presence. Even Moonwash didn¡¯t start on a new project, watching us and occasionally interjecting with her own comments.


    We talked about my plans for doing another excursion tomorrow. I was taking a very rare day of total rest today, not bothering to do any of my daily training. My friends expressed an interest in doing the same thing as well, going out there to hunt, maybe as an entire adventuring party. The idea also appealed to me greatly, mixing friendships, camaraderie, and sheer fucking violence! Those are some of my favorite things!


    ¡°What should we call ourselves?¡± I asked innocently, and that was when all hell began to break loose.


    ¡°Moneymakers!¡± Granuel suggested.


    ¡°Makes us sound like that¡¯s all we¡¯re after,¡± Therick complained.


    ¡°I like money!¡± Angerly said.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± I raised a cup of juice in a toast. ¡°Money is important.¡±


    ¡°How about Elegant Sword?¡±


    ¡°Well, I use a sword, and so do you, but that makes only two of us.¡±


    ¡°Ooh! I got an idea! Smasher Smushers!¡±


    ¡°I don''t like it,¡± Granuel complained. ¡°Not catchy enough. Makes us sound like children!¡±


    ¡°We are children,¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°No I¡¯m not!¡±


    I patted his head. ¡°Sure, sure.¡±


    The debate continued for a few more minutes until an amazing idea came to me.


    ¡°Shit Hunters! As a homage to our origins!¡±


    ¡°It makes us sound like we suck at our job!¡± Granuel denied.


    ¡°That¡¯s one thing we shouldn¡¯t copy from them!¡± Therick said.


    ¡°Even I don¡¯t like it!¡± Angely smiled brightly.


    ¡°Oh come on! Don¡¯t gang up on me!!¡± I whirled around to Moonwash who had only been watching us so far. ¡°You think it¡¯s great, right? Being the artiste of us all.¡±


    She looked at me, at us. Seconds passed until she finally spoke.


    ¡°The Harvesters.¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°Hey. I like that. We harvest the life from our foes. Sinister.¡±


    ¡°Harvesting gives more money!¡±


    ¡°I like it!!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have problems with it either.¡±


    ¡°So, The Harvesters?¡± I asked.


    My friends, The Harvesters, all echoed their assent.


    For the rest of the day, we made a sign together, containing the name we just decided on, and plenty of other designs, mostly of the various monsters and other things we aimed to harvest in the future.


    Granuel, we¡¯re not making farms, come on! Nor are we miners, Moonwash! I grumbled in my mind, but I decided that it only added more personality to the sign that varied so greatly in quality. The parts Moonwash made stood out like an island of jewels amid a sea of filth and shit.


    It would''ve looked far better if we just asked her to make it, but it meant something for us to have made it together.


    We fixed the sign over the door, and created a home for ourselves.


    The Harvester Home.

 Chapter 27: The Forestation.

    I went back out into the forests with my parents. It would take a while yet before I could go out as a party with The Harvesters.


    I fought many of the same monsters out in the forest as Mom and Dad picked my battles for me. A lot of the potential enemies were deemed to be too dangerous for me to fight. I dispatched more wolves, ambushed the bushpiders, fought a few new specimens like giant solitary bats, and I got my revenge on those damn hares.


    The main conceit of the horned rabbit species was that they each came with some random element, and the horns with which to use them. They were nervous creatures that always tried to flee first.


    I did manage to defeat them, of course, eventually¡­ Dad spotted the creature hiding underneath a fallen log, a skill that I¡¯d been trying to train to both find ambushing predators and hiding prey. Mom also helpfully informed me that training my senses like such would also aid in acquiring a proper level sense.


    I got as close as I could without alerting the horned hare, and then I fireballed it from afar. The bunny lashed out with a barely controlled hail of rocks and projectiles, unsure where to even strike. Their use of magic was largely instinctual, like with most monsters and animals that even could use them.


    It was already running away before the magic even began shooting. I gave chase, and found myself able to keep up for once as the rabbit was being slowed down by the virtue of being half on fire. Some of the projectiles managed to hit me in the exposed parts of my arms and legs, a few even drawing blood, but I barely slowed down. We were both very agile and able to maneuver past obstacles, but the rabbit was literally being burnt down.


    It slowed at a fatal juncture, pausing against the rapid force of a river that barred its way, allowing me to catch up. I used my dagger for this hunt instead of drawing my sword, and a well-placed stab swiftly ended the monster¡¯s life.


    It was a good haul. These rabbits were surprisingly hard to catch, widely regarded as the quintessential prey. The horn would serve as a decent focus for earth magic, albeit a low-level one. It also had a repository inside its body. Sadly, the mana-producing organ wouldn¡¯t quite work now that it¡¯s dead, it¡¯s why the fountans were so valued in the first place. Though not valued enough, of course, to have equal rights. Although they definitely were quite high up in the totem pole.


    I fought more animals and monsters of different varieties over the coming months, allowing me to learn of their patterns, and develop some general instincts against certain kinds of foes. Much of my training up to this point had been against humans, or predominantly humanoid enemies.


    I tried my hardest to try and get level sense, but it was slow going, a process even more uncertain than trying to sense mana. In absence of that, Mom and Dad brute forced knowledge of the local wildlife and their general levels into me, because most specimens would be within those ranges. I was also taught about the general appearance of each species, and what may indicate a more advanced Mutation should they deviate from that pattern. Larger specimens tended to be stronger, with more further evolved Mutations.


    I convinced my parents to let me fight one of those birds of prey and other flying foes. I faced off against this murdle, who looked like an eagle coated in very dark maroon feathers. Its beak was uneven but powerful, and its claws were sharp, serrated, and poisoned for maximum bleeding.


    The animal came flying at me, and I dodged its first attack. I kept track of my opponent, and evaded its second pass, and then another. After a few more of this, I came to a realization. Flight didn¡¯t allow for the same kind of tight turns that kicking off against the ground did. Momentum was harder to arrest in midair. I had little to fear from follow-up attacks, so long as the bird didn¡¯t get on me.


    I grinned and took advantage of this fact. I evaded while swinging my sword, trying to catch the eagle mid-flight. It didn¡¯t work the first time of course, but it didn''t take long for me to finally get a hit in. All those days spent batting at pellets and pebbles had honed my aim to perfection!


    The murdle wobbled and crashed in its flight, sprawling back to the ground in a bloody mess that wasn¡¯t so easy to see against its maroon feathers.


    It looked back up at me, limping. A wing was partially cut off, and its legs were ruined. There was a nearly disbelieving expression on its bird face.


    I probably should have felt something. Pity, pride, hesitance. But instead, I ended the life before me with a largely neutral expression. There might even have been a little bit of a smirk.


    I suppose it really was no fluke, when I was dead and dying back in my last life, and I managed to take my killer with me to hell.


    I fought more birds, while Mom and Dad took the opportunity to teach me the use of more tools and weapons. Birds were fast, but they were predictable, and they typically didn¡¯t hit as hard so there was more room for error. Mainly, they taught me the use of a buckler, a common round shield. Small. I swatted the birds out of the air, blocked their dives and attacks. And then I either stabbed them with a dagger, or toasted them by activating a deluge of fire mana already swirling around me.


    It was generally harder to manifest and manipulate mana so close to a living being, be it because of the presence of a soul, or by a similar esoteric force as to what made it so wands and staves were better for the use of magic. But that was hardly a problem if the magic was already active, and already hurtling towards its proper target! The birds just crashed into their own deaths, and it didn¡¯t take long because they were generally not very tanky.


    I came to learn just how favorable my Flutter Feet were. A lot of animals were faster than me, level per level, but they didn¡¯t have the same ability to make turns. Top speed and agility were two different things.


    Case in point when we found a hornse. It was a horse with one blade-like horn, placed horizontal across its head and shaped like the crescent moon.


    It was apparently a rare find, as we were in the middle of the slothorian forests and these guys were supposed to live all the way in the plains. It was stupid that there was even one where we lived, but there was no reason not to take advantage of it being here for whatever reason.


    I fought the creature in a clearing, and it charged towards me while slicing its head this way and that. It made sense, as the horns were shaped for cutting. The monster¡¯s blade met my own, and we bounced off each other, making distance for another pass. But I was left in better straits than my opponent, because its blade was attached to its head. Of course, the hornse had a fair bit of resistance against concussions given the nature of its natural weapon, but it wasn¡¯t perfect. Even that small amount of damage made me come out ahead.


    We passed each other a few more times, and our blades met like before. I would¡¯ve gone for its body, but I risked trading blows in that case, and I wasn¡¯t keen on getting cut. So eventually, I decided to cheat and duck into the forest, putting the hornse at an even greater disadvantage. It could barely maneuver around the thick foliage of trees, whereas I was very good at it, and getting even better because of all this recent practice. I ran circles around the creature, literally, landing cuts towards its torso and rear.


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    The hornse started to flag once its torso started leaking blood. Its maneuverability suffered further when its legs were injured, one even being severed outright. That was really only possible, because I cheated once again with my higher-quality weapon.


    I finished the fight when the monster could move no longer. I didn¡¯t bother trying to read its expression before I chopped off its head.


    It took a few strikes.


    ¡°Yus!¡± I pumped my fist in celebration. My parents joined me in my glee, but it was unfortunately short-lived.


    There was a reason a hornse was found all the way out here. One among their own, had reached truly ridiculous levels. I heard my mom mutter the number 60, maybe more. That higher-leveled one had brought its herd of a good couple dozen here.


    I immediately switched gears in my head, as I saw the tension in my parents. They were naturally more wary out here, in untamed territory, but not to this extent. I cast my senses outwards, and caught sight of our opponent. Its body was a darker shade, about twice the mass of the others. The blade upon its head shone in the afternoon light.


    I readied my mana and my spells, imagining the most burning expression of hell, but then Mom suddenly grabbed my hand clutched to my wand, and pulled it down.


    ¡°Haell, listen to me,¡± she said. ¡°Run.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Wha¨Cno, I can help.¡±


    ¡°No. This is out of your league. Run. Now.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ but¡­¡± I looked back at the enemy leader. It neighed a deep rumbling sound, staring at us with absolutely hostile intent as it scraped its hooves across the ground. I tore my eyes away from that biggest threat, and towards the other hornses around it. ¡°It¡¯s not alone. There¡¯s many of them. I¡¯ll take on the smaller ones.¡±


    ¡°No, Haell. You can¡¯t. It¡¯s too dangerous, and some of them are¨C¡±


    ¡°Please! I can help!¡±


    ¡°No you can¡¯t!¡± She snapped, whirling toward me with an intense expression. I winced, involuntarily, remembering my previous mother. ¡°You promised, Haell. You¡¯ll follow our lead. You know the way back? We¡¯ve been teaching you to navigate?¡±


    I nodded on reflex.


    ¡°Good. Go. Find your way back. Tell them of the danger.¡±


    I looked at her, and then at my dad. ¡°What? You¡¯ll be fine, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± she said with confidence, patting me on the head. ¡°Now go!¡±


    My mother gave me no further chances to argue, as she gave me a heavy shove into the direction I ought to go. The lead enemy hissed out a neigh at the same moment, and I caught a bit of the start of the battle. Its bladed horn was able to slice through tree and bark, and my dad was immediately pushed back by its momentum, carrying the speed of a fucking train.


    My feet slid off the ground, I scrambled for traction amongst the pebbles underneath. I flailed off balance, before I was finally able to correct my posture and run.


    I went northwards, toward the town. I estimated the proper direction by the position of the sun, and my rough idea of the current time. Trees, bushes, and the occasional boulder barred my way, but I leapt and maneuvered around them, taking the shortest route I could spot. I still wasn¡¯t sure about this course of action, about leaving my parents behind, but now that the choice had been made, I¡¯d stick to it and do my very best!


    I was forced to make many detours, away from opponents concealed and visible both. I scanned the canopies above me, and adjusted my route accordingly, having spotted some bungeys. Monkey-like creatures with freakishly long and elastic tails. They dropped down from above, to pull unsuspecting creatures to prey upon.


    I did not allow myself to become one of then.


    Sweat poured across my form as I ran, cooling my skin and soothing the body. My legs pumped, my wand was clutched by a death grip on my left hand. A raging mass of mana followed me in my wake, it followed me as I blazed past the environment.


    I saw a tiger crouching in the underbrush, I intuited that I was its target. This type of animal started with level 10 Mutations, a disadvantage that I was certain I could overcome, but one which my parents hadn¡¯t yet allowed me to test. It would be a hard-fought battle for certain, and I had no intention of testing my theories here, in this situation.


    I veered left, and sure enough the animal followed, having designated me as prey after all. I ran around a bush and then another, as the tiger steadily gained ground on me. My agility didn¡¯t prove superior against this animal.


    But this might.


    Hellfire.


    A very tiny spark flared to life, and the brush right behind me stirred. The bushspider hissed, and promptly latched on to the tiger nearest its face.


    I didn¡¯t stay to watch the struggle play out, instead choosing to distance myself from the fighting. I took a moment to reorient myself, and then I sprinted back towards the town. I felt thankful for my human physique, as most other bodies of this level would have flagged by now.


    I¡¯m still changing it to a demon though!


    My dreams of demonhood would mean nothing if I did not escape from here pronto. I saw a pair of wolves bar my way, growling defensively. I instinctively reached for my sword, being confident against these opponents that I¡¯d killed many times before, but those same instincts told me that something was terribly wrong. My attention focused on one if them, a wolf drooling from the sustained growl. The individual animal gave me a feeling of inferiority, which stoked the flames of my temper, but I remained rational.


    It was a vague thing, a vague instinct, but I felt that the opponent was stronger.


    There was no reason to take the risk.


    I detoured around them. They did not give chase. I heard long and sustained howling from behind me, but I did not look back.


    Closer now, just a little bit longer. I¡¯d almost made it back to town. I reached a patch of forest that was somehow riddled with ambush predators, or those that need not hide. Like a bear, or a family of gorillas. I examined all my options, and found an area patrolled only by a single murdle. The violent maroon bird that I¡¯d fought before.


    I chose that path and resumed my way home. I held a dagger and a wand respectively, in my two hands. The murdle reacted quickly to my attempted passage, and it was burned by part of the blanket of mana around me that suddenly burst aflame. I¡¯d learned to selectively activate parts of it, even in a large and continuous mass.


    The momentum of the bird carried it forward through the fire, severely injured and burning, but not yet dead. I met its flight with my dagger, and I found purchase in its chest. My hand was burned in the process, because the bird was on fire, and I found myself lacerated by the animal¡¯s claws a couple of times. The pain was immense, and I wanted to scream, but I knew how bad of an idea it would be to draw even more attention to myself.


    I centered myself, and fought against that involuntary urge to cry out in agony. My mind became dead set on the current mission, I could see the tree wall from here, taller than the rest of the forest.


    A breath nearly like a growl escaped my lips, and I sped up even further, faster than any sprint I¡¯d achieved before.


    My heart pumped, the world slowed down, the muscles of my body clenched and unclenched rapidly. Twigs broke upon my steps, pebbles were kicked along my stride, until finally I made it to my destination.


    [Adrenaline Gland has leveled up to 5!]

 Chapter 28: Worry.

    I stopped. I halted. My mind was still reeling, blood pumping frantically through my veins. I had arrived at the tree wall, the border marked by colored bushes. Those were the safe ones. The ones deeper in, disguised as regular plants, were the truly dangerous traps, so I couldn¡¯t just wade through them as a shortcut.


    I took a deep breath and paused to evaluate my choices. I was still in dangerous territory, so I kept on walking towards where the gate should be.


    Calm. I tried to calm down. There were guards up on the trees, and I knew I could call for them, but that might just delay me further. I needed help, and it was no guarantee I¡¯d get it from the authorities. Certainly not on time, for bureaucracy was slow. But also because I didn¡¯t trust the guards, and my parents had plenty of enemies in high places.


    My injured hand jostled as I picked up the pace, bleeding profusely and sending a fresh flare of pain into my mind. I ignored it and pushed forward, until I heard a sharp rustle from above the canopy. It didn¡¯t come from the wilds beyond, but from the tamed perimeter of the deadliest of plants.


    I was startled as someone dropped from high up. They grabbed at branches on their way down to arrest their momentum and not splatter on the ground.


    The person landed a moment later, revealed to be a belfegor man. His skin was as brown as the trees, and similarly textured as the bark. It was hard to make out his features under the shadows.


    ¡°Hello.¡± he said politely, confidently. I had already drawn my wand, fire mana swirling around me.


    I forced myself to relax, knowing this was a guard. I couldn¡¯t be sure, I could never be sure, but the guards here tended to be more trustworthy than the ones in the city proper.


    I decided to take a leap of faith and tell them of my plight.


    ¡°Level 60 Hornse. My parents are out there right now, fighting it.¡± I pointed towards the rainforest.


    The guard raised a brow. ¡°A hornse¡­ here?¡±


    ¡°Yes. My parents are strong adventurerrs, over level 40 Mutations. They told me to go ahead, and I must deliver a message for them now¡­ But please help if you can!¡±


    I didn¡¯t wait for a response and just bolted away, towards the gate in the distance. I heard a faint query about my injury from behind me, but I did not pay the wall guard any further mind.


    I made it to the ramp, and then climbed my way to the gate. I groaned internally when the guard there stopped me. They were the regular ones I was pretty sure. The gate guards didn¡¯t live with the wall community or anything.


    ¡°Hey, kid,¡± a woman said. ¡°What are you doing out there, all alone and at this time of day?¡± Her eyes fell on my bleeding hand. ¡°You¡¯re also injured! Let me look at that!


    I pulled my hand away, fighting hard not to wince at the pain.


    ¡°It looks worse than it is,¡± I lied. I was already feeling lightheaded from the blood loss and might faint at any time.¡°I was just out with my parents, hunting.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± She still wanted to take a look at my injury, but held herself back. ¡°Hmm, well if your parents are adventurers then that does make sense¡­ But where are they now?¡±


    ¡°Oh, still out there. They wanted to stay the night, but I wasn¡¯t allowed to,¡± I affected a pout that was visible through the gaps in my helmet. ¡°So I insisted that I can make my way back on my own.¡±


    ¡°And then you got injured,¡± she waved for me to pass. ¡°Why did they even send you back alone? Be more careful next time!¡±


    ¡°I will!¡± I crossed the wooden bridge, and then reached the next set of gates. This time I was recognized as the daughter of Mahka and Rallem Zharignan.


    I gave them the same story I told the other guards, and they reluctantly waved me through.


    ¡°Fucking piss hunters. Irresponsible. Getting their child hurt.¡±


    Shut up. You don¡¯t fucking know anything! I clenched hard at my fists, hearing the utterance as I left.


    I broke into a run, before I could say something that would only get me in trouble. My parents were wonderful people, and I¡¯m the one who abandoned them!


    The thought was silly, and I knew that. If a friend were in the same situation, then thought the same thing, I would think that they were wrong. But my emotions were running especially high right now, and I truly cared about Mom and Dad. I was just worried.


    I¡¯d go examine those thoughts later once I actually had the time for self-discovery.


    I made it to my destination in record time, crossing through Baston and Fiya¡¯s garden, and into the house and store beyond. The door shook, and I felt a new sting of pain across my body. It took a moment for the haze in my mind to clear, before I remembered that I had to turn the knob to open it.


    The embarrassment did not last long, I didn¡¯t care at the moment. I entered the house to find Baston holding his wand and surrounded by a wave of wana, meanwhile Fiya had exchanged her prosthetic for a mace. The two were clearly ready for battle.


    The two adults in the room sighed in relief, though there was still an underlying tension coiled across their body.


    ¡°Haell?¡± Baston ventured. ¡°What¡­ Do you want to knock down our door?¡±


    ¡°You scared us!¡± Fiya exclaimed, trying to inject some levity into the situation. Granuel was peeking out from behind a display of plants.


    I took a deep breath, and then shouted in a hurry. ¡°Level60hornsemomdadfighthelpthem!¡±


    Baston and Fiya took only a moment to digest my words, before immediately chucking on some armor. ¡°Where to!?¡± the fountan woman asked as she was already on her way out the door.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± I flagged. ¡°South! Definitely south. Maybe¡­ maybe southwest?¡±


    I hated myself for not knowing for sure. It could make the difference. If my parents die¡­ if they do, I¡­ I¡­


    ¡°Wwaaaaahhhhhhh!!!¡± I broke down into tears, falling right where I was. Baston gave me a sympathetic look as he hurried out the door himself, but he didn¡¯t stop, only shouting back to his son. ¡°Granuel, lock the door! Kids, take care of each other!¡±


    And with that, they were gone.


    ~~~


    Granuel hovered worriedly nearby as I sniffled and cried.


    ¡°Haell¡­ are you okay?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. I must¡¯ve answered the same question a dozen times already.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    The boy was fidgeting, uncertain, and worried. He wasn¡¯t good at this, but I supposed that was only to be expected. It took a long time for me to learn how to comfort someone else myself, and I still sucked terribly at it.


    I took a few more minutes to be sad and worried, before I finally took charge again.


    ¡°Okay!¡± I slapped myself on both cheeks. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Yay you¡¯re back!¡±


    ¡°Huh? When was I ever gone?¡±


    ¡°Oh, well¡­ where are we going?¡± He didn¡¯t answer the question, I didn¡¯t press.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°My house. That¡¯s where my parents will likely go first when they come back, and while I doubt anything¡¯s going to happen, Grandpa is there so we¡¯ll at least be with an adult. I wanted to tell him about what happened anyway. I¡¯ll also drag Moonwash over as well.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    We did as I said, and went to pick up Moonwash. She was working on some sort of robe, and I just sat there for a few minutes, almost dazed and stewing in my worry.


    Moonwash surprisingly left it unfinished, putting her work down and turning to me. ¡°Haell. Is something wrong?¡±


    Her face remained neutral, but I knew that for my friend to even ask meant that she really, truly cared.


    ¡°I¨C No.¡± I explained to her what had happened.


    ¡°I see. I hope they¡¯ll be alright.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Not knowing what else to say, I stood up to leave, and Moonwash followed without another word.


    I eventually found myself back at home. But it was quiet and lonely without either Mom or Dad¡­ who might be dead right now¡­


    I swallowed and held back my tears. I knocked at Grandpa¡¯s room, and waited for a few minutes until he was finally able to get up and meet us. I could have hurried him up, but his body wasn¡¯t in the best state as it was. It¡¯s hard to hold up his massive weight along with his age, and hurrying wouldn¡¯t really have done anything.


    Eventually, all four of us made our way to the living room, and I lit the fireplace with a casual application of magic. Moonwash flipped the light switches on.


    I got around to finally healing my hand over a potted flower as I explained the situation to my grandfather.


    ¡°...and so I fled¡­ by myself¡­¡± Tears were streaming down my face as I finished the explanation, but my grandfather¡­ laughed?


    ¡°Hah! Stupid child!¡±


    Bewildered, I glared at him, a confused hiss whistling out of my mouth.


    ¡°Not in the way you¡¯re thinking, no! It¡¯s just a level 60 Hornse? You think that would be enough to take out those two!?¡±


    ¡°There were others. A herd of them.¡±


    ¡°Hah! That¡¯s my son you¡¯re talking about! And the wife he¡¯s chosen! If they can¡¯t beat something so weak, then that''s all they were worth in the end!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I shouted forcefully, in response. ¡°Are you not worried!? They might die!¡±


    Grandpa smirked. ¡°How about you Haell? Do you not have faith in your parents?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do!¡± I sniffed. ¡°I just don¡¯t want them to die¡­¡±


    He went quiet after that, seeing me visibly distressed. It was something that happened far too infrequently for a child allegedly of my age.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Haell. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Grandpa eventually said. ¡°I¡­ It¡¯s a bad habit. It¡¯s how I¡¯ve always thought. But even my victories, I¡­¡± he looked around the living room, spotting several paintings, medals, and trophies of various monster parts. Some were about him, others were from my parents¡¯ exploits. ¡°It would be a lie to say that I wasn¡¯t proud of them anymore. But I do have regrets. And believing in power above all is one of them.¡±


    I sniffed. ¡°I want power.¡±


    He allowed himself a chuckle. ¡°I know. That¡¯s good. Power is good to have. But it¡¯s not everything, and I acted for so long like it was¡­¡±


    He participated in the conquest of this continent. Of the other continents too. He enabled the campaign of the angels. He killed so many people, and as a result, their ways of life were destroyed.


    I loved him anyway.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Grandpa. Well, it¡¯s not, but you¡¯re not dead yet. Don¡¯t just give up. Maybe you¡¯ll even beat old age again! Attain immortality! And then, I don¡¯t know, help them this time around!¡±


    He smiled sadly, affecting a cheer that we both knew he didn¡¯t feel. ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m still alive! I can still make it! I just have to try and win!" His voice was loud, but the excitement was clearly fake. ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe I¡¯ll get to see this demon you¡¯re talking about. I¡¯d love to see how Shanayah would react.¡±


    The conversation shifted from there, from my recent training to Grandpa¡¯s usual reminiscing and boasting.


    I¡­ wasn¡¯t sure whether I should reveal to Granuel and Moonwash what a demon was. It wasn¡¯t a common concept here, but given who the empress was¡­ it could be something that could get me exposed before I was ready to face literally anything they could throw at me and win.


    I had them swear to secrecy about everything mentioned here, and they both agreed, although I could almost feel the curiosity wafting off of Moonwash even if she did ultimately hold herself back. Today just wasn¡¯t the day to talk about such things, what with me still being unspeakably worried about whether the only parents I ever loved were still alive.


    Nighttime arrived as I grew more and more restless. My mind was beset with worry for my parents, and for their friends who came looking for them. I was tired and exhausted from the long day I had, but I found plenty of nervous energy that I had to burn, so I paced repeatedly around the house, often peeking out the windows.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been training with my parents,¡± Granuel began, ¡°I know how to toss rocks around, but armor, keeping myself safe, and all that is so complicated! But once I learn, maybe I can finally go out with you on your hunts! Adventurers earn a lot of money, right?¡±


    The silence had finally become too uncomfortable, and my friend was just trying to fill it however he could, as well as to perhaps distract me from my worries. I took the lifeline I¡¯d been given, even if the choice of topic might have been poor given what I was worried about in the first place. ¡°Well, we¡¯re all rich, right? I think it¡¯s pretty obvious that adventurers do earn a lot of money.¡±


    ¡°Ooohhh! I like that! The Harvesters will get all the gold!¡±


    Moonwash also spoke of her plans over dinner. She understood the necessity of learning how to defend herself, and she knew that fighting did give a boost to leveling speed, albeit she was already a prodigy in that regard already. More was always better.


    Eventually, after hours of conversation, the both of them grew tired and dozed off on the couch. I settled into a sofa after draping a blanket over them. Grandpa was nearby, still awake, and staring into the flames of a campfire, deep in thought.


    ¡°Join me, Haell,¡± He finally said after a few minutes. He got off his rocking chair and walked heavily toward the dining room. Moonwash and Granuel stirred, but neither of them woke.¡±


    ¡°So, Haell,¡± Grandpa began once we had seated ourselves back in the dining room, ¡°I want to tell you a story. It¡¯s not a good story, but I think it¡¯s one that¡¯s important, especially for you.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I said warily. The timing was kinda shit for a serious talk, and he had clearly waited for an opportunity for us to be alone.


    Grandpa nodded, and righted himself on his seat. ¡°You¡¯ve heard the stories, of how the angels made the fountans and the ishkawtans. They blessed them, a holy communion. A new species created with purpose and affection.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit,¡± I snorted.


    ¡°True. I probably knew it was bullshit, even back then. But there is truth there. Like what you¡¯ve surmised as to how they were able to create a whole new species is mostly correct; with Mutations, extra materials, and shit. I have watched as so many people were gathered up. Humans. Mostly from the scattered territories that didn¡¯t yet bend the knee to the empire. They were all collected into these camps, and slowly they died out, until finally the first ishkawtan and fountan of Varyala were born.¡±


    My eyes widened. I was less surprised by the revelation, but by getting actual confirmation. The silence hung thickly for a few seconds, until I was finally able to formulate a response. ¡°That¡¯s fucked up.¡±


    ¡°Oh it is, but it gets worse! The ones who did succeed? The winners? Well, how do you think we have so many of them now, the ishkawtans and the fountans?¡±


    I sucked in a sharp breath, wincing. I was already worried sick, so this just added to the soup of my emotions, leaving me a confused and chaotic creature.


    I just wanted my parents back right now so I could cry into their embrace.


    But this was not a truth I could run away from. I was glad that my grandfather was here, so it wouldn¡¯t remain hidden. ¡°They were forced¡­ to make more.¡±


    ¡°To breed, yes. You¡¯re not stupid Haell, and neither am I. I wouldn¡¯t normally tell this to someone your age, or just anyone in general. Not even if you were an old soul, a reincarnator.¡±


    ¡°Not that old. Nothing compared to even you, much less what else is out there.¡±


    ¡°True, true. But you do understand why I¡¯m telling you this, yes?¡±


    ¡°...because if I change my species, then that cruelty is what I might have to face.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. So think long and hard if you really want to go down the path you follow. Because even if you somehow miraculously succeed¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t need to finish the sentence. We both knew what was at stake.


    I was silent for a while, alternately worrying about my parents, and then my future as a demon.


    ¡°I just have to win,¡± I finally said. Grandpa had nearly dozed off.


    ¡°Hnh¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°No matter how they react, no matter what people think of me being a demon. I just have to be strong enough that it won¡¯t matter. My freedom will be won through power.¡± The only alternative is luck, and I cannot rely on that.


    Grandpa grinned. He burst into rapturous laughter. ¡°Exactly! That¡¯s exactly right, Haell! Whether you¡¯re right or wrong, things will work out as long as you¡¯re powerful!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather be both right and victorious, but hell yeahhh!!!¡±


    I managed to forget just for a little while, all the things I had to worry about.


    ~~~


    ¡°Haell. Hey.¡±


    I woke up blearily, wiping the drool off my face and the dining table. I looked at who was shaking my shoulders, and saw a familiar face.


    ¡°Mom¡­¡± Behind her was my Dad, who looked like he had seen better days, but they both stood proud and tall, unbroken. ¡°Mom! Dad!¡±


    I hurriedly leapt out of my chair as if they¡¯d suddenly disappear if I was any slower. I tripped and nearly fell, but they caught me, supporting my body even as dried blood covered them in places. Most of it, I realized, was not theirs.


    Relief flooded through my system as I clung to my parents. My knees felt weak, and I couldn¡¯t muster the strength to keep standing. Mom and Dad held me up as I broke down crying, patting me on the back, and whispering soft assurances into my ears.

 Chapter 29: The Ogre and The Human.

    It had been over a month since the incident where my parents nearly died. Although I still wasn¡¯t sure how close they really came, since Mom¡¯s account of the situation always painted them out as the clear winners and that the level 60 hornse never stood a chance.


    I decided to just play along.


    We were a bit more cautious during our hunts after that little scare, but it didn¡¯t take long for us to get back into the groove and venture further and further out. We met the occasional adventurer along the trail, and greetings and well wishes of blessings were exchanged, but nothing more. They wore scale armor, or any other such gear whose materials could be derived from their own hunts¡­ or whatever they could buy and claim as their own. Metal was also a bit more scarce in the vassal kingdom of Edenia right now because of how we were driven away from the barrier range.


    It was kind of interesting to see some of their fights, even in passing. Few made it to level 20, and I was plenty sure that I could take some of them if need be. Not that I ever got to test that theory out, because no one was really dumb enough to mess with my parents. They were well known among the adventurers of Latarus.


    During this time, I was also finally allowed to take on my first Level 10+ opponent. A tiger.


    I drew my sword, and found myself and my adversary to be evenly matched. The tiger was of course stronger than I was, faster too without the easily exploitable weakness of having trouble making turns. But I was skilled, I had my training to fall back on, and the wild animal was decently susceptible to my faints. It culminated into a rapid and suspenseful chase across the forest as we weaved and danced around the trees in a dangerous game of death.


    Claws swiped at me, and I wasn¡¯t able to block it all, meanwhile my sword sunk into the tiger¡¯s flesh, still with an ease that should not be possible with my levels, but less so than the lesser prey.


    I was under more pressure to keep the distance, and not allow for a long and equal clash. The tiger had far better chances up close and grappling than I did, and I doubted I could escape its bite on my own.


    I had the option of my magic, but it¡¯d be hard to use it and still be able to comfortably swing around my sword. It was too heavy to use singlehanded, and the greatsword was necessary to keep my distance and allow for a longer reach.


    Our battle lasted for a long time, as I decided to just draw into my roots as a human, and win by sheer attrition. We were dealing about equal amounts of relative damage to each other in the beginning, but I was somehow showing less reaction to the pain than a literal wild animal. Its instincts compelled it to waste time roaring, posturing, and reeling from attacks. My training took over even when my mind only wanted to scream, and I¡¯d learned to trust in my experience in moments of danger.


    The tiger slowed down eventually, panting, out of breath, and bleeding from dozens of deep gushing wounds. My own limbs were dripping blood, my grip on my sword was shaking, but I could still move, still function, even past the wounds and exhaustion. My will would not be chained, and my Human Heart allowed me to surpass all my limits!


    We met for a final clash. I stared at the eyes of my foe. I imagined there was a faint acknowledgment there. And then the tiger faltered in its strides. Its claws came up just a little too short, only slicing a thin line through my existing mess of wounds. Meanwhile, I was able to smash its head with my sword. The animal was sent reeling, but I did not let up. Squeezing out all my remaining power, and then squeezing out some more, I delivered a frenzied barrage that allowed the tiger no recourse nor opportunity to turn the tides once more. All it could do was weather the slashes that robbed its vision, its ability to move, and the propensity to breathe.


    The tiger died, and it did not look glorious in death.


    [Adrenaline Gland has Leveled Up! From Level 5 to Level 6!]


    ~~~


    I finally got to hunt and adventure with Angerly. It was the two of us, along with my parents. We fought together, and discovered how to work best with our respective abilities. Angerly was the tank that got all the enemy¡¯s attention, and I either used magic from the sidelines, or tried to stab at our enemies at opportune moments. I was even able to act as an assassin sometimes, as Angerly very easily got the attention of all our enemies with her larger body and jovial shout.


    Perhaps due to my better gear, I was able to at least be useful next to someone who had a lot of levels on me. It was so tempting to just evolve my brain already¡­ but demon! I had to become a demon, so I had to be patient in the now!!


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    We were able to take on plenty of opponents over level 10, especially considering that Angerly herself had all of her mutations over that level from birth. Weeks after we¡¯d started hunting together, we were allowed to take on an opponent who was pushing close to the level of 20.


    It was a boxiall, an aggressive brown-furred gorilla capable of massive and fast leaps.


    The fight began, and I already knew what I had to do, having worked out a strategy prior with my friend. I stood behind Angerly, and took out my wand and buckler. The nearly two-meter-tall ogre met the opposing monster, and her metallic club clashed against the boxiall¡¯s fist. My mana snaked around them and set alight my opponent just before he could hop away.


    The boxiall shrieked, but the flames didn¡¯t stay at full power for long, disturbed by his sheer speed and the way the monster collided with the damp forest soil and plantlife. The animal snarled and then hopped over our way again. I watched his movements and circled around to keep Angerly in between the two of us. Another exchange like the one earlier followed, except this time the animal managed to dodge my ogre friend¡¯s attack, and punched her right in the stomach. She coughed and kicked him away, while I managed to tag the enemy again with my fire.


    The boxiall did the same leaping maneuver a couple more times, meanwhile I and Angerly shifted around to face him, always ready to counterattack. It was the best choice against an enemy that could travel far faster than either of us.


    We managed a few more good hits, and Angerly took damage in turn, until the boxiall decided to switch things up. The creature jumped into our range, but it did not immediately leave this time, instead hopping around in short bursts to get into a prolonged fight with Angerly, and it was a direct clash she was losing! I called on my mana and burned the monster some more, and the boxiall certainly howled in pain, but it wasn¡¯t enough to put a halt to its assault. I decided to draw my sword then, retiring my shield for the moment. I kept up my assault of flames until an opportunity presented itself, upon which I quickly dropped my wand and then landed a slice across the creature¡¯s chest.


    The boxiall roared and he whirled around to strike me. I instantly fell back, and so did Angerly strike and push away our opponent, but a fist still managed to nick my shoulder, causing an aching pain. The arm was still very much usable despite the damage, so I quickly dove back into the fray.


    I produced a new wand from my robe, aiming now for the boxiall¡¯s head whenever he got close. Even if my fire didn¡¯t do enough damage, disturbing the enemy¡¯s vision like this helped Angerly land more hits as the boxiall kept on weaving in and out of our reach. The eyes were also more vulnerable, being burned far easier by my flames than anything else.


    Angerly managed a really good hit during a particular pass of the monster, cracking a few ribs in turn. The boxiall flagged and contemplated running away, but he chose instead to commit, redoubling his efforts and minimizing evasion and defense.


    I hurriedly emptied the contents of my remaining two fire wands into him, setting the boxiall finally fully aflame instead of the mere embers that could easily be put out. When that still proved insufficient, I drew my greatsword again and came to the rescue of my ogre friend who was beginning to grow pained and exhausted underneath her plate armor.


    I charged, slashing into our opponent¡¯s flank, and this time I was able to avoid the boxiall¡¯s counterattack. I grinned just a little, keeping a closer distance than I did before, but still weaving in and out of range. I gouged out the creature¡¯s flesh and then dodged the retaliatory strikes with the slimmest of margins.


    I was far from successful all the time of course, and I suffered multiple punches to my arms that tore muscle and broke bone. But it was enough to give Angerly an opening as she surged forward and redoubled her attacks, using a final burst of energy to take down the hated enemy.


    Her mace came down on the boxiall¡¯s head. The monster stumbled once and that proved all the opening my friend needed to seize the initiative and strike again at the same place, repeatedly ripping off and fracturing the boxiall¡¯s face. I heard one particularly sickening crack, and I took the opportunity. My sword crashed forward, plunging into the creature¡¯s chest and skewering at least partway through its heart.


    I relaxed one moment too soon, I jumped away just a hair too late. I stupidly left myself open, and the higher-level monster made one final act, slamming his fist right at the center of my stomach.


    I coughed. The smell of iron filled my nose. I was pushed away by the force, and I just rode the momentum to fling myself further away from danger. Blood poured out of my mouth, and I knew that several organs had been crushed. I quickly took out another wand, this time of the nature element. My mind entered a calm incongruent with my currently bloody face. I noted my parents rushing over to help me, but I gestured towards them that I was fine. The images of a tranquil forest filled my imagination, and the environment responded to my desire and mana. Grass writhed, plants danced, and so did my wounds heal.


    I laid down to relax, my magic still working without pause. I turned my head and saw a slanted view of our enemy¡¯s body, crushed and broken underneath my friend¡¯s mace.


    That was fucking glorious. I told myself, once the haze of battle had left my mind, and I was finally able to celebrate once more.


    [Flutter Feet has reached Level 8!]

 Chapter 30: Moonwash Rising!

    I raised an eyebrow as Moonwash clambered out of the Harvester Home. She was clad in full plate armor, with thick gauntlets and guards around the limbs. She didn¡¯t leave herself nearly as exposed as humans typically were, sacrificing some of the benefits of our sweat for more protection.


    ¡°I will collect materials. You still suck.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. I wasn¡¯t that bad! I¡¯d been getting better at skinning and dismantling my kills¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I cheered, ultimately happy to have someone else do the chores. Me, Moonwash, and my parents went running towards the wilderness beyond!


    ~~~


    We found ourselves at a lake weeks later, stalking a crocodile lying in ambush. The animals started off at level 10, which meant they were already far stronger than the crocodiles of my planet.


    Moonwash prepared her spell, and then loosed an absolutely dense fireball towards our prey. The swamp water steamed as I immediately rushed into battle. The animal¡¯s hide was badly burnt, and I capitalized on the distraction to bash it on the head with my sword. Scales cracked, and I made another follow-up. The creature¡¯s head bounced from the impact, before it was finally able to jump and try to get a bite out of me. I dodged to the side and kept it away with the length of my sword. Its head was already profusely bleeding when Moonwash appeared from the side and sent an inelegant spray of fire in the crocodile¡¯s general direction.


    The beast was damaged by the heat, and it immediately sought retaliation. The crocodile clashed against her large tower shield, and I immediately slashed from the side to draw the wild animal''s attention back to myself. I and Moonwash kept up our assault in this fashion, making the crocodile unsure of who to even attack.


    It did not take long for the crocodile to beat a hasty retreat, but it was already way too damaged by that point, and Moonwash was ready to erect uneven pillars of earth to bar its path.


    I pierced through its already fractured skull a moment after.


    Moonwash eagerly pulled the carcass away to harvest for materials once the battle was over. She didn¡¯t even bother to take a break or even celebrate for a job well done.


    Her display earlier was essentially how she was in battle. Able to wield magic even more devastating than my own if she¡¯s allowed to take her time, but clumsy and a two-bit mage if thrust into a confrontation. Most of her recent training was about how to keep herself alive and separate from her opponents. It would be up to her teammate to take care of the rest.


    ~~~


    I laid down on the soft grass of our hill, happy to have a day to rest. I¡¯d done some light practice with the sword earlier, but I didn¡¯t intend to tire myself out like that today. Both Moonwash and Angerly would be joining me again out into the rainforests tomorrow, and I¡¯d been enjoying fighting as a party of three quite a fair bit. Angerly and I would take point, freeing Moonwash up to constitute big spells. Like how just the other week, we managed to take down a young armozard, something that started out with Level 20 Mutations. Moonwash made a deep mud pit, and I lured our target towards it. I had to swing across a vine my friend prepared beforehand with nature magic in order to escape out of the monster¡¯s grasp and not get thrown into the concealed mud pit myself.


    The earth cracked and gave way, the beast sunk underneath, and then Angerly and I slammed it with our weapons whenever it tried to claw itself free. My ogre friend¡¯s strikes were very noticeably more effective. Meanwhile Moonwash loosed earth magic every so often to bury the monster further and further.


    The fight ended with the lizard being suffocated, and then we had to do the grunt work of digging it out to get to its shell.


    At least we had magic to help, though it was only Moonwash since while I could use most common elements, I wasn¡¯t any good at any of them except for fire and nature.


    We did get some prime materials out of that hunt at least, since the shell was relatively undamaged. Mine and Angerly¡¯s attacks were mostly focused on limbs and the head.


    ¡°Haell.¡±


    Granuel¡¯s voice brought me out of my musing. He came to hang out, it seemed, and we both laid down on the grass for a precious little while as we talked about pointless things like the weather or how New Grandera was gathering more success. They certainly had my blessing in whatever it was they wanted to do.


    Granuel stood up at some point, finally ready to talk about what he came here for to begin with. He took out a wand, and I felt the presence of mana around him, solid and sturdy. It was his typical earth magic, but instead of pebbles that could just be thrown normally anyway, he lifted out larger pieces of rock and sent them flying away toward a nearby dummy. The dummy wasn¡¯t me. It was a wooden person-shaped thing meant for target practice. Granuel¡¯s attacks visibly dented it and tore away some chunks. Not a single one missed.


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    ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing magic. It¡¯s great, and I do like it. We could adventure soon! Although well, what I truly want is different¡­ but this is fine too!¡±


    ¡°I know, Granuel. Maybe someday.¡± I smiled sadly. ¡°Welcome aboard!¡±


    ¡°If I can¡¯t be my own merchant then I¡¯ll just do a damn good job of adventuring! Let¡¯s gooo!!!¡±


    ¡°Gooo!!! Wooo!¡± I cheered, before a sad smile came to my face. ¡°I¡¯d offer to do the same thing my parents do for your parents. Any of us who are able would do the same. Just have it in their name, but everything, the money and the land, it¡¯d functionally be yours¡­¡±


    Granuel shook his head. ¡°No. I¡­ Maybe? But I just¡­ I don¡¯t like it! And you¡¯re going to change things right? Kill all the shepherds and replace them with demons!¡±


    I barked out a laugh. ¡°That¡¯s certainly a fucking picture. But, maybe? The killing them part, though certainly not all. That would be genocide. And that¡¯s bad. I don¡¯t like their mind magic, and it¡¯s also passively active, in a way that maybe they can¡¯t turn off¡­ but I¡¯m not about to hunt them all down. No. Too far. Step too far.¡±


    Granuel creased his brows. ¡°So when you¡¯re as strong as God, you¡¯ll just¡­ let them go?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Granuel. That¡¯s a long way off.¡± I glanced at my status sheet, with most of the levels the high single digits. My heart and skin had reached level 10 in the few years I¡¯d been going out to adventure. ¡°Also, don¡¯t go blabbing about any of this. The demon stuff included.¡±


    ¡°I know Haell. They¡¯d kill and torture me.¡±


    I didn''t know whether to groan or laugh, so I settled for both. ¡°Jesus. That¡¯s fucking disturbing.¡±


    ¡°Jesus?¡±


    ¡°No one you need to know.¡± I waved him off.


    ¡°Well, okay¡­ so when are we going to go to war with the empire.¡±


    I sighed amusedly, explaining once again how none of these plans would come to fruition for decades more.


    ~~~


    Another one of us was finally to join in the adventures, but it was not Granuel. The boy was still being trained in a variety of things necessary for survival. Instead it was Therick, and he was the one walking in the lead today, holding his sword out, and twitching at every noise.


    A small insect buzzed nearby, and he quickly rounded on the creature, taking a defensive slash.


    I chuckled. ¡°Relax man. You¡¯d tire yourself out before the fight begins if you¡¯re that tense.¡±


    ¡°Nuh-uh. I was taught by your Dad to always be alert!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure he wasn¡¯t freaking out at every little thing whenever he was here.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Therick looked at Fiya and Baston who were escorting us today instead of my mom and dad. He was probably thinking that he wished it was my dad here with us instead.


    Well, it¡¯s good to have your heroes.


    ¡°Not being too tense is all well and good,¡± Fiya said, looking at me, Angerly, and then Moonwash. ¡°But there¡¯s a skog right there that you guys have not noticed.¡±


    ¡°Oh! It¡¯s kinda cute!¡± Angerly smiled brightly as she hefted her oversized mace that could crush the monster into paste.


    The rest of us also readied ourselves against the skog. It was basically a hairless dog-shaped monster with multiple layers of hide folded over each other that were extremely durable. It was born with level 10 mutations.


    Angerly eagerly met the creature, and she was able to stall it well enough because the skog wasn¡¯t built for offense, and it was sent staggering back and forth by Angerly¡¯s strikes. Although I did suspect that the monster was still fine, and wasn¡¯t actually taking as much damage as its movements would suggest.


    I and Therick caught up after Angerly, and we slashed out with our swords from both sides, mine being notably larger and biting deeper into our opponent¡¯s layers of skin.


    I immediately jumped back, but Therick was a slight step behind, getting hit by a shove of the monster.


    No harm done, he was just put off balance a little. He fell back a moment after.


    I dumped much of my fire mana into our opponent after that, setting its many sets of defenses alight. Therick jumped back in after I was done, and I stepped in the moment he hopped back. The skog was barking now, snapping its jaws threateningly and revealing the flat teeth within.


    The animal fled just in time for Moonwash¡¯s own attack. It was a bright shining fireball, nearly white, and streaked across the air to newly set our opponent alight. The skog howled in pain and fury as the much hotter fire burned at its extremities, gradually cooling down to a more manageable level, but not fast enough. That was what happened with the stronger fires, it did eventually cool down with only regular fuel and no mana to overcharge it, but the flesh stuff of the skog only made it more vulnerable.


    The monster continued its retreat, as much as it wanted to bite off our faces. Angerly gave chase right behind it, slamming the creature from the rear with her mace. Therick stayed near the side of the creature to harass it, meanwhile I took the opportunity to stay ahead and stab at the enemy whenever it pulled ahead too far from my group.


    Like this, it didn¡¯t take long for the skog to give a final howl of pain and collapse over, dead.

 Chapter 31: The Harvesters Assemble.

    Fount of Glory


    I walked across the streets with a pack of wands in my hand. I entered the ornate store, with my dad following behind. A cool breeze immediately greeted me inside, air conditioning ran by the company that dealt in the production of mana. I saw the fountans who made it all possible beyond the shop area, the crowd of them chatting and laughing together as refreshments were given and they were pampered in many subtle ways. The particulars of their work only involved that they place something near their hand, so that the mana that they produced may flow towards a valid repository.


    Dad came inside after me, and I followed him towards the counter. I handed the wands over to the human man handling reception, and Dad negotiated the price of our recharge. The service cost all in all a good amount of gold. It¡¯s part of the reason why I preferred to use my sword when I was able, but only a little! I didn¡¯t actually care, we were bloody rich! Spending too much would only matter if it actually affected our lifestyle. More practically however, we couldn¡¯t recharge on the field, so it was better to conserve mana.


    My errand over, I looked around the shop and the various other things on display. From wands on sale, to enchanted ink, there even were accessories that could presumably act as a wand. Those products ranged from all manner of things, such as gauntlets, belts, rings, bracelets, and more. What truly caught my attention however was a helmet with a unicorn-like horn spearing out the middle.


    ¡°Something you like?¡± Dad asked, fully ready to buy whatever I wanted. Really, they spoiled me way too much, and as much as I loved them, my parents would¡¯ve raised up a monster if it weren¡¯t for my otherworldly memories.


    Good thing I was born already an amazing person. A bullet dodged there.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Dad,¡± I humbly said. ¡°Just looking at things, pondering the possibilities.¡± So that I may later dump the work on Moonwash!


    I didn¡¯t know how much of a difference it would make, but considering how weird and metaphorical staves and wands worked, I¡¯d bet that a helmet with demonic horns would work wonders for myself, possibly even be as efficient as a straight-up wand!


    I continued to peruse the shop¡¯s gallery, when I found a fountan boy huddled in one corner, hidden by the walls and shelves. He didn¡¯t notice my approach, muttering a single word over and over as his only hand clutched desperately onto a tiny wand.


    ¡°Magic, magic, magic¡­¡±


    Hmm. I wonder what he wants? To¡­ cook? To wield the sword? To sleep!?


    A mystery. Truly. One only the greatest of detectives could ever hope to unravel.


    Jokes aside, it was obvious what the boy was trying to do. And as much as I wished to believe in the potential of people, I knew it was unlikely that he would ever succeed to even affect a single wisp of mana.


    I¡¯d heard all about it from Fiya¡­


    "That''s exactly the point! I like magic, it''s so fucking cool, but I cannot wield it at all! They don''t want me to. Because that''s the thing, isn''t it? Our bodies were designed to be this way. Our brains and our mutations. The ishkawtans were given slow and short limbs to go with their powerful senses and perception, traits that do not go well together at all. And by the same vein, us Fountans were given the mana-producing organ, but none of the parts necessary to actually wield it. Our brains were built to be in the moment and logical, but I cannot visualize shit. I can''t cast magic! I can''t perceive the mana! And why did they put the mana production gland in my right arm, robbing me of the hand that was supposed to be there!? Because they only want us to fulfill our role! The angels don''t want us to rise above our stations! They specifically and purposely made us to be their little resource pools. But god forbid, literally, that we use that mana for ourselves."


    Fiya wanted so desperately to wield magic herself, and why wouldn¡¯t she when it was just so cool? But the circumstances of her birth wouldn¡¯t allow for it. She was the opposite of talented in all forms of magic, and her ability to visualize things was incredibly poor. The angels who made her, willed it so.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I greeted the boy trying to do the impossible.


    ¡°Aahh!¡± He screeched, starled. I hurriedly clamped a hand over his mouth to silence him.


    ¡°Sssshhhhh. I¡¯m Haell, and I¡¯m here to help. Don¡¯t scream when I let you go, got it?¡±


    He stared at me, wide eyed, and nodded.


    I smiled back and removed my hand from his face.


    The fountan boy looked at me warily, but I didn¡¯t pay it any mind. Dad was at the end of the aisle, and I gave him a nod which he returned.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± I asked the boy.


    ¡°Merkan¡­¡±


    ¡°Hello Merkan. Now, were you just trying to do magic¡­?¡±


    He looked away without giving an answer.


    I sighed. ¡°Listen. I¡¯m not here to reprimand you. I¡¯ll tell you how unlikely it is, but pretty much everyone has told you that already I''m sure. And yet here you still are, trying to do the alleged impossible! I like it! Which is why I¡¯m going to help you.¡±


    He took a few seconds to process that. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Really.¡± I confirmed and demonstrated by grabbing his hand along with the wand. I did just as my mother once did for me, performing dual casting with another person in order to teach them.


    The element of choice here was water. Not something I was very familiar with, but it was the boy¡¯s own element, the mana he could naturally produce as a fountan, and subsequently use to recharge a wand meant to be sold and put on display. The products, of course, were already full, and someone might notice if he emptied it out. Not that he was ever in any danger of being able to do that¡­


    I might end up doing that though, now that I was helping. So I changed my mind, bought the wand, and then led the boy to a private booth in some nearby restaurant downriver, where I could also have a good meal.


    ¡°Now,¡± I said, guiding the smoothly flowing mana. Merkan tried desperately to sense it as I explained. I repeated to him the many lessons that my mom has given me on the subject. I talked about my own experiences and how I got to learn magic.


    He showed no progress in learning water at all, even after I gave him a long session of dual casting. But there were still other elements, and I was already invested, so I tried to get him to learn those as well. Predictably, nothing worked, no matter what I tried, and I started to get desperate. He had to be able to break past his limits, to surpass the confines of the angels and fulfill his dreams!


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    An inexplicable and strange desperation took hold of me as we continued the lesson. Merkan grew more and more uncomfortable with it all.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ I know it was silly. I know it now¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± I feebly protested. But I knew the truth. Fiya, a much older fountan, had told me of it long ago.


    And now I told the same thing, the same conclusions, to a boy whose dreams were on the verge of shattering. I clenched my fists as I explained, I ground my teeth when I saw the boy¡­ actually begin to relax, ready to give up.


    The effort I¡¯ve gone through, and you¡¯ll just give up? That¡¯s it? You¡¯ll accept your lot in life, and work as the angels want you to!?


    I grew progressively more annoyed as Merkan lost his enthusiasm. But I knew better than to say anything. It was probably the better choice, to not chase after the unattainable.


    I just fucking hated it.


    ¡°Well, I better go now,¡± I said, standing up from my chair. ¡°Call on me if you need more help alright? Learn magic and shit. I live on the hill down south. You¡¯ll know it when you see it.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Merkan forced a nod, but I could already tell that he had no intention of ever taking my offer.


    Perhaps in the end, the help that I offered was just as much for myself, as it was for the boy who dreamed of magic.


    ~~~


    Granuel was finally ready to join us in our adventures, giving us a full party of five. That was the standard party size, and I was quite fine with it. I wasn¡¯t quite as social in this life as I once was anyway, so I didn¡¯t have that many more people I wished to invite.


    We went into the forests, with Baston and Fiya as our escorts for the week again. We had long graduated from single-day excursions, which meant that we could finally spend the night out in the wilderness!


    It wasn¡¯t quite as fun as I first imagined. The lack of beds, the pests, the cold¡­ I wondered why I ever wanted to do this, but it was probably a good experience to have for the future.


    Doesn¡¯t mean I have to like it!


    Fiya led the way, and then gestured for us to stop. We came across a bear, which was a species here that typically started at level 20, depending on the species. I could kind of vaguely feel that kind of danger from it, though my level sense could still use a ton of improvement.


    The fountan woman charged at it, with Baston ready to intervene just in case. I gestured for my group to be alert too, and not let our guards down.


    Fiya got into the creature¡¯s range, and then dodged a large swipe that appeared to me only as a blur. She slammed her mace-hand on the creature¡¯s belly, and the wound not only bled but began to sprout the same vines growing on the woman¡¯s weapon.


    The bear roared, and then swiped again, but it was blocked by the shield Fiya held on her other hand. Another strike of the mace sent the bear reeling, its retaliations were forcibly blocked or dodged. For all the intentional flaws in the fountan¡¯s design and Mutations, they had more raw power to bring to bear than a human.


    The animal roared for the final time as its body was hugged from all sides by thorny vines. Fiya breathed deeply and then out, giving us a big thumbs up by the end.


    Thorny vines were hugging the animal from all sides when it finally collapsed and died.


    Too strong. I decided. I had taken the opportunity to observe a higher-level enemy in action, but the qualitative difference of level 20 was too much. Angerly could survive a bear for a time, given that she was higher level than the rest of us, but she wouldn¡¯t be able to hold it in place. At that point, the rest of us would fold quite easily, including me, and then Angerly would die as well, left by herself.


    I''d be hard-pressed to do enough damage, even with my unfair gear. The strength wielding it just wasn¡¯t enough, the sword couldn¡¯t be made too heavy lest I lose the ability to handle it.


    ~~~


    We fought our own battles after the encounter with the bear, and Granuel¡¯s place in the group was decided upon through trial and error. We took on some murdles, whom he was able to hit from afar with his rock bullet. The tankier bushpiders were hit with bigger boulders. And he relied on the vanguard''s stopping power to find an opportunity to hit tigers and other more evolved specimens. We could handle these stronger monsters quite a bit easier by now, just based on our sheer numbers.


    Our first day ended with little trouble, and I suffered the forest as we slept. We were arrayed around a campfire, sleeping on blankets and small pillows that we¡¯d brought. Our packs were steadily filling with only the best parts of our kills.


    I was asleep dreaming about whipping shepherds in hell, when someone¡¯s screams reached my ears.


    ¡°Everyone! It¡¯s an attack!¡±


    I recognized Granuel¡¯s voice and immediately bolted upright, glad that I had slept on my armor with only the helmet removed. That missing part was very quickly reinstated.


    Everyone else roused, and Baston gave us the go-ahead to take on this foe ourselves. I quickly learned that it was a nowl, when Granuel shot into the canopies, and then hit an owl-like creature. The donkey-sized bird made a keening noise, and then dove right for us. I met its talons with my sword, and we pushed hard at each other in a struggle that I barely won. Our opponent must be very high level, for a bird in flight to be able to match me in strength.


    ¡°Huddle together,¡± I called, stopping Therick from giving chase. ¡°Too fast. Flying. We can¡¯t catch it.¡± He nodded and we got into position, backs towards each other. Granuel and Moonwash held their shields up, while the rest of us flourished our weapons.


    Our surroundings grew more undefined, I felt weaker, a cold dread settling into my body.


    ¡°Fire!¡± Granuel commanded. ¡°Nowls have night magic. Fight back!¡±


    I was already exchanging my sword for my wand and buckler before Granuel could finish his explanation, and then I joined Moonwash who was shining a light around us. It warmed my body, and I gestured towards the campfire. I sent one a fireball towards it, to encourage the flames to burn brighter, after which we The Harvesters formed ranks around it. The weakening effect on us began to dissipate.


    Granuel used the added visibility to snipe at our target, getting a few glancing blows but nothing too serious.


    The nowl dove, and Therick was hit badly on his exposed shoulders. My allies here were generally wearing a lot less than their typical armor, having taken it off to sleep. The wild animal attacked once more, but Granuel shot it before it could land on Moonwash, letting the crafter girl block the bird with her shield in a desperate push from both sides. The night brightened and darkened repeatedly like a strobe light as my friend pushed away the night and tried to retaliate with clumsy but still effective bursts of fire.


    More shadows lengthened around the creature, and they whipped at the rest of us, but I drove away most of them with my own flames. Mana behaved strangely and in different ways when they overlapped, and so did their physical manifestations react differently depending on the stimuli. I¡¯d studied the subject well, and I knew fire was a good match, second only to light.


    The nowl tried to go after our chaperones next, but Baston easily backhanded it away. The bird got the message and went back to harassing us, but Granuel¡¯s constant barrage of bullets proved a sufficient distraction, and I capitalized once the monster picked me as its target.


    I slammed the shield into the beak, ignoring the raking of talons across my forearm. I shouted to press the attack, and did just as I said, bringing my roaring flames to bear. Darkness once again coalesced around my foe, fighting against my fire and putting up a good fight this time around as the two elements tried to consume each other. But I knew that night magic had very limited physicality, so I slammed my shield into the nowl again, pushing it back. It was hardly dazed, but the momentary distraction caused my flames to gain more ground.


    The monster screeched, willing the night to consume more of my flames. It finally tried to run away, but it was too little too late. First came a larger bullet of earth. Then the mace of Angerly followed before it could regain its balance, and then Therick¡¯s sword. We all converged on our foe, and ripped it apart limb from fucking limb. The nowl tried to fight back, but it was blocked by the surrounding press of bodies and the density of our weapons. The darkness that tried to kill and consume us was swept away by both the force of our strikes, and the flames maintained by myself and Moonwash.


    The nowl screeched at the unfairness of it all for the final time.

 Chapter 32: Show Your Horns.

    ¡°Happy birthday,¡± Moonwash said and handed me a gift. My fourteenth birthday was actually yesterday and she¡¯d also been there to celebrate it.


    I took one look at the alleged gift, and immediately snatched it from her arms. I mumbled a quick but loud, ¡°Thank You!¡± before I ran back inside the house to try it on.


    The helmet went over my head, I buckled the strap and stared at the mirror with a big goofy smile on my face. The helmet was round and fit enough to my proportions while still having room for growth. There were wild patterns along it, from ridges and designs made during the smithing process, as well as from the mana repositories embedded within, though most of the latter were on the inside. The crowning jewel of it all was a pair of horns, a magic focus fashioned from the genuine article once attached to a ribburn, a horned frog that controlled fire and healed faster in burning temperatures. It was Angerly¡¯s gift for my previous birthday.


    I looked like a genuine demon with my new gear. Moonwash knew me and my sensibilities well enough to make the horns appear like they were sticking out of the helmet and truly attached to my head underneath. An illusion, before it becomes a reality.


    I felt the vague presence of the focus already, growing stronger with every passing moment, as if in time with my increased excitement. I pulled on that disembodied magical muscle, and heaved the mana out of the repositories.


    Nothing happened.


    ¡°Nothing happened!¡± I repeated, out loud.


    Moonwash followed me inside, having taken her time to get here. She heard me loud and clear.


    ¡°It¡¯s empty.¡±


    ¡°Ooohh! Right!¡± I reluctantly took the helmet off and grabbed a wand from my belt. The fire mana was pulled out from it, and then deposited into Moonwash¡¯s new gift.


    This was a common process, though there was some loss to it. It was far more economic to have the repositories directly charged by a fountan.


    Even my brain, enhanced by my Reincarnator Soul Feat, wasn¡¯t the best at migrating mana. That boost wasn¡¯t really a major one in the grand scheme of things, and it only seemed huge relative to the power levels expected of a sub-level 10 Mutation.


    ¡°Done!¡± I exclaimed after a few long minutes. I was sweating by the end of it, moving mana was an exertion even if I didn¡¯t even activate it.


    I strapped the horned helmet back on, and felt the filled repositories shine like an orange beacon in my consciousness. I then willed the roiling fire mana to abandon their locked containers and meet the outside world.


    It was slow going at first, but the process became smoother as time passed. It first felt like a well-made prosthetic that just didn¡¯t move quite right, but by constantly shaping and briefly activating the mana, the motions settled into second nature once more.


    I completely forgot Moonwash¡¯s presence in the room. She eventually left as I was still in the throes of practice. Days turned to weeks, then months, I ended up taking less excursions outside the walls.


    It was all worth it when I felt that I finally hit my current limit, and I collapsed down on the soft grass of our lawn, trimmed and proper, maintained in part by nature magic. The helmet provided me with more than half my typical proficiency in wielding magic, compared to using a wand. It was frankly a ridiculous number, and Moonwash had confirmed with her own tests that anyone else using it would only be able to manage a fourth of their usual at best.


    There was compatibility to consider with these things, with magic. And the demonic imagery just screamed my name to the highest of heavens, and the lowest of hells.


    Now it¡¯s time to learn how to use magic while also engaged in a swordfight.


    I fumbled for my greatsword, and then resumed my relentless practice.


    ~~~


    I was back in the forest with my parents and my full party, after just another week of training. It wasn¡¯t actually that difficult to calibrate my magic to work simultaneously with the sword, as I had already been moving about while using wands, and sometimes even using a shield or a dagger to go along with it!


    Although¡­ using my helmet did feel quite a bit different than using a wand. The focus was in a different place, split into two parts, which required a different sort of attention, and I couldn¡¯t point it in a certain direction in the same way to help me in controlling the movements of my mana.


    It was nothing I couldn¡¯t handle in the end, and now The Harvesters were once again ready to brave the dangers of this place!


    ¡°Are you sure you can handle it?¡± Therick asked, as I approached a hiding rabbit. The kind with horns.


    I rolled my eyes at the obvious joke. A horned rabbit was no threat to me, especially one even weaker than normal if my burgeoning level sense was to be believed.


    I called on the fire mana from my helmet, and then burnt the bush that hid my prey. The horned rabbit reacted on instinct, causing the already burning plant to lash out with vines. The move ended up being oddly more effective than it would¡¯ve otherwise been, but I simply swatted the offending vines away, and they burnt themselves out soon after. I was preparing my mana in the meantime, and the retreat of the bunny was cut off by a burst of fire ahead. The animal hesitated like a deer in headlights, and those moments of indecision proved fatal as I dodged over the flaming bush and caught up. Another wave of flames cut off its next path of retreat, and that was the end. The cute little creature was skewered and mutilated by my oversized sword.


    ¡°Wow you¡¯re merciless!¡± Angerly laughed.


    ¡°She¡¯s always been like that,¡± Granuel nodded.


    Therick pretended to sob.


    Moonwash didn¡¯t say a word. She just crouched near the dead animal, in hopes that it may have survived¡­ Oh wait, nevermind. She¡¯s skinning it. Oh, now she¡¯s gouging out its eyes, dismantling every part for anything that may yet be usable and discarding the rest.


    I fought a murdle after that, one of those red violent birds. The fire brought it to a panic, it herded the monster¡¯s movements, and my sword brought the fight to a swift end.


    We searched for more prey after that, and I practiced on the weaker ones close to my level whenever we came across them. A bushpider¡¯s bush was set on fire, evidently not as flammable as a real bush, and the rest of the fight went as normal with me whacking on its head and occasionally falling back. Maybe the animal was a little angrier, but it hardly made a difference.


    I also got to take on a pack of four wolves by myself, and the flames allowed me to deal more damage as I remained in constant motion to not be caught out. I swiftly killed one by focusing my fire on it, and then going for the kill once it tried to flee. The other three took that as their opportunity to strike, clearly enraged. I couldn¡¯t shift my mana fast enough to meet them, and I took a few nasty claws in my own retreat.


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    I used my fire magic against another wolf, and then feinted going after him. The wolf took a hasty retreat, during which I charged towards the remaining two, and managed to get a good slash on both of them. I pulled away further, and the uninjured one followed, pulling ahead a bit too far from its brethren and into a position where I could kill it. Fire barred its way, and my sword dug into the torso right after, splitting flesh and breaking bone with a sickening squelch.


    One of the other injured wolves had reached me far faster than I thought it would, and I was barely able to raise my arm in time to guard against the bite. Its upper fangs were blocked by my gauntlet, but the ones at the bottom dug deep. I winced but kept moving. Fire splashed on my assailant, and I swung its body towards a nearby tree. My sword followed, ending its life.


    One left.


    The remaining one was warier, unwilling to let its comrade¡¯s deaths go unavenged, but not wanting to run away either. I briefly considered if this was how wolves acted on Earth, as an animal should have run away by now.


    Regardless, it was one more kill if the wolf didn¡¯t run away, and I was closing in on a full set of level 10 Mutations. Real combat should get me there faster, even if the benefit wasn¡¯t always apparent.


    I kept my distance, and then shot a fireball at my enemy. The wolf dodged, but not entirely, setting its flank newly alight. I walked closer, and doused it in more fire. I weaved around the trees to keep away as the wolf continued to burn.


    My magic failed, my helmet was out of mana. I allowed the wolf to approach then, and a single final slash ended its misery.


    We moved on from there after a quick lunch, until Dad gestured for us to stop. My mom walked ahead of the group and approached a green humanoid monster, their skin like one big pile of boils, blisters, and warts.


    ¡°A goblin¡­ This could be bad¡­¡± I resonated with her words, the creature made me feel uneasy in a very bad way.


    ¡°It could just be the one,¡± Dad supplied.


    ¡°There is never just one.¡± Mom dropped a flaming boulder on the creature. There was a sickening crunch and a splatter, her quarry clearly dead. But Mom was far from satisfied, as she followed it up with a tornado of flames that she swept over the entire area, setting much of the environment on fire, which she had to put out with water.


    ¡°A bit excessive, Mom,¡± I joked. My voice betrayed a nervous tilt.


    ¡°No, Haell. You know how goblins are, right?¡±


    ¡°They rape people?¡± Tales from both this life and another mixed into that accidental utterance.


    Mom blinked. She nearly tripped and fell. ¡°I¡­ what? No? I don¡¯t think so? Where the fuck did you even hear that!?¡±


    ¡°Mom! Language!¡± I burst out laughing. Mom gasped and blocked her mouth with her hands. ¡°I¡¯m kidding, Mom. I think¡­ I might have heard something about that. You know¡­ in the past.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Oh! We''ll talk about this later. If you don¡¯t mind, of course. But anyway! The goblins here are definitely not like that! They don¡¯t even have genitals, so why would they¡­ Uhmm, I¡¯ll not mince words, by the way. I think this is important to learn, specially if you¡¯re going to be doing this,¡± she gestured at the wilderness around us, ¡°as your livelihood. It¡¯s important that you know what you¡¯re up against.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mom.¡± There were similar choruses of agreement from the rest of my party.


    ¡°Before that. We should leave,¡± Dad said, and Mom agreed. Our excursion would be cut short it seemed, because they had to report the sighting of a goblin.


    ¡°So, goblins!¡± Mom said cheerily. ¡°They are the most wicked creatures upon the whole surface of Varyala, and I don¡¯t mean that in a figurative or metaphorical way. They literally have a Wicked Heart that produces wicked mana.¡±


    ¡°What does it do exactly?¡± Moonwash was the one to interrupt. There was an intensity to her gaze.


    ¡°It can affect people¡¯s emotions and their perceptions. It can be very similar to curse magic, but more¡­ narrow. It¡¯s also theorized that they can be used to enhance strength and overall power, same with curse magic. And it¡¯s so hard to get more information, because of how rare it is! Well¡­ for a certain definition of rare that is. The cursetecars that plague this stupid empire certainly have it, for a definition of having it. Their bodies are suffused with curse mana, and they have some innate applications of curse magic, but they don¡¯t have a repository for it or even an organ that produces it!¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s by the process of infusion,¡± Moonwash cut in, speaking just as fast. ¡°It typically requires a very long time for something to be infused with magic, but it seems to take a lot less time for curse magic, or those adjacent. We know this by the traces left by large goblin tribes, either through their mere presence, or through alleged goblin rituals.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes! That¡¯s exactly it! The cursetecars are a creation, the final creation of the Curse Dragon. The spell stays with them, infused into their very being and somehow passed on to their offspring! The Curse Dragon haunts us to this day, centuries after his death!¡± she didn¡¯t sound upset by that. Quite the opposite, even. ¡°Sorry, sorry. I got sidetracked. Back to goblins! The green bastards don¡¯t have repositories either, they¡¯re constantly producing wicked magic, and it¡¯s flooding into their bodies, twisting both mind and flesh, and eventually finding its way into their surroundings! It drives them to maim and to torture, to prolong the suffering of their victims, but not purely for indulgent reasons. That¡¯s how they reproduce, by depositing their eggs on their victims, and the suffering of the host adds to the strength and levels of the resulting goblin!¡±


    I hated to ask. But I had to raise my hand, and curse my mother for being so attentive and nice and accommodating for my curiosities! ¡°Uhmm¡­ how do they deposit the egg? Like, where does it come from?¡±


    The rest of my party were looking at me with shocked and incredulous expressions. Except for Moonwash, whose interest was also hopelessly piqued. An ally I can count on!


    ¡°The mouth. They vomit it out. At least that¡¯s the commonly held belief!¡± Mom began her explanation with a very smug air. ¡°But I know better! I¡¯ve had the opportunity to dissect one before, something you should absolutely never do yourself because their bodies are suffused with wicked mana, and that can really fuck with your head!¡±


    ¡°Wow! I can see that!¡± Therick joked, and I couldn¡¯t help but step on his toe. ¡°Ow! What gives, Haell!?¡±


    I glared at him with all the malice in the world.


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± he agreed then whispered ¡°Fucking mama¡¯s girl.¡±


    Mom saw the exchange, and patted my head. I leaned into it happily as she continued, ¡°What I found out in my study, was that goblins have viable tracts to excrete their eggs out of nearly any viable orifice. Which is more than what you would think!¡± Mom ignored our groans and gags, plowing through with the rest of her lesson. ¡°There are more factors as to the levels of the resulting offspring, such as the levels of the host, their sapience or lack thereof, and even for how much of the excruciating process they are able to remain alive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fucked up,¡± I said, almost in reflex.


    ¡°Oh it gets worse! Even when they¡¯re killed, their eggs are then able to produce more goblins from their corpse, albeit generally of the weakest variety.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you went the extra mile to eradicate every trace of that goblin¡­¡±


    ¡°Yep! You got it right, Haell! And now for the worst part of all!¡±


    What could be worse than a rapidly reproducing scourge?


    ¡°They¡¯re sapient.¡±


    Oh. That. Of course.


    ¡°But¡­ you just killed it, her, without warning¡­¡±


    Mom smiled sadly. ¡°That¡¯s right, Haell. And I¡¯m so happy you¡¯re the kind of person to be concerned about that. Even after all that I¡¯ve said.¡±


    ¡°I get they do bad things, and maybe most must be put down,¡± I spoke carefully, until I didn¡¯t. ¡°But there must be outliers! They¡¯re still individuals! And there will always be individuals that break off from the norm, good or bad! It¡¯s the freedom of life! It¡¯s free will, whether real or an illusion¡­¡±


    Mom took my hand into her own and crouched down to my level. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right, Haell. But I have looked, long and hard, and I have not found the good in them. Perhaps by no fault of their own, magic itself twists them to be wicked. But that does not change the reality. They are a grave danger that must be put down, and that¡¯s what we are going to do.¡±


    She kissed me on the cheek. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go though, when we fight. In fact, I''d rather you didn¡¯t. The effects of prolonged exposure to them can have on the mind¡­¡±


    It¡¯s not pretty. I finished.

 Chapter 33: I Want Kill!

    I was back in the rainforest. Just me, my dad, and Mom. They¡¯d asked me if I would like to take part in the eradication of the sapient goblins. There would be no judgment if I didn¡¯t go.


    ¡°I want to go, Mom,¡± I had told them. ¡°Not just to defend our home¡­ if I even care enough to do that. But I don¡¯t want to run. I want to go at the heart of the matter, and see things for myself. And then I¡¯ll kill them myself.¡±


    It had taken some convincing, but my mom could scarcely say no to me in the best of days, and my dad would always eventually, if reluctantly, follow.


    Which was why I now found myself treading through the wilderness, in search of my green and slimy prey. Wait, I haven¡¯t decided if they¡¯re prey yet! ¡­But they probably are, if I¡¯m being honest. I know that my mom isn¡¯t the bigoted sort, and the reasoning makes sense. I knew firsthand just how vividly magic can affect one''s perceptions and thoughts, but the goblins were different than the common monsters that could use magic. They didn¡¯t have a repository, the mana was in their blood, and there was no way to contain or limit exposure. I was just admittedly¡­ projecting a little, with my prior protestations. Oops.


    I¡¯m still absolutely certain there¡¯s at least one exception though, and I¡¯ll go find them someday!


    ¡°Oh hey look, a tiger!¡± I spotted one of the striped animals stalking us through the foliage. I begged my parents to let me fight it solo and not interfere, because I still wanted a better sense for how much stronger I now was with my new magical addition.


    ¡°Okay Haell, but be careful,¡± my dad reminded.


    ¡°Show us what you can do!¡± Mom tapped the demonic horns on my helm.


    ¡°Okay!¡± I grinned and ran off into battle. The tiger noticed my approach and pounced. It got a faceful of fire to its face for the trouble, unable to even land the attack it intended. A shallow slash followed, and the tiger turned and snapped its jaws in response. It wasn¡¯t even close to touching me, and another spray of fire crashed over it.


    I retreated into the trees as the animal chased after me in its rage. I made use of the fire to go after its face and interfere with its vision. I led it around and used my sword to deny its movements.


    We went through a whole circuit around the forest, and I took a few painful cuts, but nothing I couldn¡¯t power through. The worst wounds of the fight came when the tiger rushed at me, heedless of my blade as it bit into its face. The animal decided to trade the last vestiges of its life in exchange for maiming my left arm.


    I screamed and jumped away. The tiger walked after, limping, but I gave it no further chances for a surprise. A sustained stream of flames shot towards it, further burning its already charred and broken body. The animal could no longer dodge the attack, and it collapsed with a final haunting roar.


    ¡°Mom! I did it!¡± Not that I hadn¡¯t taken a tiger by myself before, but this fight went much more smoothly, except for the end when I forgot how desperate a cornered animal may become. Humans included.


    ¡°Haell! Are you okay!?¡± Mom quickly rushed over to my side and began casting. I lowered her wand and the flecks of light dissipated.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll do it,¡± I said and took out my nature wand. I looked at the forest around me, still on fire in some places, but it made it easy to get into the proper headspace.


    Of the beauty of nature. The involved quiet, and the encompassing peace among the constant struggle.


    ~~~


    Nature was dying. The forest was being destroyed by the goblins that we¡¯d found, just happily chopping down trees and burning the logs for no apparent reason. The torches they carried were used on each other just as much as they were used against the environment and those who lived in it.


    The chaos was almost too much to process. They preyed on each other, and any who showed weakness were tortured, so that new and stronger goblins may be born from their suffering. I understood that their abilities stemmed from this sort of carnage, but they also enjoyed it so fucking much.


    Turning away from the cacophony of blood and agony, I noticed that some of the plantlife here were just a little darker, a little more gnarled and twisted than I was used to. Some were withering, dying. The very presence of the goblins was twisting the world into a wicked visage.


    ¡°Hail, goblins!¡± I spoke in a clear, authoritative voice. They already pissed me off, but I came here to know of them, and to decide for myself whether they deserved to be eradicated or not.


    The only responses I got were malicious grunts and groans, uncaring for neither the tone nor content of my words.


    No, that¡¯s not it¡­ ¡°They don¡¯t understand Varyalan?¡±


    ¡°They can,¡± Mom corrected, casually putting an earthen bullet through three of the charging creatures, ¡°but rarely do they ever bother to learn a language. And they never have anything good to say, even when they do.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± I observed them some more, killing the few gobbers that tried to make it to me with my sword. They truly exemplified how Mutations were not created equal, I was just better with them in every way with presumably the same levels. Their rusted and ill-maintained weapons were easily swatted aside, only able to briefly overpower me sometimes by instinctively using their wicked mana, and rapturing their own muscles in the process. They had very little in the way of defense beyond that reckless offense. My sword bit deeply into entire lines of them, with an ease that wasn¡¯t there even with my usual lower-leveled prey, perhaps only superior to that of a horned rabbit. But they just kept going, uncaring, even as their guts fell out of their insides.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I answered their wish in kind, slaughtering, dismembering, and butchering them limb from limb to reveal more of the organs within, and to water the forest with their blood so that they may atone for all the young trees they¡¯d destroyed.


    I blinked, took a step back, and reevaluated myself. My parents were in front of me, holding back the worst of the tide.


    No, no, no. I¡¯m still supposed to be evaluating. When did I decide they were irredeemable?


    That surge of malice from myself earlier was a taste of wicked mana, far less obvious than other forms of magic, but even more dangerous to the psyche. And that was how goblins lived, every second of every day? Worse, even, as their connection to the mana was far far more insidious and direct.


    No, I doubted there were any sane ones among them. I¡¯d give the one good goblin a fucking medal and a kiss on their warty cheek, but I wouldn¡¯t act as if that¡¯s any of the goblins I encounter.


    I¡¯ll keep an open eye and an open mind, with the knowledge that all I¡¯ll see is the worst this world has to offer.


    Fire mana streamed from a spare wand towards my helmet, just to make sure I was running at full. I walked forward towards my parents who were holding back the worst of the tide of goblins, some among them with Mutations over the level of 10, taller than I was and clearly stronger even if the quality of their Mutations was among the worst for our size. But in a way that can be easily beat.


    ¡°You were right, Mom. I don¡¯t see any redeeming qualities here. There never was a chance for negotiation.¡±


    ¡°I wish I wasn¡¯t, Haell. Most people don¡¯t even recognize that they¡¯re sapient.¡± Her words were punctuated by a thin ray of water. It sliced clean through the bodies of goblins.


    I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not common knowledge. Even I didn¡¯t know about it. Grandpa¡¯s somehow never mentioned it in his endless rants.¡± I chuckled. ¡°People don¡¯t want it to be true, I guess. And the goblins aren¡¯t giving them a reason to think otherwise.¡±


    I hefted my sword up and met the crooked blade of a stronger goblin, one with a few Mutations level 10, presumably. I was pushed back, but I merely scoffed and redirected the blow, slicing into my enemy¡¯s neck afterward. The wound was lethal, and I only had to keep the wicked creature away for another few seconds.


    ¡°That was a sapient person. With all the richness of thought and imagination that it entails.¡±


    Mom shook her head. ¡°I wouldn''t go that far. I don¡¯t even know if ¡®sapient¡¯ is an apt description for most. Just that some could communicate and understand.¡±


    I walked ahead, into the fray, and my dad gave me a nod of understanding as cleaved widely and offered some respite to our front lines.


    I reached out with my fire mana as the goblins returned, in greater numbers now. There were small embers still scattered throughout the large clearing that they¡¯d made, and I beckoned to those within reach. Soon a fire was burning brightly in the dried remains of the forest, and I merely nudged that independent flame toward our enemies and away from myself. The goblins were damaged in droves, and I kept myself in between my parents, slashing at anyone who closed the gap. I stepped back whenever too many of them had gathered, picking them off individually during my retreat, and giving my parents the opportunity to sweep all those around us.


    I took care of the few more cunning ones who tried to circle around and hit us from the back or perhaps cut off our path of retreat. They weren¡¯t that smart in the end as I sent a wave of fire towards them and then hacked them apart after, spreading their entrails over the forest ground.


    ¡°Haell.¡± Dad spoke my name, sharply.


    ¡°What?¡± I snapped. It took a second for me to be shocked at my own tone. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    The man grunted. ¡°Do we need to retreat now?¡±


    I shook my head. I wanted to kill more goblins, and I wasn¡¯t sure how much of that was the wicked mana talking. But for the moment, I didn¡¯t mind indulging in the desire.


    A specially large specimen lumbered forward, about as tall as Mom though definitely less bulky. She actually survived a single hit from Dad with her makeshift club, but the following strike chopped her head clean off. More of those even stronger variants came after the first one, and I stayed well enough away from them, knowing that they were two evolutions ahead of me even with a weak level sense. At least, that was true for some Mutations. The theory of level equalescence did not apply to goblins, for some reason. Not that it was a rule followed by all, only a very common and general trend.


    I hung further back, using the last reserves of my fire mana to hurt the green menace, and then hunted the more numerous ones trying to box us in. Mom also sniped quite a few of them when I couldn¡¯t keep up.


    The atmosphere lightened, and a weight that I didn¡¯t even know was there was suddenly lifted. I grinned and rushed off to battle with even more vigor than before, but my mom grabbed me into a clumsy carry. Both her and Dad broke away into a run, just as things were starting to look on the up and up.


    ¡°That¡¯s our cue! We better run!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I voiced my confusion, but received no response as we fled. I scanned over our enemies who were still chasing after us with a violent passion. There was a particularly tall goblin among them, about the same height as Mom, carrying a staff with many bags tied to it, and surrounded by a thick miasma. He pointed it at a goblin shorter than I was, the oppressive smoke enveloped him, and then the critter dashed after us with a speed that I had never seen on something so low level before.


    Mom waved her staff, and the goblin was tossed away by a strong gust of wind. Its body detonated in mid-air, in a sickening explosion of flesh and bone. The detritus left behind seemed to suck the life out of the plantlife it struck, and the one squirrel that was skewered by a shard of femur.


    The goblin mage moved unhurriedly, pointing his staff at me and my mom next. A second passed and then another before my mother took an abrupt left turn. The sudden movement put me off balance, but I still felt the massive chunk of mana that just passed right next to us. My vision caught up a second later, and I saw a bolt of smoky darkness hit an unfortunate tree instead of its rightful target.


    The bark both withered and chaotically grew. Roots climbed out of the ground in a way that threatened to make the tree fall, and branches swayed as if with purpose before snapping themselves off.


    The scenery blurred as our rapid travel continued. Dad settled in beside us after I¡¯d lost track of him for a short while. I looked back and found that I could no longer see the goblin who wielded magic, nor the place where we did battle.


    ¡°This is worse than we thought,¡± Mom muttered. ¡°There¡¯s a goblin shaman among them.¡±

 Chapter 34: Goblin Siege.

    I stood right behind the fence separating the tree wall from the rest of town. With me was my full party, The Harvesters.


    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s win this!¡± Angerly announced, hefting her massive mace up.


    ¡°I doubt any will even reach us,¡± Therick countered. ¡°They¡¯ve got an entire army out there. Adventurers, guards, templars.¡±


    ¡°That might have happened. If you didn¡¯t just jinx it, that is.¡± I grinned, positioning myself just behind Angerly, who was a whole level above us.¡±


    ¡°Well, I hope they win¡­¡± Therick muttered under his breath.


    I glanced at the templars serving in the rear line and chuckled. The stronger ones were here, instead of actually being out there in the frontlines. From their white fabrics and armor, to the unrelenting silence of most of their members, and the shepherd that checked on them every so often; I had my suspicions that some mindfuckery was going on there.


    Actually, I was sure of it, because I asked Grandpa. I loved that man and his propensity to dish out all the state secrets. Magnificent.


    Granuel was excitedly checking on his pile of rocks and boulders, meanwhile Moonwash was with my mother, showing great interest in her big paintbrush that was like a broom. My mom carried a blood-like ink that glittered in various shades of brown, which she would use later to draw rituals on the ground. It wasn¡¯t something she could prepare in advance because the ritual would rapidly lose power once it was finished, it had to be used immediately. Deliberately drawing it slowly or leaving it unfinished was a poor option as well, the end result would just be so weakened, you might as well just have casted a spell manually. The magic responded to attempts at cheating like that, and it was not pleased.


    I observed the rest of our battle line. The guards and adventurers gathered here with us were typically the lower level ones, as the others were towards the front instead or up on the tree wall. The adventurers gathered into individual parties, protecting only a set point just like my own party. Guards were more organized, lining up and forming a wall of spears and shields. The templars¡­ hung back, occasionally giving orders and being very helpful.


    We had only a small contingent of actual soldiers, the handful that were sent here in response to the news of a goblin horde.


    ¡°Ready yourselves!¡±


    ¡°The attack has begun!¡±


    ¡°Red! RED!¡±


    ¡°Nearly a dozen Reds, and an entire horde besides!!¡±


    The shouts came from above, and they reached all the way down here. The goblin horde was lured to this place, to be fought on favorable ground. Even if that ground were to be the homes of so many people.


    That was what the tree wall was supposed to be about. Originally planned to be both settlement and staging ground, most of the belfegors would be made to live there, and thus forced to participate in the defense no matter what. What the tree wall had become however, was something that had truly gone out of control in the eyes of the state, and I was sure that this horde, concentrated on this single southern point of invasion, would not be able to break it either.


    Long minutes passed, we felt the vibrations and the tremors, the shouting and the sheer energy of the situation reaching us from here. But we could still scarcely see anything with the trees blocking our view, the battle was beyond our sights.


    And then the first goblin showed herself, stuck on a dozen vines. She was easily shot down from above, but another soon followed, stepping over his fallen comrade¡¯s body and instead getting ensnared in a different trap, a plant with a mouth that chomped down on him.


    More goblins soon followed, and they triggered different traps. From spears launched out of trees, to flowers that poisoned, bewildered, and confused. The green people attacked each other, more so than they usually did. Pit traps and more mechanical contraptions opened underneath the ground. Whole boulders were dropped from above. Bushes spewed acid. Large peanuts exploded like grenades.


    The goblins died to our defenses. They weren¡¯t a very resilient army, with most of them being naked and the other half wearing only roughshod, ill-sized, and damaged armor. But they were relentless. A menace. For every one that was killed, two more popped in their place. The corpses piled up, and they were only used as a foothold for the rest.


    The horde got closer to our perimeter. I could feel the whispers now, of violence, and of carnage. Torture and the ecstasy of it all!


    Wicked, wicked desires that oozed off their very bodies, warped and misshapen by their own vicious hearts.


    It was harder for me, I reckoned. These sort of desires existed within me, I¡¯ve indulged in them. There was just something that existed within my soul that begged to be released in the same way that the goblins indulged themselves.


    But I was more than that. Greater than my impulses. I braced myself and shouted to my party, ¡°Brace! The enemy is upon the doors, and we will not let them pass!¡±


    ¡°YEEAAAHHH!!¡± I got a response, not just from my party, but from the people nearby too, even those atop the trees. It was a line I¡¯d always wanted to say, in a proper setting with the proper stakes, and god did it feel good to say it!


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    My mom looked over at me approvingly, albeit a bit worried, and I blushed just a little. But I did not let it distract me from either my excitement or my focus.


    The green menace drew closer, already battered and broken from our armies, but still unrelentingly pushing forward. They were clawing at the fence now, but a buried plant at their feet was repeatedly pulsing its thorns laced with venom, and the goblins died gripping at the boundary.


    I nodded once to Angerly, and she moved forward at my command, crushing and pushing away those at the front lines.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them pass! Push them back!¡±


    I followed my own advice, and then took the sword to the goblins. They were cut down where they stood, and then nudged to fall further away. My fire mana roared, connected to me through my horns, and burning off the greenskins at critical junctures, preventing them from crossing the fence. I dug my sword into the chest cavity of one, swinging them away and towards another unsuspecting goblin.


    My team followed my lead. Granuel used both magic and his free hand to toss large boulders at the enemy. Moonwash went to the front lines and sprayed them with sharp gusts of wind while hiding behind her tower shield.


    Therick was moving around, slashing and killing goblins at his perimeter, meanwhile Angerly was swinging her mace wildly, as she was the one best suited to this situation. Multiple goblins were tossed and battered by each of her attacks.


    Stronger goblins were among them too, but weakened and softened by the traps and our whole armies, my power and that of my friends were more than able to finish them off.


    A hobgoblin made it to the fence, a yellow alert, with a few level 20 Mutation. I commanded my full party to descend upon the vile monster. I slashed at the sapient being, finding lesser purchase into its flesh than I anticipated, but that only inspired me to hammer away at it more.


    ¡°Moonwash!¡± I shouted her name, when the goblin reared back for a strike. She braced herself behind her shield, and the combination of the monster¡¯s wounds, and its poor angle with the fence in the way, allowed Moonwas to only be tossed back and lightly injured. She was back on her feet only a second later as Angerly repeatedly bashed on the large goblin¡¯s head, being the only one who could reach from our position. Therick worked on the creature¡¯s legs, slowly cutting through them, and failing that, putting the hobgoblin off balance.


    I poured all of my helmet¡¯s mana into burning the foe, splashes of fire descending on it from above, and Granuel took the opportunity to haul up a rock as big as he was, and then painstakingly toss it over to our enemy.


    The goblin toppled, not yet dead, but it could not lift up the rock with how weakened it was, so we left it to eventually succumb to its own injuries.


    Wood splintered, and a piece of fence beside us toppled whilst we were busy with a different enemy. The goblins got through, and I quickly sent Angerly to plug the gap while the rest of us returned to position.


    I elected to use Therick¡¯s help for the moment, donning my shield to interrupt the goblins, while I worked a wand in my other hand, bringing the mana toward my helm.


    Therick executed my request well, and soon we were in a rhythm of him hanging back just behind me while I defended, and he struck whenever a good opening presented itself.


    A level 10-ish goblin got in range, and I was pushed away by his club. Therick used that opportunity to slash at its torso, the monster succumbed to its plethora of wounds. Another goblin tossed a dagger, and I swiftly blocked it, saving Therick from facial harm. He retaliated against the monster by slitting at its throat and then pushing it away.


    The rest of the line did its best too, but the goblins were not totally mindless, and Angerly was beginning to be pressured from her position. Another gap opened in the fence, and I chose to face that one myself, with my magic helm fully charged, and a greatsword held aloft.


    I slashed at the tide of bodies, I burned them and pushed them away. An axe was thrown at me, and I shifted just enough to dodge. A hobgoblin stumbled inside, and I slashed at its face, keeping a wide berth from the creature as I worked on killing other less tanky goblins. The hobgoblin died soon after, by my mother¡¯s intervention, who had been enforcing a line just beside us. She was really here just to babysit us after I¡¯d begged to be part of the defense, and I felt no resentment for the fact. Only gratitude, especially now.


    The wave of enemies had reached a new high, and the corpses left in their wake were stacked just as far. High enough to be climbed over, and exit towards the other side of the fence.


    There were more hobgoblins among them, unable to be killed by the spent traps or the people up on the trees. Their help was the only reason really why things had been so easy thus far, but I feared things were about to get far more dangerous soon.


    I saw Mom look over at us worriedly, she was about to give a command. I knew what she wanted, what must be done, and I said it before she could.


    ¡°Retreat!¡± My voice was only loud enough to be heard by my teammates. My mom gave an approving nod, though part of it really, was just that I wanted the call to be my own. To be my party¡¯s. Instead of just being told what to do by the adults.


    Meaningless. Inconsequential. Petty. But I could see the acceptance from my group, and I knew that they too would¡¯ve been at least a little bit miffed, if someone else had made the call. Even if that someone was close to me, to us, someone that I loved.


    The Harvesters deserved to make their own choices.


    We left just as planned, leaving the frontlines and heading towards the part of town that had been evacuated. We found a proper house, and then climbed all the way up to its roof to get a better view of the fighting. Because of course we¡¯re staying close enough to watch and spectate til the end!


    We were far from the only ones with the same intention. The area that should''ve been empty were instead full of small pockets of people. From those hiding in nearby alleyways, or perched on rooftops like us. There was predictably some looting going on, but less than one would think. The Angelore Empire wasn¡¯t really bad at maintaining order.


    People were confident in our ability to defeat the enemy, which was why they were even here. Only now were some of the bystanders beginning to peel away.


    The goblins crossing the boundary was a wake-up call to stop being stupid and run.


    ¡°You should go with them,¡± I told my friends.


    ¡°Would you?¡± Therick asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I wanna see!¡± Angerly enthused.


    ¡°It is interesting,¡± Moonwash stated.


    Granuel got some rocks from his pouch. ¡°I could still do something from here.¡±


    I lowered his hand. ¡°Maybe later. But let¡¯s just watch. Don¡¯t draw more attention to ourselves.¡± We are already too close just to get a better view.


    ¡°Okay!¡± It really doesn¡¯t take much to convince him¡­


    [Adrenaline Gland has reached Level 10!]

 Chapter 35: Spread of the Wicked

    The battle raged on below us. Goblins kept on streaming through, and the templars were forced to take part, after just waiting in reserve for most of the battle.


    The paladin among them shouted some orders, someone in more ornate armor lined with gold. He was supposed to be over level 40, I was pretty sure.


    The rest of the templars followed the order, bunching together into one unit, each armed with a shield and either a sword or a mace. Most of them were humans, with some ogres and centaurs mixed in. I knew their levels typically ranged from ten to twenty, more skewed towards the latter given their experience as warriors who braved danger¡­ sometimes.


    They were really good at staying alive if nothing else. They advanced as a group, systematically dismantling the goblins in their path, descending upon a few at a time while the rest brought their shield up to protect their group from every other angle. The movement was practiced, and I noticed how they left no gaps, even when there weren¡¯t any enemies nearby.


    The column of specialized soldiers was effective, if a bit inefficient. A woman who was attacking got her shield grabbed, and then pried off just enough for a hobgoblin to hit her in the head with a mace. She staggered back, and the other templars quickly pulled her back as another took her place. Light magic was used to heal the wounded templar and soon they were advancing again, tearing into the offending enemy with sword and mace, before advancing even further and putting more creatures to their slow-moving grinder.


    There was one Templar not among them, and it was the one who was a paladin. He was walking casually by himself, easily slashing at the enemies that barred his path. One hobgoblin refused to fall to a single sweep, and he looked at the bleeding creature with utter contempt. The paladin kicked the monster, stepped on it, and then took one too many stabs at its head.


    He kept walking afterwards as if nothing had happened. Someone about as strong as my parents, but somehow above it all.


    Speaking of my parents¡­ I could see that my mom was doing fine, actually using a spear instead of her staff to conserve on mana. She uncharacteristically stayed in the same spot, only moving a little for incredibly tight dodges, and then stabbing all comers, using their own momentum against them.


    Who I worried for however, were the people not here. My dad, Baston¡¯s parents, Luine and Salaire. They were at the front lines, and that things were this bad here did not bode well for our vanguard.


    Something lumbered from beyond the trees. A creature of green made itself known, larger than any that had come before. I knew it to be a goblin lord, a goblin that had reached the level of 40 in some of its Mutations but not capable of magic in the same way a shaman was. It walked like a gorilla, with misshapen large arms. The creature walked through the traps, suffering countless wounds but I figured they were superficial. Tied to its chest and protected from the rain of projectiles above was a goblin shaman.


    She brandished her creepy wand, and those among the trees began missing more of their attack. It was hard to see from my vantage point, but the movements up there seemed more frantic and confused. One belfegor woman even ended up falling, only to be promptly crushed by the goblin lord upon her landing.


    The duo of monsters got past the fence easily, barreling through the reinforced construction like it wasn¡¯t even there. I saw a shadowy mist expand from the shaman, rapidly spreading through the air. Something clicked in my mind, and I understood what a goblin shaman¡¯s magic was all about. They made use of the wicked mana naturally excreted by their fellow goblins, big or small, dead or alive. Something that should be incredibly difficult to do, but these nigh mindless beasts had managed it. The goblin shaman here had just activated the previously directionless wicked mana floating through the air.


    Chaos ensued. The adventurers who were generally fighting as separate parties began turning on each other, even their own teammates. A crustecar barreled through their former teammates, taking an awful lot of punishment and disrupting the battle lines. A human man plunged his sword into a kobold friend¡¯s mouth. A human woman hid behind a shield, fending off a hammer and an axe from her ogre allies, only for a goblin to slice at her legs, causing her to fall off balance and succumb to those that had long accompanied her.


    The mental effects were only the start of it, however. Our defenders began to falter, their bodies weakened, and suffering grave damage judging by the vomited blood. And the vomitted vomit.


    Mom!


    I quickly scanned the crowd for my mother, and found her to be pretty much fine. She had switched to using her staff, and was keeping her distance while she hammered away at the goblin lord with a strong and consistent gust of fiery wind, interspersed with rapidly freezing waves of water and massive boulders. Luine had somehow found her way here, and was engaging the goblin lord from the sidelines, dealing upon it a thousand cuts. I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯m speaking metaphorically. It¡¯s hard to follow how many attacks she actually manages to land. Although few of them bit very far into our enemy.


    Therick suddenly grabbed my arm, he spoke with a furious expression.


    ¡°You wanted to watch! You¡¯re always like this, pulling us into danger! What if I shove you headfirst there!? Would you enjoy that!??¡±


    I blinked, my mind having trouble processing the words I was hearing. My answer came before my brain had even caught up to the situation. ¡°Fuck off! You could¡¯ve just said no, you twit! Tell me that isn¡¯t awesome!¡±


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    I gestured towards the miasma that obstructed our vision. Blood, gore, and violence still plenty visible, only distorted. A few wisps of the magic must have reached us from up here.


    ¡°It¡¯s not awesome,¡± I mumbled, getting up and walking away. I found my footing unsteady, I felt sick. ¡°Everyone, stay calm. Focus on me. Focus on our retreat.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± Angerly snapped. ¡°Look at all that! It is amazing! I¡¯m staying to watch!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Snapping at them will only have the opposite effect. ¡°No,¡± I repeated, softly this time. ¡°The wicked magic. It reaches us. Twisting our minds. We need to get away, and we need to keep calm while doing so.¡±


    The rest of my party took a few moments to think that over before wordlessly following my lead. We grabbed onto ledges and windows, carefully making our way down, until finally I stood on unyielding ground. I communicated to the rest of my party with a nod, but before I could make any more distance, I felt the weight and the attention of the world itself upon my shoulders.


    I looked back at the battlefield. I had to. I could not conceptualize doing anything else in that moment.


    My mom had drawn a full ritual circle, adding some final touches with her oversized brush. Luine tried to target the shaman, but she finally got hit by a retaliatory strike, sending her careening back. She was barely able to avoid getting grabbed. Salaire then dropped from the canopy and held on, getting battered as she squeezed on the towering goblin¡¯s neck. Her white coat was quickly being dyed red, hardening further. So did her wounds heal at a visible pace.


    ¡°Fissure¡¯s Feast.¡±


    Mom spoke the words, it echoed unnaturally into our very minds. The ritual that she drew began to evaporate into a wild crackle of energy.


    The ground shook.


    Salaire hurriedly separated herself from her prey. She was caught in midair by her wife, and pulled to safety. A gaping fissure then opened up right underneath the goblin lord, and he fell along with the shaman he carried. The crack on the earth then rapidly ground to a close, but the goblin lord managed to toss the shaman up, right at the ledge.


    The paladin from before barred its way, and he plunged his sword into the goblin''s arm, sending the utterly dangerous enemy tumbling back from whence they¡¯d come.


    And then the earthen mouth closed entirely, crushing those that remained within.


    I could almost hear the planet burp.


    ~~~


    The miasma cleared. The mana was still there, but it had become dormant again upon the shaman¡¯s death. It was still a danger, of course, but not nearly to the extent that it was before.


    The fountans were called upon, to point their mana founts at the problem, and dilute the wicked mana with their own. This would take a while.


    Wounds were being tended to, the attacked sections of the tree wall were being quarantined for the time being, and I saw my dad arrive from afar, towering over his peers.


    ¡°Dad!¡± I came running, and the rest of The Harvesters followed after me. Granuel made a similar shriek, gunning for his own parents just behind my own.


    I crashed into my dad and the man smiled, patting me on the head. I noticed how his armor was damaged, and he had some new scars over his arms and legs. Healing magic typically couldn¡¯t heal entire limbs so he didn¡¯t lose them, but scars only appeared with the most grievous wounds or those left out for too long.


    Mom, Luine, and Salaire caught up to us afterward, and we were filled in about what happened in the front lines. There were apparently three whole shamans in the group, alongside all the goblin lords, which was why the defense went as badly as it did. Those monsters were over level forty in at least some Mutations, and other than the Piss Hunters, there were only a handful, if that, with the same sort of levels on our side.


    ¡°The wicked mana will stay there. It persists far more than other types of magic, no matter how we dilute it. Curse stuff typically does¨C¡±


    Mom was explaining some technical magic stuff when a bright idea crossed my mind.


    ¡°What if we infuse it into a weapon? Make something cool!?¡±


    Mom cackled at my suggestion. ¡°That¡¯s a good way to think, Haell! But cursed weapons are typically more trouble than they¡¯re worth. We¡¯re actually sweeping away all weapons from the site, and perhaps quarantining the wall on this side. This tree wall project was weird to begin with, mostly started for more resources, but fewer would have died if we had a proper wall instead¡­ though I do like their vibes. Eh, overall win, but now they''ll have to put up a proper wall. Goblin attacks are bad enough by themselves, but the aftermath¡­ fucking hell.¡±


    ¡°I want to do it. I want to make a cursed weapon.¡± Someone was on my side. None other than Moonwash!


    Mom shook her head. ¡°This concentration is bad. It will cause chaos for the town, and damage our structures. Twist them. But it¡¯s not actually enough for the formation of a cursed weapon. Or at least, the chances are low.¡±


    ¡°What about the staff of that goblin shaman?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Mom sighed. ¡°You kids are way too clever for your own good. We destroyed them, of course. At least that¡¯s the official story. Who knows, in reality? I know that at least some of the shepherds keep them in secret.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ should you be telling us this?¡± Therick asked.


    Mom waved him off. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine! Anyway, I¡¯m guessing you want to try and wield wicked magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s interesting. I also want to make cursed weapons by harnessing it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s rare, very rare, for someone to be able to even wield it. Even among goblins, think of how much more lords were among them, compared to shamans. And the few cases that we¡¯ve had¡­ well, most of them went insane, or rebelled against the empire.¡±


    ¡°Same thing far as they¡¯re concerned,¡± Luine chimed in.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Mom simply agreed. ¡°Don¡¯t let me discourage you though, Moonwash! Follow your dreams! Just know that it¡¯s difficult, and it will most likely drive you mad, along with anyone whoever wields your weapon.¡±


    I snorted. That was probably highly irresponsible advice, but I loved it. Moonwash would not stop talking about it and the many possibilities, so I took it that she liked the advice too.

 Chapter 36: Basement Dwellers

    ¡°Hey, are you sure this is a good idea?¡± I asked Moonwash as we descended the very long spiral staircase leading to my house¡¯s basement. I could just feel the rock all around us, heavy and oppressive, about to collapse and crush me at any moment. But I also knew that wouldn¡¯t happen, the earth was packed so tight here that it may as well be as tough as diamond.


    ¡°Mahka told me I could come here and take whatever I wanted.¡± Moonwash said, referring to my mother.


    ¡°Well, she did¡­¡±


    I followed her down until we came upon a massive room that I could only liken to a colosseum. The edges were lined with tables, crates, and shelves filled with a wide variety of things, but in the middle was just a wide open space with the occasional splatters of blood. How the fuck did we get away with owning this big of an underground? There weren¡¯t even any pillars, relying instead on just how tightly packed the earth was!


    Once there, I kept on following Moonwash, as I was unaware of where most things were kept here anyway. It just kept changing, and while interesting, I didn¡¯t really have the time to keep up with the mess Mom makes of this place.


    I and Moonwash walked along the wall until I saw something interesting.


    ¡°Oooh!! I found it!¡± I grinned and grabbed the wicked-looking dagger hidden behind a pile of books. Immediately, I lurched, feeling sick to my stomach and vomiting out a mouthful of bile as I wanted nothing more than to kill. I didn¡¯t even know why I was here instead of being out there where there were so many more people to slaughter, but I just got the perfect weapon to stab my friend with, and she just gave me the perfect excuse for it! I just had to hide the body after, maybe even burn it! Finally, I could have my revenge for all the times she¡¯d shown off just how much she was better than me. I knew that she knew what she was doing the entire fucking time, and nobody else fucking realizes it!


    I grabbed her shoulder and looked into her bland eyes. They mocked me until the very end. I clenched my teeth and raised the dagger to her chest.


    ¡°Haell. Calm down. Don¡¯t kill me.¡±


    ¡°I am calm!¡± I growled. The incongruence of my words to my actions was obvious, and I nearly laughed at the irony. It was the sort of behavior I¡¯d hate and make fun of.


    I staggered back. I still wanted nothing more than to kill my friend right now, but she was indeed my friend. Why would I want to kill a friend? That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯d never wanted to do that before.


    ¡°So this is a cursed weapon. Haell, you need to let go of it.¡±


    ¡°No! It¡¯s mine!¡± I shouted, feeling a surge of possessiveness.


    ¡°It¡¯s not. It¡¯s your mother¡¯s, remember?¡± Moonwash calmly replied.


    She¡¯s right. Something was wrong. I realized that bow. I knew that I could be sentimental and possessive of items sometimes, but very rarely. I¡¯d never seen this one dagger until now, so why did I want to hold on to it so much¡­


    I dropped the thing for just a moment, placing it on a nearby table just to see if anything would happen once I did so. I staggered back, nearly falling on my ass as my thoughts immediately began to clear. No, I didn¡¯t want to kill Moonwash. Of course not!


    Horrified at my actions, I turned back to my good friend and apologized. ¡°Fuck! Shit! I don¡¯t know what came over me, I¨C¡±


    ¡°I will kill you,¡± Moonwash said. Now she was the one with the dagger, and the weapon was pointed right at me. ¡°You tried to kill me. I was so scared.¡±


    She still remained expressionless, so it was hard to tell, but of course she¡¯d be afraid after that. The older girl was also higher level than I was with most things at this point, and so I had to scramble away once she started attacking me.


    Thankfully, Moonwash had no fucking idea what she was doing, so I was able to judge everything with relative ease despite the gap in physical power. I deliberately ran towards a pile of crates, and then dodged at the last moment, causing Moonwash to stick the dagger into the wood.


    I slammed my fist down on her right arm, finally separating it from the literally cursed dagger. I tackled her afterward so she couldn¡¯t try and grab it back. My friend¡¯s mind was still in turmoil, so I felt her fist impact into my back a couple of times, hurting me, and even causing me to cough out a bit of blood. Thankfully the angle was really poor, and again, Moonwash had no fucking idea what the fuck she was doing.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she finally whispered. It had been a few seconds since the last attack. ¡°So that¡¯s what cursed weapons are like and why Mahka told me not to touch them.¡±


    I got off her and sighed, leaning against a nearby shelf. ¡°Yes! Fucking hell, this was stupid. We could have killed each other.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she repeated herself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I took a deep breath and sighed again. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m as much to blame as you are. I¡¯m very very sorry too for my actions.¡±


    ¡°I forgive you. You didn¡¯t actually attack me, despite trying to. I think I hold more blame.¡±


    ¡°Nah. I just have a better idea of who I am. I have the advantage of a whole entire lifetime to have solidified my sense of self.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Moonwash asked, confused. ¡°I¡¯m older than you, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the mind. Like, mentally and shit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m smarter than you are.¡±


    ¡°Wha¨C¡± I choked and coughed upon her words. ¡°What the fuck, Moonwash!?¡±


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    ¡°Sorry. I realize now that my words might have sounded rude. But I really don¡¯t understand what you mean, because I think I¡¯m better than you are in general when it comes to mental things.¡±


    I nearly fell into another coughing and sputtering fit, but I took a deep breath and let it all out. Moonwash was just being honest about what she thought, and none of the social cues ever came to her instinctively, even if she understood. I also respected brutal honesty a great deal, so that¡¯s fine. My friend only spoke from her perspective, it didn¡¯t mean that she was right.


    ¡°There are many different kinds of intelligence, Moonwash,¡± I finally said. ¡°You¡¯re not necessarily smarter than me.¡±


    ¡°That is true. If combat is also some form of intelligence, then you definitely exceed me in that case.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. Totally.¡±


    We sat in companionable silence for a while, just looking at some of the mess we¡¯d made of the place. It wasn¡¯t much really, compared to how large the basement was. Just a few out of place tables and chairs, and some knocked over crates. We could very easily just sweep under the rug what had happened.


    ¡°Hey Moonwash.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry again. And I forgive you for your own actions too.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Haell.¡±


    I extended out my hand, and she took it. We shook hands.


    ¡°No hard feelings?¡± I asked.


    ¡°None.¡±


    I could trust that Moonwash was being honest about that, more than anyone else.


    ¡°Yeah. It was just an accident. But I won¡¯t judge someone for their actions while brainwashed. Not you, not me. I¡¯ll be damned if I let that ruin our friendship! Never!!¡±


    ¡°I would also hate that.¡± Moonwash brought a smile to her face. ¡°I was scared at the moment, but I understand that none of us was at fault.¡± She was silent for a few seconds, but I knew that she wasn¡¯t done speaking yet. She was only deep in thought. ¡°I think I agree with what you said about brainwashing. Although if someone brainwashed was trying to harm me, then I will fight back.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I totally agree! I will not jeopardize my chances to live in order to spare an attacker, no matter their reasons! The fault lies in whoever brainwashed them in the first place.¡±


    We both turned our heads to look at the dagger.


    ¡°Should we destroy it?¡± Moonwash asked.


    ¡°...We¡¯re already in so much trouble. Let¡¯s not make things worse for ourselves.¡±


    ¡°But Mahka really did allow me to use anything here. It¡¯s partly her fault.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± my mind whirred. I¡¯d feel too guilty if I actually hid what happened here, and at the end of the day, I didn¡¯t want to do that. However, it was also true that my mother should not have left such a thing lying around. ¡°You¡¯re a genius, Haell! I can work with this!¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ~~~


    Me, my mom, and Moonwash sat around our living, each on a couch or sofa of our own. We weren''t allowed to do any of our favorite things today as a punishment for our recklessness and stupidity.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just keep it a secret, Haell!?¡± Mom lamented. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have been the wiser!¡±


    I gave her the side eye. ¡°Is that really what you want?¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°Heh. No. I¡¯m just kidding. Don¡¯t lie kids! Tell your parents if you accidentally try to off each other!¡±


    ¡°Ah, so if it¡¯s on purpose then tell no one?¡±


    ¡°Unless you need help burying the bodies!¡± Mom laughed loudly, until she realized what she just said. ¡°Ugh, no! Don¡¯t do that! Ignore me! I¡¯m just¡­ I was going to pick up an order today, a rare repository filled with Life mana! I was going to get to experiment with that rare element! But now¡­¡±


    ¡°...Sorry, Mom.¡± I felt genuinely bad. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh hush.¡± She gestured to her lips. ¡°If anything, I¡¯m really very very sorry to you two, Moonwash, Haell. I kept that dagger secured usually, but I, err, forgot. I¡¯ve just been experimenting with the Dagger of Betrayal a lot lately, so I¡­ well, you know. Just left it out.¡±


    ¡°I forgive you, Mahka,¡± Moonwash replied. ¡°We were all at fault.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯re all fucking stupid!¡± I reassured my mother.


    ¡°Haell, don¡¯t curse!¡±


    ¡°Oh right, sorry!¡± I giggled.


    We talked about random things after that, until Moonwash came with a question.


    ¡°When you mentioned that you¡¯ve lived an entire lifetime, what did you mean by that?¡±


    I looked at my mom, and she just shrugged at me. It was my decision to make.


    ¡°Does it have something to do with those demons you told me about?¡± Moonwash asked. I did tell her about what a demon was already, but I never gave any context as to how I knew about them, or any of their origins.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Hang on, let me think.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I thought in silence for a few long minutes, until I looked back at Moonwash with the most serious expression I¡¯d ever had or would ever have plastered on my fave. ¡°Moonwash.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    She met my eyes, unafraid.


    ¡°I will tell you about me. About everything. But you must promise to never ever under any circumstances tell anyone. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I promise, Haell, to never reveal your secret.¡±


    I looked at my mom for some support, and she gave me a firm nod.


    ¡°Alright, so it¡¯s like this¡­¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°...I died, and then I was reborn here. I had to learn a lot of things from scratch. And I lost what progress I have made towards becoming a demon. But now my potential was even more immense than before.¡±


    ¡°I see. And you¡¯re not lying?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s happened before. With Shanayah.¡±


    Moonwash pondered for a few moments. ¡°Can you promise to me that this isn¡¯t some kind of joke? I am just very bad at understanding those.¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course. I swear to my past, to my demonhood, to my parents, their party of The Piss Hunters, to my grandfather, and to all of my friends in The Harvesters. I swear to you, to myself, and to everything: That I am not joking. And that I am only being completely, fully, and 100% honest.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Moonwash shifted, gradually moving her face into an expression of determination and gratitude. I think. ¡°Thank you for telling me all this, Haell. I truly appreciate it. I am very interested in learning more about your previous world, and how reincarnation is even possible. The teachings of angelism says otherwise. That we would all go to heaven to be with the Angelic God. Although Shanayah does confirm that reincarnation happens, but apparently this one was by the grace of the Angelic God because she had an important duty to attend to here. It¡¯s very confusing.¡±


    I barked out a laugh. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll tell you all about it.¡±


    I wouldn¡¯t go into too much detail about my personal life, but I felt more ready now to talk about Earth itself with her.

 Chapter 37: Final Preperations.

    ¡°Level 10, 10, 10. Below, below. Oh! A twenty!¡± I was muttering my observations to myself, as we made our way towards the upper districts. My level sense was still not as accurate as I¡¯d like, but it had certainly improved.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Haell?¡± Mom asked, amused.


    ¡°Oh. I¡¯m just thinking how I could beat up most people here.¡±


    My mother chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can sweetie. I¡¯m so proud of you.¡± She ruffled my hair. I knew she meant it both in jest and quite the opposite. With my levels, and my training that was more geared towards the dispatch of other humanoids; I should be able to defeat anyone here below the level of twenty. Which was most people, as those that start at the bottom like humans typically didn¡¯t ever make it to the level of 20. Not until they¡¯re well on their way to their graves. Even soldiers and other combatants were only better by a level or three on average.


    And I¡¯m not even a demon yet. Who knows what heights I¡¯ll reach once I bring those epics and legends to reality.


    I skipped across the arch bridge over the river, only to have my good mood instantly dashed by the sight of a templar. My metaphorical hackles instantly bristled at the sight of those fucking thieves when my mom placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Haell. I do not mind.¡±


    I took a deep breath, and nodded. It was just so infuriating. Back a month ago, when the goblins attacked, the person who repelled the goblin shaman that had managed to cross the tree wall was rewarded handsomely for their actions. Only¡­ that person was not my mother, who contributed the most to the fight. Instead, it was given to that paladin who only did the bare minimum at the very end. Not to forget that the final strike was still delivered by the closing of Mom¡¯s spell!


    It wasn¡¯t important. My parents were already fucking rich, they were powerful, and they had the highest rank of nobility a human may be awarded. A common knight. The reward given would have been negligible, but it¡¯s the fucking principle of the thing!


    I turned away, and marched briskly towards my destination. I ignored all the other templars that I came across as well, the ants were way too common here in the upper districts. I didn¡¯t even know if they were that much more effective than common guards. And I wasn¡¯t just saying that because of my own animosity towards them! I¡¯d even admit that they weren¡¯t bad at war, but I just questioned if they were any more capable in this sort of situation.


    Not that I cared much about the people who lived here. It was populated mainly by manors that belonged either to the shepherds, humans who had been knighted, or were otherwise just very rich. There was also a big shrine for an angel to stay at in case they decided to visit, which has never actually happened in the entire history of the town of Latarus. But that part didn¡¯t actually bother me much.


    I was only here for the mall.


    It wasn¡¯t really a mall, or at least it wasn¡¯t called that. But it was the merchant hall, inside a single very large building of stone, with wide glass windows, and a plethora of stores within. There was even proper air conditioning inside, thanks to various magical enchantments!


    Moonwash immediately ran off on her own the moment we entered, and I nearly stopped her, before I decided to indulge the older girl. It wouldn¡¯t be so bad, to make some more memories before I depart.


    My friend fussed over the various clothes hidden behind the show glass. She went after furniture next, and other sorts of crafts being sold. Moonwash wasn¡¯t a master of all of them, but she¡¯d at least tried her hand at most things, and was competent in a terrifying amount.


    I was proud of her.


    We ate at a diner afterwards, just like in a real mall. For a moment I felt like I was back in my home world, but that time had long passed.


    ~~~


    We finally visited the store that we came here for in the first after only an hour more spent perusing some useless shit. The place nearly looked unwelcoming, with its design that looked a lot less inviting than the carpets and glass of everything else here. This place instead had bare wooden racks and steel supports, but the worth of the store was not on the decorations. It was on the things that it sold.


    I marveled at the monster parts on display, taken from all over the continent of Grandera. From the centaur plains, to the contested beaches, and even some that I knew could only be obtained within the impenetrable mountain wall. My shriek of joy was only matched by Moonwash¡¯s own enthusiasm, and we swiftly dove in to claim our bounty.


    I checked on the notes that she had helped me come up with. I told her everything I knew and loved about demons, and we looked through dozens of monster encyclopedias and other books to come up with what would make me into a demon.


    The boxiall¡¯s muscles for my musculature. The leg of a hornse, level 10, for my legs. The heart is from a murdle that I hunted, also over the lever of ten. My original idea was actually to use a bear¡¯s, but it was apparently a very bad idea to try and alter a Mutation with something that was two evolutions higher.


    Limiting my options to around the level 10 range, I started looking around for things that would fit. I would¡¯ve loved to hunt them myself, but I wanted my demonhood to be perfect, and not just what I was able to find locally.


    Moonwash saw what I was doing, and I didn¡¯t need to ask for her help. She promptly joined my side with excitable suggestions.


    In the end, I was able to secure the brain and the flesh of an evermarch. It¡¯s a monster found in the plains, a regenerator that cares not for pain, although it was confirmed somehow by several famous alchemists that they do feel pain, as much as they¡¯re able to ignore it.


    I also bought the skin of a lavamander. It¡¯s actually something that¡¯s native to the Waricka Tropics, a territory that wasn¡¯t even under our own. But the corcadian pirates and navies often come here to trade, and it seemed like our Regent Eden was more receptive of their presence, than what would be expected of an Angelorian ruler.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Corcas were a species present all around the globe, but most native to the Waricka Tropi s. They looked like ocean-adapted crocodiles as big as walruses, with striking white scales interspersed with ocean blues.


    I decided on the body of a Mirabird for my flesh. They were bulky migratory birds resistant to a wide variety of elements that could be found nearly anywhere, but loved to stay in high places. Which meant that they were more common in the impenetrable mountain wall.


    Lastly, I settled on the bones of a Grollem. They were squat and fat humanoids, non-sapient, found in the southern rainforests. They relied on their tough skin and unbreakable bones to survive, but lacked in offensive prowess.


    I had other plans for the Mutations I still lacked an upgrade for.


    ~~~


    ¡°I found some.¡± Luine appeared from the brush as we were having dinner in the middle of the wilderness. We¡¯ve been here for more than a month, and while she and Baston were none the worse for wear, my party was more than a bit disheveled and tired.


    ¡°Wait really!?¡± I was able to summon my excitement regardless, after only a precious few seconds. I stood up, sat back down, finished my meal, and then we all got our gear together, in search of the quarry that we¡¯ve come all the way here for.


    It wasn¡¯t hard to track down what Luine had found, the smoke rising into the air was a very good indication. We entered a burning meadow, finally finding exactly what I¡¯d been looking for this past few months.


    A goeath. A whole herd of them. They looked like goats, but completely demonic. They couldn¡¯t wield magic in the traditional sense, but their jagged coal-black teeth were able to generate sparks that could start a big fire, and the horns atop their head enhanced the spread of the flames, allowing them to create favorable terrain for themselves, no matter where they were.


    Judging by the stacks of dried wood fed into the blaze and carried in their mouths, these monsters were incredibly smart too.


    ¡°Level 40, 20, 20, 10.¡± Luine pointed at each of the four Goeaths resting on a peaceful meadow, only a single one of them staring towards our direction. The beasts were the final ingredient I wanted for my ascent into demonhood, and I wished to gather the materials myself.


    We scurried underneath the bush, the strongest enemy clearly aware of our position as its head swiveled around to follow us. We decided to wait no longer, and charged straight for our chosen prey.


    The lead goeath bleated loudly and took offense, stomping its hooves into the flaming earth. The rest of its herd took notice and prepared themselves for battle.


    The air heated up around me, flickers of fire danced along the ground, growing only stronger with every step that brought us deeper into the territory. My party had similar expressions of discomfort, though Baston still looked unbothered. Luine was long gone.


    The woman had dashed forward, unfathomably fast. She landed a slash on the strongest Goeath¡¯s side, but it was shallow, for she had to maneuver away to dodge a well-timed kick.


    The other goeaths quickly wheeled in on her, as Luine winced from the burns of the flaring flames around her. She fell back for a moment and led them away, after which the earth underneath the weaker ones rumbled, cutting them off from their leader.


    ¡°Tsk. The plantlife here¡¯s all dead,¡± Baston complained, having switched to the element of earth when nature showed itself to be less efficient. The three weaker goeaths were successfully lured towards us, and we recoiled as the flames grew hotter by their mere presence. Baston held a fire wand in another hand, and began pushing the fire away from us, trying to extinguish what he could. I used my own horns to do the same. I turned their own flames against them.


    ¡­


    ¡­My attempt did nothing. They were very resistant to fire and heat, for very obvious reasons. The first of them crashed against Baston¡¯s shield. The other was hit by Angerly across the face, followed by potshots from the rest of my party. The last one I smacked across the head with my sword, before I promptly ran away.


    The level 10 goeath predictably followed, and I led it away from the others so that it may not benefit from the powers of its stronger brethren. The overpowering flames around us died down as we went further away, and I used my own magic to keep away the rest. My sweat flowed, and it helped mitigate some of the heat.


    I watched my enemy closely even during the retreat, and I dodged all its attempts to skewer me with its horn, or to break me with its kicks. I led it away further and further, landing a couple of cheeky slashes during my evasions, but hardly doing lethal damage. Goeaths are decently tanky for their levels, and I knew that this battle was going to be a marathon.


    I reached the edge of their burning territory. The goeth hesitated for a moment to follow, allowing me to get a good slash on its face. It snarled through the blood and ran after me, leaving its allies and advantages behind.


    The flames tried to follow, of course. They flared up in response to the monster¡¯s horns. But an application of magic extinguished the fire and cut off its spread, and suddenly there was nothing anymore for the enemy¡¯s horns to latch onto.


    I made a mental note to not use my own fire magic.


    I heard a hellish bleat, and the demonic goat clanked its teeth together to produce a spark. That moment¡¯s distraction cost it another nasty gash across its face.


    The goeath didn¡¯t take too kindly to that, lunging after me, but I¡¯d already taken refuge behind a tree. The animal followed, I watched it for another attempt to start a fire, and I managed to get a stab at its torso when it did.


    I felt a flare of heat just beside me, the attempted arson turned out to be a success despite the wound I inflicted. But the trees here were tougher than the ones back on Earth. I merely plucked out the spark as I went around the tree, allowing it to harmlessly dissipate into the air.


    This seemed to enrage my enemy more, as it clamped its mouth repeatedly to set more of the forest on fire. I took this as the moment for a proper offensive, and I met my foe, slashing and smashing into its side, sending pieces of blood and gore flying across the air. The goeath of course fought back, and I did my best to avoid its own kicks, fighting through the pain during the moments that it did hit. The plantlife around us successfully caught on fire, but I could feel that my victory was close, so I stayed and dueled the hellish creature. We were close to each other, I was always at the cusp of danger, but my phenomenal ability to dodge allowed me to minimize my own injuries enough until it was the goat that started to flag.


    As a last-ditch effort, the goeath flailed its head wildly, trying to catch me with its horns. That maneuver turned out to be a mistake for it, and a boon for me, as I managed to get a good chop on its neck.


    Blood flowed freely from the slice, the monster staggered, confused and no longer able to resist. The bone of the neck was cracked, and another beautiful two-handed slash cleanly severed its head from the body.


    I breathed, before quickly remembering to smother the flames around myself. The burns were bad, my body was one giant bruise, but it was nothing I couldn¡¯t quickly heal.


    As for my team¡­ they were already done with their own prey, and I heard the standing applause from within the trees. The other animals drawn towards are fight were¡­ discouraged from interfering.


    I smiled.


    I felt like a bloody demon already.

 Chapter 38: Moment of Demonic Truth

    _________________


    Name: Haell Zharignan


    Species: Human


    ¡ªMutations¡ª


    Human Heart: Level 10 (Max)


    Human Brain: Level 10 (Max)


    Human Skin: Level 10 (Max)


    Human Eyes: Level 10 (Max)


    Human Flesh / Human Bones / Enduring Musculature(synced) : (All) Level 10 (Max)


    Dextrous Hands: Level 10 (Max)


    Flutter Feet: Level 10 (Max)


    Adrenaline Gland: Level 10 (Max)


    ¡ªSoul Feats¡ª


    Reincarnator


    _________________


    It was all set up. Arrayed around me in the middle of my mother¡¯s basement were all the materials that would enhance my Mutations and propel me into demonhood, including the arms of an ogre which Luine had delivered earlier. She¡¯d reassured me that the person¡­ deserved it.


    And I was sure they did. Luine¡¯s morality was broadly similar to mine, and there were surely no shortage of terrible people to hunt and kill. It¡¯s why I always found the moral dilemma of suddenly being a vampire or whatever to be kind of dumb. Just go after the worst of us, or hell, pay for it. Many people would sell their blood if they could¡­ rather, they did do that back on Earth.


    Fuck. I¡¯m getting sidetracked. I must be nervous.


    Even if this operation fails to propel me into demonhood, then I¡¯d still both look the part and have the power to watch so long as the enhancements to my Mutations take hold. It didn¡¯t matter much if my Status Screen disagreed and still called me a human. I¡¯d be a demon in every way that mattered.


    Or it can fail catastrophically, which will either end in my death, or a massively debilitating crippling. I¡¯ve been told time and time again that those were the risks which forcibly altering one Mutation. How much more for literally fucking all of them?


    ¡°Haell! Your friends are here!¡± Mom called out from above. I had of course invited my party, they knew what I was planning. Not all understood, some were even worried because of how this should go wrong, logically speaking, but they all accepted my decision in the end. Because they knew that they could do nothing else, as I always did as I pleased.


    Moonwash and I went up to meet them, and the first to face me was Therick. The boy sighed. ¡°I know I¡¯m not about to convince you¡­ so just make sure to succeed, okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so strong already¡­ why do you need to¡­¡±


    It¡¯s precisely because of that drive that I¡¯m strong. I pretended not to hear his further whispers. Actually, I¡¯m being an ass. I¡¯m just a dumb stupid dreamer, which is why I want to do this. Plenty of people are strong enough without taking a life-and-death gamble for no fucking reason.


    I continued into the living room, and Angerly¡¯s voice boomed the moment she saw me.


    ¡°Haell! Congratulations! Ahhh¡­ I thought you¡¯d look different? Is this demon??¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°No, no. Not yet. I¡¯m just about to do it. Preparations are done.¡± I nodded to my mother and Baston, who were both in their full adventuring garb.


    ¡°Well then get to it!¡± Granuel announced. He had utmost faith that I would not fail. In fact, the boy probably still saw me as invincible¡­ despite the many unfortunate examples to the contrary. We¡¯ve braved the monster-laden wilds together! How does he still think this!? It could really become a problem if this continues¡­


    ¡°You got it! Leave it to me!¡± I didn¡¯t have it in me to refute his expectations. I just have to live up to it, then!


    We settled in for some board games, with food arriving midway through. They had delivery here, albeit only for the wealthy. It could be my final supper. Or well, Final Lunch. It just doesn''t have the same ring to it.


    ~~~


    I went back down to the basement with my parents, Moonwash, Baston, and Luine. My mom and Moonwash began work on a massive ritual utilizing a wide variety of elements, from light to water to nature. They used all the healing elements that they understood, and my mom had even procured a very miniscule amount of life mana that could barely be contained in a massive nature repository. It was legitimately the largest repository I¡¯d ever seen, and it was crushed and turned into paint just for this single-use ritual. I knew just how rare and valuable the element of mana was, and I teared up a little at seeing just how willing they were to sacrifice something that normally couldn¡¯t even be obtained. All for my sake.


    They had grilled me for days on all the details about demonhood and what I wanted to accomplish, all to incorporate each and every concept into this one massive ritual. My family wished only for me to survive, and that¡¯s what I wanted too, so I cooperated with all my might. Grandpa had confirmed to us that the angels probably didn¡¯t use such methods in the creation of the fountains or the ishkawtans. Too many died for that to make sense. They couldn¡¯t have prepared a ritual of healing and transformation for everyone. There was no way they would¡¯ve bothered to waste so much precious resources.


    The ritual began to take shape. The materials for enhancing my Mutations were scattered at key points, and fountains of water and plant were artistically incorporated into the design to fully make use of the various elements. They drew my human form, they depicted its transition into a demon, and they perfectly captured the sheer desire that pushed me to make this momentous decision. Sprawling paintings of all things healing came to life, from keeping me alive to holding all the changes together. I saw myself laid bare on the masterpiece of a painting that would soon disappear and I cried yet again. My plan was a stupid plan from the start, but through the help of those that I loved and who loved me back, I may truly accomplish my more-than-lifelong dream.


    Hours passed, with most of the work admittedly done by my mother. Moonwah was good at art, but she was still only 17. She didn¡¯t have the same breadth of experience, nor the Mutations and levels to help elevate her abilities further.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost ready! Get into position, Haell!¡± my mother commanded. She still looked so impossibly worried, but I knew that she wouldn¡¯t back down now.


    I stepped forward into the ritual circle, the pressure upon me already palpable from the edges. The universe itself bore witness and I met its attention with an unflinching gaze.


    ¡°Rite of Demonic Ascension!¡±


    Their voices chorused at the same time that I focused on all my Mutations, willing them to evolve.


    [Would you like to evolve the following Mutat¡ª


    [Compatible materials detected! Would you like to evolve ALL of your Mutations using the materials gathered? Y/N]


    Yes. Yes, yes, I¡¯ve done too much to back down now, yes!


    The gathered materials flickered, and the ritual circle flashed in a rainbow of myriad elements. The world held still for a moment, and then it snapped. Everything, everywhere, all at once overlapped my existence and I was swallowed whole by a tide of reality far greater than my meager own life.


    ¡°AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!¡±


    A guttural scream tore out of my throat as I fought to keep my ego intact. The effort brought only pain, unlike any I¡¯d ever felt before. Not even the countless surgeries and treatments that I experienced in my past life could compare. Where I once suffered from the indifference of the world, now I felt its true malice. Even the crushing despair of my previous childhood was nothing to the true weight of all that lived, decayed, and more. I was the ground under my feet, the air that I breathed, all of existence was me and everything was in pain.


    The whole world was chaos and nothing made sense anymore.


    [The conditions have been met for a species evolution!]


    [A compatible material for the evolution has been found!]


    [Warning: Species Evolution will alter the core direction of your Mutations!]


    [You have two options to choose from.]


    [Myriad Human - A human that is built for magic. Their horns can very very very slightly control any form of mana around them.]


    [Imp - A never before seen species! This evolution will make of you a terrifying being that wields curses. Your body will become strong, if not particularly durable in battle. Sacrifice your life to take your enemy down with you.]


    [Do you wish to evolve? Yes/No?]


    Messages appeared within the haze of my mind. I could barely think, but there was yet a single image in my mind, an idea that remained sane and conscious.


    That of a red skinned woman, with black curving horns, and a cruel greatsword.


    Demon, demon, demon!


    Demon!


    DEMONNN!!!!


    ¡°Yes! Yes, make me a demon!¡± The words came roaring out of my mouth. Something impacted my face and sunk into my forehead. The prior feeling of being torn apart shifted, and my being was pulled into entirely different directions, but not in an unpleasant way. I spent an eternity in stasis, I witnessed the rise and fall of the universe in purgatory.


    And then all of a sudden, the world came back to clarity. My perception returned to focus, the wrongness of the world was right once more, and the pain abruptly disappeared and turned into sheer ecstasy.


    ¡°AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!¡±


    I screamed again, but this time it was in joy. There was no pain in the change, no discomfort. The shifting of my cells, the twisting of my flesh, the stretching of my bone; it all felt so good! To the point that it was almost overwhelming!


    But I was not overwhelmed. I rode the high. My body accepted the change like a pupa finally blooming into a butterfly.


    What I was previously was a mistake, and now I had finally become what I was always meant to be.


    [Congratulations! You have evolved from a Human to an Imp!]


    I smirked at the system message, feeling the absolute best I ever had. The smile on my face threatened to split my jaw in half the moment I caught sight of the hand and the properly red skin within.


    That was all the time I had until I was tackled from all sides¡­ by the people who were supposed to be my allies!


    The treacherrryyyyy!!!


    I should pay it in kind, now that they¡¯re this close and defenseless. The adults here were probably still too tough, even for my evolved self, but Moonwash was weak. She had many Mutations above level 10, but humans weren¡¯t known for being durable. It would be so easy to just snap her neck from here. I could feel the power already from my new arms!


    ¡­


    ¡­What?


    What the fuck?


    Moonwash was my friend, I would never hurt her.


    Mom, Dad, Luine, Baston. I loved them, and they loved me. I could still feel the healing energies flowing from Baston and my mother. The area was bathed with light, and the soil placed underneath my feet was overrun with greenery.


    I knew that. I knew all that. Yet my mind still took a weird fucking turn.


    Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.


    And I knew what.


    Mind control.


    One of them was mind-controlling me. I trusted them, and they pounced when I was at my lowest, my most miserable. It wouldn¡¯t be my fault then, if I fought back. Perhaps if I used some psychological tactics, I could force a win even two whole evolutions behind.


    ¡­


    Fuck! Mind controlled again!


    I snapped at my friends and family. I hissed and snarled at them to keep away.


    ¡°H-Haell, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Mom asked, worried. ¡°Was it not successful? Did something go wrong?¡±


    I almost spoke to reassure her, but the mind control could be her fault. And even if she¡¯d been an exemplary mother otherwise, I will not tolerate any attempts to take that freedom away from me!


    But I have to be sure. Have to be sure.


    I focused, and felt the mana around me. There was nature and light. I already knew that was from the healing I was receiving, I was familiar with the sensation. I¡¯d been mind-controlled before, and I knew what the mana form felt like. I searched for it, but found no trace. Not just of mind mana in general, but of any mana other than the ones meant to heal me.


    Where is it coming from then? Some advanced technique meant to hide the mana? I¡¯ve heard of it, though it¡¯s very rare. I have a feeling, however, that Luine can do it.


    ¡°So it¡¯s you!¡± I growled at the woman who I thought was my ally and lunged. She raised a brow and pushed me away, raising two brows when my force seemed to have exceeded her expectations.


    Not that it did me much good.


    ¡°Get out of my head!¡± I shouted, skidding back. She tried to say something, when I chose to pounce again.


    I was aware of my failure the first time, and I didn¡¯t think trying the same thing for a second time would work. So I used the trickle of mana within me, and used it to enhance my body.


    My muscles pumped. They moved without regard for their own safety. I barreled against Luine, and the arm she used to block¡­ actually failed. I crashed into her guts, and the woman was forced to back away!


    There were other voices now, urging me to stop. I could use that as a distraction, to maybe get some attacks off at them. But I couldn¡¯t beat them, not really, and it would be a problem once they decided I was too much trouble to keep alive. Moonwash was still at the back, watching with an interested gleam in her eye. Fucking creepy girl.


    ¡­Wait. Hang on. Back up.


    Moonwash was still at the back, watching with an interested gleam¡­


    No, not that.


    I barreled against Luine, and the arm¡­


    Further back!


    So I used the trickle of mana within me, and used¡­


    Mana! Trickle of mana! What the fuck! There was another source of mana here! Only that it¡¯s¡­ within me!? How did it get there!?


    What the fuck?

 Chapter 39: The Anatomy of a Demon.

    ¡°Stop. Stop! I need a moment, I need to be alone!¡±


    Everyone paused. They looked at each other questioningly, until my dad pulled both Mom and Baston away, gesturing for everyone else to follow. They all left the basement, leaving me alone, but not before my mother left some parting words.


    ¡°Holler if you need anything, okay? Anything at all.¡±


    I gave a curt nod just to get her away.


    Wait, no! I gave a curt nod to reassure her that I was fine.


    Which I was. Fine.


    I had a¡­ hunch, however. I¡¯d experienced things similar to this before.


    I opened my Status back up.


    [You have obtained a new Soul Feat: Progenitor!]


    [Progenitor: Give you one additional free choice Mutation.]


    [You have obtained a new Soul Feat: Imp Progenitor!]


    [Imp Progenitor: Gives you one free choice Mutation. This Mutation will become part of the Imp lineage. The Mutation will start at Level 10.]


    I blinked, at the notifications greeted me. It wasn¡¯t what I was expecting¡­ but they were very welcome. I¡¯d definitely have to get to that later, maybe with them I¡¯d be able to kill all my friends properly¨CFuck, I won¡¯t do that! I brought up my actual Status Screen to find out what the fuck was currently happening to me.


    _________________


    Name: Haell Zharignan


    Species: Imp


    ¡ªMutations¡ª


    Menace Heart: Level 10


    Demon Brain: Level 10


    Demon Skin: Level 10


    Demon Eyes: Level 10


    Demon Flesh / Demon Bones / Demonic Musculature(synced) : (All) Level 10


    Demonic Hands: Level 10


    Demonic Hooves: Level 10


    Hyperdemon Gland: Level 10


    Demon Horns: Level 10


    ¡ªSoul Feats¡ª


    Reincarnator


    Progenitor


    Imp Progenitor


    _________________


    [Menace Heart: The heart of a menace. It produces menace mana that is then pumped through your blood.]


    Well. Shit. I was right. I found the problem.


    Mana gave certain sensations to those who touched upon it even when it wasn¡¯t activated. Therefore, to have a heart that somehow created mana inside of myself, without a repository to store and regulate it¡­ no wonder I was experiencing some so-called ¡®mind-control¡¯.


    In fact, this was the exact same setup the goblins suffered from. A heart producing mana, a body and mind incapable of handling it, their very beings twisted, and their conscience driven insane. We¡¯re even similar in that we both had curse derivative mana!


    Oh, I am so fucked.


    I turned myself into a fucking goblin.


    Holy shit.


    This is no laughing matter.


    I moved on to my next new Mutation, to avoid dwelling on the subject any further.


    [Demon Brain - Incorruptible, for you are already corrupt. A selfish mind that works tirelessly for their own goals, very resistant against any unwanted foreign intrusions.]


    Oh thank the devils¡­ which I¡¯m now a part of! Yay!


    This recent¡­ complication had certainly put a dampener into my impossibly good mood, but I mustn¡¯t forget! I had become a demon, I had achieved my dreams, and I was fucking amazing for it!


    Wooo! Go me! Go Haell!


    Especially now that I was building a better picture of my new build, my new set of Mutations. This Demon Brain specifically synergizes with my Demon Heart, tempering the negatives of producing mana like this. Unsurprising, now that I was¡­ more calm. My newly improved brain was the only reason I was even still sane. I¡¯d seen how goblins act, and how I acted under the influence of a cursed object. I would be acting very differently if I had no defenses against the influence of mana and magic. There was no dagger to let go of this time, and I would not have been able to stop attacking those that I loved.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I shivered at the thought.


    [Demon Skin - Skill that is able to smoothly and harmlessly allow mana to pass through. The mana that passes through your skin becomes marked, affording you better control over it.]


    I raised a brow and immediately tried it. The menace mana inside of me¡­ listened to my orders more smoothly than I¡¯d ever experience before. Which was strange given that I had not practiced using the element at all, nor was I the type of person that would be compatible with such magic! I was such a good girl!


    ¡­Okay. Maybe it made a little bit of sense for me to feel a certain¡­ connection, to the element. But it hardly explained all of it. I pulled the mana out of myself, and then I felt it briefly flare in my perception, before instantly becoming weaker and harder to control once outside.


    Ah, I see! Mana within the body becomes so much easier to control! That¡¯s why it was no trouble swirling it inside me. However, prolonged exposure to usable mana inside one¡¯s own body could lead to severe mental and physical effects¡­ Shit, am I even more fucked than I thought? They really should¡¯ve fucking stopped me from doing something so stupid. Who the fuck cares if it¡¯s my dream¨C


    I blinked.


    Menace. That was the menace mana talking. I knew that monsters who naturally produced mana inside of themselves were fine, although even their exposure was limited compared to mine given that they had a repository to isolate it when not in use¡­


    No, no, no. I¡¯m spiraling again. Fuck!


    I allowed the negative thoughts to dissipate, along with the miasmic mana within my palms.


    ¡­Wait. I did¡­ what?


    I brought out some more of the menace mana from within my body, observing the form like miasma it took in my imagination, or the light purple reflected in my eyes. I could move the mana around and shape it, perhaps even impart certain effects toward it.


    Is it because of my skin? Is the marking allowing me to wield magic¡­?


    No. No, even if that were the case, the control I had was far too much. It was stronger than my typical magic skills prior to my evolution!


    [Demon Horns - Allows for powerful control over mana that has been marked by you.]


    I brought up the newest addition to my Mutations¨Cfor some reason, already at level 10¨Cand found my hunch to be correct. I had indeed an innate focus on my body now, only that instead of being made for a specific element, it worked on any mana that has been marked by myself, likely meant to synergize with my very red and beautiful skin.


    I¡¯ve never even heard of marking mana before!


    Was my skin a unique new thing, or were there other ways to do it? There¡¯s soo much to consider because of this recent evolution. I should get some sorta-slaves to test things out on later. Maybe from the lesser species, the ones people hate, so no one would complain.


    ¡­Fuck.


    I won¡¯t do that.


    But I did indeed just have that thought.


    Wow.


    Work better demon brain, goddammit! Don¡¯t lose to the menace!!!


    [Demon Eye - Your gaze will intimidate and break the will of your foes.]


    I raised an eyebrow at that description. Some kind of fear gaze, a classic sort of ability. It fit the theme of being a demon or an imp as well. Although to be honest, I wasn¡¯t very enthusiastic about it. This was the sort of thing most useful against much weaker foes, and I didn''t really need the additional help if faced against them. At best they could serve as a distraction at a critical time.


    Not to mention that it was mind-fuckery stuff which I was never a big fan of. However, I never did have a problem with the concept of fear auras and shit, at least when seeing the concept in fiction. It was just another attack, one aimed at the mind. But it did not aim to take away someone¡¯s autonomy any more than slashing at them would. It¡¯s definitely not brainwashing, which I would never do, even if it could be useful sometimes¡­


    Agh, fuck. My mind¡¯s too compromised to be thinking of all this complicated shit right now! I¡¯ll save the moral dilemma for later!


    [Demon Flesh - Resistant to heat and the influences of mana]


    Yet another synergy with menace heart and internalized mana in general. I wondered how the intricacies of my species was even decided, given that I was apparently the very first imp.


    Also the heat resistance. There¡¯s actually no outright connection to my other Mutations¡­ but I¡¯m a demon! Of course I can brave the environs of hell!


    [Demon Bones - Hard and resilient bones, capable of surviving great forces, particularly that of movements self-inflicted.]


    [Demonic Musculature - Strong muscles capable of great feats of strength, particularly in short and instant bursts.]


    Another interesting synergy with these two. Muscles built for striking, particularly with heavier weapons, and the bones necessary to survive my own force. I like it!


    [Demon Arms - Strong arms that are exemplary for striking.]


    Exactly what I said. Pure striking power, and good for using heavy weapons.


    [Demon Hooves - Legs with incredible charging power.]


    Charging power. It¡¯s powerful, but also incredibly situational, and would be most effective for the first strike, or for fleeing outright. Though if I was having to flee, then chances were that my enemy was faster, and I¡¯d rather have more maneuverability. Something that an outright charge would interfere with to begin with.


    I had to admit¡­ I¡¯d come to love my Flutter Feet, and this¡­ would take some getting used to.


    [Hyperdemon Gland - Release the rage within.]


    [Notice: This Mutation will not be passed down to future inheritors.]


    ¡­What the fuck? I¡¯d had some cryptic bullshit in my Mutations before, but there was always at least a full sentence explaining what a Mutation did. This one did not.


    It should be a temporary boost like what my adrenaline gland did, the Mutation definitely evolved from that. But I wasn¡¯t going to test it without proper supervision. And if it turned out to be too much, too strong, then I might get to kill whoever was foolish enough to try and supervise me. I could blame their deaths on this new organ.


    ¡­Menace Heart. Whatever. I was getting used to it already. I was hardly a stranger to intrusive thoughts, and that¡¯s all this was.


    Pathetic.


    No you.


    That was a joke. The mana did not talk back¡­ yet.


    Hah!


    I hope that joke doesn¡¯t age poorly.

 Chapter 40: I am Demon.

    _______


    [Prehensile Tail]


    [Violent Stomach]


    [Rapid Stinger]


    [Pheromone Gland]


    [Mate-Seeking Nose]


    [Sensitive Split Tongue]


    ¡­


    _______


    I still had new Mutations to choose, from a nigh endless list that left me paralyzed with choice. It was a good thing that the process turned out to be literally intuitive as I could think of energy beams for example, and immediately the options would be narrowed down, from lungs that would allow me to breathe fire, to a third eye that could shoot out lasers. I spent an inordinate amount of time in our basement, just thinking of all the possibilities, from extra layers of flesh and fur, to new appendages both dextrous and rigid, to even those that would allow me to fly, perhaps as high as the outer reaches of space. I even checked if there was anything that could further alleviate the issue of my menace mana running amok in my mind just to know my options, but other than a very few Mutations that could aid in mental defenses, there were none that directly addressed mana congestion in the body.


    Well, that wasn¡¯t entirely true. There were a lot of Mutations that addressed that specific problem, actually! But they were all mana founts and repositories. That''s what they were for. That¡¯s what someone was supposed to do if they wanted magic within them. Not have their hearts produce it, as I did. That was a known recipe for disaster, which I only narrowly avoided by being awesome.


    ¡­And by having a brain built specifically for it. I didn¡¯t get to choose my Demon Mutations, so that was really lucky, but I also liked to think that my efforts had somehow played a part in that. I did not wish to lose who I was.


    I looked through my options for a while longer, and I found that the options got progressively fewer the more outlandish my requests were. There was a lot of variety on display, though I felt that few came close to the quality of my current Mutations, but that was to be expected since it seemed like whatever I picked would start back at level 1. I¡¯d have to grind them all to level 10 and beyond, what a pain.


    But I was more than happy to peruse and fantasize about all the tools I could use to violently murder and kill.


    ¡­That was definitely the menace mana talking, but not entirely. I had to admit that to myself. I was already very interested in becoming stronger, and I would not be shy about using whatever power I was able to obtain.


    I had to get used to this and soon, and the first step was to acknowledge it as a new part of me. For all intents and purposes, my violent urges had skyrocketed, and the balance of my body had been altered. Just as brains were not truly blank slates, and how the chemicals that govern emotions differed inherently from person to person, so too have my instincts changed.


    I was now a demon.


    This was what I wanted, and I would have it no other way.


    ~~~


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    ¡°That looks so cool!¡±


    ¡°You¡­ really did it¡­¡±


    ¡°Haell¡¯s the best! Best demon!¡±


    ¡°You need to tell me about your new capabilities later. And especially about the process. This opens so many new possibilities, and insight into our very systems¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you!¡±


    ¡°We both are, Haell. I¡¯m glad you made it.¡±


    My friends and my parents greeted me with joy and excitement, and their support easily drowned out whatever the menace within me had to say.


    Grandpa was there too, and he had some choice words about how I had surpassed what the angels had achieved, and without committing genocide to do it!


    Luine waved at me and I waved back. I felt there was something more to her silence, and I had an inexplicable urge to annoy her about it, as well as a refusal to apologize for my earlier actions.


    Clearly in part the influence of menace mana, and I was building a better profile for what that entailed exactly.


    I apologized to the woman, and said nothing more.


    ~~~


    I went back to my room for some much needed privacy, and then I saw it.


    Right there, in my mirror, staring back at me was a demon. With blood-red skin, goat-like eyes, imposing horns, and more. It was all I ever wanted, from one life to the next, and I had fucking succeeded!


    "FUCK YES!" I whooped, jumping up and nearly reaching the very tall ceiling with a burst of power that left my hooves in pain, but I didn''t care about that at all because I was so fucking happy.


    "Holy shit. Holy shit I''ve done it. HOLY FUCKING SHIT!"


    I ran around screaming, thankful for how big my bedroom was. I rolled around the floor, I wiggled lioe a worm on the mattress, there was just so much unrestrained joy in my body that I had to fucking move lest I explode from sheer fucking ecstasy.


    "FUUUUCCCCKKKK!!"


    I stopped myself from crashing into my mirror out of sheer joy-driven fury, but it was a near thing. This was the best day ever of my two entire lives!


    Eventually, after devils(that¡¯s me!) know how long, I collapsed back into my bed. Only now did it truly sink in that my dreams had come through, harder than they had the first time. Something else sunk as I languished on the mattress, feeling understandably tired from all the excitement of the day. The cushions underneath me dropped deeper than usual, and the frame of the bed creaked.


    Ah, right.


    My size largely remained the same, but my body was definitely remade. I did not get bigger, but in exchange my flesh, bone, and everything else became more dense. That was the typical trade-off, a giant¡¯s flesh was technically easier to slice through, but there was also far more of it. They were heavier and stronger, but I was lighter and more agile. There were more complicated differences, but there was a tradeoff. I wanted to be bigger someday, but not giant big, and I was sure that¡¯d come no matter what I did. I was only fifteen.


    I could still hear the excited murmurs and gossip of the people I loved from beyond the door. Rather, they had snuck closer to the hallway leading to my room for some fucking reason. Are they trying to assassinate me while they think I¡¯m weak? Are they laughing because they think they¡¯ve already won? If so then I can lay traps and turn the tides of battle on them!


    Waves of violent urges crashed through my being, but I did not get up from my bed. It was too comfy even now that it wasn¡¯t actually of the best consistency for me.


    I closed my eyes, and accepted all the treacherous thoughts that filled my mind. I did not blame myself for any of them. I would only be terrible and wrong if I even acted on any of these new urges without thought.


    I knew exactly who I was, what my values were, and my new species reflected that. I was left with the proper tools to overcome myself, no matter how much of a wild fucking animal I inherently was.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    I was a demon through and through.


    ~~~


    I sat at the dinner table with everyone in the know; My parents, Moonwash, and Grandpa. I told them all about how my evolution into an imp went, and I even mentioned some of the achievements I¡¯d earned and the choices I¡¯d get to make regarding some new Mutations. Moonwash was very interested about that last part, and I promised to brainstorm things together with all of them later, but especially her. This was not a choice that I intended to rush.


    I confided with them about my new problem with the menace mana coursing through my veins. It was a malicious force that literally spilled out of my skin. There was a constant miasma around me that wasn¡¯t truly visible, but a lot easier to feel than other types.


    I was pretty sure that menace magic was a derivative of curse magic, it felt very similar to the dagger that once forced me and Moonwash into conflict. From my own veteran experience of possessing menace mana for but a meager few hours¡­ I felt like this new magic was in a constant state of being half-active, instead of being largely inert like most other forms of mana.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ going to be a problem,¡± Dad said. ¡°That menace mana, inside of you, coming from your heart. It¡¯s just like¡­¡±


    ¡°A goblin!¡± I finished for him cheerfully. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I said!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got some absurd synergies though, Haell! I¡¯m sure you can overcome it. We¡¯ll figure it out!¡± Mom cheered me on, believing in me.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Those damn angels were never able to achieve results this good in trying to make new species! Shanayah would be green with envy! This is even better than a shepherd!¡±


    I swallowed the piece of ham and beamed at my Grandpa. ¡°Exactly! I should also be largely immune to mind magics! And most importantly, well¡­¡± I flexed my body, feeling just utter joy in the movement. ¡°I love it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you do! I would¡¯ve loved something similar myself, way back in the day. But I¡¯m glad you would be free from those influences!¡±


    My eyes widened. I realized something. For so long I had wondered just why Grandpa kept on fighting for the Angelore Empire when he had so many criticisms of them. But could it be¡­ ¡°Were you¡­ did you get mind controlled¡­?¡±


    ¡°Nah. Maybe a little, but my actions are still my own. I¡¯m pretty sure, at least, that I was never directly mind-controlled by the two shepherds that were in my party. Spending time with them was just kind of¡­ Well, they influence you just a little bit more than your typical friends I guess.¡±


    ¡°Ehh¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that mild, Gramps¡­¡± I shuddered, remembering how it felt to just be in their presence.


    He chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re weak, Haell! Or at least, you were. Of course a sub-level 10 would be swept away underneath their very presence! They never even touch those levels, being born over level 10!¡±


    ¡°Oh. Huh. That makes sense. But my new brain will protect me now!¡±


    ¡°Maybe it will also make you smarter,¡± Moonwash deadpanned.


    ¡°Oi!¡± I snapped, nearly causing myself to choke on some steak.


    Stupid steak.


    I considered my grandfather¡¯s earlier words a bit more as I continued wolf down my seventh serving of steak tonight. I would be far angrier in grandfather¡¯s shoes, and I couldn¡¯t help but think that it¡¯s because he¡¯s compromised that he was so willing to let it go. However, all I really hated was the fact that the influence came from outside. I certainly accepted the effects of my new heart and mana easily enough. I accepted my new instincts. I didn¡¯t believe I was being brainwashed.


    Because if the influence came from an organ within my body¡­ then how was that any different from the various hormones and chemicals that already affected my emotional state?


    No, it wasn¡¯t any different. They were the same. I¡¯d already decided on that.


    My nature has become far more violent and dangerous, but it¡¯s no less¡­ valid than whatever nature I had before.


    Perhaps very little has changed, even. I was always a menace!


    ~~~


    I found myself back at our basement the next day, carrying pots filled with saplings, and cages that held oversized rats. Moonwash had come down here with me, but we didn¡¯t intend to try and kill each other today like what happened before. Instead, my friend had told me that she was very interested in researching my new menace magic, along with the many new Mutations that I got. I was obviously just as interested, because these new Mutations were literally attached to my body. I had to learn them at some point.


    ¡°Wicked Magic has many applications,¡± Moonwash said. ¡°As a directly damaging force, it tends to manifest as something that would tear apart whatever it¡¯s able to hit.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve seen that.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if menace magic is the same.¡±


    I gave her a nod, and felt the mana within my very blood. The amount within my body had increased, worsening the mental effects, but it was still something I could handle.


    I gathered the mana above my palm, and it responded to my will with an eagerness I¡¯d never experienced before. The mana shifted and roiled, until it took on an imaginary smoke-like form, and from within that unreal miasma, I could almost perceive a single evil smirk. It laughed and whispered such sweet thoughts of treacherous domination that were hard to ignore. I gulped and guided the mass of mana with the help of my horns, and then activated the magic within. The same miasma that I¡¯d been staring at manifested for real, a formless and cunning gas that wished for naught but pain and suffering.


    It hummed in an ominous tone. It whispered through my bones and raged inside every beat of my heart. It was scarily not unpleasant.


    ¡°It¡¯s something like telepathy¡­¡± Moonwash plugged both her ears with her fingers. ¡°I could hear it even now. It¡¯s not really sound as we understand it. It¡¯s not even real.¡±


    We continued with the experiment, and I shot the magic toward a nearby sprout. A purple mist settled within it, and after minutes of watching, the plant slowly sagged, losing life and luster.


    Next, we tried one of the rats. The same purple mist settled on it, but this time there was an immediate reaction. The small animal shivered, swiveling its head every which way, as if there were threats lurking in every corner. The rat squeaked and squeaked, until it fell over dead.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Moonwash said. She opened the cage and inspected the corpse. ¡°It died from a heart attack I presume. Try it on me next.¡±


    I gaped at her. I nearly activated my Demon Eyes. ¡°Are you insane? We just saw what it could do!¡±


    ¡°I would assume that it induced terror and panic, yes. But that was a rat, a weak creature, likely stuck in very low levels, if it could even earn any. I doubt it¡¯ll affect me in the same way. My emotions aren¡¯t¡­ the same as most people. And I can lack fear in a lot of ways. Not that it¡¯s perfect or absolute. I used to think that it was, but you trying to kill me disabused me of that notion.¡±


    Uh¡­ that took a turn.


    ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡±


    ¡°Not especially.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I want to though. I feel like, well, you¡¯re always there, and we help each other, but I can hardly understand you, you know? Out of anyone in the group. So if you¡¯re fine with it, I would like to talk about¡­ you.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, what more do you want me to tell you?¡±


    The wording was a bit harsh, but I knew she only meant to ask exactly what she said.


    ¡°I¡­ hmmm¡­ How do you feel? Because you always seem curious, and it¡¯s¡­ hard to read the emotions in your face or in your tone.¡±


    ¡°I feel fine. I feel sad. I feel happy. I¡­ know what you mean, yes. I do understand how other people act. Normally. I can smile and cry and everything if I want to, just like them.¡± She demonstrated exactly that, and my eyebrows rose. The expressions looked very exaggerated and fake, like what you¡¯d see in cartoons, but I didn¡¯t comment on it. ¡°I do not get it, honestly. I can do the expressions, yes, but I don¡¯t really feel the need to most of the time. And from what I understand you don¡¯t really think about it?¡± I nodded. ¡°If I feel happy or sad then I¡­ feel it. That¡¯s it. Why¡­ how would your face and body move by itself? Why does your tone change, how can you do it so unthinkingly? I¡¯ve¡­ never quite experienced that. It¡¯s exciting. Maybe your new magic will finally give me that experience.¡±


    ¡°Okay. That makes sense now. And you certainly don¡¯t have to emote if you don¡¯t want to! But¡­ shit, I¡¯m an idiot, why didn¡¯t I just ask you? All these years? Fuck. So, uh, Moonwash. How do you feel right now?¡±


    ¡°Excited. About your new magic and interesting Mutations. Sad. That you¡¯re going to leave. Because I can¡¯t experiment on you anymore. That last one was a joke.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Ah. Yeah¡­ Sorry, but I need to go on my long ass training arc! Get stronger, strong enough so I can beat back all comers! Those who¡¯d want to go after my demonic body! Use me as a material¡­ Maybe force me to make more.¡± I shuddered. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about it from Grandpa. It¡¯s happened before¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. I understand.¡± And she did. ¡°But how does that connect to leaving us?¡±


    ¡°Oh, well. Shit. It would be better if I remain hidden, you know? I intend to go far from civilization for a while, rough it out in the wilds.¡± Albeit with some help.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why we¡¯d have to part. Can¡¯t I just come with you?¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Ah. Well. Maybe? I guess? But¡­ this would take years, Moonwash. Years away from civilization.¡±


    ¡°I know. You just said that.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°You¡¯d really be fine with that?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...Well. I guess that makes sense.¡±


    Another pause.


    ¡°Can you use the menace magic on me now?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± I declined.

 Chapter 41: Friends of The Demon.

    A few weeks later, I was finally ready to choose the two new Mutations I could get for free. I had pored over the list with my family and Moonwash, and just learning of the possibilities was so endlessly fascinating that that was all we did. We could have spent months doing only that, however I had to pick my new Mutations at some point. My time remaining here would not last forever.


    [Mana-infused Blood]


    I stared and focused on the first Mutation that I¡¯d decided upon. Doing so gave me an instinctual if fleeting understanding of what it could do. That was how this selection of Mutations worked.


    The mana-infused blood would essentially allow every drop of blood in my demonic body to function as a mana repository, although missing a lot of the protective effects that it had. That was a bummer, but the massive amounts of extra storage would no doubt augment my power to even greater heights.


    I could already feel my mana congregating in my non-Mutation blood. It was coming from the heart after all, and anything less than blood would be rejected by the mana¡­ for some reason, which made the option of choosing a normal repository or buying an external one for it just so inefficient.


    The repository option also carried the problem that it couldn¡¯t cut off the production of mana for a heart like it could for a mana fount. What mana it did have, I would have to manually shunt inside. At that point, I might as well just try to dump my mana into my surroundings as fast as possible, or into an external storage. These things just weren¡¯t designed to work with a heart that produces mana.


    The main problem with picking mana-infused blood was that packing myself with even more menace mana would be a strain that would fray at my mind, but I was confident in my ability to handle it.


    Another important thing to note for future historians was that I chose this Mutation for the one that would be inherited by all imps because of how well it synergized with everything else. I didn¡¯t intend to have children, but if there were to be more demons in the future somehow, then it wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing to give them all the advantages they could get.


    ¡­Actually, it could be a very bad thing. One could even say that demons were inherently slanted towards evil. Not everyone would be able to tame their instincts and live with it peacefully like I could. There were many good arguments for me deliberately not adding further to their strength¡­ however I was their progenitor.


    It would just be so¡­ scummy to fuck over their potential like that. Especially when it would cost me nothing. I couldn¡¯t live with myself if I didn¡¯t give them the same blood.


    So I guess the people of the future would just have to be strong enough to deal with it. Good luck little guys! I won¡¯t say I¡¯m rooting for you, but good luck!!


    [Regen Heart]


    This other one would allow me a way to heal, and it would also give me a much needed way to keep my endurance up by healing the wear and tear on my muscles. It could potentially take care of more minor injuries during battle, although the big ones would have to be healed with nature magic afterwards. Hopefully my enemy would be dead by then, allowing me time to heal up.


    In addition, I was pretty sure that menace magic could empower my body in the same way goblins were able to with their wicked magic. But after some testing in my mother¡¯s basement, I had figured out that it was a double-edged sword. My bones and muscles would break under the strain, especially as there seemed to be far less limits to what I could do with my mana inside of my own body. Activating menace magic within also ran afoul of my health by itself. So having some constant healing would really help during the heat of battle.


    Having multiple hearts is also just kinda fucking cool.


    [Would you like to Obtain the Mutation: Mana-infused Blood?]


    [Warning: This Mutation will be inherited by all imps.]


    [Yes / No?]


    [Would you like to Obtain the Mutation: Regen Heart?]


    [Yes / No?]


    Yes. To both.


    A sharp intake of breath shuddered throughout my body. It began with a strong prickle of pain, before turning into a joyful feeling like what I experienced during my evolution, but weaker.


    It stopped, after what I assumed to be a few minutes. A check of my Status confirmed the two new Mutations, still at level 1.


    [Regen Heart - A heart that yearns to live. Every pump regenerates damage to your body.]


    [Mana-infused Blood - Blood that is able to hold and store 1 type of mana.]


    A new heart drummed in my chest, along with the other, speaking of new possibilities to behold. My blood had transformed, it felt thicker as it flowed through my body, and it only grew more full. The chunks of menace mana floating around in all parts of my body were sucked into it, and I could feel just how much more I could store within myself. Already, my thoughts shifted for the more menacing, as if it weren¡¯t bad enough.


    I might have fucked up. But I might also have just given myself more mana than a repository could ever give me. Only time would tell, if I was a genius or a fool.


    ~~~


    Projectiles of rock soared towards me, and I broke into a run to dodge them to the left. I stopped right by the wall of the basement and then immediately veered the other way with great effort once I saw Granuel preparing to throw more. My friend had figured out how to apply both the force of magic and the strength of his arms to his projectiles. I felt proud.


    I dodged that volley too and then the next, but my opponent spread them out even more, forcing some superficial hits.


    I was trying to get more used to my demon hooves. They were a further evolved Mutation, which meant that even if the hooves weren''t made for deft maneuvers, the sheer quality alone coupled with the amount of power they were able to output allowed me to not be totally incapable of dodging. But it still threw me off, I could easily overshoot, and it got even harder to maneuver if I ended up building too much speed.


    All in, I was taking about two-thirds more hits than usual, which Granuel seemed to greatly enjoy.


    I contemplated briefly fighting back, maybe using him as target practice for my new menace magic. That will teach him to fear me. But I realized that it was mostly the mana itself whispering into my ears. Again.


    We continued the exercise for a while, until I felt myself starting to tire, sooner than I thought I would. I also knew that my training didn¡¯t progress nearly as nicely, on account of my brain having literally changed. I was still a supernaturally fast learner, but my mind was no longer specialized for patterns.


    ¡°I¡¯m out of mana,¡± Granuel said, and finally I could call off our exercise. I was a little more tired than I thought I would be, with less results to show for it than I expected. My endurance wasn¡¯t what it used to be, and neither was my very mind the same. I regret nothing, but damn I wish I kept all my human advantages on top of everything new. Is there no soul feat for that? I¡¯ve gotten way too used to them already.


    ¡°So you¡¯re leaving?¡± Granuel gratefully accepted the glass of water, as I plopped down next to him.


    ¡°Yeah. Eventually. Can¡¯t let anyone see me like this,¡± I pointed at my very obviously red skin, the horns atop my head, and even the hooves might get noticed, ¡°It could be inconvenient. My grandpa once said¨C¡±


    ¡°That the first generations of fountans and us ishkawtans were abused, not that they ever stopped. And you, as the first of your species, may suffer the same fate. I know Haell. I¡¯ve¡­ asked Rolex to tell me all about that stuff.¡±


    ¡°And he just told you? A child?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a child too!¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ well, whatever. Maybe I¡¯m being paranoid. The ishkawtans and fountans were made by the angels. I¡¯m just some random new species. They might not even be interested in doing anything at all.¡±


    Granuel looked me in the eye. ¡°Really? Do you really think that, Haell?¡±


    ¡°Maybe?¡± I shrugged. ¡°They could be out to get you, they could not be. It is how it is.¡±


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°I¡­ feel like they¡¯ve been out to get me. From the start.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Well, you¡¯re right. Yeah.¡±


    ¡°And I think if they don¡¯t want to abuse you like that, they¡¯d at least want to kill you.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm. I don¡¯t want to die.¡± Not again. Not now. I¡¯ve achieved my dreams and I¡¯ll get to actually live it out this time!


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s fucked up. And I won¡¯t let them. So when you get back Haell. When we¡¯re all strong enough. It¡¯s time to fight back!¡±


    I looked at his eyes, and I felt how serious he was. Granuel would likely, truly fight against the very empire someday, or at least he¡¯d damn well try. I would just have to join him then, and raise absolute hell.


    ¡°Hell yeah!¡± I bumped my fist with his. ¡°Someday. It¡¯s a promise.¡±


    ~~~


    Here I stood, a wooden sword in hand. Against an opponent that towered over me, Angerly the ogre, and my friend.


    We charged towards each other and the dash I made built up more and more momentum. We reached each other in the large basement, and my sword and her wooden mace bounced off each other. Another clash soon followed, but this time I was pushed back, no longer having the weight of my charge to support me.


    The both of us clashed some more, and I found myself forced on the defensive. I still had better technique, and now my strength could finally keep up, so I lightly diverted Angerly¡¯s stronger strikes, evaded a tad clumsily, and landed a few slashes across her limbs.


    ¡°That would have slowed you down a lot by now, were this a real fight,¡± I said imperiously.


    ¡°I know! You were already tricky to fight before you became a demon! A really cool demon!¡±


    ¡°Thank you!!¡± I roared while continuing to exchange blows with my friend. I¡¯d already proven my greater skill, even with new unmastered Mutations, but there were yet more things I wished to test precisely because of that.


    Mischief. Malice. To make a nuisance of myself.


    Intimidation.


    Sheer and utter domination.


    That was what it meant to me, to be a menace. Those were the images and the concepts I poured into the magic when I activated the mana within me.


    My muscles pulsed with the power, my arms swung with frantic urgency. My sword and Angerly¡¯s own weapon met again, but this time I was not pushed back. My raw strength became a match against the much larger foe.


    I did it again, I engaged Angerly in a contest of equals, our weapons blurring in our personal war. My greater technique led to me landing hits further along her body, and towards the vitals that would¡¯ve instantly ended a true fight.


    The menace mana quickly replaced itself, for I used only a small amount relative to my newly improved reserves and the rapid beating of my heart sped up its generation.


    I could actually use even more power than this, it was so easy to wield magic within the confines of my own body, but I would very quickly destroy myself if I did so.


    As it stood, I was already building up damage in my muscles. Damage that was slowly being repaired by my regen heart, again beating harder due to the exertion.


    The demon thrives in conflict. My build had become the truest expression of that concept.


    I smirked, striking Angerly¡¯s mace and pushing it back by expending more menace mana.


    I immediately jumped back afterward, placed a good amount of distance between us, and then charged.


    I want to win. How amazing would it be to bring low my foe. I will tower over her and all the descendants to come!


    Menace magic coursed through my body once more, not just through the arms, but across every inch. My charge was augmented, I built up even more speed than what was sage, I made it to my much larger foe and crashed my sword against her mace.


    There was a loud clap, I won the contest, and the giant was pushed back. I then pressed the advantage and she staggered back even further. My sword was at her throat the next moment, I pressed the wooden blade just to make my point.


    ¡°I win. A hundred and one times I win.¡±


    Angerly panted and then gave me a beaming smile. ¡°Yep! You did! That was amazing!¡±


    The ogre girl straightened herself up and gave me a crushing hug. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you, Haell! Get stronger soon! As strong as you want! And then¡­ and then¡­¡± She sniffed, and I felt the tears drop down my head. ¡°The Harvesters aren¡¯t over. It¡¯s just a break! We¡¯re just taking a break. But we¡¯ll get back together someday!¡±


    I returned her crushing embrace. ¡°Yeah. Absolutely. I¡¯ll come back a stronger demon than ever before.¡±


    ~~~


    Two wooden swords clashed, and one was pushed back, hard. I wasn¡¯t even using my menace magic yet, but Therick was already unable to match my force, with a difference greater than the one between me and Angerly.


    He tried to circle around me, to dodge around my strikes, but it took less effort on my part to just make sure I kept on facing him, and it was easy to predict his movements besides. Not that he was bad at it, but his movements were very by the book and orthodox, if more defensive. And the moment I started to push, he became stuck parrying and trying to survive. I chose to enhance one strike with my menace magic, and he fell, unable to take my strength augmented with magic.


    Therick stared, mouth agape, at the sword pressed against his head. That expression amused me to no end, proof of my conquest and superiority. It oozed out of my body, a menacing aura like no other.


    Therick shivered. His eyes became filled with genuine fear. It would be so easy to drive it home. Maybe not kill him, but something permanent. Something that will be remembered.


    ¡°H-Haell¡­ W-what¡­?¡±


    I blinked, and snapped myself out of it. I opened and closed my mouth a few times, myself unaware of what truly happened. I thought it over for a couple of seconds, until I finally understood.


    ¡°It¡¯s a new technique. New magic.¡± I pulled back my sword and helped Therick up. ¡°Sorry about that. Menace magic. You know how it is.¡±


    ¡°R-right¡­¡±


    I began pacing back and forth, before activating a lot of mana within myself. It was a different effect, not meant to enhance my body, so all I felt was distinct discomfort, but nothing more.


    The surrounding air distorted, just a little, as a small amount of mana began leaking out of my skin.


    Hmm. Curious. I tried wasting a good amount of mana by just dumping them out into waves, before then trying the aura thing again. The mana shouldn¡¯t leak out while my blood wasn¡¯t full, but it seemed this spell automatically forced a certain amount to escape. My body was now covered by a visible violet haze, and looking upon it, or otherwise perceiving it, spread terror towards my foes. Just like how Therick had his bulging eyes glued on me now, as he slowly backed away. It was a strong intimidation effect, one that induced fear.


    My friend screamed when I pushed it further and added my Demon Eyes into the mix.


    Perhaps my new eyes are not a lost cause after all. Nice.


    I stopped it, and he relaxed.


    Therick took a few moments to compose himself, before finally shouting, ¡°What the fuck was that, Haell!? Seriously! What the fuck!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± I explained to him the menace magic, and made some excuses about how its influence might have caused me to go too far. Which wasn¡¯t untrue at all.


    Therick sighed. ¡°Well. I get it. But damn, couldn¡¯t you have gone easy on me for the last time? Now I¡¯ll remember you as one scary bitch.¡±


    ¡°Demon.¡±


    He raised a brow. ¡°Right. Scary demon. That¡¯s much better.¡±


    ¡°Totally.¡±


    He scratched his head. ¡°You achieved your dream though. Congrats Haell. I know just how hard you worked for it.¡±


    I beamed and sat next to him.


    ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s great!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ But¡­ So why leave now?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, well¡­¡± I told him about the dangers that awaited myself, and how the angels and everyone else might react.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ do you really think they¡¯d do that?¡±


    ¡°Of course. It totally fits. Rather, what do you think they¡¯ll do?¡±


    ¡°Oh. W-well. You¡¯re an entirely new species. How they treat you and your kin would depend on yourself?¡±


    I barked out a laugh. ¡°You mean if I¡¯m a good little slave that follows what they say or not.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ well, that is true. Those who are obedient are rewarded.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m the complete opposite! Which means that it¡¯ll come to blows, war is inevitable. Therefore I must prepare. And I must be strong. Stronger than anything.¡± I smiled. ¡°Not that I wouldn¡¯t have done that regardless.¡±


    Therick was quiet for a while. He seemed to be thinking. ¡°You have big dreams, Haell. Bigger than I can even imagine.¡±


    ¡°Killing God is a classic.¡± I nodded seriously.


    Therick balked, put off balance. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t joke about that!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking.¡±


    ¡°...You¡¯re really not, huh?¡± He shook his head. ¡°...No wonder I¡¯m no match for you.¡±


    ¡°How about you? What¡¯s your dream?¡±


    ¡°Nothing as big as yours. Not even close. Unclear, really. A warrior, a swordsman, someone who achieves great things and is¡­ recognized for it. I don¡¯t even know what form I wish for it to take.¡± He fiddled with his wooden sword. ¡°Sounds so childish put next to yours.¡±


    ¡°Really? You think so?¡± I asked, genuinely. ¡°Become demon. Become strong. Defeat all those that I hate. Big, perhaps, but it''s no less vague. I don¡¯t actually have any more of a plan than you do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Therick chuckled. ¡°Wow, that is true. It¡¯s so uncomplicated, you¡¯re simply just¡­ so much more confident about it. And you follow it, unabashed and unashamed.¡±


    ¡°I see no reason to be.¡±


    ¡°Plenty of people would.¡± A pause. ¡°It¡¯s unbecoming. Humans can aim high, higher than most, but not that high. And certainly not against our leaders.¡±


    ¡°Bah! I reject their leadership! I follow no master!¡±


    He stared at me for a second, before getting up and helping me to my feet. Therick did not let go of my hand.


    ¡°Let us meet again, and bring back The Harvesters. Let us once again follow our dreams, together. All of us.¡±


    I shook his hand.


    ¡°Deal.¡±

 Chapter 42: A Carriage is a Nice and Effective Vechicle.

    Everyone was here to celebrate my departure. They were just that excited for me to be gone.


    Jokes aside, I had spent the entire past month cooped up at home. I¡¯d already said my goodbyes a million times over. There was no need for more words.


    I hugged my parents, many tears were shed.


    I hugged Granuel, and continued to cry as he did the same, making many promises about the future.


    ¡°Yes, yes. We¡¯ll destroy it all someday. It¡¯ll be fun. So stay brave until then, okay? Be good.¡±


    ¡°Mmhmm! Yes!¡±


    I hugged Angerly, and she ended up lifting me high as I clung to her shoulders. We bawled until the tears dried up.


    I hugged Therick, and there was resolve in the gesture. An unspoken understanding. We will meet again.


    I hugged Moonwash¡­


    ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you coming with me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Then why are we hugging too!?¡±


    ¡°Do you not want to hug me?¡±


    The question was asked innocently, I knew she was genuinely curious. I also knew that while not readily apparent, there were definite emotions underlying her words and actions.


    I embraced her tighter.


    ¡°Ow.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°It hurts.¡±


    ¡°Sssshhhhhh.¡±


    ¡°Ow.¡±


    Once that was over, I could delay myself no longer.


    I stuffed myself inside a big sack.


    ¡­


    ¡°Stop! STOP!¡±


    I screeched from within my confines. Everyone took that opportunity to tickle me, and it was not funny!


    ¡°GRRRAAAHHHHHHH!!!¡± I roared out. Woe be they who ridicule a demon! My laughter joined their own, and I was happy for our final farewell to be this, rather than the prior tears.


    Soon, I felt myself be picked up like a sack of potatoes, because I was indeed a sack of potatoes right now. I adjusted my hood, and the mask I had put on, just in case I was inadvertently revealed. It was a harder task than it sounded, to do in such a cramped and claustrophobic space. I had to wiggle like a fucking worm.


    ¡°Well, see ya, suckers!¡± Luine hefted me over her shoulder, I could feel her waving at the others. ¡°I have to make¡­ a delivery!¡±


    ~~~


    I was carried by Luine like a sack of potatoes, because that¡¯s what I had become. From human to demon to a sack of potatoes, my evolutions were a gift that just kept on giving!


    Three sets of footsteps walked across the town, Baston was the last person to join this little procession of ours. The people I took with me were the ones with the best senses, who could potentially intervene if necessary. I felt bad for my parents who always wanted me around, but it was time I left the nest and soared!


    Eventually we boarded one of the elevators of the tree wall, and I heard the enthusiastic chatter that was characteristic of the place!


    ¡°Yellow Alert! Yellow Alert!¡±


    ¡°Get down!!¡±


    I heard their shouts, and I was put down for a moment, as Luine participated in all the festivities. It was unfair. I wanted to fight too. I had new Mutations to test out!


    Patience, patience. I¡¯ll get to do it later. But it¡¯s best I don¡¯t get spotted right now. Even though I think we¡¯re being too paranoid. Why couldn¡¯t I have just gone for the classic oversized and overly suspicious black cloak? No one will suspect a thing!


    The excitement died down, we boarded another elevator, and went down.


    ¡°For a New Grandera.¡± I heard our supposed chauffeur say.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Luine replied tersely.


    That probably meant something, New Grandera was the name of the resistance in the southern rainforests who have now declared themselves as one single sovereign entity.


    But I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just a coincidence! I chanted happily in my mind. I didn¡¯t really care if it was or not.


    We landed, left behind the town, and scurried about. I couldn¡¯t see shit, but I knew there was some climbing and some grumbling, and then the shaking that was only natural of a carriage.


    This was going to be a long journey.


    ~~~


    Ow, ow, ow, ow¡­


    And here I thought wagon rides could not get any worse. Why did they just leave me on the floor!? This is misconduct of the highest level! Undemonlike!


    At least the ones pulling the wagon were centaurs. It¡¯s more steady than it would¡¯ve otherwise been, if only because they knew what they were doing. That was fine so long as they liked what they were doing, instead of being subtly pushed into the role by a million different cuts.


    ~~~


    Moonwash was using me as a pillow.


    ¡­


    Eh. Whatever. I didn¡¯t mind.


    ~~~


    Moonwash was using me as a pillow.


    While the carriage was still moving.


    Her head hammered repeatedly into my guts.


    Now I did mind! Getoffmee!!!!


    But I must not blow my cover.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Maybe a little whiff of menace mana to jolt her away?


    ~~~


    We stopped by a town, and I immediately ran for the window once I was allowed outside the confines of the room we paid for.


    It was the town of Fergosis. Not quite as wealthy as Latarus, and it even had to be completely rebuilt in recent decades, but at least it had a proper stone wall. As much as I loved our tree wall, especially the community within, it was definitely some frivolous bullshit. Or at the very least, there should¡¯ve been a proper wall after it. Just like here. The immediate forest was also patrolled by belfegors and others, giving much of the same benefits, albeit with less of the dedicated traps and defenses that we had back home.


    Okay. Ours is cooler, and I quite honestly prefer it. But still. If I were in charge then I¡¯d have the trees, and then a thick if shorter wall¡­


    Luine came back after a time, carrying with her a bucket and some towels. It wasn¡¯t a bath, but goddamn did it feel nice to get a chance to wind down.


    ~~~


    We joined a caravan, there were more people now. I could hear the adventurers boasting and preaching as they guarded and escorted us to our destination. Truly a very strange sight.


    Well, not sight, since I couldn¡¯t see shit from my sack. Though I was at least freed during the nights, to eat and to¡­ handle my business.


    Shit. Shitting. That¡¯s the business.


    I managed to sneak a few peeks outside, through holes in the tarps. The trees were taller now, animals and monsters abound. The Mountain Wall loomed larger, we drew closer towards our destination.


    ~~~


    The caravan was attacked, and I shivered¡­ in barely contained envy! I wanted to fight too, but here I was, stuck here, in order to hide what I was. Something that I was more than proud of!


    There had been a stream of occasional attacks of course, from lone monsters, wolf packs, and even bandits. But this one was big. I heard the snarls, and Moonwash helpfully informed me what we were up against.


    ¡°Barkbarks.¡±


    They looked like a cross between dogs and a grasshopper, with oversized heads, jaws that would never let go, and very good jumping power. Barkbarks weren¡¯t actually that strong, at least not individually, but the big problem with them was that they were swarm monsters, hence the need for all hands on deck.


    Except mine.


    Luine had already left, Baston protected us from the few that got through, and Moonwash even got to kill a few of her own!


    I stewed in dissatisfaction, growing steadily more resentful of the people who forced me to hide. I was proud of who I was goddamn it, and I hated being made to feel like my horns were something to be ashamed of.


    ~~~


    I stretched in freedom, as we had successfully shaken off the caravan.


    I was decked out in almost full plate armor, a new piece that Moonwash rushed to make just before our departure from Latarus. There were a few gaps in the pure fantastreel armor to allow for my mana to escape faster. Not that it was strictly necessary, mana only marginally interacted with the physical world and my armor did not hinder my own magic that much. I didn¡¯t know how it knew, but it did. Likely some soul-related bullshit.


    I wore an oversized hood that concealed my horns. My horns were also covered by a gem-like material that made it look like the horns atop my head were but an implement of my helm, not that there were actual horns underneath. Of course, this rendered the function of my demonic horns almost unusable, because that was how focuses worked for magic. It was to be ¡®open to the world¡¯ and not concealed, whatever that meant. I knew for a fact that being underground did not hinder with casting at all.


    Moonwash truly did a phenomenal job with my new gear, now made completely of fantastreel, and I loved every piece of it.


    Perhaps my precautions to hide were paranoid at this point, our two centaur escorts were evidently part of the resistance and New Grandera. I knew because they talked about it while I was within earshot, and they even revealed that Luine was affiliated with them in some way. They really should not have let that slip, but I was not a person at the time, instead a bag of potatoes. It was very easy to fade from people''s perceptions if one were a mere inanimate sack.


    I didn¡¯t really want to get involved with this whole New Grandera thing. Movements like that, nations even more so, were not to be trusted. Never fully, at the very least. I would only deal with them, when I had the power to back it up.


    Baston suddenly stood up in alarm, his head swiveling every which way within the wagon. Luine did the same, peering out of the carriage to gander at the world beyond.


    ¡°Vladmonkes.¡±


    The same species Salaire¡¯s battle coat was from. I peeked outside myself, seeing pristine white fur peeking out of the underbrush. A monster widely regarded as dangerous, with fearsome durability, and the tendency to travel in groups.


    My body prepared for battle, as did our escorts. The centaurs let go of the wagon and brandished their halberds, the two of them over level 20. But will it be enough?


    Will I get the chance to finally shine!?


    Luine did not wait for the enemies to attack. She dashed away from the dirt road and into the treeline, angry monkey shrieks resounding from within shortly.


    ¡°Get out now!¡± Baston jumped out of the wagon carrying a wild nature staff, and I and Moonwash followed. The centaur couple also readied themselves for a fight, taking defensive positions.


    Vladmonkes ran towards us. The majority came from the right side of the road where Luine was, but some of them came from the left as well. The larger mass of enemies were being successfully held back and distracted by Luine as she spread death upon their ranks.


    The vladmonkes were built for attrition, their fur able to soak in blood, especially their own, in order to grow tougher. But that did not matter when Luine just stabbed deep enough to kill them with one strike!


    Monsters from the left assaulted our position, and Baston allowed the two centaurs to hold back the tide. I waited tensely for a chance to strike, but I knew better than to force it.


    The centaurs were eventually overwhelmed, and some began to spill through the gaps. They met a vladmonke over the level of 20, and it survived their initial strikes, making the subsequent attacks all the tougher as its fur took to the color of red.


    The stream of vladmonkes coming towards us staggered to a stop, restrained by numerous vines. Baston slammed the butt of his staff on the ground, and a great number of the enemies died as multiple roots stabbed at each one. They aimed for the parts that were not yet wet with blood.l


    More enemies came, from both directions now as Luine couldn¡¯t entirely keep her side of the battle in check. Baston worked hard to kill the vladmonkes and help our centaur escorts survive, but more and more of the monkeys took on a redder color, making them tougher and harder to kill.


    It looked like I¡¯d get my wish after all.


    Moonwash shot a gout of flame, white hot, and enough to distort the very air. One vladmonke immediately died, a charred husk, and four more were in dire straits, screaming as they ran around in pain and confusion.


    My friend kept up the assault, but her next attacks weren¡¯t quite as strong, though still enough to cause a good amount of damage without resulting in very much bleeding.


    The first vladmonke finally reached me, below the level of ten and badly singed, furless on the right side. I slashed in its weak side, cutting off the head in one menace-enhanced stroke.


    Another vladmonke followed amid the chaos of the battle that remained ever-present around me. I focused on my enemy, similarly leveled to myself, and slashed it across the neck with another exertion of menace magic. The force wasn¡¯t enough to behead the creature, but its throat was leaking out blood rapidly, and the animal was liable to choke on its own liquids at any moment.


    I kicked it away, and fended off a few more strikes until it exhausted itself and fell over dead.


    More of the vladmonkes followed, and I had a hard time denying them distance because of their willingness to take the hits, and how small cuts were ill-advised. I used what I could of my footwork, I activated my demon eyes, and used my menacing aura. That gave them enough pause, and I winded up for only the big attacks in order to take them out as quickly as possible.


    Monkey heads flew, and the pressure on us lessened. I helped Moonwash pry away the two that had clung to her shield and were banging on it. I shot menace bolts into the both of them, which was enough to halt their movements for a moment. One was obedient enough to get beheaded, but the other resisted, its skin already dyed red.


    The monster very quickly became able to move again. It suffered under the assaults of both me and moonwash, but its own punches were very heavy, putting the both of us off balance. This one was close to level 20, and I needed, wanted, something extra.


    The feeling of a blade parting through flesh.


    To destroy an opponent¡¯s most trusted defenses.


    The humiliation of defeat.


    Menace-aspected mana covered my sword, and I activated the magic. I slashed again, and this time the sword bit deep into my enemy¡¯s shoulder. The magic worked, the sword¡¯s power was enhanced, and all that practice paid off.


    I wasted no time repeating the same trick, squeezing out all that I could of my new demonic evolution, in both body and magic. The vladmonke¡¯s blood spilled from several deep cuts, and its fur could not save from the draining of its life, no matter how tough it had managed to become in those final moments.


    I breathed hard and my arm shook from the exertion beyond my capabilities. Baston quickly covered for us again once their number had sufficiently diminished, earning me a well-needed break for my regen heart to do the rest.


    The battle concluded soon after. I only managed to pick off a few of the weaker ones that got through, but the strongest of the monsters never reached us. Baston and Luine, even the centaurs, made sure of that.


    Way to kill the fun. Boo.

 Chapter 43: Wonderzone.

    Moonwash, Baston, Luine, and I walked through the overgrown forest, away from any established roads. We all carried very large packs on our backs, but it barely slowed us down, as strong as we were.


    We had gone past all the Angelorian settlements this side of the continent, and had already ditched our escorts. The centaur couple were beginning to ask ill-advised questions, as they had taken notice of my ability to wield curse-aligned magics. It was apparently a very rare ability, and very frowned upon.


    Skill issue. Sounds like they should work harder.


    Something scurried within the brush, I saw a familiar horn. I dropped my large pack and went to hunt it, because I could. The bush was swatted away by my sword, and the horned rabbit hiding within jumped in fright, shooting a tide of flames at me as a distraction, but I didn¡¯t even bother to dodge. That was ill-advised, against my loadout. My flesh was resistant to heat.


    My legs flexed, and I charged. The rabbit was pulling away on me at first, but I quickly sped up. And then it turned, choosing a circuitous route while blasting its behind with flames every so often. Nothing that would prevent its capture for long, but I chose to do more.


    My demon eyes gazed into the monster, and the rabbit gazed back. The wild creature paused in fright, against all instinct to keep on fleeing away. Menace aura oozed off off my form, finally causing the tiny monster to faint in sheer terror.


    ¡°Hey! I won!¡± I cheered, taking off my hood and waving to the others. They followed after me, and Moonwash killed the rabbit for good, before butchering the remains.


    She cooked us a nice brunch, because she¡¯d gotten better at that too.


    My friend really was amazing.


    The thoughts of how she was an arrogant show-off were only the whispers of menace magic.


    ~~~


    I woke up, still in my armor. My vigilance was rewarded when I found a tiger stalking us from the bushes. I picked up my sword, and nodded at Luine who was keeping watch and could have killed the animal at any time. But she left it for me to have for breakfast.


    I was thankful.


    I broke into a run. An unstoppable charge that had the tiger freaking out. It took one moment to decide that fleeing was the best option, but my demon eyes and magic intimidation aura made it hesitate.


    That was enough. My sword bit deeply into its torso. The tiger snarled, and tried to fight back, but the existing wound was already limiting its movement. I landed another slash across its face, and the attack split bone. The animal was staggering now, barely able to keep standing. I put it out of its misery with a proper menace-infused beheading.


    ¡°Good Morning!¡±


    ~~~


    A few days into our travels, the air around us began to change. It became more humid, and more damp. There was an oppressive pressure, as if I felt in a small way the pressures of the deep ocean, a darkness that blotted out all light.


    It didn¡¯t take long until a new kind of foe found its way towards us, when we stopped by a clear and serene lake. Baston warned us in advance, and I hid behind Moonwash who had her shield up, the both of us in full plate.


    A piercing ray of water then shot out of the lake, which Luine deflected with her daggers, showing the depth of her skill. The smirk that followed us showed just how necessary that was when she could¡¯ve just dodged. The woman rushed towards the water to chase away the enemy. She tossed her knives into the lake, but the water slowed it down enough to allow the slithering creature within to survive. The weird-looking monster disappeared back into the depths.


    The monster that I could only barely make out was actually a light blue snake with two heads, one on each end. One was really good at intaking a huge amount of water, bloating its body into segments that nearly looked like a worm¡¯s. Meanwhile, the other head was shaped weirdly, like a gourd, and its sole function was to expel the water as a highly damaging stream.


    ¡°Aquaboros,¡± Moonwash said.


    ¡°You beat me to it!¡± I complained.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°...You said the name first.¡± It was in that book we read before coming to this area.


    ¡°You can still say it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same!¡±


    ¡°Yes it is. The name aquaboros remains unchanged.¡±


    A pause.


    ¡°Aquaboros.¡± My voice was filled with the pride of a scientist unveiling a new discovery.


    Moonwash clapped. Slowly.


    ~~~


    "I want to kill one." I said, chewing on my fish. I imagined that it was the taste of an aquaboros instead. Not that I''ve ever had any, they were only found in this untamed wonderzone away from all civilization, and we only knew about them because we were nerds.


    Not that it was impossible to tame these lands. It¡¯s happened before as evidenced by the sparse few remnants of civilization peeking out from a few trees and vines. But a long time had passed since the harpies razed the settlements here to the ground, and the Angelore Empire had still not recovered enough to retake it. I hoped it never does.


    "Me too. I want to see how that water shooter thing works," Moonwash replied, likewise imagining the same taste of aquaboros as she ate her own meal. Maybe.


    We followed our desires and proceeded to try and murder a creature. I got shot in the chest for my trouble, but I continued to charge, heedless of the danger. I reached my target, a snake the width of my forearm previously sitting on shallow shores, but it had already swam deeper by the time I got there. Its shooting head was able to discharge water in a different way, as propulsion for their travels.


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    I tried slashing at the water, but it predictably did nothing.


    ¡°Well shit. First try, it¡¯s fine. The first time always sucks.¡±


    I checked my armor for damage, and there was a slight groove through the surface, showing that the monster did good damage. Certainly not enough to get through in one go, but I did not want my gear to suffer this early on. It was new, for fuck¡¯s sake! And repairs were difficult this deep in the wilderness.


    ~~~


    I thought about it for a while, and I came up with a bright idea. A very bright idea. Hence my use of a fire wand, controlling a veritable wall of fire mana in front of myself.


    A beam of water hit me before I could activate the magic.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t ready! Fuck!¡±


    I dodged away, and the water beam tried to follow me, but it eventually petered out. My eyes caught sight of the aquaboros, and it was still trying to reload. The next time it attacked, I was ready, and the wall of flames erupted in front of myself, hotter than anything I¡¯d ever summoned before. It did absolutely fuck all, and I staggered away from the water beam. I touched where the damage was, and the grooves cut into my armor might have been a tad smaller, but not by much. The water was just going far too fast for the heat to have done anything meaningful. Fire really wasn¡¯t meant for defense.


    ¡°Just use my shield,¡± Moonwash said. That was the obvious solution, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡­It was.


    ¡°...Okay.¡±


    ~~~


    I charged straight into the lake with Moonwash¡¯s shield, and I barely felt the impacts of the waterbeam beyond. I reached the shores of the water, I waded into the dangerous lake, but my prey was gone all the same once I was there.


    I was back to the same problem.


    ¡°How the fuck do we reach it!? The damn snake just runs away!¡±


    ¡°We could just move on,¡± Baston suggested.


    ¡°Never!¡± I was invested now!


    He shrugged, and I went back towards them to entice the aquaboroses to seek us once more.


    There I found Moonwash pacing, she was murmuring to herself while keeping her eyes on the lake.


    ¡°We can¡¯t reach it, the aquaboros will just run away, and we can¡¯t move nearly as well in the water. So then what if it wasn¡¯t our slow and inefficient bodies doing the traveling but something else¡­ Haell!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to try something.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Moonwash picked a wand from her collection, we really should be trying to be more economic about this considering how hard it would be to find mana this far from civilization. We were committed!


    My friend levitated a rock, and once an Aquaboros came near the shore, the projectile of stone rocketed towards it. The snake swam away, and the projectile''s speed bled away as it sank into the water.


    I clapped. ¡°That¡¯s better than what we¡¯ve been doing before!¡±


    I tried to do the same thing with my menace bolts, but they weren¡¯t fast enough to begin with, propelled solely by magic and only partially subject to physics. The water still slowed it down somehow, if only a little. Not that it mattered, my attack wouldn¡¯t have reached the hidden aquaboros regardless.


    Moonwash was the one to try again after that. She focused and concentrated, readying a big spell. She wasn¡¯t that good of a mage on the fly, but give her time and my friend can exceed all limits. I protected her while she charged up.


    By the time Moonwash was ready to shoot, the aquaboros we were hunting had already swam away, having lost interest when its water beams did no visible damage to Moonwash¡¯s tower shield. She shot the small boulder into the lake regardless and it impacted as if it were a cannonball.


    It was mighty impressive, but again, the target was long gone.


    We sat on the problem for a while, neither of us willing to abandon the mission and give up. I will not accept my defeat! Not from the two-headed prick!


    ¡°I got it!¡± I exclaimed. I explained the plan to my friend and got in position.


    The water beams impacted my shield again, and I shook from the force. I shivered, cowering from the pain, as Moonwash¡¯s spell continued to form.


    The aquaboros slithered closer to the shore, it was so close that just a few more inches would spell my doom for sure!


    ¡°Gaaahhh!! Aaarrrggghhh!!!!¡± I howled in agony tilting my shield into a collapse. And then Moonwash¡¯s spell finished. It shot into the water, and hit our prey!


    I quickly rushed over in search of the snake, uninjured because it was all a ruse! I reached the bank and saw a small trickle of blood, but our enemy was long gone. I could barely make out its silhouette from under the lake.


    ¡°Darn! So close!¡±


    Moonwash nodded in agreement. She took out another wand, this time of wind.


    ¡°I will try a joint spell.¡±


    My eyebrows rose, up to my forehead. A joint spell, using two different elements. Hell, using two wands of the same element at once was already a mighty difficult feat. Two different elements at once, wielded separately, was even more so, no matter how easy my mother makes multi-spells look. The different elements required different sorts of mindset after all. And a step even further beyond that was a joint spell that had two elements working in harmony. That was what my friend wished to try.


    I could scarcely even use two wands at once myself, let alone of different elements. So was Moonwash really just that much better than me!?


    She is in certain respects. I will not be manipulated into hating my best friend, menace mana. Not on your life.


    I gave Moonwash space as she created a pointed speartip out of stone, meticulously shaping and compressing it into what she wanted. My friend then struggled to incorporate wind mana into it, and she was able to maybe push the stone a little bit faster with the help of the wind.


    The difference was insignificant, and she most certainly could not rapidly switch between elements like my mother could. So she slowly practiced and attempted to perfect that single attack of hers.


    ¡°I need speed, and the air could give it. The wind typically serves as a resistance, even. So I want to remove that¡­ obstacle of force, and have the air push my projectile instead.¡±


    ¡°Air resistance.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the word you¡¯re looking for,¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh. Air resistance. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°...You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    Night came, dinner was eaten, and dawn had broken when Moonwash finally decided her preparations to be complete.


    ¡°Let¡¯s give it another go.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I crouched into position, and we waited for a while until an aquaboros finally wanted to take a shot at us. I writhed and groaned under its assault like before, a performance worthy of an oscar. Moonwash¡¯s spell eventually finished forming, while the monster was still so convinced that it¡¯d take just a little bit more for me to be defeated.


    A spike of earth flew through the air, faster than all prior attempts. Its path was a blur, and it sank into the lake with great force. The water became tinged with red right after.


    I quickly ran for it, to find our bleeding prey. What I saw was an aquaboros, still writhing, but unable to slither away with its flesh lacerated, nearly torn in half. I grabbed it forcefully, and that alone finished the job. The monster died, now split in two.


    I carried the aquaboros back to camp. The snake would¡¯ve been twice as long as I was tall, from head to the other head.


    I had it for breakfast, and the taste of crab mixed with eel made this whole entire detour worth it.


    Moonwash was fascinated by the corpse. From its capabilities to slurp up large amounts of water, to the compression and propulsion mechanics behind the water beam.


    My friend ate more than usual.

 Chapter 44: Drizzle.

    It rained without a single cloud in the sky. Instead there was a large flock of birds, flying upon the skies.


    They were cloudbirds, with feathers made to look like their namesake, colored only a slightly graying white. Every flap of their wings conjured droplets of water to drop, the sun behind them streaking rainbows through the false rain that they had made.


    One of them dropped a little bit too low, and I killed it. Menace bullet, demon eyes, magic intimidation. The bird lost control of its flight, and I dashed into a high jump, catching the critter and ending its life before it could rejoin its brethren.


    ¡°Let me see!¡± Moonwash raised her voice and ran towards me once I had fulfilled her request. She was very interested in examining these creatures who could do nothing other than their fancy water tricks.


    The cloudbirds chirped all at once. They dove low and I readied my sword in preparation for an attack. But it never came, the whole group of them retreated westwards, to never be seen again.


    Or so I had thought.


    ¡°ROOOOAAAARRRR!!!¡±


    A loud roar resounded from where they had fled. The birds took to the air once more as I heard entire trees being felled.


    I took an involuntary step back. Moonwash was looking towards where the big enemy was coming from, and I pulled her back with me.


    ¡°I think this is where you guys run,¡± Luine said. Baston took position right beside her. I knew they were right, but I also wanted to watch. Moonwash thought the same, so we ran away and hid, but made sure that the upcoming battle was still within our sights.


    A hippo-mammoth sort of creature broke through the cover of trees, its scaly hide the color of a deep blue.


    ¡°Marrong.¡± Moonwash informed me of its name. I nodded, both grimly and in awe.


    The monster roared again. The flock of birds flew around it and above, filling the space with water. The droplets then coalesced near the marrong, joining into larger chunks, before shooting as a hail of larger watery bullets towards our adult companions.


    Baston summoned a wall of vines and bark to block it. Luine huddled with him for a second, before immediately running out after the initial and largest volley, but the attacks had not stopped for there was now a constant revolving bullet hell of water, constantly renewed by the cloudbirds.


    A dagger in one hand and a wand in the other, Luine waded through the zone of danger. Droplets were cut or deflected by her dagger. The cloak she wore absorbed more damage than I would¡¯ve guessed, but it was only to be expected that her gear was of the finest quality. A barrier of wind occasionally sprung up around her whenever the monster¡¯s barrage was focused on her, redirecting the painful rain or outright dispersing parts of it.


    She finally reached the marrong¡¯s side and scored a cut across the hide, but it was shallow, especially compared to the monster¡¯s mass. But it was not just one cut, Luine landed plenty of slashes with every passing second, and she deftly dodged the monster when it tried to ram into her through her superior agility. She even climbed into its broad back, having long switched back to double daggers, and cutting apart the monster as she maneuvered around it. Much of the bullet rain was even avoided by taking shelter behind the monster¡¯s own bulk. The sheer disrespect in the move was hilarious.


    The marrong roared. The chaotic bullets of water stopped for a second, before all converging on Luine. She avoided the worst of it, jumping back, meanwhile numerous striking roots struck the monster from below as Baston had been given free rein.


    The marrong groaned aloud and I cheered. Luine landed near its base and finally took out one of its legs after what must have been hundreds of cuts. More roots struck it, and the monster was no longer able to keep itself upright, teetering to one side. I felt a spray of water ping off my armor as a cloudbird landed right next to me and cawed.


    The marrong turned, the beast locked eyes with me. I instantly knew trouble was abound, and I flared both my demon eye and my intimidation, but it wasn¡¯t enough.


    I tackled Moonwash. She held out her shield towards our foe, we landed behind a tall tree, and then all hell broke loose.


    The tree in front of us took the hits of water. Its bark bent, groaned, and exploded from the impacts, eventually being shredded altogether.


    Next was Moonwash¡¯s shield, which I had taken hold off. The water pinged from it, the material dented from the force, and I could feel the painful vibrations through my arms. It too was eventually destroyed, punched with a million holes.


    Next was myself. My body and my armor. The force was like a cannonball, and I was pushed backwards with every strike. My armor bent and dented, pain flared from a dozen bruises, and blood began to pour out of my mouth.


    And then the marrong roared in agony. Luine had gotten right up to its face, gouging an eye. Baston took out another of its legs, while taunting the creature by killing more of the birds. The marrong had long forgotten about our insignificant selves, but I picked up Moonwash and ran the fuck away just in case.


    ~~~


    Grass swayed in the wind, and petals sung to the skies. A light shone down upon me from Moonwash using her magic. My armor cluttered to the ground, and the pain gradually left until I could move properly again.


    I placed down my nature wand and stared up into the canopy, wet with dew at all times this deep into the wonderzone.


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    ¡°So that was shit,¡± I said. Moonwash was already cataloging my armor for repairs.


    ¡°That bird spotted us, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the same species as the marrong. They are a symbiotic species, where the abilities of the low-level birds complement that of the marrong¡¯s, and I think it attacked because we killed one of the precious cloudbirds. None of that was in the scrolls that we bought.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s an untamed wonderzone now, no matter what it was previously. Information is hard to come by.¡±


    ¡°True. We don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s actually called a marrong.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± There were rituals and objects that could be used in order to see the status or even former status of an animal or monster. It''s how a lot of them are identified to begin with.


    ¡°I don''t have the ritual to do it. And now we¡¯re actually in a place where that could be relevant. I want to ask Luine for it.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°She can use some magic. I don¡¯t believe she¡¯s that good at it. Not for her level. Nor is she a scholar of the mystic arts.¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s a closely guarded secret. But someone in New Grandera must know.¡±


    My eyebrows rose. ¡°You know about that?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s trying to hide that information.¡±


    ¡°Well, not from us maybe. But it is a secret. Don¡¯t tell just anyone.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Right. Of course she did. She hasn¡¯t said a word about it so far.


    ¡°Well. It¡¯s your dealings with her, not mine. Do as you wish.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think they will be satisfied with getting whatever information I manage to get myself.¡±


    I snorted. ¡°What? Are they going to trivia the Angelorians to death?¡±


    ¡°No. New Grandera might look to conquer a wonderzone for themselves.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ That¡¯s. Huh. I didn¡¯t think of that.¡± This place was near the impenetrable barrier range, it loomed over us like an impassable wall to the east. But this place was about a quarter way into the continent. New Grandera had two distinct territories that mirrored each other. To the north and to the south, their lands existed where the ocean, the mountains, and the shores intersect. They worked with the empire¡¯s enemies, from the crustecars of the deep, to the dwarves and harpies of the mountains. Yet even with all that help, they still didn¡¯t hold that much territory. I didn¡¯t know if their reach could even extend here.


    ¡°Wonderzones are an important resource,¡± Moonwash added after her recent victory in the realm of debate.


    ¡°Yes, yes. No need to rub it in.¡±


    ¡°Rub what in?¡±


    ¡°...Nothing.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°I do know what you mean. I¡¯m joking.¡±


    ¡°Oh you son of¨C The entire time!?¡±


    Moonwash opened her mouth, but before she could respond, Luine fell from the trees.


    ¡°Moonwash! Haell! You¡¯re alive!¡±


    ¡°Peachy.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I¡¯m so glad! Mahka and Rallem won¡¯t try to kill me!!¡± She hugged us both.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ That¡¯s what you had in mind, Luine?¡±


    ¡°Haha. Just kidding. I care about you kiddos you know. A lot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I know. Sorry about staying so close¡­¡±


    ¡°Nah. I thought it was far enough too. I knew you were there, and I could¡¯ve warned you to stay further away, but I thought watching a high-level battle would be very educational...¡±


    ¡°Ah. So it really is your fault. Let me just tell Mom and Dad...¡±


    ¡°Wait! Wait, don''t! I¡¯ll bribe you!¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll get so worried and never allow you outside by yourself again.¡±


    I groaned. ¡°I¡¯m still taking that bribe! Moonwash actually has a request for you.¡±


    Her eyebrows rose. Moonwash told her request of the means of identify.


    Luine shrugged. ¡°Sure. It¡¯s just difficult and costly to do. It¡¯s not actually a secret. Just not common knowledge.¡±


    Ritualcraft was a difficult and costly endeavor to begin with, before you even go to the highly specific and esoteric ones like an Identify. Practitioners were rare.


    ¡°I want it,¡± Moonwash said.


    ¡°Of course you do.¡± Luine patted her head. Moonwash was indeed like a daughter to her, all of the children of the orphanage were.


    Baston arrived right at that moment in a dead run. He immediately began using his own nature magic to heal us, causing the plantlife to explode in activity.


    ¡°Relax! Relax! We¡¯re fine!¡±


    ¡°No! Rallem and Mahka are going to kill me!¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Actually, you¡¯re right! You still knew we were in proximity!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Buy my silence with a bribe.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Buy my silence with a bribe!¡± I shouted childishly.


    He grumbled. ¡°Gurk. Fine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a deal!¡± I beamed.


    ~~~


    I put on a spare set of scale armor before we went back to the marrong¡¯s body. There, I saw the aftermath of the battle. There were deep lacerations all over the creature¡¯s body, both eyes robbed of sight. There was no single attack that ended it all, the monster was huge and it would¡¯ve been a tough order to reach for its vitals.


    Moonwash wasted no time in checking out the spoils of battle, meanwhile I looked over the meat¡­ and frowned.


    ¡°Luine!!¡±


    ¡°Hm? What?¡±


    ¡°You used poison!!¡±


    ¡°Uh. Yeah? Of course I did. Poison¡¯s great.¡±


    ¡°Nooooooo!! But what about the meat!!¡±


    ¡°Err. Well.¡± She kicked the corpse of a dead cloudbird. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of these little guys to go around?¡±


    ¡°NOOOOOO!!! It¡¯s not marrong!¡± I whined. I decided then, that I would make it my life¡¯s mission to taste all the dangerous delicacies of the world.


    I wonder what angels taste like¡­?


    Wait no! Make an exception for sapients! Kill them only, not eat!


    Still¡­ They all look so unique¡­

 Chapter 45: MY Wonderzone!?

    Menace mana coursed through my blood, present in my legs. I activated it across my hooves and jumped, swiping a fruit from atop an aguarty. A tree colored in varying shades of blue, with large leaves teeming with aguar fruits. The fruits were shaped like very round bananas growing only in pairs.


    I peeled my aguar and handed the other to Moonwash who also ate. She was pulling a sled of her own making just because she wanted to keep more of the materials we harvested. The most valuable prizes of course being the large water mana repository and the water focus tusks that came from the dead marrong.


    We¡¯ve been on this journey for over a week now, more if the start was when we left the last village, and in that time the landscape has changed. The trees became tougher, more moist, and also more blue. Some of them still looked familiar, just a little more mutated, while others were entirely new and unique species. Plantlife like this apparently worked on a mysterious but similar system to ours, and it was also possible to identify them in the same way, but the way their Mutations worked was different. The trees themselves were connected to the very planet itself, gorging upon its abundant source of mana, giving them strength over the course of their lives.


    The mana here in this place especially was potent, I could feel it in the air. It was something my mother had once told me about, the planet¡¯s mana subtly shaping the world. Its presence was palpable here, giving me a subtle sense of drowning, but it wasn¡¯t unkind. This force changed the very flora and fauna around it.


    As an aside, being subjected to nature magic could also influence plantlife in a variety of ways. They could stop progressing at all as regular plants would, the same as how someone subjected to biomancy might lose access to their Mutations. But plantlife was more forgiving in this regard. Their progress might just slow down or reach some sort of new equilibrium. Being merely boosted to the maturity of an adult tree could also be often recognized by the ¡®System,¡¯ allowing the plant to grow in power normally. It¡¯s also not unheard of for added features to be added to the plant¡¯s Mutation list, albeit there were no records of this artificial creation ever being passed down to offspring. Perhaps it was necessary to trigger a full species change, something that wonderzones and the world itself was able to do easily, but it seemed that even the angels could only scarcely repeat the same feat. So many were sacrificed to create the first shepherds, fountans, and ishkawtans. And their species might not even be new, instead owing their origins to the greater Heavenly Hegemony!


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Baston said, and a wondrous sight was revealed. I broke into a run the moment we exited the treeline, and Moonwash was right behind me. Luine kept up with us to keep apace with danger, but my eyes were already on the gaping abyssal lake right in front of me.


    The Endless Dive.


    It was a body of saltwater said to go straight into the heart of the world. Full of monsters and other dangers, it was a wonderzone whose depths had never been explored, even when this place had once been under the control of the Angelore Empire. Few who attempted to prove or disprove this had ever returned.


    I stared mesmerized as Fish swam near the water¡¯s surface, and larger creatures dwelled underneath. Colorful glowing corals grew from the walls and lit up the place, just as it started to become too dark to see, and then they too stopped, leaving only the gaping abyss. But there were still flashes of light from those depths, only they gave a sense of dread to contrast the welcoming sensations of the coral.


    ¡°Wow,¡± I spoke, in awe.


    ¡°Yes.¡± There was a tinge of the same amazement if Moonwash¡¯s voice.


    This was why we insisted on coming here. To see a wonderzone for ourselves. For me to truly experience what it was to be in another world.


    And then a long crocodile snake crawled its way up, its body like a reptilian centipede. I immediately pulled Moonwash back, and Luine alongside Baston dueled against the creature. Roots and vines speared and wrapped around it, breaking upon the monster¡¯s thrashing. Luine took out its eyes from the get-go, but they quickly healed once she moved on to slicing apart its looong torso.


    She ran around and did it again, robbing the creature of its vision once more. This time it took longer for it to heal, and I reasoned that the regeneration was uncontrolled, now taken up and strained by many wounds. Luine and Baston kept up their onslaught, but the croc-centipede turned around and they had to fall back from the whip that was its body. I could feel the force from here, through the wind.


    The monster retreated back into the water, and Luine thought better than to keep chase after it.


    ¡°Ugh. Regenerators,¡± she said. I smirked at my own Mutations.


    ¡°Was that a Level 40?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes. Definitely.¡±


    ¡°Yes! I was right!¡± I pumped my fists. ¡°I had that vague feeling. Kinda. Level sense.¡±


    She snorted. ¡°If something that obvious is a ¡®kinda¡¯ to you, then you¡¯ve still got a long way to go kid.¡± She patted my head, but both my cowl and helmet were in the way.


    I still leaned into the touch.


    ¡°I want it. That monster.¡±


    We all looked at Moonwash.


    Luine ruffled her hair as well, though the older girl barely showed any reaction. ¡°Then get strong to catch it yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yes I will, Mother.¡±


    Luine¡¯s smile grew warmer.


    ~~~


    We made camp beyond the treeline, as far away from the lake as we could be while still having a good view. Baston noted the presence of other people here. There was a carriage on the other side that I could hardly make out as a single dot on the horizon.


    ¡°You want to go meet them?¡± Luine asked, genuinely curious.


    I shook my head. ¡°Nah. I¡¯d rather mind my own business. I breathed in and smelled the salty waters of the lake. It didn¡¯t have to make sense.


    The woman shrugged. ¡°Suit yourself. I can¡¯t feel their levels from here, but well¡­¡± her form blurred for just a moment. ¡°I can probably kill them, if need be.¡±


    There¡¯s probably something I should be saying in regards to that¡­ Oh, right.


    ¡°That¡¯s nice. Very cool.¡±


    She smirked. ¡°It is, yeah.¡±


    We had a nice meal, a stew cooked over the fire. The wood had to be dried with magic as this place was a very damp place. For some reason, my menace magic somewhat kind of worked for the task as it took the life away from the twigs. Somehow, that included evaporating some of the moisture. Complicated magics were very complicated.


    Moonwash wanted to go fishing, having actually bought a pole in the last village we went through in preparation. Baston dissuaded her from the idea, citing the danger of this fishing spot. So I had the bright idea to have him and Luine do it!


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    ¡°This is a terrible idea,¡± Baston grumbled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Luine was confident and enthusiastic. She tossed the reel right by the shore, and it didn¡¯t take long for her to get a bite. She quickly piled up more seafood for us to eat, which I arrayed neatly by the fire. The different kinds of fish were unfamiliar to me, with way too many fins and regal-looking appearances. Not to mention being unreasonably big.


    ¡°Hey Luine!¡± I called, gorging myself on soup and fish. ¡°Time to eat!¡±


    ¡°Ah! Unfair! You lot started without me!¡± She dropped the fishing rod as she ran towards us. It was lost in the coming waves. ¡°Oops. I lost it.¡±


    ¡°You lost my fishing rod,¡± Moonwash complained. ¡°I worked hard on that.¡±


    ¡°What? I thought you just bought it?¡± Luine asked.


    ¡°I did. But I also improved upon it.¡± She pointed at a sharp-toothed tuna that I¡¯d fileted¡­ or chopped into chunks, really. ¡°It would have broken otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, sorry?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s fine. It was meant to be used.¡± She looked at all the fish that was caught. ¡°It fulfilled its purpose.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Cold.¡± I laughed.


    She looked up and smelled the air. ¡°Yes. It is. A little bit.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Are you joking or not?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nevermind.¡±


    We ate like kings and queens, from the meat of monsters that could be sold for probably hundreds of gold. Not just because of how good the materials were, ranging above level 20, but because we were in a new wonderzone. The rarity and novelty alone would add a lot to the price.


    If only I was free to go out into the world and spend it.


    ~~~


    The people on the other side of the bank made their way over to us for some reason, because of course we couldn¡¯t just leave each other alone and be on our way. We too were too proud to leave and avoid a confrontation.


    This isn¡¯t their lake, goddammit! We can be here too!


    A towering water cobra the width of a modern building that surfaced right at that moment told me exactly who owned the place. Its presence slammed into my mind like the pressures of the deep ocean, uncaring for how my demon brain was supposed to protect me. The other group ran away like cowards into the trees, meanwhile we beat a smart and well-thought-out retreat.


    I then watched the snake rear up and breathe out a beam of water into the sky, with pressures strong enough to shear off concrete like paper and colored lightly in green. An absolutely gigantic whale-sized orange pelican dropped from the skies afterward, and the snake scurried it away back into the depths of The Endless Dive.


    ¡°Well. That was fucking cool!¡± I blurted out, my heart still pumping rapidly, nervous energy slamming across my body. My menace mana stirred within my blood, just screaming to be activated.


    Luine shook her head. ¡°I¡­ We couldn¡¯t have protected you from that.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    She looked at me, in awe for a few seconds, before barking out a laugh. ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ~~~


    We went back to lake-watching. I especially enjoyed the swarm of pelican birds going to war with rabid oversized piranhas.


    Unfortunately, the other people had not left, although I knew that they could say the same to us. We did not own this place, and they could stay. If they were hostile then they could die.


    That sentiment doubled when they came closer. A dozen templars and a shepherd.


    Feelings of acceptance.


    Warm hospitality.


    A friendly neighbor.


    All of it was washed away by the tides of my demonic mind. No longer shall I be beholden to the putrid influence of another.


    A smirk crossed my face, my heavy breath fogged into my helm. A frantic energy surged through my body, tingling in its excitement.


    ¡°Haell,¡± Luine said my name, gentle but stern. I realized that my emotions were literally oozing out of me, in the form of mana. My intimidation aura had activated, and a few of the approaching templars had already reacted.


    I eased up on the pressure, dumping a quarter of my reserves towards the empty ground. Instantly, I relaxed, a constant pressure on my own psyche was gone, drained from my blood. But I already knew that, the design of my very blood allowed me to store a prodigious quantity of magic, in exchange for having no barrier between it and myself.


    It was fine. I was fine. This was what I wanted.


    The shepherd and her slaves arrived. Her gaze lingered on me, and so did I stare at her, distracted by the glitter of her skin. No longer was such a weak mental effect able to plunder my attention, but shiny things were still shiny.


    Finally, Luine broke the silence.


    ¡°Greetings, my lady. I am known as Luine, and these are my friends.¡±


    The shepherd turned towards her and flashed a beaming smile. Her skin continued to glisten, and the crown she was literally born with stood proud. She looked to be around Moonwash¡¯s age. ¡°Hello, Luine! I am Ozara Borails. Why, I was just here to do some prospecting on this wonderzone for the empire. What brought you and your party to this place?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing much.¡± She gestured towards our packs. ¡°There was an opportunity, so we took it.¡±


    ¡°Oh wonderful!¡± She clapped in seemingly genuine cheer. ¡°Would you care to join us then? This place is fraught with danger, and sticking together will surely make both our groups safer.¡±


    The templars flinched at the implication that their services were not enough. I presumed their levels to be around twenty based on my level sense. That was around the norm for joining the order, so they weren¡¯t incompetent, but they weren¡¯t special either. Then again, I was even lower level¡­


    ¡°I appreciate the offer, my lady. But I¡¯m afraid we must decline. We have¡­ prior engagements, you see.¡±


    One of the templars finally exploded. I was actually surprised it took this long. ¡°You would dare¨C¡±


    Alas, his outburst was not to be. Ozara silenced him with a single gesture. ¡°It is fine, Jacob. I am sure they have their responsibilities, just as I have my own. But come! If we cannot become comrades, then let us at least become friends. Let us have tea!¡±


    She immediately sent off the templar to fetch her order, and he only looked mildly upset. Their carriage was on the other side of the lake, so it took a while for him to run all the way to the other side and then back with the supplies.


    Tea was brought, along with folding chairs and even a table. Balancing it all proved difficult for the templar, but the weight was probably trivial for someone an evolution above myself. I can take him though, if it comes to a fight.


    The rest of the lackeys set up the tea party, and suddenly we had such an idyllic scene in the middle of hostile lands. I¡¯d be annoyed at the display of opulence in what was supposed to be a very serious situation, but I quite honestly liked it. It¡¯s what I aspired to be, someone who could afford to be so relaxed, because that¡¯s just how trivial all the threats around me were, even in the middle of a monster-infested wasteland.


    The rest of the day passed by peacefully, with the occasional large monster breaking through the water¡¯s surface, but few that targeted us, and fewer still that actually gave us any trouble. Rain came and gone, with swarms of cloudbirds passing by, but Moonwash had actually made umbrellas for us using wood, rope, and reptilian hides. Ozara gratefully took the one we offered, even though I was sure she had better ones in reserve.


    There was plenty of chatter in between the frankly delicious tea and cookies. Luine did most of the talking, with Baston only occasionally chiming in. Ozara quickly realized that we were dodging all questions related to our identities, and she had the grace not to press. Instead we talked about this place, The Endless Dive, and how wonderful it was. We spoke about the many creatures within, the resources that could be exploited, and Ozara showed great interest in the topic. She was, after all, here to survey the land.


    All in all, the experience... was not terrible. I was reminded again that I should really not have such a visceral reaction against all shepherds. They were not inherently evil creatures.


    Their innate mind control passive was of course a problem, but they never really had a choice in the matter, and I was personally no longer inconvenienced by it because of my newly improved brain. There was no reason to be unfriendly.


    "Thank you, Ozara," she heard my voice for the first time. "That was... nice."


    Ozara masked her surprise well. "Of course. A safe and pleasant journey to all of you."

 Chapter 46: Secret Base. Secret Base! SECRET BASE!

    Four sleds dragged through the ground, one for each of us. A tiger jumped out of the woodwork, but Luine swiftly brained it with a tossed knife. I did not even bother to let go of my own burden in preparation for battle.


    The treeline broke shortly after, and finally we¡¯d arrived at our destination after months of travel. A long way away from my hometown of Latarus sat an unassuming hill like any other.


    ¡°Wait, that¡¯s it?¡± I asked. ¡°Are we really here? Where even is here?¡±


    Luine rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, Haell. Have a little faith.¡±


    ¡°Oh thank you angel Luine.¡±


    She tossed a pebble at me. ¡°Not like that, dumbass. But it is a hideout of mine, and I went out of my way to prepare it when you told me of your¡­ ambitions.¡±


    ¡°Ah! You didn¡¯t think I¡¯d succeed!?¡± I took off my helm and revealed the imposing horns therein. ¡°Who¡¯s the one without faith now!?¡±


    ¡°Oh please. ¡®I¡¯m going to evolve and enhance all Mutations at once.¡¯ Sounded like an elaborate way to commit suicide to me.¡± She went near the base of the hill, examining a cluster of bushes that looked perfectly normal. She parted them and revealed a hole in the ground. ¡°And there you go. Faith.¡±


    I let go of my burdens and ran forward. So did Moonwash do the same.


    We peered into the hole, and then we jumped down into the abyss within, finding ourselves at a large cavern replete with the necessities of life but nothing else. And by necessities, I meant one bucket, and some fabrics that I assumed people slept on.


    ¡°Wow. This place is amazing. I love it.¡± My voice was bland and bare.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a manor, if that¡¯s what you were expecting to find in the middle of the wilderness,¡± Luine jumped down after us, followed by Baston. ¡°Now stop being dumb and unload our things.¡±


    She collapsed on a cot, eyes already closed in bliss.


    ¡°Alright. What about you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°No. I mean, are you not going to help unpack?¡±


    ¡°Nope! Baston, go watch them!¡±


    ¡°...Alright.¡±


    Moonwash was already ahead of me, hopping up the uneven rocks that kinda functioned like stairs, before jumping back down with hands full of stuff.


    I did the same, settling in for a loooong afternoon.


    ~~~


    After a day of rest and relaxation, albeit lacking the amenities usually associated with it, I was ready to finally get back on the endless grind for power. Despite the¡­ simplicity of it, a secret base like this was exactly what I wanted. A place to train and grow in peace, away from prying eyes who may wish to pluck my potential away before I could even begin to bloom. It¡¯s the obvious solution to having many potential enemies!


    Just fucking hide. And kill them later.


    I wasn¡¯t even done fully assessing my new powers yet, so I quickly got back to doing that, breaking at a dead run across the forest. I knew that Baston and Luine were still watching out for me, but I still felt alone in a dangerous place, and it was exhilarating!


    Wolves barred my path, but they each fell to a single slash of my sword, the rest unable to follow.


    Murdles descended from the treetops, but they suffered the same fate.


    Bushpiders, horned hares, deer, and more. They all fell so easily, taking two swings at most if I happened to miss the vitals.


    And then those near my level came. From tigers to more evolved versions of my prior prey. They proved more of a challenge, but nothing I could not handle. I initiated all battles, crashing into them and never letting up on the offensive. The power of menace improved my every strike, breaking my own body for a little extra power, only to be slowly repaired by my regen heart. That was the new way I fought.


    I faced off against a boxiall. It jumped straight towards me, and even then I continued to charge. My sword met its fist, and the force of my swing won out. I pressed the offensive, landing a few deep slashes afterwards.


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    The monster screamed, it leapt away and made distance between us. I was already giving chase before it began running away, steadily gaining ground even with its occasional leaps that could cover so much distance. Eventually I caught up, and destroyed the backside of the creature, breaking its puny spine into a million little pieces.


    Yes, yes, yes ,yes, MORE!


    I roared a challenge into the forest. Birds flew away from the sheer intimidation rolling off of me. My mana flowed, it hugged my sword, and I went even further. Menace mana threaded through the material, it constantly flowed out of me and back again through the connection with my sword. The magic took on a nearly liquid consistency, moving and maintaining its purpose with little direction for myself.


    My arm swung as a test, and the greatsword buried itself nearly halfway through a tree. I knew that was only the beginning of my new prowess, for menace magic was nothing so direct.


    The traphead that found me next got to learn of that quickly. The animal looked like a cross between the overall body of a panther, but with a head like that of a flytrap plant.


    I killed the nearly level 20 opponent slowly, every slash of my sword sapping both its life and its power. It grew more fearful at every turn, and I was sure it wasn¡¯t just the consequence of my domination. Menace magic wormed through its mind, until all it could do was whimper and die. I had to stop myself from enjoying the torture of a dying creature, but the final blow still gave me great satisfaction and joy.


    Good. Good good good. More. I NEED MORE! I will dominate them all!


    My accursed blood pumped through my body, bringing me to greater heights of power and ecstasy. I wielded the magic birthed therein, sending another burst of intimidation through the forest. More prey ran away but that only made the hunt sweeter. I chased after those who dared to turn their backs on me. I killed all in my way, and I reveled in the blood and agony. An even more terrifying adversary eventually found its way to me, my body already broken by my own strength, and yet I felt stronger than I''d ever been.


    I faced the bear, the creature that thought it could end my reign.


    Laughable! Laughable I say! I bared my teeth and charged for my superiority!!!


    Claw met sword, and the two forces bounced away from each other. There was a cut on the bear¡¯s paw, but it wasn''t enough. The animal was on me before I could recover, and I clumsily blocked. My ire was stoked as I was pushed away.


    Menace magic exploded around me, bolts of it shooting upon my foe. My demon eyes bore into its soul, the menace aura rolled off myself in waves, and I managed to land a good slash across its snout.


    The bear roared, pushing itself out of its stupor, but I was already running around it, in between trees and rocks that might prove an obstacle for my larger foe. My hooves were not built for wide turns, but small adjustments like this were no problem. The bear chased me, and I slashed against its hide every time I was in range before quickly running away again, using my heightened ability to charge and breaking my legs slowly with the constant use of menace magic. This maneuver left me very predictable, but I made up for that with every attack that I landed, trading blows with an adversary that easily overpowered me. The magic seeped inside my adversary and disturbed the creature¡¯s mind, the wounds I inflicted damaged the creature from within. The bear was left in a constant state of terror and rage, chasing after me with only beastial instinct and absolutely no intelligence.


    Still, the bear was far higher level than I, an evolution above. Even its clumsier attacks reaped its toll, crushing organs and breaking bone. Every movement of my every limb became racked with pain, yet still I surged, unwilling to ever let go and lose.


    I passed by the creature once, twice, and then more. It lunged for me upon the fourth, finally having figured out how to catch me. I could not stop my charge in time. So instead I settled for a trade, my sword reaping a great harvest across its face even as its jaws sunk through my armor and tossed me away.


    A crash.


    The world seemed to blur for a second. I braced myself against the tree behind me, leaves still falling from the force of our collision.


    My enemy stalked forward, bloody, broken, but not down.


    I wasn¡¯t either. I willed myself to stand up and fight. I saw a silhouette hidden amongst the foliage. She thought that I was already down for the count!


    Never! I coughed out blood. My legs shook, I could hardly breathe. But still I refused to lose. My menace magic responded to my desires and flared up. I snarled and shouted, I reached out towards the deepest recesses of all that is evil within.


    And then I squeezed.


    ~~~


    Kill them all break their bones feast from their flesh repeat and repeat neverending blood kill violence death end it all the world everything fuck fuck destroy slaughter murder never ending violence dont stop never stop flay their flesh and skin their bones spit on acid drink the piss drown in shit be buried in despair jump in spikes into the sun into your mind and crawl crawl beg for your life but I will never grant it only halfway torture torture dead revive torture again agony and pain suffer suffer eternal¨C


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGRGRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHGGGRHRGHHHRGGHGG!!!!!!!!!¡±


    I rocketed forwards in a bone-splintering charge. The bear was stunned, intimidated, scared, cowering, a mess. I slashed, down. It bit deep with a sickening crunch. Waves of menace rolled off of me, I consumed it just as it consumed me. My desire, its desire, we were one. I slashed again and ignored the cracking of my arms. My hearts pounded faster, renewing my reserves and healing the damage to myself. Now I could keep on fighting. Keep on destroying until there was nothing else left of this of this world. Menace bullets formed with those thoughts, they crashed upon my foe with the force of a truck. The magic didn¡¯t have any physical weight, but the bear staggered regardless. Its lips quivered, staring death in the face. But death was here to stay, it had no intention of leaving, I had no intention to ever leave. I dragged myself forward and kept my foe within my demonic gaze. It ran but I chased. Its fur was flayed from the roots, its skin was scourged by my blade. Organs spilled from within, bones cracked and forced the bear to halt, unable to evade. The skull was split apart, the neck cut and beheaded. My menace magic surged, forcing more power out of my mass so that I could continue the carnage. I stomped upon my defeated foe, I feasted upon its remains. I howled into the night and snarled at the next poor sod that attracted my ire. My throat groaned at the force of my growls. I charged at the black woman, but she tripped me up by the foot. Unforgivable, the humiliation. I lunged back after her, and then the world went back to void.


    ¡°Did I do something wrong? Why attack me again!?¡±


    [Hyperdemon Gland has reached Level 11!]

 Chapter 47: The Cool Aunt.

    ¡ªLuine POV¡ª


    ¡°AAAAARRRRRGHHGHHGGHHG!!!¡±


    My breath hitched, and my muscles clamped up for a tenth of a tenth of a moment. I looked at Haell and saw dread incarnate upon the imp¡¯s armored form.


    It was brief, it was short, not even enough to make a difference if I was fighting someone, but I was still affected by the roar of someone two evolutions lower.


    That was absurd, it should not be, and yet it was.


    Angelore does not know who it has provoked.


    I smiled, and allowed the following carnage to play out. Plenty of times I questioned if I should intervene, her wounds painting an unkind picture, the risk of death apparent. But Haell was not yet down, she had not given up, and I could not bring myself to trample upon that spirit.


    My patience was rewarded with a glorious victory. It was yet another ridiculous feat to kill something an evolution above her, when she had just barely crossed into the level 10s, but nothing this girl did will surprise me anymore.


    She feasted upon the remains of her foe in the next moment, and¡­. well, that wasn¡¯t uncommon at all in nature. I knew plenty of people did that. Although Haell¡¯s¡­ enthusiasm was certainly¡­ commendable. Yes.


    I jumped back down to collect her, but Haell immediately attacked me upon seeing my face. That was not fair, I was so nice, I was the cool aunt.


    I knocked her out and dragged her back to safety. Because I was such a cool aunt!


    Salaire would agree.


    ~~~


    ¡ªBack to Haell POV. She¡¯s the best¡ª


    [Hyperdemon Gland has reached Level 11!]


    [Demon Musculature has reached Level 11!]


    [Demonic Arms has reached Level 11!]


    [Menace Heart has reached Level 11!


    [Demon Brain has reached level 11]


    [Demon Musculature has reached Level 11]


    [Demon Bones has reached Level 11]


    I stared at my notifications, first thing upon waking up. I recalled the events of last night, up until I was slammed into a tree. Poor tree. The rest then came, like tar being squeezed out through a plastic tube. I remembered the sheer violence of my emotions, the victory that I sought, and then how Luine knocked me out. That was not very nice.


    Right... I activated that Hyperdemon Gland thing. It¡¯s uh, a lot more intense than my adrenaline gland ever was. Hoooly shit that was a rush.


    ¡°Hey Luine!¡± I called out to the woman from across the cavern. The bedding was alright, the pillow serviceable, but we did not even have our own rooms. Really poor service. ¡°Is it normal to level up your Mutations this fast after evolving? Maybe there¡¯s bleed-over experience from before I evolved them? I did wait a while¡­¡±


    Her eyebrows raised, her eyes widened. ¡°You got new Mutations, right? They leveled? Like, to level 2?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Oh no, those leveled up a while ago. They¡¯re up to three now. But I mean¡­ not just one but quite a lot of my Mutations have reached level 11.¡±


    She blinked. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Several of them?¡±


    ¡°Yep! I¡¯m awesome.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Awesome. Ridiculous. Same thing, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°I am indeed very funny. You think I can make it as a comedian?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Right, sure. That¡¯s cute, Haell. Anyway, you¡¯re not bullshitting me? You really reached level 11 in everything!?¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Not everything, silly. Just some.¡±


    ¡°Right. Right¡­¡± She paced around the room, until a beaming smile split her face. ¡°That¡¯s great! Keep going just like that!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Of course! But again, don¡¯t get your hopes up, there could be bleed-over Levels here!¡± I waited for a long while before upgrading my Mutations.


    ¡°Ah, right, yeah. I don¡¯t actually know if that¡¯s a thing. People don¡¯t typically wait around before evolving their Mutations. Why would they?¡±


    ¡°To become a demon?¡±


    ¡°No one knew about demons before you arrived! And no one was crazy enough to try the same suicidal thing. Which I reiterate, what you did was bloody dangerous, and I still can¡¯t believe you remain here after that stunt.¡±


    I loved people talking about my achievements like this. Really strokes the ego. I didn¡¯t know if that was wise.


    ¡°Aww, come on. I thought you were the cool aunt.¡±


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    She froze, then whirled around to face me. ¡°I brought you into the middle of the dangerous wilderness, to stay underneath a bare and sparsely decorated cavern. I just watched as you slaughtered and screamed your way through hordes of monsters, allowing yourself to fully get it out of your system.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. All good points. Fair. I defer to you, cool aunt.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    We both giggled, and went about our day. Which for me mostly consisted of laying around in bed because I was still sore despite the fact that most of the damage had indeed been healed. Baston and the rest probably didn¡¯t realize that the work was still not over, even with how much they¡¯d already done with healing me while I was asleep.


    I allowed my regen heart to heal the rest, observing how it did its work. The organ was less efficient now, it really did work better in the middle of combat or other high-stress situations, because of how it beat faster. The remaining damage slowly healed and I had time to review and ponder upon the experience and the fights that I had just experienced.


    ~~~


    ¡°Menace Training!¡± I shouted after a day in bed. Three pairs of eyes turned to look at me, but they all collectively shrugged and went back to their own work.


    Moonwash was decorating the place and laying the foundations for an eventual forge. She made furniture from scratch, and she made use of the various hides and other materials that we brought with us. Baston was concealing us further with plants, and he was also setting up an underground garden.


    Luine was outside, lazing around.


    Kidding, I knew she was keeping an eye out and all that.


    ¡°Fine then, don¡¯t ask¡­¡± I grumbled upon being ignored by them. I summoned a ball of menace magic and swirled it around on my palm. It was weak. Far weaker than what I used before.


    That was the biggest takeaway with my recent excursion. Menace mana responded to my emotions, it grew stronger the more I fed into its¡­ desires.


    This was something I knew about before, but I had not experienced how far it could truly be taken if only I allowed myself to succumb.


    Of course, I had no intentions to lose myself. I was no slobbering beast.


    The memories of activating my Hyperdemon Gland resurfaced and I shivered. Not entirely in a negative way.


    The crux of the matter was that I needed control. My emotions were far too unreliable otherwise, and I had to learn how to feel on command, or otherwise convey the same sense of urgency to my magic. I will use my very emotions as a weapon.


    ~~~


    ____________


    To use my emotions as a weapon.


    A list of objectives:


    A. Feel ¡°menacing¡± thoughts on command.


    B.Stop feeling ¡°menacing¡± thoughts on command.


    C. Be able to function properly and logically, even when feeling very negative things.


    D. Profit.


    ______________


    ¡°Profit?¡± Moonwash asked after I¡¯d given her my list to read.


    ¡°Profit.¡±


    ¡°...You can make more money if you become stronger. And this will make you stronger.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. You get it.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Anyway, how your emotions affect the intensity of your magic is very interesting. I¡¯m also very interested in infusing objects with your menace magic. It apparently happens much more quickly with curse-aligned elements, as we¡¯ve seen with the goblins.¡± She handed me an ornate knife, with an equally ornate sheathe. I knew she made it herself. ¡°Here, infuse this with curse magic.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Maybe by just pouring your mana into it? It is a process that happens naturally, so it should work even better if you¡¯re actively doing it. Or perhaps it¡¯s the opposite? But probably not, there are actually large-scale projects to infuse weapons with an element, so there is precedent. There are rumors that the goblins have done exactly this with their wicked magic, if rarely. There have even been cases where well-made weapons have been left out in the middle of goblin camps in order to ¡®mature¡¯ them, be it through rituals or sheer exposure.¡±


    ¡°Wow. They tried to treat goblins as a fucking farm. I¡¯m pretty sure all of that is illegal. So I totally support the people doing it!¡± It was legitimately dangerous to wield cursed weapons, but that ship had long sailed when I held the same sort of energy within myself.


    Moonwash rummaged around her newly made shelf, she really took no time at all in making the piece of furniture from scratch. She found the feathers of a dead cloudbird and then waved it around. I touched it and it was wet.


    ¡°Infused. The ability to create rain with their wing flaps remains, although weaker than in life, I think. But not by much anyhow.¡±


    ¡°Ah. That¡¯s cool.¡± It really is.


    ¡°I think this should be kind of similar to how infused weapons work. I know it¡¯s because the feather is a Mutation, but their power comes from the presence of a deeper and more¡­ permanent form of mana that is present within them. It is not the mana that we find usable, but something more akin to whatever force makes The Endless Dive what it is. It is magic infused and inseparable to a single object, leading to all sorts of effects.¡± She stared right at the tiny piece of feather in her hands. Moonwash then dropped it and grabbed something else from the shelf, something I was familiar with. The horn of a goeath.


    ¡°Ah! I remember those! I used them to grow myself horns.¡± I tapped my own horns. ¡°The result turned out to be different though.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I intend to explore that. Later.¡± I sensed impatience from her tone, and perhaps some annoyance. I realized that she truly was annoyed when she grabbed a wand and fireballed me in the face!


    ¡°Aaahhh!!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Moonwash asked. She did summon a fireball, but it was definitely far away from my face. She wouldn¡¯t do that to me. ¡°Did it really hurt?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no. Not at all. I was joking.¡± I laughed sheepishly and crawled back next to her.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t funny.¡±


    I died.


    Moonwash continued to speak upon my grave. ¡°Now without the horn.¡± She tossed the things away, and then made another fireball. ¡°It is far weaker, despite me using the same amount of effort. Actually, I¡¯m not sure if I executed that correctly.¡± She handed the fire wand to me. ¡°Here, make yourself useful and do a fireball.¡±


    ¡°...Yes ma''am.¡±


    I did as she asked, and mine was already noticeably bigger than Moonwash¡¯s. She retrieved the horns and my fireball became larger when she came back.


    ¡°You see? It still works. Some body parts don¡¯t, like the heart or the brain. Mana founts don¡¯t work either. But some Mutations do still work post-mortem. It¡¯s strange. But I think¡­ things made of harder materials like chitin, or bones, or repositories, are more likely to work upon harvesting. Things that are outside the body seem to be a factor too. Hides and skin typically still function.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah. I have many interesting parts that could be harvested when I¡¯m dead.¡±


    Moonwash took out a dagger and pointed it right at my head. ¡°Actually, you have a healing heart, and we could also heal you after¡­¡±


    ¡°What? No!¡± I complained, genuinely upset.


    Moonwash smiled. ¡°I¡¯m joking.¡±

 Chapter 48: Happy Hunts and Happy Visits.

    Break their bones. Cut apart their flesh! They shall know fear, and flee at the mere mention of my name!


    HAELL ZHARIGNAN!


    I panted as I finished off the last barkbark. I was lucky enough to chance upon a swarm, the lot of them individually weak and susceptible to my eyes and aura of intimidation. It was soo much fun killing them, and it brought me delight like no other when they began to scatter and flee. Hunting them like hide and go seek was sooo much fun!


    The menace mana within me churned at these actions. It delighted upon the carnage that I wrought.


    I stopped, and the magic nigh instantly began to deflate, but I held onto it. I held on to the feeling, and I felt my mana respond once more.


    But it was a mere whimper. A sad goodbye. My menace mana grew weak and limp, dropping back down to normal levels.


    I could technically just activate the mana inside of me, with the specific intent to corrupt my own mind, and the magic would do so gleefully. But the goal was to be in control, to do it under my own terms. Only then could I safely take the shortcut.


    ¡­The shortcut also didn¡¯t work nearly as well as the emotions being genuine or occurring more naturally. I didn¡¯t know why that was the case; the menace mana inside of me was technically always influencing me in some way, but that was fine¡­ somehow. It didn¡¯t seem to affect the results negatively at all.


    Magic was fucking weird.


    I loved it.


    I trained even harder.


    ~~~


    I repeated the same exercise, I wrought the same carnage upon the forest. I¡¯d had to range further and further away over the months, just because a lot of the animals, especially the weaker ones, began to avoid the area where I hunted.


    My breaths came out as satisfied rasps as I stood over the corpse of a Crushnake. It was a very big snake, a regenerator and a constrictor predator nearing level 20. It was very troublesome to fight because of how agile it could be, and its propensity to get close and up in my face. I had to resort back to the basics to drive it away, taking out the fire wand that I made sure to keep with me and burning everything within proximity.


    There was the problem of course, of the interference living and conscious souls have against magic, denying me control over mana if it¡¯s too close to an adversary. But my own presence interfered with that interference in turn, allowing my magic to not be rendered impotent if something was foolish enough to stick that close to myself.


    Afterwards, it was only a matter of peppering the animal with menace bullets, and slashing at it over and over with my sword. Crucially, my menace magic somehow seemed to interfere with the creature¡¯s healing, allowing me to quickly overcome its regeneration and win.


    ¡°Great. I¡¯m awesome.¡± I held on to my negative emotions. I allowed them to fester by themselves, and the mana within me pulsed. I reviewed the previous battles in my mind, while also maintaining my focus on only the most menacing thoughts.


    Switching elements to fire proved to be a hurdle. Even when wielding such a violent element, I noticed how my emotions shifted a little, away from the menacing, and that interfered with the power I was building within the menace magic in my blood. Multi-casting proves to be truly complicated.


    Another thing that required further training. I settled back into my twisted form of mediation, aiming for the complete opposite state of peace.


    ~~~


    Clink. Clank. Clink. Clank.


    I listened to the consistent rhythm of Moonwash working the forge. She had gotten it set up near the entrance of our cavern for proper ventilation, with air enchantments to dissipate the smoke and not announce for miles that there were people right here. There were no ready sources of animals with the element nearby, so we had to make do with our reserves.


    The enchantments were actually turned off most of the time, and Moonwash did most of her forging at night, to not have the smoke be so detectable. She was just knee-deep in a project today, hence the source of perfect background noise.


    Now think of all the worst thoughts imaginable.


    I meditated on my murderous desires, the envy that I sometimes felt towards Moonwash became included in that whole soup. I allowed it to flow through me this time, I considered how satisfying the looks on their faces would be if I betrayed everyone I¡¯ve ever loved.


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    The menace mana responded to the state of my desires, I opened myself up to the magic and I shouted at it in turn. The mana flared up and continued to gather in strength, raising as high up as half of what I was capable of after long minutes of battle.


    That was my current limit, and I was predictably unsatisfied with it. I pushed harder and harder, and I found my efforts rewarded my menace magic rose further in strength. 55%, 60%, more¡­


    ¡°Haell!¡±


    A voice distracted me from my training, and I snapped my head toward it in annoyance. My menace mana deflated a moment after, along with all negative thoughts, as I saw my mom standing right there, carrying an oversized pack.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± I shouted, ramming into her belly. She caught me in a hug, before raising an eyebrow in mild surprise.


    ¡°Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Ah! N-nothing. I was just surprised!¡±


    She laughed and patted me on the head, brushing against my horns. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Haell. You can call me that if you want.¡±


    ¡°...Nah. I''m good.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say,¡± she giggled.


    Dad came down to the cavern a moment after her, and I also gave him a big crushing hug. I had missed them so much, and I was so happy to meet them again, which meant that it was the perfect time for me to practice more of my menace magic.


    They have supplies. We need them. I¡¯ll steal them¡­!


    ¡­Wait a second. Those supplies were for us. So there¡¯s no need to steal anything¡­


    I needed another angle to tackle this from.


    They have come all the way here. They must tired. Weary from their journey. Now is my time to strike and kill them! I nearly gagged just thinking that, but I pushed on. They will not see it coming! Not when it¡¯s from their beloved daughter. They will let their guard down! They will offer their lives up for me to kill!


    ¡°Haell?¡± Dad said. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing much.¡± I flashed a rictus grin and squeezed hard upon my emotions, keeping them menacing. ¡°I¡¯m just thinking about the literal worst things ever!¡±


    ¡°What¡­? Why?¡±


    I explained to them both about my recent training and my magic.


    ¡°That sounds difficult. Are you sure this is fine Haell? You can go home, you know? You don¡¯t have to fight¡­¡± Dad spoke a lot more than normal, clearly worried for me.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m perfectly fine! No need to worry about me!¡±


    ¡°We can stay with you,¡± Mom interjected, ¡°You said that we¡¯re helping, right? Making you happy, which you then have to resist?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yeah. It¡¯d be nice if you could stay for a while, but¡­ I think you might¡­ disapprove of some of my training methods.¡±


    ¡°What methods?¡± Dad asked.


    I told them about how hard I pushed myself, the injuries and the pain.


    ¡°Haell!¡± Dad raised his voice, something he did very rarely. ¡°Why?¡± He glared at Luine, ¡°Is someone forcing you to do this?¡±


    ¡°No! No, not at all! It¡¯s my decision!¡±


    ¡°But why¡­?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­¡± there are threats after me? The world is dangerous? I must become strong? Only through power can freedom be found? ¡°Because I¡¯m a demon.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ That¡¯s not a reason.¡±


    ¡°It is to me. It means something to me. More than just a species. It¡¯s my dream.¡±


    Dad sagged on his seat. The place had really livened up in the past months. The cavern was turned into essentially one big hall, with a few rooms at the back for privacy. The ceiling was still that of a cave, except the stalactites had been polished and cleaned, decorated with various strings, rocks, jewels, and other things, some of which glowed in the dark. We could see the forge, the kitchen, the dining hall, and more from the living area we were in. The space flowed beautifully from one thing to the next with little in the way of partitions.


    ¡°You dream, huh¡­?¡± Dad finally said. ¡°Alright. Just promise¡­ not even to stay safe, you won¡¯t. But promise me to stay alive.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± I grinned, trying to be as reassuring as could be. I eased up on stoking my menace mana. ¡°I don''t want to die either. I don¡¯t want to die ever. Not if I can help it.¡±


    Dad nodded. He just had to content himself with that. And a hug, of course. A big hug!


    ¡°You know, Haell,¡± Mom spoke up next. ¡°I can take it! Even if you lose all your limbs and suffer a million pains, as long as you remain alive and willing, I can stay here and support you!¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Yeah, I know Mom. But I have to leave the nest at some point. Just visit me, and I¡¯ll also visit the uh, nest again once I¡¯m able!¡±


    ¡°Ah, I tried!¡± she raised her arms in the air. ¡°But I was rejected! How sad!¡±


    ¡°What? No! I don¡¯t mean it that way!¡±


    ¡°My child¡­ my daughter¡­ she¡¯s at her rebellious phase!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m actually much older mentally, come on!¡±


    ¡°Waaaahhhhh!!!¡± She actually cried. ¡°She doesn¡¯t need her parents anymore. She tosses her mom into the streets!¡±


    ¡°Mom, no!¡± I shook her arm and she swayed with the motion. We were both laughing at the end, and my menace mana peaked, in harmony with my joy.

 Chapter 49: Believe in Me.

    My parents had come and gone. They dropped off plenty of supplies, and left with even more packed into their bags. My time here was netting a whole host of materials from all the monsters that I killed, and I had them sell some of it for me. From tanned hides and cleaned bones, to organs preserved by alchemical compounds. It was a big harvest, and my share of it would net me a lot of gold!


    I¡¯d also ordered some more entertainment for our next supply drop, and not just because I wanted to read shit. It was genuinely for training. To have something that would make me happy, which I could then resist with my menace magic.


    I made my way out of the base, stretching in my metal armor. Moonwash could now work with fantastreel well enough to fix up my gear. My friend too was getting stronger.


    My sword on the other hand had seen better days. Moonwash often sharpened it for me, but I noticed that the metal had gotten darker overtime. Perhaps it was because of the constant use, and the constant blood and gore that hugged its surface. No amount of maintenance could maintain it forever¡­


    Oh well. It still works fine. Maybe even better.


    A lot of that surely had to do with my building strength. Some of my Mutations had already reached the Level of 13. Luine and Baston were quick to remind me just how ridiculous that pace was, and I loved it.


    Seriously. Are they trying to feed my ego? Because that¡¯s how you feed my ego.


    Tendrils of menace magic wormed itself out of my skin absentmindedly, and I weaved it into the sword. My emotions flared up ever so slightly to make the process easier, but the rest was yet to come.


    I made my way back into the forest, after nearly a week of rest. Already, I could feel the presence of low-level monsters, somehow already having forgotten about the threat I represented just because I was absent for a few days.


    It is time to remedy that.


    An evil smile spilled out of my face as my emotions flared up, and so did my magic rage in turn. A tiger in the low level 10s stalked me, and I beheaded it in one swift motion.


    ¡°Who¡¯s next? Who¡¯s fucking next!?¡±


    I charged, and monsters died by the dozen. From gigantic beetles called bigtles, to scurrying cat-like wolverines called catherines. I¡¯m sorry to everyone who has that name, or maybe they¡¯re happy about it! I don¡¯t know!


    A floader swept down from above. It was a flying spider born over level ten, a monster that did not naturally possess wings, but made the necessary membranes out of their own webs in between the legs. Their flight was silent, if not very fast, and I swatted this one¡¯s ambush before it could ever take place.


    All the legs on one side fell off upon my attack, and the monster immediately veered off course. It kicked off a tree before it fell, lunging for my gut to try and sink its fangs into me. The attempt was swiftly shut down by a kick, because my hooves were good for that too. I gleefully stomped its head into mush afterward.


    My rampage throughout the forest continued, until I found something over the level of twenty. My level sense had truly seen some rapid improvements in the days I spent indulging in my most base and violent desires.


    So I did it some more.


    My opponent this time was glassmaw. A monster with a transparent body like that of a jellyfish, shaped like a horned warg except with a head entirely too big, attached to which was an even more oversized jaw filled with sharp teeth.


    A wild Luine dropped down from the trees to warn me, just before I decided to confront the beast.


    ¡°What?¡± I snapped. My emotions were still on their menacing arc, and I only stoked the flames further to make up for this delay. That Luine caused!


    ¡°That¡¯s a glassmaw.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Even I would hesitate to take those guys on. Not that I¡¯d lose, but they can actually deal damage to me.¡±


    ¡°Then assassinate it if I lose. But I¡¯m confident.¡± So saying, I flared up my magic once again, and slammed every bit of intimidation into my foe. From my eyes, to my aura, and even entire bullets of menace magic. The monster jumped to the side, but was still hit, its physical prowess far weaker than a bear¡¯s even at a similar level.


    And then the tendrils of mind magic came. They zoomed through the air like lightning, extending from the creature¡¯s brain and seeking my own. It was stopped by my natural resistance, but it grew closer with every passing moment, for that was what mind magic was. Insidious and vile. Even without direct contact, it was enough to whisper primal thoughts of pain, suffering and fear. A laughable attempt drowned out by my menace mana and my own roiling emotions within.


    I continued to charge, heedless of it all. The entity was not expecting this, and I reached the glassmaw before it could react. My greatsword reaped a massive harvest across its shoulder, and then another. I was already running before the monster could even shriek. It missed a swat of its paw, and I continued to cut into the creature¡¯s flank as I ran across its side and then around, keeping a wide berth around its head and the terrifying maw therein.


    I then noticed the wounds on its jelly flesh growing writhing tendrils that tugged and hugged each other, closing the wounds and the damage that I¡¯d caused. The transparent flesh could very quickly repair itself.


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    Let¡¯s cut something that won¡¯t regenerate then!


    The mind magic finally reached into my brain, before I could enact that plan. A splitting headache hit me like a freight train, followed by raw and unbridled terror. I wanted to run, crawl, die, and kill myself, that was all I could do! Except it¡¯s not. What I want to do, more than anything, is to kill this motherfucker and feast upon its flesh!


    My demonic brain resisted the attempt, and tendrils of my own magic attacked the very mind mana that linked us, pushing it out of my brain. Such a thing was possible with my menace mana, whereas mind magic had also shown throughout this fight, capabilities that could never be replicated with most other kinds of magic. To be this active in proximity or even inside another being was commonly accepted as something that just didn¡¯t happen, but there was an exception to every rule. At least the element was still limited in a lot of ways, complex brainwashing couldn¡¯t typically be done during a pitched battle such as this. Only mind-numbing pain and the rawest of emotions could be transmitted in such short notice.


    I resumed my grand plan and reached my opponent''s flank. A back kick managed to hit me before I could start, making me roll and stagger, even break a bone or three. But I quickly regained my bearings and began hacking into the glassmaw¡¯s leg.


    It shrieked at the first strike, and tried to jump away at the second. I quickly followed, and bone cracked in the next. Another attack widened the fractures, and one final beautiful slash snapped it entirely. The glassmaw could walk straight no longer.


    It let out a long howl, and the headache of its magic was renewed, but it was nothing I could not ignore. I just kept on going, breaking every leg, made easier by how the bone was visible through its transparent flesh. I could aim easily for the weaker parts, but not the joints. I¡¯d quickly come to learn that dislocated parts would just be stuck back together by the jelly flesh.


    The guts, the intestine, livers and other things. I also aimed for all the other vitals that were in easy reach. The glassmaw forced itself to stand, carried only by its jelly-like musculature. It met me for one final bout, and I ran around it to evade its crushing maw.


    A smart move, that. Targeting my sense of honor and respect. Emotions that I did have, but had little sway on me. Unless when it¡¯s fun, and I was very confident in my victory.


    I stabbed it in the back, along with many other kinds of attacks, until the creature Finally. Fucking. Died.


    ¡°I told you so,¡± I whispered aloud before Luine could even make her appearance.


    ¡°Yes, yes. More respect for your elders, maybe?¡±


    ¡°Do you want that?¡±


    ¡°Heh. No. Not really.¡± She bumped her fist with mine as I collapsed to the ground. ¡°You really showed me what for back there. Good job.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Now carry me.¡± I made grabby motions with my hand.


    ~~~


    ¡°This is amazing.¡± Moonwash gushed over my sword, the next time I had it sharpened.


    ¡°What? You¡¯ve seen it like a thousand times before. Hell, you made it yourself. So good job patting your own back, Moonwash.¡± I spun the lever of our big magic well. It was actually my idea, which Moonwash brought to fruition. She created an industrial-sized contraption that spun a ridiculous amount of cloud feathers to create water and then routed all that water into a faucet. I was currently filling out a bucket.


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly because I¡¯ve seen it before that I am amazed. This is not the same sword you once had.¡±


    ¡°Uhm. I¡¯m pretty sure no one switched out my baby. I would know. Also, I should name it.¡±


    ¡°Cursword.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You could name your sword that.¡±


    ¡°Well sure. I could. But why would I?¡±


    ¡°Because this is now a cursed weapon.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Wait, seriously!?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Because of how often I¡¯ve used it, coated in menace magic¡­¡± I took out the knife that Moonwash gifted me. ¡°How about this? I have been feeding it menace magic as you asked. It¡¯s more full of the stuff if anything, because the mana on my sword just gets cycled back into me. It¡¯s very cool actually, it takes a whole lot less of my mental power and focus capacity to keep it up once I¡¯ve finished the weave.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Moonwash hovered her hand just above the object. ¡°The knife has actually not become a cursed weapon, although I can feel something from it¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha. That sounds like bullshit.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not. More importantly, whatever you do with that sword, it has definitely become cursed far faster. Hmm. Dump some more menace magic into the knife.¡±


    I did as she said.


    ¡°Just as I thought. Most of it just dissipates into the air anyway, so it doesn¡¯t actually matter that you spend more of your mana on this. Somehow, you cycling menace magic through your sword might be a better way of cursing something.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°I want you to cycle your magic through that knife too. And then I have another theory.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I can do that. What¡¯s the theory? Also, what does my sword being cursed do?¡±


    ¡°Your sword might be becoming cursed or infused faster because there¡¯s a purpose and a will behind the magic cast into it, and it then enacts that purpose. As for what the infusion does¡­ I¡¯m not sure yet. The curse seems¡­ young.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Bullshitting again.¡±


    She ignored me. ¡°From what I know of other cursed weapons, because I have only rarely been able to get my hands on them¡­ Well, the most obvious thing is that they drive their hosts mad, which this one isn¡¯t doing a good job of yet. As for beneficial effects, they just deal more damage, somehow. Swords slice deeper, spears penetrate harder, hammers break bones more easily. It can also come with effects that you¡¯d expect from curses anyway, like making someone delirious, causing greater pain, making wounds harder to heal. That sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m able to do most of those things with menace magic!¡±


    She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good. It would require testing, and we should get some concrete data now before the sword matures further. I would think that it would take on the effects you normally put into it. So intimidation effects, anti-healing, and others.¡±


    ¡°Wait, would that make me threading menace magic through it redundant, then?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± There was an excited quality to her voice. ¡°Would it stack? Would it not? That¡¯s what we should find out.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I smiled. It was good to see my friend having fun, even if it could be so hard to tell most of the time.

 Chapter 50: Murder. Bad or Good?

    I stretched myself out languidly on the sofa of our base¡¯s living room. This place had really only grown more homely over the past year. There were more decorations, from stands that housed paintings, to trophies of our battles and exploits. The place felt lived in, comforting, inviting. It had become much brighter, as we were able to afford the mana necessary to keep a variety of enchantments active. Supplies had continued to come from outside, not always delivered by my parents. Fiya and Salaire took turns visiting as well, almost more enthusiastic than my own parents. I felt a little bit bad for having taken away their partners from them for so long, but I was sure that they did enough to make up for that lost time. We didn¡¯t always have the noise-canceling wind enchantments in place, and even without the specific Mutation, I¡¯d found that my hearing was far better than what I had in my past life. I supposed the flesh Mutation just kind of enhanced everything, if only by the smallest amount.


    ¡°...Just as we thought. Your sword became a cursed weapon much more quickly because of how you used it, the very purpose of its existence as a sword. I suspect more subjective things were also at work, like what it meant to you, along with how exactly that influenced your magic.¡± Moonwash was examining my greatsword closely on the table. The shape remained the same, but the colors were definitely more sinister. The weapon gave off a distinct feeling of danger, which I supposed all weapons should give off that vibe, but this one even more so. There was something metaphysical at work, like instincts, or something similar to a level sense. The greatsword had a presence of its own.


    She took out my knife. ¡°In contrast, this has barely been infused with anything, despite you giving it a fair amount of attention. Which you have been doing, right?¡± The tone managed not to be accusatory, but this was Moonwash. She probably was being accusatory.


    ¡°Of course I have. I¡¯m interested in this shit too.¡±


    ¡°Well then good. You''ve been threading it as well, right?¡±


    ¡°Yep! As tight as fabric.¡±


    ¡°Right. In which case, how then do goblin hordes make cursed weapons out of the most mundane of things? And so fast too.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°You already said it yourself. There are more subjective things at play. You can¡¯t quantify magic in that way. I think the quantity of the goblins play a role. Not just the overall amount of mana, but the numerous sapient beings with their own separate wills behind it. They have a singular drive for wickedness, and there¡¯s probably some deep meaning behind a goblin horde in itself, just like how my sword means something to me. It¡¯s just not replicable.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to quantify magic in its entirety. But there are trends, and those can be tracked. I¡¯ll use whatever subjective means I can, and I will also use whatever logical means I can. Only then can I create at my best.¡±


    Moonwash sounded more heated than I¡¯ve ever heard her being, despite her voice remaining level. I only nodded at my friend and gave her the best encouragement I could.


    ¡°Yes! Go! Follow your dreams!¡± I clapped and did a little dance.


    ¡°Thank you. Also, that dance was objectively not good.¡±


    ¡°Ouch!¡± I clutched my heart and writhed on the rug.


    I saw a smile on Moonwash¡¯s face.


    ~~~


    ¡°We have a problem.¡± Baston¡¯s voice echoed around the base as he descended from the stairs. Because that was exactly what I needed when I was in such a good mood. A problem.


    And I¡¯m not entirely joking! My day can only be made better by a good ass-kicking. Where I do the kicking, of course. Not the¡­ not the other way around.


    I was already shrugging on my armor before Baston could explain. It seemed like he wouldn¡¯t get the chance to anyway, as the door to Luine¡¯s room at the back suddenly swung open in that exact same moment.


    ¡°What problem?¡± she asked sharply. Of course she heard him from there.


    ¡°Adventurers. They¡¯re about to find our base.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Luine required no further explanation. She disappeared up the stairs.


    ¡°That¡¯s strange,¡± I spoke to Baston as I threaded my menace magic through my sword. Moonwash was similarly getting her gear ready. ¡°Didn¡¯t you take measures specifically to prevent discovery?¡±


    Vegetation hid our secret base. The vines were thick and bushes ran deep.


    ¡°Yes. But a good rogue can still spot it. There¡¯ll be tracks left over. An impact on the wildlife. And I believe the party coming to meet us this time are well into their level 20s, judging by what I could see of their gear.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I stepped up the stairs and Baston grabbed my arm to stop me.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Up there, obviously.¡±


    ¡°Were you not listening? There are high-level adventurers there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware. Tell me more about them.¡±


    He hesitated for a moment, but did as I asked. ¡°Six of them in total. Five humans, unless if they are hiding something like you are. One with shield, two typical warriors, the aforementioned rogue, and a mage. The last is a centaur, and she¡¯s carrying all their packs along with a small wagon. Her build seems more focused on strength than speed.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I got it.¡± I climbed up the stairs again, toward the big vault door set in what was previously a hole to the surface.


    ¡°Haell,¡± Baston called sharply. He grabbed my shoulder, and while his grip still remained gentle, I knew I could not shake him off. ¡°What are you planning? What will you even do up there?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know yet, honestly. I¡¯m guessing Luine will just kill them, and I don¡¯t like that. Not for merely sniffing around anyhow. The literal point is that they have no idea what¡¯s going on in here. But this is my home too, and if there is going to be a fight, then I won¡¯t sit back while she does all the killing and then claim that I am blameless and guilt-free afterwards. If there is to be a slaughter in defense of my home, a true home, then I will be at the frontlines fighting.¡±


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    Baston stepped back, a bit taken aback, but he did not let go of my shoulder.


    ¡°...I wasn¡¯t expecting that answer, honestly. You act so stupid most of the time, but then you have¡­ these sort of moments.¡±


    I thought that was approval, but I still could not move up as Baston continued to tighten his grip.


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to them first. I agree that we shouldn¡¯t just outright kill them. We should try to negotiate.¡±


    I nodded.


    Baston continued. ¡°You, stay here. I know now that I can¡¯t stop you, you¡¯ll just charge right in the moment I¡¯m gone. So what I¡¯ll say is that it¡¯s better for you not to be revealed yet. Stay hidden, and if they leave peacefully, then you never have to come out. You¡¯re trying to hide your existence, right?¡±


    ¡°I am, yes.¡± I finally allowed myself to relax. ¡°And if they don''t just leave? If peace is not an option?¡±


    Baston sighed. ¡°Well, then, I guess you¡¯ll just do what you want¡­¡± he moved up to hatch and paused for only a moment to regard me one final time. ¡°But Haell. These are people. People who are higher level than you. An entire evolution above! It¡¯d be¡­ traumatic, to get into a fight like this. If you even survive. So please¡­ just don¡¯t come out. Stay hidden. Be a child a little longer.¡±


    That ship has long sailed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I know it¡¯ll be difficult, one way or another. But this has to happen at some point. The world won¡¯t just leave me alone, and neither will I do the same for it.¡±


    Baston gave one final grunt as the hatch slammed close slowly and soundlessly. The adventurers drew ever closer, and I opened the door a creak to hear even just a little bit of the conversation happening above. I was waiting for my signal to pounce.


    Death. Conflict with sapients. War. That wasn¡¯t something I could run from forever. Part of me wished to see how I¡¯d react to such a traumatic event, sooner rather than later. It was best to know now if there would be issues, I was confident there wouldn¡¯t be given that I¡¯d killed before, if in a life long past. But if there was a problem, then I¡¯d just have to resolve it.


    Moonwash arrived next to me, clearly geared up for a fight.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I mouthed the question to her.


    She nodded without a word, clutching tightly at her new staff.


    It was a beautiful thing. An absolutely demonic affair of reds and blacks, with a focus that looked like three horns pointing at each other. I was very disappointed when I found out that it wasn¡¯t for me.


    I accepted my friend¡¯s decision to fight. Part of me wished to shield her from this, but she¡¯d already thrown her lot in with me, which meant that this battle here today was only the beginning. Every reason I had to fight applied to her too, and the girl¨Cno, the woman now¨Ccould make her own choices.


    I suddenly stilled, when I heard rustling from overhead. Multiple sets of feet.


    A few tense moments passed.


    ¡°What brings you here, friend?¡± Baston asked, both warmly and on edge.


    More shuffling. The clanking sound of armor.


    ¡°Oh, hello there¡­ ishkawtan,¡± said the voice of a man. ¡°I am here on official business from the Lord of Drumvale.¡±


    That was the closest village here, if still a bit far away.


    ¡°I see. And what business would that be?¡±


    ¡°It is of no concern of yours.¡± The man paused. ¡°Is there a problem with us going this way, ishkawtan?¡±


    ¡°No, not all. There is nothing here.¡± Baston hesitated. ¡°As I¡¯m an ishkawtan, which you are well aware of, I can tell your esteemed party that there is nothing to be found in this direction. Not for a long while.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    A tense standoff. Then footsteps of people coming this way. Baston shuffled, likely to bar their path.


    ¡°Is there a problem, ishkawtan?¡± Their supposed leader asked again, this time more sharply.


    ¡°No, not all.¡± His voice was cheerful, I knew that was not how Baston felt. ¡°I¡¯ve just already told you that there¡¯s nothing to find here. I would hate for you to waste your time and delay on the Lord of Drumvale¡¯s request.¡±


    ¡°That is none of your business. My scouts have told me there¡¯s something here and¨C¡±


    A push, a shove, and then all hell broke loose.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!¡±


    Someone screamed, hateful, a woman. I took that to be my cue and quickly ascended up the stairs.


    I crested the final steps, and saw for myself a sight full of carnage. A man in thick armor was wrapped and punctured in vines as he desperately tried to cut his way through them. Another man, a human, their mage was entirely beheaded.


    The shielder, another warrior, and a rogue were huddled together, looking worriedly around themselves as they tried to fend off all the vines. The centaur was charging straight for Baston, her packs abandoned, bruised and bleeding from many places.


    A great heat was summoned right beside me. That was when Moonwash had climbed the steps, and she just started chucking fire blasts into the fray. It was not the product of her typical meticulous casting, but just one continuous barrage of flames, stronger than she should have been capable of.


    It only added to the chaos. The brightness of the constant motion, the pain of the burns, and the way the fire clung to their forms.


    I roared and broke into a charge myself. My sword streaked through the air, and dented the burning centaur¡¯s gauntlet. She roared back at me, and pushed me away. I was back on my feet only a moment after, because no one dared to simply brush me away like a fly!


    Demon eyes, intimidation, menace bullets. It was enough to give the centaur lady pause, and I struck her across the head, drawing a bloody gash across her cheek.


    Skin flayed, and bone was exposed. She regarded me for a moment, before turning all that aggression against myself. I was already running away when she reared up and stomped where I once was. Vines erupted from around her, and that was all I bothered to observe, trusting that Baston had gotten her. I reached the three huddled combatants, their rogue already dead. Burning vines surrounded them, and they were frantic in their defense. The warrior slashed to the right, and only then did I see the faint shimmer of Luine¡¯s passing. I did not know that she could turn legitimately invisible!


    I target their greatshielder. I bashed against his shield, and I obviously lost. I staggered away, and did my intimidation combo again. Waves of my magic crashed against him, but most were absorbed by the armor. The fright still got to him, my enemy was thrown more off balance. I bashed into his shield over and over, my muscles aching from the strain as I pushed to the very limit of how much I could enhance them.


    It was enough. The guy wasn¡¯t able to support his ally, and Luine dueled the warrior one-on-one. He quite easily lost, his joints targeted by an unseen foe, until ultimately a dagger slid through his neck.


    Luine reappeared and gave me a smile. We tag-teamed the final enemy. I kept the pressure at his front while Luine robbed him of his movement.


    The man¡¯s shield dropped to the ground, before I went on to savage his head. The helmet dented upon my repeated strikes, until it eventually crumpled along with the fall of my enemy¡¯s body.


    Luine was already gone. She finished off their struggling leader near Baston, and the centaur was already dead. She was impaled by a dozen roots punching through her armor, and burnt by one continuous flamethrower.


    Moonwash leaned on her ominous new staff, clearly exhausted and tired.


    What the fuck has she made, and why won¡¯t she give it to meeee!!!

 Chapter 51: Lets Go Fishing!

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Baston addressed both me and Moonwash. All four of us, Luine included, were currently at the nearest river, having a picnic after all of yesterday¡¯s craziness. It¡¯s wild really, that it took this long for someone to stumble upon our secret hideout, although there had been people that passed around the periphery. They were fooled by Baston¡¯s preparations.


    ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine,¡± I answered Baston¡­ and I found that I was telling the truth. I didn¡¯t really think that what we did to those adventurers was just¡­ but I was at peace with it. It was just¡­ just like any other day here, where I killed and my prey tried to do the same.


    Except they were all sapients like I am, and they have lived full and rich lives.


    I will not deny that, and I won¡¯t blame it on Luine who would¡¯ve done it whether we helped or not anyway.


    I briefly considered if my reaction or lack thereof could have something to do with my new demonic biology. And it¡­ probably did. But I also knew that I didn¡¯t really feel bad at all for that one guy I killed a lifetime ago. I reasoned at the time that he deserved it, which he did, but maybe I was always like this. Cold. A killer. I just stayed away from murder because of the consequences it would bring.


    Or maybe I¡¯m not. Who fucking knows! I sure do wish I don¡¯t just go on a massacre for no fucking reason!


    I swore to myself on this day that I would not kill hapless civilians in the same way that I killed those adventurers. They were different, those men and women were combatants. They braved the forest with the full knowledge that they¡¯d have to fight, and that they might die. I would have to kill more like them in the future, many more. But I would not extend that treatment to those who just wished to live their life in peace. Somewhere, somehow, even if it¡¯s arbitrary and dumb, I had to draw a line.


    ¡°Yesh. I¡¯mm alshright.¡± Moonwash eventually answered after wolfing down her sandwich. She claimed to be perfectly fine with killing people. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡±


    If she even knows what we¡¯re talking about¡­


    ¡°You do know we¡¯re talking about the two of us having killed people, right?¡± I asked. ¡°Baston is worried that it may have damaged our psyches, yes?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that. Yeah, I¡¯m fine. I guess maybe there was this one moment when my heart beat faster, but that could also be attributed to the adrenaline of the battle. I am still examining those events more, but at the very least, I don¡¯t think it would affect my combat readiness. And my forging has not suffered either. It¡¯s only grown more exciting actually, because of all the equipment and materials we harvested from those we killed. I especially like the shield, it weathered your attacks very well. I intend to fix it and make it my own.¡±


    Ooookay. That reaction is more problematic than mine, I think.


    That being said¡­


    ¡°How about your staff? It¡¯s very cool, by the way! Can I have it?¡±


    Luine chuckled at the turn in our conversation, but didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s mine,¡± Moonwash answered bluntly. ¡°I made it from the horns of a goeath, mixed with a fire focus. Instead of stroking all nearby fires, it now enhances all fires that I specifically make with it.¡±


    ¡°It just sounds even more awesome now! Can¡¯t you make me one? Really? Pleaasseee???¡±


    Moonwash thought hard about it. ¡°I don¡¯t mind, of course. But I don¡¯t have the materials. Bring me the materials I need, and I¡¯ll make you something.¡±


    ¡°Hooray!¡± I cheered. ¡°By the way, Luine,¡± I addressed¡­ my other friend. It was still hard to think of them as such. She was the friend of my parents, but we¡¯re basically friends now too, right? ¡°What was up with that whole disappearing act back then? I didn¡¯t know you could go invisible!¡±


    ¡°Oh. That was illusion magic.¡± She took out a wand from her robes. It had lots of peach and pink colors.


    ¡°I am very interested.¡± Moonwash homed in on the wand like she was about to snatch it.


    Luine hid it away again. ¡°It¡¯s rare. Very rare. This element has never been held by a fountan far as I¡¯m aware, so it¡¯s very very hard to recharge. But it¡¯s strong. If I was willing to use a lot, then I would¡¯ve been able to kill all of them with trivial ease very quickly. So good job you two! You saved me a lot of mana.¡±


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome!¡± I said. ¡°But then how do you even have it in the first place? If no one has the element.¡±


    ¡°I killed a few invlades in the Lost Reflections wonderzone within the southern rainforests. There were some leftover in their repositories. This is my last one for now.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re just taking like the leftover mana in their repositories to recharge it?¡± I grabbed a sandwich for myself and started eating.


    ¡°Yep. Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Is it always like that? You know, without the fountans¡­¡±


    Luine shook her head and chuckled. She tossed out a line into the water to fish. ¡°No, of course not. The typical method before was to tame the animals who can use magic as pets. Which is admittedly, much more limited than having an entire race under your command that can do it. And I have nothing against fountans doing that job either. I think it¡¯s mighty convenient, and we are all¡­ unequal. We¡¯re born unequal. There are differences, even within the species, what more so for those with differing Mutations. But you don¡¯t have to go too fucking hard on that! Yes, they¡¯ll gravitate to what work suits them best, but there is no need to force anyone. There¡¯s no need to limit their rights and to discriminate.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you¡¯re helping the revolution?¡± I blurted out absentmindedly.


    Luine looked at me for a second. We never really talked about it, even if we were both well aware. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why. What about you, Haell? What do you think?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I agree with you. We have a common enemy. But I will always be an individual actor. I¡¯ll not join up with any faction. I am free.¡± It¡¯s why I¡¯m so desperate for power to begin with. To be confident that I¡¯ll be fine, no matter what I choose in the moment. To remain free.


    ¡°I see. Well, that¡¯s fair. That always came through with everything that you did. And I for one respect it.¡±


    ¡°Nice.¡±


    ~~~


    We were just about to pack up and leave when a little green man walked out of the treeline and towards the water. He was on the other side of the river.


    ¡°What are the chances that it¡¯s alone and won¡¯t be a problem¡­¡±


    ¡°None,¡± Baston answered. ¡°Absolutely none.¡±


    The goblin snarled, looking at the river and then back up at us, as if gauging his chances.


    ¡°I have an idea,¡± Moonwash said.


    I typically liked her ideas, but this timing was worrying.


    ¡°I like it!¡± I gave her a thumbs-up, before I could even hear what it was.


    Moonwash nodded and grabbed Luine¡¯s fishing pole.


    ¡°Hmm? What are you¡­¡±


    The goblin jumped, and fell laughably short. But then Moonwash caught it right on time with the reel, and began pulling the creature in.


    ¡°Help me.¡±


    None of us knew what the fuck she was planning, but we grabbed the rod and helped Moonwash fish the goblin out regardless. Its tiny green body landed on our side of the riverbank, and Moonwash quickly ended its life by knifing through its throat a couple dozen times.


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s dangerous,¡± Baston said. ¡°Wicked mana can influence your mind just by being near it¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I was able to take living with Haell. This isn¡¯t a problem either.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? I can¡¯t be that bad. Come onn¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no. She has a point.¡± Baston nodded. ¡°You are leaking menace mana everywhere, and I do feel it sometimes, even if it¡¯s way too small to affect me.¡±


    ¡°Eh, wait, really?¡±


    ¡°Yep! You just reek Haell,¡± Luine laughed.


    ¡°Oh piss off.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m being serious. Is this a problem?¡±


    The rogue shrugged. ¡°Not really. It is stronger than like, a single goblin, but this isn¡¯t enough to actually affect anyone. Not at our level certainly, and Moonwash seems fine too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s interesting,¡± Baston added. ¡°I guess all the paranoia about them is overblown. A single goblin isn¡¯t actually going to cause the apocalypse and cause everyone to kill each other.¡±


    ¡°But it is a danger,¡± Luine finished. ¡°The tradition makes sense, and there¡¯s no reason not to destroy the goblin just in case. Especially to prevent them from multiplying. They already leave their seeds everywhere just by existing day to day.¡±


    It was at this moment that Moonwash finally emerged from the corpse she was dissecting, triumphant with the reproductive sack of a goblin in her hand.


    Baston blinked. ¡°Uhh. What are you planning to do with that?¡±


    ¡°Experiments. I have an idea for something I can craft with them, and I also want to observe the creation of one of them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to seed them on something? On purpose!?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Baston did not take that well. He looked to Luine for support, but she just shrugged.


    ¡°This is a terrible idea. But we¡¯re not their mums.¡± Her gaze snapped to my friend, and then quickly amended, ¡°Well, I am Moonwash''s mom. But I doubt they¡¯ll die from it. So let them have their fun.¡±


    She could not hide her own curiosity from me.

 Chapter 52: Plant the Seed.

    ¡°Mana and magic exist on a spectrum. Typically, they can appear as entirely different shapes and colors to someone¡¯s perception, but it¡¯s technically possible to do anything with any form of mana. Although maybe that¡¯s a feat even dragons can¡¯t do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a theory,¡± I told Moonwash, ¡°Hell, it¡¯s a mere hypothesis.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right. However, every source of mana already differs just by a minuscule amount, and yet the same focuses are able to take control of them. Maybe the focuses too are different, but that is unconfirmed.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait. Back up.¡± I took a deep breath of dust, as we were currently in Moonwash¡¯s forge. ¡°How would you even know about literally every source of mana having a different flavor?¡±


    ¡°Your mom told me.¡±


    I snorted out a laugh.


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking. I don¡¯t understand what is supposed to be funny.¡±


    I waved her off. ¡°Nothing, nothing. I just wasn¡¯t expecting a ¡®your mom¡¯ joke.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not a joke. She really did tell me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m sure. Can you tell me exactly what she told you?¡±


    Moonwash thought about it¡­ for a long couple of minutes. I didn¡¯t need her to be that exact!


    ¡°Every mana has a flavor.¡± Moonwash did a piss poor impression of my mother. I loved it. ¡°They are very similar, near identical, but never the exact same. At least I think so. I¡¯m not sure actually. But I just feel that it¡¯s true, whenever I sense mana to a fine degree. You know?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes. I¡¯m not sure actually. The height, the epitome, of science.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t say so,¡± she said blandly, ¡°but there is credence to it. Most importantly is that there are different flavors that could appear sometimes in Mutations, like say the ¡®ominous wind¡¯ element of the omenbirds. And that element can be controlled by a typical wind focus, if at vastly reduced efficiency. It can also be stored in wind mana repositories.¡±


    ¡°And so you think that literally every source of mana is actually a different flavor. Like the ¡®slightly-brighter-fire¡¯ element, or something?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...Well, maybe? Okay?¡±


    I turned to leave, but that was when Moonwash shoved a goblin seed towards me. ¡°These things are full of wicked mana. They need it to begin their work. But maybe you can take control of it.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I get it now, what you¡¯re trying to say. They¡¯re both curse-aligned energies, so maybe I can control it like my menace magic?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Well, sorry to say, but it won¡¯t work. My horns control things that I have marked, and that¡¯s basically only the mana inside me, the menace element in my blood. But I don¡¯t actually own a focus that can specifically interact with curse mana and its derivatives. It¡¯s also incomprehensibly difficult to control mana without a proper structure, like a proper wand.¡±


    ¡°You did mention that. I forgot.¡± She shoved the seed further into my face. ¡°Eat it then.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I said eat it.¡±


    ¡°No, no. I mean, why?¡±


    ¡°Because if your skin marks the mana that passes through it, then maybe it can mark any mana as long as you put it inside yourself and then test it out.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°That actually... Huh. That makes sense.¡±


    I held the seed of the goblin. It looked like a shivered piece of bark, easily mistaken for something natural and mundane. I had my reservations, lots and lots of it, but with a deep breath, I popped the seed into my mouth, being very careful to keep it only on the periphery of my tongue.


    I felt the mana within once it was in my tongue, but I could not pull it out at all. I tried for half an hour, until I began to feel a tingling in my tongue and spat it out.


    ¡°Fuck, fuck!¡± I hurried outside and looked for a mirror. There was a tiny green dot on my tongue. ¡°Shit, this better be healable!¡± I ran outside and tried with nature magic. I felt a slight soothing prickle on where the seed did its damage, and the green spot was gone the next time I looked into my hand mirror.


    I heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Haell. What happened?¡± Moonwash followed me outside.


    I explained the green spot and everything else.


    ¡°Why did you get rid of it? I want to see.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck do you mean why did I get rid of it!? Of course I did! And no, I¡¯m not doing it again.¡±


    ¡°That is sad.¡±


    ¡°Be sad then.¡± I harrumphed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself if you won¡¯t.¡± Moonwash popped a seed into her mouth. ¡°I can somewhat feel a connection to the wicked element now. Although I still don¡¯t have a way to actually control it. It didn¡¯t work for you either?¡±


    I shook my head.


    She waited for a while for the seed to metaphorically take root, but nothing had happened even an hour later. Seeing her failure, Moonwash ordered me to obtain for her a corpse of something. Anything.


    ¡°Anything?¡± I asked darkly, staring right at her.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied, staring right back, unwavering.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if she got the joke or not.


    I did as Moonwash asked, happy to help my friend with her experiments. It was a nice change of pace from the usual violence.


    I savaged a pack of wolves, and then killed the last one by kicking it in the guts and then strangling it on the ground. My good friend needed a more intact corpse, I thought, so a more intact corpse she would get. The final wolf had not a single cut on its body when it died.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Thank you Haell,¡± Moonwash unhesitatingly took the wolven carcass off my hands, and then planted the goblin seed within.


    We watched the process for hours, and I had to grab a book at some point because the changes were happening so slowly. Moonwash did not have the same problem.


    The corpse writhed ever so slowly, wicked mana saturated the carcass overtime.


    ¡°It¡¯s making more of itself, multiplying, perpetuating,¡± Moonwash explained. ¡°That is not how mana usually behaves. Mana should be something that is only made by specialized organs, although there is the mana of the world itself that suffuses everything¡­¡±


    I agreed, truly understanding what was happening in front of me even as I continued to consume my illegal trashy fiction about angel-on-dragon love. Wicked magic was adjacent to my menace magic, and I was very interested in finding new spells to use for myself.


    ¡°I think the seed is able to act as a focus, or is commanding the wicked mana somehow.¡± I touched the gross mass before me, pieces of flesh and most of the fur sloughing off. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s like infused pieces, or Mutations that have an effect even if the host dies. Like the horns of a goeath, or the feathers of a cloudbird. Except instead of making all fire around it stronger, this one is more sophisticated, creating entirely new lifeforms somehow.¡±


    ¡°I agree. The mana is the fuel, I felt a lot more inside it compared to any other infused piece, and the seed itself is a focus that directs the process. But this is far more complex than anything else. It¡¯s basically pocket biomancy¡­ Does this mean that wicked magic has biomancy potential? Curse-aligned magics as a whole?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ my menace magic at least can be used for physical-enhancement during combat, if in a very limited way. And have you forgotten about the cursetaceans? They were made by the curse dragon upon his death, presumably through curse magic¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes, you¡¯re right,¡± Moonwash spat the words out rapidly. ¡°It is a fact that curse magic can do biomancy. Somehow. We have a very obvious example pointing to that. It just seems so antithetical to life, the element that is most famously used for biomancy, but we have a very obvious example against what our common sense might tell us.¡±


    The corpse jolted, bones cracked and shifted. Long minutes passed as the shape of a goblin was finally made. An hour later the creature stood, sparse pieces of unused biomass dropping to the floor or clinging to its smooth skin.


    She looked at me. I looked at her. The goblin¡¯s eyes were calm for a precious few moments, but it seemed to struggle, growing more insane with every passing second. Only a few minutes later, it lunged after us, and I splattered the contents of its skull with ease.


    ¡°She was like me, like you,¡± I said. ¡°In those first few moments she was sane. But then the wicked mana took over, and all that was left was a drooling and unthinking monster, content only to spread pain and suffering.¡±


    What a fucking fate, for an entire species.


    ¡°I really need that ritual for identifying things,¡± Moonwash stated, immediately rummaging through the corpse of the person that we made. For that was what she was, even if for only a few long seconds. ¡°What is taking Luine so long? I needed it yesteryear.¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°I have an idea!¡± I crashed into the base, blood and guts still clinging to my form after my most recent hunt.


    ¡°Oh no. She has an idea.¡± Luine dropped down after me, mock horror on her face.


    ¡°Clean! Clean up!¡± Baston yelled from across the space, cultivating some venomous plants.


    I did as he asked, wiping myself down and rinsing with water in the washing area we made just next to the entrance.


    I rushed towards our storage crates afterwards, looking for what I needed.


    ¡°Moonwash! Where are the repositories!¡±


    She didn¡¯t come soon enough, and I found it myself. I then popped one into my mouth, the element of fire. Immediately I felt a connection, not very strong but I could actually move it around without a dedicated focus. I slowly coaxed the mana out and then brought it out of my body, passing through skin. The connection held because of my mark, and I could now move the mana around as if it were my own using my horns.


    ¡°Yes! It worked!¡± I pumped my fist¡­ and accidentally swallowed the thing. ¡°Uhh¡­ Oops? Is that bad?¡±


    There was an immediate burning sensation in my stomach, but I recognized it for the fake that it was, an illusion of the mind. My connection to the mana was far stronger with the repository in my guts, and it flowed smoothly through my body the moment I called for it. Some of it clung to my blood, and an excruciating sensation immediately filled my mind. It felt like my veins were bloated, like sludge filled with rocks traveled through my body, gumming everything up. I could not reconcile having two elements within my blood at once, and I hurriedly pulled the fire mana back out again. It made a swift exit out of my body, and I sighed with relief. The mana was still within my grasp and I could indeed still manipulate it through my horns, if not as efficiently as with menace magic.


    I took a moment to collect myself, and then manifested a spell.


    Fireball.


    I summoned the flames, and found that it was a little bit better than what I could manage with my wand.


    ¡°Fuck yeah!¡±


    My stomach growled.


    ¡°Oh right. I swallowed a, uh, fire mana repository.¡±


    I ran towards Moonwash¡¯s forge, to find her meticulously carving through a sickening clump of goblin seed. She noticed my presence a few minutes later.


    ¡°Hello, Haell. Do you need something?¡±


    I explained to her what I just discovered, adding how yesterday¡¯s experiments with eating a goblin seed helped.


    ¡°Mana can be used without a focus if it¡¯s inside you! I¡¯ve been doing it since my evolution, and it works! It really works!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great, Haell. Although what do you mean by this being a new discovery?¡±


    ¡°Uh, because I invented a new method for magic?¡±


    ¡°No you didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°People know about this, presumably from the beginning. It¡¯s in the angelic scriptures.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Shit, really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ but if that¡¯s the case then how come I¡¯ve never seen like molars as a wand.¡±


    ¡°For the same reason that swords and necklaces and other things are not as good as a magical apparatus. Wands and staves are just better at it, there¡¯s some magical significance. Additionally, even if you can control the mana inside you that way, that control is lost once it exits your body. So what will you even do with it? Not everyone is a demon.¡±


    ¡°Hehe. I¡¯m amazing.¡± I flexed.


    ¡°Lastly. It¡¯s actually bloody uncomfortable to have to have mana inside of you.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yeah, it definitely is. But wait! Objection! Plenty of animals, monsters, and even people do have repositories inside them.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And it is indeed uncomfortable for them. At least when they¡¯re using magic. The repository isolates the mana otherwise, that¡¯s the point of it, although even then some sensation remains if it¡¯s literally inside your guts. Another theory that I have though, is that their flesh and mind are adapted to the mana they naturally possess, at least to an extent, even if it doesn¡¯t say so in their Mutations. That isn¡¯t the case if you just swallow a repository filled with mana.¡±


    ¡°Shit, that¡¯s what I did!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    ¡°What do I do? Oh save me, forgemaster.¡±


    ¡°Forgemaster¡­?¡± Moonwash thought about it for a few seconds. ¡°I like it. Call me Forgemaster Moonwash from now on.¡±


    ¡°Okay sure. Now, about my ailment?¡±


    ¡°Shit it out.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be painful?¡±


    ¡°Maybe? How big is the repository?¡±


    I recalled the object¡¯s size, and found it wanting. ¡°I should be fine.¡± It was smaller than my biggest shits.


    ¡°I can also do a surgery if you want.¡±


    I looked at Moonwash. ¡°Have you ever done one before?¡±


    ¡°Does dismantling a corpse count?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not! That¡¯s dead! I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m living!¡± Although maybe the process is kinda similar¡­ but no! Nope! Nuh-uh!


    ¡°Oh. Have fun shitting it out then.¡±


    ¡°I will!¡±


    I slammed the door to the forgemaster¡¯s lair.

 Chapter 53: Love Thy Goblins.

    Luine found the nest of the goblins, only a small one, all things considered. It was likely a new horde, at its most vulnerable state. With individually weak members, and not fully capable of defending themselves; but big enough to attract the attention of other monsters nearby.


    Goblins were very difficult to ever fully eradicate, because there were always individuals of them, scattered every which way, and capable of building a new horde by themselves. They may rise again, even when dead. They may rise again, even when consumed.


    Such was the power of the goblin seed.


    I pondered our upcoming assault of their base as I relaxed on the couch, having just finally, painfully, shat out the fire repository. Bursts of mana kept leaking into my body throughout the digestion process, and its crystalline structure was shattered into many pieces when I was finally able to relieve myself of them.


    I briefly considered if I should retrieve the still perfectly good and functional repositories, but I drowned out those thoughts in the flush of a full bucket of water.


    We had one of those latrines that were low to the ground. Moonwash and the rest had really outdone themselves in creating basic amenities in the middle of the forest. The only help I really contributed were the constant stream of materials and ingredients from all those that I killed. Which wasn¡¯t bad, all things considered. I was definitely not just freeloading!


    ~~~


    ¡°Haell. This is for you.¡± Moonwash handed me a set of molars, one that would hold a structure with a crystal pressed against the roof of my mouth. It was a magic apparatus for me to cast from within, albeit lacking a focus. That was fine, using two separate focuses at once was difficult, and it would also have to be outside of my body for it to work.


    ¡°Oh, thank you!¡± I immediately tried it on.


    ¡°It¡¯s still just a concept. But I figured it would be nice to test it in the upcoming battle. I¡¯ll make you a better one afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Noice!¡±


    ¡°I could also make a sealed tube that you can swallow to give you magic.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°A sealed tube. It¡¯s an idea I had. It would stay inside you for a long time, protecting a repository inside. And then you can just eat it again after you defecate it out.¡±


    ¡°...You want me to literally eat shit?¡±


    ¡°It would work.¡±


    ¡°No thanks. I love power. But even I have limits.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s a shame.¡±


    ~~~


    We walked out of the base the next day, all four of us. We were about to go and hunt all the goblins that remained.


    Our group made it to the river, we crossed the rapids through a thick log, and then I began to feel a faint shimmer of the wicked energy the moment we stepped foot on the other side. Perhaps I was now more sensitive to curse-aligned mana after having used it myself for so long.


    After only a couple more minutes of walking, we came across the first goblin who just fell apart with a casual swing of my sword. The only enhancement that I used was the menace mana weaved through my blade, and I doubted it even changed anything.


    We ranged further through the vegetation, eventually finding a small scouting group, whom I also slaughtered with the same casual ease. It didn¡¯t matter how many of them there were, trash was still trash.


    When we spotted the next scouting group, I finally remembered about my new set of molars. I coaxed the mana out from within and the energy was temporarily marked by my skin as it passed through, allowing my horns to take control.


    Hellfire.


    I summoned my flames, and it crushed my goblin foes. They writhed on the ground in pain, the life being snuffed out of them in seconds. All except for one, my level sense kindly informed me that she was level 10.


    It wasn¡¯t enough. She bellowed a charge, against all the pain and suffering of the flame, only to be swiftly beheaded by my blade.


    I did use a little bit of menace enhancement to my muscles. That¡¯s more than what I bothered to use for any of my prior foes. I¡¯m sure the knowledge of that will soothe her into the afterlife.


    The forest flashed orange and red as we made it deeper in. The trees were strong enough to not totally burn down, but I made sure to clear the flames after killing off every batch of goblins. It was good practice for my new method of fire magic, and the plantlife here was weaker than in the other parts of the forests. The goblins smashed bark and ripped away branches just for the sheer fun of it, not to mention the constant stream of wicked mana that they produced.


    ¡°I think my fire magic is weaker than my menace magic,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s a difficult thing to measure, their effects are wildly different and my flames remain a generally stronger offense. But whenever I manifest the mana into reality, it just feels like I¡¯m able to squeeze a lot more power out of the menace element.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s because of the Theory of Inherent Magic,¡± Moonwash said after a few seconds of deliberation. ¡°It¡¯s a known phenomenon. Those who inherently possess the capacity for magic, with a fount, repository, and a focus among their Mutations; they have been shown time and time again to be more proficient in magic.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying there is some sort of magical significance to it, like with how and why wands were such a powerful shape for a magical apparatus to take?¡±


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    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, well I¡¯ve heard of that theory before. And it definitely makes the most¡­ sense!¡± I killed another pair of goblins without bothering to use any magic. ¡°And it¡¯s pretty clear cut after shepherds, tyranights, and sundertops had participated in the research. But there are other factors to consider. Like how someone born with the relevant Mutations are likely to also be born with minds more than capable of using them.¡±


    ¡°The test subjects were made to use wands of their same element, and the results were weaker than their performance with their inherent abilities.¡±


    I pondered for a moment, slaughtering more goblins. Murder really was good for the brainflow.


    I¡¯ve seen this research mentioned in several books back at the library in Latarus¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but most of the participants were of the three species you mentioned. Wands and staves kind of don¡¯t really work well with the tyranight and the sunropods to begin with. Not to mention that I¡¯ve heard that those with the complete magical package are generally worse at using an external apparatus to begin with. The shepherds of course would never admit to such weakness.¡±


    ¡°Are you weaker at using staves now, Haell?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing! I¡¯m¡­ not sure. My Mutations had gotten a lot stronger, so my fire is more potent than before my evolutions, but that could very easily just be the result of my qualitative increase in power across the board. It¡¯s hard to tell.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting. Let¡¯s look into that a little bit more later.¡±


    ¡°Agreement noises!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do not worry about it, Moonwash.¡±


    ¡°I see. It¡¯s just you being weird again.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Err, nevermind.¡±


    We went back and forth a bit more from there as the local wildlife slowly died out, and an oppressive feeling started to permeate the atmosphere, alongside more patrols of goblins. I mentioned how I thought that my menace heart and the fact that my mana was stored in my blood, constantly influencing me, might have something to do with the potency of my menace magic. That struck a particular chord with Moonwash, and she spoke rapidly about the very few species we knew of that had the same sort of setup, nearly overextending forward in our formation in her excitement. Baston mentioned just how strong goblin shamans could be even for their level. It was weird that they probably didn¡¯t have a blood Mutation to store the mana, and only a small amount could be trapped in their bodies while the rest leaked out into the air. Not that I didn¡¯t do the same once my tank was full, so to speak.


    ¡°And we might be facing such a foe soon, so on your toes.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Moonwash replied, looking around and falling back into formation.


    Eventually, after a while of clearing out a few more isolated groups, we made it to the clearing containing the bulk of the goblins. I and Luine did most of the work at first in killing the ones at the periphery, in order to save up a little on mana when we could. Baston also helped out a little. He was armed with only a single staff, and he used the back end(the one without the focus) to whack on goblins. They were pulped to smithereens despite his clumsy methods considering the difference in levels.


    We circled around, taking our easy wins, until eventually the whole horde turned on us, frothing at the mouth and charging recklessly towards their early graves. They were immediately halted in their tracks the moment Baston slammed his staff into the ground. Walls of plantlife emerged from the barren soil of the goblin home base, skewering the approaching monsters. Luine went ahead of our group to gut the strongest of the goblins, meanwhile Moonwash stayed behind our lines, preparing something big using the fire staff that she still wouldn¡¯t give to me!!


    I tried to help with my aura and my eyes, and that did cause more chaos among enemy ranks, but not nearly as much as I would''ve expected against specimens so much weaker than myself. Perhaps they were too insane already to be affected by fear, or perhaps the wicked mana coursing through their body had made them accustomed to the effects of similar energies. A question to ponder in a more peaceful time, which would only come once they were all dead.


    My menace mana exploded into action, it fed into my mind and my emotions fed into it in turn. My world became a haze of violence as a mist of blood was left in my wake. Goblins died one after another, the weaker ones being nothing more than kindling before my rage, while even those at level 10 proved little obstacle. The only one that was able to finally stop my charge was a goblin over the level of 20, and still our strikes only bounced off each other. We were nigh evenly matched in power.


    I grinned. I did another exchange of our blades, and then slashed through the opening that was created, taking out an arm. The appendage wasn¡¯t fully and cleanly sliced off, but it was borderline unusable. Its mangled form was almost worse than the alternative.


    I overwhelmed the hobgoblin in short order, killing it with deep lacerations through its body.


    Weak, weak, weak, WEAK! Even your level twenties are no match for me! Haell Zharignan!


    I returned to the carnage soon after, barreling through my helpless opponents, until I felt something more dangerous charge in. My constantly improving level sense spoke of its levels as over 30, a small and squat goblin holding a creepy necklace of flesh and bark in its hand.


    No wait, that¡¯s a magic apparatus!


    I felt the wicked mana in the air stir, a peculiarity of the goblins in that it should be way harder to control ambient mana in the air, but they could do it for their own wicked mana anyway. I stopped my charge, allowing the ineffectual attacks of the tiny goblins around me to strike my armor as I turned the other way. I dashed back to safety just in the nick of time as a handful of corpses where I just was suddenly exploded.


    Muscles, sinew, and bone flew through the air, along with blasts of wicked magic. The goblins nearby were skewered by the explosion of viscera, and a few pieces of gore reached me even with my head start.


    It only caused a dent or two in my armor, but I would¡¯ve been in trouble if I were in the center of it all. I lobbed a single cheeky fireball towards the shaman, which only ignited a few of the goblins at its feet as the high-level goblin managed to dodge. The searing white fireball that followed from my friend Moonwash was not quite so easily shrugged off, and it hit the goblin shaman square in the chest. Corpses around it started spontaneously exploding as the spellcaster writhed from having been set on fire, savaging its own armies.


    I was going to run back to the safety of Baston¡¯s perimeter but I chose that moment to circle around. Luine killed and kicked away all the goblins in my path, having discerned my plot well in advance. A few of the corpses still exploded around me, but too far to cause significant damage. Only one carcass was close enough, it exploded right when I was practically on top of my target already. My momentum was slowed by the blast, denting my armor in many places, in ways that made my flesh squelch in pain. Three pieces of bone managed to pierce through far enough to draw blood. Of those, only one was serious enough to impede my movements, and it was by my thigh. The other two penetrated into my guts and arm respectively, which were very painful, but nothing else. Nothing that was of immediate import.


    I snarled and kept on charging. I reached my target, and struck it through the head. I did not give the shaman any more chances, and took away the accursed necklace clutched in its hand with my next swing. I absolutely savaged its burning form, adding my own fires to the mix, when the monster could retaliate no longer.


    ¡°Haell! Stop! Those are perfectly good materials!¡± Moonwash shouted through my own screams. Only then did I realize that my enemy was already dead.


    I growled and charged forward into the mass of the remaining goblins.


    Their leader was dead, they were being routed, but the wicked mana seeped so deep into their forms that they could not even fathom a retreat.

 Chapter 54: The Blood.

    Deep breath in, a peaceful breath out. Luine started talking just as I came down from my menace magic high, still surrounded by the corpses of our fallen enemies.


    Maybe she should fall too.


    She shouldn''t. I was in full control, and I always knew who I was and what I valued. Becoming a betrayer and treating my friends poorly was certainly no part of Haell Zharignan.


    ¡°That was a disaster in the making.¡± Luine stomped on the head of a still-twitching goblin.


    ¡°What? Who? Me?¡± I asked in succession, put off balance.


    ¡°What? No. The goblin shaman.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Eh. Wasn¡¯t that strong. I probably could¡¯ve taken it 1v1.¡± Provided there were no other goblins around, that was.


    ¡°Sure. But it was only around level 30. For its highest Mutations, which would be the brain. I doubt its other parts were up to par.¡±


    ¡°Right, exactly. So it¡¯s weak. I don¡¯t understand what the contention is here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly the problem!¡±


    I stared at her. I did not get it.


    Luine scratched her head. ¡°Right, I should explain.¡±


    ¡°No, no. No need. Keep being vague and cryptic.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not even being vague and cryptic¡­¡± she sighed. ¡°But fine. Basically, goblin shamans have their brains at least level 40 before they start¡­ doing their shaman things. That one,¡± she pointed at the corpse of the shaman nearby, ¡°was bloody talented. Almost as much as Moonwash, when it comes to magic.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Oh yeah, that¡¯s bad. But at least it wasn¡¯t as talented as me!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but add that last part, a mix of competitive spirit and ugly envy, only exacerbated by my remaining menace high.


    Luine looked at me, really looked at me. ¡°Yes, obviously. That would have been bad. A goblin as good as you would¡¯ve given me a run for my money at that level.¡±


    ¡°O-oh¡­? Well, thank you?¡± I blushed, but it was thankfully hidden by my red skin. And the full helm over it, that helped too.


    Luine snorted. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Now how about we clean up this mess.¡± She gestured towards the piles of nearly two hundred goblins around us. ¡°Burn it all to the¡­ ground¡­¡±


    Moonwash was already looting the still-warm carcasses. She was specifically aiming for the most dangerous part, the goblin seed sack.


    Luine worked her jaw, she took a few deep breaths. ¡°This is fine. This is totally fine.¡± She looked at me. ¡°Do you think this is fine, Haell?¡±


    ¡°Oh, totally. It¡¯d save a lot of trouble, instead of having to cultivate new goblins to harvest from.¡±


    She touched her chin and manually worked her jaw. It was so fun exasperating people like this, but I should not make a habit out of it. Much. ¡°Right. Yes. You guys did that¡­ This is fine.¡±


    ¡°Perfectly fine.¡± I smiled, very wide. If only she could see it. But I reckoned she could at least feel it. That¡¯d have to do.


    ~~~


    Days passed, then weeks, months, and more. The carnage I was capable of kept on growing, along with my levels. It was a truly prodigious pace, including that of my two Mutations below the level of ten.


    I just kept on fighting, I kept on being in tune with the menace within me, and I also helped Moonwash in my downtime with all her crazy ideas. It was a grueling schedule that was so easy to lose myself in, but the world itself did not get lost so easily. Change happened, wildlife disappeared or migrated away from where I typically roamed, which in turn disrupted the life cycles of even those plants which could not move. Some of them ended up dying, while others still thrived harder than before.


    Other monsters, those who were stronger and two evolutions ahead of me, did not like this, and I found myself targeted at times. Or maybe it was just a coincidence, a lack of prey other than myself to keep them company.


    I encountered a wild warsymbol, a quadrupedal creature that looked like a mixture of a bear and a t-rex. It was only Luine¡¯s distracting of it that allowed me to escape with my life.


    We hunted it afterwards, all four of us. I was somehow able to cut through its skin with all of my advantages mashed together, but the wound was superficial. Painful for sure, but it wasn¡¯t actually deep enough to even slightly hamper the monster¡¯s movements. And all I got for my trouble was a kick that I could not fully dodge, which dented my armor way too fucking deeply for what was supposed to be a mere glancing blow. The gap between evolutions only widened.


    I had to be healed, and then I helped from the sidelines with the projectiles that I could use, but even then the damage I dealt was minimal. The weakness that my menace bullets allegedly caused was near unnoticeable, and my fireballs could only remain alight because I packed them with more mana as a fuel reserve. The flames very quickly died down otherwise, barely able to consume this monster¡¯s flesh to keep itself going. And even when they persisted after a hefty investment of mana, the heat was only enough to maybe lightly singe the beast¡¯s fur.


    What truly ended the creature was Baston''s countless restricting roots, and the poison he concocted delivered by Luine hundreds of times over. The warsymbol showed far greater physical strength and toughness than either of them, but my mentors were able to bring the beast down with time.


    I could hardly contribute in these high-level fights, and the ecosystem had still not fully recovered from the calamity that was me. I¡¯m so cool. I started ranging further and further away due to the lack of reasonable prey, until we ended up going on expeditions towards the nearby wonderzone. It was still uninhabited, albeit with more adventurers going around now, and we didn¡¯t even have to kill them. I just had to put on some boots that camouflaged my hooves as regular human feet, and cover my horns up with crystal-like focuses. I hated it, but Moonwash also concealed my red skin with makeup, and she even made contacts that made my eyes look normal using the knowledge that I shared from my world. It was wild. And it was a good trial run for when I went back into society once more.


    ¡°Hello fellow humans! I am human like you! Let us count money and kill each other now! Weather weather weather.¡±


    The wonderzone had still not been tamed again, owing to just the inherent danger of it, but also that the Angelore Empire moved at a snail¡¯s pace in general, likely because of the Heavenly Hegemony¡¯s tried and true methods across the stars, and the many threats they continued to faced thanks to their own hubris.


    It¡¯s led by immortals at the very top. Of course, they didn¡¯t have any sense of haste. Therefore they wouldn¡¯t see me coming.


    The Endless Dive wonderzone was lost to their people because of the war they waged against the impenetrable barrier range to begin with. That conflict spilled out and ravage through all the towns and villages closest to the mountains, and the leadership here was still reeling and trying to reclaim all that was lost¡­ So that they may try again in the future.


    They really weren¡¯t the brightest.


    I was not the only one who was constantly busy, Moonwash might have been even more so. She constantly worked on her craft, getting better at forging, woodworking, and more. She made time for experiments and research, to figure out infusion, particularly with curse-aligned magics such as my menace mana. It was convenient, having such a cooperative source near her at all times. Luine had still not yet come through with the identification ritual, but Moonwash had already begun dabbling in rituals, having learned enough from books and from my mother. She made the ink and drew sigils, symbols, and illustrations into flat ground. The first one failed, I didn¡¯t even know if it was ever recognized as a ritual. The next ones were regarded by a dismissive force, before evaporating into nothing. It took only a day before her first success, summoning a small fireball, smaller than what she could conjure up in a second. Things only snowballed from there as ritual crafting became part of her own daily training, until finally she could create balls of flame that were burning hot just to behold.


    Moonwash even found the time to squeeze in more fights and hunts into her very busy schedule, partly for the leveling speed, partly because she recognized the need to be able to defend herself and murder those who defy her will, and partly to test out her spells, be they rituals or otherwise. The raw casting of magic was an artform she also enjoyed, fleeting as it was. She didn¡¯t dare abandon it for her new and shiny rituals. That was a good idea in my book, because rituals were too slow and even unpredictable. The power my friend could draw out from them always varied, no matter how skilled she became in the craft. Then again, I supposed that was technically true of common magic as well.


    Moonwash created another new staff for herself, one that was far thicker than normal, and without a mana repository. No, it wasn''t just for whacking people over the head, although I was sure it could do that just fine. But it had a focus on it, one that she managed to scrounge up together using the seeds of many many goblins and the necklace used by that budding shaman we killed.


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    The fuel was my blood.


    I got to find out just how fast my regen heart can refill that right up.


    It was fast enough.


    Well, I¡¯d feel lightheaded in the moment for sure, but it¡¯d pass. I would also need to have several good and hearty meals as my blood gets replaced, otherwise my body would cannibalize itself for the nutrients that it needed.


    I always got the munchies after... and during a fight. Maybe that was why.


    Refilling Moonwash¡¯s staff became a regular chore for me. It was fiendishly difficult to just recharge the blood already within the staff with mana, and we found out that it was because passing through a heart was fundamental to the recharging process. It was still possible to do it without that of course, but it was literally far more efficient to just bleed myself out, and then gradually regenerate the blood.


    Moonwash did repay me by making sure to be the one to cook all the nutrients that I needed for a recharge. It was never her favorite thing, but living away from civilization had really pushed her to master that craft as well, and I loved it. Even she wanted nice and delicious meals sometimes, no matter that she could content herself with lesser food on most days.


    Moonwash wasn¡¯t actually very talented at using menace magic, so she had trouble using the staff at first. It didn¡¯t help that it placed grave mental pressure upon the wielder, if not nearly as much as that one dagger that nearly made us kill each other. Seriously Mom. I love you, but why the fuck did you leave that lying around!? All the grounding should¡¯ve fallen on you, aaaaahhhhhh!!!


    I quite honestly hardly felt shit from the new staff, but Moonwash got to experience just a portion of what I had to go through at every second of everyday whenever she used it, and she was not found wanting. My friend showed that she was not afraid to put in effort nor go through the pain as she mastered her own creation without complaint nor any attempts to shirk on her training. She learned just how to become a menace.


    In a bout of genius, since the blood in her staff would always have to be replaced anyway, Moonwash decided to carve special sigils and designs across its body. She used the same concept behind rituals, and made the carvings and enchantments using a mixture that included so many goblin seeds. Moonwash made it so that pulling the mana away from the staff would also evaporate the part of the blood that it was on, thereby empowering the mana if only a little. She was able to trigger a mini-ritual of sorts, if in a vastly inferior form. I knew it to be true, the pressure exerted by the staff and by magic itself made it clear that Moonwash was indeed tapping into the power of rituals, no matter how weak.


    It was amazing. I had never heard of such a thing. The main conceit behind a ritual was how fleeting and temporary it was, compared to an enchantment which lasted for a long time. And yet my friend managed to make a permanent ritual of sorts, for whatever variety of spells she might use the staff for, an inherent contradiction.


    I wondered if I could do the same.


    I tried.


    I succeeded.


    All I had to do was to believe... which sounded like bullshit, but that''s a lot of what magic does. I had to pound that singular image into my head, and it was far from easy. The breakthrough came when I got a chance to work with rituals once Moonwash finally got her wish from Luine. The identification ritual.


    It was something fundamental that was somehow possible with nearly every type of mana, but the more esoteric it was the better. And I had that in spades.


    Moonwash altered the ritual to fit my menace magic. We found out that my blood was very potent for regular rituals as well, which might be why it was even possible to cast mini-rituals with them. There wasn¡¯t even a need to mix it with anything, my raw blood could power rituals nearly as well as the best catalysts that money could buy!


    I only grew more interested in learning about ritual crafting, but I already had too much on my plate at the moment!


    So naturally, I only added to my workload. I learned how rituals operate, the subjectiveness of it, the plea and the demand for the world itself to work to your whims.


    For the identification ritual specifically, the concept was to scour the thing that you want identified. So if one wanted to use the element of fire specifically, the ritual would also burn whatever thing was being identified. Earth would bury and even crush it, water would flow around it, and air was popular as it did the same but typically with little damage or intrusion. My own menace magic merely embraced and prodded something, although I noticed that any organic material was definitely made worse by the process. The list went on from there, every element was an individual of its own, and perhaps even that had a million different variations.


    The end result was a magical wave of whatever element was used crashing into one''s mind, ultimately culminating into a status notification containing the information of the object or objects that were being identified.


    Onto the actual casting itself, it was weird in a lot of ways. I felt the gaze of the world and something far beyond me the moment I tried. Good ritual casting was apparently about withstanding that pressure and then directing it. I gestured towards the ritual we drew, and I felt the universe''s attention leave me and suffuse the scribblings of blood instead. The blood evaporated, the menace mana exploded into motion and became far more potent, diving into the carcass and then leaving... but not completely. Afterwards it came back to me, which was apparently difficult and overwhelming for Moonwash when she tried the same thing, but menace magic was always inside me. The intrusion bothered me little.


    Finally I got a status notification containing the wolf''s information, if vastly incomplete. My skills with rituals still left a lot to be desired, and there were many factors to consider for a successful Identify.


    _________


    Name: N/A


    Species: Sable Wolf


    ¡ªMutations¡ª


    Wolven Claws: Level 8


    ^#&$^&$&$*@*@*^@%#^#&


    _________


    To cast ritual magic, one typically needed a staff or wand to connect to the mana within. But the process of drawing it in itself created a connection. The medium used to create the ritual centered the magic, making it easier to make it mine, and most importantly for myself, the fact that it was my blood allowed me to cast without a focus. Which was a good thing because the mark left by my skin would''ve faded by the time I was done painting the ritual, making my horns thereby useless.


    Having a staff still helped of course... until it no longer mattered.


    [Mana-infused Blood has reached Level 10!]


    [Would you like to evolve this Mutation?]


    My blood had leveled so fast during this series of experiments. We still didn¡¯t know exactly why that is, but its importance to our actions, and discovering new shit with it, seemed to really help a Mutation grow. I didn¡¯t know if that or real combat weighed more, but it hardly mattered. I absolutely loved both fighting and exploring just what this world and my new demonic body had to offer.


    I selected yes.


    [Multiple evolution paths have been discovered for Mana-infused blood. Please choose one of the following.]


    [Standard - greatly enhances all aspects of the Mutation]


    [Connection - your blood will now remain connected to you semi-permanently even if it is taken out of your body.]


    I wasn¡¯t expecting another set of choices but I was happy about it. I¡¯d heard about Mutations offering diverging paths sometimes, but it was supposed to be a very rare thing. I was happy to see one pop up, without the need for stupid risks and demon bullshit.


    Needless to say, I picked the latter. I¡¯d hardly ever been at risk of running out of mana ever since my evolution to an imp, and that was because the sheer volume of my blood could hold so much more than a common repository. Of course, a repository could hold a lot more in relation to size, but the organ was tiny compared to the sheer amount of space blood could occupy. Blood was clearly the winner. Mental side effects may persist. Please consult your doctor.


    What followed after my choice was a very strange if not outright painful sensation that led to me feeling everything my blood did for a few seconds. From how it flowed inside my body, to how it was affected by my two different hearts whenever they passed through the organs. Some of it even dripped out of my nose during the process, and I felt the solidity of my connection to it and the mana within. It persisted and it remained, even if diminishing ever so slightly with the passage of time. That connection was likely strengthened as well by technically passing through my skin on its way out.


    Shit was wild.


    It truly went to show how Mutations were malleable even without the demon bullshit I pulled.


    The next step after all that was done was to just keep on casting rituals. I identified the shit out of everything I could get my hands on, including myself. Being flooded with menace magic was probably unhealthy for everyone else. For me it was just a monday.


    I also learned to do other rituals, which were basically just my regular magic but stronger, and perhaps more directed, creative. I learned how to overwhelm a creature with so much menacing thoughts that they become so confused to the point of becoming catatonic and unable to even act. A confuse spell basically, and I was able to infuse that image into my menace bullets after a lot of practice. It was a very good addition to my arsenal.


    All of this culminated into me finally achieving the goal that I originally set out to do, the reason why I started dabbling with rituals to begin with.


    I used all the knowledge that I¡¯d gained, the feeling and the instinct of casting rituals, then I applied that to my own magic. The one image in my mind was that of my blood evaporating inside of my own body in order to empower my spells. It didn¡¯t work for a long time, I didn¡¯t know if I was even making progress or if my ambition was even possible, but all that effort was finally rewarded on one cold winter afternoon. It never snowed in Latarus, and neither did it here, but it was definitely colder this far east and so close to the barrier range.


    The attention of the world and of magic itself crashed around me like the weight of the mountains constantly looming over the horizon. It was greater than the force of any ritual I¡¯d ever witnessed, not even my mother¡¯s greatest spells held a candle to this power. It was stronger than any monster, stronger than my grandfather, I would bet that even angels would be brought to their knees. The unbearable aura hovered over me for a long moment as I collapsed on all fours, panting and wheezing.


    My blood shifted in response to the experience, and I knew that I would never be the same again.


    I almost fainted from the horrifying sensation.


    The presence finally departed after a few more moments, but not entirely. My steps felt heavier as I stood back up, as at least part of the pressure had stayed. It would remain muted while I wasn¡¯t doing anything, but I would always know, I would always be made aware, that it was there.


    Just another pressure that I will need to get used to. I wasn¡¯t intimidated by the prospect.

 Chapter 55: Never Stops Flowing.

    _________________


    Name: Haell Zharignan


    Species: Imp


    ¡ªMutations¡ª


    Menace Heart: Level 18


    Demon Brain: Level 18


    Demon Skin: Level 16


    Demon Eyes: Level 15


    Demon Flesh / Demon Bones / Demonic Musculature(synced) : (All) Level 15


    Demonic Hands: Level 17


    Demonic Hooves: Level 15


    Hyperdemon Gland: Level 11


    Demon Horns: Level 16


    Mana-infused Blood: Level 10


    Regen Heart: Level: 9


    ¡ªSoul Feats¡ª


    Reincarnator


    Progenitor


    Imp Progenitor


    _________________


    ¡°A bear.¡± I pointed at a bear.


    Moonwash looked at me. The look was neutral, like what one might expect from her. But I knew, deep down, that she was judging me as an idiot.


    Joke¡¯s on her, I was about to prove her wrong. By choosing to fight this creature at least an evolution above myself solo.


    What could possibly go wrong?


    ¡°Leave it to me. I got this.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    My level was now in the 17 range, it was only a matter of time until I reached 20 and I wasn¡¯t even of legal age yet!


    Menace mana stirred within me, familiar feelings of negativity embraced my soul in a way that was almost soothing. It flowed according to my will, and the weave over my now very cursed sword finished itself effortlessly. I broke into a run and crashed into the creature before it could react, my blade digging deep into its flesh.


    The bear roared, and I used the same method I did before, years ago now when I first took down a bear by myself. I just circled around the creature, keeping it confused so that it didn¡¯t notice the glaring predictability of my actions.


    The confusion was not all natural, much of it was due to my menace bullets and the magical energies that every slash of my sword left in its wake. It was the result of my training and collaborations with Moonwash, to overwhelm an opponent with so much menacing thoughts that they conflicted against each other!


    The bear roared and reared up, standing on two feet. It lashed out at everything around it, but not only did that make it more predictable, the bear¡¯s full height brought it away from the ground level where I was, giving me a wider margin of safety.


    Up next was the fire. The blaze roared to life and consumed from all sides, I did not allow my enemy any respite. I savaged the hind limbs while the beast so kindly presented them to me, and I got hit by a wayward swipe for my troubles.


    The hit dislocated my shoulder, spilling blood and damaging my right pauldron severely, but I simply lodged the bone back into place and kept on fighting. Already I could feel my flesh knitting itself back together, if slowly. My regen heart was a constant and welcome companion, if not very flashy.


    Still, I tried to keep myself safe, since I was pretty sure I could not regenerate a missing limb. Something to fix for the future.


    The bear was on fire now, it was confused and afraid. The next thing it tried to do was run and flee, but that was the exact wrong decision to make!


    The full force of all my intimidation attacks slammed into the creature, further exacerbating the fear. I savaged its behind further until the bear was only crawling on its front two paws. The constant pressure that I felt upon my very existence flared up as the blood on the animal¡¯s left forelimb began to evaporate in the common way that a ritual might. The bear¡¯s paw that was drenched in my lifeblood then withered, weakened to the point of unusability. The animal stared at it in horror, coming to a stop, before unleashing a full-on howl of sorrow.


    It did not help. There was no salvation to be found. Only death.


    I aimed at its neck and willed the blood within myself to evaporate, finally putting the creature out of its misery after a meager two slashes more.


    What the move also did was to make my arms so sore, they could hardly move. Moonwash had to feed me my lunch as I recovered. The indignity! I¡¯m not a child anymore! I¡¯m 17! Plus 30, at least!


    I probably shouldn¡¯t have finished the fight like that. There was no need to, the bear was already dead. But I wanted to test out my new mini-ritual casting!


    I had tried to emulate Moonwash¡¯s staff, but I actually ended up with two abilities that were far more limited, but stronger. I could only affect a mini-ritual if my blood and mana were together, I could not sacrifice my blood as I draw out the mana in order to enhance the magic that I weave out of it after. This resulted in two main ways for me to mini-ritual cast.


    The first was to smear blood on my foes in order to summon up a far stronger effect, just like how that bear¡¯s paw shriveled. It was almost like some sort of vengeance effect, and I loved it. The mini-ritual even suffered less from a delayed activation than a common ritual might, perhaps due to both the now permanent connection I shared with my blood, and the temporary marking left by my skin as it flowed out of my body. My results with common rituals seemed to support this theory, I could delay activation in a way that no one else could.


    The other possibility with my mini-rituals was to use it while the blood was inside me. This could result in even greater force added to my blows by the menace magic¡­ but it was honestly kind of fucking useless right now. First, the move left me gravely injured. But second, and most importantly, I could already do that! I just had to expend more menace mana. The only reason I didn¡¯t was the aforementioned damage it would do to myself. I could theoretically already reach heights of power yet unseen, but only if I was willing to die for it.


    I wasn¡¯t.


    Thus, the only utility of this move right now was to save on mana and instead pay with my blood, but I wasn¡¯t particularly low on the resource. The cost did rise exponentially the more I wished to enhance myself at any one time, so saving on mana could be useful, but as it stood, I¡¯d break my body before I depleted my reserves. I doubted that I would have the durability to survive my full potential anytime soon, not even if I managed a whole species evolution again. The body enhancement of menace mana was at least a little bit multiplicative after all, even if it was also largely additive.


    Maybe I should get Moonwash to run some exact numbers for me.


    ~~~


    ¡°I feel bad,¡± Luine said, shedding fake tears as I choked out a horned hare. I rolled my eyes and continued with the experiment as Moonwash sliced my other palm and drained my lifeblood into a cup.


    ¡°Bottoms up,¡± I joked.


    Baston sighed, exasperated. ¡°At least show some respect.¡±


    ¡°Right, sorry.¡± That was a genuinely dark road to start on, although I feared it may be too late.


    I fed my blood to the rabbit, and instantly I felt my connection towards the liquid start to dwindle. I still managed to activate some of the menace magic, evaporating the blood and causing damage from within, but I didn¡¯t have enough time until the mark on my blood fully faded away.


    I thought I could maybe use my blood plus menace magic combo as some sort of poison, given how I remained able to influence it when they were splattered all over that one bear¡¯s paw. But the interference of someone¡¯s soul was far more powerful within their own bodies, and I could hardly circumvent those rules, even against an opponent an evolution below me. All my advantages remained insufficient for this one maneuver.


    Moonwash drank my blood.


    ¡­What?


    What did she do!?


    My friend filled a cup with my blood, and then drank from it.


    I saw what happened, yet my mind still struggled to comprehend it.


    ¡°Did you activate the blood?¡± she asked, but I only continued to stare at her dumbly.


    ¡°What?¡± I finally said.


    ¡°I asked if you activated the blood that I drank.¡±


    ¡°My blood?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yours.¡±


    There was another bit of silence.


    ¡°Oh, well, I didn¡¯t. I was surprised. You just drank my blood! What the fuck, Moonwash!?¡±


    She was quiet for a few seconds. ¡°I see. Is this one of those things that makes people very uncomfortable?¡±


    ¡°Err. I guess?¡± My confusion bled away into laughter. ¡°Actually, yeah! Most people would be put off if you drink their blood!¡±


    ¡°Ah. I didn¡¯t realize. I don¡¯t think I would mind if someone drank my blood. If it¡¯s already in a cup, of course. If they have to stab me to get it, then I would not be happy.¡±


    ¡°I imagine not,¡± I deadpanned.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Haell.¡± She turned around to face me directly. ¡°I got too excited for this new thing. I did not think my actions through.¡±


    I quickly stopped her there, waving my hands amiably. ¡°Hey, hey! It¡¯s fine! It¡¯s all good!¡± I shoved my still-bleeding palm at her. ¡°I was just surprised is all! You should tell me first, and then I¡¯ll give you all the blood you want to drink!¡±


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    She stared at me for a moment before immediately exploding in action, widening the cut on my palm that had almost closed already, and then draining the blood that flowed out into her cup. ¡°I understand now, Haell. Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very welcome!¡± I grinned as she downed the whole thing. It was still fucking weird, but only if I made it weird! So I didn¡¯t. Make it weird, that was.


    ¡°What happened? Did you activate it?¡± she asked. I felt that her voice was a bit strained, which was already far more emotion than she usually showed. Was she still concerned about drinking my blood without permission? I really was just surprised, but wanting to experiment with my new abilities made total sense. Now I feel bad¡­


    ¡°Oh! The connection rapidly cut off like with the rabbit!¡± I spoke cheerfully. ¡°More so, even!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± She held her head lightly, as if nursing a headache. ¡°So you couldn¡¯t activate it the moment it entered my mouth?¡±


    ¡°Well, no. I could still activate part of it at least. That might even cascade and excite even more of the mana.¡±


    ¡°Oh. So you did that?¡±


    ¡°What? No, of course not.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen what it can do. You¡¯ll die!¡±


    She looked at the carcass of the dead rabbit. It didn¡¯t die immediately, but it had succumbed in the time we¡¯ve been talking.


    ¡°Oh. I didn¡¯t realize it¡¯s already died. I thought if something so weak can take it, then so can I.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree, but there¡¯s no need to take the risk at all. You could die, when we could just find other¡­ participants to possibly die instead.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I already feel terrible just your blood inside of me. Especially after that second dose.¡±


    ¡°You what!? Oh my fucking devils Moonwash, are you okay!?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not. Even just your inert menace mana claws at my mind. It whispers of corruption, to kill you right now so that I can study your corpse and further my craft. It¡¯s like when we tried to kill each other, but thankfully weaker, or perhaps I¡¯ve just become stronger. It¡¯s only my recent experience with menace magic that keeps me sane. I feel sick.¡±


    ¡°Fuck! That sounds bad. What do we do!?¡±


    My friend sat cross-legged and began to meditate. She grabbed her staff after a minute, and then after another grueling wait, motes of menace mana began to stream out of her body.


    ¡°Was that everything!?¡± I shouted at her face once she stopped her casting and let go of her staff.


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    ¡°Oh thank goodness!¡± I grabbed her into a hug. ¡°I thought something bad might happen to you!¡±


    ¡°Something bad did happen to me.¡±


    ¡°Damn. You¡¯re right.¡± I chuckled, shaking my head. She finally remembered to hug me back.


    ¡°I wonder if the beings that have mana repositories within them have to go through that every time they want to cast,¡± Moonwash said once we finally separated.


    I pointed at my leftmost heart. ¡°I have to go through that every second of every day.¡±


    ¡°If I take out your menace heart or string the arteries up like rope, then maybe you¡¯ll stop being so full of mana. You have two hearts, so the remaining one can probably keep you alive.¡±


    ¡°...No. No, no. I¡¯m good.¡± I shook my head hurriedly, almost frantic. ¡°I''m used to the sensation by now. The violent thoughts and urges are nothing I can¡¯t handle. In fact, I actually appreciate how it fortifies my mind, you know? I like my menace heart. It¡¯s where a lot of my power comes from these days! I can¡¯t lose it!¡±


    It was clear which of those reasons I cared most about.


    But neither Baston nor Luine cared about any of that as they scolded us for being so bloody reckless.


    ~~~


    [Regen Heart has Reached Level 10. Would you like to evolve Regen Heart?]


    Yes.


    I felt one of my hearts shift, it became more. The blood pumped through my body with more vigor, but not necessarily faster. I cut my finger a little, and then I watched as my red skin knitted itself back together over the course of a minute.


    That was far faster than before.


    Interestingly, the evolution of the Mutation did not give me a choice like with my blood, but I was aware of that already. Divergent paths sometimes became available, but it was a relatively rare thing. An average person would likely get one over an entire lifetime, if not less.


    I immediately wolfed down the rest of my breakfast, and went back out to hunt. My menace magic activated, it flooded through me and my every action. A trail of death followed in my wake as monsters and animals both fell and died for standing in my way. I charged through the forest like a fucking hurricane until finally I found a worthy prey.


    I wasn''t entirely certain what it was. Far in the distance, withing a peaceful meadow,, there was a large and regal eagle colored in striking greens and silvers. There were two distinct glistening feathers on its head that looked to be made of a far harder and rigid material. Horns. A focus.


    I could just feel the magic about the creature who was around as tall as me. I had grown up a lot over the past years, and my presumably final height towered at nearly 6 feet tall. I was only a few months away from my eighteenth birthday.


    The bird¡¯s posture demanded a challenge, its eyes filled with a wisdom incomparable to the mere beasts I¡¯d been fighting. My level sense spoke of power around the level of 30, but I was not discouraged. I nodded once, with the understanding that we were about to engage in a life-and-death battle.


    ¡°Raaaaahhhhhh!!!¡±


    I charged forward with all of my usual enthusiasm, running across the glade and towards the eagle atop that boulder. My momentum was immediately halted by a dense blast of wind, but I was not deterred! I put more power into my legs, the menace mana within pulsing its enhancements. I took one step and then another, until I was traveling at the speed of a very light jog.


    Even denser bullets of wind followed. They dented my armor, and managed to toss me away, but not for long. I did my best to avoid and swat away the bullets as I inexorably made my way towards the yet stationary eagle. It tried blades of slicing wind next, but it barely did anything, leaving only shallow lines in my armor. I assumed the animal itself knew the futility of the attack and was only testing it out. Wind had little offensive capabilities by itself, at least in the earlier to medium levels.


    The attacks shifted back to the harsh gales and dense bullets of force, and I chose to try a different strategy.


    We were in a forest, and there was no shame in using the environment. In fact, it was only the mark of a true warrior to be able to take advantage of such things. I dove behind the trees for protection, weaving through them in my quest to murder a downright majestic bird. Trunks shook and bark was sheared off, leaves rained down from the canopy because of the sheer. But they served their purpose, allowing me to be within spitting distance of my enemy.


    The eagle narrowed its eyes. It squawked loudly into the early afternoon and flapped its wings but did not yet take flight.


    The gale-force winds suddenly grew even stronger, giving me one final challenge. They struck me at every opening given, there were no more trees to hide in so close to the small clearing that housed the bird. I hid behind a particularly tall tree for one final time, allowing the worst of the magical barrage to pass. And then I charged, with such great momentum that I largely ignored my opponent¡¯s attacks, even if they surely did cause some bruises underneath my armor. My sword was raised and my voice was loud as I took those final heavy steps.


    The eagle flew away well before I could get in range. My blade only crashed harmlessly against the boulder it once sat on.


    ¡°Oh come on!¡± I whined, and then dove down when I felt another attack coming. The eagle¡¯s offensive was easier to track by the movements of the mana, instead of through my eyes. Wind was really hard to see.


    The bombardment continued, but I took little damage. I could never reach my opponent from all the way down here, but I did not lose hope. Every attack wasted in this inefficient assault is just another hit to the eagle¡¯s mana, and the monster would eventually run out.


    It was a shame that I could not take the fight to it myself, as the sky was yet out of my reach.


    Thankfully, the monster was a prideful one, and it decided to meet me in a proper melee once I had proven myself to be worth its time. The bad news was that the eagle was fast, its speed was nothing like I had ever experienced.


    The winds obeyed the bird¡¯s will, and its claws raked through my shoulder before I could even react, damaging my armor greatly. I did swing my sword in response, but it was long gone by the time that I moved. I could only watch as the eagle soared across the trees and back up towards the sky.


    ¡°Oh shit!¡± I cursed, when the eagle dove back down after only a moment¡¯s rest. I tried to shoot menace bullets at it, but the eagle¡¯s instincts were good, and it dodged the barrage of purple energy with ease. My eyes spun afterwards as the creature rocked me in the head. I swung on instinct, but again, it was long gone.


    Blood trickled down to my right eye soon after.


    I smiled. I knew this was an ill-advised fight to pick, but I had not yet exhausted all my options. I wanted to win!


    The next time the eagle dove, I was truly ready. My intimidation combo slammed into it, and the eagle halted in the air, falling closer to its death. My menace bullets slammed towards it, and the monster jolted into motion, dodging. Some of them even veered off course or dissipated because of my enemy¡¯s magic. But it could not evade them all like last time.


    ¡°Kkiiii!!!¡±


    The monster screeched, its ability to react diminished further. The curse seeped deep into its mind, and terror surely screamed at the eagle''s senses.


    I swung, and my blade veered off slightly, but I pushed through the winds of my enemy and kept my hands as steady as I could. The bird itself tilted at the last moment, and my strike slashed a wide gash across its belly, but I missed its wings. The animal cawed again, and I kicked it in desperation before it rose once more. I poured more menace magic into the motion than I should¡¯ve, and I winced when I heard a crack.


    It wasn¡¯t enough. I managed to nick the eagle¡¯s foot with a painful crunch with that last attack, but it managed to fly back up into the air where I could not reach.


    The eagle dove again, far sooner than I expected, for it was in a hurry to end the fight on account of its bleeding guts.


    Demon eye. Menace aura!


    I tried the same trick again, and predictably it did not work nearly as well. I only got clawed in my back for my troubles, unable to even land a cursory blow at my foe.


    The next dive I was ready for, but I still found myself losing no matter how good the timing of my counter-slash. I nearly fell when my opponent raked both claws across my left leg. It was only the armor that allowed me to keep the limb.


    ¡°RRRRRAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!¡±


    I shouted in anger and frustration. I tried to use fire next, but it was only thrown back at my fucking face.


    I searched for another way, the battle seemed more hopeless by the second. But I dug deeper than despair itself, in search for any solution.


    Naturally, my enemy did not allow me the respite I needed to plan. The eagle repeated the same diving maneuver, and I fared no better. Wounds piled up on my body with every attack, from a beak taking a chunk of my right shoulder, to a claw slashing through my sides, and more. I was beyond a bloody mess, the life leaking out of my body in impossible chunks, but I was not yet broken!


    Not yet¡­


    The eagle descended once more, drenched in blood both mine and its own. I faced the monster with a surreal clarity, a worthy and strong opponent deserving of proper respect. I could see in its eyes that it thought the same.


    Sadly, only one could be the victor. The blood smeared on my opponent suddenly evaporated, and with its departure, the eagle¡¯s flesh shriveled and died. Its flight wavered, both from the damage and the surprise, and it allowed its mind to be vulnerable once more.


    Another mistake.


    My demon eyes activated, along with my menace aura. My intimidation package worked to its fullest extent for the second time today, and the motherload of all menace bullets crashed against my foe.


    It was a fun fight.


    My hands were already braced. My grip tightened around the pommel of my sword as I awaited the approaching moment. The bird descended inexorably forward into my waiting jaws, rendered unable to change course.


    Blood evaporated inside of my body.


    An unnatural level of power flooded my arms, and my muscles strained in ways they were never meant to. My flesh tore at the force of my swing, and every inch traveled was another bone broken. It was all I could do to keep holding on to my weapon, an observer within my own body.


    But it was enough.


    My greatsword blurred, as if the world itself suffocated from the sheer force of it. The blade was thrown towards its inevitable flight, to pulp and mince the one foe who was far above myself. It was with respect that I welcomed the eagle¡¯s death.


    Someone stepped on it.


    Someone stepped on my sword


    The same sword that was going faster than it ever had before.


    The lithe and graceful woman winked at me. Her eyes were like literal gems, orbs of pure glittering green with seemingly no sclera. She was beautiful, with large pointy ears and impossibly clear skin. Her kind and caring smile was the last thing I saw, before I truly became a mere passenger in my body.

 Chapter 56: Start Over.

    I was tossed to the ground along with my sword. I rolled on the dirt and through the grass.


    My world was a blur and it took an eternity to focus once more. I stood back up once I could, and my arms hung limp and broken.


    My regen heart was still pumping rapidly from the energy of the prior fight, and it was already working on mending my many wounds. I decided to leave the organ to its work and take in my surroundings once more.


    The eagle was lying on the ground, spent and resting, but less injured than before. Luine was attacking the elven(?) lady, and my friend was losing.


    I blinked.


    Luine''s every attack was blocked with a casual smile, the weight of her two long daggers were nothing compared to the single knife of the elf. My friend''s form shimmered, and I just noticed that she had seamlessly switched one of her daggers for a wand, but her opponent unerringly countered her weapons, seemingly seeing through the illusions at all times.


    Luine completely disappeared, and the elf struck at the air, producing a metallic clang. Even invisible to all of my senses, Luine was still a screaming elephant to this enemy that had suddenly appeared.


    No. Wait.


    The elf paused for a moment. The wind blew tensely as nothing happened. She had lost track of Luine!


    And then a glaring tempest rose with the elf as the center. My friend and benefactor was tossed out, crashing hard against a tree.


    Luine did not get up.


    Awww. She still lost.


    But she made a statement, and that¡¯s what matters!


    Well, getting out of here alive mattered too, but that¡¯s beside the point.


    Luine tried to heave herself up, but winced at the pain that followed. She settled for glaring at our enemy instead, bracing herself to fight, even as she remained kneeling on the ground, as if she was supremely confident in her ability to pull off a win even from that position.


    The elf opened her mouth, and the voice that spilled out was like the chimes of divine and sacred bells, regardless of the actual content. ¡°There, have you calmed down human? I keep telling you! I come in the name of peace and all that is fun and cool. I mean no one any harm!¡±


    I glanced down at myself, and at my broken and battered body. Luine finally managed to stand back up, but the woman who was far stronger than me was still left reeling.


    ¡°I believe you,¡± I said. The sarcasm was unclear enough to give pause.


    The elf woman laughed. It was an elegant sound, coming from an unrestrained cackle.


    I didn¡¯t know how it was possible to cackle elegantly. She was slapping her thigh but the movement still came off as graceful.


    I took the moment to get a good look at this new arrival. She wore an unassuming green cloak, and underneath it was an ornately beautiful dress armor. She had many weapons strapped to her body, from a longbow and a heavy staff hanging from her back, to a shortsword and a dagger tied to her legs. I was sure there were even more hidden away, as the knife she held dangerously close to her face had been pulled out from the frills of her dress.


    Now is the perfect time for an ambush! I buried the stupid impulse away, along with the mountains of other intrusive thoughts. I was not winning this fight at my best, and I was currently at my worst.


    Luine visibly made the same considerations, of whether she should attack right now and how to best go about that, but it was telling that she did not.


    The elf finally calmed down after a few long minutes of laughing. She turned to stare at me with such an intensity that I felt like I may just be washed away in my already weakened state. But the stranger contained herself, and walked over to the fallen eagle instead.


    I could finally breathe again.


    ¡°You took a right beating, Astan!¡± She bellowed with the elegance of a queen at a chapel. ¡°All that coming from a level 10¡­ whatever she is.¡± I could sense the sheer excitement and joy from her elegant voice, upon referring to myself. Usually I¡¯d be flattered, but I was actually scared. ¡°I told you coming to the west was a grand idea!¡±


    Her hands suddenly moved in one swift and fluid motion. From taking out an ornate wand hidden within her cloak, to swinging it with such grace it was almost like she was dancing.


    The very forest we stood on responded to her desire, and nigh instantly, a field of radiant flowers sprouted around the eagle, Astan.


    Just like that, all the wounds I managed to inflict were healed and gone.


    Astan stood to his full height, and his entire wingspan flared outwards. He folded them back a moment after, before leveling a solid glare upon myself.


    I gulped.


    I would fight if it came down to it, I¡¯d already won once and we both knew it. But with the both of us armed with information about the other, I was unlikely to win a second time even if my wounds too were healed.


    A sudden flare of pain helpfully informed me that such were most certainly not the case.


    My former enemy gave me a respectful nod, and then took a step back. I nearly sagged in relief at that simple gesture, but I was not yet allowed my slumber as the elf caught me as I fell.


    ¡°Oh my dragons!¡± She gushed, and her voice remained beautiful despite the excitement. ¡°What are you? Humans, centaurs, fountans, ogres, and more! I knew of all the races here and beyond, but I have never once heard of a being like you! WHAT ARE YOU!!!???? Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!¡±


    The shorter woman skipped towards me and yanked off my helmet. She squealed as her gem-like eyes bore into my own equally unique pair. A hand grabbed my chin and tilted me around, making me dizzy from how fast she was inspecting every corner of my face. She then went on to grab my horns, and I did not like that.


    She pulled, and I screamed. Her grip was surprisingly gentle and painless for how fast and strong she was, but I did not like it!


    In the absence of hands with which to push her away, I headbutted the woman instead.


    ¡°What the fuck!? Get off me you fuck!!¡±


    I panted and growled as the two of us just stared at each other. The elf was bewildered and confused, yet she still stood with the poise of a noble at a ball.


    The rage ebbed and faded away until I finally realized what I¡¯d just done. I had snapped at the person that trivialized the strongest attack I¡¯d ever made, and soloed my friend Luine.


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    I did not regret a single damn thing.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I got excited! Those are just so unique! But you¡¯re right, I should have asked first! So, can I touch your horns?¡±


    I blinked. I couldn¡¯t help but howl at the audacity of this bitch, though I had no idea if in a positive or negative way.


    I sighed and faced her. My goat-like eyes bored into her own.


    Luine was tensed like a coiled snake in the background, but she understood and was ready to fight to the death with me if need be.


    ¡°No.¡±


    A pause.


    ¡°Oh well! That¡¯s unfortunate. I tried.¡±


    Astan then flew up next to her.


    ¡°Oww! What the fuck Astan? What gives!?¡±


    He squawked and gestured with his wings toward me.


    ¡°So? I already apologized!¡±


    More chirps and gestures.


    ¡°Eh? Really? Oh¡­ right, shit I messed up.¡±


    She turned to face me and smiled even brighter. ¡°We got off on the wrong foot. I¡¯m really sorry for just dragging you around like that. I was just watching your fight with my friend here earlier,¡± she gestured toward Astan, ¡°and the moves you pulled! Below level 20! They were downright impossible! Absurd! And to win against Astan at level 30! An evolution above! Of a very individually strong species! Holy shit! And now that I''m near I can feel it! You¡¯re not just using curse energies, it¡¯s coming from within, and you¡¯re producing it!! Can I¨C¡±


    Astan slapped her behind the head, but I already could not hold back the silly smile from all those amazing compliments I received, made even more amusing by her constant and perfect pitch.


    Of course, I was still a bit miffed about her earlier behavior, but this elf woman was really showing that she had proper taste.


    It was hard to keep holding it against her, faced with such sincerity.


    ¡°Ah. Right, right. I was apologizing. Just got lost in explaining things there. But it¡¯s definitely my fault, and I¡¯m really fucking sorry. Please forgive me and let''s start over¡­ very cool and red not-human! With horns!¡± She bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle.


    My emotions were a mess, it was a total rollercoaster dropped into the cauldron of a crazy insane witch. I collapsed before I could give my answer, but I managed to choke out the words before the depths of slumber claimed my soul.


    ¡°Fine. Let us start over.¡±


    ~~~


    I woke up to a beautiful sunset. My wounds were healed, and the wind was peaceful and serene.


    ¡°Can we start over yet!?¡± I heard the sacred chime of a woman¡¯s voice, and I turned my head to find the elf right above me, perched on a branch that should be way too fucking thin to hold her weight. Her bare feet were weird, like that of a bird¡¯s crossed with a human¡¯s, only far more dextrous than both combined.


    I rolled out of the way.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You know, start over! You promised!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ right, yeah. I did say that. Just don¡¯t grab my horn again.¡±


    ¡°Without permission!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not giving it to you.¡±


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t grab it!¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about what it does then! I know it¡¯s nothing like anything I¡¯ve ever seen yet!¡±


    I narrowed my eyes. Her face was the epitome of sincerity.


    ¡°No. I won¡¯t just share my Mutations. What the fuck.¡±


    The elf seemed to mull this over. ¡°I¡¯ll also share my Mutations!¡±


    Huh. That¡¯s¡­ actually a fair trade. But no.


    ¡°There are many elves. I¡¯m sure that knowledge exists somewhere already.¡±


    ¡°Oh. So you¡¯re the only one of your species then! How exciting!!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°...No.¡± Crap! I took too long to respond. ¡°Anyway! Weren¡¯t we going to start over?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Isn¡¯t that what we¡¯re doing?¡±


    I shook my head, and took notice of the other people around us. Astan was perched regally on a tree. And Luine was sitting on a rock, attempting to look calm and relaxed.


    She must be really wound up if I could actually get such an accurate read on her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it then!¡± The elven stranger jumped from branch to branch. ¡°But if this isn''t starting over, then what is? Do you want to like have our memories erased? Mind magic is very complicated, especially for such an application, but I do know a guy back home¡­¡±


    She knows someone who can do something so terrible¡­


    I blinked away the side-tangent. ¡°Get down here and we¡¯ll start over!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    She jumped down and landed with nary a disturbance to the ground. It was like she weighed nothing, as if the elven woman didn¡¯t even exist.


    But she did. She was here, and she could kill me at any moment. Not that I¡¯d allow that to rob me of my dignity, as both Haell Zharignan and a motherfucking demon. Perhaps the one and only demon, if my Status Screen were to be believed.


    ¡°I am Haell Zharignan. Nice to meet you.¡± I extended a hand out to shake.


    She shook my hand and gasped. The sound was like a clear and idyllic meadow taking a breath. ¡°Shit, I completely forgot to even introduce myself. I really messed up the first contact with a new species¡­ good thing we¡¯re starting over! I am known as Elfrafim. I¡¯m an elf! You can call me Elfra in a hurry!¡±


    The eagle that I fought flew down to the ground after, and gestured towards Elfra. ¡°Oh! This is Astan. My friend and stalwart companion!¡±


    ¡°Kkiii!¡± he chirped, pecking at me. It was a playful gesture, and I felt no danger.


    ¡°Yes, yes. I am very cool,¡± I joked.


    There was one last person who was yet to introduce themself.


    Our collective attention fell on her.


    "Ugh, fuck." She got up from her rock. It was a very comfortable rock. "I''m Luine. Nice... Well met? Hard to call it nice."


    "It is nice! I''ve been nice since we started over! Also, you attacked me first. I was already being very kind by not killing you! I could have murdered you like..." she began counting on her hands ¡°many many many times. It¡¯s a lot.¡±


    Luine frowned. She was offended. But she wasn¡¯t delusional. "...Yeah. You''re right. And that''s the common way these things end." The dragons knew she would¡¯ve absolutely gone for the kill. I''m liking this elven way to curse already. "So thanks. And yeah, nice to meet you."


    Luine extended her hand to shake, but Elfra went in for the hug instead.


    "Gah! What are you doing! I''m married!"


    "What? Oh, sorry! I thought that''s what you meant. A hug. Those were the vibes. Also, congratulations on your marriage!"


    "That was like¡­ years ago. But thanks. Do mind your personal space." She flicked a look at me, and I nodded sagely.


    "I''m sorry." Elfrafim sagged. She looked so sad as she fidgeted and shrunk. "I was briefed before coming here, but I knew that people were a lot less friendly here. It just¡­ hasn''t sunk in yet."


    Ugh. Now I feel bad. Despite how we got off on the wrong foot, so vile no one would¡¯ve wanted to ever kiss it, I found myself actually liking Elfra. She was nice enough, just¡­ extremely weird. And that¡¯s just my kind of person... for some reason. It would forever remain a mystery why.


    I approached the elven woman, and extended my arms for a hug. She hesitated, after the conversation we just had.


    ¡°Hug?¡± I asked directly. She immediately lit up and captured me in her own arms.


    Ow.


    It was a nice embrace, but holy shit my back was about to break. Her build seemed to be built for agility, not strength. It didn¡¯t matter, my defenses were still overwhelmed.


    The tyranny of levels, at its finest.


    ¡°Ow.¡±


    Oh well. Elfra needs this, and I could always just heal up after.

 Chapter 57: Secrets, Secrets, Theyre So Fun!

    "Can you keep a promise?" I grabbed Elfrafim''s shoulder and squeezed hard. She was very interested in what I was, so decided to just extend out an olive branch of trust. She could already kill me so easily if she so wished, and if my revelations here ever became a problem in the future, then I should hopefully be strong enough to destroy all comers.


    "Yes. My lips are sealed as tight as the deathgrip of a deathgripper." She answered. I stared into her gem-like eyes with my goat-like own, and I saw no lies reflected within.


    Problem was, I wasn''t actually any good at reading people like that. Had no relevant Mutations or spells on the matter either.


    "Deathgripper?" That''s what I ended up asking.


    Elfra then described the creature, with a few helpful and needlessly elaborate illustrations drawn in the sand. Moonwash was going to love her.


    A deathgripper was essentially some kind of armored leech that just would not let go once they bite you. Their bites also served to propagate some kind of rotting effect that''s not really a poison, it just happened once they''ve got their jaws on you. Those wounds were extremely difficult to heal.


    "Interesting creatures. They really won''t let go ever? Can''t you deal enough damage to drive them away?"


    "Hmm. If you can get through their armor and actively torture them then that would be enough I think. I knew a gal who did that once! Well, she magicked pain straight into their minds actually!"


    That''s... striking close to what I do with my intimidation stuff. But it¡¯s fine! So long as the intent isn''t to brainwash, but to just make them easier to kill during battle. Or maybe even outright kill them!


    "Right. So unless someone tortures you, you won''t say shit about me? Promise?"


    "Oh shit! There is a loophole! No, no, my promise is tighter than a deathgrip! I''ll not talk even if they feed me to the skitters!"


    "Skitters?" I only knew of one person with that name, and she wasn''t so bad.


    "Oh yeah. Skitters. My father knew a guy. He was a very evil guy! Made this new entire species of worm-insect-crab hybrids whose species I will not even dignify naming! What these animals did was burrow into people and secrete pain hormones and chemicals inside while they continue to muck up your internals. They were basically just torture pests, and they were vile. So we killed the guy, and all of elfkind went on a crusade across the whole of the Grandest Forest to wipe out all of their kind. But then these horrid creations may still be around. My other father swore up, down, left and right that he saw one of them, he did! Up in that good tree where his first warwind companion nested."


    That... was a lot. Too much. I had no idea where to fucking start.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just dignify their name of skitters?¡±


    ¡°Oh shit!¡± She shrieked, freaking out


    I laughed a little and watched her go, until finally I pulled my new friend aside for something that she must absolutely know.


    "Elfrafim," I called her name. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but my secrets are certainly not worth getting tortured over. I''ll live. So just, don''t say it for no goddamn reason, but if you''re captured and forced, then say it. If someone else is taken hostage, then just spill the beans. The details of my species aren¡¯t actually worth more than anything else in this grand universe.¡±


    Maybe I was just reading too much into it. People just make stupid promises they wouldn''t actually keep all the time. But somehow, I felt that Elfra was serious about keeping my secret even under those circumstances. And I didn''t want that in my conscience.


    She smiled, touched, nearly brought to tears. Those gem-like eyes were beautiful when they were moist. The menace magic within me whispered how it would then be nice to make Elfra cry more, but I did not let it ruin the moment. I never allowed it to ruin any of my moments anymore.


    "Thank you, Haell. You''re a good friend. Actually..." She shifted on her feet. This woman who could trivialize everything that I could do or try. "Are we friends? I know you said we can start over and all..."


    I hugged her. "Of course we are."


    ~~~


    "...and that''s how I ended up in this isolated region, of all places." It was evening, by the time I finished telling her about my story.


    "So that''s why there was a slight curse to this place..." her voice was like the depths of a serene and endless lake. Elfra had calmed down a lot, in the time that we''d talked.


    "Huh? What?"


    "Oh. This place is cursed. It''s a heavily flavored curse, which makes sense because you don''t possess the all-encompassing curse element."


    "What? What are you talking about? Are you saying that me leaking out menace magic is altering the very environment!?" It''s not that hard to believe considering goblin hordes and the lingering wickedness they leave. But I''m just one person! Sure, I''m far stronger than your average goblin, and I''m sure one day I''ll be strong enough to terraform the lands with my mere presence, but has my time already arrived? Is it Haell Era now???


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "It is. But it''s nothing restricted only to your menace magic. All mana dissipates into the environment, they only stay or are converted at varying rates."


    "Converted?"


    "Yes. The planet has its own mana that suffuses its entire atmosphere and beyond. That has profound effects on the mere scraps we mere mortals are able to make ourselves. Not that I''m a mortal any longer..." Elfra sounded both proud and melancholic. Being immortal seemed like an absolute win to me, but I knew that people were different.


    I''d ask her later if she wanted to talk about it.


    "So... my presence here is terraforming the land?"


    She chuckled. "Nothing so grand. You''re not the Nature Dragon Gaianess! Yours is very slight, and is only noticed by me thanks to my ears," Elfrafim flicked said ears. They were very long and big. I wanted to touch it¡­ "We elves can hear mana and magic, and at my level I can perceive even the planet''s mana itself that way."


    I focused on Elfrafim, and I felt her level to be impossibly high. Close to eighty... maybe beyond?


    "What level are you? If you wanna talk about it, of course." It seems fair though. I''ve revealed A LOT about myself.


    "I¡¯m about over 80 for every Mutation.¡±


    "Woah. Really? That doesn¡¯t make sense though. I know someone who is past those levels, and I''m pretty sure he''s not immortal¡­" He''s dying, actually.


    Elfrafim must''ve sensed something in my tone, as she lightly bumped her shoulder into mine. "It differs from species to species. But immortality is usually at level 160 Mutations. The synced trio of flesh, bone, and musculature are also the most important for it."


    "I see..." Humans were dealt a worse hand than elves it seemed. "So anyway. My menace magic. Like, being everywhere. I''m guessing not just anyone can sense it?"


    I glanced at Luine, and she shook her head, still a bit irritable.


    "Oh, of course. As I said, it''s miniscule. Very weak! You''re not about to create a new wonderzone. So do not worry!"


    "Gee. Thanks for the vote of confidence. But wait! That''s not the important part! You can make wonderzones?" I thought back to The Endless Dive and the monstrosities that hid within. It was exhilarating to imagine that someone could make something like that!


    "Our Grandest Forest was created by the Nature Dragon Gianess and the Father Tree.¡±


    "Wow. I''ve only heard very sparse mentions of it. But the elven forest... or Grandest Forest, as it seems to actually be called. I heard that it makes our own forests," I gestured at all the trees around us, "look like common weeds."


    "Not to that extent. Although the trees in the Grandest Forest, made in collaboration by the Nature Dragon and the Father Tree, because we elves certainly did not make it, are indeed several times larger than the ones here."


    "Amazing." It was a place I''d explore someday, so long as I never stopped moving forward. I would grow stronger than even the dragon that made that continent-sized wonderzone someday. "How do you even know all this?"


    "Because I was over there? Like, until just a few years ago?"


    "No, no. I mean, all this knowledge, about the planet and its mana and all that bullshit."


    "Ah. I was just taught some of it as I grew up. Some I discovered for myself. Others I read books about."


    "...That''s like... All the options. On how to get knowledge. That can literally be used to describe any knowledge ever gained!"


    "Wow. So you''re saying that I''m not only describing myself, but a profound truth shared by all the sapient peoples!?"


    "Err... Sure?"


    "Yay! Thanks Haell!"


    "Right..."


    The conversation died down for a second, and Luine took the opportunity to hurry me along. "I think we should be heading back, Haell."


    "Oh, okay." I stood up and so did Elfrafim. "You wanna come?"


    "Hmm? Where? Yes I wanna go!"


    At least wait for the question of ¡®where¡¯ to be answered...


    I felt Luine''s glare, and I looked back at her to see my friend displeased.


    R-right. It''s technically her hideout. I was just using it. Shit.


    "A-ah... It''s actually a very secret place that I can''t take you to. Sorry, Elfrafim. But like... let¡¯s meet again? Maybe put some kind of marker here. Luine, can you like remember the path here..."


    After a moment of silence, Luine drew out a long sigh. "No. Nevermind. She can come, Haell."


    "Eh? Are you sure?"


    "Her not coming would be a courtesy in itself," she grimaced like she''d swallowed a particularly bitter fruit. "I didn''t notice shit when she was watching us."


    "Hey, I respect secrets!" Elfrafim chimed in. "I won''t go there if I''m unwelcome. I''ll also not just follow you there!"


    "...I know," Luine said. She thought it over and found that she believed it. "I want you to come. We got off on the wrong foot, but you don''t seem like a bad person, and I''d like to hear more of you and your homeland."


    "Yay!"


    "However. On the topic of secrets. Can you keep another one?"


    "Sure, sure, friend!"


    "...Alright. I just want full disclosure of my motives. But I''m part of New Grandera. A new nation that is in resistance and opposition to the Angelore empire. And part of me right now is thinking that if I could get elves, or even just you, to join, then it''d be a massive win."


    Elfrafim''s posture changed, somehow even more regal than before. "People all have their own internal motives. It is normal to seek something from another. But it is telling of your character that you''re willing to be honest and upfront about it." She smiled, genuine, sincere, and overwhelming. "I make no promises. I''m a traveler here to see the world, not to make war. But if half of what Haell has said about the Angelore Empire is true..." I blushed at the elf¡¯s attention. "Shit, none of those were in the copies of the Angelic Scriptures that we got! I was expecting a cohesive and content society, where everyone''s agreed to pull their strengths together and make a better and stronger empire for it. It''s certainly not something I can easily relate to, we elves don''t really have a structure like that, everyone just does whatever, and it''s great. But I thought I could respect it. The reason I''m here is because I''m interested in seeing how other people choose to live, and I still am interested in that. This place is just... far different from the research that I did before coming all the way here."

 Chapter 58: Advice.

    ¡°I am in awe.¡± Elfrafim¡¯s smooth yet strong voice rang through the cavern the moment she descended the flight of stairs toward our base.


    I looked at the same space which I had lived in for the past few years, a wide cave that we¡¯d widened even further and made our own. It was one continuous space with only restrooms and beds given the courtesy of separate rooms for privacy.


    ¡°Yeah. This is the life.¡± I heaved a satisfied sigh and stepped into the washing area by the entrance. I closed the curtain behind myself and spoke. ¡°Wash up too before you tarnish this sacred place.¡±


    ¡°Will do!¡±


    I washed myself, my armor, and everything else, before drying up with fire magic, then getting a comfortable change of clothes. I was finished within a few meager minutes, because Moonwash had made the best of soaps from the different acids and materials that we¡¯d gathered.


    ¡°I¡¯m done. You can use the washroom next¡­¡± When I opened the curtain up again, I found Elfrafim waiting for me, clean and pristine. ¡°What? How?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? How what?¡±


    ¡°How are you clean?¡±


    ¡°I used magic!¡±


    ¡°You can do that?¡± I mulled it over. ¡°I guess if you have a high enough fire resistance, which I might actually get¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t use fire. That¡¯d burn me, silly!¡±


    ¡°Eh, you¡¯re level 80. You can take it, I¡¯m sure. Just regulate the power.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe. But people don¡¯t normally just set themselves on fire like that! It¡¯s like¡­ your instincts would just scream at you not to be stupid!¡±


    ¡°I think mine¡¯s gone hoarse,¡± I joked. ¡°How¡¯d you do it then?¡±


    She took out a wand from her dress. It was a different one from those she used earlier. The design and colors told me of its element.


    ¡°Water magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    I thought it over for a few seconds.


    ¡°I could see how that works, I¡¯m sure people use it back at home too. I¡¯m just not talented with the element. But then how are you dry?¡±


    ¡°By using the water magic again, of course. How else would I do it?¡±


    I touched her arm and the hem of her short-sleeved dress.


    ¡°But you¡¯re not even damp.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what being dry is!¡±


    I worked my jaw a little, before speaking haltingly. ¡°You can control water magic, to such a fine degree, that you can dry yourself entirely without leaving behind any droplets?¡± That was a level of control unheard of. How powerful was this elf woman?


    ¡°Wow. That¡¯s kind of very profound, Haell! The abilities that we take for granted are actually pretty fucking amazing. Magic is wonderful. I love it.¡±


    ¡°And now I¡¯m a philosopher,¡± I chuckled. ¡°That is, of course, not what I meant. I have never heard of anyone being able to control magic to this degree before! It¡¯s so fucking fine!¡±


    A realization just struck my new friend, it was visible in her face.


    ¡°Oh, I get it! You guys suck!¡±


    I both laughed and choked at that response. ¡°Fucking rub it in, why don¡¯t ya?¡±


    ¡°No, no. I mean, I¡¯m sure you guys all have your fine points¡­¡±


    I grasped at my heart and gasped in deep emotional pain. ¡°Gah! Gurk! And now she¡¯s twisting the knife!¡±


    ¡°Haell, come on! And everyone aside, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be no match for you once you reach my level. Though I was never that low.¡±


    I fidgeted and blushed at all the truths she was saying. ¡°Absolutely! But what was that about never being that low?¡±


    ¡°Oh, our levels. Elves are born at level 20.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°Elves are born at level 20.¡±


    ¡°No! I heard you the first time!¡±


    ¡°Then why¡¯d you ask again!?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­! Because I did not know that!¡±


    ¡°But I already told you!¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t sunk in!¡±


    ¡°Okay! Why are we shouting!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ why are you shouting?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Because you did it first?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ fair. Okay, hang on, I just gotta gather my thoughts a little.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Sure. I can wait here all day!¡±


    ¡°Hm. Nah. Let¡¯s just go inside. We can talk a bit more later.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes. I got people to introduce you to. Baston¡¯s a family friend and he¡¯s great. Moonwash is like, my best friend basically, and I love her. You¡¯ll love her too, I¡¯m sure! Although you might think her weird, she¡¯s¡­ you¡¯ll see. I¡¯m also sure she¡¯d want to pick at your brain¡­¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± She covered her head. ¡°My brain is mine! No touching!¡±


    I looked blandly at her, until she doubled down.


    ¡°Oh no! I have been captured by a cult of brain diddlers!¡±


    ¡°Even if we wanted to do that, you can just kick all our asses to kingdom come! At once!¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s the thought that counts!¡±


    Another beat of silence.


    ¡°I know what you mean, of course,¡± Elfrafim admitted. ¡°And of course I¡¯ll answer any and all questions. You¡¯ve already shared your knowledge about your brand new species with me, the knowledge I have to offer is paltry in comparison.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± I was going to be all humble about it, but I changed my mind. ¡°Nevermind. You¡¯re right, actually. It is a brand new species. Your knowledge probably won¡¯t put your safety in jeopardy either.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, it won¡¯t. Now that I¡¯ve heard your circumstances, I¡¯m surprised you even told me. Which, I¡¯m very flattered of course! But in elven lands, we have this thing taught to us as children called ¡®stranger danger¡¯...¡±


    I raved and cackled as she began to explain, unable to form the proper words to respond to that. Coming from her.


    Fuck. Fuck today is a good day.


    ~~~


    I introduced Elfrafim and Astan to Baston and Moonwash. Elfrafim and Moonwash immediately hit it off as I thought they would, and the two had already gone off to the forge, feeding into each other¡¯s excitement. Moonwash had surprisingly a fair bit to offer herself, in terms of knowledge and information. She knew of the common techniques in Angelore, the materials and parts that could be harvested locally which weren¡¯t present in the Grandest Forest, and most of all, her work with menace magic and curses was very interesting to Elfrafim. It was a rare element to be attuned towards to begin with, but Elfrafim also added how the select few who could use curse magic and its varieties, were kind of just the type of people that you would have to put down. And they typically didn¡¯t even have the cursed mana inside of themselves!


    Why couldn¡¯t they just be well-adjusted individuals like myself? Such a waste.


    ¡°An elf¡­¡± Baston sighed, sipping on some wine. He looked at me, and I knew the ishkawtan man was more than sober. ¡°You really are going to go far. Go places.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± I thought about grabbing some wine. It was only a few more months until my eighteenth birthday, it wasn¡¯t even illegal here, I was doing worse to myself and my mind daily, it didn¡¯t matter. But, contrary to what people may think, I did believe that alcohol should be saved for adults, so I was holding off on it. As much as I hated my previous parents and their controlling nature, maybe they did have a bit of a point about me having gotten into a terrible crowd when I was younger, at least in some respects. They were great otherwise though, just like me.


    ¡°Is this the part where you give me advice?¡± I asked him, after a bit of silence.


    ¡°Nah. You have your path, and you¡¯re walking it. Hell, you¡¯re now kind of in the same boat as me, where you might not actually be allowed to walk your path, but you¡¯re doing it anyway! Your plan is to just murder anyone who tries to stop you, for fuck¡¯s sake.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not hurting anyone¡­¡± I remembered the adventurers we killed. ¡°Well, okay maybe I have. But when I¡¯m not doing that, then well, it¡¯s really on them if they wanna take me on. I best be ready.¡±


    He took another swig. ¡°Oh, I know. It¡¯s just wild. You¡¯re born a human, which isn¡¯t the highest, but it¡¯s up there. And yet you chose to become this¡­ demon. And you like it.¡±


    ¡°I love it.¡±


    ¡°Exactly that. And you truly believe you can survive and thrive.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to believe it too. If you can survive, then taking on the entire empire doesn¡¯t seem¡­ impossible.¡±


    He drank more wine.


    ¡°I¡­ I did what I could, with the hand I was dealt, as best I could. I climbed as high as my species was allowed. Hell, I even skirted past that line thanks to your parents. But you make me wonder if I should¡¯ve tried to go further. To defy the heavens, and fight for what I wished.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe you could have. Still could. But I don¡¯t expect everyone to be like me. I¡¯m not asking anyone to take the same dangerous and insane risks. I am a demon, not you.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯d also probably just fucking die?¡±


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll surprise me.¡± I shrugged lightly and grinned.


    ¡°Heh. I don¡¯t think I have any surprises left.¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck off. You¡¯re like, at less than half your lifespan. You can give up or be content if you wish, but there¡¯s definitely time left for you.¡±


    ¡°More than half. I have a sparse few Mutations at 40, and not the ones that matter most for aging.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re already at 40 in some! I don¡¯t think more is out of your reach.¡±


    ¡°...Maybe. I do think so. I hope I do reach those levels, even if just for the anti-aging. Fiya has the proper ones to survive longer¡­ I don''t want to just leave her behind.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t. Maybe go even further than that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a bloody prodigy, you don¡¯t understand. Everyone hits a wall at some point with their leveling. It¡¯s not that simple.¡±


    ¡°I do understand. I understand that many people would shit themselves hearing you speak right now. You¡¯re a goddamn prodigy in your own right.¡±


    ¡°If your mother were here, she¡¯d be sad to hear your language.¡±


    ¡°Ah, fuck off. It¡¯s fine. She¡¯ll understand.¡±


    Baston chuckled. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s a saint herself.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s great.¡±


    ¡°I never said she wasn¡¯t! Mahka is great.¡±


    There was another pause. I looked at Baston and smirked. ¡°What happened to not giving out advice?¡±


    ¡°Bah! You¡¯re the one giving me advice at this point, if anything.¡±


    ¡°I am pretty wise.¡±


    ¡°I actually think you¡¯re stupid.¡± My jaw dropped. He continued, ¡°Yet somehow things just work out. When they logically should not!¡±


    I calmed myself from the insult that I heard, suppressing the influence of my mana. It helped that I loved what he had to say after calling me stupid.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just that wise. I can see success where others cannot.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps so.¡± He faced me seriously. ¡°But you¡¯re not invincible. Always remember that.¡±


    I met his gaze. My goat eyes stared back into his very large ones. ¡°Aha! That¡¯s an advice!¡±


    He barked out a laugh. ¡°Fucking Haell.¡±


    I face foes stronger than me everyday. All of the power I¡¯d clawed for myself was trivialized today.


    Of course I know I¡¯m not invincible.

 Chapter 59: Basic Training.

    All of us were crowded around Elfrafim like schoolchildren as she began her lesson. She summoned a bucket of water except without the bucket, and then dumped it all on herself.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I joked.


    ¡°Peachy,¡± her beautiful voice answered.


    She demonstrated the washing process for a bit, which basically consisted of just surrounding herself with a bubble of water and soap, and then spinning it. Rinsing was pretty much the same process, and only required her to change out the water, but this time clear and without soap.


    Elfrafim then summoned a good quantity of water mana, and completely surrounded herself with a big bubble of it.


    I watched as she focused, and the water on her body and soaked through her clothes were sucked out and away. It was like a light drizzle of rain, emanating out of her body as a cloud in every direction. Except upwards, because then it¡¯d just fall back on her.


    She was done after a minute of this.


    ¡°That¡¯s really clever,¡± I said. ¡°Why isn¡¯t this more common knowledge? Hell, couldn¡¯t we have used this to just clean and then dry everything?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t just use it for everything.¡± Baston chuckled. ¡°Mana doesn¡¯t grow on trees.¡±


    ¡°They do on some trees!¡± Elfrafim said. ¡°Well, kind of. Trees often absorb mana from the planet itself. Everything has mana within. It¡¯s crucial for anything to be remotely powerful. And a good enough mage can even extract mana from sufficiently magical trees.¡±


    ¡°So I was correct!¡± I exclaimed proudly.


    ¡°We can¡¯t do those things, Haell. And magical trees don¡¯t grow everywhere.¡± Baston explained kindly, as if to a stupid child. ¡°I imagine the Grandest Forest has a lot more of them.¡±


    ¡°Yep! Pretty much every tree is magical enough at a certain point, since they do have nature within them by default.¡±


    ¡°Okay, fine. But we can still save a lot of time by just doing all cleaning with magic.¡± I crossed my arms stubbornly. I did not actually enjoy cleaning up, aside from baths, so if there was a better way to do it then I was all for it!


    ¡°That¡¯d be an entirely too frivolous use of mana even in town. Getting repositories charged that often¡­¡±


    ¡°But we can afford the silver, or I guess gold, can¡¯t we? The Angelore Empire is the place for magic! No one has easier recharges than us!¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but¡­¡± Baston sighed. ¡°Mahka and Rallem really shouldn''t have spoiled you so much.¡±


    ¡°Hey! If I earn enough money, then why not? I can do what I want.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re spending that much, I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯d be cheaper to just hire a cleaner.¡±


    ¡°Okay. That makes sense. But consider this: I¡¯m committed at this point!¡± I stomped my foot down and held my chin high.


    Baston just chuckled and didn¡¯t engage me on the topic further.


    We all tried out the method afterwards, but I could hardly control that much water mana. The element just didn¡¯t agree with my psyche. It wasn¡¯t very good for Baston or Luine either.


    Moonwash on the other hand could water magic just as well as nearly everything else, which was to be expected at this point. Her control was lacking though, so she just prepared the spell for a few minutes before all the water soaking her was sucked away nearly all at once. She forgot to exclude certain directions, so some of it just rained back down on her.


    ¡°I can make an enchantment out of this. A drying one,¡± Moonwash said, just allowing herself to be damp and wet. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be hard. Haell, get me more materials from The Endless Dive.¡±


    ¡°Eeehhh. Well, fine. Next time we come there. Let¡¯s just hunt a lot. Those with genuine repositories and focuses are still rare though.¡±


    Luine and Baston tried the process out as well, and while neither of them were particularly talented with water, their sheer levels allowed them to learn it eventually.


    Stolen story; please report.


    I did miss the advantages of pattern recognition brain. But I loved my current one too!


    I just couldn¡¯t choose.


    ~~~


    I arrived at a large clearing with Astan and Elfrafim. There was a warsymbol there, but my elf friend volunteered herself for the fight before any of us could react. Donning her large staff, she struck the monster across the head before it even knew of her presence. I preened at the resounding crack that produced, and Elfrafim was already gone the next time I looked. The warsymbol was equally confused as its enemy twirled her staff and struck again as its flank, a tempest of wind both following and directing her every move.


    Elfrafim ran circles against the monster that I could not yet hope defeat, until it died without getting a single chance to retaliate. Its dying throes were useless, sometimes striking in the entirely opposite direction, and at other times tripping over itself trying to follow the blur that was its opponent. Perhaps it never once saw who its assailant was.


    ¡°Well then! I heard you wanted to fight!¡± Elfrafim grinned and positioned herself in the center of the clearing. I gulped and reconsidered my life choices. Astan was perched atop a high tree, looking smugly down at my direction. He wasn¡¯t helping.


    ¡°Of course! Just give me a moment!¡± I took this chance to examine my new friend¡¯s staff. Focuses were usually not used in the same way Elfrafim treated hers like a bludgeoning weapon. They weren¡¯t brittle, but they were usually quite a bit weaker than the rest of the staff. That was why my mother struck using the butt end of her staff, but Elfrafim didn¡¯t have that option because both ends were covered by a thick and metallic dark green focus!


    It went against all the established design principles of a staff, but no one could argue with the results. The staff was specially made for this kind of combat, and I knew that its structure affected the potency of what magic and spells could be cast with it.


    It was terrifying, and it was just what I needed. A wall that I could not topple no matter how hard I tried. A friend who would not be hurt and who could control me even in my berserk state. I needed her help to train my Hyperdemon Gland up to Level 20. I needed to have all of my Mutations at the next milestone level if I hoped to achieve another evolution. Not of a single Mutation, but of the whole self.


    Of course, I was aware that it didn¡¯t have to be Elfrafim that helped me. Luine and Baston could¡¯ve probably pushed me around in my berserk state as well. At best I could land a scratch, I could cause them some pain, but I was never against sparring with my friends and giving them a bruise or ten.


    In the end, I just wanted an excuse to procrastinate on this. I was reluctant to use the hyperdemon gland again. It was genuinely terrifying, more than anything else, to have my identity be overwritten with another.


    But no more. Today I shall face this part of demonhood. I shall overcome it and win!


    Elfrafim waved at me excitedly as I had been staring her down for what must¡¯ve been minutes by now. I waved, affecting a similarly happy smile. My good friend had waited for me patiently all this time as I settled my nerves. Perhaps she thought it was just that difficult of a Mutation to use.


    She would be wrong.


    All it ever took was a single exertion of will.


    ~~~


    Kill her destroy her feast on her flesh I will never forgive the theft that stupid bird was mine to kill so I¡¯ll skin this elf alive and drain the marrow out of her bone as watch and watch and watch all she can do is watch I will destroy her and consume all that she is dance on her grave piss on her grave she is nothing I will kill her and bury her she will not be able to breath she will suffocate and burn burn burn burn fire is more painful than any other death so I give death death dead by flame drown in her own blood suffer suffer suff¨C


    ¡°AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!¡±


    I charged at the adversary that pretended to be my friend, tiny, weak, frail, and afraid. I had it in my eyes, she was frozen solid by my presence, I chopped off her head. Except that didn¡¯t happen, my triumph was thwarted at the last moment by a staff striking at supernatural speeds, heavy with both metal and wind. Another strike and I was tossed away. I was humiliated again. Just like when she trivialized me like an ant. All that hatred, I unleashed in a wave of menace magic that will confuse her to no end but it never arrived as she spun her staff and summoned a tempest that blew the semi-physical magic away. It was frustrating, maddening, I hated her I hated her I hated her. Menace magic exploded out of me but of course that did nothing too. I jumped back into her range, I tried to attack from sides and behind her back anywhere at all but she spun around in place and thwarted my every strike. She rung my armor, and the dents echoed back into my flesh. Organs ruptured and bones broke but jokes on her I was already doing that to myself. More and more mana I burned into my movements. The damage wanted me to stop moving but I only flooded it with more magic to make it stop being a bitch. I slashed at the stupid elf again, but yet again it proved futile. The world was her friend and it was my enemy and I wanted to destroy it all for that but even that was not granted to me. I roared and I raged, my menace magic became stronger but it was all still blown away. Maddening maddening maddening. I growled at the futility. I slashed and slashed and slashed but it all felt so useless. My fire was equally useless. My eyes, my charge, my menace magic. Nothing worked but I kept on going because all I knew was to kill and to make her suffer but I never get what I want. My body was fraying at the edges but it was still only I who felt pain. I wanted to share my pain. Mutual destruction double suicide. Just let me kill the both of us. I screamed. Blood poured out of my mouth and I spat it at her but it only collided with my helmet. I burned with fury at the further humiliation. My blood burned at the fury and humiliation. I blurred forward and reached her, but she disappeared like a fucking lunatic until I felt a sharp impact on my nape.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t overcharge your curse magic like that, you¡¯ll destroy yourself! But I think that was a great first session! Good job!¡±

 Chapter 60: Friend.

    I woke up with a gasp and a start. My body groaned from a thousand pains all battling inside me as the flower meadow I laid on exerted work to heal all of the damage that I¡¯d done to myself


    ¡°What the fuck happened!? I didn¡¯t know you were this injured¨CI certainly didn¡¯t do it!¡± Elfrafim screamed, her voice remained ethereal. The memories of the past couple of minutes came back to me in a crashing wave and I realized what I¡¯d done at the end.


    ¡°Mutual destruction, double suicide.¡±


    The intent to harm myself to such an irreparable degree resonated so strongly with my menace magic, and the result was utterly absurd. Somehow, some part of me struggled against that instinct, which was why I was still here, alive and living. But even just the dregs that I allowed nearly ended it all, I could feel it. My organs were ripped apart, my bones utterly splintered. How strong would it be if I truly did sacrifice myself? Enough to defeat someone like her?


    I shook my head. I did not intend to die today, nor tomorrow, nor the day after.


    All of my potential, and I nearly ended it all, without even a proper opponent. I would someday be able to defeat opponents as strong as Elfrafim and more, so I must not be so desperate to be able to do it now.


    I finally explained to her what had happened with rasping breaths.


    ¡°You fool!¡± Like the eruption of a volcano, it was the first time I¡¯d heard this much anger in her voice. ¡°It¡¯s not just¡­ You¡¯ve done far too much damage to yourself! This isn¡¯t something that can fully be healed!¡±


    I gaped in horror, my mind struggled to process the implications of what she just said. I considered the consequences, of losing all my power and my dreams, and I cried. The dam just burst, and I could not hold it back. I must¡¯ve still been shaken by the recent activation of my hyper demon gland.


    ¡°R-really? C-can nothing¡­ be done? But¡­ I¡­ I was supposed to¡­¡± I wailed in utter sorrow. I could not let it end. Not here. I was going to fucking fight gods!!


    Elfrafim chewed on her lip and faced me. Her resolve firmed and fortified.


    The nature magic then stopped, and was replaced by something similar yet far deeper and profound. In her hands she held a wand far more ornate than anything else she¡¯d ever made.


    Instantly, the healing picked up, no longer just sustaining my life but bringing me back to my prime. ¡°I¡­ What¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°Shh. I need to focus. It¡¯s life magic and biomancy, and it is far from my forte.¡±


    My eyes widened. ¡°Biomancy? The rare and fabled magic said to be able to regrow limbs?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she spoke sharply, way too focused to pay any attention to me.


    ¡°I¡­ You don¡¯t have to¡­¡± I hesitated. I knew the value of the mana within her wand, how difficult it must be to even obtain. But I did not want it to end. My dream was not yet over. It was just beginning. ¡°Please. Please don¡¯t let me lose it all. I¡¯ll owe you. I¡¯ll do anything.¡±


    The elf didn¡¯t even bother to acknowledge my plea. ¡°Tell me of your body. I have no idea how a demon works, I¡¯ve never seen one before you, and while something like this is still easier than fully regrowing something, I could still make a fatal mistake.¡±


    I spilled it all. The details that I¡¯d previously obfuscated, the names and their very descriptions, all of my impressions. I only told her a quick summary of everything before, but now I told her of all the names and descriptions of every Mutations, down to their exact current levels.


    Elfrafim again ignored me in favor of just focusing on her work, and it continued for hours until Luine even checked up on us. I quickly reassured her and explained while Elfrafim stayed focused on her task.


    Every bone and muscle and tissue popping back into place was a wave of relief. The worries disappeared with each Mutation fully fixed, until Elfrafim finally declared the operation complete, and I sprung back up to standing.


    She tried to stop me, but when I asked her if it was actually dangerous, the tired and weary elven woman shook her head no. I swore once again that I would repay the favor she¡¯d done for me today.


    I stretched my body, I jumped in place. I ran around and did several cartwheels. I felt the beating of my hearts, I wielded my magic and found it to be as smooth as ever. The gratitude and the relief overwhelmed the negative thoughts for a while, but I did manage to get my menace magic to start back up to a reasonable level of power after a minute of trying. My eyes peered into birds and rabbits among the brush and trees, and they died. The demon eye too still properly worked. My sword encased with menace magic was still useful. Menace bullets and even my flames were no weaker, which meant my horns too were fine. I exerted myself even harder, just to confirm that my movements were fine and unhampered.


    They were. I was back to normal.


    ¡°Aaaahhhhh¡­¡± I breathed out a long sigh that I knew I was holding in like a knot in my hearts. There was one other Mutation I hadn¡¯t checked, the one that caused this whole mess to begin with, but I didn¡¯t intend to fucking use it again until I was sure I had proper countermeasures for the shitshow of today. Hell if it were broken and unusable forever, then fuck, I guess I¡¯d just have to live with that. I was fine with just fighting and winning with my own powers from hereon.


    [Hyperdemon Gland has Reached Level 12!]


    ¡°Oh, fuck you!¡±


    ~~~


    I sank into the gigantic bean bag in a very comfortable sprawl. This was just another thing Moonwash was inspired to make, and I was the one to pester her for more. Now she too, Elfrafim, and Baston were relaxing in their own bean bags. Astan preferred to be perched atop a wooden platform, and Luine was unfortunately absent because she used up all of her illusion mana in the fight with Elfrafim. To think that it could have all been avoided if we just extended an olive branch of trust sooner, but now my rouge friend was off to a different wonderzone to replenish her stock.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    I would¡¯ve volunteered to join, but I took this as a good opportunity for a bit of a vacation. The wonderzone in question was quite far, and in a contested area, but currently controlled by New Grandera. I did not wish to be caught up in that sort of mess just yet.


    ¡°What are the elves?¡± Moonwash asked bluntly. I listened to the conversations happening around me with half an ear.


    ¡°We are a species of people created by the Father Tree and the Nature Dragon.¡±


    ¡°Okay. What are the Father Tree and The Nature Dragon?¡±


    ¡°The Father Tree is the largest tree in the center of the Grandest Forest, like a pillar piercing through the sky itself. He created the forest with the help of the Nature Dragon, and all the trees are his children. He allows them to occasionally fall, as nature is wont to do, but chop off too much and his might will fall upon you.


    ¡°The Nature Dragon Gainess is the strongest existence within our forest, and perhaps the world. She created most of the races that inhabit the Grandest Forest, sapient or otherwise, from the elves, to the suprasoars, the mooseracts, and more. It is the nature of life to be in turmoil and strife, but go too far, kill too many of her children, and she will intervene.¡±


    ¡°I see. What is¡­¡±


    Moonwash¡¯s questions were neverending, and I also learned a lot of things. Apparently, the elves really were free-spirited. They just built their houses wherever they wished, using whatever materials they could obtain. They had no money, no currency of any sort. They sometimes traded, but often what was needed was freely given, for why ever would they not? When they are in turn in need, then the other elves would come to help. Nearly every individual was very self-sufficient to begin with, given their curious minds ripe for learning, incredible prowess with magic especially that of the nature and wind variety, and an incredibly dextrous body capable of precision in any craft they so chose. But perhaps the most important ingredient to their success were their Levels. Born at level 20, and naturally maturing towards Level 40, the elves were only an evolution away from immortality by default, and they had far more time to achieve it as their lifespans were several times more than that of a human of the same level.


    It truly went to show how the world was fucking unfair. It did come with a fair less fertility, but goddammit that¡¯s not necessarily a negative!


    The conversation turned towards Astan, and Elfrafim revealed that he was a suprasoar. Another species created by their gods.


    ¡°They¡¯re not our gods,¡± Elfrafim chuckled. ¡°We respect them a lot¡­ and I can see the similarities, because we do revere them, but how could we not, aware as we are of their power? However, it¡¯s not like they have any rooted teachings we adhere to, no rituals that¡­ well, we like to throw parties and festivals in their name? But I don¡¯t think they particularly care if we do that or not¡­ I think of them as either Elders or Guardians. Perhaps living myths or legends. But most accurate of all, in my opinion, are forces of nature. That¡¯s what they are, and we respect them in the same way that we respect the very land we walk on, for it is in a way one and the same, at least in our homeland.


    ¡°I love them. They are beautiful in the same way a sunset is. They are vast like the oceans. Wonderous like the many stars in the sky.¡±


    ¡°Still sounds like gods to me,¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°They don¡¯t tell us to restrict our people based on our species. And I would not listen if they did. We are free.¡±


    That shut me up.


    Elfrafim went on to explain the suprasoars. They were a species of people that were often a friend of the elves. They provided wind mana, but not in the same way fountans were steadily cornered into that one job. There was no traditional economic structure to begin with, and if a suprasoar required and desired the goods of the elves then there were a number of ways to get it. Chief of which was to just ask. So long as it¡¯s reasonable and polite then the elves would likely just gift it. As for things that the suprasoars could trade, other than the mana they produced, they could hunt monsters by themselves, they could obtain materials, or even ferry messages with their flight and speed. They could serve as explorers, speak of their travels, and even engage in artistic dances. There were a number of possibilities, and not a single road was closed.


    There was one peculiarity about them, however. They were not sapient. At least not as they were born. It was something they achieved through time and levels. And that Level was often believed to be the level of 40. It was heavily, heavily frowned upon to kill a suprasoar before then, for they knew not what they were doing. Everyone deserved a chance.


    I shuddered, thinking about how I nearly killed Astan. Good thing Elfrafim intervened when she did, rather she could¡¯ve prevented the fight from the start¡­


    ¡°Shit, why didn¡¯t you stop my fight with Astan? I didn¡¯t know any of this shit before!¡±


    ¡°It seemed fun, a genuine battle, and Astan wanted it too. I would¡¯ve never let anyone die anyway!¡±


    ¡°But what if someone did!¡±


    ¡°I can intervene and prevent a dozen of Astan¡¯s equals from killing each other. And as absurd as you are, you¡¯re about his equal at best. There was no risk of it. Whereas the chance for a genuine life and death battle was only one.¡±


    I recalled what had happened with my menace magic days prior. The concept of sacrifice, and the absurd levels of power it gave.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ve found out the hard way, that such certainty is misplaced.¡±


    ¡°...Shit.¡± Her face fell.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I grimly nodded. ¡°There are no absolutes. Never.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She gulped. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right, Haell. I fucked up.¡±


    ¡°Ah, stop!¡± I waved my hands at her, suddenly realizing what I was saying and to whom. ¡°You just saved¡­ my everything. Now you''re making me feel bad.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t feel bad! It was a gift freely given. And the life magic I used to heal you earlier has absolutely nothing to do with whether I fucked up or not.¡±


    ¡°...Okay. Yes. You still fucked up. But that¡¯s fine. Everyone makes mistakes.¡±


    She looked squarely at me. ¡°Clearly.¡±


    ¡°Oi!¡± I laughed. ¡°But seriously. I still owe you one. Maybe more. Just say anything, at anytime, and I¡¯ll come running.¡±


    Elfrafim straightened herself on her seat and scratched her head. ¡°It really was a gift freely given though¡­ Can I not give a dear friend a gift, Haell? Are you so against receiving help?¡±


    I gulped. ¡°N-no. I mean, I ask for help every time!¡± I really did. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ Life mana and biomancy are just so valuable, you know? Something that big will make me freak out¡­¡±


    ¡°Well then stop freaking out! I already said it¡¯s fine. Please?¡± She looked into my demonic eyes with her own crystalline pair. ¡°We¡¯re friends, and friends just help each other sometimes. That¡¯s all it has to be.¡±


    I swallowed and nodded brusquely. ¡°Fine. You¡¯re right. If anything, I¡¯m being even more selfish by asking you to do something else, when you clearly intended differently.¡±


    ¡°A little bit, yeah!¡±


    I hung my head.


    ¡°But hey! It¡¯s okay!¡± She grabbed hold of both my hands and squeezed. ¡°I know that it¡¯s gratitude that pushes you, and it makes me happy that my gift is appreciated. That alone is repayment enough.¡±


    I squeezed her hands right back. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re a¡­ dear friend, Elfrafim. Therefore I¡¯m going to help you lots and lots someday! Just because I want to, as a friend, and completely unrelated to whatever favors you may or may not have given me in the meantime!¡±


    The elven woman chuckled. ¡°Sure. I¡¯m perfectly convinced.¡±

 Chapter 61: Im Amazing.

    Break my arms. Enhance my swings. But don¡¯t go too far, never leave it unrepairable.


    Destroy, kill, and devour as I please, but do not make the ultimate sacrifice, for I can never again do any more damage if I die.


    Violent. Pragmatic. Violent. Pragmatic. Violent! Pragmatic!


    I repeated the same mantra in my head as I caused my blood to evaporate inside me to enhance my next slash. The result left a wide cut more than halfway into the tree and it began to tilt, threatening to topple over.


    It did fall, a few seconds later.


    I fell to the soft ground with a huff, my arms dangling uselessly again by my side. I was surrounded by large and vibrant flowers, and once more they began to writhe, emitting a very subtle glow as my broken limbs began to right themselves once more.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I thanked Elfrafim who was helping me with this training.


    ¡°Anytime!¡± Her voice was like the dawn of sunshine.


    The idea here was to drill it into my fucking head not to try and sacrifice myself, because then I¡¯d be dead. A more important realization I¡¯d come to however was how disproportionately strong evaporating my blood actually was. I initially thought that the additional power was just because it acted kind of like a ritual, so there was some boost from that, but I¡¯d come to feel that the concept of sacrificing my own blood actually resonated very deeply with my menace magic.


    It brought to mind how the Curse Dragon died, and how his final moments led to the birth of the cursetaceans that continue to be a menace upon Angelore¡¯s lands to this day. He might¡¯ve¡­ No, I was certain that he used this sacrificial effect of nature magic to achieve that miracle of creation.


    Even I, weak as I was, stood a chance of injuring Elfrafim if I truly sacrificed my life. Someone who was three whole evolutions above me, beyond even Luine''s ability to harm.


    So what more could a dragon do, if they were willing to make the same sacrifice? They, at the apex of all creatures, beyond level 160, and at the presumed level of 320. 160 was confirmed to be another evolution, and dragons were surely above even that, but no one truly knew if the same pattern would continue to hold for the next evolution to be at 320.


    I would be the first to find out for certain.


    ~~~


    Repetition. Even without a human brain any longer, the same pattern held true. Come rain or shine, I did not fall by my vigil. Over and over I infused my arms with the power of menace magic. I broke it and healed it and then broke it again, all the while making my very body remember my limits, and to never go past them.


    ¡°Oh? So this is what you¡¯ve been doing?¡± Luine just suddenly appeared right next to me mid-swing. I was surprised, and I nearly tripped on myself, but something stopped me. A force held me in place, the blood melted from within my arms, and I struck the tree with nearly the same force of my previous attacks, only a fair bit weaker for my temporary loss of equilibrium.


    Kill, destroy, humiliate, and dominate! But do not sacrifice everything, so that I may continue to be a menace!!


    The unplanned maneuver, and the subsequent flare of foreign yet internal thoughts finally managed to put me off balance, making me land squarely on my ass. I felt a shift, my mana behaved ominously, but not in the same chaos I was used to.


    ¡°Problem, Haell?¡± Luine asked. I¡¯d been staring at my hands.


    ¡°No, no. No worries. Hang on a second. I think I¡¯m in the middle of a breakthrough."


    Luine just smiled and stepped away.


    I dove into my psyche afterwards, confirming the same old ideas and desires my menace mana wished to convey. From how fun it would be to cause chaos and mayhem, to how easy it would be to hurt and betray those I loved. Whatever actions would cause more harm, the fear of the masses, and the betrayal of all that I loved and held dear; the magic within me sought to twist myself into the kind of menace that would do it all gleefully. That would delight in all the most menacing of acts.


    I was used to it. It was basically white noise at this point. But there was a peculiarity, a new voice within the endless cacophony. This one was more focused, serious, stewing in both excitement and impatience at the single action and activity it held dear.


    That of my sacrifice.


    That of my blood being used to fuel an internal ritual.


    Enough magic affecting my arms to break them after only a single attack.


    That one eternal moment, where I achieve the greatest destruction possible with one swing.


    But never enough to truly end me.


    To end my potential.


    Because how could it repeat the same process, if I could no longer swing or hold a sword?


    How could it continue to kill, if I myself were dead?


    No, my power must remain at its prime. And I must continue to shatter my arms with every strike.


    Only then will I be satisfied.


    ¡­


    I took a sharp intake of breath, as I understood what had changed. It was almost as if my magic was alive, as if it had its own thoughts and desires¡­ which perhaps was pretty obvious, but I previously attributed it to just a stronger form of the interpretations of mana. Like how fire mana could give me a sensation of heat, or how light mana could convey a blinding brightness, I thought the menace mana was just like that, conveying a certain idea, but ultimately it¡¯s all in our heads, our own interpretations of the ideas and concepts within.


    But then those concepts changed. My menace mana now sung a different tune. Something that could still be attributed to a change in my own mentality, except the magic moved by itself. It took initiative. Its goals and ambitions were altered, and now it was actively seeking them out. As if it were a true living thing, thinking and scheming within the confines of my own body, and perhaps even without.


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    This was big. This was a new discovery. And this was bloody fucking dangerous.


    I quickly turned on my heel, screamed for Elfrafim to follow, and then ran back towards our base in search of the local nerd.


    ~~~


    The entire gang was gathered in our living area. I told them of my recent findings, of new discoveries, and possibilities.


    Instantly, Moonwash was enamored, and Elfrafim too was unbearably excited.


    Baston shook his head. ¡°This is a very, very dangerous force you are touching, Haell.¡±


    ¡°I know. When has great power ever come cheap and without risk?¡±


    Well. You could just be born strong, but that¡¯s beside the point. I was sure I could someday surpass all those that only relied on the superiority of their birth.


    Luine too nodded, after a long moment spent thinking. It seemed like she¡¯d come to a conclusion all her own. ¡°I trust that Haell knows what she¡¯s doing. She may die, but she may also live, and that life would shine brighter than any of us ever has. Combined.¡± She coughed into her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Mahka and Rallem I said any of that though.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Why not?¡± I feigned innocence. ¡°Secrets bad¡­ Why keep secret from mama and papa?¡±


    ¡°Oh shush you.¡± She rapped me lightly on the head. ¡°I¡­ nevermind. Let¡¯s talk later.¡±


    I raised my brow. Left unsaid was that it had to be in private, given that she could just speak now. Nothing was stopping her. She didn¡¯t have duct tape over her mouth or anything. This world didn¡¯t even have duct tapes!


    ¡°Sure. No duct tapes.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    After a few squawks from Astan that I did not understand, it was finally time to engage with our two resident nerds.


    ¡°That¡¯s a whole new fucking insight!¡± Elfrafim vibrated excitedly. ¡°I guess I¡¯ve heard similar things, but I never heard anything about the breakthrough you just had. We need to test if this really is a product of curse-aligned magics. It¡¯s something that we elves really truly suck at. The only elf I know that was good at it was that same guy who made those¡­ torture bugs that I told you about. And the less said about him, the better.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also important to remember that the menace magic is inside Haell.¡± Moonwash added. ¡°What¡¯s more, it¡¯s in her blood, not isolated in a repository. It¡¯s constantly subjected to her thoughts, and she in turn is subject to its influence. I think that¡¯s an important factor to achieve what has happened. The altering of the identity of mana, the awakening of its will.¡±


    She paused.


    ¡°I will now coin the term Mana Awakening.¡±


    ¡°Hey! It¡¯s my technique! Why do you get to name it?¡±


    Moonwash shrugged. ¡°You weren¡¯t fast enough.¡±


    I fumed and stomped, until we all laughed. Except for Moonwash, but she did go through the trouble of smiling.


    ¡°This is a little bit of an extrapolation, but please, bear with me,¡± Moonwash continued her explanations, and no one dared voice dissent. ¡°From Haell¡¯s descriptions, we know that she is constantly beset by the desires and ideals of her menace mana. It¡¯s a constant presence in her mind. From other monsters and animals, there are those who have magic constantly flowing through their bodies like this. Chief of which are the goblins that we know well. But I think there are a few more, albeit they are extremely extremely rare. Unless if you count fountans, who do produce mana without a repository, but there¡¯s a reason why it¡¯s pointed outside of their body.¡±


    ¡°Off the top of my head, there¡¯s the abomiempire,¡± Elfrafim added her own knowledge. ¡°It is a fabled monster that very seldomly appears throughout history, but is always a calamity when it does. It has life magic constantly flowing throughout its deformed body, powering its many glands that depend on it, and allowing it to regenerate and twist its own flesh. But its most terrifying aspect is what it does to others. It twists life, and it heals everything, but that healing is wrong. Your Mutations will cease to work as your body is deformed, be it in small or big ways.¡±


    Moonwash nodded and continued from there. ¡°I have heard of this. The Angelore Empire has dealt with it once too. But the thing that this monster and the goblins have in common is that they cannot be reasoned with. We can¡¯t know if they experience the same phenomenon. But I think of it differently. I think that they might not be able to define their magic differently, because their magic is the one that has defined them.¡±


    She turned, and the full weight of her gaze landed on myself. I met her clear human eyes with my demonic ones.


    ¡°Haell has retained her sanity in the face of forces that would overwhelm anyone else. She is conscious and aware, allowing her to define the mana within, and somehow not be totally defined by it in turn.¡±


    The praise almost had a physical force to it, and I staggered back, unprepared. The wide smile that graced my face could not be painted, and I hugged my friend tight in all my excitement.


    ¡°I¡¯m not done. Get off me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The joy did not leave myself. ¡°But thank you.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I¡¯m glad that you like the information.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. That¡¯s totally it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    From there, Moonwash gushed about other but no less important, implications of this recent information. What I found the most interesting was how my sword had really taken to being cursed, now being a full and bonafide cursed object. Moonwash tried to hold it as an experiment, upon which she immediately eyed me silently.


    ¡°I want to kill you. But¡­ I¡¯m more lucid than before. It¡¯s not as strong as your mom¡¯s dagger ¡°


    ¡°Heh. A your mom joke.¡±


    ¡°You keep saying that. It¡¯s infuriating.¡± Moonwash raised my sword, but Elfrafim suddenly appeared and yanked the cursed weapon from her hand, tossing it back to me.


    ¡°Woah. That¡¯s a strong curse, to have been made by someone this low level. Did you use a ritual on it by any chance?¡±


    I raised a brow, but shook my head. That was an idea for later.


    I turned my attention back to my greatsword and its dark exterior. It was as if a constant mist was wafting off it, just out of sight. But it was never there whenever I tried to closely inspect it.


    Other than the very cool aesthetics however¡­ I barely felt a whiff from the sword. It certainly wasn¡¯t trying to drive me mad.


    A flash of inspiration made me realize why that could be.


    ¡°The curse has really taken to this sword. It¡¯s been far more efficient than me trying to pour menace mana into a dagger. I think¡­ it could be just like how I¡¯ve managed to define the mana inside of me! What if I defined this sword in the same way!? That¡¯s why I could hardly notice its influence, it''s familiar to me. It blends in with the constant buzz of my internal menace mana!¡± My voice reached a pitch and cadence as I spoke even more rapidly, the passion taking over. ¡°It makes so much sense! Many a swordsman have claimed bullshit about being one with the sword, but I¡¯ve taken it to a whole new fucking level! You see, whenever I fight, I¡¯ve taken to weaving mana into this sword, and then essentially integrating it into my internal flows of mana! It¡¯s amazing, I''m amazing! Right? Don¡¯t you agree?? That¡¯s how it is isn¡¯t it!!??¡±


    ¡°It is!!¡± Elfrafim chirped in her usual melodic way. ¡°This is all soo exciting! Aaaaahhhhhh!!! Do you think I could use your menace magic too? Curse magic in general!? I was never able to connect with the element, I definitely had no talent for it, but I never really tried all that hard.¡±


    ¡°I agree, you are amazing, Haell,¡± Moonwash finally recovered from merely touching my sword, and immediately she jumped into the conversation with enthusiasm. It was clear even through her bland tone. ¡°It would need more testing, however this defining thing really makes sense. I think your theories are correct. Maybe the mana does need to be inside of you to be defined, and your sword somehow counted for that. It at least helps, if nothing else. Maybe the fact that it got to act out its new purpose also helped, that¡¯s another difference with the dagger that you seldom used for combat. And then there¡¯s your inside mana, the one in your blood. It remains defined in that new way doesn¡¯t it? But how? It gets replaced often, you use it after all. So why are the new mana you produce still defined? So many questions that I would love to pick apart. Let¡¯s do it.¡±

 Chapter 62: Coming Out - Rock and Roll Edition.

    I watched from atop my throne as the secret base was thrown into a frenzy of activity. Moonwash was now doing my nails after having made the rest of me presentable for my big day. My face, my dress, and everything else were made fit for a demon queen, with half the materials used having come from our own hunts and foraging. I also wore my favorite ¡®Freedom¡¯ and ¡®Victory¡¯ necklaces too, they somehow went well with any outfit. I could only grin evilly at the effect my full ensemble created, and I loved the compliments I received for it too. I truly was fucking amazing.


    My mom and dad had arrived a week prior, and they were still hard at work finishing up their preparations. From banners and flags all congratulating me for my eighteenth birthday, to a picture-perfect feast laid out on the table and ready for me to eat. They had piled a mountain of presents off to the side ready for me to open later.


    Baston had made plant formations depicting me in the various stages of my life, from cute to increasingly dangerous. Other than my getup, Moonwash had also contributed a sprawling painting that she¡¯d been working on for at least a year, showing all of my greatest triumphs. It had some of my exploits as a human, where I was more wary, more cautious. The ones after I¡¯d become a demon were more raw, more wild, more primal. I was still the underdog in so many of the fights, but I approached it all with the pride of a queen, the confidence of a total conqueror.


    I loved that journey, and all that it represented. I knew that I was pining for demonhood from the get-go, but I did appreciate my time as a human all the same, even if it had to come to a total end.


    Luine ran around the place, helping everyone with their own preparations, meanwhile Elfrafim asked so many questions, as she was very interested in our own traditions. Traditions which were unnaturally familiar to me, for Shanayah has ruled these lands for centuries.


    The elven way of doing things turned out to be decently similar to ours, except a tad more focused on unique activities, chosen by the birthday-person. It could be anything, from the obvious fighting and hunting, to sewing and cooking, or even just eating and drinking¡­ their favorite juice. It could not be wine. They apparently decided to at least bar the more adult things from the main party, otherwise young elves would seldom get a chance to ever experience a birthday party for themselves!


    That would be a damn shame. The point of elven birthday parties was to get to know a valued member of their disparate and ever-shifting community better. The person of the day would decide on their favorite activity, and their fellows would give an attempt at joining in. It could be serious, it could be in jest, it could mainly just be as spectators. The goal was to have fun and maybe even learn something new along the way!


    ¡°Speaking of alcohol,¡± I strode across the vast continuous hall of our home base and towards the table once my nails were done and as pitch black as my happy little soul. I was going to grab a bottle of wine for myself, but I decided to wait for the birthday cake while engaging in some fun conversations. They didn¡¯t want me to participate in the preparations for my own birthday!


    Which was fine. I wasn¡¯t that enamored with such activities.


    ¡°Haell. You¡¯ve really grown well.¡± My father patted my head. I was still small to him despite having already grown to my full height of a hundred-eighty centimeters.


    ¡°Yeah. I have. And it¡¯s thanks to you, too. Thank you for sticking with me with all my antics, even though I knew that you never were the most fond of swordplay.¡±


    ¡°Oh Haell,¡± my dad hugged me. ¡°I¡¯m glad you enjoy it. I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve found the things that make you happy and are pursuing it. It worries me how dangerous those things are, but I¡¯ll not keep you away from them. I trust that you know what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I do.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Haell!¡± Mom came up to me next, and offered me another hug. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you. You¡¯ve already done amazing things, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do many more. But don¡¯t rush it, make sure you survive, and I¡¯m sure you can kick even a dragon¡¯s ass!¡±


    ¡°Haell yeah!¡± I cheered and returned the hug.


    There were more greetings from the others, but we¡¯ve been seeing each other¡¯s faces every fucking day for three years now. We were kinda sick of it already.


    ¡°Look! Look! She¡¯s gonna blow the cake!¡± Elfrafim bounced on her feet in sheer excitement.


    I shook my head and laughed, not sure what was so exciting about this, but I added more theatrics to meet her lofty expectations. With a deep breath and braced against the table, I blew hard enough to actually dislodge a few flecks of the frosting.


    There came the sound of clapping, from Elfrafim¡¯s direction, soon followed by the others.


    I had a very nice party, with even better food, and the best company.


    ~~~


    ¡°You want to do what!?¡± Dad asked, horrified. We had all gathered in the living room a few days later, and I announced my plan.


    ¡°I want to do another evolution.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ you¡¯ve already achieved your dream. You¡¯re a demon. You are powerful, more so than literally anyone else even close to your level. Why do you need to do more?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an imp. That¡¯s the lowest kind of demon. Which is telling in itself, it¡¯s like the Status System is taunting me!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s taunting you¡­? Haell, what you did was a very dangerous procedure. Just altering one Mutation in that way is an uphill battle. All at once is madness, and you were only lucky enough to survive it once.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just luck. At least, I don¡¯t believe it is. You know how long I¡¯ve wanted this. And I think¡­ something deep within me resonates so strongly with demonhood.¡±


    ¡°...I don¡¯t know Haell,¡± Mom expressed her own concern. ¡°I¡¯m very proud and happy with what you¡¯ve made for yourself and I¡¯m so excited for your future¡­ but what future would that be if you die?¡±


    ¡°But I won¡¯t. I felt it when I evolved into an imp. The Mutation enhancement process, which was said to be hellishly painful almost never came. It was present for only a few moments, until I took upon my horns and confirmed the change into a demon. Or an imp, in this case.¡± I paused. ¡°And then it turned into sheer and utter ecstasy, of becoming a new me, stronger, clawing my way towards a state of being that I have always wanted. I draw ever closer, and I can crawl even further.¡±


    ¡°But you don¡¯t know if it¡¯s safe!¡± My mom pleaded. ¡°I¡¯d support you if you really wanted it, Haell. But¡­ like those fire molars of yours, we can get you better ones! Or metals that are more receptive to curses. Materials!¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom. But¡­ I really want to. There¡¯s more though, to why I think it¡¯d work. Chief of which is my leveling speed.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very impressive. Unheard of, even.¡± My dad furrowed his brow. ¡°But I don¡¯t see how that¡¯d help you survive another species evolution?¡±


    ¡°But I wasn¡¯t always this much of a prodigy. Far from it. And while I did progress faster than everyone, most of that could actually be attributed to my grueling training regime.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Haell, did we go too far!?¡± My mom asked, suddenly panicked. ¡°I just wanted to help¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course you didn¡¯t go too far,¡± I smiled, reassuring her. ¡°You know as well as I do that it was all my idea, and I would have it no other way.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Good!¡±


    ¡°Anyway. As I was saying, my leveling speed has very clearly changed. How fast is it now, compared to an evolution ago? What has changed since then?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Dad said, ¡°you mentioned that you were so close to level 20 you can taste it¡­¡±


    ¡°Demon!¡± My mom suddenly shouted. ¡°Imp! Your leveling has hastened like a charging hornse ever since your species has evolved!¡±


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    I nodded. ¡°Precisely. We don¡¯t know the mysteries of how leveling works, it¡¯s a mixture of many things. But I think this proves that being a demon, or well an imp, really agrees with me. And becoming a more complete and stronger demon would agree with me even more, I think.¡±


    ¡°...That might be true,¡± Dad conceded, ¡°but it could also be because of this major change in environment. Moving away from Latarus, living in the middle of a forest, I know of how much time you spend training or otherwise fighting.¡±


    ¡°...Shit. You might be right.¡± I scratched my head. ¡°But I¡¯ve thought long and hard about it. I¡¯ve reasons to believe in my hypothesis. My gut tells me this is the right move. So just as I risked it all once, I¡¯m prepared to risk it all again.¡±


    The memories of how I was nearly left crippled by my sacrificial menace magic resurfaced in my mind, and I realized that I really wasn¡¯t prepared for the consequences of that risk.


    But I¡¯d take it anyway.


    Dad sighed. ¡°Fine, Haell. I don¡¯t much know what it¡¯s like to be this passionate about something, but I will not be the one to hold you back. Just think about our advice, and remember that there is absolutely no shame in backing out, now or on the very eve of doing it.¡±


    ¡°I know what it¡¯s like!¡± Mom said. ¡°Or, I wish I did, but all my life I never really fought for my dreams like you did. So you''re really lucky, Haell. Make sure you succeed, now that you¡¯ve said this much. It¡¯d be mighty embarrassing otherwise!¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mom, Dad!¡±


    I hugged them, and reassured the rest of my group.


    Luine and Baston were already just used to my antics. Elfrafim was a mix of worry and sheer utter hype. Moonwash was already thinking about how to help me. Astan was¡­ He was very smart, and definitely seemed sapient already, but I didn¡¯t think he fully understood. Still, he was in support, so that¡¯s good.


    ~~~


    My parents came and went. My birthday was over and it was time to get back to the endless grind for power. Luine was shadowing me today, just like old times. Not that there was anything wrong with Elfrafim, but there was just something reassuring with having a friend I¡¯ve known since forever in my corner, even if she was¡­ well, for all intents and purposes, weaker. No offense meant.


    It started in my throat, a low rumble that reached the zenith of a growl. I rushed into the forest, prompting the monsters to run away from the sheer presence that I alone exuded, merely due to the passive traces of menace mana I leaked. Their retreat was no use however, as I quickly caught up to a deer, and slaughtered her entire herd like a blender. A murdle took its chance to get the literal drop on me, but I reduced it to a fine mist floating in the air.


    Tarzairs climbed the trees rapidly, small primates with somewhat good nature magic. They would just flee, I knew, and their magic was more suited to temporary restraints that would allow them to sprint through the canopies. But they were all lower leveled, so I stacked my eyes, aura, and then a barrage of bullets, freezing them where they stood.


    A quick exertion of my legs to near breaking later and I¡¯d leapt and climbed my way over to them, ultimately getting near a dozen, but many more were able to escape.


    It was no matter, my friends would come back for their short horns and repositories later. Nature mana was very valuable to us.


    The carnage naturally continued after that, and I fought creature after creature, from birds with beaks more akin to industrial machinery, to a creature who was a mix of primate and canine that hunted in pairs. Wolves, tigers, and the usual fanfare that would not look out of place back on Earth were also present, and I had a lot of fun just getting back into the groove of things after my long break from these sort of slaughters.


    I kept on going as my body began to tire, my very bones and muscles aching from overuse. But all I¡¯d been fighting were small fry, I was nowhere near satisfied despite their quantity, and the many new scratches in my armor.


    Finally, I managed to find a good stopping point. Or rather, it found me, as a rocuin(pronounced as rockin¡¯) burst from the rocks just as I passed a bunch of boulders. I did not have the time to dodge the spray of stones that followed, only to brace myself as I was sent flying away into a tree. But it was on my terms, and I emerged largely uninjured. The distance bled out a lot of the force applied.


    I took a quick moment to examine my foe. It looked like a gigantic brown and gray penguin, squat like a dwarf with a very hunched back. The upper half of the creature¡¯s head was covered by a skull-shaped crystalline mask which I knew to be a magical focus. It showed its powers a moment later as the rocuin headbanged, sending a spray of earthen spikes barreling towards my direction.


    I hurriedly dashed away from the attack, yet still found a few grazing blows to my back that drew blood and scraped off big chunks of my armor. I did not allow that to halt my momentum as I continued to sprint, with more rock projectiles following in my wake. My enemy just kept on banging its head, waddling to face me as I ran. I circled around and drew my sword, sending a few confusion shots that barely affected the rocuin who just kept on rockin¡¯.


    I growled and then hid behind some trees. Some particularly large projectiles managed to get through one trunk after much of its mass was shaved off, but none could get through the next. Even the ones that did manage to hit me only dented my armor, but did not pierce through.


    Birds took flight and flew away, as loud impacts continued to echo through the forest. Rocks and stone sank into the trees around the rocuin, gradually creating a large clearing around the monster as I continued to run circles around it, unable to get closer. It pained me to admit, but this was my only recourse against an opponent like this.


    The strategy just felt¡­ cowardly, which truly did not fucking matter in a life-and-death battle. I was supposed to know that, and it annoyed me how I almost acted like I didn¡¯t. I certainly wasn¡¯t like this before!


    As fast as the feeling came, I accepted it and allowed the shame to wash through me. I¡¯d come to love battle, I was no longer able to remain as calm as I once did, but that did not come without a boon. My more turbulent emotions had become a literal source of strength for me, and I loved the power that it gave. So long as I remembered to be in control of my impulses, there was no problem.


    Being unfair and conniving is actually far more menacing than just fighting fair and upfront.


    I grinned, my rational mind and my instincts finally in glorious harmony once more. The rocuin kept on bobbing its head into an unheard tune, now pumping its prehensile wings along with the beat. The projectiles of rock sped up further, with even larger specimens mixed within.


    I dodged and fell back further, but one in particular almost did me in. What saved me was jumping up, allowing the boulder to carry me away as I met it with my sword. My arms broke, but the boulder finally came to a stop, along with me just a few steps away from it.


    I breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately resumed moving despite the pain as more pieces of stone impacted right where I landed. It took a few more long minutes until the rocuin had depleted its stock of mana, or at least the amount it was willing to expend at range.


    Once the projectiles stopped, I kept a wary eye out and began to heal myself with a nature wand painfully clutched in my fingers, but I hurriedly jumped back when another rock was lobbed in my direction.


    I had a feeling the rocuin would still have more mana to spare, and it was good to have some confirmation. I retreated and got my arms healed, before coming back to the clearing with a large boulder in the middle.


    I chuckled. I already knew the level 20 monster could camouflage itself as a rock. I lobbed confusion bullets at it until the rocuin finally stirred back to life. It headbanged again to send more projectiles right at me, but I simply repeated my earlier tactic of running around. Only problem was that my menace bullets were far harder to make if I wanted it to shoot far, and the enemy very clearly still outranged me. Oh, and the rocuin seemed barely affected by my own attacks.


    I pushed on regardless, peppering my enemy with confusion bullets as the trees around me were shredded. I mixed in some fireballs as well, but the monster proved to be very resistant to the flames and the heat. Eventually, I had no more cover to hide behind if I wanted to still be able to hit my target, but I still dove behind the trees further away, readying menace bullets that would never hit from the distance.


    I only came back when I had a bullet ready to shoot.


    The fight became a game of whack-a-Haell as I tried to surface into the clearing and attack while the other party tried to whack me with rocks whenever I was in sight. This lasted for a fun few minutes as the rocuin¡¯s aim grew steadily more unsteady and numerous, wasting even more of the mana in the process, until the projectiles that met me gradually dwindled down into nothing.


    Not convinced that it had exhausted all its reserves, I moved a bit closer and unleashed as many menace bullets as I could in one continuous barrage. The mana in my blood flowed to my command, depleting slowly, but sapping away my opponent¡¯s sanity in the process.


    The rocuin tried to dodge, and saw some success at first, but it wasn¡¯t built for speed and was already mentally impaired from all the confusion attacks that had hit it. Finally, the creature lobbed another rock at me while trying to run straight ahead. I ran away while continuing to pepper it with menace bullets as I dove back into the treeline. The vegetation was trampled and felled by the monster¡¯s passing, its powerful body knocking over trees, but not without slowing. The opening allowed me to get even more hits in from safety until my opponent was eventually just flailing blindly, unable to comprehend what was happening anymore.


    I saw my opportunity and struck. I attacked the rocuin from the flank, finding less purchase than I expected. The monster¡¯s hide was tough, but nothing insurmountable. I put more power into the next strike, uncaring of the damage to my arm that would surely add up. This time, I scored a nasty gash across its side, prompting a savage grin to blossom on my face. The paradigm had finally shifted to one where I was the predator and it the prey.


    I loved this moment the most.


    I repeated the same maneuver, attacking the rocuin from all sides. The occasional rock spike greeted me as the monster stomped around, but they were all wildly off target. I¡¯d also switched my magic for the weakening effect of my menace magic, making the monster¡¯s offensive even more ineffectual. I and Moonwash had finally figured out what was actually happening with the weakening curse of my magic just a few days ago, with the help of my past life memories. It slowed and diminished all the capabilities of my target, until finally their very vitals ceased to function. It was not just a powerful debuff, but a killer in the right hands.


    I was very good at killing.


    The rocuin proved tanky, lasting for several minutes, but it eventually slowed down and slumped in defeat.


    As tradition, I ended the fight with a good beheading. I even fully broke my arms for it, having long learned how to hold back enough for the injury to be very much healable.


    I always love a good beheading.

 Chapter 63: Ideas and Action.

    [Mana-infused Blood has reached Level 14]


    [Regen Heart has reached Level 13]


    ¡°You know I¡¯m not good at this, right?¡± Luine lightly joked as she healed me with nature magic. I was lying down on the grass, fully immobile.


    For once, I did not rise to the bait. ¡°Yeah. Yet you still do it. Thank you, Luine.¡±


    She raised a brow. ¡°You getting sentimental on me, Haell? Your decades too young for that!¡±


    I¡¯m older than you realize.


    ¡°A little bit. It¡¯s just¡­ you really have helped me out. And I don¡¯t get why. I haven¡¯t given you shit.¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m no saint. Well, maybe I am ¡®cause they¡¯re definitely some bad motherfuckers. But I do have motives of my own, you know that.¡±


    ¡°...I do. So ask. Ask and I¡¯ll help. I owe you that much.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°No. I¡¯ll not ask you to do shit. I have deemed it best to just leave you be to do your own thing. That¡¯ll give the best result.¡±


    ¡°Your friends at New Grandera wouldn¡¯t agree.¡±


    ¡°Then they can get fucked.¡±


    I raised a brow, but didn¡¯t say anything more. We passed the rest of my healing in silence, until I was able to move around and jump again.


    ¡°Here.¡± Luine handed me a pendant. It depicted a flightless bird taking flight.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I asked and scrutinized the gift.


    ¡°The emblem of New Gandera. A very high-ranking one, made of mithril and the materials of monsters nearing the realm of heroes.¡±


    The realm of heroes in Angelore referred to level 80.


    ¡°Thanks. It looks nice!¡± I wore it over my neck.


    Luine snorted. ¡°Maybe don¡¯t wear it in public. But I¡¯m giving this to you now. It¡¯ll give you some pull in the new nation, and with any resistance movements here. Do with it as you wish.¡±


    ¡°I could be some kind of spy that reports back to the angels. I could ruin your movement from the inside.¡±


    ¡°You could be,¡± she agreed. ¡°You could be lots of things. But that¡¯d be a moot point soon. If your plans go well and you gain the power you seek, then you will be able to destroy any movement on the surface of this planet. So it matters not.¡±


    ¡°Wow. I don¡¯t feel pressured at all.¡± I deadpanned.


    ¡°As if you don¡¯t believe in your own hype.¡± She snorted.


    ¡°Oh I do. But I could just be delusional. Verdict¡¯s still out on that.¡±


    ¡°Bloody idiot.¡± She smirked and shook her head.


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I looked down at my armor soaked in red. The dull gray-blue of fantastreel had become a fair bit darker. ¡°I should get all this cleaned up.¡±


    ~~~


    The last sprint for levels continued, towards the next finish line. I kept up my practice with self sacrifice magic, willfully bending the menace mana within myself to my desires, and forcing it to remember my instructions. To not end myself, nor cause any permanent damage. Because there was never an opportunity to try and control myself upon activation of the hyperdemon gland. It¡¯s like I was knocked out, and then something else takes over. I couldn¡¯t just power through it in a normal way, so now I was going to power through it in an abnormal way.


    I chose to divert a lot of focus to both my regen heart and blood for now. They were a bit behind the other Mutations on account of starting back at level 0.


    Luckily, I was able to devise a wonderful method to train the both of them at once, and even gain skills in a whole new field of artistry. The basic idea was simply to stab myself and allow my blood to bleed out of me. My regen heart worked to replenish the lost blood, leading to experience and levels. My blood was replenished, the mana within that was lost was pumped back into it by my menace heart. The lost blood would then be drawn into rituals, either by me, Moonwash, or even Elfrafim, and I would always participate in the casting in some way. It was of course difficult to collaborate with someone when it came to magic, as the conflicting ideas would clash. But the blood being mine gave us a lot more leeway than usual, I could take the lead in the casting and minimize the incongruencies. The remaining inefficiencies with double-casting rituals were fun to hammer out over time, as we trained and trained through sheer repetition, until we could put our wills into proper synchrony.


    My levels shot up from this practice, the blood more so than the regen heart. It was still a big mystery how Mutations actually leveled, but using them was generally a pretty fucking good idea. And tackling my Mana-infused Blood from so many angles like this seemed to have done the trick as it managed to shoot up all the way to level 16 in just a few months before I got my first Mutation to level 20.


    [Demon Brain has reached Level 20!]


    It had been my highest Mutation from the beginning, and it was still buffed compared to my other Mutations, albeit that difference was waning fast as the enhancement of my Reincarnator soul feat was additive, one and done. Not something multiplicative that¡¯d scale as I got stronger.


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    I went on a rampage after that, killing monsters and animals day after day to get all my Mutations to the threshold. I could feel their level-ups closing in, and I dragged everyone all the way to The Endless Dive wonderzone in order to find more prey.


    I fought the varied monsters there, from the usual culprits to other more sophisticated ones. Like a heavily venomous forest octopus that coiled amongst the trees called the necropus. It had sharp and short spines all along its many limbs to deliver its toxic payload with but a squeeze.


    The wolf-sized monster got the drop on me, and I flailed my limbs as it tangled with my head. I usually didn¡¯t have to worry about poison because I was in full armor so it would be very hard to deliver the payload in the process, but this level 10 necropus hugged me every which way, finding the holes in my helm and joints in my armor. I was still trying to pry it off when I began to feel sick and vomit out blood. Elfrafim and Luine offered to help, but I was here to get stronger and learn so I refused. I weathered the pain and the exhaustion that suddenly took over me. I did not just ignore the blood spilling out of my mouth, but I actively spat what I could out of my helm and towards my tormentor. A quick pseudo-ritual cast had its flesh withering in desiccation. Fire followed, from the repository in my mouth. I set the both of us on fire, but I was impervious to heat. My attempt did a lot of damage to my enemy, but it also unfortunately just caused the necropus to clamp down harder so I was not able to drive it away. My armor began to bend lightly, and more poison found itself into my system, even if most was wasted on the metal.


    I switched to menace magic, once I¡¯d depleted my source of fire mana to half. I did not go for any mental effects this time, as my aura quickly made me aware that the necropus¡¯ first instinct for everything was just to double down and squeeze harder. So instead I went with the classic waves of weakening, giving me some much-needed leeway.


    The hold upon me loosened, and I was able to move around more properly again. The poison was a still problem, but I was still standing.


    So I charged against a tree. I slammed my head into its hard and damp bark, along with the necropus that still hugged my face. And then I did it again and again, running through the bluish forest and towards any nearby trees. Even when the necropus tried to climb toward my back, I still chose to charge against the arrogant trees of this wonderzone, only with an added somersault at the end so that it was the monster that took the brunt of the impact.


    The hold around me lessened more and more over time, until finally I was able to pry the damn thing off. I found its head, and a single slash ended it all, just in time for me to collapse.


    Holy shit. That wasn¡¯t even level 20. Best not get overconfident against the opponents of my level. Power varies, clearly.


    Except it was still alive, the limbs all seemed to have a mind of their own. I allowed Moonwash to handle it as Elfrafim nursed me back to health with her heals.


    ¡°Thank.¡±


    ¡°Kay¡¯.¡±


    And then Moonwash too collapsed, having gotten herself poisoned. Baston and Luine took care of that mess. Ah, what a merry bunch we were.


    ~~~


    I laughed and wiggled around on the ground once I was sure that Moonwash was safe. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡±


    ¡°I was finishing off the necropus and extracting the poison from its body.¡± She paused, and eyed the remains in front of her now. ¡°It¡¯s almost depleted. It was used up on you.¡±


    I snorted, feeling the toxins be excised from my body. Elfrafim healed me with water magic this time, because while quite a fair bit of elements were capable of healing, they had their own identities. Water was especially good for poisons and other impurities in the blood. It was also supposed to be quite difficult to use in healing, but of course Elfrafim could pull it off. It was wild how many elements she could use, though not as wild as Moonwash who seemed able to learn anything.


    ¡°Thanks for the concern.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    Our visit to the local wonderzone went on like normal after that, and we collected a lot of materials that we had to bring back in sleds. Elfrafim found that very amusing, and she also helped. Astan did not deign to do the same thing, although he did circle around to drive away the monsters that may have been attracted toward us.


    Moonwash¡¯s crafting progressed even harder since then, and I began to help her in creating cursed weapons. We used the concept I explained, of the autonomous will within my menace magic. Which was why I had to be present, as even with her talents in extended channeling, I still had a better grasp of overcharging my emotions and then forcing it into my magic.


    I admitted to no one how happy it made me feel, to have gotten one over her, in her own fields. I was sure it was just my menace mana acting up again.


    ~~~


    The forge roared as Moonwash hammered a dagger, imparting upon it creepy but masterful designs that spoke of its intended nature. She altered it in real time, as I activated my menace magic and infused it all into the object. I thought of all the things I knew about the dagger¡¯s structure, their cruel and violent purpose. I even shanked and killed many creatures using another dagger just in preparation for this creation.


    This process continued for days. I frequently left and ran laps around the base during the times when my mana was depleted, before returning when I was full to continue the same infusion of cursed energies. I¡¯d even wake up in the middle of the night just to use my mana. Moonwash herself almost never left her forge, getting some spontaneous sleep there, always ready to restart the process. The dagger was just kept somewhat hot and malleable throughout the entire process, as she trusted Elfrafim with it during the times she had to slumber.


    It was as I yawned on the seventh day, that Moonwash informed me of its completion.


    ¡°It¡¯s a success,¡± she said, almost in awe. ¡°From a regular sheet of metal, to a regular dagger, to a fully cursed weapon. A strongly cursed weapon. The things goblins left in their wake do not compare.¡±


    She handed it to me, and I laughed at its feeble attempt to try and corrupt my mind. It was nothing compared to literally having curse-aligned magic running through my blood.


    There was one curious thing about it, however¡­


    ¡°Hey Moonwash. How come you¡¯re fine and unaffected? The curse here seems stronger than in your menace staff?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not? I can tell the effect is strong, but the pressure on my mind isn¡¯t very strong¡­¡±


    Moonwash suddenly froze, staring into space. Or maybe there was something profound in that random spot on the wall. It did kind of look like an angel if I twisted my eyes at just the right angle...


    Jokes aside, I knew that expression. Moonwash just had a light bulb moment, and she was likely about to drag me into some big and weird experiment. Not that I resented her for it, my friend¡¯s projects were fun.


    She told me her idea soon after, and while I wasn¡¯t sure how she made those leaps, I was all for trying it no matter how much it might hurt me. I could just endlessly heal myself anyway, so long as the damage didn¡¯t cross some vague nebulous line.


    I pocketed the dagger as I left my friend¡¯s workshop, in preparation for a darker time. I might have completely forgotten that I had one of those during my battle with the necropus¡­


    Oh well. No harm done.

 Chapter 64: Ritual Mayhem.

    "It''s alive! IT''S ALIVE!"


    I shouted in the middle of a bloodstained clearing. It was a large circular space, artificially widened and flattened, and now painted upon with a bloody and sinister ritual. Moonwash had actually gotten Luine to go out and somehow obtain cursetacean parts to add to the recipe, mixing its powdered form with my blood among other things. The Angelore empire hated cursetaceans, and officially, even their remains were all disposed of in a big fuck you pile instead of being made use of.


    In fairness, that was mostly what happened, and most of the ones actually available were because of criminals like Luine. Curses were still widely believed to be very dangerous.


    Because they were. Not everyone could git gud like me.


    "It¡¯s not alive. Why are you shouting?" Moonwash asked from beside me. At the center of our formation was a glass basin filled with blood, a gnarled and dangerous-looking staff floating within. It was revealed from Moonwash''s experimentation that curses were best left for offensive items. They weren''t nearly as effective for defensive ones. But what would happen if an already elementally attuned staff were to be cursed? That was what we were here to find out.


    "Because I''m happy," I answered.


    "Oh. That''s good. I''m happy too."


    Baston, Luine, Elfrafim, and Astan were all spectating from the periphery and killing all creatures that dared to get close. It was nice to have their support, as even Astan showed interest in this ritual.


    ¡°Let¡¯s begin,¡± Moonwash said and grabbed my hand. I connected to the ritual by my feet, and so did she. Drawn using my lifeblood were many illustrations of tornadoes and gales. It showed the staff in various states of creation, and in violent use thereafter.


    We began to cast. It was a strange feeling of vastness, to feel the blood at our feet thrum with power. But it was bigger than that, the weight of the world was upon us, or perhaps the gaze of something more. Something fundamental, alien, and unknowable.


    I built upon my mind my intention, and so did Moonwash. Just like the regular casting of magic, it required an image, only now we had to make sure it harmonized with the ritual we¡¯d already built.


    It was marginally difficult because of the requirement to align the thoughts of two separate beings, but we¡¯d practiced with similar things a ton. I was very used to building an image, particularly those related to my own mana, and Moonwash was the one who drew most of the ritual, so her thoughts were already aligned very closely to it. She was, additionally, very good at magic if it took time and was channeled.


    I opened my demonic eyes, and so did she. There was no need to glance at the other, no need for any signal nor confirmation. We were in sync.


    ¡°Hellbreeze Staff.¡±


    We spoke in unison, and the word seemed to echo deeper into the forest than we intended. The air was pushed outward by our proclamation, and birds flew away from the trees they were perching on. The blood did not merely evaporate, but instead it floated off the ground and rushed towards the glass basin containing the staff.


    The illustrations Moonwash made persisted during this move. As if it came to life, three-dimensional instead of two. Tornadoes of blood spun, and uncannily long red fingers strung wood together and bound apart a focus. Figurines of the staff swung, and mighty gales swept away armies, sapping away at all their morale. The air was sharp, it sliced through the air and toward flesh, the wound left behind festered.


    All of these remained in motion all around us, and all we could was watch. But eventually they faded, evaporated, just as a ritual was wont to do. Except this time they left behind a curse that made the hair on my neck stand on end. The blood within the glass basin roiled as if in the middle of a storm as the energies infused within, and toward the staff in the center.


    The world became tinged in black and red as I continued to watch. The Hellbreeze Staff drank of the accursed menace mana greedily, and then of the pool that it sat within. Until finally, all of the lifeblood was depleted, and the curse in the air was gone.


    Only then did the heavy pressure pressing down on us abate.


    ¡°What the fuck was that!¡± Elfrafim¡¯s stupidly beautiful voice reached us, just a moment before the blur of her form shot past both me and Moonwash. She pounced on the new Hellbreeze Staff before we, the creators of it, could even inspect the thing.


    The elf woman was emptying her wand onto the cursed staff when my brain finally caught up and stared at her. Elfrafim did not allow us to get a word in as she casually shot out a blade of air towards the trees, somewhat visible as a dark mist in the air.


    The blade impacted, it bit deep into several trunks. Not quite enough to come out the other side, but close, and certainly more than enough to make the trees topple down.


    ¡°This is so cool! It wants to get into my head!¡± she gushed, positively vibrating with the staff. She pointed it at us and then blew a gust of wind, slightly fogged in black.


    Instantly, my muscles seized up, and I felt more vulnerable against the push of air. I straightened back up after a second, realizing that the effect was very similar to my intimidation aura, except perhaps much worse due to how much higher level Elfrafim was. It was only my brain being so specialized against mental effects that allowed me to shrug it off so easily.


    Moonwash was not so lucky. Her body had seized up, chittering, shaking. I quickly rushed to her side and shook her.


    ¡°Hey, hey. You¡¯re okay.¡± I turned to the elven woman. ¡°Elfrafim, what the fuck!?¡±


    She winced, and then appeared right next to us. She really was way too fucking fast. ¡°Shit! I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    The staff that we made was dropped and long forgotten, replaced instead by wands of both nature and light. I laid Moonwash down and she was cradled by a literal bed of flowers. A soft and soothing light shone down upon her form.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Gradually, she began to calm. The chittering stopped, and Moonwash looked at each of us in turn. By this point, Granuel, Luine, and Astan too had crowded around her, all of us worried sick.


    ¡°The experiment was a success,¡± Moonwash announced, as if nothing had happened. ¡°That effect I just experienced is not normally a capability that wind magic can do by itself. Which means that the Hellbreeze Staff has been made stronger by the ritual, I would think,¡± she looked questioningly at Elfrafim, who nodded. She still felt bad.


    ¡°But that¡¯s not all,¡± Moonwash continued, still prone on the soft grass. ¡°We now know that rituals like this can make cursed weapons. And that doing so with a magic apparatus already tuned for one element can give the magic cast with it a different flavor. This one, in particular, brings to mind the Ominous Wind element of a certain bird.¡±


    I nodded, my own mind switching back to business. My sword had confirmed the possibility of additional effects, like being able to cut better somehow, or even just leaving some curse energy that exacerbates the damage around the wounded area. But what this trial run confirmed was that magic cast with a cursed staff would have some curse-like effects by itself, in addition to perhaps just being straight-up stronger, or even just more destructive.


    The implications of this discovery were staggering, and I found myself excited to craft more, even if I knew that the brunt of the work was still up to Moonwash. I wasn¡¯t actually that interested in learning more about forging and crafting things, other than ritual-making, but it was admittedly fun participating in them like this, and then seeing the result unfold.


    ~~~


    [Menace Heart has reached Level 20!]


    [Demon Bones / Demon Flesh / Demonic Musculature has reached Level 20!]


    Over half a year came and went, the flow of time continued to be unrelenting. Many more of my Mutations had reached Level 20, and even my Blood and Regen Heart were closing in at 17 and 16 respectively.


    It was time to confront the one Mutation that was giving me so much trouble. The mana within myself had grown to be truly distinct from the regular menace magic that I had initially received. That identity had become engraved onto my very heart, affecting every drop of mana produced therein, despite nothing new appearing in my Status Screen.


    Now I was relying on this new magic of mine, to pull me through my hyperdemon gland without irreparably damaging myself.


    ¡°Ready when you are, Haell!¡± Elfrafim smiled, and then twirled her staff.


    I took a deep breath, braced my sword, and hesitated.


    ¡°The Mutation might not even work anymore,¡± I made small talk to buy some time to settle my nerves. ¡°You¡¯re not a master of life magic right? Can¡¯t outright regrow lost limbs?¡±


    She cocked her head and leaned against her gilded green staff.


    ¡°Wow. I¡¯m happy you have such faith in me.¡± She deadpanned.


    I groaned. ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. Just, what if, you know? I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± she denied it. ¡°It¡¯s true that I could have mocked it up. But I didn¡¯t. Your hyperdemon gland would be grayed out in your status bar if the Mutation is inactive. It¡¯s the same thing that happens if you manually mutate something with biomancy, and then it doesn¡¯t work anymore with the System.¡±


    ¡°...Wait. What? You can do that?¡±


    ¡°Sure can.¡±


    I thought about it. ¡°Huh. That¡¯s neat¡­ What do you mean by manually mutating something?¡±


    She got off her staff and began twirling it gracefully again. ¡°You can get stronger arms, make yourself larger, give your eyes all sorts of effects if you get a biomancer to work on them. But then whatever Mutations were once active on them would cease to be. Your power will now be limited by the skills of the biomancer. And they can only make at best¡­ Mutations equivalent to half their level. Less, usually.¡± She pointed her staff toward me. ¡°But your path is not like that. It relies only on your innate self and your own efforts. So come, and break all the limits previously known to mortalkind.¡±


    My breath hitched in my throat, the trepidation was replaced with a bubbling excitement. I did exactly as Elfrafim suggested, and I brought forth the scariest thing to ever be buried in my depths.


    That¡¯s what she said.


    I couldn¡¯t help myself.


    ~~~


    There she is I will ravage her flesh and rend her bone Elfrafim you won¡¯t escape me this time I will capture you kill you extract the meat like a fillet in blender you will drown in your own blood and guts and no one will ever come I will kill you all that you are all that you love break you into a thousand pieces and feed you to the wolves until you are only shit shit shit on the ground to be trampled stamped I will crush you under my hooves and your bones will crunch and I will pull out your spine die die die again again again be buried lonely suffocate forever no rest only suffer suffer suff¨C


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!¡±


    I charged against my enemy and poured my power into one swing. She deflected it, but I was ready with another and then another, but the next one never arrived as I was hit in the guts with a staff and sent flying. I crashed into a tree. Blood trickled out of my mouth. I did not forgive this humiliation nor the many other ones before. All that frustration was released in a growl. The fury of my eyes bore down on her, my aura suffocated her small and tiny body. But it did not work. She just kept on smirking that infuriating smirk, so I charged and swung, but I missed again. I spun around, I chased my prey, my menace magic was at its strongest, but few ever managed to reach her through the winds and the tempest that surrounded her. It was maddening. Infuriating. Just like last time, I was reduced to a toothless whelp.


    But it wasn¡¯t like last time.


    I bit off my gloves in one hand and slammed my palm against my blade. My right hand was cut and blood began to freely flow from the wound. I hurriedly started to draw with it, telling the world of the single message I wished to convey. And that was to kill this woman. To kill kill killl and kill! End her! Finish her existence! Be buried 6 feet under! Never breathe for another day! JUST DIE!


    ¡°KILL ENEMY!!!¡±


    The words rumbled out of my mouth and the world responded. The drawings I drew on the ground sputtered, and then a dark mist shot out of them, pouncing towards my hated opponent. She spun her staff and blew much of it away, but not all. She jumped at the last second, evaded, scattering more of my attack to the winds.


    ¡°RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!¡±


    Another scream tore at my throat the moment I saw my attack fail. I flailed again at her, but it was to no avail like before. Every strike was parried, nothing I ever did mattered, I was going insane.


    SO LET¡¯S JUST END IT ALL!


    Resolved to take my opponent down with me, I activated all of the mana inside of my body and it¡­ rebelled? What?


    Kill destroy and rip apart the opponent but if die then I can destroy no longer!


    ¡°No! Obey me!¡± I snarled, and my infuriating bitch on an enemy just laughed. I lunged at her again, I pushed myself to the point of breaking my body, and even there my mana disobeyed. It wished not for me to go too far in destroying myself, only just enough!


    ¡°FUCK YOU! I¡¯M YOUR MASTER NOT YOU MY MASTER AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!¡± I took my frustrations out on this stupid elf, but it was to no avail as she still trivialized all my attempts. The menace mana inside myself still stubbornly refused to heed my will, and I was forced to listen to its own primal desires¡­ forcefully reminding me of things that I shouldn¡¯t forget.


    It was right. There was a future. I would kill and destroy so many more. Even this motherfucker would be nothing to me once I have grown even stronger.


    ¡°Fuck you die tommorow.¡±


    I willingly went to sleep.

 Chapter 65: Best Friends Forever!

    ¡°Haell! Are you alright! What happened!¡± The melodious chime of Elfrafim¡¯s voice rang in my ears, forcing me out of my sleep.


    ¡°W-what¡­?¡± I opened my eyes blearily, but my attempts to get up bore no fruit, for everything was pain. ¡°What the fuck?¡±


    And then I remembered what happened.


    I reiterated, ¡°What. The. Fuck?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying!¡± Elfrafim complained. She poured more magic into healing, and I could feel the effects as the fractures in my bones were mended, and so were the tears in my muscles.


    I got back up and growled.


    ¡­Actuually, that wasn¡¯t me. It was my stomach. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°Naturally! I just healed you!¡±


    Healing did typically make use of the different nutrients stored in the body, so it was understandably a draining process.


    Astan dropped some weird chicken into my lap afterwards, and I gratefully roasted it quick with magic before digging in.


    ¡°So?¡± Elfrafim prodded me with a finger.


    ¡°So¡­?¡±


    ¡°The shit you did! While in the hyperdemon state! That bloody ritual, and then being able to just¡­ knock yourself out.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. That.¡±


    I mulled over my own thoughts some more while eating, replaying the memories of the prior battle in my head. It was seriously super fucking weird, like I was a completely different person entirely, but the memories were certainly there¡­


    ¡°So the ritual,¡± I eventually said. ¡°I mean. I can do that normally, without the gland active. I just never thought to. Can¡¯t exactly just draw in the middle of the fight. That only happened because you let me!¡±


    Elfrafim shrugged. ¡°It was interesting! I wasn¡¯t about to stop you! I didn¡¯t know if such crude illustration would work to begin with, so I really wanted to know!¡±


    ¡°Would it actually have affected you?¡± I recalled the aforementioned illustrations of fast, raw and violent strokes. I was sure that a properly made one while I was¡­ sane would have been a much stronger ritual. Or at least, the illustrations would have been better. My menace magic was at its strongest while my hyperdemon gland was active though, and that boost was not to be underestimated.


    ¡°A bit?¡± Elfrafim answered. ¡°If I just stood there then yeah. There would¡¯ve been some damage taken. I¡¯m not impervious, and I¡¯m not built for defense to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± A plan formed in my head. Of a big ritual drawn by me, and then activated by my hyperdemon form. That could seriously damage my dear friend Elfrafim!


    Except she was indeed a dear friend, and I did not wish at all to do that. But the plan I came up with could certainly be saved for a different foe¡­


    ¡°How about knocking yourself out?¡± Elfrafim gestured pushing at her own head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that solve your problem?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What problem?¡±


    ¡°Uh, the one where you go berserk and attack and kill anyone and everyone?¡± Her confusion turned into a big grin. ¡°Although maybe I am overreacting! What¡¯s wrong with a little bit of a massacre here and there, hmm?¡±


    I chuckled, shaking my head. ¡°Fuck off. I get it. But no, it¡¯s not a solution. I can¡¯t¡­ well, it seems like I can knock myself out on command somehow when the hyperdemon gland is active¡­ but I¡¯m not all there, you know? I don¡¯t make the same decisions. So like, in the same way I can¡¯t just choose to not attack everyone and everything in sight, I also can¡¯t just choose to stop and sleep while in that state. Even if I technically, physically, can.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, that was fun!¡± Elfrafim got up and dusted herself off. ¡°Wanna go again?¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Fuck no.¡± I marched back towards our base. ¡°See you next week.¡±


    I¡¯d do it sooner, tomorrow even, despite what I said. But damn, using the hyperdemon gland was just¡­ very uncomfortable. I¡¯d worked so hard so far, and I would continue to do so, but I could be allowed some¡­ weakness here, couldn¡¯t I?


    It was just really, so fucking difficult.


    ~~~


    It took three days, until I used the hyperdemon gland again. This time I fought random forest monsters whilst in that berserk state, which was very satisfying because I actually stood a chance and won. The excitement over the carnage built and built until I was taking on a slaughtertooth near the river. It was a sort of tiger that started at level 20, except this one was well into the 40s.


    Naturally, I bellowed a challenge the moment I spotted the beast. And naturally, despite the enormous boost from my hyperdemon gland, I was still slapped around like a ragdoll. Although I was able to fight back and injure the monster, even if the wounds I inflicted were superficial. I had to be saved and extracted by Elfrafim from the encounter in the end, whom I also promptly attacked, but that didn¡¯t last long as she knocked me out.


    I woke up and lazed around for a few more days, until I finally worked up the courage to try again after the third. This time I faced Elfrafim again, and she absolutely trivialized everything I did, until I felt so hopeless that I knocked myself out.


    I was starting to really empathize with my hyperdemon self. And I knew that this was my menace mana talking.


    [Hyperdemon Gland has reached Level 14!]


    My days continued on like that, activating the gland every 3 days as I¡¯d been doing. I did not spend the rest of my time idle however, as I worked on the rest of my Mutations yet to reach Level 20, practiced my artistic skills for ritual making, and helped Moonwash with her general crafts. I even managed to kill some goeaths with the help of everyone else, and Moonwash made of their level 20 horns a staff just like hers that could spew out the big flames! She gave it to me! I loved her!


    [Demon Eyes has reached Level 20!]


    [Demon Arms has reached Level 20!]


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    [Demon Hooves has reached Level 20!]


    [Demon Horns has reached Level 20!]


    With only my blood, my regen heart, and my hyperdemon gland below the threshold, I began to feel the pressure to use the latter more. There was just something about the hyperdoemon state that I felt so invasive and frightening, but I¡¯d get nowhere being afraid of it forever, so I slapped my cheeks hard and did another session against Elfrafim after only 2 days had passed.


    That didn¡¯t cause any problems, so I shortened the gap again to one day, and that became the new normal for a while until I began activating the gland multiple times everyday.


    It was draining, exhausing, tiring, and for some reason the progress of the Mutation had slowed down. But that only meant I had to try even harder, I had to get used to it like I did for my menace mana. Exposure exposure exposure. I was fine!


    [Regen Heart has reached Level 20!]


    [Mana-Infused Blood has reached Level 20!]


    Finally, it was only my hyperdemon gland left, still at level 16. I threw caution to the wind and used it as often as I could. I eventually hit a bottleneck, as I found out that I couldn¡¯t actually activate it so soon after having just used it, and that staying in that state for too long was actually really fucking draining in the way that left my mind sluggish after I came out of it.


    There might be more limits I was yet unaware of, so I asked Elfrafim to clear out all the monsters level 20 and above in a certain area.


    I once again activated my hyperdemon gland.


    ~~~


    Kill destroy the forest full of life fill it with death slaughter every animal within feast on the flesh of monsters flay their bones inside out and stomp on their graves don¡¯t bury don¡¯t bury smear all their entrails against the trees then chop chop the trees end it all end all life destroy everything destroy destr¨C


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!¡±


    I exploded into the forest before me. I killed the deer in my way, the tigers, the squirrels. Giant mosquito bugs were smears on my sword, big bird snakes were slashed once and then twice, many other times across their full length. The sensation of murder washed over me as I continued to hunt. It was a great satisfaction to destroy and bully the weak so I kept doing it and doing it, even the small tiny ineffectual bugs were unsafe. I enjoyed all the pain, all the suffering, it mattered not what they did or what they were or were not guilty of. All life was wrong just for existing. All things were wrong just for existing. And so my aura exploded out of me, my menace mana rolled off in waves throughout the day and throughout the night. Everything hurt, everything in my body was screaming at me to stop, even the very mana in my blood blared its chittering warning. But I was not done. Some sort of giant ladybug? Dead. Horned hares hiding? I dug out their burrows and slurped out their insides. I kept going even as my body protested with every step, but so too did the constant reminders.


    I remembered that I didn¡¯t want to die


    I didn¡¯t want to lose my potential.


    Because I wanted to KILL AND DESTROY MORE.


    That¡¯s why I now had to sleep.


    Bad night.


    ~~~


    I woke up again, panting as the memories of the last day and more pounded through my head.


    ¡°Hey, Haell? Awoke?¡± Elfrafim asked cheerfully.


    ¡°Fuck off.¡± But my own reply came out terse and resentful.


    The smile fell from her face a little, but it swiftly returned. ¡°Someone¡¯s grumpy! Did you forget to turn off the hyperdemon gland?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did! It¡¯s fine!¡± I snapped, and Astan flew down from the air to peck angrily at me.


    I waved my hands to swat him away. ¡°Argh. Fuck off! Get off me!¡±


    I hurriedly got up, and nearly fell, but I supported myself off the trunk of a tree.


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m not done healing you!¡± Elfrafim called after me, but I ignored her.


    I rummaged through my armor to find my nature wand, growling and crying when it eluded me until I finally found it near the bands of my waist.


    ¡°Fuck. Finally.¡± I wiped my eyes and healed myself once I found the wand, slowly making my way back toward the base. At first with a limp, but that fixed itself in time, though my healing was clearly less efficient than normal. I could not build a good image in my mind, and that just exacerbated the issue of my irritation even further.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I punched a tree. That felt good, so I did it some more. I took a deep breath, and then jumped down our door. I staggered toward the couch, but Moonwash asked something of me before I could lay down to sleep.


    ¡°Hey, Haell. I need you to¨C¡±


    ¡°Fuck off! Do it yourself!¡±


    ¡°I am not that good with menace magic, and the intent you¡¯re able to produce with it is far better than mine.¡± She explained her reasoning as if unfazed by my outburst. That only annoyed me more. This infuriating woman who hadn¡¯t changed one bit since she was a little girl.


    ¡°Fucking grow up!¡± I roared. ¡°I don¡¯t care! You¡¯re talented right!? Everyone fucking loves you! You can do anything! So figure it out!¡±


    Moonwash froze. Her expressions showed nothing, but tears began flowing out of her eyes. ¡°I am not capable of doing everything,¡± she explained calmly. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking for your help, because there are things you can do that I can¡¯t, and because we are friends. But if you are unwilling, then that is fine. I will not force you.¡±


    So saying, she turned on her heel and marched back toward her workshop. I watched her back with an annoyance at the tone she took with me and just everything about her¡­ but mostly I was sad. I regretted everything I said. Before I knew it my helmet had been tossed away, and my unclean armor clattered as I ran across our home.


    I hugged Moonwash from behind.


    ¡°Fuck. I¡¯m sorry, Moonwash. I don¡¯t know what came over me. Well, I know. It¡¯s my hyperdemon gland. I was just so¡­ so¡­ irritated after using it for a full day. More. I was angry before that even, and I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing wrong. But it was wrong of me to take it out on you like that. I don¡¯t mean it. You¡¯re amazing. I love the things you make, and I love helping you. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Moonwash barely twitched. She stood there, in my embrace, neither returning it nor pushing me away.


    ¡°You¡¯ve mentioned your hyperdemon gland before, and I know you¡¯ve been training it. Mutations that can power you up in exchange for a berserk state are rare, but not unheard of. However even among them, yours is unique. Can you tell me more about it and your recent discoveries?¡±


    ¡°Of course I can!¡± I nuzzled into the shorter woman¡¯s nape. ¡°But uh¡­ are we good?¡±


    ¡°Morally? I¡¯m not sure. It¡¯s subjective.¡±


    ¡°What? No! Not that. I mean, like¡­ are we okay. With each other. We¡¯re still friends? You¡¯re not mad? Do you forgive me?¡±


    She thought about it for a little while, every second only making me more anxious as I tightened my hold on her. Which I noticed, prompting me to finally let go.


    Moonwash turned back toward me, now dirty from the day I spent slaughtering everything¡­ I got the unwashed grime on her.


    ¡°Uh. Sorry about that too¡­¡±


    ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°Your clothes. Got you dirty.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s fine.¡±


    A pause.


    ¡°So, about my questions earlier¡­ can you answer them?¡±


    Moonwash nodded. ¡°I am a little mad, yes. But it¡¯ll pass. And of course we are still friends. I forgive you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well great!¡± I breathed, a weight lifted off my chest. ¡°You sure though? I can help you now with your things!¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the help.¡± She led the way toward her forge. ¡°And of course I¡¯m sure. It¡¯s hard to stay mad when I love you so much.¡±


    I halted in my tracks, my mind whirling at what Moonwash just dropped. But she probably meant it as a friend or something. It¡¯s just how Moonwash was. She just didn¡¯t understand these things, and I probably should warn her not to blurt that out to just anyone. They might misunderstand and get the wrong idea, and then it might turn into some kind of problem.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good¡­ I love you too! Lots and lots!¡±


    Moonwash turned back around and faced me. Her lips became upturned into a rare smile. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡±


    She grabbed my face and kissed me on the lips.


    WHAT!?

 Chapter 66: Totally Friendly Debates.

    I finally broke the kiss after a few seconds, staring at Moonwash who stared back.


    I worked my jaw a little and looked around, trying to find the thing I was going to say. All that came out was, ¡°W-what?¡±


    ¡°That was a kiss.¡±


    ¡°I know what a kiss is!¡± I shouted, a little more forcefully than I intended. I definitely knew a lot more about it than her. ¡°I just¡­ I was surprised. I wasn¡¯t expecting that.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Her expression remained a neutral mask. ¡°I know I¡¯m not good at expressing things. But I was under the impression that declaring your love for each other meant that?¡±


    ¡°W-well you¡¯re not wrong.¡± I looked at her again. She was as expressionless as always, but sweat was running down her brow. ¡°You¡¯re definitely not wrong! I just¡­ Ugh.¡± I wiped my face with my hand, and found gore still stuck on it. ¡°Fuck. Can we table this discussion for later? I just¡­ I have a lot to think about. But! Do know that what happened was my fault. I thought you wouldn¡¯t understand and you just meant love as in a friend. Not, you know¡­ romantically.¡±


    ¡°I do love you as a friend. But also romantically. I can do both.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help it. I laughed. I somehow imagined her bland tone as smug. ¡°Sure, yeah. Let me just wash myself off.¡±


    I looked behind me and at the train of entrails that I¡¯d left in my wake. And also got all over Moonwash.


    I winced.


    Yikes.


    I hurried back to our bathroom by the front and took a much-needed shower. During which my mind drifted back to what just happened.


    It was¡­ not unfamiliar. I¡¯ve had many romantic encounters throughout my past life¡­ kind of, it¡¯s complicated. But that¡¯s not the point. Some of those encounters were brief, some persisted for maybe a few months, and others yet lasted until the end. It was just something that I did, a big part of how I lived for the longest time, and for some reason I just stopped doing that as Haell. It barely crossed my mind.


    Could it be perhaps just due to an entirely different body and mind? Love was, after all, still just a chemical reaction, and that could vary greatly from person to person¡­ or maybe I should not be so cynical anymore. Souls truly did exist. Who knew what the fuck that meant.


    Still, something had clearly changed. It wasn¡¯t just the lack of romantic and sexual pursuits, I was just far less social in general than I once was. I also did the cliche where I became so focused on getting better at doing horrific acts of violence that I completely forgot about love and other passions.


    Additionally, I was over 30 years old, before adding in my age in this life. So I didn¡¯t really feel comfortable thinking about that with children, and trying to do it with adults as a child was a terrible idea on so many levels. So I¡­ just ignored any and all of those desires. I was already far too busy anyway.


    But well, I¡¯d grown up. So did they. I didn¡¯t know how I felt about that yet, but now that it was in my mind again it won¡¯t fucking leave!


    ¡°AaaaaAAAAAaaaAaAaAaHhHhHhhH!!!¡± I screeched in a voice that I took care to remain low.


    Having straightened my gay thoughts, I pulled the repository out of the shower, wiped myself off, and got dressed.


    I marched back into the main hall, to find Moonwash having just washed herself as well. Her long black hair was glistening wet, and the blank look she greeted me with only made her more cute.


    Fuck. Now I¡¯m thinking about it and I''m conscious about it and aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! Fuck.


    Maybe I should just activate my hyperdemon gland.


    I sat down next to Moonwash on the couch, my desire to use my most dangerous Mutation obviously done in jest.


    ¡°I am unsure and I am confused and I want to get to level 20 first and evolve into an even better demon and I don¡¯t know what to do right now so can this whole love thing wait until then!?¡±


    There. Nailed it.


    ¡°So we¡¯ll start dating after your next evolution?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying!¡±


    ¡°Oh. What am I waiting for then?¡±


    ¡°Err. Well, for me to sort out what I think? And like, don¡¯t actually wait for me. Just¡­ can we just go on as normal? And if something happens in the future, along that vein, then it does. If it doesn¡¯t then it doesn¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m not explaining this well am I?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not.¡± Moonwash thought about it for a few seconds. ¡°Is this that thing I heard where you let someone down easy?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no!¡± I stammered, more insistent than I intended. I did appreciate the bluntness with which she approached this. It¡¯s what I preferred by a mile and a kilometer. ¡°I would be more clear if that were the case. I just¡­¡±


    I explained to her all the shower thoughts I had earlier. Which were either brilliant or utterly dumb. It could always go either way.


    ¡°I think I understand. Just continue on as normal for now, but you are not outright rejecting me?¡±


    ¡°Yep! You got it!¡± I flashed her a thumbs-up.


    ¡°Does continuing on as normal include you helping me try and make a stronger goblin variant?¡±


    ¡°It could, yes¡­ WAIT WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!?¡±


    ¡°Making a stronger goblin variant.¡±


    ¡°I heard you¡­¡± I looked around the area. Elfrafim had arrived earlier, and was sorting through some crates with Astan. Luine was nowhere to be found and Baston was tending to his underground garden. ¡°Sure. Fuck it. Let¡¯s do it.¡±


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    ¡°I professed my undying love for you. I have no intentions of fucking a goblin.¡±


    I both blushed and narrowed my eyes at her while laughing like I never had before. Why would she say that!?


    ¡°I was joking,¡± she clarified. ¡°I know you meant it figuratively.¡±


    ~~~


    I found myself in the living room with Moonwash, Elfrafim, and Astan. I was just¡­ living life, relaxing, taking a week-long break or more to just play and have fun. I probably should¡¯ve realized sooner, and I probably did know and was just being too stubborn, but overusing my hyperdemon gland so much was very bad for my mental health. Using it at all might be bad, period!


    Not that I¡¯d stop, but I had learned the value of pacing myself. That was the best compromise that I could do.


    ¡°What about this one? It looks like you.¡± Moonwash handed me the beastiary, opened on the page of a troll. It was a monster found in the mountains, almost like a much bulkier goblin in appearance except more blue or gray in color.


    ¡°It does not look like me!¡± I protested, considering. We were just looking at the many different sorts of monsters, and coming up with ideas for parts to use to fuel my next species evolution. This one creature in particular had five hearts in total which all allegedly worked very similarly to my regen heart.


    No, I¡¯m not working right now. Not at all. We¡¯re just friends, hanging out, in a very relaxing manner.


    ¡°It was another joke.¡± Moonwash very briefly curled her lips into a smile. ¡°You look much cooler than that.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ right. Yeah.¡±


    Elfrafim giggled, having heard all about what happened between us a few days back.


    ¡°What?¡± I challenged her, against my better judgment.


    ¡°Nothing at all¡­¡± she singsonged rhythmically.


    Astan squawked and handed me a different book. I looked at what he wanted to show me and found a boarloth. It was essentially a very slow pig, but with a very thick hide and an unrelenting maw. I struggled to see which part of the beast would fit well with my build.


    Astan¡¯s stomach grumbled.


    ¡°We¡¯re not shopping for lunch!¡± I complained.


    We passed the hours like that, bringing snacks to ourselves, switching venues to the outside to grill some food, and then coming back inside while still talking about the many monsters. Somewhere along the way, the discussion had turned for the more violent and exciting, pitting the different creatures against each other and debating very passionately who would win in a versus battle.


    ¡°The aracharach will surely win. It has a fortress of sticky webs, it can produce sticky webs, and it literally has web magic allowing it great control over the webs.¡±


    ¡°No! The wyvern would surely win!¡± Elfrafim disagreed with moonwash. The creatures in question were both monsters born at level 80 and naturally matured toward 160. True rulers of the world. ¡°It¡¯d just blow fire from above, and goodbye! I¡¯ve seen it once, and I still shiver at the memory. All I could do was run away.¡±


    ¡°The web is not flammable.¡± Moonwash pointed at a section in the description.


    Elfrafim squinted her eyes at it¡­ even though her eyesight was so good she could probably read it from across the room. ¡°The trees they¡¯re attached to are flammable.¡±


    ¡°Some trees are inflammable.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s typically because of the moisture in them. A wyvern¡¯s breath can just boil those away easily.¡±


    ¡°Depends on the tree. What about that father tree you mentioned.¡±


    ¡°The father tree won¡¯t just let a filthy aracharach nest on his branches!¡±


    Moonwash pointed at a different section. ¡°They actually keep themselves quite clean, and has polishing habits using different sorts of webs.¡±


    ¡°I still doubt the Father Tree would have an aracharach sitting in his branches.¡±


    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s high level. It¡¯s a respectable creature. Spiders hunt down pests.¡±


    ¡°...Shit. You might be right.¡±


    Holy shit. Elfrafim was centuries old and she was losing to Moonwash in a battle of wits.


    I devoured my popnuts, while watching my good friends bicker. Popnuts were these nuts we found that grew in bunches like grapes and popped like popcorn when subjected to heat. They were very delicious, and perfect as snacks.


    The argument continued, and somehow, throughout the passage of time, the wyvern had all been forgotten. The subject firmly stayed on the topic of where aracharachs chose to nest, and now they were debating the merits of making a web fortress in the middle of an active volcano because the silk was allegedly inflammable.


    I ate more popnuts, satisfied and pleased.


    ~~~


    After deciding to make clones of the practically divine aracharachs someday, we finalized my choices for my Mutation enhancements. Some of them we already had in stock, like the bones of a pearthguin, the musculature of a bear, or the heart of a goblin shaman that once had limitless potential. That last one was a terrible idea, but it¡¯s my terrible idea. I already had curse-derivative mana flowing through my very blood, suffusing my whole body. I couldn¡¯t back down now, I only intended to double down.


    For the eyes and the horns, there were several very rare monsters that should exist near my typical hunting grounds. I would need to enlist the help of Baston to find them, but I intended to catch them myself once found.


    Now, I could instead try to use the parts of a goeath instead, but I already did that last time, and while the resulting horns turned out to be very different, I worried that just doing the same thing would not trigger a species evolution.


    That would be a travesty.


    There was one ingredient that I hesitated to bring up, but we already had it in storage¡­ along with the rest of her party. I was talking of course about that one centaur adventurer we once killed. Her hooves were over level 20, and could very well be used to enhance my own¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not!¡± Elfrafim shrugged.


    ¡°Because it was from a sapient person??¡±


    ¡°Eh, they¡¯re dead. And in that case, why¡¯d you even harvest the things, you know?¡±


    I looked at Moonwash. I pointed at my friend. ¡°I blame her. It¡¯s her fault. I participated in none of this.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for giving me all the credit, Haell. But you also contributed a lot to that fight.¡±


    ¡°No, nah. Take all that credit. I insist.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I am also in favor of using the hooves. And don¡¯t worry about the sapience part, I¡¯ve already used most of the human remains. Their bones are very flexible.¡±


    ¡°Elf bones are even more flexible!¡± Elfrafim added proudly.


    ¡°Right. Sure.¡± I heaved a weary sigh. They had a problem if I was the one reacting like this. ¡°Let¡¯s use the hooves. Why not!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Why not, when you¡¯ve already used the arms of an ogre?¡± Moonwash sipped on her tea.


    Oh right. That happened. Why was I even fighting so hard against this¡­


    ¡°My hands are already red,¡± literally, ¡°so let us soak them in more blood.¡±


    That left a host of other materials that I needed. From the heart of a troll, to the blood of a hekaton and more. I decided to just rely on Luine to get them for me in the markets, as I had plenty of my own money now too. I¡¯d killed a lot of sorta high-level monsters in my time here, and they were sold whenever my parents or someone else came by for a supply drop. My share of those had added up to a very sizable bounty that I wasn¡¯t afraid to flex.

 Chapter 67: Eye Found You!

    ¡°Is that it!?¡± I yelled as Baston reeled in whatever creature was caught in his fishing rod that was made only from materials that were level 40 or above. The hook was large and strange, able to somehow latch onto prey as if alive through some mechanisms, and it was supremely sticky, even producing its own disgusting slime!


    I looked at the surface of the lake in anticipation, for we were at the heart of The Endless Dive, in search of a specific monster that would be very good for my eyes.


    Very good indeed.


    The fish broke the surface of the water, and I threw a harpoon with such strength that my arm nearly broke in the process. I did it again and then grabbed hold of the attached chain from one of them. Moonwash had the other one, and together we yanked the clam-headed fish towards shore. I charged toward the treeline myself, while dragging the chain with me, in order to impart more force!


    The elephant-sized fish dropped to the ground, now taken from its home. The monster opened its mouth and began blowing bubbles that nearly looked like pearls. The things exploded with concussive force, but my friends scattered just in time to avoid it.


    Level 20. My level sense told me. It was no threat, especially in a vastly disadvantageous environment such as this.


    I charged forward and brandished my sword, finishing the mana weave around it with frightening speed. The monster flopped around on the ground and blew more bubbles at me, but I managed to veer leftwards and dodge most of them. A few exploded a little too close and knocked me off balance, maybe even causing some damage, but nothing that slowed me down too much. I reached the creature¡¯s side and began cutting. I turned the living thing into a sushi as its head veered around to strike me with the bubbles, but I just ran away to its other side in that case.


    The monster did flop around, and I was hit by those movements a couple of times, but it did little lasting harm. I just kept on coming and coming, pouring my menace mana into my attacks, set only to do as much damage, until eventually the monster succumbed.


    ¡°Is this it? Have we caught it!?¡± I ask excitedly, jumping around.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Baston shook his head. ¡°Were you not listening? It looks like a very big slug with particularly large eyes. Does this look at all like that to you?¡±


    ¡°Ehehe. I was kidding.¡±


    By big, he meant as large as a rhinoceros, unlike this clam-fish I just killed which was only as large as a bear.


    The creature was pulled farther away from the lake, to not attract the attention of monsters we couldn¡¯t afford to call upon. Moonwash hurriedly flipped through a book, claiming how this one had never been encountered before, while Elfrafim was already preparing the ritual for identification. Moonwash joined her a beat later.


    ¡°Identify!¡±


    They shouted in unison, and a small tempest picked up around them. Wind was actually one of the least intrusive elements to use for an identification ritual.


    ¡°Clamella!¡± Elfrafim exclaimed, and Moonwash narrated the rest. From its Mutation and their associated levels, the highest being a level 27 bubblomb gland.


    That gland was apparently connected to a bubble element fount, something I¡¯d never heard of because the existing elements were as varied as the stars in the sky. It was another way to utilize magic, to have it connected to some sort of gland or other Mutation, instead of a repository. It was basically having a focus and a repository all in one Mutation, and without the need for the focus to be exposed. The downside was the lack of flexibility, as they couldn¡¯t really cast with it, only do a limited set of predetermined functions.


    Moonwash and Elfrafim harvested the creature afterwards, as I unfolded the tables and napkins for lunch. Luine was the only one missing out on our super fun idyllic life because I sent her on errands on my behalf.


    It was for a good cause, to bring me closer to another evolution, but I still felt bad.


    I resolved to reserve for her many choice slices of the clamella¡¯s meat! Sushi or bust!


    I had no idea what that meant.


    ~~~


    A week had passed, and we had been here for quite a while. A single party of adventurers did come by, but they never went back. A gigantic worm surfaced, and while my group had run away long before it was an issue, they didn¡¯t listen to our warnings fast enough and were instead eaten alive.


    It was nice of them though, to leave their supplies for us afterwards, and Moonwash pored over the staves and weapons and books that they left behind. Only the strongest of adventurers came this far, meaning that their valuables were very valuable.


    That at least made it worth me having to hide and pretend to just be a heavily armored human while they were here. Elfrafim didn¡¯t bother, but she was over level 80. Even in the empire, people knew enough to just leave the elves well enough alone. Most of the time, anyway. But the adventurers definitely weren¡¯t strong enough to try anything, nor were they so stupid as to pick a fight.


    Too bad they still died.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I called to Baston, just taking in the peaceful scenery. Monsters sometimes came by to have a drink at the lake, but few ever sought a confrontation with us.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, Haell?¡± He asked, hands on a fishing rod. Most of his catches were around level 10, so we were just piling up our bounty peacefully nearby. We might have to go back to our base at some point, just to deposit our catch.


    ¡°Nothing much.¡± I gazed upon the canvas of white and blue upon the sky. ¡°I was just wondering. Why are you here?¡±


    He snorted. ¡°Sick of my presence, are you?¡±


    ¡°What? No, no. Not at all!¡± I protested, aware of his joking smirk. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t know. Why help me out, and for this long?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°I have nothing better to do.¡±


    ¡°Ehh. That¡¯s not a reason.¡±


    ¡°But it is. You of all people live that reason.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say my thinking is a little more¡­ positive. ¡®I want to.¡¯ That¡¯s what my reasons sound like.¡±


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    ¡°True, true. But what I mean is that it¡¯s equally as¡­ unplanned and not thought out.¡±


    ¡°Are you doubting my master plan to rule the world?¡±


    He howled out an echoing laugh. ¡°What¡¯s fucked up is that I could see it working. Miss ¡®Get strong. Get stronger. Kill them all.¡¯ You of all people can pull it off, and that¡¯s terrifying.¡±


    I made an exaggerated bow. ¡°Thank you, thank you.¡±


    Baston continued after a while of silence, speaking of his own motivations for coming here and helping me. ¡°You were right. ¡®I wanted to.¡¯ That¡¯s exactly my reason. I was itching to get back out there, and this was just a great excuse, it gave me an excellent opportunity. Seeing you and Moonwash grow has been a more adventurous exploration than a dive toward any location. You¡¯re an inspiration.¡±


    ¡°Oho? Can you say that last part again? I didn¡¯t quite hear it clearly enough¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuck off.¡± He laughed.


    I smirked.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you once tell me that¡­ err¡­ something something about how you¡¯ve achieved the best you can? I thought you intended to just retire or something.¡±


    Baston chuckled. ¡°Yeah. Maybe I still will. But it¡¯s like¡­ It''s the dream, right? What I had was the highest point I could reasonably climb at, socially, and it was¡­ nice. It¡¯s nice. I was grateful. I could see my life just passing by like that. I don¡¯t have it in me to do more.¡±


    He paused, and turned his gaze toward the skies. ¡°But I do love the adventure. I love the fights and I love the exploration. Maybe not quite as much as people as insane you¨C¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°¨Cand maybe that meant that I can happily retire after all. But I just wasn¡¯t sure. The itch was still there. Maybe small enough that I could ignore it, but should I? Why shouldn¡¯t I just keep adventuring? Why not? Why do I have to care about the highest dream an ishkawtan can aim for? How does it matter that so many would kill to be in my position? What is keeping me there?¡±


    Silence reigned for a few seconds.


    ¡°Did you find it, then? What you were looking for?¡± My eyes never left the clear waters as I asked the question.


    ¡°Yes. No. Maybe.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°The air is fresh, the world is vast. It cares not if I stay in my own peaceful corner of it, or if I explore its secrets. I think whatever whim strikes my fancy when I get back will be enough.¡±


    ¡°I think so too.¡± I smiled. ¡°I like it. Freedom.¡±


    I tossed a pebble into the water, and of course that was the moment a level 40 tuna with way too many horns broke the surface of the lake and jumped up into the air. I was forced to back away by sheer instinct, and I even tripped over myself.


    I swear its face looked smug.


    ~~~


    ¡°Have we found it yet?¡± I asked, weeks later, having gone on one trip back to our base and then back here at The Endless Dive.


    ¡°No, Haell. For the millionth time¡­¡± Baston began his millionth retort when he suddenly paused. I tried to ask him what was happening, but he shushed me, peering into the waters. ¡°W¡­We found it!¡±


    ¡°Yus! Catch it!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Baston wound up and tossed the reel into the water. It sank down into the depths and reached the slug that was our target. I couldn¡¯t see what was happening from that deep underneath, but Baston soon pulled the reel back, clarifying that the wolf meat we were using as bait was certainly not working. So we tried other things, all manner of meat to bait this monster into a trap but nothing worked. And then Astan decided to impale a fruit on the hook.


    I looked at Baston, and we both collectively shrugged, willing to give anything a try. If we couldn¡¯t find a solution soon, then the yet unnamed animal might decide to run off.


    The fruit was effective, there was a strong tug on the reel. Baston wasted no time pulling our catch up, and I peered excitedly at the waters in anticipation of our prey.


    I felt a presence. I could not see quite so deep into the waters, but I perceived two eyes nearly the size of my head staring right at me. It was the gaze of a stronger predator, a being superior to me in every way. I had no chance, I should just run, my legs shook from the sheer pressure of it all.


    And then the feeling passed. My brain was fortified against such sensations, and I additionally focused on the horrid screams of my menace mana to drown out the effects.


    The creature rose further up, pulled along by the fishing rod. I took out my sword in anticipation, already threading my menace magic through the weapon. Soon enough, I could see my prey as it stared back at me. A slug the size of a rhino, with two pulsing eyes atop its head.


    Those disgusting orbs tilted to focus on me, and I came to know just how my enemies felt in my presence.


    It was pathetic that they could not resist.


    The slug broke the surface of the water, and wind-enchanted harpoons were thrown by the rest of our group. All but one were repelled by the disgusting coating of slime the monster sported, but that one harpoon tossed by Elfrafim sank deep.


    She pulled, and additionally used her magic, summoning a mighty tempest to force the slug all the way to shore.


    The creature landed with a nauseating squelch, and I was left alone to fight it as per my request. My menace mana only grew in force when I noticed my Moonwash being carried away, having clearly suffered from the creature¡¯s gaze.


    Fuck. You.


    My aura exploded out, and my demonic eyes challenged the creature¡¯s own. It paused for a moment, and that was enough for me to reach its side and slash. The slug growled at the lack of damage, revealing a wide mouth with blender-like teeth, but I was too far for it to reach. The monster jumped and wiggled with surprising speed, and its weight caused tremors at every turn¡­ but it was still jumping and wiggling. Not agile enough to catch me, even with the qualitative difference in levels. This was a monster whose offense was built solely around its gaze.


    I scoffed at the short-sightedness of the build as I ran around its body while taking care not to be caught by its clumsy movements. I tried slashing every which way, but the slime proved a pervasive defense with little to no gaps. It was resilient to fire, and even my menace magic was caught by it, eventually sloughing off. It was at least good at what it did, despite the obvious gaps in its strategy.


    I decided to focus on one single spot, ravaging it and doggedly giving chase as the creature continued to thrash. My strikes eventually broke through the slime, and I reached the flesh underneath. It was tough like leather, but nothing compared to others of even the same level. My blade dug into it, and the creature shrieked as its clear blood dribbled out. It tried to strike at me with its tail, but the wind up was obvious and I jumped away. I kept up the damage in that single area as if riding a raging bull, taking chunks out of its tail. I remembered the withering effect my menace magic could have, especially prevalent in my blood, and I thought to give it a try. I chewed on my tongue and collected the liquid in my mouth, before eventually lifting off my helm briefly and spitting right at the monster¡¯s left side.


    The blood activated as if a miniature ritual, and the slime sloughed off, thinned and dried. A grin split my face at the sight, and I immediately turned my focus on the wide swathe of flesh now rendered defenseless. My greatsword reaped a cruel harvest, spilling more of its clear and semi-translucent blood. The slug continued to thrash, but my menace magic was taking its toll, weakening it from the inside. I didn¡¯t bother with the confusion or the intimidation this time, for the monster could already hardly evade my strikes.


    The slug proved very resilient in the end, able to move even with large chunks of its body carved out, and much of the lifeblood within stripped away. But it still ultimately fell, for it could not last forever under my onslaught, as even its prized slime dried out.


    The fangs that I took care to never get close to gnashed against each other at the defeat, and the monster¡¯s monstrous eyestalks swiveled around to face me. A sharp pounding headache assaulted my brain, and a strong feeling of gnawing fear ate away at my ego, but I courageously endured the creature¡¯s final death throes, letting my own pool of resentment subsume its own.


    It was not I who fell today.


    The deep exhaustion finally overwhelmed the unnamed slug, and its eyestalks drooped down to the ground, leaving me with my prize.

 Chapter 68: More Fishing!

    ¡°Gazelug,¡± Moonwash said. A name pronounced as Ga-Zel-Lug.


    She and Elfrafim did the identification ritual for my kill, before cutting off the eyes for my later use.


    ¡°Its slime must be so valuable, but so much of it is ruined.¡± Elfrafim prodded at the corpse, making a disgusted face at the gunk that stuck to her palms.


    She wiped it on me.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I snapped, still coming down from the high of my most recent fight. The infuriating elf woman had already jumped up at the trees. She moved with such grace along the canopy that I could never hope to catch her.


    ¡°Haha! Sorry about that!¡± Her melodious tone was the opposite of apologetic. ¡°The slime¡¯s effects actually fade very quickly, which is why it can be replaced so constantly. I imagine the vulnerability was only exacerbated by being exposed to air.¡±


    ¡°Eh, I think it was very strong.¡± I sat down, and she quickly fell just beside me, seeming to not disturb the environment at all with any of her movements. ¡°Which is why I who won is also very strong.¡±


    Elfrafim chuckled. ¡°Sure. That tracks.¡±


    We went back home after a short break, wherein we took a very long break spent in idyllic bliss. We returned to The Endless Dive afterwards, because there were very vague and unreliable rumors about a monster that might have just the perfect things for my horns.


    It was normally a lead that was too flimsy for me to follow through on, but we were just killing time until Luine got back, so it didn¡¯t hurt to just go there to fish with the possibility of finding something nice.


    I did also get back to grinding my hyperdemon gland, eager to just get those remaining levels out of the way. Elfrafim helped me with this, while Baston found his new calling as a fisherman. I approved.


    ~~~


    Months passed without any sign of the new monster we were looking for, but I found success in a different area for my hyperdemon gland had finally reached the current level cap. I could¡¯ve reached this point much sooner really, but I had to use the hyperdemon gland sparingly. I¡¯d learned my lesson, and I didn¡¯t want to have a repeat of the disaster that happened before.


    Although that did end up with me frenching Moonwash, so maybe a repeat wouldn¡¯t be so bad¡­


    I am going to ignore that I ever had those thoughts. Damn menace mana, why are you making me think these things???


    [Hyperdemon Gland has reached Level 20!]


    There were other notable things that happened during this time, such as an adventurer coming by while I was indisposed, therefore my friends hid me under layers of harvested materials.


    In other words, the smelly rotting corpses of predominantly fish. I seethed while buried, and then raged when freed.


    Cloudbirds came by, giving us rain, until Moonwash thought to kill one of them in order to summon their protector¡­ without telling any of us.


    It wasn¡¯t that big a problem, Elfrafim held it back until we were ready, and then Baston went into the blue forest and built a fortress of trees for himself, weathering the onslaught of water bullets and tying our enemy up, forcing its attention on him so it didn¡¯t leave for easier targets.


    I and Moonwash were on damage duty, as we launched projectiles from afar, uncaring of the heavy rain. My friend used the hellbreeze staff, meanwhile I went for menace bullets calibrated for maximum weakening. Astan too helped, but his wind blades still weren¡¯t all that sharp, especially not at range. All our attacks were quite ineffective really, as there was little we could do against our target.


    ¡°Hey. Why don¡¯t we just kill the cloudbirds?¡± I came up with that brilliant idea, to rid the monster of its source of ammunition. We refocused our fire and the cloudbirds began to drop, causing the boss monster to absolutely go crazy. We trusted Baston to hold it back, and I was able to hide behind the trees to dodge the remaining projectiles, switching to confusion bullets to mess up with the thing¡¯s aim further.


    I pulled Moonwash back to safety just as a hail of water dropped to where she once was. Just in time too, as the cursed staff had taken its toll on her despite the nature of its creation making its influence much softer on herself. Meanwhile, Astan had managed to absolutely dance around the onslaught from the air while still slaying the weaker cloudbirds. I felt proud for having managed to at least beat him once, while I was in a yet lesser evolved form.


    The birds were massacred, and those that remained fled. The big monster was left without a source of easy water, unless it decided to go for the lake, but that¡¯s why I was doing my best to confuse it!


    That didn¡¯t mean the elephant-hippo was defenseless, however, as its water magic could conjure water from thin air, but at a steeper cost. Its magic was pitted against Baston¡¯s own, and Baston won the battle of endurance. Making plants grow faster was a fair bit more efficient than conjuring whole blobs of water.


    All that was left of the monster then was its massive bulk, and that was when I went in with my eyes and aura. It barely had an effect, and even drew the monster¡¯s attention to me, but that was precisely what I intended you fool!


    The creature tripped trying to make its way toward me, it didn¡¯t notice but vines and roots had wound through its legs. Baston slammed the butt of his staff into the ground and with it came a tide of plantlife that buried our opponent, piercing through its thick hide, crushing the mass of flesh, and eventually ending its life.


    Baston panted and dropped to the ground, his mind fully spent.


    ¡°Good job team!¡± I cheered. I had no idea where that came from.


    Moonwash took over and identified the corpse with a ritual, informing us finally of its true name.


    ¡°Nimboar.¡±


    It¡­ it wasn¡¯t a boar.


    ~~~


    ¡°Run!¡±


    We were just doing what was our usual routine by now, of gazing out into The Endless Dive as another peaceful day passed by. That was when Elfrafim screamed for us to run, and I could feel the palpable fear in her melodious voice.


    I wasted no time in complying, and so did the rest of my friends. We made it into the treeline, but Elfrafim shouted at us to keep moving, and so we did.


    I felt it then, a palpable pressure that all but forced me to look back. Stronger than Baston, Luine, my parents, or anyone in their party. Stronger than Elfrafim. Stronger than Grandpa. It was a being entirely out of the world as I perceived it.


    The ominous creature broke through the surface of the water, and I could see its grotesque form from beyond the trees. A body of tentacles and tendrils of seaweed, interspersed with eyes but with no central body that I could perceive. It floated in the air, and great masses of water flowed around it ponderously. The world held its breath in an uncanny and unnatural way.


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    I did not pause to take in any more of the scene as I pushed my legs to carry me forward as fast as they could. My menace magic activated, my demonic hooves fulfilled their purpose to charge, and I existed only to run away.


    Idly, I noted how fear could still grip me so long as it wasn¡¯t¡­ artificial, a product of magical influences. That thing was worthy of being feared.


    ~~~


    ¡°Hey. Haell. The horizon is clear. You can stop now.¡± I heard a voice from the green and normal trees. The tone was a familiar timber of harmonious notes.


    A brief thought crossed my mind about how it was a trick from the monster, and that I should kill her now, but I did not care to entertain the notion.


    ¡°Hey Elfrafim.¡± I finally came to a stop, my legs feeling like jelly. ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am.¡± She jumped down lightly and offered me a hand. I grabbed it and allowed her to lead the way. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t stop if I wasn¡¯t sure.¡±


    I just nodded in response, and we traversed the forest in silence, until we were back to where the trees were starting to turn blue.


    Baston was there, and so was Moonwash.


    ¡°Hey guys!¡± I waved lazily, smiling. I allowed the joy of the reunion to wash over me, holding tighter onto Elfrafim¡¯s palm. I was safe now, the danger had passed, I would one day be the danger of that scale.


    ¡°Oh good, you¡¯re back,¡± Moonwash wore a smile, before immediately rounding on Elfrafim. ¡°So, I have some questions¡­¡±


    I listened to them bicker in peace as I took a seat by the campfire right next to Baston. Moonwash asked about what that monster was, but Elfrafim knew not the name. Only that it was over level 160, the next step from her own.


    ¡°What about its abilities?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never encountered it before.¡±


    ¡°How strong is it compared to you? You¡¯re only one evolution below, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the gap in power only grows between evolutions.¡±


    ¡°What about that wrongness that I felt? And that intimidation factor that made my instincts go wild?¡± I chimed in with my own questions, gratefully taking the snake skewer from Baston. Moonwash may not have noticed the same things, as her instincts weren¡¯t nearly as developed as my own.


    ¡°Level 160 is some sort of qualitative change, I think. It comes with a host of benefits, which I only know of a few. I think one of those might be causing the sense of wrongness, but essentially once a being reaches that level, they may gain certain¡­ abilities. I believe I¡¯ve heard the ancient elves say that it had to do with broadening their horizons, the environments they could explore. I¡¯ve seen them walk on literal air, while others yet breathed water.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not supposed to be able to fly,¡± Moonwash was the one to answer.


    ¡°Yep.¡± Elfrafim smiled and took her own seat around the campfire.


    ¡°Oh.¡± I smiled back as Moonwash took her own seat beside me.


    ¡°Looks like I have something to look forward to,¡± I said smugly.


    ~~~


    We went back home and then returned, only the find the clearing around The Endless Dive to have been severely widened. The trees surrounding it had been decimated, but new ones were already growing from the remains of the old, far faster than they should have in just a few meager days.


    Moonwash, Elfrafim, and Baston examined the site, and concluded through their nerd magic that it was heavy impacts of water that did most of the damage, and that the absurd level 160 monster we faced¨Cran away from, really¨Cwas likely the cause of it.


    ¡°That was more or less my guess too, and I didn¡¯t even have to look through shit to get there, which means I¡¯m even smarter!¡±


    It was true.


    My friends just chuckled, in agreement I was sure. After a few cautious prods at the lake, we finally engaged in our typical setup and set up camp.


    Gradually we began to relax. We chatted and ate whatever bounty we were able to catch, occasionally running away when a particularly dangerous creature surfaced, but nothing nearly as intimidating as the monster of seaweeds and tentacles. Elfrafim could take care of most of them, and she did just that against a level 80 shark, practically running across the water with the support of her wind magic, and whacking the animal with her staff whenever it drew too near. Sometimes she even baited it out, confidently allowing the megalodon¡¯s jaws to draw close just so she could get a chance at a melee. I also found out that her wind blades were far sharper at close range. It was just like my fire magic, in that it dissipated as it traveled.


    The monster retreated after only a short battle, bloodied and with its will broken. That Was when Elfrafim took out her bow, shooting into the water with such force that it hardly seemed to slow. The speed at which her projectiles flew was as if a bullet to a mundane human. I couldn¡¯t follow it at all, it seemed to just teleport to its target.


    Still, the monster somehow managed a successful retreat, if with heavy wounds that might eventually kill it anyway. Getting a clean kill was just too difficult from our position. The water was a barrier that worked both ways, preventing pursuit from either side.


    ~~~


    It was when we were just about to leave again, that hope was rekindled and a large level 40 squid came to the surface with the barnacle we wanted attached. It was a wiggling thing, like a tiny horned fish latched onto the squid. We had some spotty knowledge saying that those things increased the potency of magic.


    That theory was soon confirmed as waves upon waves of water crashed against us, and Baston hurriedly raised barriers of earth and plant against it.


    Elfrafim pulled out a water wand, and dragged the thing closer to shore. Vines followed soon after to pull the squid closer to land. The animal shrieked, and its crystal-tipped tentacles thrashed. I intuited them as focuses, just before an erratic storm of pressurized water hit all around us like whips, whizzing through the air and leaving deep furrows in the ground. One managed to snake past Baston¡¯s barriers, and I pushed Moonwash out of the way, taking the hit in her stead.


    The water was heavy, my armor crumpled, and the internals of my stomach were scrambled. I knelt through the pain as blood poured out from a hole where I was hit, but it was far from the worst I¡¯d suffered. The continuous heal from Moonwash had me standing back up in no time.


    ¡°Don¡¯t die.¡±


    I laughed weakly. ¡°Of course not. That was weak and ineffectual in the grand scheme of things.¡±


    We both enacted a plan after that, making a rushed but still well-made ritual just behind the barrier.


    Baston and Elfrafim got the message, and soon the reluctant squid was dragged to shore by a final gust of wind. It was then tossed further away by Elfrafim, hefting it with her staff and a huge helping of wind. The monster sailed through the air, and landed right in the middle of our ritual. We activated it just before the creature reached the ground.


    ¡°Curse of Weakness!¡±


    The blood began to evaporate, and the monster was caught in the middle of its effects. Its body became sluggish, the natural processes of its muscles and organs slowed down. It no longer had a ready source of water for its attacks here, and I allowed the stronger of us to weather its final onslaught and tire it out further before I went in for the kill.


    Not of the squid, but of the barnacle fish attached to it.


    My blade flashed forward, and I found the squid¡¯s flesh to be tough. I poured more mana into my sword, which somehow made it more effective, along with strengthening the effects of the magic it could bring to bear. This time I went for the withering effect, in hopes that it would weaken the flesh enough for me to cut through faster.


    I painstakingly carved through flesh, weathering and dodging the occasional tentacle for only a short while, until finally I was able to extract the parasite. The level 20 fish then tried to jump me instead, and it did succeed as I was stupid and not ready. Its teeth made short work of my armor, and then latched onto my arm. The monster extended out some sort of sharp proboscis into my flesh, and then I realized that the fish was a friend here to make me stronger. I should protect it.


    Those thoughts were false. They faded quickly thanks to my demonic brain, and that the intrusion was nothing compared to what my mana constantly brought to bear.


    I took a second to observe the creature, noting how its aim was to fuse itself with me, eventually becoming almost like just another limb. It did come with benefits, like chemicals to strengthen my muscles, and horns with which to enhance my magic. It sorely regretted the latter as I activated my magic during its attempts to incorporate itself into my bloodstream. The horned barnacle fish withered from the inside as I performed a ritual cast with the blood it foolishly sought to drink and incorporate into itself.

 Chapter 69: Nice!

    We went back home after the battle with the skarid and the bestfiend attached to it. Those were the species names of the squid and the biting parasite respectively, as discovered by myself and Moonwash. I participated in the identification ritual just because I felt like it. I wasn¡¯t the worst at the casting process because wind as an element did agree with me. I just never had the time to focus on it, but I was certain it¡¯d have a mean combination with fire. I told Moonwash of the idea, and she agreed to practice as it would indeed be strong.


    We didn¡¯t go back to the wonderzone, and instead stayed home after that, as it was just about time for Luine to return. And just on time, a week or so later, she arrived with a big pack on her back.


    ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± She landed on the floor of our base, dirty from her travels but none the worse for wear.


    ¡°Ooh! Did you get it?¡± I lowered my voice conspiratorially. ¡°The goods¡­¡±


    She rolled her eyes and spoke evenly. ¡°Yes Haell. I got the goods.¡±


    I gasped. ¡°Sssshhhhh. You never know where there might be¡­ ears on the walls.¡±


    She looked at me blankly for a second, before we both started laughing, soon joined by the others.


    ¡°Okay, okay. Seriously, I got most of what you asked for.¡±


    ¡°Ooh! Lemme see lemme see!¡± I pounced on the pack of broken and severed body parts like a child on christmas. Moonwash soon jumped after me, and while her expression was picture-perfect calm and stoic, her demeanor was closer to a starved scavenger.


    We confirmed the goods enthusiastically, separating the jar with a troll¡¯s heart, the madrenaline gland of a superquarrel, and more. I shrieked in joy upon spotting the wings of a burat. They were a species of burrowing creatures that looked like a cross between a mole and a bat. Their wings were retractable into a special pouch in their back, allowing them to live and hunt both in the air and under the ground. They typically only lived higher up in the barrier range, so I wasn¡¯t sure if there would even be any that made it to the markets here. But Luine delivered!


    I was planning on adding these wings to myself just like how I got my horns. I didn¡¯t know if it would work, I wasn¡¯t sure if it was necessary for a species evolution, but a strong and free Mutation was valuable regardless!


    Additionally, I did have reason to believe that adding a new Mutation would aid in achieving another species evolution, as the last time I tried, it started out as a very painful process, but that pain soon turned into pleasure the moment my horns were added into the mix. So perhaps forcing the acquisition of a new Mutation was a necessary and integral part of the process!


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to get the blood of a hekaton,¡± Luine calmly stated once we had calmed down. ¡°There just wasn¡¯t any available, it¡¯s very hard to get ahold of even if you manage to find one. Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°No no. No need to apologize! You¡¯ve already helped tons and tons!¡±


    It made total sense that a hekaton¡¯s blood would be a bloody challenge to obtain. Heh, bloody.


    The dreaded hekaton was a terrifying species of bipedal monsters with way too many hands. Their main claim to infamy was their ability to make chaotic rituals with unpredictable elements and effects. It was theorized that the hekatons consumed the flesh of their victims, and extracted the mana that existed within all of creation, in order to achieve the chaos they brought to bear.


    But that¡¯s the thing about them! We just didn¡¯t know! They remained a mystery because they self-destructed upon death, or when captured. Not a single speck of blood was left behind as a semi-ritual was conducted, with their very existence as the sacrifice.


    ¡°I can get it for you!¡± Elfrafim proclaimed, her voice ringing like a divinely sacred bell.


    ¡°Eh? What?¡±


    ¡°I said I can get it for you. The hekaton blood.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ It self-destructs. How would you even do that?¡±


    It was a stupid idea from the start, really. I just got way too excited by what that monster was capable of. And I wanted its blood to feed my own.


    ¡°Pfah! I¡¯m a level 80 elf built for speed. I¡¯m sure I can figure something out.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ actually makes a lot of sense. Maybe if you just dash in, steal a hand, and then run back out, the hekaton won¡¯t even have a chance to activate any self-destructs!¡±


    She snapped her fingers. ¡°There, see? You get it. Don¡¯t give up so soon, Haell. It¡¯s soo unlike you! Just keep on breaking all limits til the very end!¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± I smiled bashfully, but the expression soon fell from my face. ¡°But no. I can¡¯t¡­ ask this of you. You¡¯ve already done so much for me, with the life mana and all, and I haven¡¯t even repaid that¡­¡±


    ¡°Haell.¡± Elfrafim¡¯s voice suddenly turned serious. Her hand landed on my shoulders, and it was heavy, even as she had to reach up. ¡°That¡¯s a gift. I told you it was a gift. You agreed. Are you¡­ breaking your promise?¡±


    ¡°What? N-no! Of course not! I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± She nodded. ¡°So?¡±


    I gulped. ¡°It still¡­ you¡¯ve still given me so many gifts. I can¡¯t ask this of you on top of all that.¡±


    Elfrafim sighed, and let go of my shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m a traveler, Haell. I traveled out of the Grandest Forest to see new sights. You know that, right?¡±


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    ¡°Yeah.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°And in my time here, you¡¯ve shown me an entirely new species and given me the details of how a species evolution could even be achieved. You have curse-aligned mana in your body, so much of it because you¡¯ve actually Mutated your blood to hold more of it, and yet you retain your sanity. Your impressions of that alone would be the scholarly achievement of my generation! Do you not realize that!?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help the stupid grin that formed on my face, I giggled like a spoiled and evil princess. ¡°S-shit, you''re right. If you list all of my feats like that, then I am fucking amazing!¡±


    ¡°Oh yes!¡± She agreed, unabashed. ¡°But that¡¯s hardly the full list. There are plenty more!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. Stroke my ego further. That¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah! I¡¯ll have you challenging dragons and rushing off to your death once I¡¯m done!¡±


    Elfrafim made good on her threat, gushing in detail about my technique of doing pseudo-rituals inside my body. Not entirely unprecedented, but mythically rare, and those that could do it were either not sapient to begin with or were raving mad.


    Elfrafim had only praise for the rituals we could do. It was known that using parts of one¡¯s own body would help, but not nearly to the extent I was capable of! The process for our creation of cursed weapons was ingenious, and that alone had enlightened her to so many new possibilities.


    She continued further, gushing over every little thing, and my continuously growing smirk betrayed the staggering amount of enthusiasm that I felt. Praising me like this was really unhealthy, maybe, but I did not wish for her to stop.


    Luine had some comments of her own to make during the whole thing. ¡°Great. She becomes even more insufferable.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know jaws could do that,¡± Baston played along. ¡°She¡¯s smiling all the way up to her dome!¡±


    ¡°Truly, the power of a level 80.¡± Even Moonwash joined in¡­


    Their comments were nothing, however, compared to the sheer hype that I felt. I was already capable of all these ridiculous feats, what more could I do an evolution later!?


    ¡°So, Haell,¡± Elfrafim said, after all the praise. ¡°In my view, what you¡¯ve given me is priceless and unique. Nothing compared to a single wand filled with life mana. I can still get that somewhere else. Multiple somewhere elses.¡±


    ¡°Eh, you¡¯re exaggerating¡­¡± I believed in myself, but even I wouldn¡¯t say that.


    ¡°Does this mean, Haell,¡± Elfrafim barrelled through, ignoring all my protestations, ¡°that I must now work for you forever in order to repay this great debt that I perceive?¡±


    ¡°What? No! Of course not!¡± I instantly responded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to do that either.¡± She nodded, satisfied, before grabbing hold of both my hands. ¡°So once again, I ask. Do we have to keep track of every little transaction like merchants who are only trying to squeeze as much value out of the other,¡± her hands tightened around mine, almost shaking, ¡°or can we be friends who give to each other freely, because the mere act of it is reward enough?¡±


    My lips quivered, there was only one response I could make.


    I pulled her in for a hug, holding on tight. ¡°Yeah. Yes, I¡¯d like that. I¡¯m sorry. I was being stubborn. It¡¯s even less grateful for me


    ¡°No, Haell. It¡¯s okay¡­¡± She patted me on the back. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ bad to repay a favor. It¡¯s just not how I do things. And well, if anything, I¡¯m the one just pushing my values¡­¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°Yeah, maybe. But I prefer it this way too. I was just spooked, I guess. By your power, by the help that you freely gave. However, you can see it with me and¡­ Moonwash.¡± I recalled the kiss we shared, then pushed it out of my mouth. Mind. I meant mind. I pushed it out of my mind. Damn it! ¡°We also give freely and all. Me and her. No one¡¯s keeping track of ledgers or anything, favors are not quantified to be repaid in full. I¡¯ve always been that way, really. Those were the kinds of friendships that I treasured the most back in my past life.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait. Back up.¡± Elfrafim broke the hug and stepped back, looking at me intensely. ¡°What did you just say!?¡±


    A beat of silence. I realized what I''d just revealed.


    ¡°Yeah, what the fuck, Haell?¡± Luine broke the silence.


    ¡°Somehow. It only makes sense,¡± Baston claimed, though he was clearly just as surprised. ¡°She always seemed to be in another world entirely.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Well! Gifts freely given, remember? I¡¯m about to give you a gift of information that¡¯d make everything that came before look like run of the mill common knowledge!¡± I laughed, very awkwardly, but also while remaining very cheerful.


    ~~~


    ¡°Amazing!¡± Elfrafim loved the reveal of myself being a reincarnator. It was a known phenomenon, but extremely rare. There was one allegedly among them before, but he¡¯s long dead, and she¡¯s never met someone like me before. I promised to tell her more later, I too wished to share my history. It was just knowledge that could potentially paint a target in my back, for a host of reasons.


    Luine thought the same.


    ¡°This really puts things into perspective. Mahka and Rallem knew?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they did.¡±


    ¡°Well. I understand the need to keep it secret. Rather, you should not even have revealed it just now!¡±


    ¡°Ehehe, sorry. It just came out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not an excuse!¡± She shook her head. ¡°I think you need training to keep your mouth shut.¡±


    ¡°Eeeeeeehhhh. This was a special case. An accident. It¡¯s fiiiiinnneee. You worry too much!¡±


    She sighed. ¡°Sure, sure. You know what you¡¯re doing, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Still, a reincarnator,¡± Baston wondered. ¡°I wasn¡¯t even sure if Shanayah really was a reincarnated soul from a world without the same magic or Mutations that we enjoy.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s probably true. She got the name of my world right.¡±


    ¡°Her description of the place seems vastly different to yours.¡±


    ¡°Have a dwarf from the impenetrable barrier range describe their home to you. You think you¡¯d recognize it?¡±


    ¡°Oh damn. That¡¯s wise. Is that your otherworldly wisdom at play?¡±


    I laughed. ¡°Fuck off. Besides, I think something else is going on with Shanayah. We might even have been from the exact same region.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s up with the differences then?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°People can have differing views even from the same place. Ask a shepherd and they¡¯ll see the touch of the angels in literally everything. I see only a sickness that has gripped all that they rule.¡±


    ¡°Damn. You really are dropping some otherworld truths right there, Haell.¡±


    I sighed good-naturedly. ¡°I¡¯ll use my otherworldly forces to chuck you into a wall if you keep this up.¡±


    ¡°Is that your alien way of friendship? I¡¯ll allow it, but only because you can¡¯t actually harm me.¡±


    ¡°Goddamit.¡±


    Even if it was an accident, I was very happy with this reveal.

 Chapter 70: Haell the Civilized.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be here. But if not, then we¡¯ll be in Latarus.¡± Luine pointed at the map, showing Elfrafim where else we might be.


    ¡°Are we going out? I was planning on staying here for my evolution, just finish this arc in my life you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh. There have been recent movements in the town of Borail.¡± The village of that one shepherd we met in The Endless Dive had become a whole town in itself in recent years. ¡°I think they may finally be moving on to the wonderzone.¡±


    ¡°What? So we¡¯d have to flee?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I looked around at the place that I had called home for the past four years or more. A sinking feeling fell on my chest at the words left unsaid. I refused to leave them unclear.


    ¡°What happens¡­ to the base?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to collapse it. It¡¯s best if we take out all the valuables left in storage too.¡±


    ¡°Eh, can¡¯t we just hide it?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯ll be armies worth of people passing through here, eventually whole caravans, and you want¡­ to keep the base hidden?¡±


    ¡°...yes?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Not gonna happen. They are absolutely going to scout and survey the place.¡±


    ¡°Then we can fight back. Kill anyone who comes!¡±


    She looked at me blankly. ¡°Even if we win all those battles, that¡¯ll just inform them that there¡¯s something here. Also, I hate the empire as much as anyone, but even I think you were a little too callous with life there.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ yeah. You¡¯re right. Sorry.¡± I chewed on my lip. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ Is there nothing that can be done. This is like¡­ a second home to me at this point. A secret base! I¡¯ve always wanted a secret base.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not yours anyway. It¡¯s mine. And I say it¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say to that.


    Luine sighed, massaging the bridge of her nose. ¡°No. I¡¯m sorry. That was uncalled for. This was just a hole in the ground before, and wouldn''t have raised any eyebrows even if found. You and Moonwash built it up far more than I ever did. It¡¯s more your home than mine.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡­ am not going to disagree. I think we all built it, in our time here together.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s it? We should really get rid of it? Why? Can¡¯t we just leave it be? if it gets found then that¡¯s too bad, but maybe it doesn¡¯t get found?¡±


    Luine shook her head. ¡°I would be very surprised if it¡¯s not found once a full expedition is launched. But more to the point, yes. I don¡¯t know what exactly they can find here. If it can even be linked back to us. Or if there¡¯d be any consequences if that happens. But they¡¯re going to take it all away anyway. Do you really want to just give this place to them?¡±


    ¡°...No. Definitely not.¡± The answer was obvious.


    ¡°Exactly. And that¡¯s why I vote on leaving and never looking back.¡±


    I sighed deeply. ¡°You¡¯re right. I know you are.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She rubbed my back. ¡°I know that you¡¯re sad. But we¡¯ve had a fun four years here, we achieved our purpose for coming and more. It is time to let it end, as all things eventually do.¡±


    I sniffed. ¡°Yeah.¡± The tears came out, and I cried on her shoulder.


    Elfrafim was still there. She joined the pile of hugs.


    ~~~


    The noon was bright as we all gathered in front of our secret base that might soon cease to be. Elfrafim was about to leave to find hekaton blood for me, but Moonwash first had a gift of her own for the elven woman.


    Elfrafim raised her brow. ¡°This is?¡±


    ¡°A jetpack.¡±


    ¡°Oho? A jetpack! What does it do?¡±


    ¡°You put it on your back, and then you pull this thing here to unfurl the gliders. Afterwards, it should be able to act as a magical apparatus specifically for flying. The design of it is made solely for that.¡±


    The inspiration for it came with just how potent Elfrafim¡¯s bow was. It was decorated to high heavens, made from focuses, repositories, and other exotic high-level materials. And at the cost of narrowing down its magical function greatly, it was just as good as a wand if not better at the one task it was meant to do.


    To. Shoot. Arrow.


    So Moonwash applied the same principle here, creating a magical glider with wind repositories and focuses that would ultimately allow her to fly.


    ¡°Weeeeeeeeeee!!¡± Elfrafim immediately tested it out. The movements were awkward, but she lifted off the ground. She was flying. ¡°Wow! I love it Moonwash! I didn¡¯t bring anything specifically for flight with me, and this is just what I needed!¡±


    My friend wore a smile at the compliment. ¡°Thanks. Have fun and good luck and your quest.¡±


    ¡°Hah! I need no luck, I have skillll!!!¡±


    Elfrafim shot off into one direction in one burst. Her flight seemed erratic, shifting like a plane with a broken engine, but I was sure she¡¯d survive and get the hang of it sooner or later.


    I waved goodbye at my friend, as Astan too followed her. They both stopped in the air for a moment, to wave back.


    And then Elfrafim fell.


    Their journey was off to a great start.


    ~~~


    I became a shut-in.


    Well, not really. I still went out to the surrounding forest often. I got some fresh air and touched grass, did some recreational slaughter, all the good things. But I wasn¡¯t grinding so hard as I once was. All my Mutations had already reached the threshold of level 20, and Elfrafim was getting the last ingredient that I was waiting on. All the killing I still did, was only done for the love of it.


    And so I chose to spend most of that time at home, crying about how I would someday soon lose our one and only secret base. I slept everywhere, I memorized every cut in the stone, and I hung out with the people that I¡¯d spent the most time with in this place.


    I helped Moonwash with her projects, and we stuck with mainly doing the non-combat things for a change. I watched her paint this grand masterpiece depicting our time here. She sewed clothes and made figurines out of wood. Moonwash put makeup on me that I actually liked. It was very fun, I had to go on a quest for fresh local ingredients, which she then turned into a powdered form. Fire, earth, and wind magic were all used for the process.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    That was nice. Makeup was almost entirely ruined for me because of how everytime I used the thing, it was for the purposes of hiding what I was, when I loved myself so much! But today, instead of the tan of human flesh, Moonwash applied reds and darks that accentuated my features and truly made me look like some sort of Demon Queen. I loved it and I hugged her. We stayed like that and cuddled for a while.


    ~~~


    Luine announced at some point that the preparations were done in a nearby village. We left our home base while pulling whole wagon loads of stuff. Thankfully, we didn¡¯t need to make it all the way to our destination like this. A carriage was prepared for us in the nearest road, and the drivers were¨C


    ¡°MOM DAD!¡±


    I slammed them into a hug. They barely budged from my charge. My power was still far from theirs, but I was getting there.


    We spent the wagon ride to Borail village catching up, and they comforted me in losing my second home. Once we neared our destination, I got all of my extra gear and cosmetics together, transforming into ¡®Haell the heavily armored human¡¯ once more.


    The guards waved us through the tall walls without problem, content with the many badges of identification the oldest among us provided. I had to remember that my parents, as well as Luine, were actually nobles. Knights that couldn¡¯t hold a settlement of their own, but nobles nonetheless.


    We drove the carriage through the wide central road, never going for any of the narrower side streets because¡­ we were headed straight for the¡­ Lord¡¯s manor? What?


    We entered through the gates and parked our carriage right next to the expansive gardens. I recognized the large nearby building that was their church. I haven¡¯t been to one since I was one.


    We didn¡¯t go there, of course, nor to the central mansion. Instead we went to the servant homes and toward a half-filled warehouse. Someone opened the doors for us and just left, and then we unloaded our goods inside. Luine informed me that they would be distributed from here and sold through many channels or just straight-up funneled toward New Grandera.


    ¡°Ah! But your share will find its way to you in gold, for sure!¡±


    ¡°Sounds good. I don¡¯t really mind whatever.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Moonwash spoke for herself. ¡°I want mine in the form of random materials. It could be anything of roughly equal value.¡±


    ¡°Haha! Well, I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± She patted Baston¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re fine with everything of yours being funneled to the revolution right?¡±


    ¡°What? No. Cold hard gold only.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh. Come on. Don¡¯t be stingy.¡±


    The two friends prodded each other for a while, until I felt a presence that immediately put me on edge.


    They arrived a moment later, two armored bodyguards and a shepherd that looked very familiar¡­


    I shook my head. It must just be their passive mental influence. As good as my brain was, I had a resistance to mental effects, not an immunity.


    ¡°Hello Luine,¡± she smiled. ¡°And oh my, I remember you. Haell was it?¡±


    I blinked. ¡°You! You¡­ what? Who? Why do you know me!?¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°Relax. You¡¯ve been tense around me from the start¡­ We met at The Endless Dive.¡±


    ¡°Oh. OH! You¡¯re the shepherd from back then!¡±


    She giggled again, as if genuinely unoffended. ¡°Yes. I am Ozara, since you seem to have forgotten. And I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re doing just as well.¡±


    ¡°Err, quite. Yes. More than well.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. I¡¯m happy to hear that.¡± She paused and took in our entire group, eyes lingering on Luine. She¡¯s married! Hands off! Not that I actually know if they¡¯re monogamous or whatever, and shit. I should not be so hostile to her just because she¡¯s a shepherd. I definitely don¡¯t want to be dictating what species someone can and cannot get married to. I banished away the incoherent thoughts that certainly came from my menace mana. ¡°Might I invite you to some tea like last time? I assure you that the accommodations would be leagues better than the embarrassment I was able to cobble together before.¡±


    ¡°Eh, we were in the middle of the wilderness. A wonderzone, even. Only a fool or the equivalent of a dragon would expect luxury in such a place, and I am neither. Not yet.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re still becoming a fool?¡± Only a slight grin betrayed her humorous intentions.


    ¡°Exactly!¡± I bellowed, unable to help the genuine joy and laughter that came. There was a very brief suspicion that these feelings were not my own, but I knew they were. I¡¯ve had plenty of practice with spotting those kind of things.


    Ozara chuckled loudly into her hand, still trying to maintain some decorum. ¡°In all seriousness, those were some very wise words. I am glad to see that Luine has chosen only the best company. Now, shall we?¡±


    Wait. The tea party? Did I¡­ agree to this?


    ¡°Of course.¡± Luine answered for our group, placing a reassuring hand on my back.


    Oh well. I just went with the flow, keeping a pulse on my menace mana, just in case it became necessary.


    ~~~


    We went into the noble mansion, and it was every bit the frivolous display of wealth that I imagined, with white-painted walls and works of art cluttered around it. Nevermind that the trophies kept by my own folks were even more expensive. They earned that fair and square, and most weren¡¯t even bought!


    We climbed up the large stairs, and then went a long way left, until we arrived at an unassuming door. Ozara opened it and gestured for us to follow, leaving her guards behind. Inside I found a normal reception room with two couches facing each other, and a table in between for whatever nobles and rich fucks got up to. The door closed behind us, and a sliding switch was flipped along the wall, causing the enchantments to thrum to life along with an updraft of wind.


    I tensed.


    ¡°Well then,¡± Ozara took a seat, unbothered. ¡°We are now in private. Let us talk.¡±


    Finally, it clicked in my mind. The enchantments had a very familiar effect, for it was the very same as what was in Baston and Fiya¡¯s enormous bedroom.


    Soundproofing.


    Shit. I really have no idea what¡¯s going on here.


    Has Ozara already taken control of everyone!?


    Luine took a seat beside her, which did not help my suspicions.


    ¡°Y-you!¡± I pointed an accusing finger at the shepherd woman. ¡°What did you do!? Is she mind controlled?!¡±


    Ozara¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. She looked sad when she spoke. ¡°N-no. She¡¯s level 40¡­ and she¡¯s Luine. I¡¯d be killed on the spot if I tried.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­ that makes sense, actually.¡± I pushed Moonwash behind me. ¡°But what the fuck is going on?¡±


    My parents and Baston were more confused than enraged.


    ¡°Okay, Haell. Calm down.¡± Luine sighed, and gestured for Ozara to do the same. ¡°She¡¯s on our side. Or well, my side really.¡± She looked at all of us in turn. ¡°Everyone, meet Ozara. A proud citizen of New Grandera.¡±


    ¡°New Grandera¡­¡± I paused. ¡°You mean the resistance movement and new nation that you¡¯re a part of?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°The one that¡¯s opposed to the Angelore Empire, and its current regime, which puts shepherds real high up as the de facto rulers for most territories?¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. You got it. Good job, Haell.¡±


    ¡°This is no joking matter!¡± There was a beat of silence where I chuckled silently. ¡°Okay, it is a little funny, I¡¯ll give you that. But this¡­ Did you know from the beginning?¡±


    ¡°You mean like when we first met? The Endless Dive?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Back then. Was our meeting there like, scripted or something?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no no. Not at all. I only found out about her a year or so ago when some of our¡­ tasks crossed paths. I was surprised too!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I processed that for a moment. I didn¡¯t care to ask what those tasks were. ¡°Why didn''t you tell me?¡±


    ¡°Uhh, you didn''t ask? Am I obligated to give you those updates?¡±


    ¡°Well, no. But it''s such a curious thing, a big coincidence! Seems relevant enough to at least bring up in passing, you know?¡±


    ¡°Pfahahaha.¡± Luine laughed way too hard. ¡°I''m not just going to talk about the people I''m doing treason with, Haell. I know to keep my mouth shut. I''m not you.¡±


    ¡°That was one time, Luine. ONE fucking time!¡± I fumed, but that only made the infuriating woman laugh harder. Everyone else had relaxed by this point, and they began streaming into their own seats. Even Ozara was looking at me amusedly.


    I sighed and followed after them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that, Ozara. I really didn¡¯t mean to be, well¡­ I don¡¯t know, discriminatory? But you just have this passive mental tug at people, and I can feel it. I don¡¯t like getting my head messed with.¡±


    ¡°No worries, Haell. I understand. That¡¯s already better reception than I get from most!¡±


    ¡°Eh. Most would grovel at your feet for that alleged guidance.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    I looked at the serious face she made and smiled.


    All things considered, I think I quite liked her.

 Chapter 71: Im Truly Amazing.

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll sell your materials. Luine will know how to collect on your payment,¡± Ozara said. We were finalizing our deal with her for the sale of the materials we¡¯d harvested over the many years. There was a lot leftover despite how the other Piss Hunters had already sold a lot whenever they came by for our regular supply drops. ¡°Still. I wasn¡¯t expecting this much, even if their levels are nothing too crazy.¡±


    "Hey!" I protested. "Those are perfectly good materials. If you don''t want ''em, then I''ll go find someone who appreciates the work that went into gathering it all!"


    ¡°Oh, sorry Haell. That¡¯s not what I meant. I''m sure it took you a lot of work to get this all." Ozara smiled. "I only speak in relative terms. Level 20 stuff is already impressive, and not a risk most people would be willing to take, certainly not in those quantities. I just assumed someone who can do this would have something even higher level to sell. But I suppose they also wouldn¡¯t be willing to sell such a catch.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Well, that¡¯s not even half of our remaining stores! So you¡¯ve seen nothing yet!¡± Although it is true that I did hit my limit for the strength of my prey. No matter how talented and special, I couldn¡¯t punch up that far. The gap between evolutions only widened the higher you went.


    Ozara snorted, but Luine facepalmed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Luine waved me off. ¡°Anyway, Ozara, as Haell mentioned, I want to have you do the same deal for our remaining stock. Can you do that for me?¡±


    Why do I feel like Luine is kinda pissed off at me? I did nothing wrong!


    ¡°Hmm¡­ It might be difficult,¡± Ozara answered. ¡°People might start asking questions if you truly have that much product left.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re doing anything illegal.¡± At least in this case.


    Ozara looked at me questioningly, while Luine stared at me like I was an idiot.


    Okay seriously. What the fuck did I do!?


    ¡°It¡¯s the destination that¡¯s the problem,¡± Ozara was the one to answer. ¡°We¡¯re selling to certain¡­ movements within the empire, and having eyes on the transaction could be prove detrimental, or even catastrophic.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    I just now remembered that we¡¯re selling to various resistance groups around the empire in secret. It wasn¡¯t the most efficient way to do it right now, but Luine did mention years before how it was a good idea in order to better hide our secret base, and because she wanted to help those nice rebels out.


    I just shrugged and agreed at the time, not really caring much. I found that I still felt the same way today. It was nice to at least help Luine with this thing of hers, when she¡¯d already done so fucking much for me.


    ~~~


    "Hey. What gives?" I asked Luine once we''d gotten our stay at an inn sorted and were in private. "You seemed pissed off earlier about something. What did I do? It''s not fair!!"


    Luine sighed, but couldn''t help a chuckle from escaping. "Okay. What I was¡­ annoyed about was how you just revealed information about the secret base and what you are.¡±


    ¡°I did what!?¡± This is news to me!


    ¡°Yes! You revealed that we have more stores of monster materials, and that you were the one to slay them all!¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I did say that, I think¡­¡± I agreed, still unconvinced, ¡°But that¡¯s not revealing the location of our secret base nor that we even have one at all. Neither is it me shouting out into the world that I¡¯m a bloody demon!¡±


    My voice rose at the end there, but thankfully we were in one of those fancy suites with proper soundproofing enchantments. Luine sighed and sat on a very comfortable looking couch. I took a seat beside her and melted into the soft cushions, though I kept a pouting face on my friend. She was being so unreasonable!


    ¡°Haell¡­¡± Luine finally spoke. ¡°Where would our stores of material be located if not somewhere secret then? We¡¯re in the middle of bumfuck nowhere!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I stopped to think about it. ¡°Is that really enough to conclude that we¡¯ve got a secret base? And does it matter, when they¡¯ve no idea where it is?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Haell. It¡¯s enough. Unless if Ozara is as oblivious as you, but I doubt it.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, it¡¯s true. She knows most if not all of what¡¯s going on in town, and the area around it. She¡¯s a noble who is in charge after all. The existence of some sort of secret place is the obvious conclusion. As for pinpointing the location¡­ she might be able to guess that it¡¯s at least near The Endless Dive wonderzone since that¡¯s the only place she¡¯s ever met you or Moonwash before, and it¡¯s an obvious hotspot of sorts. Actually, I think we sold some stuff harvested from there too...¡±


    ¡°...Damn. I think you might be right.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Probably, yeah,¡± I agreed. ¡°But does it really matter anymore if we¡¯re found out?¡±


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°Uhh, yes? It¡¯s a secret base, Haell. It has to be secret!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. I get that. I would''ve totally agreed with you some months ago. But we¡¯re leaving and torching the place on our way out, remember? There¡¯d be nothing to find! It¡¯s hilarious to think about so many people poking around and wasting so much time searching for something that is long gone!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ huh.¡± Luine sat back on her chair, disbelieving. ¡°That¡¯s actually not a bad idea.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be that surprised!¡± I complained at her face that looked like it just had an epiphany.


    We both laughed.


    ¡°Since we¡¯re talking about all this bullshit anyway, what did you mean earlier about me revealing that I¡¯m a bloody demon? Because I most certainly did not do that.¡± I brought the subject back to her other complaint.


    ¡°Okay, you didn¡¯t literally do that,¡± Luine admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯d conclude that you¡¯re a yet unknown and brand new species either.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ so I¡¯m right?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± she snarked. ¡°You just admitted that you killed so many level 20s at level 10, which would typically be brushed off as pointless boasting¨C¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not!¡±


    ¡°--But if someone did believe you,¡± Luine continued, glaring at me for the interruption, ¡°then you¡¯ve just demonstrated yourself to be very very abnormal!¡±


    I stared at her for a few seconds of silence. ¡°It¡¯s far too late to worry about me being abnormal. That ship has fucking sailed.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­ so you didn¡¯t even try to hide it? What the fuck, Haell?¡±


    ¡°Why would I hide it? How? You can¡¯t disguise the radiance of the sun.¡±


    ¡°Oh my world, you¡¯re not the sun, Haell.¡± Luine groaned. Her following serious frown silenced whatever witty retort I had in mind. ¡°You are not the sun. There were definitely things you could have done to at least remain marginally hidden. Not bragging like a common adventurer would have been a good start!¡±


    I winced. I had to admit that she was probably right about me just wanting to brag. Ozara wasn¡¯t my friend, I definitely didn¡¯t trust her, yet I yapped away without thought.


    I could try and blame it on her passive mental influence, but I didn¡¯t truly believe that. I would be unbelievably furious if I did. But Ozara was too weak, and I was too strong, for that to be the case.


    ¡°Why did we even spend all that time in hiding, if you weren¡¯t going to put in the barest minimum of effort into blending in?¡± Luine asked after I failed to respond. She looked sad, frustrated, and endlessly annoyed. ¡°We were there for years, Haell. I missed so many of my children¡¯s lives. Salaire was left to take care of them all by herself. We barely got to see each other!¡±


    That¡­ hit me right in the heart. Only now did I realize that I fucked up. I felt my throat tighten as tears threatened to fall out. I imagined how much trouble I must have caused for my friend, and the tears did come. She was the one who was wronged here, but I couldn¡¯t help but be the one to cry. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Luine. I know just how much you did for me. I never meant to take any of that away from you¡­¡±


    ¡°Haell, no¡­¡± Luine sighed and grabbed my shoulder. She pulled me into a hug after only a moment of hesitation, ready to comfort me even when I was the one who ripped her away from her life.


    That just made me cry harder. I really didn¡¯t intend to do that to her. I thought I knew just how much trouble I was causing for them, but I myself was perfectly fine with my time in isolation. I enjoyed it, even.


    I didn¡¯t truly understand how it might have affected my friends.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t what I meant at all,¡± Luine gently continued as I cried and got my snot all over her. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a miserable time. I actually did enjoy myself. It was a unique experience, and one I¡¯m glad I had.¡±


    ¡°B-but you said¨C¡±


    ¡°Shush. Let me explain, okay?¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡¯


    ¡°The time we spent there, from my perspective, was something that had a purpose. You were a demon, a whole new species, and a terrible fate might befall you if captured. I don¡¯t want you to go through whatever that is, so I helped you out, and I got to see some of the most interesting things because of it.


    ¡°But then why¡­ why do you not care at all about being potentially discovered? Why do you not care enough to at least try? That is what I was upset about.¡±


    Luine waited patiently, after saying her piece. The silence somehow felt comforting. Even after I¡¯d been a total asshole, she was still trying to be considerate of me.


    I really didn¡¯t deserve her. But selfishly, I was so glad that she was here.


    ¡°I do care,¡± I sniffled, finally separating from my friend. ¡°That¡¯s precisely why I hid myself away. I knew that there was no way I could keep the secret otherwise.¡±


    Luine looked at me for a few long seconds, before she broke into the hardest fit of laughter I¡¯d ever seen.


    I blinked. My mind, which was far faster than what I had back on Earth, struggled to keep up. I didn¡¯t know how to react at all, so I just stood there, the tears and snot on my face beginning to dry. I really should do something about that.


    ¡°Oh¡­ oh fuck.¡± Luine devolved into giggles again until she finally got ahold of herself. ¡°That makes so much sense,¡± she wiped a tear away. ¡°You could have stayed closer to civilization if you just tried, but instead you decided that it was beyond you, and went for the most drastic of options instead. Literally hiding under a fucking rock! In the middle of nowhere!¡± She cackled again, clutching her belly and damaging the couch. I scooted a few paces away. It was bizarre to see the cool and collected woman act this way, and the sight was contagious enough to at least make me smile.


    Luine eventually stopped, finally calming down for real. Maybe. ¡°Thank you, Haell. I understand now.¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ you¡¯re welcome?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I am.¡± She grabbed me into another hug and stroked my back. ¡°Sorry for getting heated back there. I misunderstood you. But now I¡¯ve learned more. You¡¯re amazing.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± I choked. ¡°It¡¯s fine. And I¡¯m honestly sorry about how much it affected you. I really wasn¡¯t considering it enough, even when I was convinced that I did.¡±


    ¡°Shh. No need to be sorry. It was my choice, and I don¡¯t regret a thing. I almost did regret it earlier, because I would be frustrated if all that effort was for nothing. But I see now that no other option would have worked for you. You¡¯re too much of a dumbass to pull off anything else. Said lovingly, of course.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± I protested weakly. ¡°You just said I was amazing.¡±


    ¡°I did. Amazing, amazing. So amazing. Best plan ever. Glad to have been part of it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the heartfelt and genuine feedback.¡±


    ¡°Anytime.¡±

 Chapter 72: Paint the Walls Rainbow.

    It was the next day. I found myself outside the inn, just watching the crowds of people passing me by. From humans, to ogres, to the occasional crustecar, kobold, and more. The variety was surprising for a part of town this wealthy, but that was because we were at the frontier, and at a recently expanded town at that. The more warlike species, at least in function, had a stronger presence here.


    I knew that they were going to try and retake The Endless Dive soon. It was territory previously lost in the ill-thought-out war against the barrier range, and it was only now decades later that they were ready to properly integrate the wonderzone again. The Angelore Empire truly moved at a snail¡¯s pace at times, in part due to the immortal nature of its highest leaders, but also because of how overextended it was. There were enemies on all sides, and it was stupid how they even tried to add the dwarves and harpies onto their plates on top of all that. New Grandera probably would¡¯ve never even come to be if they didn¡¯t encourage these largely neutral races to support the budding nation.


    I didn¡¯t mind how incompetent they were though. I wish they moved slower! I wish they never reached my secret base!


    Now I¡¯d have to destroy it, rather than let it be taken by someone else¡­


    I sniffed, but swallowed down the tears for now. My makeup was pretty fucking well made, but I still risked revealing the blood-red skin underneath my helmet if I cried. It might also mess with the contacts that made me look like some common human.


    "Hey, Haell. Are you alright?" My mom asked with a reassuring hand on my arm. Her voice was raised a little to be heard over the clamor of the passing crowds and their shopping. There was little haggling going on, it just wasn¡¯t in the culture of Angelore. The prices were expected to be displayed properly and be a more static thing.


    Regardless of how I felt about the empire, I actually preferred that. I could haggle if needed, but it wasn¡¯t something I particularly enjoyed either.


    "I''m fine, Mom. Just a little... confused, I guess." It wasn''t that I was overwhelmed by civilization after having lived in the isolated forests for literal years, but I wasn''t... unaffected either.


    It was just... strange. People were strange. The way they could just ignore each other in passing, the way they could recognize one another on the streets. So much was crammed behind the tall walls, when the world outside was so vast. The borders of the empire were so vast. Yet how much of that claim could they truly hold and defend, when so much of that land was but monster-infested wilderness?


    "Moonwash. How about you?" I asked my friend. "You came with me and ended up isolating yourself for over a year because of it. Are you alright?" My conversation with Luine was still fresh in my mind.


    "Yes. I''m fine. I had the best company during it."


    "O-oh?" I scratched my head with a silly grin on my face. "Well, that''s great! But how is it, to be back in civilization?"


    ¡°I can see similar principles in design, but the layout of the place is different from Latarus. The people are different, in both composition of species, and in attitude. There is no tree wall, but instead a stone wall. That does seem more effective.¡±


    ¡°I would imagine so, but then again the defenders on the tree wall were really high level, and I reckon our hometown would put up a better fight against fliers or singular super strong enemies.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s very interesting.¡± Her dry delivery might confuse some, but I knew that she meant it genuinely.


    I patted her on the shoulder and then rushed ahead.


    ¡°Come on guys, let¡¯s go!¡±


    I explored the town of Borail with my parents and my best friend. Baston had gone off with his ¡®plants¡¯ to have some fun of his own while we were in town. Meanwhile, Luine was off being an upstanding citizen by herself again, so I wished her luck with whatever totally legal and non-treasonous activities she was involving herself with.


    We started our tour with the wealthier parts of town because we were already there. I had a wonderful breakfast of warsymbol meat at a place run by a kobold, and then we explored the various shops and boutiques. I bought new clothes and accessories for myself, intrigued by the designs that I hadn¡¯t worn in a long time. My wardrobe was full of Moonwash¡¯s creations at this point, with the materials all supplied by me. That was a very satisfying process, but it wasn¡¯t so bad to experience this once again now that I was back. It was just a shame that I couldn¡¯t actually use most of what I bought in public, because I still had to protect some of my largest secrets. Few dresses would look good if my head was still wearing a helmet to hide my horns, so plate armor would have to remain my best friend. I couldn''t wear what I wanted, and I had to dress to hide, because my enemies were many, and they were already suppressing my actions without even knowing of me.


    A growl rumbled out of my throat as a subtle stream of menace aura oozed out of me. I immediately retracted back my hostility and took a deep breath. There were people that had stopped in their tracks, but no one had taken notice of what happened.


    I breathed a sigh of relief.


    Luine and I might have argued intensively about me being careless last night, but I wasn¡¯t actually going to wear clothing that would reveal myself to be a demon. Someday I would be strong enough to stride through anywhere boldly and unimpeded, but I was well aware that today was not that day.


    ¡°This is a gift for you, Haell.¡± I raised a brow at Moonwash when she handed me a bundle of flowers. A human mage had made them to her exacting standards, in a process that was bewitching to watch by itself. I truly loved magic.


    The bouquet itself was beautiful. It was as if a single plant just grew into the perfect shape for it, which was exactly what happened. Even the flower wrap was natural, borne out of a material that felt both like a leaf and a petal.


    ¡°Thank you, Moonwash.¡± I accepted her gift, and took a good sniff of the wonderful floral scent. In the past, I would¡¯ve thought that she just didn¡¯t know what these gestures meant, but I¡¯d come to learn that I was very wrong about that.


    I found that I didn¡¯t mind. I was happy for it, even. I wasn¡¯t sure yet how I felt about her myself, but moments like this were a treasure all the same.


    My fragile calm was shattered when my parents began loudly gossiping behind me.


    ¡°Look, look, Rallem! Our baby¡¯s first romance!¡±


    ¡°I was actually beginning to think Luine might have just been messing with us when she said something happened between them.¡±


    ¡°Clearly not! Hey Haell, you can talk to us about it! Where do you want the painting of this moment hung!?¡±


    ¡°Mooooommmmm!!!¡± I whined and left the store.


    ~~~


    We toured the newer parts of town come afternoon. There was a very obvious divide as the walls of the village had only recently been torn down and extended farther than before. Magic and Mutations sped up that sort of work significantly.


    The streets here were full of more people than in the older parts of Borail, yet there were more empty plots of land. The buildings stood strong and imposing, if quite a bit more bare, and missing much of the artworks and decorations that normally adorned the faces of Angelorian architecture. That was honestly something that I loved about the culture.


    The people here were of more varied species, and they seemed to mingle better instead of congealing into groups of their same kin like what usually happened.  There was a sense of camaraderie and excitement of being on the frontier.


    I understood. Living beyond the frontier had been an amazing five years for me.


    For lunch, I grabbed some skewers, kebabs, crepes, and whatever else were being sold in the many stalls that were open. They were delicious, they were cheap, and health concerns became less and less of a problem as one grew in levels, especially in the flesh Mutation. I could still gain weight, which was actually part of the intense and complicated process of becoming larger than the species norm, but I didn¡¯t yet know if I wanted to go that route. I was already plenty strong, and that sort of size resulted in far less agility and stamina overall.


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    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of cheap fantastreel,¡± Moonwash commented when we passed by the new forging district. ¡°I¡¯ll go buy some.¡±


    Fantastreel was more expensive here than the other continents despite how there should be larger regenerating reserves Grandera than anywhere else. This was, once again, because of how the impenetrable barrier range had become barred from us. The dwarves and harpies now refused to trade with the Empire, and were instead in support of New Grandera. It was hard to blame them after what happened.


    ¡°How is there so many cheap fantastreel for sale here?¡± Moonwash asked.


    ¡°There was a viable mine discovered in the next town over,¡± the human clerk explained. ¡°That¡¯s why our prices are so low.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± Moonwash said, then turned toward us. ¡°Can we get some raw ore from there? I¡¯d like to get more experience with starting from raw ore. I should have enough money for a couple of crates.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± my dad agreed, ¡°We can have it delivered to Latarus. Your friends have maintained the Harvester Home well.¡±


    ~~~


    The next months passed by way too fast. We moved and sold the last of our stock in the secret base, and then we also shipped home many of our personal effects and appliances. We would be torching this place to the ground soon, and Elfrafim had still not returned to give me the last ingredient I needed for my next evolution. It was hard to worry for her safety, but it was notoriously difficult to get ahold of any hekaton blood. I didn¡¯t know if even the crazy powerful elf could pull it off.


    Today, I found myself sitting solemnly in our living room. We¡¯d decided to leave a fair amount of furniture and decorations here, to have them die along with the secret base, to have our home be alive until the end. It still felt a lot more empty than before, the secret base had nearly returned to being a mere cavern once more. There were just too many things we didn¡¯t want to part with, like the many artworks of Moonwash that had been put on display. They depicted the time that we spent here, and they would remind us of this era again in the future, wherever we end up.


    ¡°We¡¯ve had some great times here. I know now that it might not have been the same for all of you, but it was truly some of my best years.¡±


    Baston, Moonwash, and Luine were all here with me. The three people I¡¯d spent the most time with in the past years.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where I¡¯d rank it,¡± Baston said, grabbing more candy from the table, ¡°but it felt great to be out of the empire¡¯s influence for once. Life was so simple here. It¡¯s the simplest it¡¯s ever been.¡±


    ¡°It started with Haell doing something that by all rights should have killed her, which somehow escalated into this.¡± Luine twirled her dagger around, then ate the slice of cake dangling from its tip. ¡°I don¡¯t think I could have had this experience anywhere else, and I will forever brag about it once Haell is strong and famous. ¡®Hey I trained that angelslayer!¡¯ So you better give me those bragging rights, Haell! You hear me!?¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah! You got it!¡± I gave her a thumbs up, pleased as punch with all the things that my friend said about me.


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned many things here. I love the experiments that I got to do, and the new possibilities Haell has shown us.¡± Moonwash grabbed a piece of strongberry and began to eat. Strongberry was like strawberry, but very big. It could be found in rare pockets in the forest around The Endless Dive. ¡°My leveling speed rose even higher, and I have reached my first level 30 Mutation just the other day.¡±


    Luine sucked in a breath. ¡°You kids are ridiculous. That¡¯s really fucking fast.¡±


    ¡°I managed to earn a few levels myself,¡± Baston smiled. ¡°Their generation will overtake us, but I¡¯m happy to have at least reached Fiya¡¯s projected lifespan. That''s a relief.¡±


    ¡°What? Don¡¯t want her to be stolen away?¡± Luine smirked.


    ¡°You know it.¡±


    I snorted out a laugh, and so did the others. Baston was the last Piss Hunter who should be saying that, bar his wife Fiya. It made the joke all the funnier.


    We continued to reminisce some more, throwing in the odd jest here and there. Perhaps someday, five meager years would be nothing to me, once I was truly immortal. But I vowed to remember this place, these people, and this time, even should I persist beyond the universe¡¯s end.


    ~~~


    ¡°Paint Ball!¡± I suddenly shouted one day when we were out fishing at our usual river.


    ¡°What is it this time, Haell?¡± Luine asked, exasperated.


    I explained my idea to them, including concepts from my old world.


    ¡°I like it,¡± Moonwash said. ¡°Stories from Earth are always fascinating.¡±


    ¡°Are we sure we want to mess up our home in the end?¡± Baston asked.


    ¡°Of course!¡± I answered. ¡°It¡¯d be a far better send-off than our dreary fucking mood!¡±


    Moonwash agreed with me, while Luine was indifferent. The former immediately went off to experiment with the creation of plastic, an endeavor which I heartily helped her with.


    I had no actual clue how they were made, so Moonwash had to make up the methods all by herself. She sampled the sap of different trees until we found something rubber-like, that of the managuar tree deep in the nearby wonderzone. We also harvested some rageid coral from down the Oceanlake itself, a material that aided in the bonding process when crushed into powder form. It was by far the most dangerous thing to harvest because it was underwater, but we mainly made do by creating water rituals that could cut them from all the way up on the surface, and then catching the sliced-off pieces with some custom-made fishing rods.


    Moonwash figured out a passable recipe, and then mixed and cooked the necessary ingredients. A disgusting goo was created, which had to be properly shaped, then crushed, pressurized, and then left out to dry. The resulting product would be a soft jelly-like substance once it sets, not tough by any means, but it wouldn¡¯t crumble with a single misplaced touch. The force required to break it was similar to common plastic.


    I made all sorts of funny and ¡®unsafe¡¯ shapes using the slime-thing; from angels and palaces in various stages of melting, to body parts usually kept private in polite society. I showed off all my work and my friends laughed at some while making polite noises at others. I then swiped most of my masterpieces for my own personal use later.


    While I was doing all that important work, Moonwash made nearly all of what we actually needed. That was very nice of her.


    ¡°Good work, Moonwash!¡±


    ¡°Thanks. You too. I like that one.¡± She pointed at the smushed eyeball that I made. The goo was honestly very very hard to shape, which was why most of what I made ended up looking like grim abstract pieces. I definitely couldn''t make them as fine and thin as Moonwash could.


    ¡°I call it the ¡®Eye Don¡¯t See You!¡¯¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good name.¡±


    ¡°Very.¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°Come one, come all!¡± I tossed a paint balloon at Moonwash¡¯s head before I shouted my next words. ¡°Let¡¯s begin!¡±


    Moonwash only stared blankly at me as brown paint splattered across her face. That caused me to double over in laughter, which quickly proved to be a mistake as my friend immediately got her revenge. She jabbed a blob of blue right in the middle of my forehead, and then followed it up with even brighter colors. I shrieked and ran away, tossing my retaliation at her as I made some distance. Luine and Baston betrayed me next, adding their payload to Moonwash¡¯s. I was a rainbow mess by the time I made it to cover, and so would the couch be painted sickeningly bright as it valiantly took the next hits in my stead.


    The safety it offered did not last long. The lobbed projectiles that followed forced me out of cover as they arced down at me from above. My friends had discovered the beauty of airstrikes and indirect fire.


    ¡°Stop! You can¡¯t just gang up on meee!!!¡± I complained as they did just that. I ran and threw more paint balloons of my own, hitting them many times in a row until they looked like very colorful zombies. I was in even more dire straits as my vision was gravely impeded by the time I made it under the protection of the trusty dining table.


    What followed was some fort building as Baston ended up in my team. We created walls out of the remaining shelves and chairs, raining down paint on the other team that did the exact same team.


    Many more alliances would be forged in paint today, and many more would be broken. Such was the cutthroat politics of paint fucking ball.


    At times I found myself huddled together with Moonwash, fighting against forces that we knew were totally going easy on us. Other times Baston cheated by using nature magic, taking on the remaining three of us by himself with paintball-lobbing vines. Another time Moonwash betrayed me by dumping a whole barrel of paint balloons in my face. I tripped and fell over myself in search of vengeance, and then I found joy in the sliding around that followed. I decided to just continue doing that on purpose, staring up at how colorful our base had become, all the way to the ceiling. I¡¯d found the meaning of life, I abandoned revenge, now uncaring of the paint wars that continued to rage on around me.


    And then I brought the artillery. I made seesaw-like catapults and then jumped on them, launching projectiles of paint indiscriminately. May they land wherever they may, and woe be whomever was hit.


    I resorted to trickery, I fell to banditry. I stole their barrels of paintball from under their noses, finding the joy in using what was not mine!


    Luine ran, she went all out and became untouchable to any of us. Moonwash hid within one of the rooms out back, before coming out with a whole ass ritual. It sent several barrels of paint balloons raining down upon the entire space along with a strong gust of wind. I rolled around the very low-quality paint already pooling on the ground, and then I charged, barreling into my friends and tackling them into the floor. I got dirty, they got dirty, the house got dirty. We all got dirty and it was so much fucking fun.


    The chaos continued and continued and continued until we had no more paint to dye the walls with. We all collapsed in a pile, splashing on the paint that had collected in the very center of the vast hall. Tears graced our cheeks, but predominantly from happiness this time.


    Today we had fun, tomorrow we¡¯d remember what happened today, and the day after that we would depart, leaving nothing behind.

 Chapter 73: Goodbye.

    ¡°I have an idea,¡± Moonwash said evenly, and then promptly slashed my palm.


    ¡°AaaaAAAaAaaAAaAHHHhHhHHHHHhh!!!¡±


    She suddenly pulled back, a frown on her face. ¡°Haell, I¡¯m sorry. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh shit, I only meant it as a joke, Moonwash! Don¡¯t feel bad!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Her expression shifted back to neutral. ¡°Does it not hurt?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it definitely does.¡± I nodded. ¡°But you know that already! You couldn¡¯t have seriously expected that slashing me wouldn¡¯t hurt, did you?¡±


    ¡°That is true. It is just that I¡¯ve done it many times for our experiments so I thought you were fine with it, especially when you gave me your hand.¡±


    ¡°And you were correct! I am fine with it!¡±


    ¡°Really? But didn¡¯t you just say that it did hurt?¡± She paused for a moment, which I knew meant she was thinking. ¡°Is this one of those things where you¡¯re just trying to make me feel better?¡±


    ¡°No, no. Not at all. It is painful, of course. You slashed my hand and drew blood, lots of it. But that¡¯s nothing to me, I¡¯m used to at least this much. I only shrieked like a banshee earlier because I thought it would be funny.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t find it funny. I still don¡¯t.¡±


    I clutched my heart with my bleeding hand, before falling and writhing on the floor. ¡°You have killed me, Moonwash. This is the one pain I cannot cope with. I have died.¡±


    ¡°Oh no,¡± she deadpanned.


    ~~~


    ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± Luine said. Her voice came from outside the entrance to our paint-riddled base. I and Moonwash had just been filling up balloons with my blood before she arrived.


    ¡°We have to go,¡± Luine continued, striding towards us. ¡°I found their forward scouts. The expedition must be getting close. We¡¯ve dallied for too long already.¡±


    Instead of sighing, I met Moonwash¡¯s eyes as we gave each other a firm nod. Baston stood up with a small pack on his back already, meanwhile Moonnwash stashed away the balloons that we¡¯d already filled. The cut on my palm had to be reapplied many times throughout the process because it just kept on healing back up thanks to my regen heart.


    We didn¡¯t have any more luggage, the majority of our things had been safely sent back to our first home long ago.


    ¡°RESPECT!¡± I shouted as I stood at the mouth of our hidden cave. ¡°You have been a home to us! You have let us rest within your confines! You were an ally in all the battles that we¡¯ve had!¡±


    I took a deep breath, and then released it slowly as my posture relaxed.


    ¡°Now rest.¡±


    Baston and Luine looked at me oddly, but Moonwash immediately followed in my lead.


    ¡°You were our home for the past few years. I learned so much as I experimented and forged by taking advantage of your amenities. I decorated your walls, I created so much art in your embrace. Your final form is a collaboration of the love and camaraderie between us.¡±


    Moonwash paused, taking a good look at the rainbow-covered walls below the stairs leading down. ¡°You have been a wonderful friend and companion to us. Now rest.¡±


    We both looked at Baston and Luine expectantly. Baston gave a little sigh and scratched his head.


    ¡°Well, uh. I made plants inside you. I hid you away with trees and made you pretty. It was fun, to just be away from all the expectations of society. I truly appreciate the time we had together. Now rest.¡±


    He had started off unsure, but his words became more confident as he neared the finish of his parting speech.


    Now it was Luine¡¯s turn. She glanced at Baston, and then shrugged.


    ¡°You have hidden us away. You have made sure we remained undiscovered by our many enemies. You allowed Haell and even the rest of us to grow in safety. For that, I thank you. New Grandera thanks you. Now rest.¡±


    There was a moment of silence after that. None of us had anyone to pray to, I reckoned, but we wished our friend well into the afterlife regardless. That at least, I was confident existed in some form.


    Perhaps our secret would be reincarnated into a life where it wouldn¡¯t have a need to remain secret any longer. Where it could stand proud and tall for thousands of years, granting its warmth and protection to a family that would love it just as much.


    I gave one last longing stare at our home as we left the place for the final time. My chest tightened once again at all the memories that we had made here, but I stood strong. The paint that covered every surface made me smile.


    And then I set it all on fire.


    The paint proved flammable against my fireballs. Luine and Moonwash helped and did the same thing, as even the rooms at the back were not spared from our final goodbye. It all burned away, closing this chapter of our lives with a final bang.


    A single tear still made its way past my cheek as I left it all behind.


    ~~~


    Baston collapsed the hill above our secret base once we were fully sure that only ashes remained. We began running before the earth was even done collapsing as we¡¯d already stayed for longer than we should¡¯ve. Even with our precautions and the use of wind magic, the smoke would¡¯ve attracted some of the scouts in the general area.


    The forest blurred as we dove deeper in. Luine killed the few monsters that barred our way, leaving little behind for the rest of us. That was fine for once, I wasn¡¯t totally in the mood for a fight. A rare occurrence nowadays.


    I still wanted to get violent of course, once we were able to take a break and stop.


    ¡°Moonwash, let¡¯s go try that thingy we made earlier!¡± I forced myself to be cheerful for only a few seconds. It soon became genuine as I was always excited to discover new ways to use my powers and magic.


    ¡°Okay. Here.¡± She grabbed a blood balloon from her bag, and I immediately whirled around to face the brown-green tiger that was creeping upon us from behind. I didn¡¯t think it had any intention of attacking to begin with, but it had flown too close to the sun.


    Me. Us. We¡¯re the sun.


    The animal looked at me in shock for only a split second, before I then threw the ball of blood right in its face.


    I missed.


    ¡°Aaahhh Moonwash! Another one!¡±


    I kicked the beast away when it tried to charge at me, and then grabbed another balloon. I tossed it at my opponent, and this time I hit it right in the face.


    The tiger growled, confused, shaking its head in an attempt to get rid of the liquid. Blood near its mouth must typically be a good thing, but not this time.


    I activated the curse and performed the miniature ritual. The tiger¡¯s face immediately contorted into pain as it withered and bled under the weight of destruction.


    And then nothing more happened. The enemy was hurt, but it remained standing, alive. That was a far less drastic effect than what I was hoping for.


    The creature growled again, this time foregoing all its caution in favor of the rage. I met its pounce with my own, drawing my greatsword and slamming it across my opponent¡¯s body.


    I laughed as the tiger went sailing away, nearly cut in twain, its claws having missed me entirely. My blood churned at the violence I inflicted, the power coursing through my veins rising as I approached my whimpering foe. It¡¯s been a fucking while since I got to go wild, this is the proper way to get over my grief!


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    But this opponent of mine wouldn¡¯t allow that. It was too weak. The tiger was already dead, it would bleed out soon, it couldn¡¯t even move any longer.


    I took pity upon the creature, and put an end to its suffering.


    ¡°That was weaker than expected. Did the blood in the balloon contain less mana than usual?¡± Moonwash asked.


    ¡°No. Of course I filled it to the brim.¡±


    ¡°That was what I felt too.¡± Moonwash paused for a second, thinking.


    I beat her to it.


    ¡°My connection to the blood did feel weaker, faint. I think if I didn¡¯t evolve it to specifically remain connected to me, then I wouldn¡¯t have been able to activate a semi-ritual with it at all. There could also be a problem with preparing it in advance, like how rituals rapidly lose power if you just let them rest.¡±


    ¡°That is interesting. I think that¡¯s the first time you mentioned the connection to your blood feeling weaker. However, for the mini-ritual to lose power over time like a normal ritual, I know that you sometimes wait for a bit before activating a mini-ritual as a sort of trap during combat. It¡¯s not much, but that amount of time is usually enough to sap away at a ritual¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it, it is at full power regardless¡­¡± I rubbed my hands across my scalp and chuckled. ¡°I still can¡¯t understand how this shit works!¡±


    ¡°Vague and esoteric forces are work. We can observe what happens, but the why is often subjective.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at her.


    ¡°What?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Nothing. I just didn¡¯t expect you to give up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I didn¡¯t.¡± I imagined there was just a small amount of bite in her voice. ¡°If it¡¯s subjective, then I will examine and interpret that subjective meaning to the best of my ability. I will never stop doing that. I just understand that there¡¯s no 100% correct answer.¡±


    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is¡­ I¡¯m always at least a little bit correct? At least 1%?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She paused. ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah!¡±


    ~~~


    We didn¡¯t get to experiment much more after that as our group was making a beeline for the village of Adora. The nearby settlements were all involved in the expedition to the wonderzone in some way, so we were going to meet up with my parents elsewhere just in case. Not that it was likely, but none of us wanted to potentially get involved with all that bullshit. The places were likely to be simultaneously super busy and kind of deserted anyway. A bad time for tourism.


    We didn¡¯t use the established roads and instead moved through the wilderness, once again coming across very little obstacle thanks to Luine and Baston¡¯s navigating. The damned killjoys.


    Thankfully, I did get to fight two largess boars for lunch. They were both as tall as a horse and much wider, their levels in the mid level 10s.


    Easy prey, in other words.


    I taunted and shouted at the two faraway animals. Their ears twitched as they twisted around, a look of anger crossing their face at the mere sight of me. That was very rude, so I decided to be even ruder back, by weaving together confusion bullets and shooting the things right at them!


    With a squeal of rage, one of them charged, followed by the other. I raised my sword and narrowed my eyes at their approach, the ground trembling slightly from the sheer force of their bodies. They were large, they were heavy, and they were powerful. Their stampede could trample me like a ragdoll without even slowing.


    But it wouldn¡¯t, for I was better. I dodged at the very last moment, and swung my greatsword with all my might and more. The lead boar stumbled and roared in pain, its front right leg hanging by only sparse ropes of muscle. The second boar that followed squealed in alarm and tried to stop and change course, but it couldn¡¯t. Not entirely. These animals might have been able to do more damage than I, but their builds were stupid. Their weight and momentum made them even worse at stopping and turning than other charging creatures, including me!


    The trees shook and the birds fled as the second boar crashed into both its comrade and the nearby plantlife. It immediately tried to get up, but I was already circling around from behind. My arms ached from how much I powered it up with menace mana earlier, but I used that exact same magic to force it to move once more. I swung with great force before the remaining mobile enemy could even think to attack me, and my slash bit deeply into one of its back legs. I didn¡¯t try to chop it off in one go this time, but still the pain in my arms worsened. I didn¡¯t let the pain bother me and did the same thing again, always staying behind my enemy as it thrashed, until finally the leg could function no longer, and the boar could only limp and stumble after me.


    I allowed my arms to heal after that strong opening attack. I led the two boars around as they tried desperately to maneuver with one missing leg. They already weren¡¯t able to catch me with all four, what more could they do now?


    My arms were eventually repaired back to a usable and comfortable level. I didn¡¯t waste any more time and started maiming the remaining legs of my enemies as they finally tried to flee. Not that they were any more successful at that than everything else they¡¯ve tried.


    Their every squeal of pain was like a shot of ecstasy into both of my beating hearts, and I couldn¡¯t help but grin happily as I continued my bloody work. I briefly considered if I could torture and force the animals to die from sheer shock. Would our stronger minds and bodies even allow for that?


    I banished the thought. That wasn¡¯t the experiment I wished to perform. Moonwash¡¯s love for science must¡¯ve been rubbing off on me more than I thought. But I was better than that, I was better than my urges and my instincts. I was their master and not the other way around.


    Once I¡¯d hacked off enough limbs and robbed these poor creatures of their ability to ever walk again, it was finally time to do some more experiments and test out Moonwash¡¯s latest idea. These two monsters I caught were very close in level, so hopefully they would serve as good test subjects for direct comparisons.


    ¡°Can I stab you and then drain your blood?¡± Moonwash asked me, this time with precise and exacting language.


    ¡°Why, Moonwash. I thought you¡¯d never ask!¡± I laughed and gave her my palm.


    ¡°That¡¯s a yes, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is,¡± I chuckled, keeping the smile on my face even when Moonwash did stab me and drain my blood into a balloon. I watched it fill up with fascination, and then promptly threw it on the face of the first boar! Or maybe it was boar #2¡­ I think I might¡¯ve lost track.


    Whichever one that was, I drenched the other boar with my blood all the same, but this time straight from the source. It was very hard to get the amount right, but I stopped when Moonwash told me to, and I resolved to blame her if she was wrong.


    I activated the mini rituals. The one splashed with fresh blood screamed louder in pain and then fell unconscious, while the other whimpered and groaned, but ultimately survived. That confirmed to us that it was the blood balloon in specific that made the mini ritual less potent. Exploits were not appreciated by magic, it was the spirit that mattered, and not the letter of the law.


    I allowed the one that remained conscious to bite me and draw blood, just to confirm that the prior mini-rituals were indeed even weaker because they were missing the vengeance aspect of an enemy having caused the injury that resulted in my blood spilling out.


    Satisfied with my experimentation, I killed the both of them, and then had them for lunch.


    It was a lot of meat, but that was fine. I had to eat a lot. My body was essentially in a near constant state of damage and regeneration, at least whenever I was being truly active. If I didn¡¯t devour entire feasts, then my body would devour itself instead. I¡¯d become malnourished and die.


    ~~~


    Moonwash still had a good stash of condiments that she always kept on her, so the meal ended up being delicious like always. We didn¡¯t bother harvesting any of the materials save for the meat we ate as we were just on a journey home. Maybe if we found something truly high level and worth it, but even level 40s were rare. They were considered elite creatures.


    I found something cute but probably dangerous nearby just when we were about to leave. It was a bitebit the size of a common hound, and colored a chocolate-brown. It was a size that shouldn¡¯t be threatening, but I knew that these monsters were typically fist-sized fuzzy tree-climbers. That meant that this individual was high level, it had to be to achieve this kind of size.


    I focused on the creature, finding it harder than usual to tell what its level was. Something felt off, but my level sense was soon able to tell that the bitebit was over level 20. I expected at least that much.


    It will be a good post-meal workout. I grinned, ready to have a difficult battle, but I instead found myself violently yanked back.


    ¡°Wha¨C¡±


    The question died in my throat as Luine rushed forward, daggers drawn. She clashed with the level 20 creature, and was¡­ pushed back? Outsped? What? How is that possible?


    My friend and mentor slashed at the brown bundle of fur as it darted around her. Her daggers bit into the creature¡¯s flesh, but didn¡¯t penetrate all the way. The bitebit, meanwhile, dodged most of her strikes while scoring deep gouges with its claws in retaliation. Luine¡¯s arm bled, but she made sure to at least keep away from the beast¡¯s massive maw that was concealed by the green fuzz.


    The creature circled around her, and then chose to go for a weaker target, namely myself. I was still confused by this sudden turn of events, but my mind cleared with a fury, focusing on the moment once I decided it was time to fight.


    My menace mana responded to my will, rising in power with a haste that could only be borne out of years of practice and obsession. Waves of menace magic formed and crashed in front of the bitebit¡¯s path. The enemy immediately paused and looked for another way, no doubt alerted to my magic by both its instincts and the purple fog. It only took it a split second for it to be gaining on me again, but I bought myself another moment of not being dead by swinging my sword forward. The monster pulled back a hair, and was promptly stabbed deeply in the back by two of Luine¡¯s daggers.


    The bitebit hardly made a sound even then, but it hurriedly pulled away from the blades buried at its back. I made it pause once more using both a second wave of menace magic and my demonic eyes. That single fleeting instant was all that was needed to seal its fate. Baston had finished casting and vines wrapped up the creature in quick succession.


    The bitebit could escape of course, but not quick enough. Luine stabbed the monster a dozen times in a single second while it tried to free itself. Moonwash followed up with her own white-hot fireball, setting the vines and the enemy alight.


    That was the final burning nail in the coffin, and the creature promptly died.

 Chapter 74: A Brand New Encounter.

    ¡ª??? POV¡ª


    Hungry. Want to become stronger. Search prey.


    Found. Many creatures. Weak creature. Smart creature. Armor. Weapons. Weak. Weak. Truly weak. But some strong. The weak very many. Risky. Too risky.


    Fly away.


    Found. Big monster. Strong monster. Alone.


    Drop down from sky. Attack. Vital hit. Enemy retaliate. Fly away. Fly. Fly. Attack again. Repeat. Repeat. Win.


    Fly. Fly high. Disappear in the sky. Find new prey. Found. Hunt. Hunt some more. Feast.


    Found. Another prey. Challenging prey. Strong. Smart. But few. Tired. Injured. Half weak. Very weak.


    Drop.


    ~~~


    ¡ªBack to Haell POV¡ª


    ¡°What was that!?¡± I asked as Luine sat down and Baston healed her arms. ¡°That was waaayyyyy too fucking strong for a level 20.¡±


    Luine snorted as her flesh mended. ¡°Oh yes. Being that strong at a lower level is totally unfair.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! Only I am allowed to do that!¡±


    She snorted at my answer.


    ¡°To actually answer your question,¡± Baston said while healing and growing a bed of flowers around Luine¡¯s injured arms, ¡°that bitebit was over level 40.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I looked at him, and then back at the dead carcass of my enemy. ¡°My level sense told me it¡¯s around level 20 though¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because it can be fooled.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I looked at the dead creature in a new light. ¡°I guess I got bamboozled. Damn. I¡¯ve heard of that ability, but I¡¯ve seldom seen it.¡±


    Luine¡¯s presence suddenly shriveled and shrank. I felt like I was staring at someone even weaker than I was. I didn¡¯t even feel a shred of wrongness like I did with the bitebit.


    ¡°Whoa! You can do that!?¡±


    ¡°Of course I can,¡± she scoffed.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me!!¡± I pouted, looking at her now with pleading eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s far more difficult to learn than level sense, and it requires the exact opposite training method. You¡¯d have to act far weaker than you are for dragons know how long! But sure, since I¡¯m so nice then I''ll teach you alllll about it.¡±


    ¡°On second thought, I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°You sure? It is a very useful ability. Don¡¯t you love those?¡±


    ¡°No, no. I don¡¯t want to take any more of your time.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. You¡¯ve already taken years.¡±


    ¡°Ouch.¡± I knew she was joking, but that hit a little bit too close to home. ¡°But that¡¯s why I want to take no more. I¡¯m happy enough flaunting my power.¡±


    ¡°Oh I know, Haell.¡± She chuckled. ¡°We all know.¡±


    That was a very funny joke, and we would¡¯ve all laughed for sure had we not been interrupted before we could.


    ¡°Run!!¡± Baston suddenly shouted and tossed Luine away, some bleeding scratches still remaining on her arms. A large bird the size of a common ogre crashed down where she just was, its feathers were reflective like glass, tinged strongly with the colors of the vibrant blue sky and the fluffy clouds that could be found within. It looked sleek, elegant, peaceful.


    It was anything but.


    The beast moved before any of us could react, chomping down and crushing large chunks of Baston in rapid succession. His left arm, leg, and parts of that entire side of his torso was crumpled like paper, flesh and armor digging into each other. Blood spurted from the bird¡¯s left wing in the next moment, finally pulling its attention away before it could finish off Baston. Luine had jumped right back into the fight with her arms still bleeding, running her blades against the bird¡¯s feathers and dyeing them¡­ white? The monster¡¯s blood was white. Why not?


    ¡°What are you doing!?¡± Baston yelled as Moonwash and I just stared. ¡°Fucking run!¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± I found myself shouting before I could think better of it. I ran to Baston¡¯s side and helped him support himself up. My mind was a mess, but I was surrounded by the forest. Even getting ambushed by a random beast was part of nature, and so was struggling til the fucking end!


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    My magic exploded out of me like it never had before. A bed of flowers grew right underneath our feet and colorful floral vines began reaching up and enveloping the injuries of my friend.


    ¡°I told you to¨C¡± Baston began but I interrupted him.


    ¡°And we fucking won¡¯t so fucking deal with it!!¡±


    He was annoyed and uncertain for a second, but he collected himself a moment after, accepting that he could not change my decision. My friend drew his staff from his back and held it with his one functioning hand. He summoned up vines right in front of him, entangling the nearly level 80 skyvern.


    The monster shrieked, thrashing against its bonds and breaking them, but not without being slowed down and even injured. Luine did not miss the openings this created, and soon more and more cuts started opening up on the creature¡¯s body. I helped too, by sending out waves of menace magic toward the enemy. There was no visible effect I could see, but I hoped that tilted the odds in our favor, at least a little.


    I continued to support Baston up, wrapping my arm tightly around him even if I knew that would cause the man more pain with all the injuries on his left side. I was left with no choice because he was far too heavy for me to be gentle. That was only to be expected for someone so high level, but damn this wasn¡¯t easy. At least he didn¡¯t seem to mind as he kept a tight hold on his staff, the weapon nearly planted into the ground. My friend continued to use his vines, restricting the movements of the skyvern further so that it could not get to us.


    Unfortunately, his efforts still proved insufficient. The monster thrashed around wildly against nothing, but the sprays of red blood that sometimes came told me an invisible Luine was being hit. Its attention could not even be forever kept by my stealthed ally, as the creature¡¯s gaze finally landed on us.


    The monster cawed, opening its beaks wide. Its head surged forward a moment after, but Baston managed to mostly slow down the attack with an impressive mass of plantlife. Two more pecks followed after that, and Baston managed to jerk them both away on time. But the next one came too fast on the heels of the prior three for Baston to stop completely.


    I jumped forward and drew my sword, standing in front of my friends protectively. I knew it was stupid, but Baston would¡¯ve tried to push me away if I gave him a chance. I swung just before the enemy¡¯s attack connected, and my arms blurred from the ritualistic power of melting my blood. A loud clang resounded, and the next thing I knew the world was spinning. I was spinning. The ground felt rough and coarse and painful as I rolled, until finally my momentum was stopped by an unsuspecting tree.


    Whatever breath I had left was instantly pushed out of my lungs. Pieces of bark and leaves rained down on me from above as shards of my metal armor dug into my back. I coughed out blood and tried to stand, but I couldn¡¯t support myself with my now useless broken hands. I looked up with bleary eyes to find Baston sprawled on the ground, but still clinging onto his staff resolutely. I had managed to redirect that last attack to save both him and Moonwash.


    The bird¡¯s focus was no longer on us, as its entire right wing had been cut off. The damage had unfortunately not come without a price as its retaliation had taken out Luine''s entire right hand in turn. A geyser of blood spurted out from where the limb used to be.


    I gulped, knowing that the limb could no longer be replaced without proper biomancy. I made sure to leave my arms healable, probably, but Luine was betting her all into this fight. Moonwash was almost done with the ritual she¡¯d been making from the start and Baston was coughing out blood on the ground.


    I forced myself to move. I first crawled forward, and then I stood, arms still dangling limply to my sides. Menace magic flowed through my body with the desire to not allow this enemy to kill a single one of us. My walk transitioned into a frantic shuffle until I finally made it to my friends.


    My jaw opened wide and I bit down hard on Baston¡¯s shirt. I strained against his weight and willed more strength into myself, breaking muscle and tissue with every single twitch. This pain was nothing compared to what he and Luine were experiencing right now!


    ¡°I¡¯M DONE!¡± Moonwash announced, just as I made it to her. I tossed and kicked Baston to the ritual circle with a final grunt of effort, and the ishkawtan man could only roll obediently.


    ¡°Nature¡¯s Brightness.¡±


    A field of flowing flowers burst forth from the ritual-stained ground. Moonwash didn¡¯t use my blood this time, instead a mixture of nature and light elemental ink. Needless to say, it was bloody difficult to pull off any ritual, but of course my friend could pull off a mixture of two elements in the heat of combat. There was no reason to even be surprised.


    The area around the skyvern was now covered by a deep mist of shadow. The monster kept on attacking an unseen figure within, but I presumed it missed or that Luine at least survived because the shadow magic had yet to be extinguished. In retaliation against our enemy, the darkness encroached upon it, further sapping its strength. The skyvern screeched and cawed for a moment longer, before deciding to flee, but it couldn¡¯t gain any altitude at all as it flapped its single remaining wing uselessly. Unable to properly flee, it decided to go after easier prey instead.


    Namely, us.


    Baston stood back up, leaning against his staff. His skin had settled, and Moonwash and I had removed the metal shards in his flesh, but his two left limbs remained inert and mangled. As I feared, some of his injuries were things that he could never heal from. Yet still the man persevered, he faced the creature that had reduced him to such a state in the first place.


    ¡°Grab my pouch and throw everything inside,¡± he commanded. Moonwash immediately followed his instruction while I still could not move my hands. I sent out all of my remaining fire magic at the creature instead, and then began dumping all my reserves of menace mana as well in case it actually did anything. My eyes, my aura, they all flared out, and I felt that some of the red blood on the creature was mine. Naturally, I activated it, causing at least a very small bit of shriveling. I think. Even more mini-rituals followed as Moonwash blew all the inefficient blood balloons toward its face with an accursed blast of wind.


    I felt that I saw at least some of the skyvern¡¯s white beak crack and decay from our combined onslaught. Its elegant feathers burned, and the skin underneath sizzled.


    And then Baston¡¯s final offensive came. His staff cracked as roots and vines of different kinds, all nearly the width of small trees came out of the ground. Some pierced into the skyvern, others yet wrapped around its body, and most suddenly grew thorns, spilling even more of the monster¡¯s white blood. It tried to screech at us, but a whole deluge of roots wrapped around its beak, and the appendage cracked.


    The monster struggled for a while longer, ripping out a lot of the plantlife that held it down, but Luine¡¯s return finally put a stop to all of that. She climbed across its body, towards its head, and stabbed repeatedly at its face until her blade broke through the skull.


    The skyvern slowed. It slumped against the few remaining bindings of Baston, never to move again.

 Chapter 74.5 (Interlude): The Journey of Elfrafim

    ¡ªElfrafim POV¡ª


    Today was a good day! Well, the goodbyes were very sad. But I would not let that get me down! For the wind was refreshing, and the sights that blurred in my wake were beautiful and new!


    ¡°Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!¡± I shouted out my glee into the world, and Astan responded with a squawk of his own. I giggled.


    I was flying with him right now thanks to Moonwash¡¯s gift to me. It was a magical apparatus, like a staff or a wand, but its use was severely narrowed and limited in exchange for still being able to function at a high level even with such an unconventional shape. We had gliders like this back home, so it wasn''t totally a new thing, but people didn''t usually make them so compact.


    ¡­I also forgot to bring my own.


    But now, thanks to Moonwash, I could soar through the skies again with Astan anytime!


    I felt warm, just thinking about the new friends that I had made. My plans were immediately derailed the moment I arrived on the western side of Grandera, but in the best ways possible! There was not a single thing that I regretted.


    Luine and Baston were cool people, they had great knowledge and insights about the lands this side of the mountain! I¡¯d met the people who were their friends and fellow Piss Hunters, and they were also very cool.


    Moonwash was amazing, she was curious and driven, her talent for creation second to no other. She was already making things on par with people an evolution above her in quality, and her ideas and innovations were even more unique than that. She was an actual genius!


    And then there was Haell¡­ There was no simple way to describe her, for she was simply one of a kind. I meant that in the most literal sense, for she had become a demon, something that had never before seen in this world. It was a terrifyingly beautiful new species, and I was almost relieved that Haell didn¡¯t intend to have children anytime soon.


    But somehow, her strength of character was able to overshadow even all of that. She worked hard to the point of desperation, she bore through training both painful and utterly repetitive, and not once did she ever try to give up, even with how difficult of an existence being a demon was.


    Haell Zharignan was an inspiration like no other. She would surpass me, she would surpass everyone. And it was exciting how thoroughly unprepared we all were.


    Coming here was truly the best decision I had ever made in my almost three centuries of life.


    ~~~


    "Hekaton! Hekaton, where are you!" I shouted. The sun was beginning to set on yet another day, but I''d still not found the prey I was looking for! That was not very nice.


    I found a bird flying above. I drew one of my mundane arrows, threaded some wind magic through it using my bow, and then I fired.


    The beast exploded into chunks of gore. Like flarenuts, but for flesh!


    Err, I might have used too much force on that.


    Oops!


    I found a squirrel next, which I squirreled away for my own consumption. I didn''t go for any fancy tricks this time, I just grabbed the little critter and broke its neck. It made a sad snapping sound as its life was snuffed out... but it was also kinda funny!


    I and Astan settled in for dinner. I felt the winds, I heard the magic through them, and the rustling of the leaves informed me of my surroundings. A group was coming towards us, their footsteps careful, their speech measured and precise. They were sapient and organized people, likely attracted by the fire that I started.


    It was time to make some new friends!


    ~~~


    I did not make any new friends!


    The party of adventurers arrived after a few minutes of careful travel. They already knew that I was here, which only made sense for they had an ishkawtan among them, and I wasn¡¯t at all keeping myself hidden. If I actually wished them harm, then I was sure I could bury a dagger in each of their hearts before they ever realized there was an imposter among them. But I wasn¡¯t going to do that because I was nice!


    ¡°Hello friends!¡± I greeted loudly, making the lot of them flinch just as they exited the treeline and came into view of the clearing. The adventurers were a party of five, with two humans, an ogre, a centaur, and the aforementioned ishkawtan. They were all around level 20, so about as strong as an elven newborn. Impressive!


    ¡°Hello there¡­ elf,¡± their supposed leader said. The human woman was very tall for her kind, well over two meters, and pushing into three. She wore the stereotypical healer garb, which I found amusing. I considered if it was a ruse, because her body was not built at all like a backliner. I knew how fast things could turn into a confrontation, and despite my massive level advantage, it was best not to lower my guard down. Haell had drilled that lesson further into my head!


    ¡°I¡¯m an elf, that¡¯s me! I also have a name, and it¡¯s Elfrafim! What¡¯s yours?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Trysta,¡± she introduced herself, still evidently careful and tense. I didn¡¯t know what she was so worried about, I was as harmless as a cuddlefluff!


    Cuddlefluffs were common pets back in the grandest forest. They were level 40 sweethearts who wouldn¡¯t hurt a fly, unless if that fly hurt them first of course. Then they turned vicious, resilient, and able to absorb truly ridiculous amounts of damage while relentlessly pressing the attack.


    And they continued to look absolutely adorable while doing it. I loved them so much.


    ¡°Well, hi Trysta!¡± I waved. The silence dragged on, so I took this chance to eat my squirrel skewer once it was perfectly roasted. The adventurers watched me eat¡­ which was very weird! They flinched when Astan came down from the branches and shared in my meal, but the adventurers lowered their weapons again once they realized that my friend was no immediate threat.


    ¡°Well?¡± I asked, burping after a good dinner. ¡°Are you just going to stand there or what¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Trysta shook her head. ¡°Uhm. Are you aware that you are in the territory of the Edengar Kingdom of the Angelore Empire?¡±


    I looked around, taking in my surroundings. From the forest around us, to the constant stream of monsters and animals just out of sight, to the isolation and lack of civilization.


    ¡°I¡¯m just in some forest.¡± I smiled. ¡°There¡¯s only you and me, friends.¡±


    Trysta frowned at that. ¡°You¡¯re not¡­ unwelcome here. But you¡¯re not exactly welcome either. You¡¯ve shown yourselves to be¡­ a little bit more peaceful than most, yet I don¡¯t understand why you still reject the will and the rule of the angels. For being naturally so long-lived, why can¡¯t you understand that they are the savior this world needs!?¡±


    She started off as still timid, but she very quickly grew passionate. I didn¡¯t agree with a single thing she said, but I liked her spirit at least! Gotta stay positive.


    ¡°I know a little bit about what you¡¯re talking about. But can you explain more of it to me? Maybe over dinner?¡±


    Her eyes widened. She tried to remain composed and serious, but I could clearly see the excitement that bubbled in her upon my words. ¡°Of course!¡±


    ~~~


    The adventurers all sat around the campfire with me, cooking some of their own rations atop the flickering flames. It was as if we truly were good friends.


    ¡°So,¡± Trysta began, ¡°how much do you know about the angels and their divine mission?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard some of it¡­ but start from the beginning! I am here to learn of your ways!¡±


    She almost preened at my answer. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful! I shall teach you all that you need to know!¡±


    ¡°Nice!¡±


    ¡°Many years ago, the angels came to this world. They arrived in a blinding corona of light that made apparent their divine nature. They were here to save Varyala from the constant chaos and conflict that had plagued it for generations. Through faith, they sought to bring prosperity, chaos, unity, and order to all the disparate people of the world. But what did the races of the world do when the angels told them of the bright future they had planned for all us? They fought, they rebelled, so many people preferred war to the peace that was offered! That is the root cause of all the suffering happening in this world, and it is terrible.¡±


    ¡°Wow. That must have been so hard for them,¡± I empathized, with just a little bit of sarcasm. My new friend did not catch on one whit.


    ¡°I can only imagine!¡± Trysta said, eyes filling with sorrow for events long passed. ¡°And yet you!¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°The elves! You know what I mean! The angels had come to you as well, many many years ago. You could have chosen to join us, and yet you too rejected the mercy of the angels! So many deaths might have been prevented, if you had just joined us in peace!¡±


    Ah, I had heard of this. It happened a couple of decades back. Two archangels came to the grandest forest to declare that we were now their subjects and that we must obey. Naturally, we had a good laugh at their expense, which almost devolved into bloodshed, but they had wisely backed off after some very funny parting words. That was good, because even with ancient elves present, our victory would have cost too many lives.


    The angels even gave us a large pillar of a crossbow bolt as a souvenir, so I think that was an overall success!


    ¡°I think plenty of people would¡¯ve died even if we joined you,¡± I said despite knowing that it was pointless to argue. I just wanted to hear some nice stories, even if they were fucked up! ¡°You would¡¯ve attacked the barrier range regardless. Hell, you clearly want us to participate in your stupid war.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not stupid!¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°They¡¯re the ones in rebellion against us, just like you are. They attacked towns of innocent people!¡±


    ¡°War is ugly, yes. That¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t have started it.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have had to happen if you¡¯d just accept the rule of the angels! They came from the heavens, they bring salvation, that is apparent and obvious!¡±


    ¡°It also wouldn¡¯t have happened if you just, you know, not tried to conquer them? No need to bring us into your mess.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not our mess. We¡¯re the ones cleaning it up!¡± she fumed, before relaxing and straightening her posture once more. ¡°See, this is exactly the kind of complacent attitude that led to where we are today. So utterly and unashamedly selfish!¡± She took another deep breath. ¡°Why does everyone on this damned planet only care about warring and raping and pillaging each other? Why can¡¯t we just work together? The angels have come all the way out here to help, and we¡¯re like¡­ this.¡±


    I sighed. I realized that there was no getting to her. I doubted we could be friends now. ¡°Let¡¯s just leave it at that, alright? We¡¯ll agree to disagree, okay?¡±


    ¡°No! Do not patronize me!¡± She shouted angrily. The rest of the adventurers reacted, their hands going for their weapons. I felt disappointed. I didn¡¯t want to kill anyone today. I didn¡¯t even want to fight. I just wanted to hear some cool campfire stories to end the night.


    How did it devolve to this?


    ¡°Come on. Stop, okay? You know that a fight will not end well.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you keep fighting against us!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± I huffed, annoyed. I barreled through whatever response she may have had to that. ¡°Let¡¯s not pretend like you¡¯re here, acting in some official capacity. You¡¯re just some adventurer, and I¡¯m just passing through. So leave it be.¡±


    She froze for a second at the tone of my words, but she quickly regained her composure. ¡°I am an adventurer, and that¡¯s precisely why I¡¯m trying to teach you, Elfrafim. This is our sacred duty, given to us by the Empress Shanayah herself. She pleaded for the continued existence of the guild, she knew we had the potential for greatness, and that¡¯s why we guide people in these things. That¡¯s why we travel and help our communities, why we usher people forward in their faith. We¡¯re not the barbarian adventurers of old, but we are enlightened, noble warriors.¡±


    I blinked. Wow. She¡¯s saying that about herself. Even Haell isn¡¯t that arrogant. Wild.


    I laughed. She frowned. They all frowned.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Trysta asked.


    ¡°Nothing, nothing. Nothing you have to worry about.¡±


    I smiled as an awkward and tense silence descended. The adventurers predictably broke first, and Trysta did her best to calm the rest of her party down.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you just see it, Elfrafim? You just need to have a little bit of faith, and it should be apparent.¡±


    I shrugged, my hands playing idly with some twigs and the campfire. ¡°Even if you were right, which I don¡¯t think that you are, I will never bow down to a tyrant. Not if it were my friends and fellow elves, not if the Nature Dragon Gainess herself demanded my servitude, and certainly not for the angels nor for you.¡± I was looking her in the eye now. In her pupils, I saw weariness and disgust. In mine, there must have only been pity.


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    ¡°It¡¯s not tyranny,¡± she weakly said. I only met her with silence, and the conversation died.


    A few minutes later, she ¡°politely¡± tried to leave. ¡°Well, we must go now. We came here to clear out monsters in defense of the people, and we must be getting back on our mission to give back to our community.¡±


    ¡°Sure, yeah. I understand. That¡¯s also an important thing that we do in the grandest forest. Can¡¯t let dangerous monsters get to the kids who still haven¡¯t grown into their power, you know?¡±


    Her brows furrowed at my response, but she did not address my words. ¡°It was¡­ nice meeting you, Elfrafim. I hope you find your way towards what¡¯s right eventually.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I forced myself to relax and have some cheer in my bones. I wanted to at least end this meeting with a smile. ¡°It was nice meeting you all too! And I wish you all the same!¡±


    I waved at them as they left and disappeared into the treeline.


    They did not wave back.


    That was sad.


    ~~~


    ¡°Shh! Astan! Do not make a sound!¡± I clamped a hand around his beak. My friend made an indignant whimper, as if to tell me that he knew. And he probably did¡­ I just freaked out once I finally found my prey after literal months of searching!


    The hekaton was a light-gray bipedal thing, dirty and emaciated. It had a terrifying maw, and way too many arms that moved far too nimbly around each other. Blood dripped from every finger as the monster frantically drew erratic symbols on the ground a good distance away from a warsymbol.


    I watched with rapt attention. My eyes were focused as I observed every stroke of the creature¡¯s many fingers. I had heard tales about these rare beasts, and the sort of magic and rituals that they could wield. I would love to steal their ideas for myself!


    The hekaton shrieked. The sound woke up the slumbering beast. The warsymbol charged until he was right in front of the prepared ritual. The hekaton then unhinged its mouth, and out came an unintelligible sound that bounced rapidly around my head until they became familiar words that I understood.


    ¡°CHAOS MANIFEEESTTAtION¡±


    I yelped with glee as the ritual manifested itself. I heard the struggle of elements, constantly shifting against each other, and building further in power. The earth exploded underneath the warsymbol, spears of ice pierced shallowly into its hide, then turned into lava that burned. The winds fanned the flames, the air cooled the lava, the stone turned to vines to lightning to shadow to light. Under the assault of every force imaginable, the warsymbol cried out in agony.


    The level 30+ hekaton had begun fleeing the moment the ritual commenced, but some overflow still reached it. A spray of fire doused its back, an abstract hand of stone punched it in the gut, and an errant ray of water sliced into its thigh. Blood dripped from several wounds, and from those puddles arose new kinds of chaos, the catalyst of red evaporating into smaller versions of the earlier ritual that was conducted.


    A trail of destruction was left behind the hekaton¡¯s wake. The chaotic force of everything that it did was enough to end the warsymbol¡¯s life. The monster was buried under tons of earth, ice, and wood. The rest of its body was ravaged by a thousand cuts, bruises, burns, and more.


    I took careful aim with my bow, and then I shot one of my good arrows. The head of the exhausted hekaton was completely blown right off.


    I hurriedly rushed off towards my prey, thinking my hunt a success. But then my instincts suddenly blared out a warning, and I listened to it, jumping as far back as I could. The hekaton exploded, I failed to prevent its self-destruct, and I almost got caught by the chaotic explosion of elements.


    Not that I would¡¯ve been in serious danger of dying either way, but it was insane that a sub-level-40 could even accomplish that much! This was like Haell all over again. It¡¯s so exciting!


    I allowed the adrenaline and other chemicals to work through my body until I finally calmed down. I then cursed at the unsuccessful hunt. Not a single drop of blood was left behind.


    The hekaton¡¯s self-destruct wasn¡¯t something they needed to consciously activate. It happened upon their death regardless.


    This was going to be difficult.


    ~~~


    It really was difficult! Just finding another Hekaton took months. But I really wanted to see what Haell could become with the blood of these strange and mysterious fiends, and I also wanted to help out a good and interesting and beloved friend, so I continued on my hunt. I wouldn¡¯t let her down.


    Finally, after roaming the vast grasslands for months, I found traces of a varied mix of elemental explosions. My ears picked up on the peculiar mana of chaos magic, if faint, and I followed the trail until I arrived near a boulder where I felt a hekaton was hiding behind.


    ¡°Astan. Go high.¡±


    My friend silently gave his assent, and he soared into the sky. I continued to make my way quietly to where I felt the hekaton was. The wind enchantments in my cloak activated, they suppressed sounds and vibrations, or what little of it remained with my practiced movements.


    I peeked around the corner, and I almost yelped in glee when I saw that there was indeed a hekaton here. I quickly observed the monster, and found that it was sleeping¡­. except not quite. Its sunken eyes were open, its thin frame still and unmoving. Something more like torpor then. Interesting¡­


    Unfortunately, I had a mission here, and I intended to complete it as quickly as I could. I would take my time to observe a hekaton after I had delivered on my promise to Haell. She¡¯d understand if I couldn¡¯t do it, but I didn¡¯t want to let my friend down.


    I drew my nature wand. From it, mana flowed into the ground, a spell forming. The hekaton¡¯s eyes snapped open, but it did not react fast enough. I wrapped the creature up, binding its uncountable limbs and sealing off all movement. The hekaton shrieked into the night, but it was useless.


    ¡°Hello there!¡± I talked to the being. I had deduced that the supposed monster might actually be sapient. They were certainly intelligent, they could make whole rituals for fuck¡¯s sake!


    ¡°Krrriiiiiaaaaa!!!¡± it screamed back in way of reply.


    ¡°Hmm. Does that mean anything? I can¡¯t even tell if that¡¯s meant to be anything more than mere mindless shouting.¡±


    ¡°Keeeeaaaaaa!!!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. I still can¡¯t understand! I was hoping we could negotiate, you know? Since you seemed so¡­ smart¡­ hmm, maybe not?¡±


    ¡°KkeeeeessasaaaAa!!¡±


    ¡°How about this,¡± I spoke honestly. ¡°Blood. BLOOD. Give me your blood. Make it not explode. No chaos! And then I let you live.¡±


    ¡°Kkkkiiiiiiiii!!!¡± The hekaton bit its own lip and then spat a wad of blood at me. I caught it with a jar.


    ¡°Is this your part of deal¨C¡± the jar exploded. I tossed it away at the last moment of course, I felt the activation before it happened, although there was no actual incantation. Was it like one of Haell¡¯s mini-rituals? ¡°Hmm. Guess not. Or maybeeee¡­ did you just try to double cross me!? That¡¯d be awesome! It means you understand!¡±


    The hekaton spat blood at me again. I caught it with another jar, just in case the monster might be honoring its part of the deal this time. It wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°SACRIFICE SSSELF DESTRTRUCTT!!!¡±


    My eyes widened upon the familiar noise of an activated ritual. I quickly vacated the area and then watched in awe the storm of elements that could have seriously harmed me. That kind of power from something two evolutions below me was truly unreal!


    But now the hekaton was gone, it had sacrificed and detonated its own body. My idea didn¡¯t work out, and I had to begin the arduous task of finding another one.


    I sighed. I looked up at the moon staring down at all that walked the plains. The tall grass swayed in the wind, a silent rhythm broken only by the occasional roar and hisses. The scent of the fresh night air of a different place was nourishment for the soul.


    I realized then that I was thinking about this all wrong. I wasn¡¯t just here for Haell¡¯s quest, I was also here to explore and to discover new wonders. There was no need to forget the beauty of the present, for the task I had taken upon myself.


    ~~~


    I flew high into the air, pushing Moonwash''s gift to me to the limit. The glider could not handle all of my power, but it could handle enough to let me be a dot in the sky that could not be discerned from the ground, especially in the deep darkness of the night. I was finally taking a break from my current mission to go explore the Angelorian cities. I got a bit too excited to see Haell''s evolution, and this task turned out to be even harder than I thought. But Haell could surely wait for a few more days or months. She was so adamant about her gratitude and how I didn¡¯t need to do this, after all!


    From all the way up here, I observed the city down below. Elven eyes were only a bit above average in night vision, but I was level 80. I could of course discern details in the dark, even from as high up as this.


    As I looked down at what was once a centaur city, I realized just how much this place had really changed since I last visited a century ago. Some of their architectural styles were kept, but I also recognized a lot of Angelorian influence that had taken root. The massive settlement glittered like a jewel in the night, and I had to admit that it was beautiful to behold from all the way up here. From the dim stars closer to the edges of the territory, to the shining brightness of the center. It truly was impressive that they were willing and able to create and maintain these many light enchantments.


    I dropped from the sky.


    I had seen enough from above, so I dove towards the city proper below under the cover of the night. My friends had told me that the process to enter an angelorian territory for an unknown elf was long and arduous, and even if I were to be allowed inside, it would be in the company of the most insufferable escort they could find. An assassination attempt was also more than possible, which I was confident in thwarting, but it''d still turn into a whole thing.


    So I decided to just sneak in and skip all of that entirely! I didn''t know what my friends were even thinking, going through all that troublesome stuff. I was more clever than that!


    ~~~


    For a few days, I remained hidden, observing the people. A great variety of species gathered here, more so than in our elven villages, but it was hard to say that they lived in harmony. it was clear that they had been subsumed, subjugated, and conquered. They were treated as less than in a land that was supposed to be theirs, when everyone ought to be equal. It wasn¡¯t right, and I wanted to just reveal myself and make things right.


    Breathe.


    I released a slow breath once I realized that I was getting very very angry. I didn¡¯t understand why all the other peoples of the world were so obsessed with power and authority, when all it did was spread misery. From queens and kings, to peasants and governors; How did they even keep track!?


    Why?


    It really didn¡¯t make sense to me. It was all so pointless and fake. But that was fine. We were different and unique and we all deserved to live in peace. That was what I decided, but the Angelore Empire wished to rule over everyone, and it was just so terrible! Life was meant to be free, not caged like livestock and exploited even worse!


    Breathe.


    I wasn¡¯t here to start shit. I was here to journey and explore. So with that goal in mind, I enjoyed more of what the city had to offer; from their cuisine, to their clothes, and even that military base stationed behind the walls!


    They should¡¯ve had better security if they didn¡¯t want me snooping around.


    ~~~


    It only took me a few weeks to find another hekaton after my city adventures. That was very nice and a very pleasant surprise! I stalked my prey for a full day for this next attempt, getting to know more of its habits, its propensity to eat any number of things, including grass, twigs, and even random rocks, along with the meat of its enemies of course. It even tried to eat the very air, which was very funny. That¡¯s just breathing!


    The monster hunted the many other animals of the plains, using big rituals if it had the chance, and if not, blood simply gushed out of its mouth and many many fingers, creating explosive puddles of blood. They also seemed to be born at level 20 at least, kind of like us elves, though I still had no idea how they even reproduced. They had no genitals that I could discern, and I was very familiar with all the different kinds!


    It was when the hekaton was sleeping that I finally struck. My dagger sunk into the hekaton¡¯s guts, and I twisted the weapon to widen the wound. Its many thin hands tried to push me off, but they were all weak, ineffectual, inferior to even Haell¡¯s base strength despite being allegedly over level 20. I drained the blood of the creature into a sturdy jar, and then I quickly ran the fuck away after only a few seconds of confrontation. My idea was that the chaos explosion might not trigger if I went far enough away from the main body¡ª


    The jar exploded. I sighed as I watched the admittedly beautiful mix of elements. That didn¡¯t work either.


    I went back to the hekaton, and did the exact same steps of draining its blood and running away. The only difference was that I killed the hekaton this time before I left, in the hopes that maybe if I killed the monster and then ran away, that might provide enough degrees of separation to prevent the blood from detonating¡­


    It still exploded.


    Of course it did.


    Oh well. Gotta keep trying!


    ~~~


    A monster laid dead at my feet. It wasn¡¯t a hekaton, but instead something called an ironigo. I¡¯d gotten to know the wildlife of this place through the books that I¡¯d ordered through Haell¡¯s parents. They were very nice.


    The battle was short. The ironigo was a level 60 black, bipedal and furry monster, with imposing antlers atop its head, and terrifyingly sharp claws. It had phenomenal healing and physical strength thanks to its blood magic, but it died very quickly to a single stab to the head. The magic couldn¡¯t activate without a will to guide it after all, and it didn¡¯t even know I was there.


    So now I was rummaging around the ironigo¡¯s insides, swimming my arm around its guts until I found the repository I was looking for. I then chopped off the very visible antlers and then set to work on making a wand.


    I never really gave blood magic a serious try, elves just weren¡¯t very compatible with the element, but it was never too late to try out new skills. If Haell could become an entirely different species, then so could I learn to manipulate the very lifeblood of all that lived.


    ~~~


    I spent months in training, and then even more months to learn and intuit the proper principles of blood magic, especially in relation to enchanting. Afterwards, I hunted more ironigos, and then nudertles. There just weren¡¯t enough of the former to go around.


    The nudertles looked like fat turtles without a shell. They didn¡¯t even have a focus for blood magic, but they did have a repository for it inside their body. They only used it to heal and enhance themselves, for it was still possible to control the mana within their own bodies without a focus.


    And that was all I needed from them. A stock of blood magic. There just wasn¡¯t a way to produce it myself, and I didn¡¯t really have the time or expertise to try and tame one.


    ~~~


    I created a jar. But not just any jar. This one I wrought out of metal for the extra durability, just in case.


    I got the materials, among other purchases, from a passing caravan that was kind enough to trade them for the remains of creatures that they could only seldom get their hands on. They were obviously wary of me, but I was too strong to try and rob, and greed won out in the end. It¡¯s not a sort of tense interaction I often got in elven lands, so it was very interesting!


    Additionally, I was aware that the empire used to be far more¡­ aggressive against elves, as they were with everyone. But we¡¯d shown them time and time again how strong and amazing we were, until they finally realized that trying to kill or subjugate us on sight was a very bad idea.


    We were just too awesome to keep away.


    I made my jar after my purchases, and then inlaid it with blood magic enchantments depicting stillness and the dead whose blood no longer pumped. The blood that once flowed through the body, sustaining it and carrying nutrients, now remained inert, rotting away, unable to fulfill its purpose or do anything at all. I also made sure that the blood was preserved and wouldn¡¯t actually rot away.


    After all of that prep-work, all I had to do was to actually collect the blood of a hekaton, and I thankfully already knew the general area of where one resided. I had found the beast a few weeks back, and it shouldn¡¯t have traveled very far.


    I made my way to my prey, and then dashed. I stabbed it and extracted its blood into my special jar. I ran away before the monster could react.


    ¡°Just passing through, don''t mind me!¡±


    The jar exploded. My attempt failed again. It wasn¡¯t fair!


    But then, I remembered how Haell would do the same thing over and over again, just for a marginal increase in power. Her patience knew no bounds¡­ err, sometimes. If she didn¡¯t succeed at first, then she eventually would after a hundred, a thousand million tries.


    I decided that I must not give up either, even if this was truly proving to be such a pain in the ass task.


    ~~~


    A few months later, I finally got the enchantments right. I milked the same hekaton for its blood every time so I didn¡¯t need to go hunting for another one. The blood remained inert in my jar for one minute, and then two, but I had gotten to this point before. I watched it for hours, days, I checked on it using blood magic countless times, until I finally concluded that the hekaton blood wasn¡¯t about to explode. I had what Haell needed for her evolution. Now it was time to go back and deliver.


    I couldn¡¯t wait to see her and everyone again.

 Chapter 75: The Old Home.

    Baston and Luine were injured. The former¡¯s limbs did not fix themselves to full form no matter how hard we tried to heal it, and Luine¡¯s whole missing arm certainly did not regrow either.


    ¡°Forget it,¡± Baston said. ¡°Stop wasting mana.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m the one who brought you here¡­¡± I bit my lip, nearly drawing blood out of sheer frustration. I already knew that they would deny any guilt on my part, and I understood that it wasn¡¯t my fault¡­ but even if they explained it to me, I still couldn¡¯t understand why they ever agreed to come here with me. Maybe if I just wasn¡¯t so stubborn and adamant about keeping our stupid secret base, staying there for as long as I could¡­


    ¡°None of that now,¡± he cut me off. ¡°We went here with you of our own accord, we stayed in the secret base until the last hour because we too wanted to give it a proper send-off, and events like this are just part of the adventurer life. You don¡¯t know when a super powerful monster will just suddenly appear and decide you are prey. Maybe something worse would¡¯ve found us if we left sooner. So just consider this an occupational hazard. It¡¯s the life you want to live.¡±


    ¡°Your father Rallem also had an entire hand hacked off at some point,¡± Luine helpfully added. ¡°I¡¯ve had a leg irreparably broken before like Baston¡¯s. We have all nearly died so many times. This is not new for us at all.¡±


    ¡°I get that. I really do¡­¡± I trailed off. I knew they were right, but I still felt like shit about it.


    ¡°Besides,¡± Luine added. ¡°You¡¯re not the one who fucked up most today.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean? We all did our best and fought our hardest¡­¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s the mistake. I choked. I just acted on instinct, but I absolutely should not have tried to take its wing like that. I was thinking of how best to kill the beast, instead of how we could all survive and live. Driving it away would¡¯ve been far easier. It wanted to run away by the end, but we wouldn¡¯t let it.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I stared at the ground, mulling over that thought. I too went for the kill automatically, other solutions be damned. ¡°The damage was already done at that point. It¡¯s good that we got our revenge.¡±


    Luine chuckled. ¡°I expect nothing less from you. However, we don¡¯t really know that the damage has been done. I lost my arm trying to take that overstuffed bird¡¯s wings off. If I aimed differently, it might not have gotten me like that. Maybe I¡¯d still have my arm¡­¡± her expression soured at that. Baston still had a chance, but the amount of life mana that would be necessary to fully reconstruct an entire hand... ¡°Anyway! That¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t shoulder all the blame. We¡¯re the grown-ass adults here that came with you on this wild and fun plan! So let¡¯s hold our heads high til the end, instead of fucking drowning in regret, yeah!?¡±


    I looked at her. I thought about it for a few minutes, until I finally nodded. First slowly, hesitantly, but it quickly built up in speed and power. ¡°Okay, yeah. You¡¯re right. You¡¯re right!¡± I slapped both my cheeks, and the ring of metal on metal resounded. ¡°If anyone¡¯s at fault, then it¡¯s that skyvern. But that animal too is only a part of nature. For existing in the wilderness, such risks are natural, and I¡¯m sure you understand that far better than I do. HOWEVER!¡± I looked them both in the eye. ¡°I still want to help!¡±


    In response, they both patted my head with their good hands. I was taller than both of them at this point, and I was still wearing a helmet, but I didn¡¯t stop them. It was nice.


    ¡°I¡¯ll certainly accept the help,¡± Luine said. ¡°Two hands are better at killing imperials than one.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve decided to just stay home and garden regardless of what happens actually,¡± Baston chimed in. ¡°I effectively own the damn place, there¡¯s no one that could axe me because of my injury. This was scary and it¡¯d only happen again if I continued adventuring. But I wouldn¡¯t say no to getting my left side back.¡±


    ~~~


    The rest of the trip to the town of Adora was uneventful. Our combat potential had taken quite a hit, but Luine and Baston still had powerful senses that remained untouched. We managed to evade most of the monsters on the way.


    We arrived at the gates, with Baston supported by me on his left side. My mom and dad were already waiting for us, and they suddenly rushed over at the sight of their friends.


    ¡°Baston, Luine, what happened!?¡± Mom asked.


    ¡°Haell, Moonwash, are you alright!?¡± Dad looked at us, turning us around as if there would be a sudden pulsating wound just out of sight.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine, Dad.¡± I gestured towards where Mom was subjecting Luine and Baston to the same treatment. She stared daggers into their injuries, as if her gaze alone could mend bone and regrow entire limbs. ¡°They¡¯re the ones who got really banged up¡­¡±


    Dad gave me one last look, before rushing to the side of his party members. Both my parents redirected their fussing towards the two of them, instead of me.


    Hehe. Mission Accomplished.


    ~~~


    ¡°Oh baby it¡¯s not your fault!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We know the risks. They know the risks. It was admirable already that you stayed and helped, even if you really should have run.¡±


    I pouted as Mom and Dad kept on rubbing my head. We were currently at an inn, having a damn good meal. Except I couldn¡¯t even aim for my mouth with all the shaking!


    I even had my helmet on, just with the front mask pulled down, because I still had to hide the fact that I was a demon. So why did they keep on patting me when all they could touch was metal!


    ¡°Mooom! Daaad! I get it okay! I was just having a moment is all!¡± I glared at Baston and Luine, who just had to spill that I was feeling guilty about the whole event, when I specifically took it back. Ugh. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t laugh! This is your fault!!¡±


    They did not heed my warning.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ~~~


    The tree wall. The town of Latarus. The ramps leading up to the gates.


    After over a month of travel, I finally made it back home. It was different from when I last saw it. The tree wall itself was a lot more packed with people, the merchants and peddlers traveling through the gates were many, and we had to stand on the side to not disturb the line that had formed. But it was still still the home I grew up in, the one where I spent my childhood in this world.


    Moonwash was only staring at it blankly, but I knew that she must be feeling something too. Our friends were there, and everyone else. The Harvesters may finally unite! And perhaps this time, we could finally be full-fledged adventurers. No matter what the guild may be now, it still retained at least some of its glory¡­ and it was a good place to take requests and make money for monster killings.


    We went back to the wagon, then patiently waited in line as the guards seemed more strict. There were apparently instances of spies from New Grandera or whatever, not that I cared or knew anything about that at all. I intended to stay away from war for the time being. It was too chaotic, and I was sure it¡¯d be much different to even that time I helped kill some adventurers.


    After a decently long wait, we finally made it to the front of the queue. Mom and Dad flashed their badges, and the guards immediately stiffened at the sight of nobility. We were waved through and our wagon made it slowly through the ramp that rode towards the other side. We were nestled in between the packed trees, and then boxed in by even more people that wanted entry. The noise only got progressively worse as we marched ever onwards.


    Despite all that, I found myself past the ramp and through the other side way sooner than I had expected.


    The moment we entered the so-called town proper, I finally saw the source of all the noise I was hearing. People were carrying planks, nailing down boards, and even using earth magic to build structures. There was even a proper wall finally being put up after the now vastly diminished tree wall.


    I was in the middle of a massive construction site.


    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± Mom announced once we went down the ramp and into the town proper. ¡°Latarus City!¡±


    I raised a quizzical brow. ¡°City?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes. It¡¯s only come through recently, but the former town of Latarus has now officially been classified as a city! Hooray.¡±


    ¡°Angels actually came here,¡± Dad added, looking up and trying his best to ignore the construction that was going on. ¡°It was, well, not that rare because Adamo and Evie are always fighting along the shores these days. But it¡¯s certainly not common this far inland.¡±


    ¡°Neat.¡± I shrugged. ¡°What¡¯s being a city do? I can see that the tree wall has expanded a fair bit.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mostly symbolic,¡± Baston was the one to answer. ¡°At least, on paper. But you definitely receive more support once it happens. Military, economic, spiritual, etcetera. Hence the rapid expansion.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Interesting,¡± I said. ¡°Well, anyway! Let¡¯s hurry up! I wanna meet Granuel and the rest again!¡±


    The centaur woman pulling our wagon along looked back at us questioningly.


    ¡°Ah, no no.¡± I waved her down. ¡°I meant that metaphorically.¡±


    ¡°You want me to move faster¡­ metaphorically?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said with a completely straight face.


    ¡°Well¡­ okay? You¡¯re the boss.¡±


    ~~~


    We disembarked in front of my house. It was no secret base, but I still welcomed the sight of my first home. I immediately ran forward and barrelled through the gigantic door, waiting for no one. I dashed across the blissfully quiet and way too wide hallways, then past the living room and into the dining hall where I found two people having either a late breakfast or an early lunch. Had they finally invented brunch?


    ¡°Grandpa! Salaire!¡± I pushed a little bit of menace mana into my legs and sped up. I jumped on top of a chair, and then jumped again, breaking the piece of furniture in my wake. I didn¡¯t care right now as I crashed against Grandpa¡¯s chest like a homing missile.


    ¡°Oof!¡± He coughed out a heavy gout of air. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten stronger! Well done, Haell!¡±


    ¡°Hehehe,¡± I grinned broadly. ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯ll leave your prime in the dust soon enough!¡±


    He smiled warmly, giving my head an affectionate pat. ¡°I am confident that you will.¡±


    ¡°Haell¡­! You¡¯re back!¡± Salaire joined in at this moment, her voice dragging a bit too long as always. I had at least met her a few times over the years whenever she visited our secret base, but it was always nice to see her regardless.


    ¡°Nuh-uh I¡¯m not. This all an illusssssiiioooonnnn~~~!¡±


    ¡°Gah! I have been bamboozled!¡± A bit of her food spilt over her mouth as she talked.


    ¡°That you have! Also, chew first!¡±


    ¡°Okay Mooom!¡±


    ¡°Crap. Have I become a mom now? Forget everything I said, and spit everything out as you scream!¡±


    Salaire studiously chewed her food with the utmost care and etiquette.


    Eventually, our fun little greetings ended, and I took a seat at the smaller table for normal-sized people. My Grandpa still got his own accommodations, for while he looked¡­ more worn out than before, he hadn¡¯t gotten any smaller.


    Salaire was just fetching some food for me when everyone else finally arrived.


    ¡°Oh Moonwash, welcome back!¡± She said while snacking on the steak that was supposed to be mine.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time kid!¡± Grandpa added his own greetings. ¡°Still working hard?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But not right now,¡± my friend answered in the midst of hugging Salaire tightly. Salaire was clearly putting too much force into it, but Moonwash didn¡¯t complain. She only tried to match her energy.


    The rest of our group then entered the dining room.


    ¡°Oh, Luine! What happened to you!¡± The belfegor woman hurriedly rushed to her wife''s side. Specifically, the side missing an arm.


    I winced.


    ¡°Oh I¡¯m fine,¡± Luine claimed. Her eyes met mine, her senses sharp in both the physical and metaphorical way. My friend leaned over to her pink-skinned wife and whispered into her equally bright pink ears.


    ¡°Oh I see,¡± Salaire spoke. ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate what happened. But no one is really at fault for it and no one should blame themselves for your injury. You knew the risks going in.¡±


    I sighed, chuckling in exasperation. I appreciated the concern, but I would have also appreciated some subtlety.


    We had a nice meal together after that. I took off my armor, wiped off my makeup, and let loose the demon. Literally. I went to the kitchen at some point, where I helped with preparing more food. Salaire had only made enough for her and Grandpa before. That was something they did whenever my parents were gone, one of the Piss Hunters would always come by to check on my grandfather. The man himself vehemently refused the necessity of it all, but I completely disagreed.


    ¡°Grandpa. We¡¯re worried. Can you eat on your own? Can you chew it? Maybe we should limit you to only liquids. I also had some great experiences with diapers back when I was a baby. 5 stars.¡±


    My parents and everyone else started to nod at my words.


    ¡°Do not you dare!¡± He shouted. The voice boomed like a horn coming from someone as large as him. ¡°Haell you whelp. I¡¯m level fucking 80! You can fuss over me once you¡¯ve surpassed that!¡±


    ¡°Maybe I will!¡± I huffed. ¡°Just you wait! So don¡¯t die on me just yet!¡±


    There was a small beat of silence. I spoke without thinking, but my words definitely made things awkward¡­


    ¡°Alright!¡± Thankfully, Grandpa used his booming voice to shatter the tension into pieces upon pieces like it was never there. ¡°I¡¯ll see this Demon Lord you want to become with my own eyes!¡±


    ¡°Haell Yeah!¡±

 Chapter 76: Reap What Youve Sown.

    Luine had run off at some point, and then she returned a while later with even more guests in tow. Fiya stepped through the door and immediately started fussing over her husband¡¯s unhealed injuries, meanwhile the rest of The Harvesters followed behind her.


    ¡°Oh no, Dad!¡± Granuel hurriedly ran over to Baston and gave him a hug. The young man was still short, that was just how ishkawtans were, but he had actually become a fair bit wider than me. He was built like an immovable wall, sturdy and strong. ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ I¡¯ve heard from Luine. But what are we going to do?¡±


    Baston patted his son¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about it Granuel. I can still work the store just fine like this.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well then that¡¯s fine then¨C No it¡¯s not!¡±


    I looked at the other two friends that I hadn¡¯t seen for half a decade while the two of them reunited. Angerly had become as tall as my mother, meanwhile Therick also remained taller than me despite how much I¡¯d grown. The former had a familiar grin on her face, while the latter seemed more¡­ relaxed. That was good.


    I and Moonwash too had changed in our time away. We¡¯d grown larger, and our features got more defined. Moonwash even had a good amount of muscle definition going on now, meanwhile I¡­ had actually gotten a bit thinner, if more lean. The constant use of my regen gland in combat just depletes quite a lot of my fat reserves, no matter how much I ate to offset it.


    ¡°Hey guys!¡± I waved excitedly at the new arrivals after we¡¯d stood in silence for far too long. ¡°Long time no see!¡±


    Moonwash too got up from her chair, and followed after me. ¡°Hello everyone. I have missed you.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯ve missed you!¡± Angerly ran forward and swept us both into a big hug while laughing boisterously and.even shedding some tears of joy. She finally let go of me after an entire minute and took a good look at my face. ¡°Damn, how strong have you gotten¡­ and Moonwash too. We¡¯re gonna be able to take on so many more quests with you on our side!¡±


    ¡°Moonwash is almost¡­ level 30,¡± Therick took a deep breath to let that sink in. ¡°And Haell¡¯s almost reached level 20 in everything.¡± He approached me and we bumped fists. ¡°Or she already has, but there¡¯s something weird¡­¡±


    ¡°I have reached 20 in all Mutations, but I haven¡¯t evolved them yet. Still, nice level sense you¡¯ve got there. I don¡¯t think I can use it to that detail yet.¡±


    That was interesting. I had literally lived in the middle of the wilderness for the past half a decade, so I assumed my level sense was really fucking good by this point. But perhaps I didn¡¯t focus all that much on it, or Therick was just a lot more talented in the skill. Maybe a bit both.


    ¡°Heh, thanks. I¡¯ve taken on a new role while you were gone, but I¡¯m still hoping for a spar later even if I know it¡¯ll be fruitless¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be like that!¡± I grabbed him in a side hug and patted his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t give up before the fight even begins!¡±


    He nodded, slowly at first then more resolutely. ¡°You¡¯re right, yeah. We¡¯re even still in the same evolution bracket. I can win this!¡±


    I laughed. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! Not that I¡¯d let you win.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I want! Bring it on!¡±


    Granuel came barreling at me last, but with the most force, dislodging me from the others. ¡°Haell! I missed you! I¡¯ve gotten a lot stronger since you were gone!¡±


    ¡°I can tell.¡± I laughed, returning the hug. ¡°You gotta show me all your new tricks later.¡±


    ¡°You know it! I wanna see yours too!¡±


    ¡°Oh I have plenty!¡±


    ¡°Also, also! I have business now!¡±


    ¡°Damn! Good on you! You¡¯d have to fill me in on everything later.¡±


    We all hugged again, we huddled like a team about to take to the stage. We laughed and we cried until we were satisfied enough to go back to the dining table and eat.


    It was good to be back.


    ~~~


    I told them all about my adventures as my newly arrived friends had their own lunch. I spoke of the countless battles I¡¯d been in, how fun it was to learn and use my new magic, and how I¡¯d trained and honed my body for the past few years. I told them of the home we¡¯d built, Moonwash elaborated on the specific details of the secret base, and then I reminisced on what was now lost forever.


    But it was fine, I realized that now. That chapter of our lives was really over, and even if we somehow were able to keep the secret base, it¡¯d never be the same again. It was better to go out with a bang.


    I glanced over at Luine and Baston.


    I am only glad that the people I spent that time with still live.


    I also told them about the new friends that I¡¯d made who couldn¡¯t be with us yet. Astan was nice and surprisingly thoughtful despite our first meeting, meanwhile Elfrafim was just amazing. She had helped me with my incessant training, she participated in our experiments no matter how stupid they might sound, and she was even on a quest right now to fetch something so very very rare for myself.


    She was a dear friend.


    ¡°You¡¯re trying for another whole species evolution!?¡± Grandpa slammed his hands down on his personal gigantic table. And then he cackled wildly. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit, Haell! Knock em right out!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s stupid,¡± Therick sighed, giving me a very serious look. We really weren¡¯t children anymore. ¡°Do you really have to take that risk again?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have to. I want to.¡±


    Angerly just smiled. She knew it was futile to try and convince me, so she didn¡¯t even try. Meanwhile Granuel was totally on my side. Hell yeah!


    ¡°You can do it, Haell! I¡¯m so excited to see you evolve again! You already look awesome!¡±


    ¡°You know it! Damn, you really know what to say!¡±


    ¡°No need to encourage her,¡± Therick groaned. ¡°But well, it¡¯s your choice, as it''s always been. Just don¡¯t die! We¡¯ve been waiting for you all this time you know!¡±


    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t. Who do you think you¡¯re talking to?¡±


    ¡°Haell. Haell Zharignan. The craziest person I know.¡±


    ¡°Eh? The craziest, not the best? I don¡¯t really get why I¡¯d be crazy though¡­¡± I was aware that I do some non-standard things, but my mind seemed coherent. I didn¡¯t think I was crazy.


    ¡°You literally just told us about your menace mana and how you¡¯re probably thinking of ways to torture us right now.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± I examined myself and my thoughts. ¡°Well, part of me does think you''re annoying and that I should put you in your place.¡± Therick tensed. ¡°But! I have those thoughts about everyone and I¡¯ve learned to ignore them. I am me, I am myself, I am in control, no matter what intrusive thoughts I may have. It¡¯s not like I never had thoughts like that before I got my menace mana anyway, they just got more intense.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not making this sound any better¡­¡±


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s up to you if that makes you too uncomfortable. But let me ask you, Therick,¡± I shifted in my seat and looked him eye to eye. ¡°Can you reveal every horrible thought you¡¯ve ever had right now? Do they define you?¡±


    He shied away from my gaze. Therick was silent for a few seconds. ¡°...No. You¡¯ve got a point. Sorry, Haell.¡±


    ¡°Water under the bridge. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°What does water being under a bridge have to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just an idiom from my world. I¡¯m from Earth by the way. Originally, I mean. I have the reincarnator Soul Feat, and I retain my past life¡¯s memories.¡±


    I grabbed a piece of steak from the table despite having already had lunch earlier. ¡°Mmmm, that¡¯s good.¡± I chewed on the roasted piece of warsymbol meat while everyone else was having a moment of stunned silence.


    ¡°WHAT!?¡±


    Predictably, inevitably, the dam of questions broke. I had to explain this one thing that everyone always freaks out so much about all over again.


    Hooray.


    ~~~


    Angerly looked at me, drank her porkupine soup, and then back at me again. ¡°That makes so much sense. I always knew you were special, Haell!¡±


    ¡°It does explain some things...¡± Therick said. ¡°She always seemed so much smarter when we were children.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just naturally intelligent.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing!¡± Granuel boasted, finishing the rest of his meal fast. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner!? I would¡¯ve loved to know all about an entirely new world!¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m telling you now aren¡¯t I!?¡± I realized I was dodging the question, so I gave a serious answer right after. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t trust you guys. I¡¯d rank this secret as below me being a demon and you clearly know about that!¡± I pointed at my naked helmet-less red face. The human-colored make-up had been washed off, and the horns were on full display. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ a hard subject to bring up. And I saw no necessity to do it, so I just¡­ didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry Haell,¡± Granuel deflated. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that you did something wrong for not telling us or anything¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Now tell me how your last half a decade have been!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Well¡­¡±


    My friends talked animatedly about the adventures that they had while I had isolated myself in the middle of fuck-off nowhere. The three of them had apparently become active adventurers already, teaming up with the other orphans and other people who wanted a start on the profession. They told me of all the monsters that they¡¯d slain, the hardships they encountered, and all the nasty surprises life as an adventurer had to offer. They¡¯d mostly stayed in the vicinity of Latarus, not confident enough to venture out all that far.


    ¡°Granuel! You mentioned having a business earlier! Spill the deets!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Well, I do have a business now! I named it The Harvester House after our group.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice! All the Congratulations Granuel!¡± I went all the way around the table to give him a big hug. Then I took a closer seat, which was also the one Moonwash was using. It was no problem, we had big chairs, and my feet still dangled like a child¡¯s! ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you. You made your dreams come true, even with the world against you. That¡¯s not something many people can do.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, thanks!¡± Granuel scratched his head bashfully. ¡°Although it¡¯s not actually technically mine, and Therick had to sign off on it because I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s yours,¡± the man himself interjected. ¡°Literally punch me in the face if I ever claim otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Oh I will,¡± I was the one to respond.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean you!¡± he chuckled. ¡°But sure. Please do so.¡±


    ¡°I was actually going to wait for you so you can sign off on it!¡± Granuel told me. ¡°But we were already bringing in a fair amount of materials, and I wanted to get started now so¡­¡±


    ¡°Ouch,¡± Therick clutched his heart. ¡°Is my name really that bad?¡±


    ¡°What? No! But I mean¡­ I don¡¯t know. Haell offered before anyone else, and I wanted to own it myself of course, but if not¡­¡±


    I laughed. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Granuel. Therick is a better choice.¡± I pointed once again at my absolutely gorgeous and fabulous demonic features. ¡°This is a secret that¡¯ll get out at some point. I¡¯m not human. So I don¡¯t know if my name would still carry the weight of a human in the future.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Yeah. You¡¯re right¡­ I wish you didn''t have to hide, Haell¡­¡±


    I snorted. ¡°Come on! No need to be so down! I intend for Haell Zharignan to be a heavier name than any other, no matter what anyone else thinks!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah¡­!¡± He started, cheering up. ¡°That¡¯s great! I want to see that!¡±


    Granuel elaborated on his plans after that. Right now they were just selling the materials that the party were able to get by themself, but my friend had grander dreams for the future than that. He wanted to build a caravan, but just for us, with only the minimum amount of other employees. His vision was for The Harvesters to tour the entire Edengar Kingdom and beyond, slaying the monsters in our path, trading at every stop, and even taking on quests whenever we were in the vicinity of one. It was an exciting plan, which I totally approved of!


    ¡°I like it!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m in a brand new world, yet I¡¯ve seen so little of it yet! It¡¯s time for me to finally go out there!¡±


    ¡°I also want to see more of the world!¡± Angerly grinned broadly. ¡°We can also do some of the better quests with you two here!¡±


    ¡°There are so many materials we can seize or buy,¡± Moonwash added. ¡°I need your help to get the most I possibly can, Granuel.¡±


    ¡°Can do! I already have a lot in stock, and I can negotiate for you, especially in the coastal cities. I¡¯ve also bought a lot of different bestiaries for all the Edengar territories! There¡¯s so much we can hunt for profit!!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all fun, and I¡¯m excited to branch out too. But let¡¯s not forget to be careful,¡± Therick said. He had taken on a leader role among The Harvesters while I was away. At first only in paper because the adventurer¡¯s guild wouldn¡¯t allow anyone else from the three of them to be the party leader. But upon taking on some missions, they¡¯d agreed he was indeed the best man for the job. ¡°It¡¯s great to have you here though, Haell. I know just how powerful you are, and I can¡¯t wait to fight with you again,¡± he paused. ¡°We missed you.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Just leave it all to me! Although¡­¡± my hand awkwardly scratched at my hair. ¡°I¡¯m gonna be honest, I¡¯ve gotten way too used to taking out opponents solo, and while it¡¯s just a hunch, I can¡­ feel my soul responding whenever I do so. I¡¯ve felt it from the beginning actually, before I became a demon. I think that¡¯s important for level growth.¡±


    The three of them shared a glance.


    ¡°I wanna watch!¡± Granuel was quick to add his own demand.


    ¡°If we take the missions for her under The Harvester party,¡± Angerly thought aloud, ¡°then we can rise in rank very fast¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ that feels like cheating a little bit,¡± Therick glanced at Angerly. ¡°And it¡¯s also massively dangerous. You still had people with you back then, right Haell? When you went on your almost spiritual journey of violence.¡±


    I laughed. ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it. Yes. I did have the benefit of a safety net in the form of Luine and Baston. Thanks for that, by the way.¡± I smiled at them, and I couldn¡¯t help but have my face fall when I saw their unhealed wounds, but I powered through the negative feelings. I was used to it, for that was my entire existence. ¡°We should take it slow then. See what works for us. Whether I go off solo sometimes, or if it¡¯s too dangerous. We won¡¯t know how powerful I am until I evolve my species again anyway.¡±


    ¡°Right. Because we¡¯re taking it for a given that you¡¯ll succeed. Are you really sure about this?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Imp is just the beginning. That¡¯s actually a very low class of demon. My leveling speed has been insane, far more so than when I was a human, which I like to think is because this form just resonates so much with me. And my evolution prior felt good too!¡± I paused. ¡°Save for those first few seconds of agony¡­ or maybe longer. It really felt like a lot longer than what actually happened, apparently. But that¡¯s beside the point! I believe this¡®ll work. I can feel it in my bones!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. I didn¡¯t think I could actually convince anyway. And well shit, your reasoning now is at least far better than the last time. Speaking of¡­¡± Therick trailed off. When he saw that no one else wanted to finish his sentence for him, he continued. ¡°There¡¯s one more.¡±


    ¡°One more?¡±


    ¡°Of us, I mean.¡±


    I looked around. ¡°Are they in hiding, lying in wait¡­?¡±


    ¡°No! Not them! I mean, when we were teaming up with other people as adventurers, there¡¯s one person that we partied up with so much that she might as well be part of the group at this point. Her name is Berry, she¡¯s a crustecar¡­ And I think you¡¯ll like her!¡±


    ¡°Why do you sound like someone introducing his girlfriend to his parents?¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean! I don¡¯t even have parents!¡± Therick retorted, and I winced at my choice of words. ¡°I would¡¯ve brought Berry here today, but Luine stopped us, because¡­¡± he trailed off, looking at me with my blood-red skin, enchanting goat-like eyes, and the super cool horns atop my head.


    ¡°I know what you mean. But yeah, I don¡¯t want just anyone to know about this.¡± I gestured down at myself.


    ¡°She can be trusted! I¡¯ll vouch for her, I promise.¡±


    I was silent for a few seconds. I trusted my friends, and I was ready to fucking fight if my secret ever did get out. But I¡¯d still rather it didn¡¯t happen for now¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the judge of that,¡± Luine said, finally breaking the silence that dragged on for way too long.


    ¡°Alright,¡± I agreed. I trusted Luine more than myself for matters of this sort.

 Chapter 77: The Power of Friendships.

    I found myself back in a familiar basement, yet not. It was once a spacious underground laboratory, only with enough space for sparring, but now it had been converted into a straight up empty space for combat. Mom and Dad had dug a second smaller basement and moved her things there in order to prepare this space, because they knew that I needed a place to practice, away from prying eyes.


    I felt a warmth at my chest at that as I looked back at the far wall where my parents stood. Both the Piss Hunters and The Harvesters were here, for I had decided to duel literally everyone. I wanted to see how far my friends had come in my absence.


    First up was Therick. The man swung his wooden sword around, observing me with a forced and nervous smile.


    ¡°Go easy on me, yeah?¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±


    And then the fight began. I immediately dashed forward and then slammed my sword into Therick¡¯s own. He staggered from the force, shaking, but he quickly recovered and stabbed at me. I managed to deflect the strike but he was already on the move again. More slashes came and I met his attacks, but I actually found myself being pushed back. Therick met my sword with his at all the right places and with impeccable timing, all while he danced around me with an agileness that was hard to keep up with.


    I found a way to still meet him blow for blow of course, as I just turned my body to always be facing him. That required a lot less movement than what my opponent was doing, which was circling around. But still I found myself completely on the defensive.


    It was exhilarating. I was proud of him. He¡¯d surpassed me in pure swordsmanship in the time I¡¯d been gone. Not that I neglected my training, and live battles certainly counted for a lot, but those were against animal-shaped creatures, and I had certainly been focusing far more on my magic and other related things rather than honing the basics swordsmanship.


    At this rate, I might actually lose. Therick¡¯s human physique had me beat in speed, and that same species had granted him unmatched endurance. He would outlast me if I let this stalemate continue.


    Hmm. A dillema.


    I watched my friend¡¯s movements. My strikes were still heavier, but his were just that much more numerous and precise. It was also troublesome that I had let him set the pace already. Therick looked so happy and surprised at how he was keeping up with me now, that I almost wanted him to win.


    But I didn¡¯t want to hold back. I wouldn¡¯t. So I dug my hooves into the ground and then charged along with my swing.


    Therick was pushed back by the force, but he recovered surprisingly quickly, having somehow anticipated the move. I pressed the attack, but my friend chose to focus on defense while I tired myself out, actually managing to stave off my fury. He had truly grown since I last saw him.


    The battle raged on. I tried to kick, or to grab, but Therick proved slippery. I couldn''t catch him no matter what I did. I was still losing even after going this hard.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I spoke after a particularly intense clash. ¡°Would it be cheating if I used magic?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I¡¯m not sure. We didn¡¯t really talk about it¡­¡± He stopped, seeing that I intended to talk.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if it was allowed either,¡± I shrugged. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t mean to wither your flesh or break your mind. I only mean to empower my strength and speed with it. So maybe that¡¯s actually just part of my physical power?¡±


    His face fell a little, but then he shook his head and brightened up once more. ¡°What¡¯s this, Haell? Have you been holding out on me?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s just¡­ I haven¡¯t sparred like this in a while. Well, I have, but it¡¯s always with people¡­ kind of a lot stronger than me right now. And they used their magic sometimes! But you haven¡¯t used yours at all, so I thought maybe this was a magic-free spar you challenged me to?¡±


    Therick shook his head. ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m just not that good at magic, and using it with an unorthodox magical apparatus, in the midst of such an intense battle, wouldn¡¯t really produce any good results.¡±


    ¡°Ah. So, can I use it?¡± I¡¯d definitely lose in an hour if we just continued to fight like that. Except I did still have my demon eyes, and that wasn¡¯t really magic. At least, I didn¡¯t have to feed it mana¡­ So maybe I still had a non-magic path to victory?


    ¡°Use it,¡± Therick sighed. ¡°You¡¯d just be handicapped if you don¡¯t. And it¡¯d be far more indicative of a real battle.¡±


    ¡°Alright, okay!¡± I brightened and fixed my stance. ¡°Ready when you are!¡±


    My friend nodded and also took position. The well of negativity that constantly flowed through my blood flared in that moment, conveying great power through every action. I surged forward, at the same time that Therick did, but his speed paled in comparison to my own. I slammed my sword against his, and Therick¡¯s weapon came flying out of his hand.


    He stepped back, only pausing for a second before deciding to take evasive maneuvers, but it was too late. The wooden point of my blade struck his chest.


    ¡°Ah damn¡­¡± he said, slumping. ¡°Is it just me, or has the gap between us actually widened?¡±


    ¡°No, no. You¡¯ve improved a lot!¡± I praised him. ¡°In terms of pure skill with the sword, I believe you have me beat at this point.¡±


    ¡°I have been training a lot. Rallem has been kind enough to teach me, and I also took on a more rogue-warrior mix role in the party.¡± A smile crossed his face, but then fell again. ¡°Fat load of good that¡¯ll do me though if you can just overpower me like that.¡±


    ¡°Hey, no need to compare yourself to me. I¡¯m actually able to consistently defeat level 20 opponents at this point, so you can consider me the equivalent of an evolution above.¡±


    Therick himself was¡­ I¡¯d say halfway there, to level 20.


    ¡°You know what? That actually makes me feel better. Thank you, Haell.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome!¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°AAAHHHH!!¡± Therick screamed as the full force of both my aura and my eyes slammed into him. He asked for a few more spars, and I found that while my eyes did briefly stun him in a way that could easily be fatal, he was actually able to somehow not immediately panic in the face of my gaze. That was better than what any other creature below me in level could accomplish.


    When my demon eyes were used in conjunction with my aura however, my friend just had to scream. He could barely move, but he still tried.


    I slammed my greatsword against his and then pressed the blade to his neck. He glared at me, unyielding til the end even against such pressures. My friend had really become a proper warrior in the time that I¡¯d been away.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Well¡­ I give up. You just keep getting stronger...¡± Therick panted in defeat once he had accepted it. ¡°How much more power are you hiding?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hiding anything. But yes, I have a lot more to give. I¡¯m like an iceberg.¡±


    ¡°An¡­ iceberg? What¡­? What do you mean?¡± He took a deep breath before continuing. ¡°They¡¯re just large pieces of ice floating in the ocean, right? Are you saying you¡¯re cold?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m cool,¡± I corrected. ¡°But don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s an Earth thing.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Therick finally sat down on the bare ground. ¡°It¡¯s still crazy that you¡¯re from another world.¡±


    ¡°I just retained my memories. Pretty sure everyone reincarnates.¡±


    ¡°Not that I¡¯m an Angelist at this point either. But does no one go to heaven?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Hmm. I mean, maybe they do actually. Magic and powers are vast, so their god could be just¡­ plucking out souls like that, if he exists, which he actually might. But I believe that people in general reincarnate. That¡¯s what happened to me, and it¡¯s what the elves believe. I think it¡¯s what the countless cultures of Varyala knew as well before they were conquered.¡±


    ¡°Could also be lies.¡±


    ¡°Could be, yes. But hopefully it won¡¯t matter. Because I do not intend to die today, tomorrow, or ever.¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°Alright, Haell,¡± Angerly stretched. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten a good look already at your current powers, but I wanna see it for myself!¡±


    ¡°Bring it on!¡± I smirked in a challenging way. The ogre woman felt like she was closing in on level 20, but wasn¡¯t quite there yet, and this was with her head start of level 10. Not that she sucked or anything, and this was actually still a little bit above average, and I really shouldn¡¯t be disappointed but I just expected more!


    I realized some of it was due to my menace mana. It roiled at my superiority, it gloated at the failure of another where I had succeeded. I did not blame myself for those thoughts, as I''d learned not to do, but I made sure not to make Angerly feel bad about it. My friend was just doing her best, I was sure.


    The battle began. Angerly charged forward, and so did I. We met in the middle, and my sword was nearly yanked out of my hand by the force of Angerly¡¯s wooden mace. My arms went numb.


    I activated my eyes, and she froze. My friend gritted her teeth and managed to move again a second later, but that was when I flared out my aura. She stopped again. She took a step back. I pushed my sword into her stomach.


    ¡°Ah, you got me!¡± Angerly exclaimed with a silly smile once she had gotten her fear under control. ¡°Hot damn you¡¯re strong. Way too fucking strong.¡±


    I smirked. ¡°That¡¯s right! But you did well too! I can tell that you¡¯ve gotten more experienced since!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I¡¯ve been going on quests with everyone else! I know I lose to you 1 on 1, but my swing was pretty fucking strong, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, for sure!¡± I admitted.


    ¡°Hehe, well. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been working on mainly! I might not be the strongest in a duel, but I dish out the damage! So I¡¯ll be counting on you to set those up for me!¡±


    ¡°You got it! Whenever we¡¯re working together, it¡¯s a damn good tactic.¡±


    I ignored the treacherous voice in my head that insisted it was because of this attitude that she was weak. That I¡¯d surpassed her despite my lesser start.


    It didn¡¯t matter if it were true. There was more to life than levels or fighting, and Angerly would remain a very dear friend to me regardless.


    ~~~


    I sparred a few more times with Angerly, which only confirmed what I already knew. I found out just how much harder she hit compared to me, even with my menace magic active. Of course, I was using a wooden greatsword and her a wooden mace, and I could still push a lot more power to my body if I really needed to, but it was still impressive that she could match and even slightly exceed my common usage of menace magic.


    Not that there was ever a chance for Angerly to win even if I refrained from using any magic whatsoever. She was just too fucking slow and predictable. Her swings were wide, meant to convey the maximum amount of power everytime, and she was an absolute master at that to the point that she might already be tapping into an anatomic mastery. But those super strong attacks would just never hit. They were so telegraphed, and she barely knew how to feint.


    I thought that was a problem better fixed, so I decided to give her some advice.


    ¡°Hey, Angerly. I know you¡¯re all about dishing out the most damage and all, and I am happy to help set that up for you. But you just never know what might happen out there. I think you need to get just a little bit better at protecting yourself solo.¡±


    ¡°Eh, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m too bad against opponents of my level. Beyond that, well, we can¡¯t prepare for everything. So I¡¯ll just put my trust in you guys! We can cover each other¡¯s weaknesses. I know you won¡¯t let me down!¡±


    I scratched at my head. ¡°Well, it¡¯s up to you,¡± I affected a shrug, then sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not your boss.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah. This is what I¡¯ve been doing. But while you¡¯re not my boss, you are my friend! And I¡¯m happy for the advice!¡± The ogre woman pulled me into a hug. ¡°You¡¯re right that emergencies could happen. I¡¯ll¡­ try to do better, and be good enough to survive on my own. Just in case.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all we can do. But you can bet your ass that I¡¯m not going to let that happen while I¡¯m around! We¡¯ll be a terror like no other!¡±


    ¡°Damn. I love my ass, so you better not let me down!¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°Okay, Haell! I¡¯m ready!¡±


    I stood on one end of the sparring basement while Granuel took a stance opposite me. He was hiding behind this massive shield, especially for his proportions, and was wielding a large earthen staff in his other hand. I was actually wearing my armor for this one, because Granuel¡¯s magic wouldn¡¯t be as harmless as a mere wooden sword.


    I charged forward just as the first projectiles of Earth shot out. They were weaker than a pearthguin¡¯s, but still more than enough to injure me if they hit, so I started to map out the best path forward. More and more earthen bullets came, some big and some small to try and herd me to a more disadvantageous position.


    I decided to dodge the larger ones, firm the smaller pebbles, and slash away at the medium-sized rocks. They came fast and in great numbers so I didn¡¯t really have the leeway to dodge everything, especially with my somewhat lacking agility. I only minimized the damage, aiming to end the fight quickly with an overwhelming offense.


    The distance between us shrank. Granuel¡¯s maximum range for actively manipulating earth mana surpassed my expectations, and I felt the clumps of willfully moving magic long before I thought they¡¯d be present. The ground underneath my feet rumbled, breaking my stream of mobility just a little. Spikes exploded out from all around me, and one hit me quite badly in the shoulder. More projectiles followed, and my armor was ran through its paces. Moonwash would have to fix it again later.


    I growled, grinning ferociously, not that it could be seen through my helmet. My eyes activated and so did my aura. Granuel screamed and the stream of attacks stopped. I activated the menace mana in my legs and shot forward like a ravishing train, though I didn¡¯t think it was necessary. I swept aside Granuel¡¯s shield and then pointed my blade at his throat, but the ishkawtan man was still shaking from fear. He wouldn¡¯t be able to fight for a good few seconds more, an eternity in the battlefield.


    ¡°That was¡­¡± he gulped, after a long while. I had stepped to his side and was patting him on the back. ¡°Terrifying.¡± I pushed down the thrill of that statement, and the desire to terrotize my friend more. He looked back at our parents and friends watching from a side wall. ¡°I saw you use it on Therick and Angerly. I didn¡¯t think it would be that bad¡­¡±


    He really is a lot weaker-willed than those two¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You won¡¯t really know how it¡¯s like until I smash my full might into you, and my aura especially is far stronger than when I first got it. It¡¯s weird, but the way I and Moonwash think it works is that it reacts when perceived by an enemy of mine. Or an adversary or opponent in this case. It definitely only affects those whom I want it to affect.¡±


    ¡°I thought I was doing well with my magic. I help out a ton during our excursions! But maybe I¡¯m really not meant for this¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no. Don¡¯t think like that, Granuel. You¡¯re doing great.¡± He was the lowest-leveled of everyone at only past level 10, but he was also the youngest of us all. ¡°You¡¯re at a decent level for your age, and your skills and accuracy with projectiles are great. Just like Angerly, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have a great role to play in a team, and you¡¯re also the one who¡¯ll be managing the business side. So it¡¯s all good! Play to your strengths! But also don¡¯t hesitate to get better at your weaknesses.¡± I would¡¯ve offered to help, I believed I had even stronger willpower than either Therick or Angerly, but I was aware that my methods could be¡­ extreme.


    Exposing Granuel to my aura until he developed a resistance to it and other similar things was probably a terrible idea.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Granuel whispered. Then his voice grew louder, ¡°Yeah! Yeah, you¡¯re right, Haell! I was just a bit shaken by earlier. But I promise to do my best on everything!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡±

 Chapter 78: Its Good To Be Back.

    My armor clanked along the streets as I made my way towards the orphanage. There were plenty of new faces that I could see, which wasn¡¯t a surprise because there were already a lot of people here when it was only a town. I never bothered to remember the faces of strangers, much less after half a decade had passed with me being in an entirely different place.


    Eventually, I and Moonwash arrived at a¡­ somewhat familiar orphanage. It had changed, it had gotten bigger, evidently they had acquired the property just beside it. There was also now a signboard that stated the name of the place.


    Salaire & Luine Orphanage.


    ¡°Did this place always have a name? I always just called it the orphanage.¡±


    ¡°It did. There are other orphanages in town after all. But from what I remember, it was called the Luine Orphanage in the documents before.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Neat.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Haell! Moonwash!¡± Therick called out to us. He was currently in the playgrounds, coaching little warriors that only came up to his waist in the art of the sword. ¡°You made it!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I grinned, though it couldn¡¯t be seen through my helm. ¡°After a long and harrowing journey through the city, I finally made it to your doorstep. Never hath I vanquished a beast so tough.¡±


    ¡°Sounds interesting. You should¡¯ve brought us along!¡± Angerly exclaimed. There were children hanging from her outstretched arms, and even more followed behind.


    ¡°I would¡¯ve. But alas, you were already facing a great and terrible foe of your own.¡±


    The children giggled and redoubled their offensive. A centaur boy rammed against her leg, a crustecar girl jumped up, desperately trying to climb, and a belfegor child managed to make it to her head and started blocking her eyes.


    ¡°Hey¡­! I heard of you!¡± He asked me eventually, after jumping down from the Angerly. ¡°Are you that Haell?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± I immediately answered. I wasn''t actually entirely sure. Maybe the kid was talking about someone else with the same kickass name. But if it was someone important enough for them to randomly hear about, then it had to be me.


    ¡°Wow! I heard you¡¯re untouchable. Salaire, even the shepherds, are no match for you!¡±


    ¡°All true things,¡± I nodded, and that ended up with me playing dodgeball with all the children. I wasn¡¯t a human any longer, not that they knew that, but my sheer levels still allowed me to dodge everything so long as they didn¡¯t literally overwhelm me with sheer volume. This became more difficult once the children from the nearby daycare arrived and played with us. It was a facility started by three ¡°graduates¡± of the orphanage.


    The little critters then figured out saturation bombardment. I had nowhere to run to, and it was unfair!


    ¡­Or so they thought, they even managed to tag me a few times. But I decided to show off once, just a little. I used my menace magic to dodge everything and dash straight towards the streets!


    The leg pain and the awed looks that I got were so worth it.


    The children became even more amazed once we started playing tag and they truly experienced just how fast I could be. They were intimidated at first of course, to see a heavily armored woman charging right at them. But I knew how to hold back, they got used to it, and soon the scariness only added to the fun.


    Granuel arrived later on, and with the Harvesters all assembled, it was time to really play!


    Angerly was very fun to have around because I could just crash into her without worry. We¡¯d laugh, we¡¯d dance, and then the chase would only continue. Therick was a challenge of a different sort, because he was more agile than I was, and I could hardly actually catch him within this relatively small space without resorting to my menace magic. I considered that to be part of my physical prowess, so I compromised and used it sparingly, scoring a few tags. He promptly turned the tables and tagged me back, but that was part of the fun.


    Moonwash and Granuel were not the best at this, but they still made the effort to join in and have fun. Beyond that, they entertained the children in other ways. Moonwash taught them how to weave simple things through straw and string of various sorts. And then she started making flashy but not dangerous rituals of water, nature, and more once she realized that she was losing the interest of the children. Granuel, on the other hand, had phenomenal aim despite the lack of throwing power, and he just did increasingly ridiculous trick shots, including but not limited to: targets on kites that were launched high into the skies with wind magic. Dozens of paper gliders(paper planes, really) and only one target. And one where he was literally blindfolded.


    That last one devolved into us playing hot and cold with his aim. He couldn¡¯t actually see through the thick blindfolds just yet, however he could still hear, and he was terrifyingly accurate at that. By that I meant that he still missed most shots, but it was absurd that he didn¡¯t miss them all.


    I had a lot of fun.


    ~~~


    A few weeks later.


    Luine led the way and we followed like little hens after their duckling mother. A dangerous blade glinted by her right arm as she¡¯d gotten a new prosthetic. Moonwash was now good enough to make serious gear for a Piss Hunter, and she¡¯d elected to make a katar for our friend and benefactor. I¡¯d seen Luine practice with it some, and I definitely did not want to be on the other end of that.


    The three of us crossed the noisy construction sites and then reached the tree wall. Once there, we got on an elevator, and then disembarked high up among the branches.


    The noise did not stop even once we were there, it only morphed. We greeted the ogres that pulled the elevator up, and then tried to navigate the crush of people among the walkways, and the many belfegors and others swinging by.


    ¡°Whoa!¡±


    ¡°Hey there, Luine!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Luine?!¡±


    ¡°Good to see you!¡±


    ¡°Op! Hold on! Coming through!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been back like a month ago!¡±


    ¡°Well I didn¡¯t know!¡±


    The layout of the place that went up and down was already difficult to navigate before, but now I had to hold on to Luine¡¯s katar arm while Moonwash grabbed onto her left hand to make sure that we didn¡¯t get lost. We took a circuitous route through the place, having to circle around hastily constructed shacks, or even just camps of people that suddenly had nowhere to stay.


    ¡°Hey you¡­! Armored lady over there!¡± a belfegor man suddenly shouted at me. We were passing by some sort of bazaar.


    ¡°Who? Me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you! Who else is wearing plate armor this high up!¡±


    I chuckled. That was fair enough. ¡°Well, me it is then. What do you got?¡±


    ¡°I have many things that an armor-haver like you could surely afford!¡±


    ¡°Oho?¡±


    ¡°Yes! From paintings, to furniture, to dishware! A bit second-hand, but it¡¯s all been used with love.¡±


    I raised a brow, and then observed the other stalls in closer detail. Their proprietors were shouting at those who passed by, trying to sell their wares that did show signs of wear and tear.


    ¡°Huh. Is this some sort of second-hand or used items store?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ It¡¯s more homeless items now looking for a new home.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± it clicked in my mind. ¡°Because, you know. Of the recent uh, demolitions?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°...Yeah.¡±


    A beat of silence passed.


    ¡°Ah, hey,¡± he amended, ¡°No need to feel too bad about me. Buy only if you want to!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of hard to do now after you¡¯ve told me all that!¡± I admitted, chuckling. ¡°But hey, I am getting something out of it, so it¡¯s a fair deal. Some of what you have here might be worth a few months of shelter already! I think those new apartments I saw being made are cheaper¡­ if more cramped.¡±


    Devils (That¡¯s me! And no one realizes!), I did not want to live in one of those again. Though it did beat being on the streets.


    ¡°Bah! I¡¯d rather sleep in the trees here than pay for one of those. It¡¯s fine anyhow, I¡¯m crashing at a friend¡¯s place. It¡¯s a bit strained right now, but I¡¯d rather struggle in the community we¡¯ve built here, than die in the crushing solitude of the main city.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Right¡­¡± I trailed off, unsure what to say to all of that. ¡°Are those plates made of metal?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I also saw more dishware made of wood, and there were some pillows with flowery designs that I quite liked. ¡°How much for all of those?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re really buying a lot? Well, let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    I decided to be liberal with my money here, and bought a lot of things from all the stores. I got new accessories I could wear because I did love those. I purchased all the things that we might need for Granuel¡¯s whole fighting caravan idea. I also saw some paintings that Moonwash might like, so I arranged for them to be delivered later. Her bland ¡®thank you¡¯ warmed my heart like no other.


    ¡­I really had it fucking bad for this woman, didn¡¯t I?


    Fuck.


    ~~~


    We left our purchases at an acquaintance of Luine, and then continued our journey through the now smaller tree wall. We wound through the crowds as they thinned out the further we moved, until we reached a concealed route that had bridges and walkways no more. We jumped across the branches and swung through some vines, which I had to admit I faced some difficulty with, until we arrived at a place strategically hidden along the canopy. Underneath the leaves, and quite high up, was a quaint little hut that could almost be mistaken as a natural growth of wood from afar.


    Luine caught and steadied me when I jumped to the branch nearest the secret hideout, and then I helped Moonwash out in turn. Luine knocked on the tiny door in a disjointed rhythm, and then she did it again but with a different tune after a minute of waiting.


    The door finally opened, and a voice beckoned us inside.


    ¡°Come in! Come in!¡±


    We squeezed through the doorway, and found a surprisingly spacious space inside, mainly because it was nearly empty. There were dark enchantments along the wall, ready to be powered up at any moment. There was a reception desk at the far end, and a very short fountan man¡¯s face lit up the moment he caught sight of us.


    ¡°Luine! I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re back! Good to see you! Should¡¯ve seen me sooner!¡± He was about the size of a five-year-old, which could occur naturally, but I knew that it was also possible to achieve through mutations and evolution, if inordinately harder than growing larger. It would typically have to be an enhanced evolution, similar to what I did in order to become a demon, if less extreme and without changing the species. Just a Mutation or two.


    ¡°Come on. I can¡¯t just be going here to socialize.¡± Luine chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s meant to be a secret!¡±


    ¡°Bah. No one¡¯s gonna make it here. And if they do, ol¡¯ Biggie is gonna take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is true for most things. They seemed to be doing well earlier.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, of course. It¡¯s nice here. All quiet compared to the hustle and bustle down there.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re also very close to the traps meant for flying monsters.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just part of the plan!¡±


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Biggie?¡± I blurted out, ignoring how I didn¡¯t notice any of the special plant traps! I didn¡¯t see anyone else on the way here.


    ¡°Yeah, Biggie.¡± The fountan man nodded. ¡°You should¡¯ve met them already. Did you not say hi?¡±


    ¡°Say hi to who? Maybe they¡¯ve left?¡±


    ¡°Oh nono.¡± The fountain man chuckled. ¡°Trust me. They wouldn¡¯t just leave without saying hi. They¡¯re still here.¡±


    Something rustled above the misshapen rooftops. A knock came at the door, and then I opened it to find a bark-like¡­ hand waving at us.


    A massive upside-down bald head followed as a belfegor person peered at us from outside.


    ¡°Hello there¡­¡± they rumbled as I rapidly blinked at the absurdity of their entrance. I stuck my head outside and peered up at their body that must have been atop the rooftops all this time. Their massive bulk that rivaled my grandfather¡¯s was camouflaged near the entrance, ready to rip apart any unsuspecting visitor. I gulped on reflex, and then I felt a surge of annoyance at having been shown up. But I controlled myself very easily.


    ¡°I feel like¡­ you¡¯re level 40?¡± I asked now that I could perceive them properly.


    ¡°A bit higher¡­ but yes, you are correct.¡± They giggled softly, observing me intently.


    ¡°But that can¡¯t be. You¡¯re massive! You must be level 80 at least!¡±


    They laughed, louder this time. ¡°No. I am only a dozen above 40.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Really? You must be shitting with me, right?¡±


    I looked at Luine, and she smirked. She evidently wanted me to figure this out on my own.


    Next I turned to Moonwash, but she didn¡¯t seem to be sure either. ¡°I also feel that they¡¯re around level 40. But you have a better level sense than me, so my input is useless.¡±


    ¡°No! It¡¯s not useless. It¡¯s always good to get a different perspective on things.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very good point,¡± Biggie agreed as I stepped back into the confines of the building. Their head followed as they peered through the doorway once more. They were never going to fit inside. ¡°We are all stronger if we work together.¡±


    ¡°Provided that they¡¯re telling the truth,¡± Moonwash whispered to me, ¡°I think they probably used material enhancements in evolving their Mutations.¡±


    ¡°Oh? They start out as big as humans, so I didn¡¯t think this big of a jump was possible.¡± I almost reflexively asked what it was like to be so big, if there were any downsides at all, and how they managed to achieve it, but no one in their right mind would just reveal that information to abject strangers.


    ¡°I can tell that you¡¯re curious,¡± the belfegor person stated easily. ¡°I will tell you my experiences if only you reveal what you are.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I said dumbly, and on reflex. ¡°W-what are you talking about? I¡¯m a human.¡± Fuck! I stuttered! I wasn¡¯t expecting the question, okay!?


    At least I didn¡¯t shout that I was not a demon. I almost did.


    The fountan man behind us chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to answer. We totally understand the need for secrets. But I can make it worth your while if you¡¯re willing to talk.¡±


    I narrowed my eyes at him. ¡°I don¡¯t even know your name.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t!?¡± he asked in genuine surprise. The fountan man pointed at Luine. ¡°Did this asshole not tell you!?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so?¡±


    ¡°I must''ve forgotten,¡± she admitted, ¡°I just told them we were going to some shady place.¡±


    ¡°Hey, my place ain''t shady!¡± he turned to face me. ¡°What Luine here failed to tell you is that my name is Larryx. Nice to meet you!¡±


    ¡°Oh hi Larryx! Nice to meet you too!¡±


    I smiled. He smiled.


    ¡°...So are you going to introduce yourselves too?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. I¡¯m Haell Zharignan. You can call me Haell!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Moonwash.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see. So how about our earlier offer? I want to see what you really are.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. There is nothing to reveal.¡±


    From what I¡¯d gathered, these people were spies working for New Grandera. The group had seemed nice so far, but I didn¡¯t actually trust them. At most I trusted Luine, but these were people with a cause, and even if we did align on most things, I knew that those in their position could make some really fucked up decisions.


    I¡¯d rather not be on the receiving end of that. I¡¯d rather they didn¡¯t give me a reason to slaughter them all. They were definitely better than the Angelore Empire at the very least.


    ¡°Well, I tried.¡± Larryx shrugged.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­...¡± Biggie hummed, and it was the kind of sound that pierced through bone. ¡°I don¡¯t mind talking about it anyway. It¡¯d be good to have more information. I want the young to make informed decisions. I feel like it¡¯s for the best, the stronger you are.¡± They stared at me. ¡°I won¡¯t ask what. I won¡¯t ask anything further. Only a confirmation that there is indeed something about you. Something special.¡±


    Larryx laughed. ¡°Everyone thinks that about themselves!¡±


    ¡°True enough. She does seem the arrogant sort.¡±


    ¡°Hey! We just met!¡±


    ¡°My offer stands, however.¡± Their eyes never left my own. ¡°Is there something about you? Are we onto something when we say that there is something that sets you apart?¡±


    I blinked. Knowing more about how Biggie got so big at a much lower level than normal would be very interesting. And that seemed a small enough concession that would only be seen as arrogance if I did answer in the positive¡­


    I glanced at Moonwash. She showed no outward change in demeanor, but I knew she was just brimming with curiosity.


    ¡°You know, I was also meaning to ask about Larryx¡¯s¡­ stature.¡±


    ¡°That is not knowledge for me to give,¡± Biggie¡¯s head tilted to look at their friend.


    ¡°Ah, Fine! I¡¯ll tell you about the process of becoming small too, in exchange for knowledge that you think I might not have. But I know lots of things. Do you have anything that you genuinely think I don¡¯t know?¡±


    I smirked, though it was obscured by my mask.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry. I have plenty.¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°When I was seven, I broke my arm because I was trying to act super cool in my own room, in my own bed. I tripped on the beddings when I believe I was just about to slay a mythical dragon. Of the fart element. I almost got them too! Can you believe that!?¡±


    ¡°That is clearly not what I meant!¡± Larryx exclaimed after listening to my story. I didn¡¯t know why he even let me finish, but it was funny.


    I laughed. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I know. I was just messing with you.¡±


    Larryx sat back down and shook his head, though he couldn¡¯t fully hide the grin on his face.


    ¡°Seriously though,¡± I said, ¡°you should word that better. You do realize there¡¯s this massive loophole, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. It¡¯s a test. I want to know your sort of character.¡±


    I raised a brow at his response, though he still couldn¡¯t see it. I¡¯d taken off my armored mask at least, to reveal the perfectly human face underneath.


    ¡°Sure it¡¯s a test,¡± I looked over at Biggie, and they just gave me a wide smile which I returned.


    I actually honored my part of the bargain after all the jokes were done. A test of this sort was oddly effective, because I wouldn¡¯t want to do business with someone that¡¯d jeopardize a first meeting just to get one up over the person. That would be a very tedious customer to work with.


    I asked for a pen and paper from Larryx, and then handed it over to Moonwash. There, she sketched out a gazelug and wrote down its information that we were able to uncover. The creature in question was that slug monster with the terror-inducing eyes that we encountered in The Endless Dive. The very eyes that would soon enhance my own.


    ¡°Huh,¡± Larryx said once all that information was handed back to him. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t say this isn¡¯t useful information. You even got all of its Mutations down. That slime is super interesting. But really, I¡¯m not super sure what I¡¯m supposed to do with this, all the way out here.¡±


    Luine also gave me an odd look for this, for different reasons I was sure, but I shrugged in response to both of them. We¡¯d left that place behind, and I didn''t really see how it''d be a problem if some people thought we stayed near The Endless Dive a long while ago.


    ¡°Eh. That¡¯s up to you. It is valuable information. So I¡¯ve upheld my end of the bargain properly. What you do with it is not by business. Oh and Biggie,¡± I looked back at the belfegor person staring at me from the door. ¡°Yes.¡±


    I did not elaborate, and neither did they ask me to.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Larryx stared at me for a while, before finally settling on a smile. ¡°Alright. That¡¯s fair. You swear that this information is genuine?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course.¡± I noticed that Luine did not try to vouch for us. Eh, keep them guessing. That¡¯s good I guess.


    ¡°Okay then. Now for our end of the deal.¡±


    ~~~


    The two of them talked extensively about the Mutations they enhanced, and what materials were used to accomplish it. Biggie did experience a massive downgrade to speed and even agility in exchange for their size that gave far greater strength. Their arms at least could still whip around pretty fast, though they had trouble holding up his own weight. Biggie¡¯s traveling speed was very slow, but they were very very deadly if they could actually get within range. And belfegors had a host of other Mutations that helped with that, such as quiet breathing, or a supernatural ability to position themselves.


    If Biggie and I were enemies, I would already be dead. I didn¡¯t see them at all earlier. It would not have even been a fight.


    ¡°By the way, Luine.¡± Larryx pointed at her right hand, or lack thereof. ¡°What happened there?¡±


    ¡°Fight. Around level 80 skyvern. Some of its Mutations have probably crossed the threshold.¡±


    ¡°Oof. That¡¯s rough. Unfortunate that you lost your arm. Cool new replacement though.¡±


    Luine smiled and pulled Moonwash into some relentless headpats with her good hand. ¡°Isn¡¯t it? It was made by this talented young lady right here!¡±


    Moonwash weathered the attention with the same stoic resolve as usual.


    Larryx went on to talk about his size to honor his part of our deal. The fountan man confirmed that he wasn¡¯t always so small, his current size was the result of material enhancements. Doing something like this did result in a lot of agility and even some added flexibility and dexterity. It just allowed someone to move better in general, and it had a lot of other benefits that directly came from the fact that he was small, such as fitting in tight spaces and being able to hide in aces unseen.


    When I asked about maximum running speed, that was apparently a far more complicated issue, because there was stride length to consider, agility and strength both had an effect, and so did having a heavier or lighter body.


    Oh, and he had dark mana. His mana fount produced dark mana. That was¡­ rare. I didn¡¯t even know fountains could branch out to that element.


    ¡°You have to give me some,¡± Moonwash stated. ¡°I¡¯ll pay.¡±


    ¡°Now now,¡± his eyes narrowed just a little, and so did my own when I saw a glare directed at Moonwash. ¡°Does this look like a mana shop to you?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°So then why are you trying to buy that off of me.¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s rare. Because it¡¯s something that I want. Because you have it.¡± Moonwash paused. ¡°I apologize if my words were speciest. You just have something that I want, and a ready supply of it. I¡¯d ask the same of anyone else who had it. Well, provided they were friendly.¡±


    Larryx held Moonwash¡¯s gaze for a while longer, and of course my friend did not cower. Eventually, he nodded.


    ¡°Fair enough. I¡¯m not really in need of gold. I don¡¯t want to sell dark mana like that. But I like what you¡¯ve made for Luine here. I¡¯ll need to see what else you can make¡­ but I don¡¯t mind a trade like that.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡± Moonwash agreed with zero hesitation.


    ~~~


    We talked for a while longer after that. Moonwash elaborated on her many interests, Luine spoke about recent events across the whole continent, and I talked about some of the monsters I¡¯d encountered¡­ while trying really hard to hide the details of my demonhood.


    At some point, Larryx went towards the back, disappeared for a few minutes, and then came back with a sack full of materials, and another smaller one full of gold pieces.


    This was the actual reason why we came here. Ozara had sent us our first round of payments for the half-decade that we spent in the wilderness. I could already feel some of the cursed items or materials within the larger pack, and once Moonwash started actually rummaging through it, I found that there was some¡­ mind mana within.


    That was highly illegal. Unless if one were a shepherd of course. Then it¡¯s totally fine.


    But that wasn¡¯t what I was concerned about. I was aware that I used some mental effects too, but that was for the purpose of combat and violence. I never sought to subsume someone¡¯s personality. Mind magic could be so much darker.


    ¡°Hey, Moonwash. You ordered that?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why? Got some ideas for it?¡±


    ¡°I do now. Originally, I was just curious. But I think I might be able to craft a new hand for Luine using this. Maybe Baston too, his left arm and leg can move, but it might be more complicated to replace rather than if he just had them amputated both. It¡¯s probably best to just fix him up with some life mana. You don¡¯t need a lot.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I smiled. Of course I could trust Moonwash. And if she ever were to go too far, then I was here to tell her. ¡°That sounds great! Can I help?¡±


    ¡°Of course. In fact, I need your help.¡±


    ¡°Well then you have it, always.¡±


    We stared into each other¡¯s eyes for a while, until I got curious and touched the repository. There was a connection there, the repository was full. I found that I probably could use mind magic if I had to, but we weren''t particularly compatible.


    At most I could use it¡­ sort of like how I used my cursed mana? And I got the vague feeling of some sort of body enhancement too¡­


    That was strange. Any sort of body enhancement like what I did was a rarity to begin with. Few people developed that sort of magic at all, and the elements to even make use of it were rare¡­ or inordinately dangerous.


    Having another one that I was compatible with was almost tempting¡­ but my connection to the element was very weak. My time would be better spent developing other skills and magic. And, I had to admit that I just wasn¡¯t very fond of the very idea of using this accursed element. I would probably suck it up if the potential gains were significant, but there was no reason to go through that unpleasantness for something that would be weak.


    I was a demon. I needed no further justification to not do something I disliked.


    ~~~


    With all of our packages in order, we waved goodbye to our gracious hosts.


    ¡°Come visit anytime!¡± Biggie said. They were already blending back into the roof, to potentially halt any unwanted intrusions.


    ¡°Whether you want to trade or just hang out,¡± Larryx added, ¡°we¡¯re always here.¡±


    I appreciated the sentiment as we jumped from branch to branch carrying a few packs of new materials and other things. We swung through vines and climbed through the trunks of the trees, until we were finally in sight of a proper wooden platform.


    An enchanting voice spoke to us before we could make it back to proper civilization.


    ¡°I found you!¡± she said, and it was a familiar sound. I looked around and found a hooded person hanging sideways from a branch just above mine.


    ¡°Elfrafim!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me!¡± She dropped down and crashed into me with a crushing hug. I nearly lost balance and fell from the impact. In fact, I did slip, but she steadied me as I returned the hug. ¡°I missed you all sooo much!!¡±


    My friend was back, and now I get to find out if I could get the final ingredient that I wanted for my next evolution.


    It was time to move on from being an imp, and climb higher in the many rings of hell.

 Chapter 79: Beyond Twenty.

    ¡°So, do you have it?¡± I asked Elfrafim once we¡¯d tucked ourselves away on a hidden branch. I couldn''t bear to wait for the news any longer.


    ¡°Yep!¡± She reached into her robe and produced from it a metallic jar aglow with enchantments.


    ¡°The blood is in here?¡± I asked, almost in awe. I didn¡¯t know how much effect this¡¯d actually have over my next evolution, but the blood of a hekaton still excited me. I was excited just for the mere fact of getting something that I wanted.


    ¡°Nope!¡± She smirked at my confused expression. ¡°It¡¯s in your heart.¡±


    ¡°...What?¡± I managed.


    ¡°It¡¯s a joke!¡± She exclaimed, as if in exasperation. ¡°Maybe it didn¡¯t land¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh no no, I¡¯m sure it was very funny,¡± I said. I couldn¡¯t deny that I felt like being extra nice if my friend really had come through for me in this matter.


    ¡°Stop,¡± she chuckled. ¡°You don¡¯t have to baby me.¡± She tapped on the metal jar in my hands. ¡°That which you seek lies inside. Now achieve metamorphosis, and leave behind your impish shell for new and exciting horizons of demonic origin.¡±


    I took a step back. Those words said with her enchanting voice were just too inspiring.


    ¡°R-right. Well, let¡¯s not wait any longer then. Let me show you to my home!¡±


    ¡°Yay! Hellfire and brimstone! My favorite!¡± She referenced the myths and legends of my previous life.


    ~~~


    ¡°That¡¯s not hellfire and brimstone,¡± Elfrafim complained once we were at the massive front doors of my home. Luine had separated from us before we got off the tree wall earlier, and Astan had chosen to stay with her up there in the trees for the time being. ¡°But it¡¯s very big! I like it! Why can¡¯t elves get that big!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our house, not hell as it was understood back in my world. Although a fiery lair does sound very nice¡­¡±


    ¡°You should build one. That sounds awesome.¡± Elfrafim then glanced behind us, at the rest of the city just down the hill. ¡°Your current one already looks so much better than theirs! Your whole family must love decorating!¡±


    ¡°We do like decorating¡­¡± I scratched at my helmeted head. ¡°But that¡¯s actually because of uh, inequality.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± She paused. ¡°That makes sense. I¡¯ve seen that before. From above! But they usually stick together, you know? Why¡¯s yours here if you¡¯re so¡­ wealthy?¡±


    She phrased that last part as if she was almost unsure about the word, but not quite.


    ¡°Err. You know, I¡¯m not entirely sure. It¡¯s just always been like this. I guess my parents, and maybe even my grandfather were just more comfortable here. We get visitors sometimes too. Maybe the hustle and bustle of high society just isn¡¯t for them. And neither is it for me so I¡¯m thankful!¡±


    ¡°Ooh! High society! I get the problem, but they wear funny hats and drink tea right? That sounds fun!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure those are all very fun things,¡± I chuckled. ¡°But they¡¯re not the main point. At least¡­ I don¡¯t think so. The hats and teas are all an act.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t mean the fun theater kind?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean the fun theatre kind.¡±


    ¡°Darn. The empire has been very interesting, but I¡¯ve been thinking¡­ this place sucks. You should come live with us instead,¡± Elfrafim said as we stepped into my old and current home. ¡°Those are  nice though!¡± She immediately noticed the trophies and paintings in the living room and started gushing over them.


    Mom and Dad arrived soon, and they were more than happy to answer my elven friend¡¯s questions. From where we even got the fang of a wyrm, to the paintings of great wars and battles that happened centuries before they were born


    I watched on warmly as I shed all my stuffy armor, and the other concealments underneath.


    Ugh. I wore it all the time just a few months ago, but a scant few weeks back in civilization and I already wanted all this metal off. It wasn¡¯t even the armor per se, but the fact that I had to hide. If I could at least have makeup that accentuated my features instead of hiding them, if I could wear my horns proudly, then I could stand within my stuffy cage for days on end.


    My grandfather eventually stumbled out of his room and met Elfrafim. The two held each other¡¯s gaze as my grandfather leaned his arm heavily against the wall.


    ¡°That¡¯s one strong human!¡± Elfrafim eventually said. ¡°Hello there! I¡¯m Elfrafim!¡±


    ¡°Hello to you too. I am Golex!¡±


    ¡°Nice! Haell¡¯s told me much about you!¡±


    ¡°Oh? I¡¯d love to know what sort of tales she¡¯s spun about me!¡±


    ¡°I know that you¡¯re considered like some sort of hero here! She¡¯s talked a lot about the many wars where you¡¯ve fought. I¡¯ve even heard, from other sources because you¡¯re famous, that you¡¯ve killed an elf in Angelore¡¯s assault against the barrier range.¡±


    It took a few moments for what Elfrafim said in that same cheerful voice to register in my mind. My parents tensed while I looked at my friend. She was calm at least, she still had a smile on my face, but while she wasn¡¯t angry, she was no longer quite so happy either.


    ¡°I have,¡± Golex admitted. ¡°It was a hard-fought battle.¡±


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°I would guess so. She wouldn¡¯t just die like that, not that we were ever close. She tamed these ectognaphones, you know? I got to play with sound magic a lot thanks to her. Her husband tried to keep the farm afloat after she died, and he did succeed, but the farm still had to be downscaled.¡±


    ¡°I see. Liyara was indeed an unfortunate loss for your community then. But such is war. That is what it means to take to the battlefield. We struggle, as is our birthright. I was the one who lived that time, and she was the one who died. But I honor her spirit, just as I wish to be honored when it is finally time for me to be the one to die.¡±


    Elfrafim held his gaze for a long moment. The two people whose powers were still immeasurable to me took each other¡¯s measure.


    ¡°True enough. Conflict happens everywhere. In nature, in the grandest forest, and in the lands beyond. Such is life, sometimes.¡± She clapped both hands, a radiant smile blooming across her face once more. ¡°With that out of the way, let¡¯s talk about our favorite Haell!¡±


    ¡°There are others!?¡±


    I received no reply.


    ~~~


    What followed was a month-long planning and preparation session. I wanted to immediately go and evolve, but I soon found myself sucked into the process just as they were. I worked with Moonwash and Elfrafim to design a new ritual, Granuel worked with my parents and Luine to obtain more of the materials that we need, and everyone else was present to give their support when needed. Admittedly, they mostly just gave inane suggestions meant for laughs, such as depictions of the piss hunters hunting for piss, or sculptures of me blushing so hard all of my skin had turned red. That¡¯s just my natural color, come on!


    Despite all the jokes, there were some genuine gems in that stinking pile of rocks. Like showing how I¡¯d grown so far and how I wished to grow in the future, or having an interdimensional voyeur watching over the entire procedure from on high. My favorite was when Therick suggested drawing myself as a winged form falling from the heavens, yet I remained unbroken. They were truly listening to the stories of my past life that I was willing to share. I should speak about the deeper parts of myself more, instead of only telling inane but impersonal stories.


    The month passed by so fast, and soon I was finally ready to evolve again. I sat in the middle of a massive ritual circle, a week before my twenty-first birthday. Everyone was here, from the Piss Hunters, to The Harvesters, Elfrafim, and Astan. Grandpa¡­ Didn¡¯t quite fit in the stairs leading down, but I knew that he was sending love and support my way from where he was above.


    It was time. It was finally time. Another moment of truth. Another chance to ascend further.


    A way to grasp for even more power.


    ¡°It¡¯s ready.¡± Both Elfrafim and Moonswash finished the final touches on the massive illustration that depicted me in my impish form superimposed against the demon I wished to become. That was only one part of the ritual, for the entire basement floor was filled with ritualistic drawings. The intertwining ritual even reached into the ceiling with the depiction in the ceiling of a single angry eye of light staring down at me as I stared back. There were spots of nature, spots of water, and all of the other healing elements we could find. Interspersed throughout the space and within the ritual were all the ingredients that I wanted to use for my evolution. The place was dimly lit with torches, and the ritual was surrounded by a broken ring of flames meant to represent hellfire. The flames weren¡¯t even supposed to be a ritual ingredient, but meaning and¡­ vibes like that could have an effect.


    But most of all, there was blood, or what looked like it. What we created was a ritual ink of the blood element, to harness the healing it could provide, and my blood empty of menace mana was used as an ingredient. In the absence of life magic, this was the element of our choice to enhance this ritual. We didn¡¯t have a major element for biomancy, aside from nature that could do that for plants. But I was hoping that wasn¡¯t exactly necessary, since people could enhance their Mutations without any ritual at all. I didn¡¯t want to risk using curse-aligned magics yet, because while that could do biomancy¡­ it was definitely different.


    ¡°Rite of Demonic Ascension!¡±


    The three of us chorused at the same time.


    [Would you like to evolve the following Mutat¡ª


    [Compatible materials detected! Would you like to evolve ALL of your Mutations using the materials gathered? Y/N]


    Yes. I am ready.


    The ritual responded, the world twisted, and the constant pressure that I felt upon my being reached a new crescendo. It crashed into me, it merged, it tore, it remade.


    I was only a voice and I had to scream.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!¡±


    But this time I was ready.


    I reached out and grabbed hold of that which touched my soul. It squeezed my hand back with a fervor that matched my own. The pain remained, it¡¯d always be there, but just like how I conquered my instincts and my power, it was nothing I could not bear.


    I was ready to understand.


    A spike of incomprehension followed as I tried to comprehend. It was not pain, but a soothing call to oblivion. A plea to truly melt into the collective will of reality. To be as I was in this moment, a part of the fabric, with all the walls broken down and every distinction torn apart. To take this change, and experience it forever.


    [The conditions have been met for a species evolution!]


    [A compatible material for the evolution has been found!]


    [Warning: Species Evolution will alter the core direction of your Mutations!]


    [You have three options to choose from.]


    [Magic.]


    [Demon - A never before seen species! This evolution will make of you a wrathfulful being that could take to the skies. Let your rage be known in the slaughter.]


    [Ragnaroxus - An ancient species long driven to extinction. Bring it upon the worlds once more.]


    [Do you wish to evolve? Yes/No?]


    I managed to actually read my options this time, and I was sure they were all very interesting, but I could only spare the thought to remember them, not to comprehend.


    That was fine. There was only one choice for me. The same that it¡¯s always been.


    Make me a fucking demon. Make of me an even stronger DEMON!!!


    ¡°YEEEESSSS!!!¡±


    I hissed out a jubilant scream as the expected rush of ecstasy came. The part of the world that was I shifted in form. The wings that were left unabsorbed merged into my body, and we melted into a cocoon of unknowability as I achieved that which lay beyond my dreams. For the whole to become more, to see what lay beyond the horizon. It was a joy like no other, it was a pleasure that I wanted to last forever. I loved even the darkness that settled deeper into my core, for it only brought me more.


    But I knew that it was not to be. I did not allow myself to become lost in it. I only appreciated this one eternal moment for what it was, for as long as it may last.


    Soon, all too soon, my view of reality returned. I saw the friends that I knew were there, waiting for me. The people that I loved had shared in this moment, in support and in hope.


    I looked at their faces which were a mix of different emotions or lack thereof, and I felt nothing but RAGE.

 Chapter 80: True Demon.

    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    A growl escaped my throat as I rose to my feet and glared at the people I loved. I hated them just as I hated everything, and it was time to do something about it.


    No.


    This is not what I am. This is not who I am.


    They are not responsible for my feelings, and they have done me no harm!


    I took a deep deep breath and recentered myself. I reexamined my body and my mind. My hearts pumped a steady rhythm, and one of them worked extra hard to refill the capacity of my blood that had been depleted. My flesh was stronger now, it held more power, it was cursed. There was a weight on my back as a massive mass of sheer wing unfolded.


    I flapped them once, twice, and then thrice. I laughed as the winds responded and blew all around the enclosed area, spinning dust around. For but a moment, the endless rage was forgotten.


    [Congratulations! During the process of evolution, the curse of menace had become integrated into your body and soul.]


    [You have obtained a new Soul Feat: Progenitor II!]


    [Progenitor 2: Gives you two additional free choice Mutations.]


    [You have obtained a new Soul Feat: Demon Progenitor!]


    [Demon Progenitor: Gives you one free choice Mutation. This Mutation will become part of the Demon lineage. The Mutation will start at Level 10.]


    [You have obtained a new Soul Feat: Demon Harbinger!]


    [Demon Harbinger: You are the harbinger of demons. From you, a new web of existence will emerge. Your soul yearns to be a demon, allowing you greater success in evolving your species so long as your species remains in the strain of demons. New Mutations that you obtain will start at half of your general level. You gain the ability to further customize them based on their new starting level.]


    That answered some questions, but not enough of them. Not the important ones. I opened up my Status Screen, skipped all the additional notifications, and pulled up that which I thought was the cause of this endless burning anger for all that ever existed and will ever exist. Even their deaths, even their ends, will never be enough. I was fucking mad and I needed a poor pitiable target to vent it all on.


    [Wrath Heart - The heart of a being that knows only hate. Pumps wrath mana into your blood.]


    And I was right about my assumptions. That explained my behavior, my feelings, it explained everything. My menace heart had changed, it had evolved into a wrath heart, and it was far more intense than it had ever been before.


    That was a problem. A big one. But this was not the first time I had to deal with a change like this. No longer was I a naive imp, but I was now a demon who would rage and war against all of existence until either one of us yields!


    ¡­Oookay. Maybe I wasn¡¯t in full control just yet. But, it should be easier this time. I just needed time.


    ¡°Hey Mom, Moonwash,¡± I smiled, and found it to be a genuine one already. ¡°Just like last time. I think I¡¯ll need some space.¡±


    I glared at all the people gathered here as my wings flared up to their full and imposing size. For one crucial second, I felt an urge to pour mana into my eyes and turn my stare into something more sinister¨C but I didn¡¯t. I knew who I was, and I would not break those that I loved.


    ¡­Not that I would have won under these conditions. And that weakness made me loathe both myself and them.


    They all wished me well and climbed back out of the basement, leaving me alone in an empty space where only the remnants of the prior ritual remained. The artworks created were entirely gone, the plants had sagged and basins of water had gone stale. It was dark, for even the ring of hellfire had been extinguished. I wondered how much of that was a function of the ritual, and what was merely an aftereffect.


    Alone, in this large and empty room, I took the time to sit down and just breathe. The world disappeared as my eyelids closed, and so too did my wings disappear into my back. I was safe here, and I was at peace.


    And I hate that peace. I want to rip it apart!


    The rage remained. It pierced through my eyelids even when closed. My wings sought to break free of their confines and soar.


    There was no one here but me. There was no one that could even be an enemy. And yet I still wished to destroy.


    It was easy to see how a lesser person could lose themself to the hate.


    But I had changed. I was stronger now. Unlike the last time this happened, I didn¡¯t even try to attack anyone. I will not lose to a mere set of new instincts!


    ¡°...instincts!¡±


    Before I knew it, I had been shouting. Blushing, but not blushing, I sat back down and got my anger under control.


    ¡­No, that was wrong. I lived with it, I accepted it, I took in that rage and subsumed it. It was a part of me now, but it was only one of many. It would not define me.


    Now enough of that sappy shit. It¡¯s time to look at my fucking gains!


    ¡°...fucking gains!¡± I growled out, and the sound was nasally and absolutely appalled. I really needed to stop doing that.


    [Menace Heart has evolved into Wrath Heart!]


    [Demon Eyes have evolved into Evil Eyes]


    [Mana-infused Blood can now hold multiple types of mana.]


    [You have obtained the Mutation: Demon Wings]


    [The rest of your existing Mutations have been significantly improved!]


    I looked at the rest of my notifications, and found that only three of my Mutations have really changed. After all the work I put into gathering all those materials, that was all I had to show for it! SO WHY THE FUCK DID I EVER BOTHER!?


    Crack!


    My hand had slammed into the floor without thinking, and it produced a stronger impact than I intended. The packed stone had cracked, and a stream of red flowed from my equally red skin. The wound throbbed, my hearts pounded in panic, and so did my body tense and coil in preparation for battle. The pain was so little, it should not be enough to even cause me to wince, but it only added fuel to the hate and my desire to lash out at everything around me. Rage, rage, RAGE!


    I breathed. I forced myself to remain still and do nothing.


    I recognized the outburst for what it was, I¡¯d seen it many times before. I wasn¡¯t above venting my anger on inanimate objects myself, but I did not want to be the type of person who does that without thought. I loved my power, but I would not become a slave to it. I am in control.


    I shook my hand and wiped the blood off my knuckles. I willed my wings to disappear once more into my back after I had unfurled them earlier on reflex. My shirt was torn and straining from how much I¡¯d grown just in the past¡­ few minutes? My hand visibly regrew, and I watched it happen in sheer fascination for however long it took.


    I had succeeded in my main goal. Maybe I did not get everything that I wanted, but I had also gotten some new gifts that I didn¡¯t even know I would get. And the most important thing had definitely been fulfilled, for no longer did the system call me a lowly imp, but I was now classified as a proper demon. I had successfully evolved twice now, when once was already supposed to be a miracle!


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    ¡°Wooooo!!¡± I celebrated as I got up. I ran around and did a few laps, already noticing how much faster I was. Every movement was new and different, they carried a force unlike before. I¡¯d gotten stronger, I''d gotten bigger, and I couldn¡¯t wait to explore more of what my newly improved body had to offer! I even had wings, and¡­ they can just disappear or be absorbed into my back? That was nice! I wouldn¡¯t have been able to act as an adventurer if there was something that obvious that marked me as something entirely new and wonderful.


    I¡¯d explore more about that later, but for now it was time to rage! In the good way!


    I moved my body, I did some exercises, I punched the air that had remained stale. I pushed my wings to their full span. I flapped them once, I flapped them hard, I strained and felt the weird feeling of simply moving my new limbs. I was at best able to glide through the air for longer if I jumped very high.


    I landed back on the ground frowning, scowling. I was immediately distracted by the feeling of my weight. My body had grown more dense once again, the sheer momentum of every motion was just different. It did come with better reflexes, but I could very easily wreak some havoc if I wasn¡¯t careful.


    Crack!


    I struck a tree just to see how much havoc that was, and the wooden bark splintered from the sheer force of my punch. The rage came almost before anything else, but I had known that it was coming, so I was able to adapt. The trunk shook, its sagging leaves fell, and I took a deep breath as the pain in my hand radiated outwards as it healed. I could just imagine what it would feel like to turn all this power into an unsuspecting enemy. I wanted to utterly demolish them, I didn¡¯t wish to ever stop!


    I responsibly indulged in my wrath for a short while longer.


    _________________


    Name: Haell Zharignan


    Species: Demon


    ¡ªMutations¡ª


    Wrath Heart: Level 20


    Demon Brain: Level 20


    Demon Skin: Level 20


    Evil Eyes: Level 20


    Demon Flesh / Demon Bones / Demonic Musculature(synced) : (All) Level 20


    Demonic Hands: Level 20


    Demonic Hooves: Level 20


    Hyperdemon Gland: Level 20


    Demon Horns: Level 20


    Mana-infused Blood: Level 20


    Regen Heart: Level 20


    Demon Wings: Level 20


    ¡ªSoul Feats¡ª


    Reincarnator


    Progenitor


    Imp Progenitor


    Progenitor II


    Demon Progenitor


    Demon Harbinger


    _________________


    That¡¯s a whole load of new Soul Feats. I already knew what they did, and I was so happy for the extra Free Choice Mutation that I got. I wasn''t even sure that I could get progenitor again, let alone a better version! So that was very nice.


    Demon Harbinger was amazing. Getting to skip 10 levels for my free choice Mutations, and get even better customization was insanely good! The part about being able to evolve my species easier was unclear, but I was sure it could only help. I was already a demon, but I would absolutely love to become say a Demon Lord or a Demon Queen. That would be amazing.


    I looked at my new or altered Mutations next.


    [Demon Wings - Wings that are able to carry your demonic body by itself once charged. Can be extradimensionally hidden. Can be recharged while hidden.]


    I revealed my wings once more, and I shivered as I made it twitch here and that. I had a new set of limbs, and it felt weird once I was actually paying attention to them! The surface area was larger, the thin membrane caught the breeze, and that made me shiver now that I had other things on my mind other than the rage.


    Not that it was gone. It was still here, forevermore. Like a good friend, someone who would stay with you through the thick, and the thin.


    Hello anger. Make yourself comfortable, because this is a ride that will never end!


    [Evil Eyes - Your gaze will intimidate and break the will of your foes. This effect may be altered or enhanced by channeling mana into your eyes.]


    I raised an eyebrow¨Can evil eyebrow¨Cat that description. It no longer had demon in the name, which was inconsequential and irrelevant, but it did annoy me, just a little. And then that little annoyance turned into a burning rage, for I was a demon but it was not up to this stupid system or my soul to label me as good or evil! My morality was my own.


    But that didn¡¯t matter. I liked the substance of the change, and I was sure it was still a demonic sort of Mutation, and my species still called me a demon. So it¡¯s fine.


    I was truly excited to test out what this Mutation could do later.


    [Mana-infused Blood - Blood that is able to hold and store 2 types of mana.]


    It was a very small change to the description, but something that meant a whole world of a difference. The storage capability of my blood was vast, and even if it didn¡¯t compare to a repository for how much it could store in terms of volume, there was just so much more of it. Having another element was certainly useful, even if that same storage had to be shared between the 2 types of mana. My blood¡¯s overall capacity hadn¡¯t even risen by much despite its evolution because of how it had been specialized in a different way, but I believed that this was still very much worth it.


    Now all I had to do was pick a strong element. A properly demonic one.


    I can¡¯t wait!


    [Wrath Heart - The heart of a being that knows only hate. Pumps wrath mana into your blood.]


    I brought this one up again, just to round things out. I¡¯d looked at it earlier, but I hadn¡¯t really looked at it. To know not just what could be found in the description, but to understand the mana that shall suffuse my blood anew.


    It filled my blood with every pump of the wrathful heart, and I had stockpiled enough to experiment with now. It wasn¡¯t a series of horrible horrible thoughts like my menace mana was, but instead a single overwhelming emotion. It was easier to keep track of in some ways, but that did not make it better. Emotions, anger, could cause some very serious and dangerous mistakes if mishandled.


    I poked it. I took a metaphorical finger and poked the wrath mana.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!¡±


    I screamed as the wrath intensified and all I wished to ever do was to kill and destroy whatever was in front of me. I recalled how in that haze a silent dining table, and the suffocating conflict that waged unseen. I remembered how I¡¯d died, and just what sort of new world and society I had been reborn in. Life had already proven itself to be unworthy, two times over. It was deserving of my rage, and I shall no longer hold back!


    A resounding crash echoed throughout the enclosed space, and it took a few moments too many to register that I had broken my hand again. The wall that I attacked shook, and cracks spiderwebbed through a large area, but it was still standing. I was the one who was hurt, I was the one who was bleeding, and my bones were fucking broken. THIS CANNOT STAND!


    CRACK!


    My hoof crashed into the same wall with all of the vitriol that I held. The shock and pain of the action vibrated through my bones and stung across my flesh, but I could only grin evilly at the large pieces of stone that had began to fall apart. A jubilant growl rumbled out of my throat as I prepared to finish the job, then the rest of this basement, and then beyond!


    A cloud of dust dared to blow into my face before I could make good on my threat, and it flowed towards me in the most irritating manner. It was not painful, it could hardly obstruct my vision, but I still fucking hated it! I snarled in indignation, I swatted it away with all of my fury, only for just a little bit to be left behind every time. It coiled through my every moment, it stuck to my skin, it grated at my mind to no end. It was utterly maddening and I could only scream!


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAaaAaAaaaAAaAAaAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!??¡±


    What the fuck am I doing!?


    I realized then, finally, just how silly I was being. I was still angry, I was still mad... but why the fuck was I furious with an inanimate fucking wall!?


    That was fucking stupid.


    I was fucking stupid.


    I loathed myself in that moment, and I clutched at my head and screamed.


    "Hey, Haell!¡±


    "Are you okay?"


    My parents climbed down the stairs, and then they paused upon seeing me panting and hunched over. I glared back at them and growled.


    "WHAT!?"


    I immediately regretted my outburst the moment I said it.


    "No, wait! Sorry! Wrath heart! ARGH!" I slammed a fist into the wall once more. My dad frowned in worry, while my mom only gave a comforting smile.


    "It''s okay, Haell. We understand."


    "Yes¡­" He turned to me. "But are you sure you should be--"


    "Rallem," my mother patted Dad''s arm. "She''s already made her decision."


    "I... you''re right." He sighed. "We can only support her, I know. I''m just worried, that''s all."


    I scratched my head, now feeling just a little bit smaller despite my recent increase in stature. "Ah, sorry Dad. It''s not your fault. I get it. But you know how I was last time! This''ll pass. It''s just part of evolving."


    "I don''t think it''s part of all evolutions... but it''s certainly part of yours. Fight on, Haell."


    "Yeah. I know you can do it! You didn''t even attack anyone this time!"


    "Hey that''s what I said!" I waved them goodbye as they disappeared back up into the stairs leading out of the basement. ¡°Thanks Mom. Thanks Dad.¡±


    ¡°Of course! Great minds think alike!¡±


    ¡°Not a problem. Talk to us anytime.¡±


    My lips quivered, and I allowed a few happy tears to fall once I was left alone.


    They truly were the best, and I would not let something so silly as my newfound temper tear us apart.

 Chapter 81: Take Flight.

    ¡°Hey guys,¡± I grinned as I came out of seclusion, taking notice of how much closer the various ceilings were. I¡¯d been down in the basement for hours, just being at peace, and growing even more accustomed to the rage. That earlier outburst where I attacked¡­ a wall¡­ and lost, was quite embarrassing honestly! But all it meant was that I needed a bit more practice before I used my new magic actively. I¡¯d already proven that I could live and thrive no matter how dangerous my instincts may be.


    ¡°Ooh! You¡¯ve gotten bigger!¡± Elfrafim exclaimed, running circles around me. ¡°You look awesome!¡±


    ¡°Thanks! I haven¡¯t seen my new self yet actually, but I¡¯m sure that¡¯s true!¡±


    ¡°Haell,¡± Moonwash approached me next, ¡°I want to know everything.¡± She paused. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it later.¡±


    ¡°Sure! I have soo much I want to talk. I don¡¯t know where to fucking start!¡±


    The rest of them also congratulated me, Granuel asked where my wings were, and my parents had new clothes ready for my new fit.


    ¡°Sorry again about earlier¡­¡± I told them as I accepted the change of clothes. ¡°I was¡­ I activated my magic, which made me mad, and then the pain that I felt made me mad, so then I activated the wrath mana again and¡­ you get the picture. It just fed into each other over and over.¡±


    It truly took me for a loop. Menace magic did not behave like this. I never experienced such a massive and undesired flare-up of it just for wanting to activate it.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You already explained it well enough. We¡¯re quite fine, Haell.¡±


    ¡°Just make sure to be safe. I know you¡¯d still use it so¡­ train properly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I nodded strongly. ¡°I will.¡±


    ~~~


    I hurried back to my room after greeting my folks and showing them I was perfectly fine. Alone once more, I took in my bed, the desk beside it, and all the other furniture nearby. They had inexplicably shrunk, and so did the room itself. Who made all my things smaller, and why??


    I chuckled. I knew that wasn¡¯t what was going on. I crossed the distance to the mirror with newfound ease and beheld my new form.


    It was¡­ not really that different than before. But that was only to be expected. Of course I didn¡¯t change to the same extent as going from a human to an imp. But what did change today, were definitely things to celebrate and be proud of.


    My features were stronger now, more regal, scarier in that beautiful way. My body had become significantly bigger, but only a bit wider in proportion. I stood at a respectable 2 meters in height.


    I saw in my goat-like eyes as I stared at myself, an abyss like no other. It looked different than before, almost perpetually angry, but not quite. It was an emotion that I couldn¡¯t quite place. If I were my enemy, I would have pissed my skirt right then and there.


    And then of course there were my wings. I felt them break through my back like a bird hatching from its eggs, sweeping away my torn clothing and unfolding fully into a sight that obscured all others. My wings were large, they spanned further beyond my arms, and they only made me look all the bigger. Like I was larger than life itself, my visage demanded attention, and woe be anyone who chose to ignore it.


    Not for the first time, I felt envious of everyone else who got to see me from an outside perspective. How beautiful of a sight must it be to see a demon descend from on high like a furious avenger? That was a great idea, I should do that later.


    Right¡­ I should stop sucking so hard on my own supply.


    For a good short while, I just stood there, mesmerized. I basked in the glory of my own appearance, I felt the euphoria of my new existence. I wasn¡¯t anywhere close to done yet, not after the Demon Harbinger soul feat that I got, but this was what I¡¯d been fighting for. This was the dream that I¡¯d held, this was the existence that I craved, and now a lifetime later, it had finally been fulfilled.


    I must not forget this accomplishment, I must remember to be proud. Whatever challenges may await, I had the weight of a dream fulfilled behind me. It was a tailwind that would stay with me til the very top.


    ~~~


    ¡°...and then I was like, connected to this larger thing, and it wanted to stay that way. If I stalled too long then it would¡¯ve happened, and I would now be gone. Forever.¡±


    I was sitting with all The Harvesters and Elfrafim as I explained what I saw during my evolution.


    ¡°Well don''t do that!¡± Angerly exclaimed. ¡°Don¡¯t be gone!¡±


    ¡°Of course she won¡¯t,¡± Granuel crossed his arms. ¡°She promised to go on our caravan.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± I laughed. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the caravan then I might have just decided to become god. Who knows?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you hate god?¡± Therick mumbled, then switched topics. ¡°But at this point, I do just assume you can handle it. So great job.¡±


    ¡°Wow, really? Weren¡¯t you the one most against it?¡±


    ¡°Well, someone here has to be the voice of reason.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s Granuel. He had a good point about the caravan. How would I go with you if I were existence itself?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you always be with us if that were the case?¡±


    ¡°Oooh! Good point. You¡¯re the voice of reason after all.¡±


    After making some more small-talk about how I nearly died again, Moonwash summed up her own conclusions.


    ¡°What I got from this is that everything is magic, but we¡¯re usually separate from the wider world of it, however that boundary can be broken under specific circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± I told her. ¡°That thing I was connecting to, melting into, it had to be magic. Especially since I got this weird species evolution option that was just [Magic.] There was no description or anything like the other two! Just magic! I think it means that I¡¯d be subsumed into the greater existence that is ¡®Magic¡¯ as that boundary permanently disappears. But I can¡¯t be sure because I was never given an actual description!¡±


    ¡°Magic is weird!¡± Elfrafim affirmed. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of these boundaries being completely broken thing, but rituals are definitely the fabric of magic or existence itself looking at you. That¡¯s what elven knowledge is on the matter, at least. Magic surges and the mana in your environment reacts during a ritual. I¡¯m not sure how it¡¯s helping, it¡¯s not typically serving as the fuel, rituals are full of mana already, but the ambient magic definitely¡­ hugs the ritual.¡±


    ¡°Daww. I like hugs,¡± I joked.


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why you¡¯re able to do mini-rituals,¡± Moonwash said, ¡°You hug the magic.¡±


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± I hedged. I couldn¡¯t really tell if she was joking here, but her words definitely rang true. ¡°Even Elfrafim hasn¡¯t ever heard of becoming part of the fabric of the universe, like what I almost did. Although that¡¯s weird. We don¡¯t have any other firsthand accounts of changing species, but Mutations are enhanced with outside materials regularly! Or well, it¡¯s very very rare, but it happens.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve studied the topic, and the descriptions that I got, including from Salaire and Biggie, mainly describe it as a pain that tears apart the affected Mutations as it is rebuilt,¡± Moonwash explained.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never had a Mutation changed myself,¡± Elfrafim corroborated, ¡°but that¡¯s about consistent with the accounts my people have kept.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± I hummed thoughtfully, grabbing my chin in a thinking pose and all. ¡°That¡¯s not what my species has experienced.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the only demon!¡± Half the room retorted and I laughed along with them.


    ~~~


    "Time to fly!" I shouted to the Piss Hunters and Harvesters, and Elfrafim and Astan in this faraway clearing today. No one else was around, so I was free to test out my new Mutation. I could tell that it was fully charged, and so I allowed them to unfurl from my back, through the hole in my shirt, and then beyond. I made for an imposing sight with my wings spread out to their full size like that. I could just charge at them right now while they were intimidated and rip them apart!


    But I would not do that. Today was a happy day.


    My wings flapped once. A strong gust blew through the grass and nothing else. I worked my wings some more, barely able to rise, but there was a sort of feeling there. Something just on the tip of my membranes...


    I pulled, and pulled, and pulled on that feeling until suddenly a palpable sense of power thrummed through the air and I lifted up. A gust of wind followed in my wake, and it made the hair of my companions flutter.


    I giggled, like an innocent child who had found their first innocent joy. I continued to laugh as I rose higher and the ground sank further away from me. It felt so freeing to be unrestrained by the hold of gravity. I fell in love in a way that did not expect. I thought I¡¯d like flying, I thought I¡¯d very much enjoy it, but I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be a borderline spiritual experience!


    "Wow."


    "Our baby''s flying!"


    "Go Haell!"


    "Don''t go too far!"


    "You''re amazing."


    I waved back at my adoring fans as I rose even higher. My wings strained harder as I reached for heights ever greater. Every meter that I climbed felt like a monumental achievement, and I actually started crying out of pure joy. It was like all my lives, I¡¯d been chained, and only now had I finally broken free!


    "YES!¡± I cackled without shame as I rose above the canopy. I was fully exposed as a demon right now, but we''d traveled pretty far where no one should be just for this. And even if someone saw me, they wouldn''t really know what they saw. Anyone too close would be shot down or discouraged by Elfrafim. So I let go of those worries for now as I focused on the beauty of the moment.


    "I''M FLYING!" I shouted the obvious. My wrath demanded that I bombard the people below, but they were just having fun. They were cheering and waving as I hovered there in the air, and I didn¡¯t hesitate to put on a good show. I twirled and twisted around in midair, dipping and rising in a primitive sort of dance. It was like walking for the first time, only much harder. I tried to orient myself, I tried to control my flight, but I overshot every time. I wasn¡¯t discouraged, however; on the contrary, I only felt excitement at the prospect of learning!


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± I took a moment to slow down once I was satisfied, to just explore and take in my surroundings. The horizon was vast, and somehow it felt so much more grand than before. The impenetrable barrier range to the east was ever imposing, but now they also lit a fire in me as I imagined what it would be like to scale those unconquerable heights. The sky itself seemed to wrap around my demonic form in a tight embrace, giving me a feeling of acceptance, joy, and freedom.


    The floodgates opened, and I cried once more as I allowed this one eternal moment to sink in. My lips quivered as I finally felt the full weight of all that I¡¯d accomplished, the power that I¡¯d seized, and the metaphorical chains that I¡¯d shed aside. It hit me all at once, and the world had never looked so bright and hopeful.


    Here and now, I felt like I could truly go anywhere, and achieve whatever my hearts desired.


    Even if one of those wished to end the universe.


    ~~~


    I sniffed and took a deep breath, without caring to even wipe the tears and snot off my face. ¡°I¡¯m gonna try flying around!¡± I announced.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯ve been doing!¡± Therick shouted back. The flash of anger that followed at the jab flowed through me like water against a¡­ waterproof thing.


    ¡°Yeah! But I¡¯m gonna do it better!¡± My new body did come with new instincts other than just RAGE. I angled my body just right, and then I flapped my wings hard, bringing me roughly westwardst in a very unsteady flight. I maintained my course, but I was steadily losing ground. I got so focused on regaining altitude that I noticed all too late that I was about to crash into a tree!


    ¡°Gah-!¡± I exclaimed, just before the collision happened. Wood dug into my face, the force rattled me to my bones, and the tree shook and leaves fell against the weight that I carried. I groaned in pain, I balled my fist in fury, I was under attack and I wanted to rip apart whoever had dared!!


    No¡­ wait. No¡­?


    The change was so abrupt that it gave me whiplash. I took a step back from my feelings, and my temper whimpered as if splashed with cold water.


    ¡­Yeah. That¡¯s going to be a continuing problem.


    My wrathful instincts existed as a sort of feeling that was always directed at literally everything, including myself, all at once, at every moment in time. I could coexist with it well enough normally, but it could definitely get worse really fast if given a reason to, no matter how stupid. Especially if I were blindsided and surprised.


    I groaned at how troublesome it would be as I glided back down to the ground. Already, I could hear their laughter from below, and I felt like snapping at them and saying horrible things, but that would just be stupid. I¡¯d totally laugh at them too if they were defeated by a tree.


    ¡°Haell! How many fingers am I holding up!?¡± Angerly held up her palms as she ran towards me. Everyone else was following behind her.


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°All of them. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    I allowed them to fuss over me as they pleased, but no one was truly worried over such a minor thing as crashing into a tree. Instead, they were mostly excited over my new ability to fly, but not nearly as excited as I was. It was a wonderful experience, and I would get to have it many more times from here on out!


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re having this much difficulty figuring out how to fly because of your weight,¡± Moonwash said, once things had settled down. She had theorized before that the reason my wings needed to be charged was because of how heavy I was, and my lack of Hollow Mutations. Hollow Mutations such as Hollow Flesh or Hollow Bones didn¡¯t actually make parts of the body truly hollow, but they inserted packets of materials that typically provided a little bit of constant lift to their bodies, effectively making them lighter. These materials were usually a lot less dense, and a lot less tough, than the surrounding flesh or bone, hence why they were called Hollow. Presumably. No one knew how Mutations were named anyway. They certainly weren¡¯t actually hollow.


    ¡°Are you calling me fat?¡± I smirked at Moonwash¡¯s earlier remark


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not,¡± she answered easily. I had trouble reading if she even registered the joke or not.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s because of my weight,¡± I decided to finally give a serious answer to Moonwash¡¯s query. ¡°I mean, it certainly doesn¡¯t help. But flying is so different¨Cand amazing! It¡¯s so much more complex than walking, so I¡¯ll need a lot of practice to be able to make even simple maneuvers. But I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get the hang of it soon, and even fumbling around like this is so much fun!¡±


    ¡°I see. That makes sense. I believe in you, Haell.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. I believe in me too!¡±


    I was about to run off and get back to flying when Moonwash made a sudden request.


    ¡°You mentioned that it¡¯s a wonderful feeling. Can you carry me up there so I can feel it too?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I answered intelligently. ¡°Well. Um. Sure¡­?¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She hugged my waist, and I felt the blood rush to my face, but I wasn¡¯t some clueless teen. I hugged Moonwash back, I embraced her tight, and then I took flight to the thundering beats of my two hearts.


    A smile blossomed upon my face as a cool breeze rustled my hair and ran through my demonic body, and the grin only grew wider as I felt the warmth of my special friend. She was silent through the journey, and so was I, but her presence alone gave the freedom that I¡¯d already come to love so much more depth. I loved her, and the sheer and painful intensity of that feeling easily overshadowed the wrath.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± my good friend commented. She hardly had a good view pressed into her chest like that, so I finagled her into a princess carry. The action was awkward, and my flight jerked and twisted as I tried, but that only brought forth a burst of giggles from my mouth.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s even more beautiful now,¡± Moonwash said as she stared into the horizon, and then at my face. I got lost in those dark brown eyes, and what I found at the end of that long journey were my lips pressed against hers.

 Chapter 82: Burning Bridges.

    I took a greedy gulp of air, once Moonwash finally allowed my lips to part with hers. I had almost dropped the both of us from high altitude, due to the intensity of it. And it wasn''t like I was physically affected--My powers had long went past mortal limits!


    Such a puny achievement was nothing in the face of her, so it seemed.


    "Moonwash," I breathed her name, and her eyes that had never once left my face intensified further. There was a lot that I wanted to say, there was so much I didn''t know how to even put into words. I really shouldn''t be getting into any sort of relations right now of all times when my mind was in sheer utter disarray.


    "I love you." I didn''t think. I only felt a feeling that overshadowed the wrath. That was all I could ever hope to say.


    "I love you too." Her response was short, contrite, and to the point. They echoed with every beat of my two hearts. I hovered in the air for a while, watching the world as the clouds above shifted, and creatures scurried in the forest below. I basked in the thrill and the calm that flowed inside of me in perfect harmony.


    Eventually, I had to break the silence. My wings folded behind me, and I dropped down along with Moonwash who remained snug in my arms. She didn''t even react as we fell, and while her mannerisms could be very hard to read, I knew her well enough to know that she was genuinely unbothered in this moment.


    The trust she showed warmed my two beating hearts.


    My wings unfolded back to their full size just before we landed. I flapped them once, and then my feet gently touched upon solid ground. I set Moonwash back on her feet, and she almost didn''t want us to ever separate. That was soo cute, and I just wanted to cuddle her forever.


    "Oh Moonwash... there''s so much I want to say. So much we need to discuss. But I can¡¯t be making any big decisions right now. My mind is in chaos, and I cannot think straight, not even gay." I could not resist the pun. "I promise that we''ll talk about it later, very soon, but I just need to focus on my evolution right now. Okay?"


    "I understand," Moonwash readily agreed, just as she always did, but I felt that there was more. I waited patiently for what else she had to say. "I want to kiss you again," she finally settled on.


    I laughed. At first energetically, then more kind and gentle. "Of course."


    My friend smiled, and then cupped my face with both her hands.


    Our lips touched, and Moonwash made sure to make this one kiss count.


    ~~~


    I found myself back in my mother''s basement, and with a certain kiss playing over and over in my head. I carried my greatsword that had become so much lighter, and I swung it at the air in front of me. A strong breeze came, the wind sung upon the weight of my blade, and then nothing else happened.


    An argument that ultimately threw me out into the streets, a monster that ambushed us from above.


    I took a deep breath, then slashed again, but this time the force it produced was incomparable to before, for my arms had swung with the weight of all the pain that I wished to inflict upon the world. I was unsatisfied with hitting mere air, I wanted to go out there and decimate the true targets of my hate!


    I breathed. I centered myself. My arm was in pain just from the sheer force of my own strike, but when had I ever shied away from mere agony? That was the path of a demon, that was the path for me.


    And so I wrenched the wrath mana away from my blood, and into the world outside. I watched as the mana gathered in my palm, taking on an imaginary form like it was a living mass of energy. It roiled like a thundercloud, blazed like fire, and flowed like a twisting ocean storm. I couldn¡¯t yet make it into a proper projectile even as my face contorted from the strain, so I tossed it as it was to the ground instead. The roiling mass of mana manifested as a fog-like energy that flowed way too quickly and eagerly across the ground. Anyone hit would¡¯ve suffered grievous harm, but what surprised me most were the minute cracks that formed on the floor, especially around the initial impact site. The damage was far from severe, but I did not think the magic would be able to affect unliving stone at all. Certainly not to this extent.


    I immediately ordered massive slabs of meat, which Granuel was only happy to provide, and I excitedly slammed my wrath magic into the dead pig while Moonwash watched. The meat warped upon contact with my attack as flesh twisted against itself and bones snapped in many unhealthy ways. The wrath could rot and dessicate, but it could also cause sheer destruction by forcing the opponent¡¯s body to break. This was the enigmatic biomantic capabilities of curses, but applied only in the most harmful way. And it somehow worked, if very very inefficiently, against non-organic matter as well.


    I fell in love for the second time that week.


    ~~~


    ¡°Are you ready, Haell?¡± Moonwash asked, and I couldn¡¯t help but have my gaze be drawn to her lips.


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± I nodded.


    ¡°Okay.¡± She raised the dagger that she was holding. It was one that Moonwash had recently made for herself with her ever-improving skills. The plan was for me to control myself while¨C


    ¡°GGGAAAAAAHHH!!¡± I screamed. Moonwash had stabbed me. I was betrayed by my friend, my ally, my love. The treachery stung, wrath mana wrapped around me as I stood to my full height and prepared to lunge. This was the plan, it was my idea, I told her to do it. It was my fault, and mine alone. I should just destroy it all, because nothing ever mattered.


    Boom!


    My hooves stomped on the ground, resulting in a resounding crack. I stood there and did nothing else.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Moonwash asked. She had not backed away even once. This was why I asked her to be here, instead of anyone else. This was why I loved her.


    ¡°Moonwash I¡­¡± I began, and I lost myself again in the way she stared back at me. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m good.¡±


    Really, I wanted someone else for this, at least at first. I was worried that I might rampage after all, even if Elfrafim was watching us from the fringes of the basement. I just didn¡¯t want to ever risk hurting Moonwash. But there was also no one else I trusted more. There was no one else I¡¯d rather stab a dagger through my heart.


    ¡°Again.¡±


    The training continued. The rage became a constant. The constant became a routine, and that routine became numb.


    So what if I was in pain? So what if that made me angry? Such trivialities were far from enough to rob me of my freedom.


    ~~~


    I had gathered here today; my parents, Moonwash, Astan, and Elfrafim. We all sat in a perfect circle in the middle of my room.


    ¡°Squaak!!¡± Astan helpfully added, and I took that as my cue to begin.


    From the [Blood Heart] to the [Magnetizer] to a second [Ritualizer Brain], I began to voice the absurd amount of Mutations that I had, and this was just the condensed version that contained the ones I was most interested in! Somehow, there were even more options unlocked compared to last time, and I could even precisely guide their evolution up to Level 10. That was huge!


    ¡°Oh! Oh! Try seeing if there¡¯s something that can change your face!¡± My mom demanded.


    That sounded like fun, but it wasn¡¯t something I was seriously considering using a Mutation slot on. It might even ruin half the fun of having Moonwash dress me up. Still, I humored my mom, and I managed to find skin that would make me able to change colors like a chameleon, but with potentially far greater precision.


    [Chromatophore Skin.]


    ¡°How would having a different kind of skin even work?¡± I asked aloud. I focused on the Mutation, I really dug deep¡­ towards myself and how I may change. Having two types of skin could apparently conflict with each other depending on how they were implemented. I could have them layered, which could cause some unforeseen problems. They could mix, and potentially merge into a new Mutation altogether, but that would create a risky amalgamation. Or I could just have them cover different parts of my body.


    I was quite happy with the skin I had in this regard. Sure, I only needed a few spots to pull out my mana from, but I got the feeling that diminishing the amount of demon skin could cause some problems. That was part of why goblins were so ugly after all. The goblin I and Moonwash created a long time ago had smooth skin after all, instead of the usual warty mess goblins had. Their skin could not allow mana to escape properly, and thus their flesh suffered from overexposure.


    Additionally, I already had armor. Growing scales or such would be nice, but they would actually be lower quality than what I could have Moonwash make. I couldn¡¯t typically boost durability with curse-aligned magic after all, wrath or otherwise. So I¡¯d be stuck with the equivalent of level 20 garbage.


    ¡°How about something for escape?¡± My dad asked next, and there were plenty of options. From some sort of spring that could launch me away, to a smoke cloud like the fart of an octopus but on air. The latter Mutation would require me to bare my ass like a baboon, but I did not mention that part when I realized it.


    Those Mutations were all certainly useful, but I already had my wings, and I could run super fast if I wanted. I already got escape covered, and my ass was also covered. It was a posterior clad in steel and leather. No wait, not in that way!


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    We continued to chat and debate about my many options. Moonwash wanted to know all of them, and Elfrafim wasn¡¯t far behind in writing down everything. She even found the time to tell me that my information was worth a lot, so if I was still keeping score then I should stop, otherwise she might be the one that would have to pay the evil tax collector.


    That was fair. I did understand. I shouldn¡¯t devalue what I was worth.


    I was a fucking demon.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have the taxman collect your debt later.¡± I laughed at the sour face that she made.


    ~~~


    After¡­ entire days of reviewing the Mutations, I was finally ready to choose what I wanted. My folks wanted to know all the new Mutations, and they even pestered me for a lot of the old ones. It took a long time to consult the instinctive feeling they each gave, and then translate it for my audience, but it was admittedly fun. I enjoyed discovering these new possibilities, powers that I may have if I only wished for it. From an improved nervous system, to an entirely new brain, there was a whole host of elements I could potentially get, and I was already considering what I wanted for my next evolution!


    This whole process had admittedly gave me decision paralysis, but now the decisions had been made. I had committed to three new Mutations.


    [Would you like to Obtain the Mutation: Fire Heart?]


    [Warning: This Mutation will be inherited by all Demons.]


    [Yes / No?]


    [Would you like to Obtain the Mutation: Extradimensional Blood Storage?]


    [Yes / No?]


    [Would you like to Obtain the Mutation: Memory Core?]


    [Yes / No?]


    There was no need for second thoughts, for I had already gone up to a hundredth thought and more. The decision was final.


    Yes.


    [Beginning Process¡­]


    I tilted my head, and then my perception of the world disappeared. No longer was I a demon, not even was I a human, nor any sort of being that I could recognize. I was a heart, a gem, a dimensional storage.


    Panic thrummed through me, but I quickly settled myself back down. The unending wrath was not present here. A slight nudge of my will then confirmed my suspicions.


    This was the space where I could make use of my Demon Harbinger. It was the place where I could decide on how my Mutations would mature, all the way to level 10.


    I started with the easiest one first. I¡¯d already theorized with my friends and family about how this selection might work, and what I wanted out of it. The other Mutations faded from my perception as I embodied the Extradimensional Blood Storage.


    I was a simple solid growth floating in the void. My body was a plastic-like substance more complex than anything. I was an entirely new dimension.


    My eyes were opened to my new profound existence. Within my walls was a new reality with its own rules, one that could only reliably sustain blood. I could try to cheat it, I could try to cram in other things inside of me, and it would work. But they would fray at my power, it would take more of my capacity to hold them. The nebulous concept of blood was what bound my existence together.


    But that doesn¡¯t have to be the case.


    I understood what I was, now I had to understand what I could be. I could broaden my horizons and accept other sorts of substances. I could gain the ability to accept any liquid that was once part of a creature, or I could even learn how to store any liquid at all. Alternatively, I could further specialize myself, allowing for more storage. I was able to narrow it down to only the red kind of blood, or I could even limit myself to accepting only demon blood in exchange for more space.


    That¡­ that was tempting. It was amazing. I loved it.


    The only problem was how a demon was defined. I would never cease to be a demon, but did this Mutation agree with me on what was a demon? Would it have worked for an imp, for example? Would it still work for whatever demonic creature I would evolve into next? The Demon Harbinger soul feat had all but confirmed that this was not the end. I would change and evolve many more times in the future.


    I stayed there just like that, for a good while. I didn¡¯t know how time flowed outside while I was in this state, but my loved ones would keep me safe. Even if it took years, they would feed me, heal me, sustain me. And so I examined every part of myself, every part of the Extradimensional Blood Storage, and what I found was that at the very least, an imp was indeed considered to be a demon.


    It was impossible to determine the same thing for my next evolutions, for they didn¡¯t exist just yet, but this would have to be enough confirmation.


    I took the risk, and locked it in that I wanted my extradimensional storage to only accept demon blood.


    I felt myself become unable to change like I once could.


    ~~~


    After the blood storage, I shifted my view again and became a memory core. My plan for this one was more complex as there were two abilities that I very much wanted. One was a way to have it save a sort of template for my body that could allow me to fully recover from any non-lethal would. The other goal was to get a very good playback of my memories that would allow me to train better, sort of like getting my pattern-recognizing brain back. Humans had a pretty good one there, I had to admit. It¡¯s why Therick managed to beat me in pure swordsmanship!


    I dove into what I could do as a memory core, and as I suspected the template for my full body was already there. The problem was the delivery mechanism, as it was only my brain that could extract that data, therefore I made it so that information could radiate outwards, through my flesh, through my nerves, and then every part of my body. Now I would naturally heal to my full form no matter what happened.


    So long as I survived, of course.


    That took a lot of the growth I could do up to Level 10, but I found that I still had a slight capacity for more, so I morphed my memory core self into a form that could handle playbacks just a little bit better. It wasn¡¯t nearly good enough, but it was a start, and I hoped that I could get an evolution related to it at level 20.


    ~~~


    I was a heart. A heart that was on fire. The mana burned, but it was not painful.


    From here I could grow, and I already knew from which direction I wanted. For how could I be a proper demon without fucking hellfire!?


    I shifted my form, I thought of all the suffering and agony of the fiery underworld. A world of sin, of debauchery, of chaos. But what effect in specific did I wish to impart upon my foes?


    It was not to torture them, it was not to bewitch them, it was not any of those things.


    I wanted one thing, and one thing only, and that was to fucking kill.


    And so it was, that the infernal heart that was me, became a monster that sought only to consume all life.


    [Have you made your decision?]


    Yes.


    [You have obtained the following Mutations:]


    [Extradimensional Demon Blood Storage - A crystalline organ that contains a separate dimension. This dimension is very specialized for storing demon blood.]


    [Memory Core - A crystalline organ that can store memories and information.]


    [Infernal Heart - The heart of a being that wishes to burn away all life. Pumps Infernal Mana into your blood.]


    With a disorientating suddenness, I transformed back into a demon. No, I had never actually changed.


    I had no time to appreciate the novelty of the experience however, for I felt the magic of the world connect to myself now that I knew what I was looking for. I felt like I was back in the evolutionary space, as a sort of¡­ tunnel in the boundary was created. Some other force inside me blossomed into life, and it readily accepted the help offered by the world itself.


    My innards shifted, in a sensation that was more weird than painful. The Memory Core formed in the lower part of my torso, just by the spine. My mind blanked out for a moment, and then I could feel just in the corner of my perception, a new set of memories that I knew were my own.


    The Extra-Dimensional Blood Storage then coalesced into existence just below my hearts. Instinctively, I knew how to use it. Blood flowed into the new organ, and then flowed out. I could choose just how much to take, and how much to give. The Mutation was capable of storing far more blood than what my body could hold.


    And then the last Mutation formed, the one that would be inherited by all of demonkind. I shivered as the flesh within my chest shifted, and then I jolted once it was created.


    The first pump brought a burning searing pain. The Heat was agonizing, I hated my own flesh, I wanted to tear it apart! But I held those urges in check, for what else had I been training for?


    The second pump brought with it the desires of the flame. It sought to spread, it sought to end all life, and I sought to do the same! It starts with my parents, with Moonwash, and with fucking Elfrafim! I¡¯ll burn them all alive, and then I¡¯ll begin my demonic rampage!!


    The third pump directly reacted with the wrath mana within. My rage turned molten, the fire turned angry, and I screamed out in fury! The fire burned, the wrath tore at my sanity, and I had to inflict it all on someone else! The way they fed off each other was too much, and I must feed my instincts lest I destroy myself!


    Better them than me.


    The infernal mana surged through my blood, then out of my skin as I pointed at my mom. The small smattering of magic manifested into a burning flame hotter than anything else I¡¯d ever produced, and then it shot toward my mother! Her eyes widened, but the woman still reacted with a gout of water that met my attack with an explosion of steam!


    I was already moving before they could have any more time to think. I reached my father, and he instinctively guarded himself with his arms, but it was not enough to stave off my wrath! I swung my fists with more power than they could handle, and the man actually buckled!


    Elfrafim came next, and I saw her rapid approach that I could not keep up with. I gritted my teeth and consumed my own blood as the magic in the air hugged me in a tight embrace. My body blurred forward with a crunch of pain, and it was enough to meet the elven woman¡¯s grab with a fist of my own. Her arm was swatted away, my attack had found purchase¡­!


    And then she immediately recovered and grabbed me anyway!


    ¡°Ggaaahh! Let me go!¡± I screamed into her face.


    ¡°Well, I want to! But calm down first!¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± I punched her in the mouth, using another mini ritual, but her other hand swiftly blurred sidewards and slapped my fist away. All further attempts only produced the same result!


    ¡°FUCK!¡± I growled, getting utterly frustrated with this elven woman. My wrath mana surged not within my flesh, but without, as I targeted Moonwash instead. A shadowy wave of the destructive magic shot towards my precious friend, only for Elfrafim to grab her staff and blow away most of it. But a few flecks remained, and some of them landed right on target! A small patch of skin on her right arm shriveled and then bled. She was hurt, and I felt enraged at both myself and her.


    But Moonwash did not react. She only looked at me blandly.


    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM! YOU¡¯RE FUCKING BLEEDING! SCREAM!!¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Her reply was simple, and it provoked more enraged expletives from me.


    But all too soon, the regret came as she calmly approached. She grabbed my face and looked straight into my eyes.


    ¡°In your past life, you bore through the pain of a million needles just to turn your skin red. They injected ink into your eyes, and your skull was split open in order to plant the horns that you desired. Is this,¡± she gestured at myself, though I knew that she was referring to that which lay within, flowing through my blood, ¡°truly your limit?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± tears flowed freely through my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°You did not answer the question.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°No. No it¡¯s not.¡±


    I breathed, I relaxed my body, and then I calmed down. I allowed the burning pain and the molten rage to flow through my blood, but I did not lose myself to it. I sunk into a meditative pose, and then began to tame my new magical instincts.

 Chapter 83: An Eternal Memory.

    In the darkness of my mind, I coped with the wrathful pain and the burning rage. I shut away the outside world as I meditated, and in that emptiness I found a shining star that wasn''t there before.


    I touched the memory core beside my spine. It was there to store all my memories and the necessary information about myself. It was a database that I instinctually knew how to access, but it was still difficult to find anything specific, and the process irritated me the longer it went on as my mind continued to fray at the seams. Like ants crawling across my skin and biting across every inch of my innards, the burning sensation shone brighter in my mind, and the wrath intensified as if in chorus. I wished to spring to my feet and open my eyes to this abhorrent world, whereupon I shall bring about its downfall.


    I forced my eyes to remain shut as the throbbing in my head continued. I remained in that excruciating state of limbo until I finally found that which I sought. I dredged up the memories of the childhood that I cherished. I recalled the faces of my friends and family, and all the good times that we''ve had. I remembered in vivid detail that kiss that I and Moonwash shared upon the skies.


    Those thoughts brought me some solace, as the hell that was now my existence continued. The first order of business was to obtain some stability, so that I may exist normally, and without the need to constantly be on alert. That sort of stress would only exacerbate my issues further, what I needed was the numbness and acceptance that only came through time. Engaging with those issues directly would hopefully vastly hasten the process.


    Time passed in that meditative haze, as I worked on building the aforementioned stability which I needed. My family, Moonwash, and everyone else would come to visit me periodically, but they were only there to offer their silent support, and make sure that I was taking care of myself. A bed was dragged all the way down here, a shower was made for me to keep clean, and fresh food was delivered on a regular basis. I felt their warmth every time I used or consumed any of these amenities, and that made things just that little bit easier.


    Gradually, through weeks and months, I calmed. Moonwash was right in that I had put myself through rigorous operations before to become the demon that I wanted. It was unimaginably painful, and my body rebelled against the danger, but I took that pain and fucking conquered it for my own designs.


    I was able to overcome my fear and my instincts before, and I could do it again.


    But even then, Moonwash only got half the story. I had only told her about what it felt physically, but I neglected to mention just how much more taxing it was to my emotions. To be hated by the world, for as much as I hated it back, was still painful. My body rebelled against me, with demonhood so painfully out of reach. Every rejection of my desires only fueled that need. I died for my eventual and final success.


    ¡­Come to think of it, it¡¯s funny how I didn¡¯t feel that way this time despite having been reborn as a human baby. I still vehemently wished to become a demon, of course, but having people who loved and supported me made all the difference. I was able to bide my time and wait without being in constant despair.


    It¡¯s truly ironic how the people that wished to stop me from exercising my fucking freedom back on Earth only made everything so much more urgent.


    I opened my eyes to see a world so beautiful and bright, even under the darkness of my basement, and the deeper abyss of my mind. I smiled as I burned in my own skin, no matter how cold the environment outside may be. A very simple madness continued to slam into my mind over and over, each hit trying to pull me closer into a final mindless rampage. The people who I once called my parents in a life long past would be happy, for I now lived the true agony of hell that they always wanted for me.


    But now I understand.


    The imaginary burning sensation that I felt exceeded that of any sort of mundane fire, for I too was made of the flesh that the infernal magic both despised and desired. Those same desires were then imparted upon my psyche, for the magic was mine, and it suffused my blood. It asked me who I wished to burn, and it was delighted at my answers.


    That was the first piece of the puzzle.


    The second piece was my wrath mana. It sought to destroy, and it hated all, but certainly not equally. My own thoughts, my own experiences, could very easily influence what I hated more.


    I was not found lacking in those manner of thoughts and experiences.


    Together, the wrath and the infernal flames created a dangerous combination, as they embraced and intertwined and became all about the destruction of the same targets.


    ¡°There are two wolves inside of me¡­¡± I laughed at my own joke, alone in my mother¡¯s basement. I dug deep inside of me, and brought forth the aforementioned elements.


    Infernal mana in my right hand, wrath magic in the other. My thoughts split and then rejoined, resulting in the manifestation of both elements in realspace.


    My eyes glimmered in delight as I stared at the flickering sickly bright orange fire and the erratic dark-purple energy. To use two elements at once was an advanced technique difficult for most mages, but here I had already succeeded in implementing it for my two new magical elements. Perhaps it was due to new instincts that came with my two new hearts, perhaps it was the simple boost from the magic being mine, or maybe it was a mere byproduct of being exposed to these mana types 24/7. There were so many potential reasons for my success, but they all meant the same thing. That I was fucking awesome.


    I couldn¡¯t wait to talk to Moonwash about all these theories¡­ among other things.


    [Wrath Heart has reached Level 22.]


    [Infernal Heart has reached Level 15.]


    [Memory Core has reached Level 12.]


    [Extradimension Demon Blood Storage has reached Level 11.]


    [Mana-infused Blood Has Reached Level 21.]


    [Demon Brain has reached Level 22.]


    [Demon Skin has reached Level 21.]


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ~~~


    I climbed out of my cave with heavy hopeful steps. My mind had found peace in the constant turmoil by now, and I couldn¡¯t wait to put my newfound powers to proper use, but before I could even think of doing any of that, I must first re-acquaint myself with the people who had supported me all this time. I was finally well enough to party without risking any of their safety!


    ¡°Oh? The hermit finally leaves her cave?¡± Therick asked with a grin.


    ¡°Haell! We¡¯ve missed you!¡± Angerly raised her mug in a toast.


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed her the most,¡± Moonwash confidently stated, and I knew it was true despite her having spent the most time with me out of anyone in my months of seclusion. We just saw each other this morning!


    ¡°Good to have you back, Haell!¡± Granuel shouted. ¡°We¡¯ve got so much to catch up on. I¡¯ve already got most of our caravan going!¡±


    Ouch. I did kind of bail on them with that. The surge of wrath and annoyance at the comment didn¡¯t even show on my face.


    ¡°Yeah. We need to talk about that later,¡± I stated and took a seat. The dam of questions broke, and they asked me all they could about my experiences from the past few months. I answered their burning queries, speaking of the hardships, but also the good that helped me pull through.


    I didn¡¯t know how long it would have taken to get to this point on my own, for time might be able to bury all wounds, and emotions would grow calloused with every deep stab of pain, but it was love that had pulled me from the brink, and their support was what finally allowed me to heal.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I finished, at the same time that I reduced a boar leg into bone.


    ¡°You¡¯re very welcome,¡± Moonwash easily replied, and everyone else threw in their agreements and congratulations after.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I would¡¯ve been able to do any of that!¡± Angerly exclaimed in awe. ¡°I¡¯ll just rampage and rage!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any illusions that I can either.¡± Therick gave me a respectful look. ¡°You really are amazing, you know that? Are you¡­ even sure you need us?¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°Need you? What do you mean? We¡¯re friends, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. But I mean you were already so much stronger than us before your evolution, and that hasn¡¯t changed much in the months you were gone. Why even party up with us as adventurers?¡±


    ¡°I did say I¡¯d probably take on some quests on my own.¡± I shrugged. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. Of course you matter. Otherwise, all armies would just be level 40s and no one else. All it means is that the range of missions suitable for us will change.¡±


    ¡°Oooh you mean like large-scale engagements?¡± Granuel asked.


    ¡°Among other things.¡± I smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can come up with a plan.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I will!¡± The ishkawtan man immediately fumbled for a pencil and paper.


    The conversation circled back to my abilities, and I just had to show off how I could use the infernal and wrath mana at the same time. I still couldn¡¯t use them to the full potential of using only one, but that was true for even my mother with her capability to use so many different kinds of mana simultaneously.


    At some point, my parents along with my grandfather arrived. They cheered at my performance as I took advantage of the high ceiling of the house and flew. The rest of the Piss Hunters followed as they had somehow gotten word of my reemergence too. Our little gathering turned into a full party, with dancing, singing, and a whole load of beer. My constitution had been vastly improved, but so were the sources of alcohol, and I had to stop before I actually got drunk. It¡¯d usually be good fun, but I didn¡¯t want to risk going on a rampage because of it just yet. I didn¡¯t know if I ever should.


    At some point, Moonwash had taken me aside, and she gave me a beautiful flowing dress of varying violet hues fit for my now larger size. My lips quivered, and I allowed myself to cry as I held the thing. I mumbled a thank you to the woman that I loved, and then I hugged her tight.


    I changed in my own room, and I did my own makeup before I stepped back outside.


    Moonwash stared at me. She held my gaze for an entire minutes, like she never wished to ever look away. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± My smile in that moment was so genuine, it made everything else feel fake. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful too. I¡¯d love to see you dress up as well. If only you want to, of course!¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ve always loved seeing you and other people in beautiful clothing, and I love making them, but I never really thought much of wearing them myself. But I¡¯m not opposed. It sounds like it could be fun.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± I confirmed. There was a lull in the conversation, but it was not awkward. The air was light and dreamy even as we just stared at each other¡¯s eyes.


    My thoughts were clear, and my three hearts beat in a steady rhythm. This time, I was ready.


    ¡°I love you, Moonwash,¡± I said with all the clarity and perspective that my recent experiences had brought. The words were heavy with so much emotion, yet they flowed so easily at the same time.


    I gulped. Nervous rivulets of sweat laced with two dangerous types of mana flowed from my skin as I nervously awaited her answer. My hearts pounded faster, their rhythm now disjointed and erratic.


    It was stupid. Moonwash was the one who¡¯d asked me out in the first place, and she¡¯d reaffirmed many times that she still felt the same way. But my hands still fidgeted, and I could hardly keep myself from bouncing around in a fit of nerves.


    ¡°I love you too,¡± her answer remained the same. They were delivered with that same monotone voice. It lifted the weight of an entire mountain off my shoulder.


    I almost collapsed to my knees, but I supported myself by grabbing onto the woman that I loved instead.


    ¡°I love you,¡± I reiterated as I pulled her into an embrace. ¡°Will you be my girlfriend, Moonwash?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied, and closed that final inch that separated our lips.


    ~~~


    We were practically glued to each other for the rest of the party, and I felt happiness greater than anything else life could bring.


    ¡°We¡¯re dating now!¡± I announced, and all hell broke loose. Of course my Harvester friends were the first in line.


    ¡°Finally!¡±


    ¡°Haell why¡¯d you wait this long!?¡±


    ¡°Congrats!! Leave the venue all to me!¡±


    ¡°Granuel, we¡¯re not getting married¡­ yet¡­!¡± I complained. ¡°Maybe. I don¡¯t know. I never really thought much about marriage. We¡¯re already together, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°As long as we are together, I¡¯m happy,¡± Moonwash affirmed. ¡°But I am interested in setting up a venue, and I do want to get married someday. I don¡¯t care for it to be legal, or be presided by a proper priest, but Luine and Salaire would always talk about how such a nice celebration it was of their love. I want that too, if you are up for it.¡±


    Sounds like something we would need to talk about in greater detail.


    ¡°I¡¯m not opposed,¡± I squeezed her hand. ¡°The way you described it sounds very nice. I think I might love the experience too, if it¡¯s with you.¡±


    ¡°I like the ceremonies!¡± Mom declared. ¡°But it¡¯s certainly not necessary. It¡¯s all up to you two, Haell!¡± My mother then got a brilliant idea. ¡°I¡¯d love to at least have a painting of this moment though!¡± She rushed so fast to the second basement to grab her tools that I was barely able to mutter my assent.


    ¡°Oooh! Let me set the stage!¡± Elfrafim took out a few wands, and Baston joined her in creating a throne out of plants. I ended up lending Moonwash one of my older dresses, so she¡¯d look fancier for the painting. I made sure she was fine with it of course, and my girlfriend told me that she¡¯d love for the piece of art to be as good as it could be.


    Today was a fun and lovely memory that I and Moonwash would carry to eternity.

 Chapter 84: The Talk 2: Im Scared Edition.

    I woke up the next day, with Moonwash snuggled deep in my arms. She was already awake and staring right at my face. We were still wearing the clothes of last night, as we had just immediately collapsed on the bed and cuddled each other to sleep.


    I gulped.


    ¡°Moonwash, we need to talk,¡± I squeezed out through the haze of sleep before I could back out. My three hearts thundered in my chest. Mana leaked into my surroundings as even my extradimensional demon blood storage was full. The chaotic emotions crashed into me like a raging river, but they dissipated upon acceptance into the greater ocean that was my full psyche.


    ¡°We always talk,¡± Moonwash responded and I deflated with a long and weary sigh.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant!¡± I bounced back with a shout.


    ¡°I know,¡± my girlfriend affected a smirk. ¡°That was a joke.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. It¡¯s so hard to tell with you!¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she repeated blandly, ¡°that¡¯s part of the fun.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ okay. But we really need to talk.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re talking right now.¡±


    ¡°Moonwassshhhh!!!¡± I whined and got up, taking her with me. ¡°We really got some important things to talk about.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be serious.¡±


    ¡°Right. Thank you.¡± I cleared my throat. I hesitated for only a moment. ¡°Are you sure about becoming my girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she answered immediately. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have agreed if I wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°...That makes sense. I was just worried that I might have escalated things way too fast. Maybe you needed more time.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Moonwash asked after a pause. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense. You''re the one who said you needed more time, which is fine and good. But I never once asked for the same. I never got the chance to ask you out again because I wasn¡¯t sure when you¡¯ll be ready.¡°


    ¡°...That¡¯s all true.¡± I scratched my head. ¡°It¡¯s not like I planned anything! It was just such a magical moment when we were up there, flying¡­¡±


    ¡°I agree. It was a wonderful moment.¡±


    ¡°Right!?¡± I grinned happily at the memory. ¡°And once that¡¯s happened, well, I couldn¡¯t really delay it any longer after that.¡±


    I thought over my next words. I reconsidered once more if I even needed to have this conversation. Moonwash herself was content enough with how things were, and so was I. Was there really a need to go through all this awkwardness and cringe? What if we even end up breaking up a day after becoming lovers because of it!?


    All my hearts hammered in my chest at the thought. The fear crawled through my blood, and it transformed into a burning rage. It took all of the mental fortitude that I¡¯d painstakingly built up to accept those emotions in a way that did not translate into violent and abhorrent actions.


    I blurted out everything in one incoherent ramble.


    ¡°If you count my past life then I¡¯m a lot older than you are and I¡¯m worried about that! You also first confessed to me at a time when we were in an isolated forest with literally no other options! I didn¡¯t want you to be clinging onto me in like¡­ a really unhealthy way! I love you and I want to be with you but I also wanted to give you the time and space to grow and think. Maybe you still need to discover more things about yourself, and maybe what you¡¯ll discover is a future without me in it. Don¡¯t feel trapped, this relationship lasts so long as we both want it, but I will not hold it against you ever if you¡¯ve changed your mind. That¡¯s why I said we should just continue on like normal as the friends that we were all those years ago, but we clearly haven¡¯t been doing that! Shit clearly changed between us, and things weren¡¯t truly platonic anymore. And did I fuck up with that? Like, I always make things clear with people, especially those that I care about, but that was really confusing. I¡¯m confused! Are you confused!?¡±


    I exhaled deeply once I was done, and I felt a massive weight be lifted from my chest.


    "Thank you, Haell," the words that finally came out of Moonwash¡¯s mouth were not what I expected. "Thank you for caring so much about me. I feel loved."


    I felt a warmth radiate through me, and I basked in that feeling while she stared off into space. I knew that was her thinking so seriously about my incoherent rambles.


    ¡°Maybe the age thing is weird, I understand that intellectually,¡± she finally said. ¡°It¡¯s definitely weird because reincarnation is just something that doesn¡¯t happen, except for the queen and you and other vanishingly rare exceptions, it seems. But I am 24 now, Haell. Maybe I¡¯m still young, but I¡¯m well into human adulthood in both this world and yours. I can make my own decisions. If it¡¯s a mistake, then it¡¯s a mistake for me to make, but I don¡¯t believe that it is. Maybe you had a point back then, when I first told you that I loved you. Maybe I was being impulsive, maybe that was a young and brash decision that would¡¯ve backfired had you immediately accepted. But many years have passed since, and I have had a very long time to think about it.¡± She was already looking me in the eye, but her gaze seemed to¡­ glint more meaningfully. ¡°I love you, Haell. I love you more than I did back then. That is the only thing that has changed. That is the only discovery that I¡¯ve made.¡±


    Those final words hit me like a truck, and I was sure that my blush was strong enough to make my red face even redder. Moonwash mercilessly continued.


    ¡°You are also wrong about one thing. There were other options in that forest. I¡¯m pretty sure that Elfrafim would be considered extremely attractive by most people.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. You¡¯re right.¡± I nodded. I definitely agreed.


    Moonwash made no pause, before addressing even more of my poorly worded word vomit. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I¡¯m clinging to you in an unhealthy way, I love you and I want to be with you, so I do that. I don¡¯t understand how I¡¯m being unhealthy.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that you were!¡± I ended up shouting for some reason. ¡°Sorry. Didn¡¯t mean to raise my voice there.¡± I was stable enough in my mentality now to not commit violence, but it seemed that I could still get agitated. That was fine, but I shouldn¡¯t scream at my lover. I never liked it whenever my Earth parents did explode and bicker, and I didn¡¯t think either of them enjoyed it either. I did not wish to become like them. I must become like my current parents instead. Now they were cool.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Moonwash simply said. ¡°What did you mean, then?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a hypothetical. You might have been clinging to me in that way, and the timing was suspect.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± It was the kind of thing that people often didn¡¯t realize about themselves, but it was just a throwaway ramble. I had no fucking specific event in mind. I just wanted to be sure, because this relationship deserved nothing less.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel trapped and I like how we¡¯ve been able to cuddle and be affectionate even before this,¡± Moonwash further continued. ¡°I¡¯ll admit it was maybe sort of confusing in light of you saying that we should just act like the confession didn¡¯t happen, but I never thought much of it. It made me happy. You¡¯re the only one who''s confused, and that¡¯s fine. But I knew that I loved you already, and no one has ever come close to how amazing you are.¡±


    I buried my face in my hands. Steam probably came out of my ears. She had flustered me again. This woman would be the death of me!


    It wouldn¡¯t be the worst way to go.


    ¡°There is someone that more than comes close,¡± I said arrogantly. ¡°You. You''re amazing, Moonwash. More than anyone.¡±


    Her expression did not change, but her face turned red as a tomato.


    ¡°Aha! Got you now! You¡¯re embarrassed too! Take that!¡±


    She tackled me without warning, and then actually started tickling me! My higher level meant I could easily ignore it, but the sensation did remain, and I allowed it to dictate the way I thrashed about. Thankfully, Moonwash was actually higher level than me, so I wasn¡¯t about to hurt her accidentally.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Okay, okay, stahp!¡± I got back up after rolling around the bed with my girlfriend for way too long. ¡°I take it that means you do like being my girlfriend then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± She stared at me, then played with her expression until she managed to give me the side eye. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you still don¡¯t understand that after everything.¡±


    ¡°It was just a confirmation! To be sure!¡±


    ¡°Sure. It¡¯s okay. I like my big dumb demon girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°AAAAAAaaaAaAAAAaAaAAA!!!¡± I changed subjects to something else we absolutely had to talk about after screaming. Comedic shouting was fine. Just not the angry kind, directed at her. ¡°Boundaries. We need to set boundaries.¡±


    ¡°You mean like with the greater ambient magic?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ no. A different thing.¡±


    ¡°You discovered a new boundary?¡± Moonwash only grew more interested.


    ¡°Still no! I mean for our relationship. Proper boundaries and all that.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Well, I¡¯m fine as we are.¡±


    ¡°But what are we? Like, what kind of relationship do we have? Are we exclusive to each other? Is our relationship more open? Are we taking on entire villages as concubines? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Moonwash was quiet for a few seconds. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know either. And that¡¯s the problem! We should decide that right now.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Decide then.¡±


    ¡°Well, it can¡¯t just be me! What do you want?¡±


    Another long pause. ¡°I have thought about it,¡± Moonwash said. ¡°I think I can be fine with you sleeping around.¡±


    ¡°You can be? Moonwash, you don¡¯t have to do anything you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not bothered much by it. It¡¯s normal for relationships to compromise isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°So you are compromising!¡±


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯ve seldom been in a relationship like this, haven¡¯t you? I¡¯m not sure because you don¡¯t like to talk about your past life that much, especially personal details, but that was the sense that I got.¡±


    ¡°Well, you wouldn''t be wrong. But what about what you want? You shouldn¡¯t be disregarding that!¡±


    ¡°Neither should you, yet all you¡¯ve been asking about is me. What about what you want?¡±


    I opened my mouth to continue arguing, then shut it tight again. Moonwash did have a point. The answer to her question would have been easier in my last life, but now it wasn¡¯t so clear. I hadn¡¯t ever been in a relationship since I became an imp, or even before that, for obvious reasons.


    ¡°Look at us,¡± I laughed. ¡°So concerned over the other that we end up fighting over it.¡±


    ¡°It is funny,¡± Moonwash agreed. ¡°We¡¯re already together. You¡¯re my girlfriend. Now I only want you to be happy¡­ but clearly you also only want the same for me.¡±


    ¡°Well, duh! And you should be doing the things that make you happy too!¡±


    ¡°I am. I meant that in regards to our relationship. Outside of it, I have my crafts and you have your murders.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Why does mine sound so much worse?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Whew,¡± I wiped an errant sweat off my brow. ¡°Glad to hear it.¡±


    I laughed, and Moonwash snuggled up to me as we just sat there on my bed.


    ¡°Okay. We should tell each other honestly what we feel and want for our boundaries.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Moonwash agreed. ¡°You go first.¡±


    No, no. You go first, I almost said, but I acquiesced and shared my thoughts.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s true that before I was always in more open, if not polyamorous relationships¡­ but most of the time I just wasn¡¯t in any. I did engage with people in romantic ways, but never for long. It¡¯s all fleeting, you know. So the way I¡¯ve come to love you, and the way that my feelings blaze ever harder, is already special. Maybe it¡¯s just how I was. And maybe I¡¯ve changed. I¡¯m a demon. So I am down to try anything.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer the question, unless if you really have no preference.¡±


    I shrugged and then decided to just be honest. As I should be. ¡°Something open, or polyamorous would be¡­ familiar. And I do like sex, with many different people, I¡¯ll admit. Also¡­ this might be¡­ the wrong thing to say, but I¡¯m in a whole new world! Part of me does want to get to know all the many other species, including sexually! Ah, but my drive for it isn¡¯t as strong as I thought it¡¯d be. I guess¡­ shit, I don¡¯t know if I should even be sharing this, but I think it¡¯s important to admit. I do get attracted to other people, and part of the reason why I haven¡¯t tried is because of what I mentioned before about how our status was left on complicated for so long, and I didn¡¯t know if I could or should just hook up with someone. That and I don¡¯t really have the option with most people anyway because I¡¯m a demon and I have to hide. So it doesn¡¯t actually matter what I want. It doesn¡¯t fucking matter because the world has already chosen for me!!¡± I took a deep breath, but it didn¡¯t work. The vitriol remained as I continued amid tears. ¡°I have to pretend to be a human. I cannot ever show my true self to most people, much less get naked in the same bed, because they might decide to out me and get me fucking killed. The freedom that I thought I finally got has been taken from me again!¡±


    I panted. My breaths came out as growls as I found a deep fury in my sorrow. Moonwash patted my back, and I almost snapped at her out of reflex. I was so happy that I didn¡¯t, and that finally calmed me down a little.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Haell,¡± Moonwash whispered. Her voice was bland but I could tell she was attempting to be kind and gentle, and it was the thought that mattered. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re right that it sucks. And we¡¯ll kill them all someday. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I sighed. I took a deep breath and sagged into her shoulders. ¡°Sorry. I got off topic. Shit, what was I about to¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem, Haell. I get where you¡¯re coming from now.¡±


    ¡°...Alright. But to be clear, it¡¯s by no means a deal breaker, whatever kind of relationship you¡¯d prefer. Give me a second, and I wanna hear about how you feel too.¡±


    Moonwash gave me the time I needed to get my emotions back under control, and then she began. ¡°I suppose I want a relationship like that of my moms, or perhaps your parents. Where they''re committed to each other and only each other. But if I think about it, I don''t feel extremely bothered about you casually having sex with other people. I don''t feel that jealous about it, whereas if you were romantically involved with them, then I''d be more hurt, I think. So, I would prefer a romantically closed relationship, but I''m fine with us being more open sexually.


    "You do realize that well, while it isn''t the case for everyone, even I would feel some feelings if I fuck someone right? It''s just, it''s an intense and intimate affair and emotions would run high."


    "Emotions would run high. I know that. But you seldom ever got into romantic relationships in your last life despite it, didn''t you?"


    "Well, yes, but... I''d still feel romantically attached? To an extent?"


    She was quiet for a moment. "That does bother me a bit more than I thought it would, but only a little bit. Not enough to change my decision. It''s a compromise that I''m willing to make, just as you''re also willing to compromise." Her gaze intensified further. "Your happiness matters too."


    It was my turn to be quiet. I was loved and I just basked in the warmth for a moment. It somehow overshadowed the infernal burns that oozed through my veins.


    "I... sorry," I finally mumbled. "I was rambling earlier since I didn''t really know what to say, but I don''t want you to think that whatever you choose, whatever your preference is, would make me any less happy."


    ¡°That isn¡¯t what you said earlier.¡±


    I shook my head, and took Moonwash''s hands into my own. I pressed my forehead against hers and bumped her skull with my horns a few times until we got the position right.  Our eyes stared unerringly at each other for a few seconds.


    "Haell of a few minutes ago was an idiot that hadn''t really thought things through. Words were just tumbling out of my mouth like an uncontrolled avalanche, and that¡¯s not the best representation of how I really feel." I squeezed her hand tighter and began, "I would certainly enjoy and be happy with the relationship you described, where I am able to be sexually active outside of it. That would be fun. But I realize now that it would make me just as happy to be in an exclusive relationship with you. It is not a shackle that I would chafe under, that commitment itself will bring me nothing but joy."


    Moonwash took in my words, she squeezed my hand tighter in turn, and we continued to be lost in each other¡¯s eyes.


    "So do not worry, Moonwash. I would truly be happy either way. So go and tell me what you want most of all."


    "It''s a changing thing," she responded, "Your words made me really happy, and I think they¡¯ve already made me feel differently. I guess I¡¯m an idiot too."


    I chuckled. "People change all the time. So too can relationships evolve.¡±


    "But if we change in the wrong directions, then it might tear us apart."


    "That''s why we must talk and communicate. But even then, there is no such thing as perfect. The future is uncertain. The risk of heartbreak is just... part of relationships, I''m afraid."


    "I see. So it can''t be guaranteed. Not even if I''m willing to just go with whatever you wish?"


    "That would just be unhealthy. You can''t do that, Moonwash."


    "Is that not the same thing you''re doing though?"


    "No. I''m truly equally comfortable either way, as I had said. I only mentioned some of my preferences earlier because you asked really strongly, and well, stream of consciousness, you know?"


    "I see," she took her time to formulate what she was about to say next. "I want you to be mine and mine alone then, Haell. For now. Because I also want you to be free to explore this world in all the ways you desire. And I already feel much better and less jealous about it after what you said, somehow. I can''t explain why. But I think I just need this time, to feel reassured and be your only one. And then I''ll probably change my mind at some point. We''re going to live forever aren''t we?"


    "That''s the plan." I hugged her tightly, burying her deeper into my chest. "You don''t have to change your mind though, Moonwash. Just let it happen naturally. I''ll make you feel loved and reassured anyway."

 Chapter 85: A Warm and Peaceful Forest.

    A few days later, Moonwash led me by the hand to the Harvester Home, and I followed happily. Once inside, she showed me an armor set, my armor set, all polished and scaled up to my new size.


    ¡°You¡¯ve adjusted it for me?¡± I asked as I shrugged off my cloak.


    ¡°More than that,¡± Moonwash replied. ¡°Check it out.¡±


    Suitably interested, I touched the armor. I felt the metal, and it seemed to produce a different sort of ringing sound as I worked my nails over it. I lifted a gauntlet which I found to be heavier, but that wasn¡¯t a surprise since it was bigger. Something still felt off though, so I tested its weight for a few minutes. It was a difficult process because I had gotten much stronger recently, but I eventually concluded that the gauntlet was indeed significantly heavier. Much more so than the increase in size would suggest. A subsequent knock on the breastplate confirmed that it absolutely made a different sound than what it did before.


    ¡°Moonwash, is this¡­ full mythril or something?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯d you even get enough? There are a few deposits, but the motherlode is in the mountains that we just can¡¯t reach.¡±


    ¡°I just sold some things, and then Granuel got the material for me.¡±


    ¡°Sold some things? Moonwash, you don¡¯t have to lose your stuff for me.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m an artist, I create things, and it¡¯s only natural that I sell them. I¡¯ve done it many times before. That armor is a gift I made for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Right. Sorry. And thank you!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very welcome.¡±


    I tried the dark armor on after that, and noticed a major change in the design of the helmet. Moonwash helped me work through the clasps and belts, ending up with me looking like an even more imposing demonic knight, and with my hooves fully out. There was a separate pair of boots that I could wear to hide them later, but I was sure they¡¯d be just as annoying as before.


    I looked at myself in the mirror and nodded satisfaction. ¡°Thanks. The new helmet design looks violent. I love it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not finished yet,¡± Moonwash said.


    ¡°Oh. So, do you still have to reforge it¡­?¡± It looked fine enough to me.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s something else. Stay still.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Maam.¡± I grinned mirthfully, and sat ramrod straight in front of the mirror.


    Moonwash took out a box containing some clay-like substance, and then she began sticking it onto the parts where metal and horn met. It only took a few minutes for me to realize what she was doing. I almost teared up right there, but I waited for her to finish before I blurted out, ¡°You¡¯ve made it so that it looks like the horns are part of the helmet!?¡±


    ¡°I hope so. If you''re even asking then is the attempt not good enough?¡±


    ¡°No, no. It is. They totally look like they''re glued to the metal.¡± I twisted my head this way and that, admiring how my horns appeared to be a part of the whole ensemble. I coaxed the mana out of my blood, and then floated both elements into my palm. The infernal magic blazed brighter than normal fire, and took on a slightly more sickly hue. The wrath produce the smokey energy that I knew was just ready to fuck things up. The constraints of the helmet did still affect the efficiency of my casting, but only to a negligible amount. This creation was a success, and I could now put my horns on full display without the ugly crystal coverings. No one would be the wiser!


    ¡°Oh thank you Moonwash! Thank you thank you!¡±


    I picked her up and twirled her around in a tight hug.


    ¡°Ow.¡±


    ¡°Ow?¡±


    ¡°The metal is digging into my skin.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I continued to twirl her around. ¡°Do you want me to stop?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not actually painful. Continue.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°Haell, will you be fine?¡±


    ¡°Just call for us if you need help.¡±


    My parents spoke as we arrived in a place far from home. There were no settlements nearby, and here I could fully unleash and test out my new build as a demon.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Mom, Dad. And try not to interfere, okay? It¡¯ll look¡­ very worrying, but trust me in this process, please.¡±


    I also looked past them at Elfrafim and Astan, and they both gave me a nod. My parents followed with their own assent shortly after, leaving me in an idyllic meadow.


    I watched as gentle streaks of sunlight peeked out from the sky. The grass swayed along the refreshing breeze, and the faint and peaceful sounds of the forest sang into my ears.


    The sight made me sick. It filled me with rage. I let go of the persistent grip I had on my emotions, and immediately I felt a dangerous rush through my blood. It pumped in and out of my hearts, and some cycled through my blood storage and out. My pupils dilated, and my gaze focused as I sought to enact my wrath. Purplish mana oozed out of me, and it deftly weaved through my sword. Magic flowed into the weapon, then back to my body.


    The scenery blurred, the muscles in my hooves burned from the strain, and suddenly I was in front of a bushpider that had thought itself clever for being able to hide. Its eyes met my own, my prey suffered a moment of indecision, and it was one moment too many.


    I screamed as I brandished my blade and tore through the beast¡¯s skull and towards the rest of its torso. Blood and gore splattered, viscera spilled out, and the flesh was scrambled into unrecognizability. The infernal mana in my blood went crazy at the sight, it desperately wished to escape the confines of my body and go wild.


    I allowed my wishes and activated the magic. The remains of my enemy were set alight in the blaze of fury, along with the nearby plantlife and even some insignificant insects. I grinned just a little, at the flickering beauty of the heat reflected through my eyes.


    It did not quell my rage. My bloodthirst was not sated. I turned around and faced the rest of the forest with a stormy expression on my hidden face.


    ¡°ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!¡±


    I roared into the heavens. The enraged sound forced the remaining birds to fly away, and the tiny critters that scurried like insignificant bugs hastened their retreat.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    My aura exploded out of me, my eyes strained from mana-infused fury. Some of my enemies dropped dead just from that simple display, and I sneered in disgust at their weakness. Others only fainted, and I didn¡¯t bother to finish those that had frozen in fear, unable to move under the weight of my presence. Instead my gaze locked onto a horned rabbit larger than normal. It had flinched, it had frozen, but it had quickly shaken off the weight of all my intimidation effects.


    My teeth gnashed against each other as I watched the creature merrily speed off into the distance. It had thought it could ignore me, it had thought it could escape, but I will prove here and now that it was wrong!


    My wrath mana activated, and I flung myself towards my target. The blue animal reacted immediately, and a mass of water crashed towards me from all sides. I summoned my infernal flames, and they shone bright as my body continued to move beyond its normal limits. I¡¯d found that if I only used my wrath mana internally and for my sword, then I could simultaneously use my infernal magic to its full potential.


    The rabbit soon learned of this same fact as steam hissed and filled the air, and I burst through its attempt at defense with only a few insignificant scratches on my armor. The animal¡¯s eyes widened, it began to swerve and try to change directions, but my hand was faster, and I yanked it back by horns. The monster squealed, it thrashed, but I gutted it anyway in front of all who dared to spectate. I screamed as spittle flew out of my mouth, and I wanted nothing more than to find and rip apart my next target. I felt the rage, I accepted the rage, and I enacted the rage. I will rampage until there is nothing left!


    I discarded the rotting, dried, bleeding, and absolutely decimated corpse once I¡¯d grown dissatisfied. I turned my fury towards the other animals of the forest, and then I proceeded to enact a total massacre. With a furious leap, I bisected a tiger. In a fit of cackling fury, I burned an entire herd of largess boars. There were flaming monkeys in retreat, but they did not escape me as I sent a wave of wrath magic their way. Their rotting bodies fell as grotesque and twisted corpses.


    More. MORE! There is so much left! I moved my body, I reveled in the carnage, and I bathed in the blood of my enemies. My whole being ached as I pushed it to move ever faster, and I felt at the same time the healing energies of my regen heart mending what I had broken. The violence will continue, and I will desecrate all of existence!


    I came across a bear, and I immediately slammed my full intimidation package upon its psyche, but my opponent froze for only a moment before charging right back at me.


    We met in a clash of steel against claw. My weapon proved more durable, but the forces at play halted both of us in our tracks. It appeared that without my wrath mana, I was still slightly weaker in the physical sense.


    But there was no need for a misplaced sense of fairness. I would not allow myself to lose to a mere bear. My wrath was my power and I fully unleashed it with a scream. My arms blurred with a sickening crunch, and the bear in turn lost an entire arm. It whimpered, it growled, it gave up. The monster tried to turn around and run but I did not allow it to escape. In a sequence that was almost nostalgic, I tore it apart from its rear, and worked my way up to the head.


    The beast was long dead by the time I smeared its skull across the ground.


    Not enough. Not nearly enough. NOT NEARLY ENOUGH.


    With a furious leap I took to the air and unfurled my wings. There, in the distance, was a flock of large gray birds that were flying into the horizon. I stared at their departing backs as the rage built. My aura exploded out of me, but they were unaffected, likely too far and unable to perceive it. The impotence of my first attack infuriated me, and I poured all the rage into my eyes. Two drops of blood squeezed out of my tear ducts as the birds too began to drop. A few never recovered, falling all the way to the ground. Most only dipped a little, but quickly flapped their wings to regain altitude. Some showed no reaction at all.


    Snarling, I gave chase because the air was my domain now too. With a flap of my wings, I surged forward. The speed at which I moved was insufficient, it was inferior to running on flat land, so I manifested my wrath magic and flapped harder. The scenery blurred, and my wings cracked and broke from the strain, for while it was possible to give my flight a further boost like this, my new wings were a lot less durable than my other limbs.


    Still, I flew just as hard until I reached my prey. The divarls looked back at me and I knew that they could now feel the sheer difference between us and the futility of their struggle. My aura flared, my eyes followed, and I was pleased to see more of them fall to their deaths.


    Two dared to fight back. They sped straight at me from two opposite directions, and then I manifested waves of infernal mana before they were fully in range and could interfere with things. The two birds were caught in the blaze, they were not able to escape in time, and how I loved their panicked screeches as they burned in their own flesh.


    I grabbed one by the neck, and then gutted the level 20 creature entirely, crushing it under my wrathful grip. I let the pitiful corpse drop back to the ground, and then chased after the other one that was desperately trying to flee and extinguish the flames. My wrath magic enveloped it before it could succeed, and the creature¡¯s body twisted as it burned.


    Wrath mana may not be capable of some of the tricks menace magic could do, but it was still a far stronger option than the one that preceded it. More of it coalesced around me, and then I manifested waves of them towards the other birds who were prey. Most managed to dodge, others only partially, earning them some heavy injuries, but the particularly unlucky ones were betrayed by their own bodies as their bones pierced their own organs and muscles turned to bones to dust in turn.


    The monsters began to flee in earnest. I frowned and gathered my magic into massive coherent bullets, but I barely managed to hit a few no matter how I shot at them. The divarls were too fast once they decided to take a dive, and they did not remain clustered together. In what felt like only moments, they had already scattered too far for me to find and destroy all of them.


    Indignant, I slammed my sword against thin air, and then dove down towards the largest cluster of them that I could see. Another bullet of mana formed, but this time it was an infernal fireball. I let the projectile loose, and most of the birds predictably dodged like before. But even a few embers managed to turn some glancing blows into a good hit. The infernal sparks consumed their flesh and feathers, eventually growing into a full blaze. I knew that they would be able to extinguish it quickly, but they never had a chance as I arrived in their midst and began slashing them apart in midair.


    Their bodies scattered into fine red mist. I laughed as their feathers turned to ash, and I raged at all those I could get my hands on to utterly dismember. What remained of what they once were rained down on the burning forest below.


    A tree had been set aflame by my earlier attack, and that had since spread a little into the nearby plantlife. I grinned with a wild desire to burn even more, and start a fucking wildfire that would engulf the whole world. My infernal mana reacted very strongly to my intentions, and then it formed into large waves as I dove down to commit abhorrent acts of arson.


    I landed, and the ground shuddered. The scenery around me was further scorched by the waves of sickly orange fire that followed. Trees were set aflame, grass was burned to ash, and those animals so stupid as to not recognize the danger burned along with them. My mind was filled with the image of hell as I¡¯d known it for two whole lives, and I wielded my magic to bring about that concept into reality!


    ¡°AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAAHHAHAHHAHAHAAAAAAAAAARRRGGGGHHHHH!¡±


    My laughter echoed in my ears, and a scream pounded into my head. I felt rage, I took joy, in the shrieks of those who were my victims. The animals ran away as I moved forward, setting even more of the forest alight.


    My insides roiled as mana was torn out of my body and flooded out into the world. I dug deep into my extradimensional storage to replace what was spent, and I shoved inert blood back into it just as fast. My horns began to ache, and my head cried in agony, as I tried to see just how fucking far I could push my magic.


    I had all the power here, I could still keep going, I could still RAGE!


    It was hot. I was being cooked alive in my armor despite sparing some mana to keep the flames away, and it might¡¯ve melted already had Moonwash not improved upon it. But that didn¡¯t matter, for I was a demon and the evirons of hell would not deter me. I continued my slaughter, I ceased not my arson, and I screamed into the heavens a challenge to stop me from devastating its creations. Almost as if in response, the fires around me slowly started to die down. The trees were resisting somehow, or perhaps the forest itself was fighting back. Maybe the planet or whatever was in the center of it, regulating all its environments, was involved. Perhaps fire just behaved differently in this world, than it once did on Earth. I wasn¡¯t sure what the truth was yet, but there was definitely some force preventing the landscapes of the world from simply burning down with all the fire-aligned creatures that roamed around it.


    I took this as my cue to take a deep breath and calm the fuck down. I raged at how my work was being undone, I wanted to destroy all life and more in all the ways I had found, but I managed to hold back those impulses. Even my prodigious reserves of mana had to run out at some point, and while I could still keep going, I didn¡¯t want to deplete my stores of infernal mana entirely.


    That decision proved wise once I walked through the flames and exited into a clearing. Loud heavy footsteps could be heard from all the way to the other side, and soon the warsymbol made itself known.


    The level 40 monster roared, and I roared back.

 Chapter 86: The War Symbol.

    I stared at the warsymbol¡¯s eyes and it stared back into mine. My gaze was laced with fury, but so was my enemy¡¯s. And yet I was confident that its beastial wrath was nothing compared to my own. From the constant burning need to erase every trace of my foe, to the maddening desire to war against all the worlds and more. I will never be satisfied, I will never be sated, and you shall be just another beast to fall by my hands!


    I commanded the wall of infernal flames behind me to consume the target of my ire, and the wildfire surged forward. It grew hotter, and it burned for longer, as I pumped more and more of my infernal reserves into the attack. A savage grin crossed my face when the unstoppable wave of heat collided with the warsymbol, but the monster only pushed through the fire with a roar. Its claws extended past the flames, and my eyes widened in panic and fury as I narrowly dodged its counterattack.


    I slid through the soil with a disbelieving snarl as the beast¡¯s paw struck way too close to my flailing body. That one swipe cracked the earth, and it sent a ferocious shockwave that rumbled through my ears. For a moment, I felt fear, but that terror soon turned into rage as I processed how I was nearly critically injured just now. I was a demon, and I did not come here to lose!


    The fury roiled through my body, and I channeled all that emotion into my sword as I screamed out a reckless charge. My muscles pumped with furious power, and they tore under the strain but they did not buckle.


    The warsymbol had become distracted, it had deemed the infernal flames that clung to its form to be a more pressing issue than me. That insult gave me an opening and I took full advantage as I raked my sword through its side. Scales broke, fur and hide were cut down, and viscera was freed from the confines of its flesh. My sword nearly got stuck, I probably still failed to reach its true vitals, but my attack had been effective.


    The warsymbol howled in pain, and I grinned as it suffered the consequence of ignoring me. My eyes widened when the animal then blurred into motion, but not in surprise. I stared at how it moved so deceptively fast for its size, and then I activated my aura and my Evil Eyes.


    The bear-dinosaur hybrid barely flinched despite the infusion of wrath mana. It was hardly enough to be of any help, and I could not dodge its descending swipe fast enough.


    No matter, I don¡¯t need to run, I can meet its power head on!


    Wrath magic pumped through my body, I used what little time I had to position myself after having been put off balance by my earlier attack, and then I slashed for the second time against my hated foe.


    Claw met sword, my feet buckled as I desperately tried to push, and then I was tossed away!


    My hooves landed a couple of meters away, and I nearly fell on my butt. My hands had gone numb just from that single exchange. And then my eyes widened again as the beast had immediately given chase.


    Quickly, I gathered what strength I had left, and forced more power out of my body as I desperately took a defensive stance. The first exchange nearly tore the sword out of my hand, the second forced me to back away, and every clash that followed was a desperate fight for my life. I had to use wrath magic to strengthen my body with every parry, but that too deteriorated my body further.


    I focused my mind on different solutions, and managed to summon a storm of infernal flames around us. The blaze converged and sought to consume the charging warsymbol, but it only roared through the pain and redoubled its efforts as its fury was solely focused on me now. My own fury built as I pushed further and further into a corner, but it was not enough to bridge the gap. The gap between evolutions only widened, and I felt relieved that I was even able to hold off this long as I finally reached the burning treeline where I had started a wildfire meant to consume everything.


    I commanded the infernal flames that lingered here. I tore them away from the trees and towards the predator that hunted me. That finally gave me an opening to flee, and I ran with all my might no matter how my legs protested from the strain.


    The warsymbol gave chase. I jumped high and then resummoned my wings. They flapped once, enhanced by my wrath, just at the same time that my enemy swiped at me from the burning ground. The attack nicked me by the foot, my flight turned unsteady, but I still managed to rise. The monster then flexed its legs, readied itself, and then jumped.


    My eyes widened¨CI was doing that a lot this battle¨Cand they bled as I forced more wrath mana into them. That gave the monster enough pause, I was barely able to swerve out of the way, and then I rode the force and momentum of my enemy¡¯s own strike as its claws raked across my back.


    I flew away unsteadily as blood spilled out of my mouth and into my helm. My left wing struggled to hold me in the air as I flew, because part of it had been torn through by the monster¡¯s latest attack. I had gotten a new set of nature molars hidden in my mouth from Moonwash which could potentially heal me, along with some spare wands, but it would all be useless here. The forest below me was on fire, and I was the one who did it.


    ¡°Fuck.¡±


    The warsymbol was coming, it was tearing down the trees in its way as it rampaged straight towards me. I narrowed my eyes at this display as I contemplated my options.


    I could still fly, but maneuvering had just gotten so much harder when I was already bad at it. I could choose to retreat, but mere notion made me mad. I had to force myself to calmly examine the option. Elfrafim was here along with my parents. I was sure they¡¯d pull me out regardless of my protestations if I was actually about to die. Permanent injuries were hopefully not an issue either, for I now had my memory core.


    There was no reason for me not to see how far I could go here.


    Having justified my choice to myself, I glowered at the warsymbol that had nearly reached me again, and then I turned around and fled upwards. The monster roared, it continued to give chase through the burning forest, and then its cries worsened once the first of many infernal bullets crashed down upon it.


    I grinned at the damage caused by the rain of fire, and then focused on the creation of a wrath bullet. I fired the first one, and then made adjustments for the second as I fumbled around in the air. The warsymbol jumped again, far higher than anything of that size should be able to do, but a burst of wrath mana allowed me to dodge its bulk entirely this time.


    I grimaced as the maneuver broke my wings further, but not from the pain. I had to use a trickle of the wrath mana flowing through my wings to compensate for the damage, but that only worsened the damage further, which I would then need to compensate for. I would not be able to remain airborne for long.


    That made me mad. I had the irrational urge to just go down there and show that scum its place, but I managed to hold myself back from doing something that stupid.


    More wrath bullets followed as I pushed my wings even harder. I decided it was better to do this sacrifice now, rather than allow my opponent the opportunity to potentially close the distance with one powerful leap, but I also had to remain low enough to be an enticing target.


    My mind cycled through the meaning of wrath as I floated there. I felt the feeling, and how I existed each and every second of the day. I thought of how difficult it was, and how I desired for my enemies to feel even a fraction of my pain!


    Wrath bullet after wrath bullet shot towards the warsymbol, and they savaged the flesh of my opponent, albeit not to devastating effect against something this strong. The sheer number still took its toll, and the monster yet remained on fire.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the warsymbol to wisen up and take evasive maneuvers, but thankfully, it chose to still remain close and hang around. Perhaps it knew that I would be forced to land soon, or maybe that was just how much it wanted to fucking kill me. The feeling was mutual, except mine was far more intense. Finally, I managed to get the effect I wanted, and my wrath bullets began to chage.


    From destructive damage, to a mental hammer that slammed against the psyche and sought to dissolve all rationality. I could no longer confuse like I once did, but I could inflict the same wrath that I felt upon my enemies.


    How much more effective would it be if my target were already in a state of fury?


    It took a few projectiles, and many more that missed, but gradually the warsymbol became so hellbent on catching up to me to the detriment of everything else. It didn¡¯t care anymore to try and dodge my rain of projectiles, it didn¡¯t consider that I had now flown too high out of reach, it jumped uselessly to the air while I remained safe. It was almost pitiful, and I couldn''t help but sneer.


    I focused my mind, and packed as much power as I could into my next projectiles. A rain of blackish purple and sickly orange fell from the skies, and they all hit the warsymbol with their full might. All its fur had been reduced to dust at this point, and its scales were cracked and bleeding in the most intact areas. The monster continued to leap up at me over and over, as if the next attempt would work where so many had failed before.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    It only began to slow down, when my wings had started to break apart. The pain that came from them was surreal as this was a new set of limbs with an entirely different structure. The membranes were like skin packed with nerves, and the bones that held them together felt akin to fingers that had been crushed by a hammer.


    I angled the wings just right, and then wrung it dry of everything it could possibly offer as I sped up and fell towards the ground as fast as I could.


    I landed with a resounding crash, sending embers and smoke floating away from me. I immediately heard the approach of the warsymbol, for the monster still dared to stand against me after everything I¡¯d done.


    But that was just fine. I felt refreshed, and my arms and legs had been healed just a little from the time I spent in the air. I commanded my blood storage to absorb some of the blood that had gone stale, and then I willed it to replace what had been taken. The beating of my hearts thundered through my ears, healing me, and pumping more mana through my veins with every strike. This was to become our final clash to the death.


    My eyes bulged, my blood boiled, and my muscles clenched so hard that they tore. Mini-rituals went off, the blood that I¡¯d spilt before ignited into a chaotic mix of fire and curses, and the bear-T-rex growled at the pain. It panicked further when a sudden burning sensation came from everywhere at once as my gaze became infused with the infernal suffering of hell.


    And then I exploded into motion. Muscles snapped and bones tore as I felt the weight of the greater magic push me to greater heights of power. I took all of my mass and that of my greatsword, and then I slammed it all into my hateful abhorrent foe.


    CRACK!


    The warsymbol staggered. Its skull had caved from the attack, and blood spilled out from numerous cracks.


    My mouth split open into a drooling grin as the pain of the damage I¡¯d done to my own body registered. My limbs shook, I could hardly even lift my sword, but I forced them to move with sheer wrath for the fight was not yet over!


    The warsymbol agreed, I could tell. Its eyes still blazed with life even as its body was so close to death. The monster swiped at me with all its might and I met its resolve with my own as I smashed my blade against the descending claw.


    CLANG!


    More pain spiked through my body, but it only added further fuel to the furnace that was my wrath. I saw the burning forest reflected in my opponent¡¯s eyes, and I knew that in my gaze the same thing could be seen. I screamed in a blind rage, and my opponent screamed back, as we slashed and clawed at each other with our broken bodies.


    Clash after clash we fought, and I felt the tremors in my flesh with every strike, but my will alone did not break. Infernal flames blazed to life around us, and the warsymbol no longer had the leeway to dodge as its body burned. Waves of wrath followed, and that only further exacerbated the wounds. A few swipes landed on me, but I landed even more slashes, and so many towards my enemy¡¯s face. My armor had become dented in many places, my muscles felt like splinters, and my bones were nothing but mush. But I was still alive, and victory was ripe for the taking. An explosion of wrath and flame blossomed from the blood that I¡¯d shed in this clash of wills, and then I gouged out the monster¡¯s left eye.


    The warsymbol screeched, the sound carrying strongly through the wind, but I was already moving. From the blindside that had been created, I attacked, and the monster¡¯s retaliation only grew more sloppy. Its will finally began to falter, and I pounced on the opportunity. Wrath mana flooded into my eyes once more, and this time the beast buckled.


    I grinned. I immediately capitalized on the opening, and took out the other eye. The warsymbol had been rendered completely blind.


    The battle only lasted for a short while after that. My body seemed to creak and groan with every move, but that did not stop me from decimating the monster¡¯s head, and ripping apart the leaking brain that it so desperately tried to protect.


    That¡­ that¡¯s it. I win. The warsymbol is dead.


    It did not quell the rage.


    But I was also elated.


    Those feelings thrummed through my body as my greatsword dropped, my legs crumpled, and I fell to the toasty forest floor.


    Ah fuck. My armor did actually melt a little. Now it''s deformed.


    I couldn''t move a single muscle. I could not even twitch.


    [Wrath Heart has reached Level 23.]


    [Demon Horns have reached Level 21.]


    [Infernal Heart has reached Level 16.]


    [Evil Eyes have reached Level 21.]


    [Demon Wings has reached Level 21.]


    [Demon Arms has reached Level 21.]


    [Demon Hooves have reached Level 21.]


    [Demon Flesh, Demon Bones, and Demonic Musculature have all reached Level 21!]


    ~~~


    ¡°Haell! Are you okay!?¡± I heard my mom¡¯s voice the moment I closed my eyes. My gaze immediately snapped open, or at least it tried to, but my eyelids were too heavy right now. For a brief moment, my endless pit of wrath became directed at her, but I swiftly swallowed the impulse. I would not be swayed to push away the people that I loved.


    My dad arrived next to me, and he crouched down. His brows furrowed as he looked at the state I was in.


    ¡°You¡¯re hurt,¡± he stated the obvious. ¡°This is too much¡­¡±


    It¡¯s okay dad. I have my new memory core. I¡¯ll heal in time. I tried to speak those words, but it only came out as a tortured groan. That only caused my parents further worry, and I felt my annoyance building. It was so easy for that to rouse my temper, but I ruthlessly subsumed it down once more.


    ¡°Hey Haell!¡± Elfrafim dropped down from above next. She looked at her surroundings and the fires that dimming in places, but strongest near where I lay. A frown crossed her face for a moment, before she twirled her staff and blew it all away.


    I tried to wave back at my friend as she greeted me, but I could not even feel the attempt. My limbs were so fucked, and I was in so much pain, that all sensation just blurred together into one giant oozing wound. Oh devils, everything hurts. If only I could still move, then I can hurt someone back. Anyone.


    ¡°Mahka, Rallem,¡± Elfrafim addressed my parents. My mom had just taken out a light wand and was trying to heal me. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry so much. Haell will be fine. She has her memory gem.¡±


    ¡°I know she does,¡± my Dad responded, his eyes still glued to my form as it tried to heal. I could feel the soothing energies flow through me, but I couldn¡¯t yet tell if it was working. ¡°But this is just so much¡­¡±


    ¡°Why did you stop us?¡± Mom complained to Elfrafim. ¡°We could¡¯ve helped her sooner!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what Haell asked for, isn¡¯t it? I wanted to step in sooner too, myself.¡± Elfrafim glanced at the scenery around us, of charred trees and ashen ground. ¡°But her life still wasn¡¯t in danger, and she had a Mutation just for situations like this. Now let¡¯s see how good this ¡®memory core¡¯ works.¡± She took out her nature wand, and began regrowing the forest that I¡¯d burnt down. A bed of flowers caressed me from all sides, and I felt soothed by the stronger healing energies coming from her. My flesh shifted faster, and I could feel it trying to mend.


    I hoped so hard that my Memory Core would work as advertised. Its new functions weren¡¯t even included in the descriptions after all!


    The two women worked together from that point on, and my Dad flipped me around and got rid of the metal that had gotten stuck within my many many wounds. Every fixed muscle or mended bone gave me a palpable sense of relief. I was elated for every second that the healing still worked.


    It took until the sun began to set for my body to be in a coherent demon shape again.


    ¡°That was awesome!¡± I eventually choked. I laughed at the absurdity of what had happened and what I did once I was pretty sure that there would be no permanent damage.


    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t know if breaking yourself like this is the best strategy!¡± Mom complained.


    ¡°You said it yourself,¡± Dad added. ¡°You won¡¯t always have people to help you.¡±


    ¡­They were right. Even if I would heal back to full so long as I lived, I might not even survive at all if I crippled myself like this in the middle of hostile territory.


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ still awesome though?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Dad admitted.


    ¡°It definitely was!¡± Mom nodded. ¡°You¡¯re like, about as strong as us at this point! That¡¯s crazy!¡±


    ¡°It was really fun to watch!¡± Elfrafim added. ¡°That new evolution really gave you a massive boost!¡± She looked around us again, at the trees that I burnt down, and the smokey smell that still lingered in the air. She looked distressed, like all the other times. ¡°I don¡¯t think¡­ I get it¡¯s like part of your instincts, and you¡¯re already doing really well¡­ but do you have to burn forests down all the time? I know they¡¯ll regrow from the ashes, and it¡¯s unavoidable sometimes, but I just¡­¡±


    I stared at her. My teeth ground at the criticism and accusations. But I very reluctantly thought over her words carefully, and I was¡­ reminded of my own connection to nature. How I loved it, how I respected it, and the many happy memories I¡¯d had within the lush and vibrant trees, as opposed to in the middle of civilization.


    ¡°...You hate to see it?¡± I finished the sentence that Elfrafim just let hang in the air.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I get that it¡¯s your business, and it¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t ever done similarly destructive things, but this was just so¡­ callous and cruel.¡±


    I felt another bout of rage, and this time I allowed it to flow through me. I must¡¯ve been really agitated earlier to have buried it inside and allowed it the chance to fester.


    Elfrafim¡¯s words rang true and deep, once I allowed it. I recognized that violence was part of nature. I accepted it, and I even reveled in it. That was fine enough. But to burn it all down, just because I hated everything and for no other reason, was a vile thing to do.


    I was glad that I wasn¡¯t actually able to succeed at burning down the whole forest this side of Grandera. The inability still grated at me, but that was exactly why it was good that I had this experience now, while the damage I could do was still limited. That would not always be the case.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Elfrafim. I¡¯ll try to do better.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± She smiled brightly. ¡°That¡¯s all I can ask!¡±


    The four of us settled into companionable silence for a while. The day turned to dusk, until I was finally fully healed. My wings flared as the waves of relief I felt earlier turned into a whole entire tsunami. I stretched, I moved everything to check that all was right, and then I flew.


    It was such a sheer joy, and it cheered me right back up.

 Chapter 87: Berry

    ¡ªBerry the Crustecar PoV¡ª


    I fidgeted on my six legs as I stared at the massive imposing house just up the hill. The clamor of the cramped city was audible behind me as my mandibles nibbled on my two hands, and my big claw clanked and clenched over and over. Many times had I considered just calling off this meeting, but I just couldn¡¯t bear to lose the friends that I¡¯d finally found.


    Who was this Haell, and why could she just kick me out of the Harvesters!? Sure, I never officially joined, but I¡¯d been here for more than a year now, whereas she was gone for most of that time! It was even partly her fault that I couldn¡¯t join, because the rest wanted to make the decision with everyone present, and she was just gone.


    I found myself fuming, so I forcefully stopped myself and just breathed. I was also terrified, and I didn¡¯t want to be rude to this potentially violent woman I was about to meet. I¡¯d heard so much about her from the others, an absolute monster who could take on monsters way above her in level and even a whole milestone beyond. Would I really be okay meeting such a terrifying existence!?


    ¡°Relax Berry,¡± Therick tried to soothe me. ¡°She¡¯s nice. Don¡¯t worry. Well¡­ kind of¡­¡± He looked off into the far distance, as if relieving a war-torn memory.


    ¡°You¡¯re not being very convincing!¡± I whined, tapping the fingers of my three left hands against my big claw. ¡°Listen, I really appreciate you guys, and you¡¯ve been some of the only nice people I¡¯ve met adventuring, you¡¯re just the best. I want to stay with you. But if I¡¯m really not welcome, then¡­¡± I tried to stop it, but the fear and dread that I felt leaked into my voice. My anxiety had only gotten worse the longer I waited to finally meet Haell, and I just wanted it to be over. But at the same time, I was so scared now that the moment had finally come.


    A keening wail screeched up in my throat, and my whole body vibrated as I released the sound. My three friends were immediately patting my back, they understood that this was my way of crying and not just some weird noise that crustecars liked to make. It was certainly not a mating call, for that was the last thing I wanted to do right now!


    ¡°Oh Berry,¡± Therick sighed in sympathy as he rubbed the top of my carapace. ¡°we want you with us too. Our¡­ leader is just a bit¡­ cautious you see. You¡¯ve never met, after all, and she doesn¡¯t know how amazing you are. But if you can earn her trust, then there is no greater friend to have at your back.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Angerly agreed. ¡°We''ve sparred with her a couple of times since her return, and it felt like facing off against a warsymbol. She¡¯ll be a great addition to our team.¡±


    A warsymbol¡­? Were we getting a gold ranker, a level 40, as a party member? Were any of us even needed??


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much Berry, and just be yourself!¡± Granuel said earnestly, tapping me on the carapace. ¡°Haell is great. She¡¯s always been nice to me. She¡¯s the kindest person I know.¡± Therick and Angerly looked at him a bit askance upon those statements, but they did not refute his words, which I hoped meant that what Granuel said was true. I¡¯d heard the young man sing her praises so many times over the years.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I know you like Haell, which makes me think she must be cool too. It¡¯s just¡­¡± I could barely get the words out, before the cries shivered through my body once more. I remembered how my friends thought it was a mating call too at first, but they immediately believed me when I told them that it definitely wasn¡¯t. That was all I wanted. To be believed when I shared how I felt, and not be lectured on how my body behaved.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay,¡± Therick continued to pat my carapace. ¡°We of all people know that Haell can be an asshole.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Angrily nodded sagely.


    ¡°I mean¡­ it¡¯s perfectly understandable why she wouldn¡¯t want to see anyone¨C¡± Granuel began, but was cut off by a raised eyebrow from Angerly, and a gentle but firm glare from Therick.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I get it.¡± I smiled with my mandibles, and they understood the gesture. I worked over the last of my cries, and then drummed loudly on my own carapace. ¡°I¡¯m going! I¡¯M GOING! I¡¯M GOING!¡±


    I ran up this mountain of a hill, I knocked on the gigantic door, and then the frantic energy that forced all my limbs to move erratically died down as it actually began to open.


    The door rumbled inwards, and the sight of a fully armored woman greeted me. Why was she dressed for war when we were just supposed to have a nice lunch together!?


    ~~~


    ¡ªHaell PoV¡ª


    I saw from the window a crustecar woman with only two arms and a claw climbing up our hill. That was likely Berry, the friend and party-member-in-all-but-name that Therick and the rest had made while I was gone. I was supposed to meet her months ago, but I took a lot longer to adapt to my changes than I first thought, and having a terribly short temper would¡¯ve made for a terrible first impression.


    I walked in my full mythril armor towards the door. Luine had given the all-clear about Berry, and confirmed that she was trustworthy. My friend was definitely better at ascertaining this kind of stuff, but I was still holding off my judgment until I actually met the person. We could also just end up hating each other¡¯s guts, and that was no way to build an adventuring party.


    I heard a knock from the other side of the door, and then I pulled the massive things open with the lower handles. There I saw Berry, staring at me silently as I stared back. Her gaze was on my armor, I thought she might be confused and even incredulous, and her six feet tip-tapped on the ground rapidly. She had a nervous yet excited energy about her that I was already beginning to find endearing.


    Then her gaze suddenly snapped back up to my face.


    ¡°H-hello!¡± She sounded both scared and resolute, like she was facing down a terrifying monster. ¡°Please don¡¯t kick me out! I don¡¯t wanna lose my friends!¡±


    Therick facepalmed behind her, Angerly laughed, and Granuel was quick to deny the very possibility.


    I realized that I might have been a little bit of an asshole.


    I took a shuddering breath as the self-loathing came. That was always the hardest sort of wrath to deal with because it just spiraled. But I took a firm hold of myself and faced Berry. I had been mean to her, without even realizing nor even meeting her. She didn¡¯t deserve that.


    ¡°Ah. Shit. Hey¡­ I won¡¯t kick you out, okay? Even if we can¡¯t trust each other.¡±


    Maybe The Harvesters is more your home now than mine. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to admit out loud.


    ¡°I¡­ really!?¡± Her voice cracked, and mine almost did too in sympathy.


    ¡°Yes. I intend to go on a lot of solo missions anyway. And we can alternate in partying up with them, if you want.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, that¡¯d be great!¡± The crustecar woman seemed to hesitate, before just blurting out. ¡°Why can¡¯t we just go together though? I¡¯m useful, and I won¡¯t be annoying, I promise!¡±


    My lips quirked up, and I decided to at least give her more information to work with than she had. ¡°I have secrets. Lots and lots of secrets.¡±


    ¡°Secrets¡­? What kind of secrets?¡±


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t be secrets if I just told you about them!¡± I laughed.


    ¡°Oh! Right! Sorry, sorry!¡± Her arms and claw gesticulated wildly, and it was kind of fun to watch.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°No worries,¡± I started to lead her through the wide corridors and towards the dining room where Moonwash and my parents were waiting. They¡¯d prepared a veritable feast for us to enjoy. ¡°Why are you so afraid anyway? I won¡¯t bite.¡± I thumbed towards Therick and the rest following behind us. ¡°Did they say a lot of bad things about me?¡±


    ¡°Uh, um, no! Not at all!¡±


    ¡°Really¡­?¡± I tilted my head, slowly.


    ¡°W-well¡­ I heard you were very strong.¡± Her mandibles clacked in what I thought might be hesitation. ¡°...And very violent.¡±


    ¡°Ah! But I think I might¡¯ve just misunderstood something!¡± She quickly amended. ¡°You¡¯ve been very nice to me already, and Granuel said you were very kind!¡±


    ¡°No. You aren¡¯t wrong about what you thought of me.¡± I smiled wryly, though she couldn¡¯t see it. ¡°I am strong, and I love using my power. I even enjoy the violence itself. If we¡¯re to be partying up, and maybe even become friends, then you need to know that. I like fights, and I am actively looking for more power, because that is what freedom is.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Berry breathed in what I thought might be a gulp. Her constant motion paused, before resuming again upon her next words. ¡°Uhm. Well. Should I be scared then?¡± She chuckled, trying to inject some humor


    ¡°Not at all, no. I love my friends, and I wouldn¡¯t just kill anyone. There are plenty of monsters to go around and slaughter.¡± I stepped through the doorway, waved at my girlfriend and my parents, and then breathed in deeply the smell of food that awaited. ¡°Anyway! We¡¯re here! Feast your eyes upon this feast!¡±


    ¡°Wow! That¡¯s a lot of food!¡± Berry walked forward, and took in the large dining hall, from the large table and the even larger one meant for a true giant, to all the paintings and decorations that set the mood of the place. Almost absentmindedly, she grabbed a seat, and tried to pull herself up on it.


    ¡°Ah! Berry!¡± I pointed at a different chair on the other side of the table. ¡°You should sit over there instead.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Uh, okay!¡± She seemed confused but followed my instructions regardless. I pulled out the chair for her, and Berry immediately gushed at the sight.


    ¡°Is that a crustecar chair? It took me months to save up enough to have one made!¡± Her feet tapped the ground excitedly as she examined its make. She was a crustecar, her body was crab-shaped, and the chair was made specifically to accommodate her species. Common ones definitely wouldn¡¯t be comfortable if it were even possible for her to sit on top of them.


    ¡°We had one just lying around,¡± I shrugged. It was true. Being rich was awesome. I also had a sizable fortune of my own at this point.


    ¡°Wow.¡± She climbed up the chair almost reverently. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Uh, you¡¯re welcome?¡± I was honestly perplexed about how happy she was over this. I understood that it was probably more comfortable, but it was just a chair. Was a single chair really worth that much gratitude?


    Weird. But it¡¯s okay.


    Once everyone was seated, including Moonwash and my parents who sat near me, I grabbed my food and began eating. After just staring for a while, Berry asked, ¡°Um, can I eat?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± I swallowed a toasted rabbit reg. ¡°That¡¯s why we made it after all!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Well, cool. I was just wondering if we weren¡¯t going to pray or anything¡­¡±


    I tilted my head, then looked towards Therick and the rest. ¡°You can if you want. Do you guys always pray before eating?¡±


    I knew people did it normally. It was just never practiced in my house, or by any of my friends here. I had¡­ mixed feelings about it to say the least, but at the end of the day that was their business and their freedom. I wouldn¡¯t be pressured into participating, but I would only watch respectfully if Berry actually wanted to pray.


    ¡­I needed to revisit that thought at some point. The angels were real here, their will wasn¡¯t just up to interpretation. I didn¡¯t know how yet, but that definitely changed things. Maybe.


    ¡°Um, no,¡± Berry answered, ¡°but a lot of the adventurers I know do.¡±


    ¡°I see. But I don¡¯t think I¡¯m even a registered adventurer at this point. I¡¯m not quite sure what you think I have to do with them.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really? I totally thought you would be like, um, the adventurer. Like, the very prime example of one¡­¡± Her voice trailed off, sounding less and less sure of herself.


    I laughed, and pointed at Angerly and the rest. ¡°Is that what they¡¯ve been telling you?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes¡­ but that¡¯s what you¡¯re going to be doing with them, right?¡± She gestured at Granuel and the rest with a free hand.


    ¡°They¡¯re certainly right about me being fucking awesome! And you¡¯re right in that I will become a great adventurer! But I don¡¯t know how much I really share in common with them. They do venture out to fight, but mainly just in the vicinity of towns and villages. They fashion themselves as sort-of priests, but they don¡¯t actually know shit, not that I would care for their supposed wisdom either way. They don¡¯t have that hunger, they allegedly live to serve, and while their actions do not match that, I will not debase myself by claiming to be anyone¡¯s servant. We are not the same, even if I plan to share the name.¡±


    Berry blinked a little, absentmindedly popping some fried shoots into her mouth. ¡°Those are um, intense.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a bit intense. Does that bother you?¡±


    She swallowed a mouthful of pasta, seeming to think it over for a moment. ¡°No, not at all. I can see why they described you as um, an overwhelming sort of figure kind of?¡±


    ¡°No need for the uncertainty. I am overwhelming.¡±


    I finally got a chuckle out of her. ¡°Yes, I can already tell somehow that you¡¯re very capable. But Granuel was right. You are very nice! You¡¯ve been nothing but kind to me no matter how much I¡¯ve messed up today and I already want to be in an adventurer party with you!¡±


    I chuckled.


    Berry realized what she had said and immediately tried to retract her words. ¡°Ah, uh, I¡¯m sorry if that was pretentious¨C¡±


    ¡°No, no. I¡¯m beginning to feel the same way.¡± I smiled, and this time she could see it because I¡¯d taken off my myhtril mask to eat. My teeth actually looked sharper than a human¡¯s, but it should be within the margin of error and wouldn¡¯t raise too many questions. I really didn¡¯t wish to keep my expressions hidden, nor most parts of me. Maybe, I hoped, Berry would be one of the few people to know what I was.


    ¡°I am Haell Zharignan, by the way.¡± I gestured at myself, and the woman sitting beside me. ¡°And that¡¯s my girlfriend Moonwash. It seems we¡¯re aware of each other, but we haven¡¯t actually introduced ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Oh! That was rude of me! I¡¯m Berry! It¡¯s nice to meet you!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you too.¡±


    ¡°Likewise.¡±


    We continued to eat and talk in silence like that for a while. I told her of my childhood here, and how awesome my parents were. She was amazed to learn just how intense my training regimen was. I wanted to elaborate on how much it¡¯s evolved since I became an imp, and now a demon, but I didn¡¯t really feel like talking about it while murking most of the details.


    Moonwash talked about her own interests when Berry asked her about it. She spoke extensively about the recent things she¡¯s crafting, from armor to rituals, and even the little things like random furniture and figurines that she never forgot to make no matter how exciting everything else could be. I dimly noted how Berry made amazed noises as I just got lost staring at Moonwash while she dove ever deeper into her explanations.


    I was paying proper attention to what she was saying of course, hence why I had a sudden violent cough once she started talking about curse-related things. I trusted Moonwash not to reveal anything too sensitive, but... that was too close for comfort.


    The both of us then got to learn about Berry in turn. We heard about how she fled from their home¨Cthe shores of the continent¨Cfor their only option for work was almost just to join the military and face the many enemies the empire had made. She spoke of the constant attacks by the cursetaceans, and she expressed distress and incredulity at how she could ever be compared to such monsters, no matter their outward similarities. She opened up about how she and her brother managed to flee from there with all of the money their family had saved, and finally arrived here in Latarus, far from the shores and with little war in sight. They tried to sell little trinkets at first, to make ends meet, but then they were sentenced to community service for ever daring to do so. Their time adventuring and hunting down monsters was terrible, and most of the people they worked with were either mean or indifferent, but they¡¯d come to accept that it was the only path forward for them.


    It was a dangerous path, however, and I could see that from how Berry had lost one of her arms. Her brother, Billy, had lost far more than that.


    His life.


    ¡°I¡­¡± she began wailing, which I knew to be how crustecars cried. ¡°I was left all alone. I had no one. I-I-I tried to kill myself, and I would¡¯ve gone through with it had I not met Angerly and the rest. They were so nice, and so kind, to crustecar like me. I-I love them, and I¡¯ll do anything to remain here¡­¡±


    Oh¡­ oh fuck me. And I tried to have her removed from the party¡­ fuck.


    FUCK!


    I breathed out the self-loathing, and noticed that my expression had turned bleak in a way that the others noticed. I quickly calmed back down, thankful that Berry was not paying attention. I had managed to not release my aura at least, though some still seeped through the constant leakage of mana as I was already back to full.


    Therick shot a glare at me, while he and the others immediately rushed to Berry¡¯s side. I reached out, opened my mouth, then thought better of it. This was their moment, and I was not part of it.

 Chapter 88: Misplaced Vengeance.

    "Hey Berry," I said once she''d had a good few moments to calm down. "I can guess, but I''ll ask this just in case. Why continue to fight? It seems like you''re not really passionate about it, and I''m sure that if you asked, Therick and Granuel could set you up with a job that doesn''t require any combat whatsoever. In fact, I''d be very surprised if they hadn''t already made the offer themselves."


    "Well, they have of course!" She said proudly, getting the last of her crying out of her system. "But I¡¯m done running! My brother died because I cowered behind him! I don¡¯t want to hide any longer!¡±


    "...Alright. I get it." I nodded. I noted how Angerly and the rest had things to say, but they all held their tongue instead of engaging in an argument they''ve evidently had plenty of times. Berry was at least resolute in her decision, it seemed. "On that note, we''ve already talked our bloody ears off. Let''s get to know each other, and see if we actually work well together, by doing a proper test run!"


    "A test run?"


    "Oh yes." I grinned. "We''re going out to hunt."


    ~~~


    "Uhm. Aren''t we going way too far?" Berry asked. We had long stepped off the official roads, and we''d even ditched the dirt roads too. It was just us, the Piss Hunters, including Berry.


    "Nah. It''s all good." I smiled, though it was once again hidden by my mask. "We can only truly go all out once we¡¯ve civilization behind."


    We''d been traveling on foot for the past few days, and during that time, we''d encountered remarkably little challenge. We avoided other parties, until they were just gone for they didn''t venture out super far from civilized land, or at least the roads. Granuel and Therick were able to spot most threats in advance, and the few that we chose to face were far too weak for me to show even a fraction of a fraction of my true power.


    "Incoming. NNW Level 20 plus dodoom." Granuel announced. By NNW, he meant north north west, oriented based on where we were facing.


    Berry immediately reacted and positioned herself towards the approaching monster. Her two arms were carrying a small buckler shield each, and she had light armor over her carapace. Her legs shook as the massive flightless bird that was trying really hard to be a T-rex broke through the treeline, but Berry did not fold nor surrender. She held her ground until the massive beast reached her, then she rapidly stepped to the side while scoring a massive crushing blow with her pincers on the creature''s leg.


    I smiled, suitably impressed. I drew my sword, and it produced a sharp ringing sound that rang dangerously through the air. Moonwash had fixed it for me recently, because it had basically become a dented misshapen bludgeoning tool after my fight with the warsymbol. But now it was whole once more.


    The dodoom--what a funny name--screamed in fury and huffed in rage, rapidly turning around to chase after the offending crustecar that had dared to harm it. But with a small exertion of wrath magic, I charged against the beast from the other side, and nearly beheaded it with one strike.


    Its neck had still broken despite not being bisected entirely, and the monster only stomped around unsteadily for a few seconds more before it fell over dead.


    "Nice, Haell!" Berry ran up to me. I smiled at how the crustecar woman had gotten far more familiar with me during the past few days. "That was so cool! I didn''t know what to think of how everyone had described you before we met, but we''ll be able to hunt so much safer with you around."


    Oh, you haven''t seen anything yet. This was only what I could do without revealing way too much.


    "Yes. While I''m around, then of course!" I laughed as my muscles ached from that one short fight. "But I won''t always be. Whenever I''m not around, then I''ll be counting on you to keep them safe.¡±


    Her crab-like eye stalks looked at me resolutely. "You can count on me."


    I did. I truly did.


    ~~~


    Our travels continued, and Berry showed just how good of a tank she was. We faced off against a boxial(boxer gorilla) that had risen above level 30, and while Berry could not compete in top speed, she managed to hold it back with her agility and sideways movement. Therick kept up with the monster by positioning himself masterfully, and he hid behind Berry whenever necessary, all the while scoring stabs and slashes. Each were hardly an inconvenience by themselves, but they piled up over the course of the battle.


    Granuel predicted the movements of the monster and shot his magical projectiles of earth with prodigious accuracy for a battle this fast. Moonwash helped too by staying behind Berry, and just shooting massive explosions of fire every so often. She had further improved upon her fire staff to be able to handle the new upper limits of her brain and technique when it came to magic.


    The amount of damage very quickly reached a critical point with these many combatants on our side, and the animal swiftly turned around and left. THe monster thought that we didn¡¯t have anyone that could keep up with it in a chase, and it would¡¯ve been right if it wasn¡¯t for me.


    The wrath simmered as I stared at my enemy¡¯s departing back, and before I knew it, I was dashing forward and gaining ground. The monster juked to the side, which was actually a fair idea for I wasn''t that good at taking turns, but I was just simply stronger.


    My legs tore from one furious leap, and then I was upon my target. The first slash likely ended the already injured boxial''s life, but I followed it up with more attacks as I screamed. That fury turned into a mad cackling laughter as the fire came, and soon I was eyeing the rustling leaves around me, ready to continue the slaughter.


    I breathed, and slowly brought myself back down to a calmer reality.


    "Uh. Umm. That was intense," Berry said, unsure of her words. No one would guess that she was older and higher-leveled than me from the way she behaved, but that was fine. Her acting younger at least was fair, considering that I was still older than 30 if you considered my past life. "I didn''t know you could use fire magic¡­ I think. It looked and felt really weird! And you didn¡¯t use a wand either... so why was it that strong then?


    "I''ve got a very good replacement for wands." I smiled and tapped on my real horns, but she didn''t know that yet. "And I''m just good at this."


    ¡°Oh, yeah. I thought they were exaggerating, but how are you this strong at level 20!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just built different.¡±


    I did not lie.


    ~~~


    We found an armozard, also at level 20, and Berry just ran around the monster and dodged most of its attacks. The few that managed to hit slid right off her carapace, as Berry knew just how to position herself to make full use of her shell to deflect. The monster was ultimately killed by Angerly as she showed just how strong she could be. She pulled back hard, and then slammed her mace even harder. Her full weight and more was carried by that strike, and the armozard staggered, its shell cracked and its flesh leaking out.


    Angerly took only a few moments to recover, and then she wound her mace up again for another thunderous slam. Therick, in the meantime, took out the beast''s eyes, and Granuel distracted it long enough to keep it off Angerly''s back. Her next attack completely crippled the monster, and the following slam pulped the contents of its skull.


    I could see now how Angerly truly fought.


    ~~~


    "W-why is one of them here?" Berry shivered as she saw a monster in a crab-like form, superficially similar to herself. However, this creature''s shell was a greasy black, and the carapace had spikes and jagged cracks running across it in places. Instead of one big claw and several arms, the monster had two massive and bulky pincers that were just slightly off in size and shape. It was basically a regular crab with a heavy metal theme.


    But what gave it away most of all, that this creature was not the same as Berry, was the feeling it gave off. In a way similar to how I could discern the presence of mana, the entity in front of me felt angry, resentful, vengeful. It distinctly reminded me of the very magic that I wielded.


    This was a cursetacean.


    "A cursetacean," Moonwash repeated my thoughts aloud. "It''s the first time I''ve seen one in person. I''ve been meaning to study--"


    Her words were cut off by the cursetacean''s sudden howl. The nearly Level 40 monster charged with its two massive claws raised, and Berry immediately jumped in front of it despite her fear. She angled herself at the last second, allowing the monster''s right claw to scrape against her shell and then slide off it. But she didn¡¯t come out of the encounter unscathed as she was flung back hard, and a deep divot had been drawn across her carapace.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "T-t-these things are dangerous! At-ttack them, and you''ll be damaged too!"


    I was already running by the time her warning arrived. I had no intentions to stop and I continued until I was right in front of the creature. Its claws immediately snapped out, faster than I thought it could move, but I only met it with my own sword. Its carapace immediately gave way and cracked, forcing an evil grin onto my face as I reveled in the hate and my desire to see this monster ripped apart.


    And then it was my own self that was ripped apart. The skin of my arms was flayed underneath the thick metal, and ripples ran across my entire body, decaying smaller chunks away. Blood poured out from the gaps in my armor, and I screamed as the pain registered and I beheld the one who had caused it.


    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!"


    My howl pierced through the chirping silence of the forest, and my wrathful evil eyes bore down upon my enemy. Wrath magic flooded into them, and my opponent flinched despite the contacts that were in the way, but that pause also came with a sudden spike of pain right through my brain. I snarled through the headache and pressure that nearly crushed my eyes. I attacked in spite and because of the agony, seeking to address the very source. My arms swung hard, faster than the cursetacean could ever manage, and it buckled under the force of my sword now wreathed in wrath magic. If Berry found anything out, then who gave a flying fuck!?


    Sword met against claw, and my opponent''s carapace was torn with every slash, the damage seeping deep into the flesh within. But every clash also brought upon myself great ruin, as the skin of my own arms continued to be flayed away, and the flesh underneath torn as if churned through a blender. Cuts and bruises marred my whole body by the time I''d managed to tear off both claws of my adversary, and the greatest amount of curse yet suddenly bloomed within my body when the creature''s limbs dropped to the ground. My arms jerked as flesh sloughed off and festered within my armor. My body spasmed in pain, but my wrathful gaze remained locked on the fucking prize.


    Now that the enemy had lost its both its claws, it should no longer be able to resist--


    The cursetacean ran forward, with the clear intent to tackle me, but then Berry suddenly stood in its way.


    "Haell! S-stay back! Why did you keep going!?"


    "Because the enemy is right there, and it''s on its last fucking legs! Out of my way!"


    "No!" She refused resolutely. "You''re bleeding. You''re dying. You''ve lost so much blood, I... I don''t know how you''re even conscious. I don''t know if you''ll even have arms anymore..."


    Oh, right. She doesn''t know. I''ll heal no matter what, so it doesn''t matter.


    I looked down at my feet, and the blood pooling underneath. I noticed for the first time that I was feeling dizzy, but I focused on my blood storage and dumped fresh blood into my arteries. It happened instinctively, the blood just appeared as if ejected from a hole within reality. The process of storing the blood was similar, as a suctioning force just slurped the blood out from the nearby veins. I could hold out for a while longer with my massive reserves.


    When I looked back up, I found that the monster had been restrained by Moonwash and Granuel. Therick was watching warily from the side, with his own arms lightly bleeding. I presumed he had distracted or gotten the creature''s attention earlier by himself.


    "You should heal yourself." Angerly said in a serious tone before I could rush in to help and kill whoever had dared to hurt my friend. The ogre woman was standing protectively in front of me now, as everyone else kept the cursetacean busy. Thick vines had snaked along its remaining limbs and were keeping it pinned in place, but it was a struggle as the things snapped whenever the monster bucked, and the cursetacean did not hesitate to break its own body for a chance to escape and inflict more pain.


    That... was disturbingly familiar behavior. Couldn''t say from who.


    I looked at Moonwash and Granuel and saw them bleeding in many places. Blood dripped down their bodies, their arms clasped tightly around their wands were mutilated in places,  and I ground my teeth at the damage they''d suffered. But thankfully, it seemed like they were in less pain than I thought. I could only think that the self-inflicted pain of the cursetacean did not have as strong of an effect against others, albeit it was still a fucking problem.


    Satisfied that I had the time to take a breather, I calmly sat down on a patch of grass and bush just behind me. I coaxed the nature mana out of the molars inside my mouth, and I truly calmed once I entered the proper mental state to use nature magic. A beautiful bed of flowers bloomed around me, and healing energies mended what I had broken. The damage was healed properly thanks to my memory core, but so many injuries remained even after I used a good chunk of my nature mana reserves. I had to get back in the fight sooner rather than later, and further healing could wait after.


    I walked forward with only slightly shaky steps. I dropped my gauntlets and pauldrons, to reveal the partially healed arms underneath. The cursetacean stared at me with its beady black black. Its gaze was filled with nothing but hate, and I felt almost proud of the creature for reaching levels of wrath comparable to my own.


    With an inappropriate smirk, I raised my sword high with my still-injured hands, as if a guillotine about to execute a noble. My arms shook from the effort, but I forced it to move using my wrath magic. I pushed the cursed element even harder as I brought down my greatsword in one devastating blow that split and splattered the crab-like creature''s head-area apart.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!¡±


    I was screaming, before I¡¯d realized it. The wounds that snaked through my arms and further into my body only made my voice louder. The entire forest shuddered from the force of my fury.


    ~~~


    I sat as Moonwash finished healing me after she had healed herself. I examined my equipment and found that my sword was banged up, again, meanwhile my armor only suffered superficial damage.


    "Theories," I said, then noticed Berry was still here. Ah shit. I can''t say everything here. Can¡¯t I just trust her now? She seemed very dependable during that last fight, despite how scared she clearly was. She jumped to defend Moonwash!


    "For what?" The Moonwash in question asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.


    ¡°It¡¯s about my gear. It got damaged from that battle, likely because of that vengeance thing the crustecar had. Real handy by the way, it''d be nice if I could learn something like it..." I glanced over at Berry, and nodded at how she was preoccupied in a conversation with Angerly about... food? That was fine by me. "I''m wondering right now if my armor took less damage because most of the damage was concentrated elsewhere, like on my sword, or if it''s just less damaged because it''s made of mythril. It''s also inorganic, so curse-related magic should be less effective at damaging it, but that goes for both my armor and my sword..."


    "We''ll get you a better sword soon," Moonwash leaned on my armored left arm once she was done administering aid. "It really seems like it was hit far more than your armor. Even your gauntlets only suffered some superficially deeper scratches despite how terribly mangled your arms had become." My girlfriend slid her hand across the blade to examine the damage. "I''ll need to fix this when we get back, but I think I can at least sharpen it back up here."


    "Please do. I don''t want to turn back or be weakened, especially since..." I''m already handicapped. I can''t show my full power. "...I''m trying to show off to the newcomer. You know how it is," I decided on instead. I felt dirty for having to lie and hide, especially to someone I was already beginning to consider a friend. FUCK!


    "I understand, Haell." Moonwash held my hand. ¡°I love you.¡±


    My head snapped back to her face at the sudden non-sequitur. It took a few relative moments for my mind to catch up, but I knew exactly what to say once it did.


    "I love you too."


    We kissed.


    ...We kissed again after I removed my mythril mask.


    Anyway!¡± I exclaimed, ¡°I think my sword was more affected by the cursetacean''s magic because... I feel this special connection to it. Like it''s part of my body, you know?" I weaved and connected a channel of wrath mana that flowed from my body, to the greatsword, and then back. Gah! I hate speaking in riddles! "It''s a good thing though, I think. It only makes sense that the damage that went to my gear is damage that didn''t go to my body, right?"


    "I would think so," Moonwash agreed, "however, the way the cursetacean¡¯s vengeance effects worked is very weird. It''s not actually using magic. It doesn''t wield mana the way we do, at least."


    "The cursetacean was no mage, yes. I believe the ''vengeance effect'' is kind of similar to..." I pointed at my Evil Eyes.


    "I think that could be it," Moonwash said. "Remind me how that feels later?"


    "Sure." I shrugged. It''d have to wait because my eyes still had to remain covered for now, no matter how I wished to give my girlfriend what she wanted.


    ~~~


    "So, curse magic, huh?" Berry asked as we both watched Moonwash dismantle the corpse of the cursetacean. Even that was dangerous, but she''d lived around me for years now. It should be fine.


    "Nothing so grand. Curse-aligned."


    Moonwash had tried to identify the remains of the cursetacean earlier, but it was fiendishly difficult. More than almost any other monster we''d encountered. Perhaps only the skyvern that crippled Luine and Baston could compare, and that was almost level 80! Moonwash couldn¡¯t even see the smallest detail as their species name.


    "I see," Berry said. The cursetacean really was weird because you could feel the curse wafting off its body, even though it really had no mana-producing gland to speak of from what Moonwash had said. She really wanted to get an Identify ritual going, but it just wouldn''t work, so she tried to examine everything by hand instead. "That''s um, illegal, you know?"


    "I''m aware," I smirked to try and take the bite out of my tone. I''d gone to take a shit in the bushes earlier, but what I really did was reapply my makeup so now my face looked like a proper human again. It''s terrible. "Are you going to report me?"


    "What? No! Of course not!" Berry hurriedly said, nervously gesticulating. "I was just saying..."


    "Relax. I get it." I reassured her. Who would believe her over the granddaughter of Golex the hero, anyway? I hated to think like that, and an angry breath hissed out of my mouth, but I couldn''t deny that the thought and the measure of safety it gave crossed my mind.


    "It''s just..." Berry settled down. "I''ve been around cursetaceans before. I''ve seen how terrifying they are. You are, well... dabbling with dark and dangerous powers?"


    "I am," I agreed. "I know how evil and dangerous it is. More than anyone."


    Berry was still and quiet for a moment, before her six feet hurriedly tapped on the ground. ¡°Then why are you using it then!?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s powerful.¡±


    A beat of silence passed. Berry¡¯s legs stilled.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I looked her in the eye. ¡°Do you have a problem with that?¡±


    ¡°Well, uhm, no¡­ Just, be careful, please?¡±


    ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m always careful.¡±


    Somehow, Berry didn¡¯t seem convinced.

 Chapter 89: Take Off.

    "We''re here," Granuel announced, and the rest of us looked at him weirdly.


    "Yeah! The um, trees are very nice..??..??" Berry looked around the perfectly normal clearing that looked like every other clearing while trying to sound supportive.


    "Not that!" Granuel complained, then took out a map. "This is the most isolated place you can find in the area. Furthest from any settlements."


    We were still in Angelore territory, and we weren''t about to spend months of travel to get away, so this was the best we could do. And it had worked well enough so far. I''d burned down so many trees last time, yet I hadn''t heard a word of complaint.


    Well, aside from Elfrafim. And her points were totally valid. I should rein it in.


    "Okay," Therick looked at the sky. It was late in the afternoon, and the sun would start to set soon. "Let''s set up camp here for tonight."


    He began listing out roles, and I helped set up the food with Moonwash. I¡¯d try and take on hunting usually, but we¡¯d already killed so many during the day. We might even have to ditch some of the materials later, as we could only carry so much, and there wasn''t any convenient secret base nearby.


    I still missed the place. I hated that we were driven away. But it was time regardless, for me to finally come back here and be with my friends.


    We began to settle in for the night, and I found myself setting up my sleeping bag right next to Moonwash. I hugged her to sleep, in between my hard armor, and some blankets for padding.


    ~~~


    "Wake up! Vladmonkes incoming!" Therick''s voice immediately woke me up from my slumber. I snapped to my hooves, and began looking around, alert. My need for sleep had been steadily decreasing as I leveled, and what remained was easier to shake off whenever I snapped back to consciousness.


    Near me, Granuel got up a little bit more sluggishly, meanwhile Moonwash already had her usual serious expression on her face after I¡¯d carried her up along with me. Everyone else was already awake. Berry was standing where the enemies were inbound, and Angerly had just fetched her mace.


    "About a dozen of them--" Therick began to say, but Granuel cut him off.


    "No. Dozens. And they''re headed this way."


    "Fuck!"


    "We should run," Berry said in that dreadful voice of someone desperately trying to remain calm in the face of death. "I''ll take the rear. Now go! Escape!"


    Her six feet remained planted on the ground as she told us to run, and her eyes trailed along the darkness between trees.


    "What--"


    "Berry, no!"


    "We''re not leaving you behind!"


    The white-furred monkeys began to step out of the cover of the night before the argument could really happen. I took that moment to step forward and draw my greatsword. Good thing I was already in my armor.


    "That''s right," I said. "We''re staying here to fight, and we''ll slaughter them all."


    "What... Haell, I know you''re strong, but this is too much," Berry protested. "A whole horde of them. And these monsters are way strong for their level. They for sure have level 20s, maybe even a level 40! Even you would be... no..."


    ...match.


    The word died in her throat as I unfolded my wings and took flight. I looked at all these lesser mongrels who''d dared to interrupt my sleep and threathen my friends. They had made the wrong choice, they had made the wrong enemy, and today I shall teach them of their folly! Not one would be left, not one after I was done!!


    My aura exploded out of me, and Berry stared, mouth agape. Everyone else felt reassured and had been shaken out of their stupor, now taking proper stances and formation.


    "Do not be distracted," I said through gritted teeth and a forced smirk that no one could see. I stared back at Berry, and pointed at the enemy. "Fight."


    I was already moving by the time the words came out of my mouth. The contacts were torn out of my eyes; and the stuffy, inefficient, fucking annoying oversized boots were removed to reveal my hooves. The vladmonkes (usually pronounced as vlad-monk) were predominantly level 10, with some level 20s, and one that might have reached 40. I dove away from the strongest enemy and aimed for a cluster of the weaker ones. They whooped, they yowled, their cries only grated on my ears and fueled my wrath. One of them tried to jump onto my path, and I demonstrated using the wretched monster¡¯s body exactly why I had chosen to descend amongst their midst. My greatsword ripped through its body like tissue paper, facing little resistance as the level 20 vladmonke¡¯s defenses were not up to the task. It didn''t matter how the damned animal could become tougher as the fight progressed, if I just finished them off in one hit.


    A bloodbath ensued as my infernal flames blazed to life and plunged this side of the battlefield into chaos. All the vladmonkes around me fell, their critical organs torn asunder by my blade, and their fur burned by the blaze that sought to end all life. They couldn¡¯t even coat it properly with their own blood, as the heat evaporated some of the red liquid before it could be properly absorbed. Even a level 20 died so quickly and pathetically to me as I sidestepped its lunge, then sliced deeply at its throat.


    More vladmonkes came, descending from the trees and running across the ground. They paused at the brink of fire, at the precipice, and I snarled at the cowardice. My hand snapped out and pulled one into the flames, and the creature¡¯s shriek echoed into its compatriots'' ears as I gutted it with my blade.


    I grinned, but it was not a happy expression. My wrath magic came crashing down on them in the next moment as whole canonballs of the stuff were shot out. The already agitated vladmonkes did not rot or twist apart, but instead their fear was overwhelmed by their wrath against me who had killed their friend. The monsters jumped into the fire, like cattle willingly jumping into the meat-grinder.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Come! COME!¡± I shouted into the crowd, and spread the flames out even further. In that chaotic burning landscape I thrived, never allowing the enemy to coordinate as I sporadically appeared from within the flames.


    The wildfire had become a maze. It flickered and waned in power, as if almost alive. Some vladmonkes began to drop dead just from the fire, without ever being graced by the touch of my blade. Some had began to flee, but my wrath-filled eyes delayed them long enough to be finished off, usually by a following bullet of magic.


    My enemies ran around like blind chickens, helpless and disoriented. My gaze flashed with a burning glint upon seeing their folly, and the apes felt a burning sensation greater than before, thinking they¡¯d been gravely damaged. That distraction proved fatal for them if my greatsword chose their heads as its next target, or it could prove fatal for their allies as they lost the ability to help. Regardless of the method, the outcome remained the same, and it was that they were dying.


    My display was so flashy that it had captivated the entire area by now. Other nearby animals fled, meanwhile Berry shouted if I was okay and had nearly jumped into the wildfire I¡¯d created. Therick held her back and explained briefly why I was just fine, but I was still angered by the suggestion that I could not handle these monsters. I knew that was an irrational thought, so I did not kill Berry for it, but I did vent my anger as wrath magic flooded my body and I crushed the skull of an enemy.


    A sudden hit landed on my back, causing me to stagger. It hurt, and it might¡¯ve even damaged the mythril armor that Moonwash had made for me. My expression turned ugly, and my glare even more intense. I turned around and allowed the aura to explode out of my body as I stared down the vladmonke that had done this. I struck the damned creature in my rage, and the slash drew fountains of blood from its arms, increasing its defenses further in turn. The fur of a vladmonke was made to drink upon its own fresh blood, if not its kin, while the blood of other creature¡¯s would work but not to the same extent.


    All it ultimately accomplished was to delay the inevitable, and I reveled in every second of it as my mind screamed for the enemy to just, ¡°Die, die, DIE!¡±


    I had screamed that aloud it seemed, as my friends¡¯ gazes snapped to me for a second. They had taken advantage of the distraction that I¡¯d provided, and were systematically doing a sweep of the vladmonkes that remained. Granuel¡¯s breath hitched and he shouted for me.


    ¡°HAELL!¡±


    I looked towards where he was pointing, and found a level 40 variant of the vladmonkes that was approaching my friends rapidly. I growled as I flooded myself with wrath magic, forcing my body to make it in time. I managed to intersect the monster with a massive slash to its back before it could reach my party.


    The vladmonke squealed and nearly fell over, but it managed to regain its balance and face me at the last second. The creature¡¯s ugly face snarled at me, and I growled back.


    What followed was a rapid clash that whipped the wind around us as fist met against blade. At first my greatsword drew deep furrows into the animal¡¯s flesh, even managing to crack a few bones, but then my enemy¡¯s fur began to harden as it drank upon its own blood. I followed up on my offense by summoning waves of infernal flames around the both of us, but while it did work, it clearly wasn¡¯t as effective against something so high-level.


    And then a mace cracked across its head, staggering the creature. My blood boiled and hissed at sight, and my follow-up slash sunk deeply into its skull. The monster somehow survived despite the mangled state of its face, but then a stupidly hot fireball crashed against its back, and sharp pointed stones pierced its sides, if not very deeply. I forced my arm that I had just broken to move again, and then I used it to bash my greatsword across the enemy''s head over and over before it could recover. I was not shy about activating the mini-ritual as many times as I had to, and I had to drop my weapon by the end as my arms hung limply on my sides, unresponsive. But the deed was done, and with my team, I had killed a level 40 monster.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    During this time, Berry and Therick had gone around us, and were holding back the horde of other vladmonkes. Granuel too had focused most of his attention on this battle as most of his projectiles had been aimed at the approaching horde, staggering their advance by knocking them over or outright crippling them. The crustecar woman ran around as he did so, getting the attention of the enemies, and then running the fuck away towards even more vladmonkes. They began to cluster together, and Therick helped to keep them there while Granuel aimed for those who tried to approach from a different direction. Berry jumped in to protect Therick from a level 20 vladmonke, taking its punch on her right side, and then punching back with her left shields. That was a mere inconvenience for her enemy, but the following crunch of her big claw on the creature¡¯s thighs was certainly more than that. She and Therick left that enemy to crawl, and they continued to herd the mass of them away from us to buy time.


    And now the time they had been waiting for had come.


    My arms were still unusable, but my horns were whole and hale. With the monsters herded so close together, I summoned giant balls of infernal might and wrathful fury. Each hit spread across multiple, and the flames in particular jumped across so many of them.


    I continued my bombardment as Berry and Therick began to retreat, not immune to the flames. They positioned themselves just in front of Moonwash and the rest while I ran off to the side, unwilling to use my wings as I knew they could run better than I could fly. Wrath flooded the minds of our enemies with my next projectiles, and they chased after me like the easily manipulated masses. I led them around in circles for a while, before I sped up to my limit and left them all behind right where they needed to be.


    Right in front of a massive slab of stone glowed in the immaterial power of a ritual.


    It didn¡¯t stay immaterial for long as a blazing fireball burst into reality and surged towards what remained of those that had dared to defy us.


    ¡°Fireball Slaughter.¡±


    Searing heat collided against flesh. Primal screams resounded as the primates uselessly tried to free themselves of the burning agony. Some of them were already on fire earlier from my own efforts, but my own infernal flames were quickly consumed as fuel for this greater ritual of fire.


    It was beautiful. It was insulting. My power was so easily overwhelmed. But I did not let those negative thoughts cloud the beauty of this moment. I even made extra sure that this scenery in front of me right now was saved in my memory core.


    ~~~


    My legs buckled, and I knelt on the forest ground. I smelled the strong scent of the burning night air as I sunk deeply into my mind. I calmly worked through the turbulent tide of thoughts and emotions, slowly regaining my stable center.


    ¡°Haell! Oh Leviathan, are you okay!?¡± My friends immediately came rushing towards me after confirming that we had won, and I smiled weakly upon their approach. It was Berry that spoke in a frantic and uncontrolled manner, and then she froze upon meeting my eyes, as if it only now hit her what I had revealed. ¡°I¡­ what? What are those eyes¡­ and those wings earlier¡­ but no. What about your injuries? Can they be healed!?¡±


    She had a million and one questions and I had all the answers, but I was too agitated right now to go into detail for any one of them.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯ll heal. Trust me,¡± I settled for that response, then I turned towards my girlfriend. ¡°Moonwash. Can you remove all this? The things in my face?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    She fetched her backpack, and then crouched beside me. She began to remove the clay that clung to my horns and helmet.


    ¡°Umm. What is going on? This doesn¡¯t seem important right¨C¡± Berry began to say, but Therick placed a hand on her shoulder¡­esque area and shook his head, signaling for her to just watch and see.


    And watch and see she did.


    Moonwash took off my helmet, revealing that the horns were not mere implements but part of my skull. Some of my makeup had already run off with all the excitement of the fight, but most of it remained as my girlfriend¡¯s creation was really strong. She wiped away everything that was left on my face.


    I turned my gaze back to Berry, and she nearly flinched but held herself firm.


    ¡°This is it. This is me. It¡¯s the secret I¡¯ve been hiding. I am a demon.¡±


    Her mouth opened, her mandibles clacked, and she repeated that motion a couple of times until she was finally able to get a word out.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    That was all she could say in the moment, and I did not press for more. I felt the warm healing energies of light and nature suffuse me a moment later, and I settled into its embrace as the magic mixed with the healing of my regen heart, making for a very soothing experience. Everyone should feel this at least once. I¡¯d volunteer to do the part where their bones break.


    ~~~


    ¡°Hey¡­ Haell.¡± Berry called my name as she approached the small meadow. She had phrased the word almost like a question.


    ¡°Yep. That¡¯s me. No fake name here.¡± I sat back on the grass and enjoyed the view of the stars. There was other life there, I knew. I wanted to see those worlds someday


    ¡°Oh! Right, of course.¡± She fidgeted nervously and then sat beside me. My face was fully exposed now, and so was my red skin. All I wore was a plain tunic and a staid skirt. ¡°So that¡¯s why you never take off your armor?¡±


    I smirked at her ¡®smooth¡¯ attempt at humor.


    Berry had already seen what I looked like earlier, of course, but I was sure getting a better view like this, and with my body clean of blood and grime, gave a different impression. It removed all other interpretations that she might have had to explain away what I was. It wasn¡¯t just a trick of the light, she didn¡¯t misremember, and neither was it a mere Mutation or two that had been changed. I was a demon, and nothing else.


    ¡°Among other things,¡± I replied. ¡°But I do like my armor, and I love wearing it. In part because being cautious and safe is good, and also because Moonwash gave it to me. It¡¯s an important gift. I¡¯ll wear it happily all the time if I wasn¡¯t forced to do it.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± she relaxed a little after my answer, and I too started to breathe easier, be less tense. ¡°I have a carapace, so I wouldn¡¯t know. But losing my defenses would be nerve wracking!¡±


    ¡°Right!? You get it,¡± I nodded, and Berry mirrored the gesture. It was fun to see her basically bob her entire body to do it.


    I had to admit that I was just as nervous about this as she was earlier, but I was even more excited to finally share with a new person, a new friend, what I really was.


    ¡°So what will you do then?¡± I asked after a lull in the conversation.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Hey eyestalks stared at me. I imagined they would be blinking right now if she could do that. ¡°My carapace is just fine. I won¡¯t¡­ do anything to it? Well, maybe I should find a good river to clean it on.¡±


    ¡°No! Not that, silly!¡± I giggled. ¡°What I meant to ask was: Are you still as enthusiastic about partying up with me? Do we ignore each other and hunt on different days? Would you share my secrets and have me driven out of my home?¡±


    ¡°What? No!¡±


    ¡°No¡­ you don¡¯t want to party up with me anymore?¡±


    ¡°Not that!¡± Her six feet danced in agitation. ¡°I do want to party with you! What you did earlier was awesome! I was saying no to sharing your secrets and driving you from your home. My mandibles are pierced tight into my mouth!¡±


    I laughed. I loved the analogy that she used. I looked down at my friends who were far away and guarding the perimeter. They had given the two of us the time to talk things out in private.


    Berry kept glancing at me, clearly burning with a million more questions, but unsure whether or not to ask them. I shrugged and decided to tell her about myself of my own volition. She had spoken extensively about her own life and insecurities, meanwhile the details I¡¯d given were sparse and impersonal. I didn¡¯t owe it to her to open up, but I wanted to, and I wished I could¡¯ve done it from the start without any worries. I did love talking about myself and hearing my own voice.


    "I am not of this world." I began, already feeling amused at how confused I was about to make my friend. "I am a reincarnator. I have my past like''s memories. I was born as a human to my loving parents, and then I became like this, a demon, of my own free will and efforts. Any questions?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± she said after a few seconds passed. ¡°What? WHAT???!?!?!??¡±


    I laughed upon finally getting her reaction before I went on to explain in full detail what and who exactly I was.


    ~~~


    ¡°Wow,¡± Berry said. ¡°That¡¯s a lot.¡±


    I had explained to her my past life, the kind of family that I¡¯d had, some of my struggles, finally accomplishing my dreams, and then my eventual untimely death right after. I continued the story that I had once told her when we¡¯d first met, and clarified the parts that I¡¯d left out. I took a dangerous risk to achieve my dreams which led to me becoming an Imp, and my lifestyle had only gotten more brutal since. I¡¯d even taken another massive risk recently, which evolved my species to a fully-fledged demon, and the troubles with that metamorphosis was why I made her wait for seven months before getting a proper meeting with me.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s all I ever wanted. And I managed to seize it.¡± I squeezed my hand towards the rising sun.


    ¡°I understand now, Haell. Why you¡¯re so wary of revealing yourself to other people. Other than the work of the angels themselves, there¡¯s no precedent for becoming an entirely new species. I don¡¯t know how they¡¯ll react¡­ but they haven¡¯t been kind to new people so far¡­¡±


    ¡°And I doubt that¡¯d change. No matter how awesome I obviously am.¡±


    ¡°...I wish I had that confidence! But you¡¯re probably right. I don¡¯t know what it was like in your old world, but to give up being a human here. Not that there¡¯s anything wrong with being a demon! But you know... Humans just get so much¡­¡±


    The insinuation that I lost anything for following my dreams caused me to gnash my teeth in anger, but I quickly stopped myself from doing that. Berry didn¡¯t mean to condemn my choices, she didn¡¯t say anything that was untrue.


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong about there being a tradeoff, but I regret nothing about making that trade. I am only happy that I can now be the demon I always wanted to be.¡± I summoned wrath and infernal magic into my palm. I allowed them to swirl around each other, and then manifest at the same time. They reacted chaotically to each other¡¯s presence, and there was some mutual annihilation, but eventually the infernal magic would win because neither of them was built to destroy each other, but fire proved more versatile in that way. ¡°Besides. What status the humans do get is fleeting. Fragile. Demons get so much more. Especially me.¡±


    Berry was silent after that, no doubt mulling over the wisdom that I dropped. I chose to ask the all-important question again. ¡°So, I ask. What will you do? Do you still wish to hunt and adventure with me, or have I scared you off?¡±


    ¡°I want to! Absolutely!¡± She had seemed meek and confused this entire discussion, so the suddenness and speed of her response to that particularly difficult decision surprised me. ¡°S-sorry. I got carried away there¡­¡±


    ¡°No need for that,¡± I stood up and smiled. ¡°We¡¯re friends now, right? No need to be so reserved.¡±


    ¡°R-really? We¡¯re friends!?¡± She looked up at me hopefully.


    ¡°Yes. I wouldn¡¯t have told you all those things otherwise. Unless if you don¡¯t like it¡­?¡± I prompted.


    ¡°I like it! I absolutely like it!¡± She tackled me into a hug, and I crouched down awkwardly to return the gesture. That would take some practice to get right. ¡°I¡¯ll do well, I promise!¡±

 Chapter 90: All The Shouting.

    A few days of more hunting later, we came out of the treeline and into a road. We were each pushing a small cart that Moonwash had fashioned from random wood lying around in the forest, and we¡¯d packed them all with our bountiful harvest.


    ¡°This is a lot!¡± Berry referred to our massive haul of materials, and even a cart overgrown with vines and other plantlife that Moonwash was pushing. I¡¯d learned that it was apparently possible to preserve food with nature magic, but that was certainly not an effect I could accomplish with my limited grasp of element. Not that it was easy for other people, as Granuel couldn¡¯t do it either. It was overall a very rare and valuable skill that of course Moonwash could wield. My girlfriend was amazing.


    ¡°Hehe.¡± I preened at Berry¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°What¡¯d I tell you? Just leave it to me!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! You and Moonwash were amazing!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we!?¡±


    We continued along the packed road for a while longer, finding little resistance. I believed the monsters had learned to avoid this path. Sapients were more dangerous than whatever else they might encounter.


    ¡°Stop,¡± Granuel suddenly said, and we all immediately dropped our carts upon hearing his tone. He was quiet for a few seconds more, before finally adding, ¡°People up ahead. Likely bandits.¡±


    He just proved my point. The world was terrible, and the people in it were opportunistic and vain. They were hateful, they were a stain, and the only way forward was to be rid of them all!


    Not that I would actually do that. But the thought was starting to get kind of amusing.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± Berry spoke in almost a whisper, but she still stepped forward no matter how scared. If she really didn¡¯t want to be here, then I was truly of the opinion that she should just stay back in civilization and do what actually makes her happy, but I respected the hell out of her courage. She was by no means a liability despite her fear, not once had she allowed it to put us in danger.


    ¡°How do you guys want to do this?¡± Therick asked?


    ¡°How many enemies, Granuel?¡± I asked. I¡¯d already drawn my sword. ¡°A general idea?¡±


    ¡°Um, an ishkawtan, I believe, but she¡¯s not carrying any weapons. Maybe she¡¯s a mage. Then there¡¯s one human, and he has a bow. Two ogres, one kobold, five centaurs, three crustecars, and¡­ two belfegors that I can spot.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re outnumbered,¡± Therick said. ¡°Their levels?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Granuel shook his head. ¡°They¡¯re too far. They¡¯ve just reacted to us suddenly stopping and are moving this way.¡±


    ¡°They might just want to extract a toll,¡± Angerly¡¯s was¡­ reluctant, but she still asked, ¡°Should we give it?¡±


    ¡°Hell no!¡± I huffed. ¡°We fight and we kill them!¡±


    ¡°A-are we really going that far?¡± Berry asked. ¡°There¡¯s so many of them!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as they don¡¯t have a level 40 among them, we can take them.¡±


    ¡°But what about killing them? Is that really fine?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is! If they want to kill us, to steal from us, then I will fight back. No matter their reasons.¡±


    ¡°We have a lot of illegal materials here from the cursetacean we killed,¡± Moonwash spoke for her own interests. We had buried our illegal trophies under a pile of other things, and we¡¯d sort of just randomly sprayed other elements in there in hopes of diluting the curse still somehow present in the flesh. The hope was that people would feel something was off, but wouldn''t actually investigate. ¡°I¡¯m not giving those up.¡±


    ¡°Alright. We can¡¯t and won¡¯t give them our things, but please allow me to be diplomatic about this first,¡± Therick said, and we all nodded. ¡°You should be ready for a confrontation though, if it comes to it.¡±


    I was well ahead of him, with my sword already drawn, concealed hooves just ready to dash forward. I still had my contacts and my oversized boots up, but I was getting ready to at least coat my sword in wrath magic. If word of this somehow got out, then using some curse-aligned magic shouldn¡¯t be serious enough to touch me. It was illegal, but it wouldn¡¯t galvanize armies to move.


    A few tense seconds passed as Therick stood behind Berry, eyes scanning the treeline. I was right next to Granuel and Moonwash, and the former whispered to us where exactly the enemies were. He became able to tell some of their levels upon further observation, and I was already planning where I would best be able to do damage.


    ¡°That¡¯s about enough!¡± Therick shouted at the hidden bandits before they could surround us. ¡°What do you want!?¡±


    A laugh echoed between the trees, and then a centaur man stepped out from the treeline. ¡°Leave all your belongings, and we¡¯ll let you walk away without a fight!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Therick flat-out rejected. ¡°We just want to pass through in peace.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but we just want to unburden you of your load. Unless if you want to be unburdened of something else!?¡±


    ¡°There is nothing we wish to be unburdened by! But I am willing to part with a dozen gold for safe passage!¡±


    WHAT!? The offer made my hearts pump in rage, for we had no reason to be offering this filth anything. Angerly stepped in front of me before I could step forward and give Therick an earful for how he was handling this.


    ¡°No Haell,¡± She said a little bit too sharply, and my glare snapped to the ogre woman at the tone she took with me. ¡°Look¡­Please let Therick handle this. It¡¯s best to prevent a fight.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to prevent shit. I¡¯ll tear them apart!¡±


    ¡°You probably will,¡± she sighed. ¡°But there¡¯s no need to take the risk. And a couple of gold is no trouble. It¡¯d probably help them out a lot. I bet there¡¯s a camp they return to.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± I snapped quietly as the shouted negotiations continued in the background. ¡°It¡¯s not about the gold. It¡¯s nothing to me either. But it¡¯s the fucking principle of the thing!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d kill for principle?¡± Angerly asked me the genuine question.


    ¡°Depends.¡± I planted my sword on the ground so I could cross my arms. ¡°On who I have to kill and what principles had been broken.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ but please stay put.¡±


    I gave her a final glare, but stood my ground and waited like she¡¯d asked. ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°No. You will leave all those carts, and we will all search you personally for coin. Or we could just kill you all!¡± The centaur gave his ultimatum, and Therick had to sigh. My friend had tried everything, but even revealing our levels did nothing. Of course it didn¡¯t. We were a party of three level 20s, and three below that threshold. That was probably better than theirs in levels, but they had the advantage of sheer numbers. Oh and they didn¡¯t believe us. They might not have level sense at all, or it could be hard to get a proper read on us just yet from this far away.


    The adventurer badges didn¡¯t work either¡­ since Moonwash and I didn¡¯t even have a badge, and only Berry had a silver one. Therick didn¡¯t even try to argue that I was the equivalent of a level 40 in combat prowess as that would just make everything sound like even more of a bluff.


    ¡°It¡¯s your choice,¡± Therick said, dejected. ¡°Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t want you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my line!¡± The centaur reared up confidently and signaled to his allies. ¡°Get them!¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    We reacted to his signal faster than his allies could. Granuel shot several sharp pieces of stone towards the left side of the treeline, and Moonwash formed a massive fireball that rocketed towards the other. They¡¯d been preparing their spells the entire time Therick and the presumed bandit leader had been chatting.


    I too made my move, spurred on by the screams of those that were dying. My feet carried me to the left side of the road with a whiff of wrath magic, and I only had to draw deeper upon that well of anger to dodge an arrow shot toward me. The thrill of battle began to surge through, and the hatred that had been brewing for my enemies came to a boil. They had a chance, Therick even offered to fucking pay them, and yet they still chose death!


    So I will grant it to them.


    I surged into the treeline, immediately cutting apart the unmoving centaur on the ground as wrath magic surged through my sword. She was very likely already dead from the many stones lodged in her torso, but I would not let her play possum now only to lose my life or a friend later.


    I heard the stomping and shouting of an approaching ogre, over three meters tall, and beyond the threshold of level 20. I screamed back at him and charged, easily dashing past his axe and raking my sword across his thigh. It cut right through his weak leather and the flesh underneath, immediately causing him to limp.


    ¡°FUCK! MOTHERFUCKER!¡± He swung his axe wildly, but I was already running for the kobold far behind him. The kobold man took a deep breath, and I reasoned that a fire breath was coming. Instead of dodging, I flooded my legs with more wrath magic, ready to fling myself forward when suddenly someone dropped from the trees. A belfegor woman landed on my back, and she squeezed at me painfully, restricting my movements, but I could still ram the kobold and finish him off. That plan was dashed when a second belfegor landed on my back, and I fucking screamed as infernal flames blazed to life around my body, causing my shouts to be mirrored by my hanger-ons.


    The fire also surged through my helmet and into my skull. My contact lenses were resistant to heat, but they could be burnt off if exposed so directly. I helped with my wrath magic, and a stabbing pain struck my own eyes for a moment, but soon they were free. That sinister gaze only had eyes for one person, and my aura exploded out of me as I glared at the kobold.


    He stopped. He choked on his own breath, eyes wide in fear. Like a deer caught in the headlight, I crashed into him like a rampaging train. That knocked the wind out of him, along with his breath attack. It was a strong flame, stronger than anything I¡¯d ever seen anyone of his level do, and it came out in sputtering vomiting coughs toward the sky.


    All this time, the belfegors had desperately clung onto me through the heat of my own fire, preventing me from properly using my sword. They screamed louder as the fire that burned them suddenly grew even hotter, and that gave me the opportunity to violently tear them away from myself and toss them towards the sniveling kobold on the ground.


    They landed in a shrieking agonized heap as the kobold was not yet down spitting out gouts of flame, further setting all three of them ablaze. I slashed my greatsword into that writhing mass, and one belfegor was sliced in two. The other belfegor was so confused and burning that she never realized the fate of her comrade, until she suffered it too.


    "Wait!" The kobold coughed to get the last of the embers out of his lungs. His eyes were covered by the bloody remains of his friends, and he was gasping for air as his ribs had collapsed from the weight of my prior blows. "I surren--" He couldn''t finish the sentence as his reptilian head rolled away from his throat.


    I took a deep breath for the massacre that had occured, and another for the murders that were yet to come. It was not over yet. It would never be over.


    The ogre from earlier caught up to me soon after despite the limping leg, and I didn¡¯t try to parry his axe with my greatsword. Instead, I kicked off my boots, stepped into his guard, and slashed through an arm. It didn¡¯t cut all the way through, but it did make the entire limb useless, with even the bone broken.


    He looked at me with hate after trying and failing to lift that arm, but his rage was nothing compared to my wrath. I inflicted the same fate on his other arm, and then I beheaded him after I forced him to kneel.


    His remains landed on the ground as disgusting slabs of flesh.


    With a huff, I turned my attention to the rest of the battlefield. The bodies of centaurs and crustecars were strewn on the ground, dead from slashes, burns, and blunt-force projectiles. Moonwash and Granuel were firing into the other burning side of the forest as they huddled behind their shields, Angerly was panting over the crushed carapace of three crustecars, and Berry was running circles around the one remaining centaur.


    I charged towards the latter, their presumed leader, and the one who had started it all. The familiar sensation of my own body breaking surged through my psyche as the entire world blurred. It lasted for but a moment, and I collided against my target like a massive armored train. Blood rained, and entrails dropped like meteors as his horse and humanoid half were entirely separated from each other.


    Berry looked at me. She would be blinking if she had eyelids. But I had no time for her indecision. I charged again with all my might toward the burning part of the forest. The fire did not bother me as I searched, I did not care for the additional burnt bodies lying around, and it did not take long to find Therick trying to shake off a belfegor that had latched onto him. I immediately ran toward my friend, sent an infernal fireball toward a wheezing and unconscious human, and then slammed my wrathful eyes and aura toward the belfegor woman. I pried her from Therick even if it broke my hand, and then my friend stabbed the enemy in the chest until she finally let go.


    I tossed the belfegor away and burned her to a crisp.


    Therick wobbled away once he was free. He wheezed and panted from the pain, took a few deep breaths, and then noticed the sickly orange flame burning the dead human archer.


    ¡°Haell what the fuck!?¡± He coughed. ¡°You killed him!?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yes? That¡¯s the point!?¡±


    ¡°He was knocked out!!¡±


    ¡°And he could¡¯ve woken up at any moment to plant an arrow in our fucking backs!¡±


    We only got to continue glaring at each other for a small moment as a whine squeaked out nearby.


    My teeth clenched and my hands squeezed the pommel of my blade. I abruptly tore myself away from Therick and marched out of the sparse flames to find the disturbance. There I found an ishkawtan woman who had fallen on the ground. Her eyes were wide in terror and her entire body quivered.


    ¡°P-¡±


    Her head splattered into pieces of blood and gore before she could get a single word out.


    ¡°OKAY HAELL WHAT THE FUCK!?¡±


    Therick stumbled out behind me, dragging himself clumsily through the forest on broken bones.


    ¡°Shit, you¡¯re injured.¡± I started to summon vines and flowers in an attempt to heal him, but my friend swatted my hand away when I tried to give him support. I gnashed my teeth and I glared at him for how he¡¯d been treating me since earlier, but I pointedly stopped myself from punching him and just stared murderously.


    ¡°What? Are you going to kill me too!?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m not doing!!¡±


    ¡°H-hey! HEY! What¡¯s going on here!?¡± Berry arrived at our side, followed by the others.


    ¡°Guys, calm down!¡±


    ¡°Please! Don¡¯t fight!¡±


    ¡°Why are you the ones fighting?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fighting because Haell killed someone that was trying to surrender!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t fucking know that!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t because you killed her before she could speak!¡±


    I huffed through my nose and fumed, until I forced myself to sit and calm down. The others had begun to heal him, and we both just kept quiet for a long little while.


    Eventually, I spoke. ¡°This isn¡¯t a game, Therick. I have secrets to keep.¡± I pointed at my true eyes and my hooves. ¡°And they chose to fight us. Really fight us. To the death. There¡¯s no room for hesitation in war.¡±


    ¡°So what? Are you just going to kill everyone that knows?¡±


    ¡°OF COURSE NOT!¡± I roared, and found myself shouting again in response, but I really did not care right now. ¡°You¡¯re not listening. If she found out on accident, then I¡¯ll just take the fucking loss. But if she found out because they forced me to reveal who I was by putting me in this situation where I have to fight for my life, then yes I¡¯ll fucking kill them just like they were trying to do to me! To us!¡±


    He stared at me, and shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t even know that she knew about your secret. You¡¯re wearing a helmet, she might just question her memory of the event, and your eyes could still be passed off as some material-enhanced mutation!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point! They attacked first, they gave me a reason to fight for my life, so I had a plenty good reason to kill them already! There was no fucking reason to take the risk!¡±


    ¡°No reason!? She didn''t even throw a single attack!¡±


    That made me pause. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°YES!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± I shook my head. ¡°She was probably still their spotter, at least. She participated. That doesn¡¯t absolve you.¡±


    ¡°But you don¡¯t know that! She could¡¯ve been their slave for all you knew!¡±


    ¡°Oh, so what? Are you going to ask and make sure of all your opponent¡¯s backstories before you fucking kill them? Just present your back to them to plant a fucking dagger into!?¡± I sighed. ¡°I fucking abhor slavery, and I will kill anyone who dares to fucking do it. But I will never hold back on the battlefield, even against slave soldiers, just to get me and you killed!¡±


    The glares faded from our eyes, and we just continued to stare at each other in silence.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t do it for me.¡± Therick turned and walked away. ¡°You did it for yourself.¡±


    A tree shook, the world screamed like thunder, and my fist bled from punching a solid piece of fucking wood.

 Chapter 91: Contemplating Murder.

    Ah, fuck. I blew up.


    I looked at my bleeding hand, and then back at the dead and forgotten corpses of my enemies. I knew they had their reasons, I was not some paragon of justice that slew pure evil, but I couldn''t help but feel that they were just so pitiful.


    That punch was the most damage I ever took in this fight. A tree had caused me more pain than all their efforts combined. How else could I view that, other than with pity? Why didn''t they just take the godsdamned gold? I would''ve been pissed off, but I would''ve allowed it if they did the smart thing. I would live, and so would they.


    Stupid. So fucking stupid.


    I sighed and looked back at my friends. Moonwash was already trying to loot the bandits, Granuel and Therick were staring at me with different but both unreadable expressions, and the remaining two were looking elsewhere.


    "That was my bad." I raised both hands. One was still painful, but I could easily walk it off. "Sorry about that."


    I touched the tree, and willed my nature magic to flow from my mouth, through my other arm, and then towards its trunk. The bark mended, and new growth appeared. It''d be scarred, but not broken.


    ~~~


    We continued down the road after we¡¯d rested and healed our wounds for a short while. I trailed behind the group, silent and in thought. I honestly didn¡¯t think much of my actions back when it was happening. I understood the implications of course, but I didn¡¯t really like the idea of even talking once hostilities had started¡­ though I did shout profanities sometimes if emotions ran too high. But people were dangerous. Anyone would say anything to save their lives. How could I trust a surrender? It would be so easy to say the words, and then betray them right after. I did not trust my enemies.


    That was a moot point right now, however. I had a secret to keep, and anyone who forces me to reveal it would die.


    ¡°Haell.¡±


    ¡°Haell.¡±


    ¡°Psst. Haell.¡±


    I looked down and to my left, to find Granuel trying to get my attention. He had slowed down just enough to hang back here with me. But his voice was so quiet that I could barely hear it.


    ¡°What?¡±


    He seemed to panic at my normal tone. ¡°Uh. Um. Well. I was just wondering about earlier¡­ you did kill someone trying to surrender, right?¡±


    My eyes followed where he was looking, and found Therick pushing his cart, serious and studiously neutral.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be all secretive about it. I¡¯m not going to run from my actions.¡±


    ¡°O-oh, really?¡± Granuel perked up, and I nodded. Therick had glanced back at us, but just kept on pushing. ¡°Well¡­ I heard you kill someone that was trying to surrender earlier. Unless if I understood it all all wrong? I wasn¡¯t looking over there when it happened¡­¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I answered him honestly. ¡°That¡¯s an accurate description of what happened. I went to kill a kobold, two belfegors suddenly dropped on me, so I tossed them at each other, and then I hacked their bodies before they could reorient themselves. The kobold man tried to surrender in the end, but I beheaded him before he could finish. And of course, I could tell that he was about to surrender. I¡¯m not going to play dumb.¡±


    Therick finally stopped, and so did everyone else begin to slow down. He turned around and glanced at me with a complicated expression.


    ¡°Really, Haell?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I kept my voice level.


    He opened his mouth, then closed it again, many times. Finally, he asked, ¡°Why, Haell? Do you not feel any remorse for your actions?¡±


    "Believe or not, I do. But I didn''t want this fight, they did. That is what it means to war."


    "They were ragtag bandits! That''s no war."


    "Semantics," I shrugged. "It was a violent and lethal conflict, and I only responded in kind."


    "And you think that makes you better than them?"


    "As a matter of fact, I do. I wasn''t the one who wanted there to be bloodshed and murder this day. They did."


    He frowned for a moment, before he turned and walked back to his cart.


    ¡°Oh and Granuel,¡± I said once we started moving again. ¡°You seem to idolize me and all, and holy shit keep feeding my ego. But I¡¯m not¡­ the end all be all. I¡¯m not right about everything. So come to your own conclusions, please. And don¡¯t just follow my lead on everything. It¡¯s not healthy.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± He stopped for a moment, then jogged back up with his cart to catch up to us. ¡°Okay!¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°Um, Haell?¡± Berry hedged. I had drifted back up to the front of our procession, and she took this chance to strike up a conversation.


    ¡°Yeah? What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Well¡­ I was just wondering if it¡¯d always be like this¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean all the killing?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Did you never come across bandits before?¡±


    ¡°Well, we did¡­¡±


    ¡°What did guys do then?¡±


    ¡°We killed them. We-we had to. But, you know, they could¡¯ve easily been me. They¡¯re just people who fall through the cracks, tossed out of where they live, with nowhere else to turn to¡­¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ why?¡± Her voice was not confrontational. It was almost pleading. ¡°When I¡¯m with Granuel and the rest, we usually did spare bandits if they surrendered. The parties I was with before were the ones who killed everyone. They were downright gleeful about it. I was even forced to join subjugations of entire bandit camps, and-and we killed so many. Children, people just trying to eke out a living away from all support and constantly harassed by the adventurers taking quests to burn down their homes!¡± Her voice had become horrified. Berry shook as she sobbed. ¡°I-I should¡¯ve done something else. I should¡¯ve said something. And I did. But all that got me were more beatings. People would refuse to work with me again. I had no one to turn to, before I got to go out with the harvesters. I¡­ I understand what it¡¯s like to be that-that desparate¡­¡±


    I felt violently offended by the implied accusation that I was anything like them, but I knew my friend was being genuine here. That was truly what my behavior harkened to.


    ¡°Okay. I understand, Berry. To begin with, I¡¯ll say that I¡¯m not going to just murder a bunch of children in makeshift camps, okay? I understand the desperation and falling on hard times. I¡¯m familiar with criminal sorts from my past life. Some of them are genuinely fucked up and should be killed, but most are just desperate people with nowhere else to go and turn to. However, if it is war, then I will fight and kill these good men and women to protect myself. A big part of it is keeping my secret. Violently forcing me to reveal it will end in someone¡¯s death. But it¡¯s also a question of safety. Maybe¡­ maybe I¡¯m being paranoid, but how could I trust a surrender in the middle of battle? Have you never encountered someone who faked it?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ have. But it¡¯s rare.¡±


    I waited for her to continue.


    ¡°It usually doesn¡¯t happen if we¡¯ve routed them already. But if¡­ if the battle is still ongoing and we just leave them there, then there¡¯s a chance¡­¡±


    ¡°Exactly my point. And they could just wake up even if we knock them out. I could cut off all their limbs I guess, but that kind of seems more fucked up than just killing them¡­¡±


    ¡°I get the logic, Haell. But do you not¡­ feel bad as a person?¡±


    I shook my head sadly. ¡°I already said that I do. But once a battle has started, then I just consider even their words to be deceptions. I mean, if I were good with that kind of thing¡­ and if I truly didn¡¯t give a shit, without pride or anything, then it¡¯s what I would do. I do want to try for peace, but I¡¯ll ignore everything they have to say once negotiations have well and truly broken down. It is the inherent risk of picking a fight with me. So people really shouldn¡¯t do it. They should stop.¡±


    I looked up at the sky, and sighed at how beautiful the world remained despite what we had just experienced.


    ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe if I didn¡¯t have a secret to keep. Maybe if I had the luxury of overwhelming and unstoppable power. Maybe if I were truly unkillable. Maybe then I¡¯ll show more mercy. But this world is cruel, and I won¡¯t show it the mercy it isn¡¯t willing to show me.¡±


    We were silent after that, until Granuel eventually spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.


    ¡°Stop. There¡¯s a wagon approaching.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I did as he said, and so did the others.


    Therick walked forward, then looked at me. ¡°Haell. Stand back, please. I¡¯ll talk to them.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I readily agreed.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not the one looking for trouble here. I¡¯d be forced to act if it comes to it, but I¡¯d rather it doesn¡¯t come to that either. I hope you can get us out of this without a fight too.¡±


    My friend eyed me for a few moments longer, before nodding.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    We continued forward, as wagons passing through a road was just a normal occurrence, and not really an automatic cause for concern. It didn¡¯t take long for our groups to finally meet, and it was the other party that was more wary.


    ¡°Halt!¡± A human man in plate/leather armor bellowed from dozens of meters away. The wagon had also stopped, and so did the adventurers(?) that traveled on foot alongside it. ¡°Identify yourselves!¡±


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    ¡°Are you bandits!?¡± Shouted a very tense crustecar woman just behind him. There was still quite a distance between us, but it was enough to hold a shouted conversation.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re not bandits!¡± Therick answered. ¡°We¡¯re adventurers!¡±


    ¡°Really!?¡± shouted back the human. ¡°What is with your carts then!?¡±


    ¡°Are they what you stole from others!!?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been out here for a while, hunting!¡± Therick countered and showed his bronze badge. ¡°We made these carts to stow our bounty!¡±


    The human tried to squint at it, until he finally concluded, ¡°I can¡¯t see it! Come closer!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Therick power-walked forward, and I felt the mana flowing through my hooves. I was ready to dash in should it be necessary.


    Therick stopped at the midpoint between us, and the leader of the other group took the hint and went there as well. They had a short conversation, until Therick finally waved us over. I relaxed and followed, but I was still ready for a sudden trick.


    ¡°Hey there!¡± The human woman who sat upon the driver¡¯s seat of the wagon called out to us once we were in range. There were two centaurs that were pulling it along. ¡°I hear you¡¯re adventurers?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We are,¡± Granuel confirmed, albeit that wasn¡¯t officially true for all of us, and neither were we in any sort of official quest. ¡°We¡¯ve just gone out on a week-long hunting spree. And now we¡¯re going back to Latarus.¡±


    ¡°The city?¡± She looked behind her as if she could see it from here. Who knows, maybe she was some hidden master. ¡°That¡¯s a long way from here. You¡¯re walking all the way there?¡±


    ¡°We can if we have to. But we were hoping to hitch a ride somewhere. Maybe a wagon.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯d offer to turn right around, but I got a delivery to make.¡± The wagon was full of wheat and rice. ¡°I hear there¡¯s a new village just a couple hours down this road, but you probably know this place better than I do.¡±


    ¡°The advice is appreciated nonetheless. We came across an actual bandit group in the way you¡¯re going by the way, so maybe you should be careful.¡±


    ¡°Ah, thank you. I¡¯ll relay that to the adventurers.¡±


    Granuel nodded. ¡°It was nice meeting you, miss.¡±


    ¡°Likewise. Safe journeys to you all.¡± She turned toward the centaurs. ¡°Jasmine, Trevor. If you would, please.¡±


    The adventurers also gave their own curt farewells, and then we were out of each other¡¯s hair.


    ~~~


    We arrived at the aforementioned small village an hour or so later, after passing by a couple of other wagons and travelers in encounters that were thankfully not as tense. The village had stone walls that were only about a meter taller than I was, and its wooden gate was guarded by a crustecar and human pair. They seemed to be deep in conversation about what monster they¡¯d protect the village from when the crustecar guard noticed us and took a ready but non-hostile stance.


    ¡°Halt,¡± he said. ¡°This is the village of Gratil. State your business.¡±


    The human man also got in position and stared at us warily.


    ¡°We wish no trouble.¡± Granuel presented his badge. ¡°Just adventurers, passing through, and possibly looking for a wagon that would take us home.¡±


    ¡°Let me see,¡± the human guard scrutinized the badge. ¡°Alright. You may pass.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any wagon going out right now though,¡± said the other guard. ¡°But we¡¯ve got great beds and baths.¡±


    ¡°Shh! Don¡¯t say that out loud.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Right. Uh, we don¡¯t got great baths. That you don¡¯t need.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Granuel chuckled. ¡°We have tried to clean ourselves, but we were still in the wilderness for weeks. We would all love to see the famous baths and beds of Gratil Village.¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°Moonwash,¡± I said as I stared at her head nuzzled against my chest. The place truly did have great beds, although that may just be my recent experiences talking. I had taken off pieces of my armor in the privacy of a personal room, but I still had enough on to masquerade as a human¡­ with hooves and weird eyes somehow. It would be weird, but not impossible.


    ¡°What is it, Haell?¡±


    ¡°What do you think about what I did?¡±


    ¡°It was amazing.¡±


    ¡°W-wait. Huh? Really? I mean¡­ I honestly don¡¯t really regret it. I had my reasons. And yeah, what I did was very impressive on a technical level. But I wouldn¡¯t call what I did to those bandits amazing¡­ I meant morals and shit!¡±


    ¡°Oh. I was talking about the sex.¡±


    I laughed so hard, I coughed and breathed like a drowning dolphin.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We did fuck.¡±


    ¡°Okay Moonwash you have got to be messing me!¡±


    ¡°A little bit.¡±


    I squinted my eyes down at her, and she peered back up at me from below with her usual bland look. My eyes lingered just a little longer on the parts of her body visible underneath the sheets.


    ¡°...Thank you for saying I¡¯m amazing. It¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    ¡°ANYWAY! What about the thing though! The thing! What do you think of it!?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, I think it was fine. They attacked us first, now they can¡¯t anymore, and your secret is safe. I don¡¯t really see anything wrong with it.¡±


    ¡°Right!?¡± I couldn''t help but blurt out. ¡°But¡­ maybe I should at least adjust my behavior a little. Maybe. The others did have a point.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you. But what would you do differently? I agree that sparing people is more dangerous, especially with all the secrets you want to keep.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know yet. Maybe¡­ I should just feel worse about it than I do right now?¡±


    ¡°Why? What does that accomplish?¡±


    ¡°Make me¡­ shit, is it just for my own self-satisfaction then? But I just don¡¯t know what else I can do that doesn¡¯t put me or you at risk!¡±


    ¡°Talk to me then.¡± Moonwash climbed up the bed and gave me a deep kiss. ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out together.¡±


    I was in love.


    ~~~


    I and Moonwash woke up the next day, finding Angerly in the mess hall of the inn. Places could still fit her, but it was starting to get somewhat cramped. It wasn¡¯t a problem yet, but it would soon be.


    ¡°Hey Moonwash, Haell!¡± She waved us over and we sat down. The place was homey, not entirely sparse in decorations, but certainly sparse in people. We shared in some small talk as we had a simple but filling breakfast. Angerly seemed perfectly normal around me as she talked about things that were¡­ really mundane. Such as her love life, and the people she was meeting. What new shops were around our city, and what she thought about them. My friend seemed to like this village, and even expressed a desire to someday retire in a quiet place like this. I wished her all the happiness in the world.


    Eventually however, the topic had to be brought up.


    ¡°I want to talk about what happened yesterday,¡± I said, and gestured to Moonwash with a swirl of my hand.


    My girlfriend obliged, and encased us in a thin bubble of air that distorted all sound coming in or out. It was a trick she¡¯d learned from Elfrafim.


    ¡°You mean when you killed everyone, including those who tried to surrender?¡± Angerly asked, looking me in the eye.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯ve kinda talked about this with everyone, so you know, might as well just get it out of the way.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°I like that about you, you know? Direct.¡± She looked out the nearby window. ¡°These things happen, people die. It¡¯s part of the job and what I signed up for. But have you no honor, Haell?¡±


    ¡°Depends. Do my opponents have it?¡±


    She looked back at me, somewhat perplexed and amused. ¡°I expected you to just deny it out of hand!¡±


    ¡°Well, I do think it¡¯s stupid. I¡¯ll not handicap myself.¡± I shrugged. ¡°But if it¡¯s like an honorable duel or something, then I think I want to honor the terms. But those bandits never gave us the chance to establish any sort of rules, and¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll trust them if they do. I get that a lot of them are probably just people who had fallen off the cracks, but¡­ I still don¡¯t trust them any further than I can throw¡­ shit, I can throw things pretty far. Uhh, I trust them about as much as I can throw the barrier range?¡±


    ¡°So you will trust them once you can toss mountains around?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I chuckled. ¡°Exactly. If I were all-powerful like that, then I will trust them to uphold their word. Or else.¡±


    My friend gave a good laugh, but the smile gradually faded from her face. ¡°But seriously, Haell. It¡¯s fucked up.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± I mirrored her expression. ¡°But this really isn¡¯t up for debate until I¡¯m more secure in my power and have to hide no longer. I don¡¯t mind sparing them if I don¡¯t have to reveal my hooves or my eyes I guess, but those can be big handicaps.¡±


    There was silence for a few seconds, until Angerly finally spoke up again. ¡°I don¡¯t like it. But I understand. It¡¯s the nature of our job. This is what it means to fight. It is what it is.¡±


    ¡°It is what it is,¡± I agreed.


    ~~~


    Granuel had taken Therick and Berry along to see about getting a wagon, and they were already loading cratefulls of our stuff into it by the time we arrived. The rest of us helped them, Granuel paid the human man in charge of the stable a small sum up front, and soon two centaurs were pulling our carriage along towards Latarus City.


    The journey was mostly uneventful from then on. We were quieter than normal, but we still chatted and jostled around. I and Therick brushed elbows sometimes in interactions, and while it was clear we hadn¡¯t come to an agreement, things were still civil and we could even have fun together.


    Eventually, the city came into view. The centaurs reached the ramp, and slowly, we began our ascent. A man suddenly got pushed in the corner of my vision, and I noticed that he was sick. His family of five quickly huddled around him protectively, and the guard that tossed him out clicked her tongue.


    ¡°Don¡¯t come back.¡± With that ultimatum, the guard ascended back up the ramp along with two of her companions. The people had noticed this event, but most immediately went back to their business once the commotion was over. It was not an uncommon occurrence.


    ¡°That¡¯s fucked up.¡± I grimaced. I only just now noticed that my hands had balled into fists.


    ¡°Do you even care, Haell?¡± Therick asked.


    The family was just standing at the side of the road that led out of the city now, at a complete loss for what to do next. I reckoned that their tattered clothing, malnourished bodies, and meager possessions were the reason why they were exiled. Here we didn¡¯t have the poor and the homeless, because we tossed them out to die.


    I slowly turned to face Therick and looked him in the eye. Moonwash channeled her noise-canceling spell. ¡°Of course I care. I hate to see people oppressed like this. I hate to see freedom so¡­ so stifled. But what happened with those bandits was different. Mercy is a luxury that I do not have. However¡­ I don¡¯t think I was thinking about that before. I wasn¡¯t thinking about anything other than killing the enemy right in front of me, and at least in part, protecting you all too. They were trying to kill us after all, so I responded by killing them. And once I¡¯ve decided, well¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll stick to it. I understand. I also understand that what you did posed less risk. But is that amount of safety really worth being like¡­ this?¡±


    ¡°Letting them talk could be a distraction, it could lead to an opening. I know just how strong I am for my level, but that¡¯s precisely why I do not let my guard down. If I can kill those who should be beyond me, then there is no reason why I cannot suffer that same fate.¡±


    Therick took a few seconds to process that. The wagon had passed through the bridge and down the ramp to the other side. Granuel had taken care of talking to the guards, showing his adventurer¡¯s badge, and guiding our centaur drivers.


    ¡°Okay¡­ I think I understand. But is it worth it to be safe but live through such¡­ horrors?¡±


    ¡°If I get to live, then yes.¡± I shrugged. ¡°But¡­ maybe we could warn them harder in the future? ¡®If you pick this fight, then we will kill you. So please, turn back. Don¡¯t toss your life away.¡¯¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ well, it¡¯s better. But people won¡¯t change their minds. Is this not just there to make us feel better?¡±


    I¡¯d said the same thing, when I had talked about this with Moonwash.


    ¡°But then that¡¯s their choice. We¡¯re fighting for our lives here. Or worse, maybe. There are fates worse than death.¡± I glanced at Moonwash. ¡°I loathe to lose an advantage, but if you really think¡­ it would be better. How about a show of force? Moonwash could just shoot a massive fireball into the sky.¡±


    ¡°Hmmmmm. Shit. I think I actually like that idea! But if you¡¯re concerned about the element of surprise and wasting some of our prep, wouldn¡¯t it be better to give away your eyes or your aura?¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m trying to keep a secret, Therick!¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. Yeah.¡± He scratched his head, then fixed his posture straight. ¡°I stand by most of what I said. But I¡¯m sorry for blowing up on you like that. I know you have your wrath mana to contend with too¡­¡±


    I stalled him with a hand. ¡°No. That¡¯s my responsibility to keep control of. No need to step on eggshells around me. If I can¡¯t control myself, then that¡¯s my fucking fault.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m sorry too. I have my own reasons, but¡­ yeah. I got too heated.¡±


    I extended out my hand, and he shook it.


    ¡°Friends?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Of course!¡± He was quick to answer. ¡°I never said we weren¡¯t. I just¡­ got spooked.¡±


    ¡°I understand. All we can do is find compromise,¡± my gaze pierced into his, ¡°or stop and go our separate ways.¡±


    That was an important option to remember. Sometimes, it was really the only way forward, and everything else would see you plummeting down a jagged burning cliff, filled with eldritch tentacle maws at the bottom.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want that.¡± Therick gulped.


    ¡°Neither do I.¡±

 Chapter 92: To Learn Anatomy.

    I faced my father in the sparring basement. He took a ready stance, eyes watching for me to make a move. I held his gaze for a few moments longer, and then obliged.


    My hooves charged forward, and my hands slashed a practice sword towards my dad. He met the strike with his own, and I found myself losing the exchange. A counterattack followed before I could react, and a wooden stab slammed into my unarmored guts.


    I coughed, and saliva came out. My vision blurred red as I glared at my enemy. I¡¯m stronger than this, and you would be no match if I just unleashed it all!


    I breathed hard, and gradually calmed down. I was grateful that my dad made no mention of the ugly frown that must''ve formed on my face. My temper was still an issue that sometimes popped up, but especially so for occasions like this.


    "Again." I cracked my neck, felt the pain in my belly already fading away, and then revealed the strain building through my limbs. I released that mass of tension and struck with a wrathful might that wasn''t present before. It was as if thunder had struck when our blows collided, the wooden greatswords bounced off each other, and then my dad recovered well before I did.


    I saw his slash coming, but I could do nothing as it sent a lance of pain jolting through my shoulder. My dad then had the gall to look worried as I snarled, as if this was not his fault and his doing! This was of course an unreasonable line of thought, because I literally asked for this training, and he was even reluctant. So I remained in control of my actions despite the sheer wrath pounding through my head as I gradually came down from my dangerous high.


    If I were to look for a silver lining, then this was some really good practice for managing my wrath instincts.


    ¡°Haell, are you okay? Should we stop?¡±


    ¡°No. Let¡¯s continue. Please.¡±


    I lifted my sword in front of my face, and then charged again against an opponent far more experienced. I slammed myself over and over against this immovable wall that was my father, unwilling to give up no matter how much I was knocked down. At first, I lost almost immediately every single time. If I go at it head-on, then Dad would deflect my slash in a way that left me vulnerable for a counter. If I tried to be tricky, then I would only end up cornering myself as I wasted too much movement and gave Dad an opportunity to bring me down. Time especially was not on my side, as while I could almost get close to holding my own against him in sheer power with the help of magic, my dad had unimaginably more stamina than I did. I tried to use a mini-ritual once to truly match him in strength, and he just went on the defensive for a few swings, easily deflecting my stronger strikes, before incapacitating me once my movements grew sloppy.


    ¡°That¡¯s dangerous,¡± he commented with a worried frown. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you fight, and that power is absurd for someone of your size and level, but it comes with a price.¡±


    ¡°I know that!¡± I spat, then more softly. ¡°I know that.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Good. But you can¡¯t keep fighting with injuries like that. We¡¯ll call it a day for today.¡±


    ~~~


    A few more days passed as I sparred and trained with my Dad. I watched how he handled himself, which seemed so far removed and superior to what I¡¯d seen of him until now. I had finally gotten him to fight me seriously, but paradoxically, that only made the gap between us seem even wider.


    ¡°Again,¡± I announced, already sweating from many prior spars. I flexed my legs and charged, having concluded that a frontal assault was truly the best option for a demon like me. Our wooden swords clashed and met, then they bounced off, almost as if repelled. That was on purpose, for I had become well aware that I would completely lose a prolonged push each and every time. My dad was also more agile, he was able to react quicker and aim for the finisher, but this time I was able to recover fast enough to meet his follow-up.


    The blow still sent me reeling, my legs quaked from the strain, but I knew that my dad would not let up on the pressure, so I hurriedly fixed my stance to deflect his next strike.


    We exchanged a few more blows like that, I was forced on the defensive, until I finally fucked up and got hit hard on my side. It was another loss, I crumpled to the ground, this was the best I could do right now.


    It was a truly humbling experience to see the full extent of the power that my father had been holding back against me whenever we had sparred before. It was also infuriating, and my ego raged at every single humiliating loss, but not once did I allow myself to lose control. Perhaps I''d miss this someday, to be able to get this much out of a spar with my dad when I had finally overtaken him. But perhaps that would be fine too, so he could finally retire and rest.


    ¡°I think for the first time, I¡¯m glad that I took up the sword. I feel passionate about it,¡± my father had said yesterday, after a quick break where we ate enough to feed a dozen peasants. ¡°If it means I¡¯m able to teach you what you need to take on this world, then perhaps it was all worth it in the end.¡±


    In truth, if we truly fought to the death, then I would already be able to face him on even ground. I had far more tricks than my swordsmanship, and each one was lethal and dangerous in their own way. One could even argue that I was good enough at the sword, for I was a demon who had far more abilities competing for my attention. Who could blame me for falling behind in one particular skill, when I had so many more?


    But ¡®enough¡¯ was not enough.


    Even Therick was able to surpass me in sheer skill, where I had once been stronger.


    There were so many excuses I could make; from how he was naturally more agile, to how the human brain was better suited to learning and improving new skills; but I would not make them.


    This was a weakness, and I would overcome it.


    I am a fucking demon, and I will not let a single drop of power go to waste.


    "Hey Dad. Can we take a short break?" I said, still panting and sweating on the floor.


    "Of course," he smiled, sweating even heavier than I. That just meant he was getting his energy back faster. "We can call it quits anytime."


    "No, not quits." I shook my head and sat in the lotus position. "I just had a great idea."


    "Right." His scary features morphed into a mirthful grin. "That isn''t worrying at all."


    "Oh come off it," I rolled my terrifying goat-like eyes. "My ideas aren''t that bad. You should see the things Moonwash can come up with!"


    He hummed an agreement, but he didn¡¯t sound convinced!


    "Ugh." I chuckled and sunk deep into meditation. I noticed that Dad was content to just sit silently on the ground while I focused. "You could um, go up. This''d take a while."


    Dad nodded and ascended the steps.


    I closed my eyes once he was gone, and felt for that feeling just out of reach. Information flooded from my memory core and towards my brain, but none of it coherent. I searched through that chaotic sea of memories, and it was like reading through a thousand books superimposed against each other. I projected the image of the scene I wanted, and what I got in response was a memory of me as an 8-year-old child, still a human, sparring against Fiya. I snorted, and tried again. The next one was with my father, but it was still that of a long time ago, back when I was not even half as tall as I was now. The next was more recent... but that was when I seriously attacked and tried to kill him, back when I just got my infernal heart. Finally, after many more iterations, I found just what I was looking for.


    The memory of our most recent spar.


    I relived the experience again, as if it was truly happening in this moment. Some of the wrath I felt back then echoed back into me now, and I had to struggle to keep my focus. I continued to replay that same spar, then all of our recent ones. With an objective eye, I examined my form and my posture, my strategies and mistakes, in all of those fights. I saw it all from a first-person perspective.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    That limited the breadth of information I had access to, and I had the idea to leave some mirrors lying around. Maybe I could replace all of our walls with it, like some kind of dancing studio. Glass was difficult to make, but it was made possible with magic and money. It''d be easier to find some in the coastal cities, so maybe I should try to get some when we go on our trial expedition there.


    My eyes snapped open, once I was satisfied with the memories I had relived. I stood back up and grabbed my sword, making sure to keep my mental images fresh.


    Here, in the middle of my mother¡¯s basement, I redid the stances and movements that I did during my earlier spars with my father. I felt where my balance may have been off, and then I adjusted. I imagined what tactics I could have chosen to do instead, and then I adjusted. I focused on the basic movements that I should''ve already known, and then I adjusted.


    Who needs to recognize patterns, when I can just replay my exact memories like this?


    For every disadvantage that I had, there were so many more advantages whose full potential I had yet to realize, let alone surpass. So in that way, I continued to practice and exist in an almost timeless fashion. I entered a trance as I learned, improved, and evolved as a person. I occasionally reaccessed my memory core, to relive every new iteration. New habits developed, my reflexes flexed into new forms, and I grew exponentially as a fighter. I was stronger now than I was at the start of this day, and I would be stronger again in just a few seconds more.


    I didn¡¯t know if I could call this a part of being a demon. But it was definitely a part of being Haell Zharignan.


    ~~~


    "Hello, Haell." Moonwash''s voice snapped me out of my trance, and she did not come alone.


    "Hi!" Berry awkwardly wobbled down the stairs. They just weren''t made with her kind in mind. Maybe we should do something about that, if she planned to visit this often. "Back at it again, Haell? I don''t get how you can work so hard at it, but I''m inspired!"


    I chuckled, happy that things had not become awkward between us, and then promptly fell on my butt. It looks like I''d been at it for longer than I thought. My girlfriend came over to check on me, then nodded once she¡¯d decided that I was okay, and was just being my usual silly self. Today¡¯s dinner was a whole pot of aligya, a kind of soup and pasta type of dish preferred by the crustecar people. I suspected Berry had helped prepare it.


    "This is your food," Moonwash said, handing me a bowl.


    "Wow. Amazing. I learn something new every day.¡±


    We looked at each other with equally blank faces, before I finally cracked.


    "I''m kidding. I''ll go eat this. And thank you!"


    "You''re welcome."


    We chatted as we ate, and we were soon joined by my parents as they came down carrying their own trays of food. They had brought trays of other food, and I sneaked in a few bites of their own meals. The sheer volume of blood I had to be replaced, in addition to my regeneration needs that had only gotten worse. Therefore, my actions were justified. Mom and Dad only smiled at my theft.


    "I thought we''d spar later?" Dad asked cheekily.


    "Yeah... I got carried away." I shrugged and took a big bite out of a froggior burger in my left hand. "Oh, but we totally still can!"


    I grabbed my practice sword with my other hand and looked at the ruined piece of wood, utterly chipped and dented by the spars I and my dad had done earlier. We''d used some really high-quality wood made by Baston, but it was still wood at the end of the day, and not enhanced by a living organism nor the active use of nature magic.


    "Can I see your practice sword, Dad?"


    "Hm? Why?"


    "Nothing. I just noticed something. It could be just because you''re stronger, but aren''t these damages on my sword just so... smooth and clean?" I gestured with my burger toward several cuts and chips. I was no stranger to ruined sparring swords before, but the damages sustained here seemed to be more what I''d expect if my opponent''s sword was actually sharp and made of metal.


    Even my clothes had some cuts here and there, but I supposed my dad did hold back just before hitting me.


    "No," my dad answered. "It''s probably... my anatomic mastery."


    "I knew it!" I blurted out, and then covered my mouth after several pieces of meat and bread had flown out. "Sorry. I got excited there. But why didn''t you tell me you had one!"


    ¡°I¡¯m not that good at it,¡± he sighed. ¡°This much is my limit, and that¡¯s after so many years of trying. It only came out now because you¡¯ve gotten a lot stronger, and I actually had to take you seriously.¡± He smiled, which looked a bit slanted on his scarier features, but I felt warmed regardless. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you, Haell. You¡¯ve really done well for yourself.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Well, I think you¡¯re super cool anyway! The coolest dad in the world!¡± I finished my burger and waited as he actually shed a tear because of my words. ¡°So, how does it work? Anatomic mastery I mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not very good at it as mentioned, so don¡¯t expect anything crazy. But it¡¯s basically about just doing swordsmanship better after doing it for so long?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t only about swordsmanship, or weapons, or even combat in general.¡± Moonwash clarified as she drank a whole mug of bisorn milk. ¡°The theory of anatomic mastery is about the mana inherently present in everything, including our bodies, and how it could aid us in certain actions, particularly noticeable in combat skills, if we¡¯re able to go beyond mastery over a certain thing.¡±


    ¡°I see. So if I fling literal shit at people enough times, I would be able to fling shit at people better?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the theory. However, I¡¯ve never heard of an anatomic mastery for such a thing before. Please do it, Haell. I want to see the result. Resonate with that shit.¡±


    I guffawed. ¡°Fuck off.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a very rare skill,¡± Mom chimed in once I was done laughing at flinging shit. At the idea of flinging shit. I wasn¡¯t actually flinging shit at people... ¡°I¡¯ve only seen like¡­ maybe four people who¡¯ve had it. It¡¯s hard to even know they do, because if something is made just a little bit sharper during combat then well¡­ How do you know it¡¯s not just a sharper sword? The only time I¡¯ve really seen it utilized noticeably is by the swordreaper.¡±


    ¡°Oooh! The Swordreaper! I¡¯ve heard about her. It¡¯s such a cool nickname.¡±


    ¡°It is, isn''t it?¡± Mom smiled. ¡°But it¡¯s not just for show. I saw her once before, and her every slash traveled outwards for dozens of meters. A slicing shockwave of sorts was created, and she could cut down whole swathes of enemies with a single slash.¡±


    ¡°Your grandpa should also know it,¡± Dad said. ¡°He''s explained it to me before when he taught me, but apparently you could get a myriad of different effects by obtaining an anatomic mastery. Most who even manage to get one just use it for making their every slash sharper, or they could choose to parry better. My father has more chosen to focus on the basics and fundamentals.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Can you not get both? All?¡±


    ¡°Well, you can. It¡¯s just very difficult.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that it takes an inordinate amount of time and talent to be able to do one thing with anatomic mastery,¡± Mom elaborated. ¡°And it¡¯s something that can be honed further and further, which is an easier process than doing an entirely new thing, but probably adds to your total combat potential more than trying to do everything. Not that I would know given that I¡¯m primarily a mage¡­ or maybe I do. My magic does get better and better the more I practice, and who knows if certain such concepts are at work. Magic is weird, anything mana in general is weird, and then there are also Mutations and just the natural development then deterioration of the body. Unless you¡¯re really good at it, it¡¯s super hard to tell if you¡¯re even making progress with your anatomic mastery.¡±


    ¡°There are theories about how you are making progress no matter what you do. It¡¯s just so miniscule of an improvement that you can¡¯t tell,¡± Moonwash said. ¡°Like Haell flinging shit for example.¡±


    Berry had looked a little lost during this conversation so far, but she chose those particular words to bob a nod towards.


    ¡°I am not doing that!¡± I protested. ¡°But that¡¯s all very interesting! I¡¯ve done a lot of repetitive practice, so have I tapped into an anatomic mastery already? Hell, humans are very good at pattern recognition, and I know just how much easier it was to practice with that kind of brain. Maybe it works for anatomic mastery too?¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it¡­¡± Dad hedged, ¡°all the people I know for certain that have it are humans¡­¡±


    ¡°Dang,¡± Mom fumed. ¡°I¡¯d be fu¨Cvery mad if magic wasn¡¯t benefitting from this!!¡±


    ¡°Fuck yeah!¡±


    ¡°Language, Haell! But I guess you¡¯re an adult now¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s not a big deal to try and avoid it sometimes. But it¡¯s just not me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I understand that. Thank you for at least indulging me when you were a child. I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t know why I even did that. I guess I just really wanted you to experience being a child, but the way I expressed it was more similar to how I was raised than I cared to admit at the time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mom.¡± I smiled at her. ¡°It was more funny than anything, so it¡¯s all good. And I never felt forced or anything, there was never any consequence if I cursed. It was¡­ just a request. And I chose to honor it.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, of course. I wouldn¡¯t have grounded you or anything! And thank you Haell, for allowing me that. But since we are all adults here and now¡­¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°FUCK!¡±¡±¡±


    We all chorused, and it was beautiful.

 Chapter 93: Silence.

    Therick and Granuel led the way as I walked behind in my full mythril armor. People subtly made way for us on the sidewalk, and I wondered if that was just because of my armor while my friends were dressed in formal attire, or if they could somehow feel the power emanating from my every movement. It wasn¡¯t an unreasonable thing to happen too, as the mana that I leaked could be felt; if I were to actually leak any anyway. As it stood, I had dumped all of my stock in our basement before I went out, and I had more blood than my mass to fill before it could leak out again.


    Wagons rode, gigantic people walked, and some ran insanely fast along the streets. The traffic here was certainly worse than how it was back in my day when I was a wee child. Maybe it was time I held a cane and yelled at them about the good ol¡¯ days.


    ¡°Mind sharing the joy?¡± Therick asked when he noticed me giggling to myself.


    That¡­ could be a test, so I only grunted in response. My eyes were hard-set in a glare, my armor clanked noisily, and my every move was made to be intimidating. I would never reveal my secrets if I didn¡¯t speak at all!


    This was the persona that I¡¯d painstakingly created with Elfrafim and my parents. The former had some level of experience in acting as the elves sometimes organized plays of varying sorts. Latarus had some too, and my parents had watched some every now and again. I wished I¡¯d attended more in the past, while I could still be seen out in public without being all covered up.


    We arrived at the warehouse, and it was newly stocked with new materials from our recent excursion. Berry was already there, organizing some of the crates and materials we had in stock. She waved at me with her claw, and I only nodded in response.


    ¡°It¡¯s a persona. Spy shit. I¡¯m hidinnnggg.¡± I had to say to her, because Berry looked sad when she thought I was ignoring her.


    ¡°Oh! I mean, oh. Carry on¡­ soldier¡­?¡±


    I snorted and took my place behind Granuel as he carefully inspected everything with a critical eye. Eventually, he sat down on a desk near the entrance and looked over some documents, while I did my best impression of a statue.


    ¡°Hey Berry,¡± I lasted all of five minutes. I decided to talk to her to pass the time. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± She looked up at me. ¡°Aren''t you supposed to be¡­ acting right now?¡±


    ¡°Bah! It¡¯s just us here. It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well. Things are good?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice. So do you work here? I thought before that you didn¡¯t take Granuel up on his offer?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. Well, I guess I help out sometimes, and Granuel would make sure to pay me for it. But if I¡¯m going out to be an adventurer anyway, then why bother?¡±


    ¡°That makes sense. I wouldn¡¯t make more work for myself if it isn¡¯t fun.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! I¡¯d rather just hang out with whatever you guys are doing.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re doing a fine damn job of that.¡±


    Berry often came to visit my home, and I found out that she did that for everyone in our friend group. She had an apartment of her own, but I didn¡¯t know how much she even used it anymore, since she would frequently just sleep over at one of our places. I knew she got lonely easily, and she''d confided in me once that she gets really¡­ antsy and depressed if left alone with her own thoughts for too long. I would suggest she go to a therapist, but our closest equivalents were the churches, and I didn¡¯t think anything good would come out of that.


    It wasn¡¯t a problem to host her at least. She was welcome anytime.


    ~~~


    We chatted for a while longer until someone else entered the building. Berry scurried off towards the back of the warehouse, and I did my own self-imposed job of standing menacingly behind my friends.


    A well-dressed man walked through the entrance, followed by a level 20 human and a kobold of the same milestone.


    I can take them, I scoffed internally, but knew that things wouldn¡¯t escalate into a fight. And I shouldn¡¯t be hoping for it. Why was this my first thought first thing in the morning??


    The negotiations that ensued, however, only justified my earlier desire for violence.


    ¡°This is the fur of a Level 40 vladmonke,¡± Granule said, a couple of minutes into the discussions. ¡°Of course it¡¯s expensive.¡±


    ¡°There are parts missing, and some are even damaged.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a natural consequence of fighting the monster. You don¡¯t expect us to just take the fur of a level 40 monster without damaging it, do you?¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s your job. The more you damage it, the lower the price.¡± The merchant¡¯s voice was lecturing and patronizing.


    ¡°This is a fair, and even slightly lower price than what you¡¯ll get for something similarly damaged.¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong. While you''ve been out only in the nearby forest doing whatever it is that you do, I¡¯ve been working hard to keep track of the market across the whole of the Slothorian Rainforest, and I¡¯ve seen a level 40 vladmonke fur go for less than that.¡±


    ¡°I know that that was the case a few years ago, but the prices of goods have risen in the last few years, especially here in this newly crowned city of Latarus.¡±


    Granuel proceeded to present a detailed review and analysis of exactly what he just mentioned.


    ¡°You did a good job here,¡± the merchant replied like a teacher looking at a child¡¯s drawing. ¡°Very well thought out, and it shows that you¡¯re really putting in the effort.¡± It will take so much less effort to crush your head. ¡±But this is all just theoretical mathematics and speculation. It doesn¡¯t trump the prices established in the real world.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Granuel said and straightened his spine. The man across from him nodded approvingly. ¡°Well then, I suppose this means you won¡¯t be buying the fur. It¡¯s unfortunate, but I wish you well in obtaining it elsewhere.¡±


    I almost snorted, but I kept in character and just continued to glare from underneath my helm. Good luck getting the materials of a level 40 vlandmonke elsewhere, asshole.


    ¡°What!? You can¡¯t just dismiss me. I came all this way to do business with you. Please show some professionalism.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes deals just don¡¯t come to pass.¡± Granuel shrugged. ¡°It happens, and professionals understand this.¡±


    ¡°No. I have been nothing but helpful to you, trying to teach you how this works, and entertaining this crazy experiment of yours.¡± He turned to Therick. ¡°But Therick, your hire is clearly not up for this position. Please make the actual decision, and have someone better handle the negotiating next time.¡±


    ¡°No. I trust his judgment. The deal fell through. It happens. It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not fine,¡± the stranger said aloud, and almost clasped his mouth upon realizing it. The guard behind him tensed and I glowered at them. The two fell back, intimidated despite my real eyes not showing. How would they react then?


    Finally, the merchant sighed. ¡°Fine. This was a disappointing result, but thank you for your time.¡± He extended out his hand to shake, but Therick just stared at it.


    ¡°What?¡± Our guest said in annoyance. ¡°Do you not know what a handshake is? You are being terribly rude right now.¡±


    ¡°No, I know what it is. I¡¯m just confused right now why you want to shake my hand instead of the person you negotiated with.¡±


    A darker look fell over the merchant¡¯s face for a split second, before he returned to a studiously neutral expression. ¡°I was going to, after shaking yours.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Therick then shook the stranger¡¯s hands. I could swear his name was mentioned repeatedly, but I just couldn¡¯t remember. I¡¯d bet even a visit to my memory core wouldn¡¯t help. ¡°We¡¯ve just had some terrible experiences with other people.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± he shook Granuel¡¯s hand after Therick¡¯s. And then he and his lackeys went on their way.


    ¡°You know I could¡¯ve killed them all by myself, right?¡± I said once they were out of the building and out of earshot.


    Granuel laughed, and I supposed I was joking, but barely. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure you can, Haell! But there¡¯s no need for that. It¡¯s just part of the business.¡±


    ¡°Actually, why is it a part of business? I thought we don¡¯t do that. The whole bartering and negotiating prices thing.¡±


    Greanuel looked confused for a second, before clapping his hands in realization. ¡°Ah! That¡¯s for selling in a store or a stall. The expectation is that merchants have already decided on a price as not everyone is equipped for that sort of thinking. It¡¯s part of our duties.¡±


    ¡°Well I certainly am not equipped for it!¡± I laughed, then stared at Therick for a few long seconds. ¡°Another thought, and maybe I¡¯m missing something obvious and crucial, but why is he here?¡±


    ¡°Rude,¡± my friend chortled.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant! You don¡¯t have to leave if you so much as simply don''t want to. But people are treating you as the one in charge, and Granuel as some¡­¡± a growling breath hissed out of my mouth, but I did not freak out, ¡°sort of oddity.¡±


    ¡°Oh that.¡± Therick straightened on the chair he was lounging in. ¡°Trust me, I¡¯d rather be elsewhere right now, maybe getting some lessons from Rallem. I don¡¯t actually enjoy this shit. But it¡¯d be worse if I wasn¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Granuel mumbled.


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble. Don¡¯t worry. Hanging out is at least fun.¡± Therick waved him off with the ease of a well-word argument. ¡°My point is that without me here, then they¡¯d just be far more blatant with their ridicule and attempts to walk over Granuel. Which sucks. If things weren¡¯t like that then Granuel would have a much better time, and so would I, but not here listening to all this prattling. I don¡¯t know how he puts up with it.¡±


    I nodded, having understood his point. Maybe it really was for the best that Granuel didn¡¯t get me to sign off on his venture, because I would not have been as patient as Therick. Either I didn¡¯t get myself involved, or I killed someone. Acting as the silent guard was already testing my patience.


    ~~~


    _________________


    Name: Haell Zharignan


    Species: Demon


    ¡ªMutations¡ª


    Wrath Heart: Level 24


    Demon Brain: Level 22


    Demon Skin: Level 21


    Evil Eyes: Level 21


    Demon Flesh / Demon Bones / Demonic Musculature(synced) : (All) Level 21


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Demon Arms: Level 21


    Demon Hooves: Level 22


    Hyperdemon Gland: Level 20


    Demon Horns: Level 22


    Mana-infused Blood: Level 22


    Regen Heart: Level 22


    Demon Wings: Level 21


    Infernal Heart: Level 16


    Memory Core: Level 15


    Extradimensional Demon Blood Storage: Level 13


    ¡ªSoul Feats¡ª


    Reincarnator


    Progenitor


    Imp Progenitor


    Progenitor II


    Demon Progenitor


    Demon Harbinger


    _________________


    I took the opportunity to look at the recent changes to my Status Screen as Granuel continued to have a slew of meetings. My eyes were kept trained in front of me, and people were made uncomfortable by my stare, but I wasn¡¯t even focusing on them. It wasn¡¯t until it was almost noon that I snapped back to attention upon vaguely hearing an argument that pissed me off in a different way.


    ¡°People would be less willing to do business with you just by having an ishkawtan be your face,¡± said the woman dressed in a simpler attire, but still probably very expensive. ¡°As such, that lowers the overall value of whatever you¡¯re trying to sell. I¡¯m sorry if that sucks, but it¡¯s just business. I¡¯m willing to work with you for fewer concessions, but it is fair for me to pay less than you¡¯ve surmised considering the current state of the market and your place in it. You can¡¯t get a better deal than mine.¡±


    That was cold. It was vile. She didn¡¯t ever share the bigotry present in the kingdom, but she was still more than happy to embody it to get what she wanted. As if this society was eternal, and her place in it secured forever. But the world around her would fall someday, and her demise could be so much sooner.


    A raspy breath hissed out of my mouth, but the level 10 woman did not even realize the danger she was in. She had no guards, she was alone, and her ignorance was bliss. I bet she would die happy and content, for she would never even realize that she was dead.


    I held myself back in the end, before Therick gestured for me to stand down. I wasn¡¯t about to start shit that could ruin Granuel¡¯s dream. I was in enough control of myself to not immediately kill this woman. But I was still fucking mad.


    The waves of my wrath stirred like a whirlpool in a storm, begging to be released into the wider world where it could do real and lasting damage. The people I had met today had only been terrible, and my building irritation had finally come to a boil. It took a lot of willpower to keep it all contained, until my emotions gradually calmed back down.


    The stranger across from me would never know this. She wouldn¡¯t understand it even if she did. These people were mere flies that would one day rot away along with their empire, and that knowledge alone was enough.


    The negotiations continued after that, and Granuel agreed in the end to sell a lot of our stock from our most recent excursion to her, much to my silent chagrin. This merchant did offer the best deal that could be found, if barely, so she got the deal. That was just how the world of business worked.


    ¡°Why not just open your own store and sell it with a fixed price?¡± I asked, once the last visit of the day was done and we could finally have lunch.


    ¡°That¡¯d take a lot of time to set up. But I do have it in the works, actually. I¡¯m trying to train people in both buying and selling. However, the main reason why that isn¡¯t a priority is that it¡¯s clear most of our revenue is going to come from our own hunts, and we¡¯re going to be hitting the road soon anyway. I¡¯d rather get some practice dealing with people here, and with such high-level goods, because I¡¯d have to sell the product of our kills across many different places once we begin our ultimate caravan tour.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Neat. Well, good luck with that, and go earn me some money!¡±


    ~~~


    I walked back home after that whole experience, shuffling in my heavy armor, dodging a sickly woman running from a guard, and buying tacos from a stall.


    I had visited my friend in his workplace today just to get involved and see what it was all about. But I was still left perplexed as to how Granuel could possibly enjoy his job. I did not wish to ever do that again.


    Then again, it was kind of good training for my anger management¡­


    Before I knew it, I had arrived back at the foot of our hill. I climbed up, reached the house, knocked, and then smiled as the massive door opened and Moonwash greeted me from the other side. She lived here now, even before we started truly dating. We¡¯d just gotten way too used to living under the same roof, and now we shared the same bed. It was great.


    ¡°Haell,¡± she greeted, ¡°Welcome home. I was waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Miss me?¡± I smirked cheekily.


    ¡°I do,¡± she admitted. ¡°Can you go down to the basement? I need some of your blood. I¡¯m trying to make enchantments with them, and there¡¯s also this experiment I want to do with soaking an object in it long term.¡±


    ¡°Wait, did you miss me, or did you just want to drain me!¡± I complained as I followed her inside.


    ¡°All three.¡±


    ¡°Three!?¡±


    ¡°Three,¡± she confirmed.


    ¡°Right¡­ can we have lunch first, please?¡±


    She looked at me, and the taco I was eating.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t had lunch yet?¡±


    ¡°Nah. This is just my twelfth taco.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you must be starving then,¡± she said blandly as her own stomach rumbled.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± I grabbed her hand, and we changed course for the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯m so hungry, I could eat a whole dragon.¡±


    ¡°You know how big they are, right? You literally don¡¯t have the stomach.¡±


    ¡°Watch me.¡±


    ~~~


    The next day, I went out with all of The Harvesters to a place that I had shockingly never visited. It was a large building that looked almost reminiscent of a temple mixed with a medieval office building, but way too large for either one. A centaur guard stood beside the door, a booth on the other side manned by a human, and a poorly-hidden grey-skinned belfegor person that hung and watched from the rafters. There was a large sign just below the latter which stated in bold and capital letters: "THE ADVENTURER''S GUILD."


    "I think we''re here." I couldn''t help but joke. I wasn¡¯t doing the whole silent act anymore, at least not entirely. Ignoring everyone else was fine, but I had to at least be able to talk to my friends. I didn¡¯t want to be silent!


    "No," Moonwash deadpanned. "It can''t be."


    The rest snickered and agreed, meanwhile Therick walked up to the receptionist, showed his bronze badge, named us as his party, and then we were all promptly let through.


    Once inside, a wave of cool air hit me, followed by a curious sight that made my eyes watch in rapt attention. As weird as it might sound, this was actually my first time actually going to the adventurer''s guild despite how much of my life had been spent adjacent to the lifestyle.


    This place was a mess.


    Not in the sense of things being cluttered and dirty, but in the sense of the design and the vibes of the place being all weird and confusing.


    First of all, the main hall was too large. There was a bar, religious iconography, a place for prayers, a library, some sort of training or sparring area, and of course the guild receptionists towards the back. All without a single wall separating any of them!


    There were plenty of adventurers in every area, engaging in all the expected activities therein, while also trying to act refined like nobility. I had to admit that their gear looked cool though, being sourced from predominantly monster parts. I had asked Moonwash about making some for me before, and she had made a few pieces, but these sorts of materials were apparently weaker to a vastly varying degree than when a creature was alive, and things like focuses suffered some of the least degradation in general.


    Our group walked as one towards the reception, interested in the sights, but not intimidated. We waited in the short line that had formed, and the receptionist called out to us the moment it was our turn.


    ¡°Therick, it¡¯s good to see you!¡± The human man¡¯s eyes passed over Moonwash, and then lingered on me. ¡°How can I help you today?¡±


    ¡°Hello Melo. I¡¯m here to register these three to my party.¡±


    ¡°Three new people? You¡¯re finally opening up The Harvesters? Today must be a blessed day.¡± He wrote down a few things and then extended her right hand in a ¡®gimme¡¯ gesture. ¡°I¡¯ll need your badges please.¡±


    Berry gave her silver badge, and I gave my own of the same rank. It was ridiculous that we were of the same rank, when I had never set foot in a guild building once.


    Luine had prepared all my credentials for me in advance, as the guild examinations might reveal that I was not as I seemed. She mentioned how with this method, I was safe even if my records were shown to be a fake, because I was a Zharignan. People would just assume that it was my grandfather''s name that allowed me to cheat my way up the ranks.


    That was useful. It was also fucking insulting. I was a veteran of many battles, and I had done more than enough to earn a mere silver!


    The receptionist nodded, and then turned to Moonwash. ¡°And her?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have one.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ did you lose it? We can issue a new one for¨C¡±


    ¡°No. I never had one. I came here to register.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I see.¡± The man turned to Therick. ¡°To clarify, you want her to join your party?¡±


    ¡°Yes. After she gets registered.¡±


    The receptionist hesitated for a second. ¡°I mean no offense, but is it wise to take a beginner¡­¡±


    My teeth involuntarily clenched upon his words as my immediate thought was that he was insulting my girlfriend, but I kept myself under control. He had a very fair point, I had to admit. Moonwash was more than capable, I knew that from experience, but she really had no credentials at all as far as the guild was concerned. Maybe she was known for selling some crafts every now and then, but that wasn¡¯t the job of an adventurer.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Therick answered. ¡°I know she¡¯s competent, and we work well together.¡±


    The receptionist thought for a moment, before he acquiesced and pulled out the necessary papers. He explained how the ranking system worked to Moonwash, which I also listened in on because I probably needed this lesson the most.


    Bronze was generally level 10, Silver was 20, Gold 40, and finally there was the Hero rank for 80. I found it amusing how the ranks just abruptly broke its theme when it came to the Hero rank, but it was understandable. Few people ever made it to that level, and I believed it was actually a rank named after my grandfather¡¯s legendary party, The Heroes.


    Additionally, it was possible to get a higher rank different than the levels typically assigned to them if someone showed competency far beyond the norm. I was sure I could do it¡­ but it was better not to draw attention like that, no matter how I wanted to show off.


    Moonwash filled out the forms, proved she could pay the fees, and then we were led to an open space in the backyard for testing. It was basically a formality at this point because the nearly level 40 receptionist was capable of using level sense, and my girlfriend more than qualified for a silver badge, but they couldn¡¯t just break procedures.


    An old rugged instructor reconfirmed Moonwash level, and the scary-looking human woman who was actually lower-leveled than the receptionist nodded at what she saw.


    Next came the practical examinations. Moonwash had called herself a mage, and so she was asked to show one of her spells. My girlfriend agreed, and she concentrated with her staff for a few long seconds before summoning a massive fireball that crashed against the ground, sending sparks flying and even setting a few of the nearby bushes on fire. The eyes of the watching adventurers nearly popped out from the sight, and soon a bigger crowd had formed. No one here was over level 40, so Moonwash¡¯s spell had really impressed.


    ¡°Impressive maximum attack power,¡± the instructor agreed, ¡°but you cannot channel for that long during live combat.¡±


    ¡°I can.¡±


    ¡°...What? Have you fought before?¡±


    ¡°Yes. My allies will protect me while I prepare myself.¡±


    The old lady laughed. ¡°You¡¯re right. That¡¯s what a party is for. To cover each other¡¯s weaknesses. But I want to see how you¡¯d defend yourself if you were the one being attacked, and what your offensive looks like under pressure.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Moonwash lifted her tower shield, and clasped her fire staff tighter with the other hand. It was similar to the one she¡¯d made with goeath parts, but even better, so her flames now burned ever hotter.


    The instructor grinned and drew a rapier from her belt. ¡°Don¡¯t hold back.¡±


    Her body blurred, and she dodged the wave of fire that came her way with ease, even if the sheer heat of it still managed to cause her discomfort. The older woman curled her path to the side, and Moonwash was just a little bit too slow to react in her full plate armor. The rapier struck her side, and I nearly screamed in worry and rage. My body was tense and coiled like a spring, ready to show that stranger what true strength really was!


    I managed to not do a very public murder of an important individual, thankfully. I knew intellectually that it was just a test, she had aimed for a very non-vital area, and I could see healers on standby off to the side. Moonwash wasn¡¯t even hurt because the old lady had held back and her armor was very tough.


    Still, I seethed silently where I stood. Berry and Granuel noticed, so they began patting my back in support, or to calm me down. Perhaps both. The scenario was just incongruous enough, that I began to laugh.


    ¡°Decent movements¡­¡± the instructor commented, gathering her thoughts and completely oblivious to our byplay. ¡°But you¡¯re never going to keep up with me in this getup. It also restricts the effectiveness of your sweat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Moonwash answered. ¡°The purpose of the armor is to buy time for my friends to help me.¡±


    The old lady smirked at my girlfriend¡¯s answer. ¡°Is that so?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I just think it¡¯s a damn shame because you might have gotten a gold-ranked badge if you could move better.¡±


    Moonwash seemed to think that over for a few seconds. ¡°What can I do with a gold-rank badge?¡±


    The stranger shrugged. ¡°Better quests, harder quests, invitations to many functions. And it¡¯d open many other doors for you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to think about it,¡± Moonwash said after another pause. I got the sense that she was actually interested. Interesting. ¡°Did I pass the test, or is there more?¡±


    ¡°No. You definitely qualify for silver.¡± She yelled instructions to some of the people on standby. ¡°I¡¯m Kily by the way. Come see me if you ever decide you want to try for gold. I don¡¯t mind giving you some training. Just between you and me, you can just wear lighter armor for the test, and then switch back to whatever you like out there.¡±


    For something that¡¯s supposed to be just between the two of them, she sure didn¡¯t care to actually lower her voice any¡­


    Moonwash thanked Kily for the offer, and the both of them shook hands.

 Chapter 94: Why Adventurer? Why?

    A few days later, we were back in the adventurer¡¯s guild. Moonwash went up to the receptionist¨Ca different one today¨Cto obtain her new badge. She signed a few additional pieces of paperwork, and paid another large sum. I was glad I did not have to go through any of this tedium.


    ¡°I could have made a better badge.¡± That was the first thing Moonwash said once she returned to our table after finally becoming an official adventurer. She showed it to us, constructed of silver, with a small stylized depiction of the abilities she¡¯s shown inside some religious circle angel iconography thing. It also had her name etched on the back.


    ¡°You can still make one if you want,¡± I shrugged, looking at my own. I believed mine was meant to show a¡­ generic swordswoman? A fair enough cover story, I suppose.


    My girlfriend nodded. ¡°I think I will.¡±


    Granuel ordered some lunch for us, which had me curious about what the cuisine available in the adventurers guild would be like. The results were normal dishes, but always done with exotic monster bits or plants, instead of what came from local domesticated farms.


    It was not far off from what I usually ate. I was already succeeding in this job.


    ¡°You know¡­¡± I hedged after taking my first bite of a steak. It had just a hint of gaminess from the ingredients used, but I was not very picky, especially after the life I¡¯d led for the past years. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering about something¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh no,¡± they all chorused. Even Moonwash had joined in, though without the same horror in her voice.


    ¡°Oh come on! Don¡¯t be like that!¡± I gestured toward my girlfriend, and she encased us in a privacy bubble, thereby shutting out the bard that had been singing the praises of the party that had hired her. She was just at the part where The Faithblades slaughtered all the bandits in their homes that reeked of sin and filth, unlike the splendor present in the Angelorian towns and cities. The human woman¡¯s voice was honestly way too good for songs as trashy as this, but that was in part due to a higher standard in art present here. Be it because of the culture, or a consequence of our enhanced minds and bodies, the common artists here could equal the best Earth had to offer.


    ¡°So, Haell,¡± Angerly asked with a suspicious smirk. ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much,¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°I was just wondering why we even need to register as adventurers in the first place? Why become an official party? There¡¯s nothing stopping us from working together with or without the guild. We didn¡¯t go through them during our last outing, and Granuel had no problems in selling what we¡¯ve made. Or well, there were problems, but he got it done!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Haell.¡± He chuckled, chewing on a piece of ham. ¡°When it comes to selling specific materials, then you¡¯re right! We would likely earn more by selling it ourselves. But not every quest is like that. Some are escort quests, or subjugation quests, and many other types. Those jobs typically go through the guild, and it¡¯d be hard to go around town asking random people about them!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m most interested in the weirder rewards,¡± Moonwash chimed in, a few flecks of sauce and gravy on her lips. ¡°Not everything can be bought with money, such as priceless artifacts or rare and forbidden books. I heard that there are quests like those?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen some!¡± Berry confirmed after putting down her cutlery. ¡°Though I¡¯ve never actually gotten to participate in any¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also name recognition or credibility,¡± Angerly said. ¡°It¡¯s complicated, but a lot of those esoteric rewards come from personal quests that nobles and the like specifically seek you out for. It¡¯d be nice to get recognized like that, and even if the reward is just more money¡­ that¡¯s a lot of money.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound complicated to me,¡± I chuckled. ¡°We just need to become infamous enough for it.¡±


    ¡°Famous, Haell,¡± Therick corrected. ¡°But that¡¯s also why we need to be an official party, instead of only being individual adventurers. The guild will try to consider our teamwork and familiarity with each other when it comes to what quests we¡¯re allowed to take.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also after information,¡± my girlfriend further voiced her desires, and I nodded strongly in support. ¡°The guild has their own libraries for adventurers, and I want to get access to all of them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve tried some of their training courses,¡± Angerly swallowed great gulps of ale. ¡°They were quite alright. I learned some pretty useful things.¡±


    ¡°Even just the things that are publically available are very informative,¡± Granuel covered his mouth and burped. ¡°Not that I can¡¯t just visit as a client, but observing the quest boards here can give you valuable information on the current state of things. I¡¯ve managed to sell things for much higher thanks to some of those trends I¡¯ve spotted here!¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m convinced.¡± I chuckled, the privacy barrier went down, and we finished the rest of our meals. The clamor of the adventurers reached our ears once more; from religious sort of greetings, practical talks about how to fight and forage, to even some murmuring about me.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know? She¡¯s the daughter of Golex the Hero.¡±


    ¡°Really? Her? Doesn¡¯t look anything special.¡±


    ¡°Idiot! Can¡¯t you feel the pressure she exudes?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re just making shit up.¡±


    ¡°I heard she never goes to church.¡±


    ¡°She made a scene when she was just a baby! I was there!¡±


    ¡°What about her party?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re The Harvesters.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard of them before!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like them. They¡¯re not faithful enough.¡±


    ¡°Whoa. Where¡¯s that coming from? I know most of them are kind of descended from The Piss Hunters in some way.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly the problem! The Piss Hunters. We are a proud and holy guild. Why are they allowed to keep such a nonsensical and disrespectful name!?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Well, at least they don¡¯t take after their parents¡­¡±


    I listened to their bickering, feeling smug at some and genuinely getting angry at others, but I showed just as little reaction either way.


    ~~~


    Our group went over to the quest boards, and I smiled at the cute little illustrations that came with every poster. From cartoonish drawings of herbs, to chibi-like renditions of powerful and terrifying monsters, it was a delight. The postings were neatly organized, going from the lowest-ranked quests at the bottom, to the highest-ranked ones at the top. They were also separated by category, such as collection, delivery, escort, subjugation, and more.


    ¡°Ah, this one,¡± Granuel said, and I looked at the piece of paper he was pointing at. It had a low-effort drawing of a wagon, and the title ¡®Orila Escort Quest.¡¯ My friend wanted to join some sort of caravan or even just a few wagons as some sort of rehearsal or proof of concept for our own continental tour. I did want to see more of Varyala, so I was all for it. Except for my need to keep a low profile, but one quest should be fine. It would be a neat thing to experience at least once, and it was a good idea to learn from others in the field before we made our own private wagon with no one else around.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Berry said. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ my hometown.¡±


    Granuel glanced at her. ¡°Do you want to visit? Or we can choose someplace else. It¡¯s no problem!¡±


    Berry shook her head, which took her entire body with it. ¡°No. It¡¯s fine. I do want to see them and how they¡¯re doing¡­ even if I¡¯m also scared. I need to tell them about Billy¡¯s death at some point¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, it¡¯s good to reconnect with your family! But are you sure? I¡¯m going to submit this now. Last chance.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Berry¡¯s mouth and mandibles curled up into the crustecar equivalent of a smile.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Granuel went up to a nearby clerk, and then pointed her to the quest we wanted. She checked some documents, pulled the poster off the board, then gave us some papers to sign which indicated that the quest was ours.


    Granuel thanked her, and then we all went back to our table to get drunk. I¡¯d found out that I just had to pace myself properly, because my regen heart gradually neutralizes the alcohol in my system, if it were even strong enough to affect my curr¨¨nt constitution.


    Alcohol like that wasn¡¯t exactly super rare, but it was definitely expensive.


    ~~~


    "Hey mom," I said as I rolled the dice on the Hegemony Board, "Why is the name ''Piss Hunters¡¯ so punk?"


    "Uggggghhhhhhh...!" She groaned, smushing her face on the table, but totally not because she was losing the game. I was currently in our living room with my parents and Moonwash, and we were just hanging out. "Did you have to bring that up? Again!?"


    "We heard some people talk about it," Moonwash clarified. It was just us four and my grandfather in the house today, as even Elfrafim was gone. She''d fucked off somewhere during our last outing, and hasn''t been back since. "They were very amazed at how you really stuck it to those angels by naming yourselves the Piss Hunters. Angelo is still bleeding from that to this day. What a blow."


    "Aaaccckkk!!" Mom groaned again, leaning back on the couch, then cradling her staff. "This is bullying, you know? I don¡¯t know what punk is, but it''s bullying!"


    "No," my father shook his head. "I can attest that when we submitted our papers to the guild, the sky suddenly opened up, and Angelo fell down crying from the heavens."


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "Oh come on Rallem! Not you too! Why is everyone picking on me today?"


    I laughed. "If we just named ourselves the Shit Hunters then the Empire would be dead by now!"


    "Exactly," Dad folded his arms and nodded. "So close."


    "You are all conspiring against me," Mom complained. "Can we please talk about something else!"


    "Okay, okay," I giggled, deciding to extend an olive branch to my mother. "I heard you can mix elements, right Mom?" I summoned fire and wrath magic to my palm, but they just annihilated each other until only a small bit of fire was left, like usual.


    "Yes! Yes, absolutely."


    ¡°Can you show me? Pleeease???¡± I looked at her pleadingly with my Evil Eyes.


    "Sure." My mom snorted, then focused and brought forth fire... and probably earth mana from her staff. She worked on it for an entire minute, forehead furrowing, until finally, a small sphere of dim lava floated in front of her. "Tada! It''s... it''s not very impressive. Not my best work. I''m honestly not very good at it. I only picked up the skill because I thought it was cool, only to spend wayyy too much time on it, just to be able to do something so small. But it''s here, see!? I can do it! And I do feel cool!"


    The lava dripped at that very moment, and landed on her foot. "Ah! Hot!" It then dripped on the tiled floor, and my mom panicked. "Ah, fuck fuck!" She tossed the lava away... to a nearby wall! ¡°AAAHH! The house is on fire!¡±


    My mom waved her staff, and suddenly, separate streams of fire doused all the flames. This included the lava on her foot, where she then ripped out some of the obsidian. Her skin was inflamed and torn underneath, but the injury was honestly not very severe.


    "See?" she asked. "It''s not very strong. Not for someone who''s supposed to be my level!¡±


    "I get it," I agreed. "But can you teach me what you know anyway? I feel like I should be able to combine my wrath and infernal magic. They synergize really well... for better or for worse. But I just can''t do it!"


    "Well, it''s such a rare skill that the few people who know it like to treat it as some exclusive premium thing, but I¡¯m willing to teach you... for a hundred dollars."


    "...Dollars? What do you need that for? We''re in Varayala!"


    "Well, what if I want to buy something from Earth?"


    "We don''t even know how to get there, if it still exists, or what!"


    "That''s why it''s a what-if! You don¡¯t know what will happen.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have dollars. How can I possibly get some here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not my problem.¡± She huffed. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were poor.¡±


    ¡°Moooom!¡± I whined.


    We both stared at each other. Seconds passed as we waited. Until finally, neither of us could hold it in any longer and we burst out laughing with such energy that we just flipped over anything within reach.


    Dad cracked a smile, and Moonwash changed not her expression.


    "Alright, fine," Mom said eventually, after we''d gotten it all out of our system. "I''ll teach you. Come here."


    I moved over and sat next to her on the couch. I held her staff, and we did joint casting, just like we used to when I was a child and she was first teaching me how to use magic. My mom connected to the staff, and I was just here as an observer as she took the two types of mana out of their respective repositories.


    Fire mana floated in front of me, as well as earth that I could hardly feel. The former was energetic and ready to burst in any and all directions, meanwhile the latter was rigid, slow, and relatively still.


    Mom guided them together. The fire mana liked to splash against the sides and envelop the other, while the earth mana sought to not let the foreign mana inside of it, resulting in cracks of pseudo-red.


    Mom entered a deep state of focus, and she swirled the elements around each other, until they began to change and be influenced by the connection. The fire moved slower, more ponderous, and the earth became more free, willing to break into smaller pieces that flowed independently of each other. In the end, they became almost as one, flowing like lava, bubbling hot, yet sticky like ooze.


    But they were not actually one, they only operated as such. I could feel that they were still separate, with sections of red, and vague parts of brown, all acting in the same way.


    My mother took a deep breath, and the magic manifested upon her command. Lava formed, in far smaller quantities than the amount of mana used would suggest, and then it dripped down onto the floor and our feet.


    "Ow ow!" My mother cursed. I just laughed and pried away the lava that had quickly dried painfully on my own skin.


    That would have been a lot worse if I wasn''t a demon.


    ~~~


    A week later, I found myself marching through the streets of Latarus with a purpose. I was with my friends, and all six of us were dressed in our full regalia, carrying large packs on our backs, but not the largest we had available. We walked northwards, crossing through the big central bridge, past the upper district, and then we passed near a massive¡­ farming compound? That certainly wasn¡¯t there before, the last time I was in this part of the city. Then again, this area would have still been dominated by the tree wall back then.


    The farm was strange, with ranches like what I¡¯d presume, and animals that looked reminiscent of the cows and chickens of Earth, but just a bit more violent. My household really preferred to eat stuff from the wild, so I didn¡¯t eat beefalos and chikils as much as other people did growing up.


    The animals were packed tight, because this all had to be squeezed inside one city, and the plants they grew were packed even tighter. There were these weird sort of trees, that grew fruits and nuts and even wheat throughout much of the surface of their bark, and had a familiar kind of fruit growing along their branches.


    ¡°Hey Granuel. What¡¯s up with those trees again?¡± I asked as I watched a belfegor woman swinging from the branches and using her nature magic to help with the process¡­ somehow.


    ¡°Oh. Well, that¡¯s a blandarine tree. The fruit is incredibly bland, but high yield, and will expand if you boil it. And then it¡¯s also built with these feelers along their bark meant to achieve symbiosis with other plants and help them grow. The result isn¡¯t as good as just having big farms, in both yield and quality, but it works. We didn¡¯t use to have one here, instead relying on some of the nearby villages that did, and of course the exports from the Centorian Plains.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Neat.¡± We went past the farms, up the ramp, past the first northern gate, through the bridge that ran between the tree wall, and then past the next gate and ramp.


    We exited the city along with a small stream of people, then found ourselves within the massive empty barren space that surrounded the city. The earth had actually been hardened here, to make it harder for the plantlife to retake it.


    ¡°Look over there!¡± Angerlyexclaimed, and we all turned. There were a bunch of wagons nearby, workers of varying species were organizing cratefuls of things, and a bunch of other people were going towards the place. For some reason most of them were fountans.


    We followed them there, and the two adventurer parties already present greeted us.


    ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°A blessed morning to you. We¡¯re the Pious Protectors.¡±


    ¡°Good morning. We¡¯re The Harvesters.¡± Therick greeted them back, and then we settled in to wait.


    ¡°Hey Haell,¡± Angerly struck up a conversation, which was apparently secretive because Moonwash manifested her sound barrier.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I was just wondering if you¡¯re sure you want to be here. You could always just sit this quest out.¡±


    ¡°Rude.¡± I snorted.


    ¡°Not like that! But I mean it¡¯s dangerous, right? You¡¯re trying to stay all sneaky like a spy.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s true. But, I want to go with you guys. And I do want to experience this at least once. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve already left instead of staying in enemy territory like this.¡±


    ¡°Oh. But what will you do if you somehow get exposed?¡±


    ¡°It''ll be fine. I''ll hold back, I''ll keep my secret, and if something comes along that does force me to reveal myself¡­ No offense but holy shit, it''d be a good thing I''m there because one of you would have died otherwise. And I do not want that.¡±


    ¡°What if you still do get exposed though?¡± Therick asked. ¡°If something does force your hand. Would you kill all witnesses?¡± He then panicked. ¡°Uh, no offense meant! I was just wondering¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t kill them,¡± I sighed, letting the rage ebb and flow through me. ¡°Unless if it was their fault of course. Well, there¡¯d be too many innocent witnesses who I won¡¯t just kill either way. But maybe I¡¯m vindictive enough to kill the ones responsible even if it doesn¡¯t change the ultimate result.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I really hope no one does anything like that. But what about us though? You do know we¡¯re likely to get implicated if you do that. Especially if you kill a bunch of important people. You know, socially speaking.¡±


    ¡°...Shit. I didn¡¯t actually consider that. Can¡¯t you like, just claim that you didn¡¯t know? Or I was a human whenever you¡¯ve seen me, but then I suddenly transformed!¡±


    Therick chuckled. ¡°They might actually buy that.¡± His smile fell. ¡°But they might not. We don¡¯t even know how big of a deal people would make out of it exactly. But it would likely be troublesome no matter what.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I do actually have a contingency plan if I get discovered though.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Granuel perked up, interested.


    ¡°I¡¯ll run the fuck away,¡± I answered simply.


    He thought that over for way too long, before finally asking. ¡°...That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very fast.¡±


    ¡°You are¡­ but do you plan on just being on the run forever?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°I can always go someplace else. Maybe to New Grandera. They¡¯ll¡­ well shit, they¡¯re in an open conflict. I don¡¯t know what choices they¡¯ll make. But I could go further beyond, and see whatever the dwarves and harpies are up to. Then there are the elves! They sound fucking awesome, although my information is coming from exactly one biased source. I definitely have to see it for myself someday.¡±


    ¡°Wow. I like it. It sounds like a nice plan when you put it that way!¡±


    ¡°Right!?¡± I huffed pridefully. ¡°You guys could come too! If it ever happens. We can see even more of the world, places untouched by the empire!¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah! Well¡­ I have my business, and I don¡¯t want to abandon that, as much as traveling sounds super nice¡­¡±


    ¡°Traveling does sound great.¡± Angerly agreed. ¡°But I don¡¯t like the idea of never showing my face here again either.¡±


    ¡°Going someplace that isn¡¯t here does sound tempting though,¡± Berry admitted. ¡°I¡¯ve always been interested in the crustecar kingdoms of the deep¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll always go with you,¡± Moonwash asserted, looking at me as she maintained her silence spell. ¡°I suggest the mountains or the grandest forest though. Rather, we need to visit those places even if we ultimately decide to settle down somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I laughed. ¡°We have a long time ahead of us. And I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll ever really settle down!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. We can¡¯t find new and interesting things to work with if we only stay in one place.¡±


    Therick watched us converse. He opened his mouth, then closed it, unsure if he should say what was on his mind, but ultimately decided to speak.


    ¡°I¡­ I think I want to stay here, no matter what. I understand that there are so many problems and vile things about this place. And maybe that means I should just be trying to abandon it too... but this is my home, you know? I¡¯ve been here all my life. I don¡¯t really¡­ I don¡¯t want to leave it all behind.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­ I understand.¡± My expression softened, though it could not be seen. ¡°I¡¯m not forcing any of you. And if you¡¯d rather that I not be here to mess things up¡­ I really could just go someplace else.¡±


    ¡°No, no!¡± he said after a startled pause. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant!¡±


    ¡°We all like you being here!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Even if you¡¯re scary, it¡¯s a very cool scary!¡±


    ¡°True. You still have to adventure with us so much more. Even if we might end up being a burden¡­¡±


    ¡°I will not leave you.¡±


    They all assured me that I was not unwanted. They loved me being here, for all the problems it might bring. It was not my fault¨Cit was not a fault¨Cthat I was a demon.


    I took off my mask and gave them a brilliant smile in return, but it was blastedly human.

 Chapter 95: Thats Sick.

    "Ah! The Harvesters! Therick!" A party of adventurers arrived, and one of them, a short-haired woman in fur robes, suddenly greeted my friend and walked over to our group. ¡°You got all these new recruits! You really made a damn scene the other week when you formed a full party and even had someone be recognized by that Kily!"


    She laughed boisterously, and Therick politely did the same, if a lot more reserved. I resumed my act of being the quiet but menacing adventurer as they talked.


    ¡°Yes, well,¡± Therick scratched his head. ¡°I¡¯m glad to have been able to gather such a good team too.¡±


    ¡°Good! Good, that¡¯s good. We are blessed to have you with us today. Our trip will go much smoother with such energetic youth.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of that,¡± Therick tried to change the subject. ¡°What can you tell me about the quest?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it should be just like every other trip to the shores.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit, I¡¯m not really sure what that¡¯s like. We¡¯ve seldom taken escort quests, and never in this¡­ direction, nor this far out.¡±


    ¡°Ah, is that so? Well, we¡¯re escorting a great number of fountans to the frontlines in Orila, and we¡¯re also carrying valuable cargo.¡± She gestured to the crates being carried and organized by ogres, humans, and more. ¡°Those are wands, repositories, and other things. We¡¯ll need it for the threats that continue to foolishly threaten our Empire to this day.¡±


    They continued to talk some more, and I heard from the woman of how chaotic it could be on the frontlines. From the cursetaceans that are a nightmare to fight, to the various factions that still want us dead. New Grandera continued to grow, cannibalizing Edengar territory and taking over the parts closer to the mountain that we had failed to retake. The harpies and dwarves had only gotten more involved with them, unsatisfied with how they had rebelled and caused so many problems for us already when they refused to accept our rule. And the crustecars from the deep continued to ramp up their attacks, largely unassaulted by the cursetaceans, showing just how they were in collusion, they were the same.


    I¡¯d say that I couldn¡¯t wait to see all of it, but I was actually genuinely nervous. My instincts were telling me that it was fine, this was my world, and I needed only to go out there and wreak havoc. But while I had fought and I had killed, I had never been to a true all-out war.


    What will I find?


    ~~~


    ¡°Everyone. Please gather around for a summary of the mission and a brief prayer!¡± Three humans stepped up a portable platform that their servants had laid out. More people had arrived in the past hour, and everyone needed for the trip was here by now. Some had cut it quite close, but they still arrived on time. Anyone who didn¡¯t would be left behind and shamed.


    ¡°You are all blessed to be here today!¡± one of the three announced. Adventurers and civilians alike had gathered around to listen to this speech, and I learned that the guy speaking was apparently a well-known adventurer on top of being a merchant. His armor reflected the sun like a mirror, unmarred by the ugly scars of battle. ¡°Together with my good friends Elariel and Rozarik, we have put together this caravan to deliver important supplies to the frontlines. Some of you were hired for physical labor, some were taken from my very own adventurers guild to serve as our guards, and others yet were called upon to fulfill their purpose in a variety of different ways. Our main purpose today is to deliver all manner of things that will heal our people desperately fighting on the frontlines against those who foolishly and uselessly seek to subvert the will of The Angelic God and His Angels! Our role in this war is true and holy, therefore we cannot fail. Let us see this to completion!¡±


    ¡°For this task, we ask that you follow all our instructions to the letter,¡± another of the merchants took center stage. He was a thin and overdressed man. It was like I was suddenly watching some weird high-fashion show, which I did like, but I certainly was not expecting to see it here. ¡°If you are faithful, then you will do this without question. To begin with, we would like the adventurers to take these positions and set up a rotation¡­¡±


    He droned on and on and on, telling us of a myriad of orders that everyone would surely soon forget no matter their levels or Mutations. From an exact timeline that we must follow, to micromanaging everyone¡¯s jobs and how they should go about it. None of us were late for this expedition, but we may as well have been!


    ¡°...I understand that you are impatient, but this is how the angels want us to govern. And I am but a limb of theirs, to be moved according to their wills, as are you. So please, let us work together to fulfill the work that is expected of us by the Angels and our God.¡±


    ¡°Now let us pray,¡± a woman who looked remarkably average stepped forward. She was apparently both a merchant and a deacon, from what I¡¯d gathered from the gossiping adventurers. Everyone clasped their hands together, and I just wanted to slaughter anyone I could get my hands on as I was forced to do the same. ¡°O Angelic God and His Angels, please bless our expedition, guide our members, and let us not fall to harm so long as we follow your teachings. Give our leaders knowledge, and give our followers the strength to carry out our commands. Let the humans lead and adapt, the fountans to make the wonderful gift of mana, the ishkawtans to scout the path ahead, the ogres to be our strength, the kobols to burn our enemies, the centaurs to carry the load they are given wherever they might be needed, the belfegors to¡­ remain hidden or whatever it is you wish of them, and for the crustecars to be our shield and die in our stead. Please allow even the adventurers to remain true to their role, despite their unorthodox methods, as you have given your blessing for them to do so, in communion with our Empress Shanayah. Amen.¡±


    The speech was finally over, and the centaurs moved to pull on the reins strapped against their bodies to pull the seven wagons along. We the adventurers followed them in formation, surrounding them from all sides, with twice the number of parties as wagons. We merged into the nearby road and marched ahead towards our destination. The sun blared upon us from above, but such heat wasn¡¯t an issue for a demon like me, nor for people with even mediocre levels.


    Moonwash was gravely interested in the wagons themselves, as was our reason for even being here, and I followed her around as she roamed around the length of our caravan. She observed and cataloged their construction, she took out a pencil and paper to sketch out notes and diagrams, and she even asked the centaurs pulling the vehicles along some questions. Apparently, there were differences in the designs of the wagons, and it was very convenient for our purposes that the people who had to pull them along could enlighten us about their experiences. From how some of the wagons were better on proper roads, some could handle other terrains better, others were harder to pull, while some were easier to run with. Moonwash even approached some of the passengers, most of whom were fountans, to ask about how comfortable they might be, and then looking over the designs of the vehicles to know what could have caused a difference in people¡¯s traveling experience.


    ¡°Oh, are you interested in this profession?¡± a richly dressed merchant asked when Moonwash came up to him for his opinions on the vehicles. He was talking to a scout that had just come back to give his report.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No?¡± His eye twitched at the perceived insult. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I want to make a wagon. So I¡¯m asking around.¡±


    A few of the nearby adventurers snickered, commenting on how my girlfriend was so weird, and asking why she was even here. My temper immediately flared up, I wanted to burn it all down, but I looked at how Moonwash did not give them the time of day and did the same.


    It was hard, but I did the same.


    ¡°Oh? Really?¡± the merchant asked, now more interested. ¡°Are you not an adventurer?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°...Okay. Why do you need to learn this then?¡±


    ¡°I like making things.¡±


    ¡®...Right. Well, we will not just give away our secrets, you know! That¡¯s not how this works.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Moonwash grabbed a different notebook, and looked over some of what she had written there. ¡°I have the Status Screen information of several monsters and animals here.


    ¡°Ah,¡± the merchant smiled. ¡°A woman after my own heart. Now we¡¯re talking business.¡±


    I called over Granuel for help, and we learned of the ways of wagon-making.


    Well, the stranger praised the wagon he owned many times over, but he didn¡¯t actually have the expertise to make them. Moonwash reassured us, however, that what she did hear was enough combined with everything else that she¡¯d learned.


    ~~~


    The journey continued to be uneventful, almost peaceful and idyllic. Few monsters had dared to bother us, likely because they were wary of the sort of groups that used these roads, and because of our sheer numbers. Wild animals tended to have good instincts, so they would''ve been able to feel how there were over a dozen level 20 people gathered here.


    The adventurers remained ready for battle, almost comically so. They would sweep their gazes around, raise their weapons, and overall look absolutely prepared for any possible surprise. But then when a level 20 komonder waddled into view, they immediately reacted in all the ways possible, with some retreating, others stepping up, and few remaining rational. The civilians freaked out, those who charged the tall quadrupedal reptile had second thoughts and remained out of range, and it took until the monster was almost dead from the sheer volume of ranged attacks that people were finally brave enough to get close and finish the job.


    It was embarrassing, and I would¡¯ve ended the fight sooner if we weren¡¯t on the other side of the formation, and we didn¡¯t have other civilians to protect.


    ~~~


    ¡°So that¡¯s why I was wondering if I should even get involved with anyone right now,¡± Angerly said. The sun had almost set, and the horizon was burning red. ¡°There¡¯s this guy that I like well enough to try, but we¡¯re leaving soon anyway! So what¡¯s the point?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ shit,¡± I blurted out, before taking the time to formulate an actual response. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t know if we could add him to our caravan¨C¡±


    Angerly interrupted me with a sharp bark of laughter. ¡°He¡¯s a potter that hardly ever leaves the city! Of course I¡¯m not taking him with me. I¡¯m just wondering if I should even be dating right now.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, I¡¯d say, first of all, to not feel trapped with us. If there¡¯s something else that you truly want to do¡­¡± my voice hitched a little. It was always hard to say goodbye to friends, but that was just how life was. ¡°Then you should do it. Don¡¯t worry about The Harvesters. We¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Nah. That¡¯s all good. I like you guys, and I wanna adventure too! It¡¯s just¡­ should I even get involved with anyone until¡­ I guess until we¡¯re done? That is my question.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. That¡¯s a hard one, and entirely dependent on your goals. If you¡¯re just looking for a fun night, then that¡¯s all fine. If you want something long-term, then¡­ I don¡¯t see it working,¡± I looked around us, then tapped Moonwash on the shoulder for a privacy bubble. ¡°I¡¯ve seen long-term relationships back on Earth. We had the internet, we could talk to anyone with no delay, but long-distance still didn¡¯t work most of the time. People crave touch and intimacy. It¡¯s really hard to remain involved with someone¡¯s life a continent away. You just¡­ meet new people and move on. Though I suppose that¡¯s normal for any relationship.¡±


    ¡°It''s still wild to me that you guys were able to do that,¡± Angerly marveled.


    ¡°Move on?¡± I tilted my head. ¡°It sure is a skill.¡± I laughed. ¡°And I don¡¯t know if we were any better at it than the people here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant! The internet!¡±


    ¡°Ah. That. Yeah. Technology is wild.¡± I smirked as Moonwash scooted closer to listen. ¡°You could also try letters. I¡¯ve seen love stories where it happened¡­ though I¡¯ve never met anyone in real life. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll work, but maybe I¡¯m too jaded. It¡¯s love! True love! Maybe it can work. You can certainly try.¡±


    ¡°No. Nevermind that. I don¡¯t think a few letters here and there is what I¡¯m looking for in a relationship.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± I chuckled along with her. ¡°There are a lot of other options though. Love is weird and it has more permutations than I know. Maybe you could try to see if you can love fast, and move on even faster.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated. But there are people who travel all over the place, they fall in love with the people there, they truly get involved romantically and get to know the other person as deeply as they could in the time they have together. And then they leave and do it all over again. Or maybe they don¡¯t even leave, but does the same thing anyway while staying in the same place. Our cities were entire worlds in and of themselves. I¡¯ve met one or two of those sorts in my time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very interesting! Do you think I should do that?¡±


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°It isn''t for everyone. Not even close. The choice is forevermore yours.¡±


    Angerly pondered on that thought, then Berry suddenly burst into our bubble, literally.


    ¡°Hey! HEY!¡± she panted. ¡°Can you hear me!?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I patted her on the carapace. ¡°We can.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Good. Well! We¡¯re about to take a break!¡± She pointed to an artificial clearing by the side of the road. ¡°Um. The guy just said it.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± I laughed. ¡°The Guy. The absolute paragon of authority.¡±


    Moonwash rescinded her sound barrier, and we followed along with everyone to get settled in for lunch. The clearing had several logs for seating and stone circles for starting a fire in it already, and people began to form their own little groups. We got stuck with some of the other adventurers, and I found that they¡¯d brought field rations with them. From hard jerky, to even harder bread, what they had didn¡¯t seem appetizing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go hunt,¡± I told my party, wanting to get something a bit more substantial than that.


    ¡°What? Did you forget your rations?¡± Someone asked. A rogueish human woman. ¡°We can share some with you, if you want.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but we¡¯re good,¡± I said curtly, before disappearing into the treeline. Once there, I scanned the forest for monsters, and found there to be a little bit more wildlife than normal. I supposed they were stalking our caravan as we passed through. That was interesting, but ultimately not enough to save their lives.


    My eyes settled on a nearby floader, which was a massive gliding spider with webs weaved around their legs. They tasted like particularly bitter crab, but I knew Moonwash could prepare them well enough, and she had surely brought plenty of seasoning with her. I unsheathed my greatsword, then looked at the fine unblemished make. I did not have my regular blade strapped to my back because while I could certainly shrug any social consequences off, there was no reason to show my cursed weapon in all its glory unless actually necessary.


    None of that mattered right now. My opponent would not become harder to kill even with a lesser sword.


    I charged towards the creature, moving rapidly through the uneven terrain, but only to the extent that was possible for a human of roughly my level.


    The spider just watched me approach with its eight large eyes for some hilariously long moments without doing anything. When it finally tried to jump and fly, it was already too late. I grabbed the creature by one of its legs, slammed it against the bark of a tree, then splattered the contents of its brain.


    I then remembered that I had a dagger, and could have made that a much cleaner kill!


    ~~~


    ¡°Hey. I caught something,¡± I addressed my friends.


    ¡°What the fuck!?¡± People took one look at what I was holding, and immediately backed away.


    That was my line! Had they never seen a dead monster before? What the fuck had they been doing!? You¡¯re supposed to be adventurers!!


    ¡°Put that away right now!¡± A woman in saintly robes commanded, followed by another human and a belfegor of different attire. They had approached but were very obviously keeping their distance.


    ¡°Why?¡± I said defensively. It was a perfectly good kill! ¡°It¡¯s our lunch.¡±


    ¡°Your lunch¡­? Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± I said, unsure out of surprise, then more confidently, ¡°Yes.¡±


    She rubbed the pinch of her nose. ¡°If you really don¡¯t know, then why were you even allowed to take this escort quest?¡±


    ¡°Just tell me why you¡¯re all freaking out,¡± I clicked my tongue, feeling the annoyance building, and the hatred for everyone in this clearing.


    ¡°Because that¡¯s a floader! A carrier of disease!¡±


    ¡°...Oh.¡±


    A few seconds passed. We just stared at each other.


    ¡°Well!?¡±


    I scratched my head, or rather the metal of my helmet. ¡°Hey Moonwash!¡± I looked past the three healers. ¡°Is this true!?¡±


    ¡°YES!¡± she shouted back, voice loud but even.


    ¡°Huh. I¡¯ve been eating these things for years now. Not as my favorite food in the world or anything, but they¡¯re just sometimes around, and I could just eat them. Pretty simple.¡± I tossed the dead spider away. ¡°But if they¡¯re contagious then they¡¯re contagious, I suppose.¡±


    I turned back to grab a different meal from the forest when the human woman stopped me again.


    ¡°Wait! You need to wash yourself to get the disease off, and you definitely need some minor healing. A gold will do.¡±


    I looked back at her with a raised eyebrow that she could not see. ¡°What?¡±


    Her expression turned annoyed. ¡°Healing. You¡¯re sick.¡±


    ¡°I feel perfectly fine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s a disease! It¡¯s small now, but it¡¯ll get worse later, and then it¡¯ll be harder and more costly to remove.


    ¡°Oh.¡± I was¡­ admittedly way out of touch, but that seemed expensive. ¡°If it¡¯s minor, then why do you need an entire gold for it?¡±


    ¡°To flush it out, of course,¡± she sighed like someone tired of having the exact same well-worn argument. ¡°It might be small, but to make sure that I get all of it, I¡¯d need to use a fair bit of mana.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s fine then. I have my own healing.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± She asked incredulously. It was a rare skill after all, even with the prerequisite elements.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I confirmed, then remembered that I couldn¡¯t just reveal my regen heart here, nor should I use the nature mana in my molars, just in case. ¡°Moonwash, can you lend me a nature wand?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± my girlfriend approached and then tossed what I¡¯d requested over to me. The human woman and her friends looked at me strangely as I allowed the plant life around me to grow and soothe my non-existent wounds. It still felt nice.


    ¡°Are you sure that was correct, and you weren¡¯t just making a few leaves sway?¡± the woman asked, and I seethed at the condescension. The three of them were healers, one affiliated and trained by the church, as marked by her robes. The others were of a different background but were content to follow her around. They must¡¯ve been tasked to go with this caravan, as I reckoned few of the parties here had their own healer. Many would be worn down without a few dedicated healers.


    And half of my own party can heal. How funny.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure. If not, then I¡¯ll die,¡± I stared impassively with satisfaction as my words gave them all pause. I asked Moonwash to wash me down with water magic as per their instructions, and then I went back into the forest in search of less controversial prey.


    ~~~


    Granuel joined me in my hunt to help spot hidden prey, and together we caught two horned rabbits, a murdle(red bird), and one mole. I used my contact-covered eyes to stall them just a little, which was probably fine. No one could really tell, they weren''t really watching, and even if they wanted to expose me for something... what were they supposed to say?


    "Oh, that bunny hesitated for like a quarter of a second."


    That would just be ridiculous and confusing.


    I brought the catch to our camp, and we all worked together to skin, drain, chop, and season the meat before putting it all in a pot over the fire. Moonwash had added some herbs that she, Therick, and Angerly had foraged nearby. It smelled delicious.


    ¡°Are you sure you should be doing this right now?¡± the adventurer across from us asked. She was a human ranger.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I curtly asked.


    ¡°Lunch is going to be over soon. I don¡¯t think you will finish eating on time. This is why we buy rations.¡±


    I opened my mouth to respond, but closed it instead and crossed my arms. I remembered then that I was trying to be silent and unreadable to everyone but my close friends. It would keep me out of trouble, and they weren''t interesting enough people anyway, but I had just been so inconsistent with actually doing that! It was so hard to not be myself! Ugh.


    But, I could start doing it again at anytime. It didn¡¯t matter that I was inconsistent. If it annoyed people, if they thought I was weird, then so what? What could they do about it?


    Nothing.


    I¡¯d go make more friends once I could actually walk boldly as a demon. The ones I currently had were enough.


    A privacy bubble expanded around us, and we talked like we were the only ones here.


    "So. What the fuck happened back there?" I asked once we were in the privacy of our own company.


    "She''s not wrong," Therick answered. "We will be asked to move soon."


    "Not that," I rolled my eyes. "The floader! The disease!"


    "Well, she''s not wrong either. The healer... I believe her name was Anny, was right about the gliding spider being contagious, and it was indeed dangerous to everyone else."


    "The price is a little bit too high though," Granuel commented. "They should''ve already been paid just for taking this journey and the risks associated with it."


    ¡°So I was right!¡± I exclaimed, stirring the pot of soup.


    "There are creatures who have features and Mutations just for the spread of diseases," Moonwash explained. "Diseases are similar to poisons, but distinct in some ways. They typically take far longer before taking effect, making them not very useful in combat."


    "Those are the effects,¡± I hedged, ¡°but diseases are typically caused by... viruses and shit."


    "Viruses?" my girlfriend spoke the Earth term. "I assume this is a concept from your world. Tell me more."


    "Well," I scratched my helmeted head and obliged Moonwash''s request. I talked briefly about microorganisms as our meal finished cooking, with a promise to go into further detail later. I received a bowl of soup, and I quickly finished that and asked for another as I spoke of whatever else I could remember about diseases, from possible causes, symptoms, and cures.


    "That is fascinating," Moonwash said as she took a sip of her own soup and ate her meal, "but I don''t think that''s how this world works."


    I tilted my head questioningly.


    Moonwash continued. "There are cases of diseases popping up from seemingly out of nowhere, but the likely cause of that are just small animals and insects with the right Mutations." She caught a cockroach in her hands. I stared at it as it wiggled in my girlfriend''s hand. It was very likely just a level 1 or 2 creature, something low like that, for some creatures never leveled up. But they did have a Status, that was confirmed. "I''ve never heard of diseases self-propagating like that. That''s terrifying. They need a proper host to nest from, if they even work like what you described. Maybe they behave more like how you understand poison instead, just non-living things created and secreted invisibly by certain organisms. I would love to find out."


    "Huh. Yeah, I''m interested too. It''s wild seeing all these differences from Earth. I wonder what''s really happened, if I''m still in the same universe and something weird and fucky happened, or if I''m in another reality entirely that''s always been like this." I finished my fifth bowl of food, then grabbed a sixth.


    "It''s not just animals and insects either," Granuel gestured outward, toward the nearby road. "That''s why the path here curves. We''re dodging a grove of contagious tanarib trees."


    "Wait, what do they look like?" I asked.


    "Uh, taller than the trees near here, with a canopy that starts low, and gren-red-blue vaguely star-shaped leaves?"


    "Huh. I''ve seen those things around plenty of times before, and I''m... fine." I patted myself over my armor, as if to make sure. "Why did I not know any of this? I mean, I did know. I have seen people get sick, and I''ve read about some monsters carrying diseases... but no one I actually knew ever caught a cold or whatever!"


    "Some of us did," Angerly corrected, referring to the kids at the orphanage. "But Luine and Salaire very quickly just healed us of that. So I think that''s what happened. You likely got exposed to healing very frequently, so it''s never been a problem. Oh, and I believe you had a natural immunity as a human too?"


    "Yeah," I nodded. "Not always, not every human gets that, but plenty of the ones born here get some things against disease and poison. I don''t have that anymore of course, because I''m not a human, but then my regen heart is constantly healing me..."


    ...Shit was coming together, and I didn''t think I liked what I was realizing.


    "Plenty of people get sick!" Berry added, finishing her second bowl of food. "I''ve seen people just wither away, and either die or be exiled because of it. They can''t really afford the healing. It gets harder and more expensive to heal as their condition gets worse, but not everyone can afford to get things flushed out of their system every day! I''ve had some tough times back then too... Billy and I would have an unfortunate encounter with one of those gliding spiders or some other monster that we didn''t know about which no one ever bothered to inform us of. And then we''d have no choice but to break out all our savings to get it healed early if we showed symptoms, then I would cry because I was always trying to get out of the adventuring life but never quite succeeded..."


    ¡°Ugh. Sorry to hear that Berry.¡± I buried my face in my hands. "I''m so fucking out of touch! AAAAAHHHH!!"


    "What? Haell! It''s not your fault!"


    "I know! I have it good, and that¡¯s great. But it¡¯s just so fucking embarrassing that I¡¯m this unaware! I brought a floader here when it could have had an irreversible effect on someone! That¡¯s fucked up!¡±


    "Well, when you put it like that..." Berry scooted over and awkwardly patted my armored back. ¡°There, there. Everyone fucks up. Even you.¡±


    "Ugh. Yeah... I used to hate people like that, you know?"


    "What, like sick people!?"


    "No!"


    ¡°...People who make mistakes?¡±


    ¡°Not that either!¡± I guffawed. "I mean like people who are out of touch, but are completely unaware of it. They''d act like they can solve all your problems when they don''t even know what it is!"


    "Yeah!¡± Berry bobbed. ¡°It is annoying when people do that. I can''t just pray my problems away! I don¡¯t even believe in their angels! And neither can I just do the things crustecars are supposed to do. I''m already doing it, dumbass!" Berry punched the air with her big claw, and I was rooting for her to win against that invisible enemy! "But you''re not like that, Haell. I mean, you say some insane shit sometimes, but who doesn''t? You try, you care, and you''re... you''re willing to listen. That''s more than I can say for most people."


    I smiled. "Thanks. It''s... not that I''m ashamed of my advantages. Hell, I''m happy about it, even if it sucks that so many other people have to suffer so much. I''m grateful, I''m thankful, I know just how lucky I am. Or at least, I thought I did. I thought I understood what it was like, to live as the poor and unfortunate people that surrounded our home. I thought I understood your struggles, those of other species, living under this oppressive regime. I''ve lived that life myself after all, of struggling to make ends meet, of being in danger against the law. But while I have struggled, it''s not really the same struggle. I did not even know the world around me. I only knew of a place that is now long gone."


    Berry was silent after that, and so was everyone else, unsure what to really say. But I knew. There was really only one thing to do.


    "Moonwash!"


    "What is it?"


    "You gotta teach about these things. Which creatures are poisonous which are contagious, and what I should fucking do about them.¡±


    "Sure."


    "Thanks."


    That was when we were forced to move out, Angerly carried the rest of our soup with her, and Moonwash regaled me of the information that I wished to know


    People just thought that we were a joke more and more. They sneered and laughed at how we were slackers, and I wanted to hang them for it. But I held myself back, for I knew that they would soon be proven wrong. Even by sheer levels we had an edge, and that would come into play sooner rather than later. Violence would show who really was the best.

 Chapter 96: Consistency.

    We continued along the road for another day or so, then we stopped by a village that was on the way. There weren''t enough inns to house everyone, but there was enough space inside the walls to set up camp, so that''s what some of our caravan did.


    Not my party though. The big merchants had reserved the best inns before we even came here, but Granuel knew of an out-of-the-way inn which we immediately booked.


    The building was clearly not as expensive as others, but I could tell that it was well-maintained. It was run by two centaur men who told good stories and made even better ale. They were unashamed to talk about how one of them was descended from a human, so his sister actually owned the place on paper, a situation very similar to Granuel and Therick''s. The two centaurs moved here after they got married because they wanted a slower and quieter lifestyle.


    Apparently, people were a lot more active in the plains, not just because of its massive agricultural projects and the need for deliveries across the continent, but also because people felt safer there.


    "They feel safer? Really?" I asked. "I mean, maybe there are less monsters in terms of population, but it''s not like you don''t have your level 40 predators right? Hell, I think you have more natural level 40s from I''ve read."


    "We do," Robb confirmed. He was a bulky centaur man with pale skin and pitch-black hair and fur. "I never said it was less dangerous. Just that people were less scared."


    "You''re probably used to it," Jark added. He was Robb''s husband, and he looked like a very average centaur. "But the imposing trees of the forest, the songs of creatures just out of sight. That''s scary. People prefer to stick in larger groups here from what I''ve seen. Not that I go out much nowadays."


    "Damn, so it''s already working on you!" I laughed, and ordered more ale. Jark went to get some with an amused smile. The rooms here were full because of our caravan, but there weren''t too many people here in the lobby because most were fast asleep by now. We were still up, unfortunately, because we had a lot of preparations to make for tomorrow. It was admittedly Granuel who did most of the work.


    "That doesn''t make sense," Granuel complained. "I''ve done some research, and I believe the plains are actually a little bit more dangerous."


    "It''s not logical," I gave my friend some sage wisdom. My contacts almost glimmered with the real terrifying eyes within. "Fear is not logical."


    ~~~


    "Hey!" It was the next day, and everyone was preparing to depart. I cringed at the speech I was about to give¨Ceveryone else had already moved on and I just wanted to do the same¨Cbut it would bother me forever if I just ran away from this problem. "Sorry about yesterday. I uh, didn''t realize I brought something contagious to camp. So, just in case, I wanted to give everyone here a heal to make sure no one''s gonna get sick because of that."


    People began murmuring. Some merchants rolled their eyes at the disruption. The adventurers were a mixed bag, and there were accusations thrown at me about making a show and a scene out of this. That was obviously projection coming from them of all people, and I hardly even felt any surge of anger from those comments because of how pathetic they were. The other common passengers and civilians were predominantly in favor and understanding, even if many did think I was dumb for making the mistake in the first place.


    I took it in stride, and I did not freak out.


    Those who agreed to get healed clustered together, and Moonwash began to draw the ritual using ingredients we spent the entirety of last night trying to procure from the locals, along with some that we foraged for in the night or had brought with us to begin with.


    Some of the village denizens had also gathered around the park to watch what was happening, and Therick asked around to make sure that there was no one missing from our caravan who might not get the opportunity for a heal. The caravan would eventually bleed out passengers and take in new ones, but not in some random small village this close from whence we care from.


    "Cure Disease."


    My girlfriend spoke the words, grass grew and flowers blossomed, and the people inside the circles and illustration drew sighs of relief and contentment.


    That was it. I made things right. A few people came up to thank me, and I just gave them some curt words and nods.


    "Not bad," Anny the healer said, standing beside me and watching everyone else pack up. "I didn''t think you the type."


    "I don''t either. I''m not."


    I did not elaborate.


    ~~~


    The caravan rolled out of the village but then was forced to stop just a few minutes out because we encountered a downhill patch of road, followed by an uphill climb shortly thereafter. The downhill was hard, and Moonwash observed carefully how the wagons handled it. She infodumped about the winches and brakes to me as she edited her designs.


    Uphill was even harder. The centaur wagoners strained as they pulled the large vehicles along, and my girlfriend noted how the brakes were used to help them, but then a harness suddenly broke. The wagon rolled down the hill, the two centaurs at the lead were dragged across the ground, and people yelled as their transport crashed and broke against a tree.


    ¡°What the hell!?¡± A large merchant climbed out of the wagon, then began berating the injured centaurs for breaking the wagon and injuring everyone.


    ¡°Enough of this,¡± the deacon merchant came down from uphill, as the other wagons had successfully parked there. ¡°You are both exiled. Aron, I¡¯ll see about helping you recoup the damages, but we cannot be held up by the likes of them. Understood?¡±


    ¡°...Okay. As you wish.¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± one of the bleeding centaurs said in horror.


    ¡°No, please!¡±


    The woman¡¯s guards pushed them away when they tried to beg, further worsening their wounds. They were exiled just like that, and they limped away in a defeated daze.


    Another pair of centaurs took their place, and then a woman of the same species was sent off to deliver the news of the people who had just been exiled. Those injured from the incidents were healed if they could afford it, and workers buzzed around the damaged wagon to repair it. At least no one had died in this ordeal, but people were already complaining about the hold up.


    ¡°Can they even just exile people like that?¡± I asked. Moonwash made a privacy barrier around us that actually kept her out because she watching the repair process of the broken wagon and harness. ¡°They¡¯re just some merchants right?¡±


    ¡°The decision is with some other officials, I believe,¡± Therick said, ¡°but it¡¯s most likely going to go through.¡±


    ¡°Being abandoned here is like a half-exile already,¡± Berry added. ¡°It¡¯s very hard to enter towns and even villages without any sort of identification, which I doubt they have. News of two exiled centaurs would just make them be treated as bandits on sight.¡±


    ¡°...Excuse me what?¡± I looked at her incredulously. ¡°Why would they be treated like bandits? How!?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand either,¡± Granuel said. ¡°I get that they¡¯re likely to become bandits, but¡­ they¡¯re not necessarily going to steal from random travelers, right? Or live with those sorts of people¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Berry sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. Effectively, and even officially, they will be classified as bandits. I know because I have gone on missions t-to¡­¡± she hyperventilated, but eventually got her breathing back under control, ¡°to exterminate them.¡± She made one long scream, before continuing. ¡°I-it isn¡¯t whether or not you pillage and rape that determines if you¡¯re a bandit. If you look like a bandit, if they think you¡¯re a bandit, then you are a bandit.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± The both of us fell silent at that. I patted my friends back as the privacy bubble came down, and people were complaining even harder as the repairmen and women were taking a bit of a while to fix the broken vehicle.


    The two exiles did not come up in conversation once. They were long forgotten.


    ~~~


    ¡°This is great.¡± I practically inhaled the noodles, savoring the taste of my meal. It was a beautiful night, spent under the starry sky. Granuel knew just which herbs were best and fresh, meanwhile Moonwash was able to make pasta in record time.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± my girlfriend said, her voice still bland but somehow full of love. ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it.¡±


    I smiled back at her, but the moment was unfortunately interrupted, and I very nearly killed someone.


    ¡°Hey, Haell right? Haell Zharignan?¡±


    A human man suddenly sat across from me along the campfire. He was dressed in the scales of a creature that was far above his own level. I narrowed my eyes at him and settled for a curt, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Excellent! I¡¯ve been hearing about you, and I saw what you did with giving those who were born less fortunate charity! Your friend even did an entire ritual!¡± His voice boomed and flowed like silk, causing many of the nearby onlookers to turn our way. ¡°I must say, it¡¯s very becoming for the heir of Golex the Hero to be like this! I would love to get to know you better, if you Harvesters would be willing to join my Antiraiders in a quest or two? Or we might instead just go for a drink if that¡¯s what you prefer!¡±


    He winked. He actually winked at me. He had a very punchable face.


    ¡°No. Not interested.¡±


    He clicked his tongue.


    ¡°There is no need to be this rude and unfriendly. Why are you even still wearing your helm while you¡¯re eating? It¡¯s quite rude, and the grandchild of a hero mustn¡¯t be so shy¨C¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    His words were cut off when I slapped his hand away. My face had settled into a furious grimace, and I realized just then how much force I had actually put into that. My hand stung from the telltale aftereffects of using wrath magic, but his was bent at an awkward angle.


    But this insolent fool was about to grab my fucking horns. No one did that. Not unless I fucking allowed them to. And I certainly did not remember giving him permission. That was justification enough to kill him. I could even slaughter everyone else here. They were all part of the problem. If all these hateful creatures just disappeared, then I would have to hide no longer. And then they can finally see my face in death! Just like they fucking wanted!


    ¡°Y-you dare!?¡± he squeaked. He didn¡¯t know how close I was to killing him right here and now. ¡°My grandfather is a shepherd, you know? I¡¯m a knight! You''re nothing!¡±


    His grating voice pushed me closer to the ledge of violence, but I didn¡¯t act on that desire just yet. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking touch me.¡±


    He flinched, as if struck for a second time. ¡°You ungrateful bitch¡­¡±


    The tension got worse, everyone could feel it. His party members moved behind him, ready to back up their leader, if very visibly shaking and scared. I too quivered in hatred, and the excitement gnawed at my bones.


    Bring on the fucking bloodshed.


    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s going there!?¡± A richly dressed man¨Cone of the head organizers here¨Cwalked over to our group with his three guards in tow, two of them higher level than me. It would not be enough to stop me from murdering them all.


    Therick quickly stepped up to explain before things could escalate that far.


    ¡°It¡¯s a sort of¡­ conflict. They tried to grab my companion¡¯s¡­ head, so she swatted his arm away.¡±


    ¡°Lies!¡± the man in shining armor shouted, wincing visibly from the pain of his broken right arm. ¡°She attacked me without provocation! You don¡¯t just break someone¡¯s arm from a swat! Everyone here can attest to that!¡±


    His party agreed, but almost everyone else looked away, clearly not wanting to get involved.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re just weak,¡± I couldn¡¯t help but taunt. I knew it was unproductive and would just make the situation worse, but I was fucking mad, and it was the least I could do to insult the opposition.


    ¡°WHAT DID YOU SAY!?¡±


    I looked him straight in the eye. ¡°I said that you¡¯re fucking weak.¡±


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!¡± He screeched like a dying pig, before drawing his sword with his one good hand. I drew my own, the mana within me roiling at the inevitability of the coming fight. But then the merchant¡¯s shout ground us to a halt. Again. I really could not get to fight tonight!


    ¡°ENOUGH!¡± He watched as all movement ceased for a second with barely concealed satisfaction, as if his words could actually control me when I could kill him so easily. He looked at the two parties in conflict with each other, his gaze lingering on me with a calculating glint. ¡°Stand down. We will deliberate.¡±


    I tensed, wondering if my secret had been exposed. I had shown a very small part of my true strength earlier, when that pathetic freak tried to touch my horns.


    The merchant didn¡¯t say anything about that, however, nor did we have a quick and bloody battle. What we did instead was a long and boring investigation, wherein the merchant and some of his aides asked the other witnesses to piece together what had happened.


    ¡°Mr. Areth here had certainly overstepped his bounds and made a fellow escort of this caravan extremely uncomfortable,¡± he eventually concluded.


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± He glared at the jackass who interrupted him. ¡°However, I believe that Haell¡¯s reaction here was a little bit overblown and violent. Hence, she will be asked to pay for his healing, or otherwise provide it herself.¡±


    I stared, in part in shock, and another part in dissatisfaction. The merchant¡¯s expression turned into a deeper frown the longer I stared at both him and the other party. I didn¡¯t wish to give this horn-grabbing bastard anything. I wanted nothing more than to fucking kill him.


    But, I knew what troubles that would bring. So, I reluctantly accepted the offer.


    ¡°Fine.¡± I growled. ¡°I¡¯ll pay for it.¡±


    Just as I¡¯d declared, I went to go find Anny, informed her of what had happened, then left back to my camp. The person who¡¯d started all this glared at me the entire way, but he got his healing, then finally walked away from us and this entire fucking mess.


    ¡°I hope there is no bad blood left here, Haell Zharignan. The cost of the healing was surely trivial to one such as you,¡± the merchant whispered to me when we passed each other by. ¡°I¡¯m Ven Diagro, of the Diagro Company. I hope we can work together again someday.¡±


    Huh. For all my anger, did I actually get off easier than I otherwise would have in that ordeal? Well, easier being a relative term. I would just have to kill a bunch of people if it came to it. The only problem was how that may affect and bleed over to my party.


    ¡°...Sure.¡±


    ~~~


    The days marched on, and so did we. Even the vast and beautiful natural scenery around us began to blend together, yet I still loved to be in nature like this. It would be even better if most of the people here other than my party were just gone.


    I remained vigilant even when most of the adventurers had abandoned their attempts at emulating true readiness. But I hardly saw any action because the few monsters that dared to attack us were swiftly taken care of by the sheer power of numbers. The only times I got to fight was when I hunted for our meals. It helped that I shared my kills sometimes, so most of them had gotten used to me by now. They appreciated getting to eat something better than dried rations.


    "Why don''t you guys just do the same thing?" I had asked them at some point. They did hunt sometimes, but they mostly looked for easy and small game. "Your prey is right there. Just get someone good at tracking, someone who can fight, and there you go. You can have fresh lunch anywhere.¡±


    I got a range of responses from the adventurers, from those who were offended, to those who gave me a chance and just took my question at face value.


    "Not everyone is as insane as you!"


    "It''s way too risky."


    "Even a small party might lose someone."


    Those were reasons that I... did understand. My eyes flitted over to Berry and the rest of my friends, and I understood that most of them did not share my same drive to be the strongest thing in existence. But this realization still made me feel confused and perplexed.


    Here was a fantastical world, where power was within reach. How could anyone settle for the mundane and the mediocre when they had unlimited potential at their fingertips? They could be free, they could be immortal, the powers they might get were amazing and fun by themselves!


    But I didn''t begrudge them their choices. I knew what I wanted, and it was fine that other people desired different things. Even now, during this entire journey, I did not slack off. I used what little combat I saw to further train using my memory core. I spent the long marches parsing through the memories of my countless battles and trying to spot the countless flaws with my approach. I planned with Moonwash, coming up with new potential use-cases for my magic, discussing what materials may be good to obtain, and working on the design of my new greatsword to come.


    I was just in a private conversation with Therick about swordsmanship when Angerly suddenly stuck her head into our bubble and yelled right next to our faces, ¡°BARKBARKS!¡±


    The sound barrier went down, then I heard Granuel¡¯s voice appraising us of the situation.


    "Over there! From straight ahead!"


    I looked at his finger, then the road ahead of us. Soon enough, I saw dust and disturbances coming from far away, followed by the soft sound of a thousand tiny feet that was quickly growing louder. The white grasshopper-dog hybrids finally came into view, and I roared out a warcry that made way too many adventurers pause for a second as I ran ahead to the frontlines.


    If that much makes you hesitate, then what the fuck are you here for!?


    I was hardly able to hold back the retort as I felt the tsunami of hatred that begged me to curse and berate them, do even worse. But that was dumb, it would make me unnecessary enemies, and I didn''t actually want to do that even if they were a bunch of pathetic cowards.


    I reached the front of the wagons, and there I stared at the approaching mass of sharp teeth and large maws.


    I felt that they were weak.


    Individually, they were nothing to me, and they would fall so easily if I just unleashed all of my pent-up rage. They would freeze under the glare of my eyes, and they would stagger upon the weight of my aura. Some would die without me ever doing anything.


    But I could not show those abilities here, so I crushed the first wave that reach me to pieces with one swift slash using my sickeningly normal greatsword.


    That was only the beginning. I kept up the assault, killing dozens of them with each strike, but many more began to make it past my guard. I stepped back, Therick helped me pick off the ones that had clung to my body, and I used a regular old fire wand to burn them all.


    The result was clearly not as great as the magic I inherently possessed, but it was still enough to throw my enemies into disarray. The chaos only spread the flames further, and they began to die in great numbers as the other adventurers finally got their act together and fought.


    Ogres and centaurs took to the front. Kobolds breathed fire that slaughtered many of them at once. Humans and others darted in between the melee and killed the monsters. Others yet stuck from afar, with arrows and spells of varying kinds.


    And then an ogre woman was overwhelmed by way too many barkbarks and had to be pulled back. A man of the same species suffered the fate, but could not be saved on time because he got separated from his own party. A human rogue had an arm ripped off by the sheer mass of them, and a human mage had strayed too far towards the frontlines and had her face bitten off. Screams started to come from the wagons, as the civilians found themselves under attack by the barkbarks that had snuck in between the gaps of our formation, or had circled around through the trees.


    Large masses of soil then started to land in front of me, covering the road and burying some of the monsters, though many of them managed to dig themselves out. That was not the purpose of this, however, for my friends soon joined me on the frontlines. It was Granuel and Moonwash that had shot those clumps of dirt, and they now used it to grow thorny grasping plants that stemmed the flow of enemies. Berry and Angerly soon arrived at our side too, and the Harvesters had finally assembled as one once more. The barkbarks had no chance, and we slaughtered them with impunity.


    ¡°NO!!¡±


    ¡°RUN!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a dodoom!¡±


    ¡°AAAAHHHH!!¡±


    Cries of fright and pain suddenly came from behind us, just as the barkbarks were finally starting to scatter and flee. I glanced briefly at my party, and Granuel shouted, ¡°GO!¡±


    I gave one curt nod, turned around, then charged for the bird/T-rex monster. I used as much wrath magic on my legs as I was willing, speeding up a hair beyond what any human my level should be capable of if they were to use their adrenaline gland.


    A centaur man had already been killed by the dodoom, his guts spilling on the road. Anny the healer was staring down its beak, and I could possibly make it if I ran at my true full speed¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ but she was not worth risk. I did use my eyes to try and stall the monster a little, but it barely paused with my contacts in the way, and Anny''s head was entirely bitten off before I could make it there. A human man was crawling away and was about to be killed in the same when I finally arrived and met the monster''s beak with my greatsword.


    "AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!"


    My shout resounded as I let out the rage for having to make the choice I just did. The dodoom looked back at me with disdain as blood poured down its face, but I dashed past its bite and slashed at its thigh. The monster tried to turn around and face me, but it stumbled on its injured leg as I circled around it.


    I observed my prey¡¯s movement, dodged a swipe from its wing claws, then attacked its other leg, thereby robbing the monster of most of its mobility. The rest of the fight was not hard, I did not make a single mistake as I systematically tore apart the enemy, until finally it died to a vastly restrained version of myself.


    ¡°Weak,¡± I muttered as the crowd that had formed by the end watched with bated breath.


    More of their people would have survived today, had I only been free and unburdened. It was this oppression, as much as it was my choice, that killed a promising healer today.


    What a waste.

 Chapter 97: New Environments.

    A cheer went up, followed by more, but there were also plenty of adventurers who just stood blankly, panting, or found a place to sit down and try to process things. Someone shouted, trying to get back a semblance of order. Another person sobbed, at first softly, then louder, and then an entire chorus of cries.


    It was the aftermath of a victorious battle.


    Shrugging, I stepped around the dead healer, ignored the few stares directed my way, then made it back to where my friends were.


    "Haell! You''re okay!" Granuel shouted.


    I looked at the five of them, bloodied here and there, but not broken. I doubted they even had any remaining injuries on their bodies after some healing.


    "Of course," I smiled an unseen smile. "Just took care of something. How about you guys? I kind of just left there on instinct, but I really shouldn''t have."


    "What?" Angerly boggled. "We did tell you to go, right?"


    "Well, you did¡­ But what if something happens to you guys?"


    "We were fine," Therick was the one to answer. "And besides, it is good instinct to take care of our flanks." He lowered his voice and leaned close to me. "It''s honestly stupid that everyone went here and left none to defend our rear."


    My friend was right. I looked at the front half of our caravan, and it had indeed suffered the brunt of the attacks. But stationing one lower-level party to our flanks would¡¯ve prevented many injuries and a death, even if they couldn¡¯t face the dodoom. Adventurers were actually accustomed to being part of larger groups like this overall, so they weren¡¯t bad at coordinating party units, but we didn¡¯t have an overarching leader and it showed.


    Not that I wanted to be taking orders.


    ¡°Oh well.¡± I shrugged, and then started to help my girlfriend in looting and dismantling only the best cuts of the dead barkbarks. Soon, the caravan stirred into motion again, and my party set up on the side of the road to cook a good meal for ourselves after all that excitement. We made soup and roast out of our enemies, and they were delicious.


    ¡°Greetings. You are Moonwash, correct?¡± A merchant approached our group, and I immediately narrowed my eyes in suspicion as I slurped up a barkbark leg.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she answered, ¡°That¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Good. I have an offer for you,¡± he gestured behind him. ¡°Plenty of people have gotten injured in that fight, and we are down one healer. We would like to hire you in order to see them all healed in a timely manner. I¡¯m personally impressed by that ritual you made a few weeks ago, and I would like for you to have this opportunity to help.¡±


    I relaxed a little after hearing his offer. More negotiations needed to be made, but that wasn¡¯t my job.


    The first offer was for Moonwash to just take one fixed payment for healing up our forces. Granuel stepped in, and asked for a portion of all the heals. They went back and forth a few times, and my friend was eventually able to settle on a marginally better ratio for Moonwash, but that wasn''t the main win. He had secured cheaper heals for everyone, which was more important than profit.


    I stood up with the two of them once that was done, and we followed the merchant towards the wagons. I gestured to Moonwash for a silence bubble before I asked my question. "Why do we care about what he thinks?"


    "Uh, because we negotiated..." Granuel hedged, a bit confused.


    "No, I mean¡­ We can heal people all by ourselves. Why do we need a middleman like him?"


    "Ah. Well, first of, we don''t have the mana to heal this many people. Second of all, this is their caravan. They organized it. It''d be incredibly rude to just do that without working out a deal with them.¡±


    I blinked. "That sounds like their fucking problem."


    Granuel sighed at my comment, then panicked, "Oh wait sorry! It''s a valid question..."


    I held up a hand to stall him, ignoring how I did get offended. That was fine. I did not let it affect me or my friend. "It''s fine. I know I don''t understand things sometimes. Continue."


    "Well... reputation is important. For us as adventurers. And especially for me and what I do."


    "Alright," I shrugged. "That¡¯s fine. I''ll just watch. You guys do whatever you do."


    "Okay. Thanks Haell!"


    I chuckled, and Moonwash collapsed the bubble of air.


    On the other side, I found an ishkawtan worker opening a crate upon the merchant''s command to reveal that it was full of light element wands.


    "An entire crate? That''s fucking expensive right?" I asked Granuel.


    "Yeah. It is."


    "Damn. The war is that bad?"


    "It''s not just that crate. I believe the other ones are full of the same thing."


    "Wow."


    Moonwash was handed a few of the wands, each of them full, and then someone from the merchant''s side followed her around along with me. Those who had been injured were surprised but grateful over the lower price, although not everyone ended up happy.


    "Hey, wait!" Begged a fountan who had lost an arm. The one that held his mana fount. ¡°Please! You have to grow it back! I can''t... I can''t work like this! What will I do!?


    I tensed when he grabbed Moonwash, but I kept myself from violently prying him away¡­ for now. My girlfriend wasn''t being harmed, she was fine, and she could handle herself. There was no need to push around someone who was kind of already  fucked.


    "I''m sorry," Moonwash apologized. "But there is nothing I can do. I can''t do biomancy."


    "But..." he sobbed. It took a minute more until he finally accepted the reality and let us go.


    ~~~


    "Hey!"


    I was just talking to Therick about sword tactics when a young man suddenly approached us. His armor was made of thick fur and leather, and he had a double-headed axe strapped to his back.


    "What?" I asked impatiently, really not looking to make friends here, but it was clear he meant to talk to me rather than anyone else in my group.


    "Oh," he slowed down once he was next to me, marching in pace with the caravan. It had been a few days since we were besieged by barkbarks, and everyone was more wary now, sending more scouts ahead just in case. "I just wanted to say you''re awesome! We all saw you fight a level 20 by yourself! And win! That''s great!"


    "I''m¡­ level 20 too?" I just said, perplexed, though admittedly incredibly pleased for the praise.


    "Well, yeah. I know that! But it''s still so cool that you''re willing to take that risk by yourself.


    "Right..." I just got even more confused. It was a monster the same level as me. I had barely shown a smidgen of my full potential. Why was he so fucking impressed!? "You''re right. I''m fucking amazing,¡± I said anyway.


    "Right!?" he laughed. "That''s all I wanted to say. I''m glad to see Golex the Hero''s granddaughter be so impressive. The future is bright for the Edengar Kingdom!" He ran back to his place while waving at me. "Oh and I''m Axtrus of The Big Movers! Call on us anytime if you want to quest together!"


    "I''ll keep it in mind!" I couldn''t help but reply. I likely wouldn''t get the opportunity since we would be on the move very soon, but that had been a pretty fun conversation, and he had made a pretty positive impression.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "You''re confused," Angerly pointed out.


    "Totally," I admitted. "I think he was talking about that dodoom I killed. Why was he so excited over me soloing something the same level as me? Why is that fight surprising?" Moonwash''s anti-sound barrier went up. "I am capable of so much worse if I didn''t have to hold back so much."


    "Most people don''t take those kinds of risks," Therick explained. "Monsters can often be stronger per level than the sapient species."


    "That''s not true," Moonwash corrected, "From what I''ve gathered, most wildlife are probably weaker than us per level. But there are a lot of them so the stronger ones might give that impression."


    "I think even just being equal or slightly stronger is already a big risk that a lot of people would like to avoid," Granuel added. "Those fights could go either way, they can be unpredictable, and no one wants to lose their lives. This is substantiated by what quests adventurers typically take."


    "Yeah!" Berry agreed. "I''ve seen people who tried to take on something too dangerous die. I''ve seen some get permanently injured even by something so much lower-leveled because they let their guard down! It''s really always best to be safe." She looked at me. "Not that you''re doing anything wrong, or even unsafe! I''m sure you know what you''re doing!"


    I snorted, and the rest laughed.


    ~~~


    The forest gradually thinned as we traveled, eventually transitioning into a vast and open shrublands. With this change in environment came a variety of new plants, terrain, and threats to contend with. The caravan continued to follow the road, but Moonwash and I had diverged a little, uncaring for the judgement of everyone else.


    We remained close and were just off to the side! They didn¡¯t need to be like that, when we¡¯d contributed a lot when it came to actual fights.


    I followed Moonwash as she explored our surroundings, and I listened intently as she explained all the new plants and animals. The bushes here were more vibrant and full of life, from those that replenished their leaves very fast, to ones that bore fruit both poisonous and delicious. There were more horned hares and other small critters running around, and I caught quite a few of them, but not all as evidenced by how an unexpected surge of grasping vines managed to trip me up and nearly bring me to my knees.


    "Help!" Moonwash suddenly shouted in a bland tone while I was fuming and trying to find some other prey. A snake had jumped out of the mildly colored bush my girlfriend had been poking into, and now it was latched onto her arm. Her armor was dented, but the monster was thankfully unable to bite all the way through in one go.


    "MOONWASH GET BACK!"


    I shouted as I swung my greatsword wide and drove away the animal. It was a sort of viper, but as large as the largest snakes of modern earth. It was a level 20 venomusa, known for its piercing bite-force and strong poison. The enemy monster slithered back into position, then struck like a spring coil.


    My greatsword flashed forward, succeeding in driving away the creature¡¯s attack, but not in actually hitting it as it jerked away at the last moment. The venomusa then proceeded to shoot back into another attack right after, thus catching me off guard. I raised my arm at the last moment, forcing the bite to be more shallow, but it still dented my armor. A clumsy blast of fire from Moonwash drove the monster back away, and I growled as I felt a growing hatred for this slippery beast. For a moment I actually considered if I should use my hyperdemon gland to finally end everything once and for all.


    Breathe.


    The rage washed through me, and I kept myself as unaffected as I could. I had not used that Mutation at all since my evolution for a reason, and now was not the time to suddenly activate it again.


    So I cleared my mind and observed my foe. I remembered my training, and I focused my reflexes to their very limit. This was a faster foe, a stangely-moving foe, and I had to be one step ahead.


    Another lunge, another bite. I drove the monster away, then again, but I misstepped during the third clash and got bit on my thigh. Thankfully my armor was strong enough to take care of a few bites, but the monster in front of me would get through the mythril at some point, so I had to end the fight before then.


    I exchanged a couple more blows with the snake, running around like the floor was on fire when the animal tried to slither below and around me. I got better and better with every clash, all my efforts finally coming together into one, until I was able to land a single cut. We both only redoubled our efforts after that, but the next attack of mine that landed nearly managed to break the spine of my foe. The venomusa hissed as it quickly slithered away in defeat, but was stopped by a blast of earth right ahead of its path, and that got me all the time that I needed to finish this fight.


    The monster was split into two, then three and four and five, until it could move or slither no longer.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s dead,¡± I joked, then promptly fell on my ass.


    Moonwash was already harvesting all that she could from the high-level monster before I could even sigh in relief, and she was also very interested in the bush it was hiding in. The venomusa was apparently in symbiosis with the toxaleafa, which was why we really should not get poisoned by one. Had the monster not been near one such plant, then its venom would¡¯ve actually been very weak for its level. I made the right choice to avoid its poison by making sure that my armor never got bit on the same spot.


    ¡°I¡¯m excited to see what I can make with this later.¡±


    ~~~


    We came across our first cursetacean. One had made it this far.


    It saw us just as we saw it, and it shrieked in unison with the battle cry of a party that ran off to take care of the threat.


    It was... below level 20. Though it was sort of hard to tell with these creatures. I stayed at the ready, but otherwise just watched with my friends how other people took care of these complicated threats.


    I smirked as their archer tossed rocks at the enemy instead of using the bow on his back. The stones hardly dealt any damage, but that was the point. The action was just enough to redirect the beast''s attention, where it was then led away from the road to be set upon by numerous vines. The cursed monster thrashed, someone jumped on its back, and then she screamed in pain as she drove the spear down its head.


    The woman immediately fled. The cursetacean had somehow survived, but only just. The party''s swordsman finished it off, then also cursed from the damage that the overgrown crab did just before it died.


    The adventurer party immediately went to get healed after that ordeal, while someone else burned the remains. That mage also had to get some light healing, because even the monster''s corpse somehow retained some retaliation effect, if a vastly weakened one. A mere echo of an echo.


    ~~~


    I went away from camp to take a piss again. People had begun to think I had some sort of condition because of how frequently I urinated. That was untrue, because what I was actually doing was dumping wrath magic as deep into the earth as I was able. People would detect it if they looked really hard, but mana was typically harder to detect beneath solid objects. Mana sense was different than regular senses of course, but they were still informed by it. Most people weren¡¯t used to looking for things underground, so the only ones who typically had good magic detection in that sort of environment were those who lived in such an environment, or those who naturally had sharp senses related to it.


    When I finished and merged back with the caravan, the massive towering walls of The Fortress City Agwar were already visible in the distance. It was a far more utilitarian construct than I¡¯d come to expect from Angelore, and it made for an imposing figure even from far away. We walked the rest of the way there, crossed the massive barren clearing that surrounded the city, and then went up to the gates.


    The head merchants talked to the soldiers at the gate, who were still mostly humans, but a little more diverse. There were kobolds, ogres, and even a centaur ready to slaughter whomever was inconvenient for Edengar.


    We were let through after a quick inspection of our cargo.


    Inside the walls, we found a place that remained more dreary and dull than I was used to. The buildings were still decorated, but only to the bare minimum, and there was little color to be seen. There were no children playing in the streets, the stalls were quieter, and the stores present were more geared towards providing necessities rather than any luxuries.


    Soldiers strolled through the place like they fucking owned it, and that¡¯s because they effectively did. (Probably. I just got here.) Regular civilians showed them deference at every turn, but were also very obviously trying to avoid their attention. They walked with their heads down, as if always in a hurry, but never wanting to actually run.


    There was also one other addition to the streets I was used to, and that¡¯s the heavy presence of inhex(ant-like insectlike-like sapient people). They followed their commanders through rigorous marches and drills, silently seething in most cases, and I empathized with their wrath as someone who too felt a need to destroy everything in sight, if for admittedly less empathetic reasons.


    The inhex people seething silently was actually the best-case scenario here, for they would otherwise be beaten and abused. Most still tried to remain silent through that, but those who did not were threatened, not by their own lives but by the safety and well-being of their beloved queen and her eggs. Individual inhexes were forced to fall in line, where they would¡¯ve otherwise fought, even if it meant death.


    Not far from the entrance, I saw a bunch of them training in a field, fighting each other in brutal ways that left lasting scars or worse. Their spars continued until someone could no longer stand and fight, where they would then be ushered back into this dark warehouse, and were seldom given any form of healing before they entered into the darkness. That building was so full of inhexes that they had almost no room to walk, other than on top of each other. Even the walls and ceilings were full of the enslaved people, for they could walk on any surface. That was just another thing for the army to exploit.


    ¡°Haell.¡±


    ¡°Haell, hey!¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    I wrenched my furious gaze away from the training camp and looked back at my friends. My head turned towards where they were pointing, and I saw that the caravan was starting to move on without us.


    I stared at it for a while longer, gradually rearranging my hidden expression into a semblance of civility. Their plight was a terrible one, but it was not something I could fix by glaring really strongly, for my glare was not yet strong enough.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± My hands painfully unclenched and wrapped around Moonwash¡¯s own. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡±


    How much longer do I need to wait? How much stronger do I need to become? Until I am able to burn it all down.

 Chapter 98: Did I Do Anything?

    Our caravan was led towards a barracks allowed for our use, and then my party immediately ran off to find a local inn. The first one we found was an ill-maintained place with broken architecture and unclean cobwebs, but I wanted to take it anyway just in case everything else gets bought out. I¡¯d rather get a room of my own than bunk with the rest of the people I was traveling with.


    ¡°Relax, Haell,¡± Granuel reassured me. ¡°While it feels¡­ strange compared to where we grew up in, this is still a city. They¡¯re not all going to be full, and the barracks given to us were nice enough. Many would just choose to stay there for the night. We¡¯ll find an inn.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± I shrugged. ¡°You know this better than I do.¡±


    We continued our search for an inn, and saw a lot more of Agwar City in the process. There were more forges, buyers, and mana farms than what we¡¯d find in other cities. There were also brothels, which I was sure was illegal, but they were just buying some drinks, and some of the waiters and waitresses just happened to be seduced by the ¡®very charming¡¯ soldiers. I certainly didn¡¯t care about the rules, but Angelore was usually very efficient in rooting out these sorts of operations.


    We walked with our heads held high unlike the other citizens, which the soldiers were visibly bothered by as they tried to walk even more arrogantly in response, roping their inhex slaves along with the act. I did not like them at all(the regular soldiers, I mean), but surprisingly, no major confrontation happened. Some wanted to check our credentials, just as a way to exercise power against us or some other bullshit, but they did begin to be less standoffish once they got to the silver-ranked ones.


    They didn¡¯t even have proper level senses. How pitiful.


    Eventually, we made it to the oasis in the center of the city, and we bought a suite in the most expensive inn in town. It cost even more than normal while having worse service¨Cthough still extremely good¨Cbut it was still amazing to experience after being on the road for days.


    Civilization wasn¡¯t all bad.


    ~~~


    The following day, we left through the northern gate with a bunch of soldiers who were chosen to join us after negotiations with the army stationed here. There was an entire platoon of them, consisting of around 40 people, three-quarters of which were inhexes, and then a mix of mostly humans and other species. Among them were one tyranight and one sundertop.


    The new arrivals split themselves off into two, taking the vanguard and the rearguard respectively, and sandwiching the rest of the caravan. The sundertop, who looked like a bright feathered triceratops, joined the soldiers at the front. The tyranight, who looked like a slick and dark tyrannosaurus but with much bulkier arms, joined the soldiers at the back.


    We marched along the road under the heat of the sun, with even fewer monster attacks to entertain ourselves with. We set up camp in some clearing come noon, and I watched as the inhexes of our caravan were led to watch the perimeter, told to catch their own food, forced to eat it raw, but also punished for straying away from their spots and ¡®endangering¡¯ everyone.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t normal, from what I¡¯ve heard,¡± Granuel said after asking for a privacy bubble from Moonwash. People were looking at us judgingly now, having recognized that we always wanted to be separated from the whole group, but it did not matter to me. They should mind their own godsdamned business. ¡°Inhexes can eat uncooked food, but they don¡¯t have to. It¡¯s not even uncommon to be able to eat raw meat. A lot of species can do it naturally, and those who can¡¯t can do it anyway if they are high level enough.¡±


    ¡°Well, if they choose to eat raw, then it¡¯s their life¡­¡± Angerly hedged.


    ¡°But they¡¯re not being given a choice,¡± I added, and my friend nodded.


    ¡°It tastes horrible,¡± my girlfriend chimed in.


    ¡°Exactly Moonwash!¡± I chuckled, although my tone lacked most of its usual mirth. A horrible atrocity was happening right fucking there, but I could do nothing about it. ¡°Really cutting to the meat of the matter.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just frustrating,¡± Granuel said. ¡°I don¡¯t really know what they¡¯re like. I can tell that most of the information about them are untrue or grossly exaggerated in some way, but I still don¡¯t know how they actually are. No one understands them. No one tries to. And forcing service like this is wrong. They could at least pay them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what the inhex are like either,¡± Berry admitted. ¡°I saw a lot of them in my childhood, but I¡¯ve never even had a proper conversation with one before. They were just so scary, but now I get why they have to be.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I agreed. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ honestly impressed, if in a sad way, that they¡¯ve managed to hold it in for this long. It sucks that they have to.¡±


    These people were angry, truly angry, and it was a deep and burning wrath that I could respect.


    ~~~


    Monsters continued to avoid us, but we did see a fair number of fights because of the increasing number of cursetaceans. I managed to pick a fight with one myself, and it went much better than the last time because my friends held it down before I delivered a powerful finishing blow. Their defenses were actually weaker than what a monster with a carapace would have you believe, so it was viable to kill them with one strike, especially for someone like me. It still caused a great amount of damage to my arms, but nothing compared to repeatedly bashing away at the creatures as many fucking times as it took.


    Adventurers murmured and discussed my strength with respect both grudging or not, and I hadn¡¯t heard anyone try to suggest I was a demon or something equally outrageous so I  chose to just be happy about the praise.


    Most of the fights that did happen during this time did not involve me nor any of the adventurers hired as escorts, however. The soldiers showed an initiative to take the brunt of the burden themselves, or rather, some of them were forced to take on this burden as the inhex slaves were commanded to set upon any monster or animal that came close to our procession.


    The moment a target for extermination even came close, one of them would rocket forward on their grasshopper-like back legs, and then grab the enemy with their mandibles. Some of their targets survived and struggled, but many failed to live through the piercing front legs of the inhex. If that still proved insufficient, then another one would jump in with eeries precision, seldom ever causing friendly fire. If even that was not enough, then the rest of the inhexes could also be mobilized, and then the sundertop and tyranight might be called to action once the enemy is sufficiently distracted.


    I saw them take on a level 40 garosh. The bulky horse-goat monster charged forward, and it was halted by many inhexes leaping all at once and crashing against the charging creature. Many of them got injured or were instantly killed or knocked out by that attack, but with the beast¡¯s dangerous charge now halted by the inhexes that clung and clawed onto it, the sundertop man prepared a massive attack. The magic resolved, and a massive burning orb that looked like a sun crashed against the creature.


    The garosh cried, and so did some of the inhexes scream for one final time as they sacrificed themselves to keep the enemy from dodging the orb of fire. Its light was searingly bright, and I could feel a great heat from where I stood.


    ¡°Fuck you all!¡± one of them shouted as she died.


    ¡°May your empire burn!¡± another cried.


    ¡°Our queen will rise again and we will kill you all!¡±


    The battle continued despite their death. The monster burned, and inhexes jumped back in despite the pain. The sundertop positioned himself against the creature¡¯s heavily injured side, and he used what was left of his mana to do a persistent beam attack onto the creature¡¯s side.


    Once the monster was sufficiently weakened and the sundetop soldier¡¯s mana was depleted, he made an earth-shaking charge and rammed his horns through the gaping wound, lacerating what organs remained within, thereby ending the monster¡¯s life.


    The rest of the inhexes were punished for the insolence of their dead comrades¡¯ last words, and my body twitched in restrained violence as I watched it happen. But the ones being beaten bore through the pain with stoic rage, which helped me keep myself under control.


    Not for the first time, I wondered why I even bothered to restrain myself. And not for the last time, my friends kept me tied to this place.


    We would be adventurers. And the abuses of this regime would not stop me from living out this small dream.


    ~~~


    The sundertop man healed the inhexes after his mana had regenerated, then apologized to the commanding officer when he was berated for his actions. They didn¡¯t want him to waste his sun mana, which they were very inefficiently harvesting through many light repositories. The fountans were under a similar arrangement, with some wagons containing repositories they could dump their mana production into, but there was admittedly still a lot wasted because we couldn¡¯t really pack that many repositories with us for this trip. The merchants who owned their produce were still hesitant to give the mana away for free most of the time, which was ridiculous when more was being produced and just wasted.


    The sundertop soldier would later on proceed to ignore orders again and heal the inhexes. He would also apologize for her behavior again, but he never actually changed. It brought a smile to my face.


    The tyranight and sundertop of our group were honestly given a lot of leniency by the other soldiers. Even the commanding officer present hesitated to reprimand then too much, because they were believed to be the strongest people here. They were both nearly level 40, and they were very powerful for their level. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    People did not wish to piss them off. Status was one thing, but strength was another, and they did not have the same kind of unfair leverage over them like the queen of the inhex.


    ~~~


    We faced another intense battle, this time against a fierce pride of lyons. They were a terrifically intelligent species of monsters that looked like darker-colored lions, but with musculature comparable to that of tigers. They attacked us when we were at camp one night, overwhelming the perimeter of inhexes, half of whom had gone to sleep right in their places. They got in, dragged away a few civilians and adventurers, and slinked away into the night before most of us could react.


    Keyword being most. My party always had someone on watch, because we never knew what could happen, or who could be our enemy. Therick woke us up, Granuel immediately shot a stone bullet after one lyon and then another, after which I ran towards the enemies as the fastest one of our party. I managed to kill the two as they had somewhat been injured, but the rest retreated successfully.


    Well, I allowed them to retreat successfully. I could¡¯ve hunted them all down if I really wanted to.


    ~~~


    The next night, we slept in a clearing prepared for our use in a military encampment that was vaguely a village.


    The night after that, we were attacked again by the lyons. People were lost, and I killed a few of the monsters, but clearly not enough to deter them forever. They were known to be persistent hunters. It was finally clear to everyone that the monsters would do it again.


    The next night, the inhexes were forced to stay awake the entire time by the soldiers, and it bore fruit just an hour before sunrise. The lyons found a weakness in the perimeter to assault, so they attacked and killed a particularly unhealthy inhex, and then they slinked back into the night, knowing not to push their luck.


    But launching that single swift attack in itself was their biggest mistake.


    The shadows lengthened around them. The night turned absolute. I heard growls of distress, and many lyons stumbled out, clearly disoriented. The inhexes moved upon receiving a command, and they shot towards the locations of the lyons. Their initial attack was greatly successful, then they began to be pushed back, but the stalemate was quickly broken by the massive tyranight who moved way too sneakily for her size. She picked off the monsters one by one, ripping them apart with her long and massive claws, or devouring them whole through her powerful maws. The alpha of the lyons tried to call for a full scattering retreat, its roars echoed through the night, but it too was killed and devoured.


    A single satisfied growl came from the forest as the tyranight relaxed after the slaughter.


    ~~~


    I¡¯ve had enough.


    Later that same day, I ran off right after we¡¯d made camp. I pushed my speed harder, for I no longer cared as much if people began to think I was too fucking strong. I found a massive eagle larger than a common man flying above, so I caught a normal rabbit, gutted it, and then tossed the bloody animal away. The over-level-20 bird fell for the bait and flew down. I charged as it dove, and I collided against its lighter body like a freight train. A wing came off, and a huge gash ran through its torso. The monster definitely had the hollow Mutations, so it bled out to me all too easily.


    But it wasn¡¯t enough.


    I ran back to camp, told my friends to cook it, then asked Granuel to find me something else.


    We searched for a bit, found a beeferal(big cow), and I battled the level 20 animal with the mass of an elephant. I watched its movements, dodged around the wide sweeps of its horns, then crippled a leg. I circled around my prey a few more times before it finally decided to run in earnest instead of trying to both attack and defend.


    But it was too little too late.


    The monster only made itself an easier target, and a few choice cuts on its neck¡­ didn¡¯t make it immediately bleed out. But the beheading that followed certainly killed it.


    ~~~


    The other people with us grew excited when we started to cook so much food, thinking that we were once again going to share our bounty with them, but this was not for the people who had been traveling with us from the start.


    I went up to the inhexes, and they looked at me dumbly as I dragged a whole roasted buffalo behind me. The eagle was for my party to eat.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± one of the inhexes asked. His voice was sharp and biting.


    ¡°I want to give you food.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± someone else said. She looked up at me, head tilted, and mandibles clacking.


    ¡°You seem hungry.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need your charity.¡± More inhexes gathered around me, now clearly interested. Their words were interspersed with unintelligible screeches.


    ¡°Nor do we need your pity.¡±


    ¡°Leave us alone.¡±


    ¡°Go back to your stupid mansions.¡±


    I found that reaction to be incredibly rude when I was putting my neck out there and trying to help, but I remained still, instead of acting on the building rage.


    ¡°We appreciate the gesture,¡± an older inhex whispered, ¡°but this will only bring you trouble, so please go now.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I shook my head. ¡°Do not worry about me.¡± I wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of making use of this, but¡­ I found that I cared less than I did yesterday. My patience was wearing thin. ¡°My Status actually transcends all of the people here combined.¡±


    The older inhex looked at me strangely, and right on time, someone else approached me in rage.


    Cute and pathetic rage.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± the commanding officer asked.


    ¡°Giving them food,¡± I answered simply.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s against protocol and you are interfering with military matters.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one messing up military matters by letting them starve.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± She drew the rapier on her waist, and the already tense atmosphere only became more suffocating, but I was unbothered. I was ready to fight. ¡°These are just insects. They are violent creatures that barely know words. We feed them only what¡¯s necessary, and we keep them in line. What will you do if you end up giving them the strength and opportunity to rebel?¡±


    I tossed her my adventurer¡¯s badge.


    ¡°They are part of our forces, and keeping them fed will only help us. That is what my grandfather, Golex the Hero, taught me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± She checked the back of my badge. ¡°WHAT!? ¡­No, this can¡¯t be true. Lying about this is a high offense, and it will see you executed!¡±


    ¡°But it is true,¡± I gestured back towards camp. ¡°Ask the merchants, the organizers. They know for sure.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°If this is a joke, then I¡¯ll kill you myself.¡±


    I smiled in response, and though she could not see it, I got the feeling that the idea got through to her anyway.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to see you try.¡±


    She turned on her heel, then marched briskly back towards camp.


    ¡°Whoa, that was awesome!¡± The inhexes laughed.


    ¡°Seeing Maraya that red was so funny!¡±


    ¡°That bitch fucking deserved it!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not so bad yourself, Haell.¡±


    I smiled, but in a kinder way this time. It still could not be seen by anyone.


    ¡°Here,¡± I tried to give them the food again. I would not be satisfied otherwise, regardless of whether I actually helped or not. ¡°If you want.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re sure...¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had something that smells this good¡­¡± an inhex woman drooled, ¡°in so long.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure this is wise, though? I can¡¯t imagine it will be safe for you¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh trust me.¡± I touched them and brushed wrath mana directly against their bodies. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Those who were fortunate enough to feel the curse shivered for a moment, and then in unison, they devoured the meat in a beautifully chaotic display.


    ¡­Revealing a secret here was fucking stupid, and I shouldn¡¯t have fucking done it. There were always snitches among the oppressed, but I wanted to trust that their wrath ran deeper than that.


    ~~~


    ¡°You already fed them!?¡± the commanding officer had an even larger grimace on her face when she came back. One inhex failed to hold back her laughter, and was slashed in the face for the insult.


    I took a deep breath. ¡°I gave them food, yes.¡±


    ¡°I did not allow you to do that yet.¡±


    ¡°I knew what they were going to tell you,¡± I shrugged, referring to the merchants. ¡°So I just hastened the process. Don¡¯t want the food to get cold, you know? I hate it when that happens.¡±


    ¡°I DID NOT GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO FUCKING FEED THEM!¡±


    ¡°Do I need your permission?¡±


    ¡°YES! OBVIOUSLY!¡±


    ¡°I disagree.¡±


    A tense silence passed. The spectators were at the edge of their seats. It¡¯d be an even better show if we got into a genuine fight.


    ¡°Being the granddaughter of Golex does not mean you can do whatever you want. I can arrest you for this!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Golex the Hero to you.¡± I was even angrier than her right now, but riling her up was so much damn fun! ¡°I¡¯ll tell gramps that you are against him if you try and stop me.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what he fucking wants! This not military protocol.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what Golex the Hero wants¡­¡± I trailed off, repeating exactly what this military woman said as I wrote it down on a notebook I fetched from a small punch by my waist.


    ¡°...You¡¯re bluffing.¡± She stepped back in disbelieving fury.


    ¡°Wanna bet?¡± I leaned forward and leered at the smaller person.


    She didn¡¯t reply and just walked away. I guffawed at her departing back.


    And then I felt the piercing gazes of the audience we¡¯d made.


    Ah, I made some enemies.


    I acted like an absolutely spoiled brat.


    Oh well.


    I tried.


    This was the least violent way I could go about it.


    I had to do something, lest I do something worse.

 Chapter 99: Well Cross That Bridge When We Get There.

    Cursetacean encounters grew more numerous as our grand journey continued, and the inhex were sent off to kill them. They jumped and pried away the massive claws of the monsters, while others delivered the finishing blow with their front legs. The inhex bled from their faces, and so did the carapace of their legs crack and break, but the commanding officers did not care in the slightest. The injured inhexes were forced to march anyway, and their stamina began to fall and fall as they were whittled down by the march.


    I snapped at one point, and fucking rushed into battle, showing power greater than what my level should bring. It did not matter, everyone knew I didn¡¯t move like a human already, and I had the perfect fucking excuse. I was Golex¡¯s granddaughter, and I carried the power of that fucking legacy!


    I ended the life of a crustecar, then another, aiming for swift and lethal damage to their heads. My arms were a bleeding mess by the end, but I was more pissed off by the conversation that followed.


    ¡°Hey! HEY!¡± The commanding officer chided me. ¡°You can¡¯t just run off like that! We¡¯re here to alleviate the deaths of people!¡±


    ¡°And what about them?¡± I pointed at the inhex.


    ¡°They hardly count.¡± She sneered. ¡°This is their repentance. It is the sorrow of their queen for creating such abominations. But your grandfather might react horribly if you died in some random mission to the coast, so do not try to be a hero when you are far from one, child.¡±


    I hissed. I actually hissed.


    ¡°He¡¯d also react horribly if I did not fight like a fucking coward, just hiding behind the inhex.¡±


    ¡°What did you say!?¡±


    I looked her in the eye, and the uniform/armor she wore. ¡°I told you what actions he would see as dishonorable and vile.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t even lying. I did not mislead her. Because while Granda had fought way too many fucking times for the interests of the empire, he had always cared deeply about honor, and everyone knew it.


    ¡°Did you see that?¡± someone too fucking cowardly to say it to my face commented from afar.


    ¡°She¡¯s endangering herself for those blasphemous scum.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I thought there might be something to her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s just a fucking spoiled brat.¡±


    ¡°Cry to your Grandpa bitch!¡±


    I took a deep breath to help settle the setting magma of rage as I made my way back to my party under the inane and stupid words of my growing number of detractors. Abusing my status like this was really not endearing me to most of the people here, but what did that make them? They¡¯re the ones abusing their station the most, not me who¡¯s actually trying to help, even if it wasn¡¯t fucking enough!


    I felt my hand clench against Moonwash¡¯s own, and I immediately stepped back when I realized what I¡¯d done. My girlfriend had gone to hold my hand, and I had fucking hurt her¡­!


    ¡°Fuck! Shit! I¡¯m sorry¨C¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Moonwash interrupted, a sound barrier already isolating us from everyone else. She pulled me to sit on the ground, and there she healed the wounds that I¡¯d suffered for actually doing something good for once. As useless a gesture as it was. I was only preserving their lives to be used up by their masters all the same.


    I truly was helping the army here, even if they didn¡¯t see it that way. It made me sick.


    But all those worries melted away as I leaned on Moonwash¡¯s shoulder, and basked in her healing touch.


    ~~~


    ¡°Hey, Haell¡­¡± Therick began after I had fought in the frontlines and shared our food with the inhex again.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°...Are you sure about this?¡±


    I raised an unseen brow. ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°About¡­¡± The familiar feeling of sound being isolated came over the six of us, ¡°defying a military order like that? For the second time in a row¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course. It was the right thing to do.¡±


    ¡®Well, I get that. But this is one of those things that are just¡­ I¡¯m sure there will be consequences for it.¡±


    ¡°Eh. Grandpa will back whatever story I have. It¡¯ll be fine. And if not then I¡¯ll kill them all.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s exactly what we¡¯ve talked about. This is the kind of action that will bleed over to the rest of us!¡±


    ¡°Well then what would you have me do!? I¡¯m already compromising by not freeing them right this instant!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Haell,¡± Angerly said after a pause. ¡°It¡¯s the threat to their queen, to the continued existence of their very species, that keeps in line, right? You can¡¯t free them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said dejectedly. ¡°I know that. It sucks, and I am too fucking weak to storm wherever they¡¯re keeping her prisoner in Hivania. Which is why I¡¯m doing this, for my own fucking self-satisfaction, and to vent my anger. The wrath burns inside me, and it¡¯s only gotten worse. I want to fucking kill someone!¡±


    A long beat of silence passed.


    ¡°I¡¯m with Haell on this,¡± Granule eventually announced. ¡°Therick, come on. I know you don¡¯t think this is right either. It¡¯s a travesty, and it all makes me so sad.¡±


    ¡°Of course I know this is bad, Granuel. But I just don¡¯t know if this is the best way to go about it. Haell admitted that this is for her own self-satisfaction. It won¡¯t really change anything for them in the long run, and they¡¯d just die later anyway. We¡¯re not actually doing anything, yet we¡¯re attracting attention and danger to ourselves!¡±


    My eyes narrowed, and I quivered in suppressed rage. Therick could tell, and he stepped back a little.


    ¡°Hey, easy Haell. I¡¯m sorry if I caused offense, but I¡¯m just worried¡­¡±


    ¡°Therick¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry, okay! But you are endangering everyone and¨C¡±


    ¡°Therick.¡±


    I said more sharply, and he swallowed his words.


    I sighed and scratched my helmeted head. ¡°Sorry. I got heated there. I didn¡¯t mean to scare you, but it just really rushed to my head, and I needed some time to calm myself. But please, don¡¯t actually fucking worry that I¡¯d hurt you, okay? I¡¯m in enough control of myself. I just need time sometimes.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway. I am sorry if this affects you, but I have to do something. I can¡¯t bear doing nothing. I¡¯m all ears if you have a better idea. This was just the most peaceful I can go.¡±


    My friend pondered for some long moments. ¡°No. I can¡¯t think of anything else we can do to help them. But that¡¯s the point, we¡¯re only prolonging the inevitable. We¡¯re not actually helping anyone, and we¡¯re only making our own position worse. We¡¯re not being productive!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I admitted. ¡°And yet I must. There are things that you just have to do on principle sometimes, no matter what disadvantage it may bring. This is my breaking point.¡±


    ~~~


    After a day of having suspiciously not met a single cursetacean, we finally saw the ocean on the horizon. After only a few minutes more of walking, we found out where the accursed monsters had gone. The Fortress City of Orila was being besieged by the cursetaceans.


    Kilometers out from shore, with half of it within the shrublands, and the other half in the sandy beaches; that was where the city stood. Its walls were taller than anything else I¡¯d ever seen, and the settlements within remained unseen. But there were settlements without that could be seen, as particularly fragile houses were erected around the wall, and then beyond that was a massive muddy moat filled with traps. The cursetaceans had to wade through all those hazards in order to destroy the targets of their ire, and they sent a few of their number to attack while even more arrived from the oceans. Many of them remained in the outskirts, and I shuddered in anticipation at what would be required for our caravan to even be able to enter the city.


    ¡°This is it,¡± Therick said, ¡°I¡¯ve never been in a fight this big before.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be fine so long as we stick together,¡± Angerly reassured.


    ¡°I have memories of it,¡± Berry commented as more and more of our destination became visible. ¡°Entire caravans have been lost and buried before, and so too did many of my people die in the attempt.¡±


    ¡°We must be careful then,¡± Granuel nodded. ¡°But we will bring this quest home!¡±


    ¡°YEAH!¡±


    I looked ahead of us as the details became more visible, and found that the people who lived in the settlements outside the walls were predominantly the crustecars. They guarded the moat, and killed any of the cursetaceans that managed to cross and resurface. I could hear their screams from here as the vengeance of the helpless monsters ravaged their bodies.


    The soldiers stationed there were content to watch from their raised houses of wood closer to the walls, and even their inhex pawns were made to wait patiently by their side. But now that they had caught sight of us, they marshaled in force to welcome us home. Crustecars were made to follow them, and a drawbridge began to be lowered so that we may cross the moat.


    What surprised me was how the cursetaceans(not crustecars) were able to slowly but gradually react to this development and adjust their behavior. Some of those previously sitting in the periphery now jumped into the trap-filled moat, and many more gathered in the area where the drawbridge was going to land.


    ¡°Alright everyone! Final stretch! We just need to make it to the gates!¡± One of the organizers roared, his voice normally not very inspiring, but it did stoke the nervous excitement already present in the adventurers. It was time, it was finally time, for us to fight.


    ¡°Soldiers! Protect the civilians!¡± the commanding military officer gave her own ¡®encouragement¡¯. ¡°Inhexes! Charge and take the brunt of the damage! Do not let them pass!¡±


    I readied myself just like them, and my party naturally settled into a familiar formation. We all charged, rapidly but not at full speed, rather with caution and no small amount of trepidation. The first curstancean reached us, but was quickly set upon by the inhexes. The tyranight left her position from the rear, as all of the inhexes left there had also gone to the front of the formation. The sundertop watched wearily, ¡®wasting¡¯ healing on the inhexes, but without complaint from the military leadership this time. His sun magic and his bulk were not the best at dealing with opponents like this.


    Projectiles flew, both of magic and the bow. Carapace cracked, cursetaceans fell, but so too did the casters scream in pain. The retaliation of these monsters could reach anyone from anywhere, be it from our caravan, or the army on the other side of the moat trying to help. Many soldiers and adventurers were able to bear through the pain, but they would be rendered incapable in a few volleys anyway. Our healers were sent out to help, and so too did Moonwash shine a light upon the allies close to us, but we just didn¡¯t have enough healers despite the surplus of mana in our crates.


    We continued our rapid march as more and more cursetaceans tried to hinder our advance. One finally tried to go for my party, and I just charged for its head by myself, killing it in one go. Moonwash healed the very small amount of damage I¡¯d suffered, for that was a lower leveled specimen, therefore not as dangerous. But it was still ridiculous for a sub-level-10 to hurt me at all.


    The chaos of battle grew worse, the constant shouting from all sides created an atmosphere that encouraged people to just act on their base instincts, for better or for worse. I noticed in passing, how the vegetation had progressively gotten drier, less healthy, the closer we came to the city. Angerly lashed out and instantly suffered a massive amount of backlash for her mace splattered more than just the enemy¡¯s head. The air was thick with curses, and it was making us dumber.


    The drawbridge hit the ground, and allied soldiers came rushing out.


    ¡°Keep calm! Leave the offense to me! Hold them back!¡± I shouted in a commanding voice, and did just as I said before my friends could even answer. Cursetaceans fell by my blade, Angerly and Berry held back the tide, and Therick and Granuel tried to finish off any strays that already had a foot in the grave. My hands bled, dyed once again in red, and Moonwash worked hard to heal the damages I¡¯d sustained.


    I dove back in, unafraid, preferring to take the pain upon myself.


    The other parties around us were not so capable. They began to lose people and be overrun. A lot of the adventurers with us had done this before, so they knew how to handle cursetaceans, but the pain still made them more sloppy and it caused them to hesitate and freeze up in key moments. A few tried to really deal only the bare minimum amount of damage to kill the creatures, but few could actually pull it off. A failure would only backfire, as a surviving cursetacean could only do more damage than an overkilled one.


    The tyranight woman struck, and waves of darkness reached out, leaving many of the cursetaceans blind. The massive soldier herself didn¡¯t seem fazed, so it seemed that such effects were not reflected back. She was even more proficient than I at dealing just enough damage to kill, before then getting healed by our resident sundertop.


    The final push soon arrived, the true climax and the melee. The chaos of war that I thought was bad before became even worse. We fought in one big pile, from those who came from our caravan, to the soldiers and crustecars from the outer-city, against the cursetaceans that would never stop coming. The curse in the air clouded our minds¨Cleast of all mine¨Cbut the confusion was so great that some idiots actually ended up attacking crustecars instead of the enemy!


    I waded through that tide of violence with my party, and we decided to go deeper into the front to better clear the way and make it to safety sooner.


    The remaining inhexes of our caravan saw my approach, and they immediately accommodated for me in what loose and chaotic formation they still had. I got to killing, delivering the finishing blow time after time, then retreating back to my party when the damage to myself had become too severe. My friends played the same roles they were already doing, but with a bigger focus on defense for the flood of enemies was stronger now, and I had to separate from them to swin through this accursed pile of bodies, both living and not.


    ¡°HELP!¡± someone shouted just as I crushed a cursetacean trying to crawl on three legs. I immediately turned on my heel and stepped towards the sound, only to pause when I saw a vaguely familiar person. It was¡­ the guy who had once tried to grab my horns. He never apologized, he held no remorse for his actions, and I didn¡¯t wish to fucking help him.


    So I didn''t.


    I turned on my heel and left him to his fate.


    I listened to his dying screams as I saved an inhex woman from certain death.


    He finally shut up when I helped a couple of adventurers escape.


    Two cursetaceans were killed by my hands to allow them the opportunity, but I was too damaged to finish off the remaining two.


    The tyranight woman killed them instead, and we exchanged a nod as I had somehow made it to the sundertop in all of the confusion.


    "Great fighting," he said, a lake of calm amidst the battlefield. I felt the healing power of sun magic, and it felt... bigger, than both light and fire.


    I bid him farewell and merged back into my group.


    "Shit sorry." I ended the lives of the two cursetanceans that Berry was tangling with. The cursetaceans did differ from crustecars and even regular crabs in the way their legs were structured. They were better for charging straight ahead but worse in sideways movement, which allowed my friend to quite literally dance around them. ¡°I got separated.¡±


    "It''s okay," Moonwash said.


    "It happens," Therick panted.


    "We have it under control!" Granuel reassured.


    "Little help here!" Angerly shouted, and I also killed the monster she was holding back.


    We later found a gap right where the drawbridge should be, with city soldiers holding the line to usher us into safety. I led my party and we rampaged through the crustecars in our way, their bodies messily tossed aside as we carved out a path. We made it to our goal, and the moment our feet touched the wood of the bridge, we ran straight ahead without ever looking back.

 Chapter 100: Blood-painted Fence.

    I stared at the simple but beautiful dwellings of the crustecars who lived here. Berry¡¯s people did not have houses, not as I understood it. Instead of walls, they built fences, and inside were their accommodations and the things they valued, only sometimes separated by sheets and curtains for privacy.


    The constant noise brought me to look back, to see and hear the colorful crustecars behind me, keeping the bridge clear of dark and foreboding cursetaceans trying to climb it from the moat. The soldiers were yelling at the rest of the caravan still outside, and they ushered in a wagon, causing me and my party to make way and step to the side.


    We watched the centaur wagoneers keep running, beyond the bridge, beyond the war, beyond the moat, beyond the shelters outside the walls, and through the gates that led into the city proper.


    ¡°We made it,¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Hooray!¡±


    ¡°We did it!¡±


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Berry asked, staring at the enclave of her people. Crustecars of different colors were still going about their normal daily routine while a war raged outside. The moat still had to be guarded, for the enemies rising up from the mud and through the plants had only gotten more numerous. Many refrained from directly participating in combat, but instead supported their compatriots as they screamed from the pain of their duty. Others yet cleaned and cooked and handled other chores, completely used to the chaos outside.


    ¡°We can go there if you want?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°...Yeah. I have to. But later, please. I¡¯m not ready yet, and we¡¯re all tired.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± I shrugged, walked past the crustecar dwellings, and then entered Orila City through the southern gates. It was quieter here than the chaos outside, but it was still pretty fucking bad. We went past the sortying soldiers, questing adventurers, and busy craftsmen, all to find a bed to collapse in. Granuel was kind enough to go get the paperwork done for our quest, and hear the formal dismissal of the caravan.


    ~~~


    I woke up to a new day, only a thin sheet of fabric concealing my full demonic form. I hugged Moonwash tighter into my embrace as I luxuriated in the soft mattress, and even softer pillows. This was the best inn in town, and it was better than I expected for a military outpost that saw constant battle, if exponentially more expensive. That was fine, we were rich, and what was money for if not these rare comforts.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Moonwash greeted.


    ¡°Mornin¡¯.¡± I gave my lover a tender kiss on the lips, before I fell back asleep.


    ~~~


    Angerly had already ordered food from downstairs by the time we walked out in comfortable tunics. We had just taken a bath, the door to our suite was locked, and I took the rare opportunity to just be myself around my friends.


    Breakfast consisted of eggs and small game, along with a side of some freshwater fish. There was an entire ocean right there, but people could hardly go out there to catch things with the state of things as they were. It was still a damn delicious meal, and we laughed and talked as we enjoyed this peaceful moment in a peaceful city.


    ¡°No it¡¯s not,¡± Therick said.


    I looked around the peaceful and opulent room we were in. ¡°Looks peaceful to me.¡±


    ¡°Well, here,¡± Angerly rolled her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s still a warzone out there, I bet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what our walls our for,¡± I spoke in a posh accent. ¡°To keep their blood out of my dress.¡±


    ~~~


    We went out together a few hours later, dressed once again in our full adventuring attires. Just as our getup would suggest, we went around the oasis at the center of the city, and found ourselves back at the Adventure Guild. Granuel turned in our quest, got paid, then took an open quest for cursetacean subjugation. We needed to take the lower part of the right pincer of every kill to be presented at the guild later.


    With a new goal in hand, we squeezed through the crowded streets, and made our way to the northern gate.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m ready! Maybe we should save this for tomorrow¡­¡± Berry second-guessed herself just as we stepped beyond the thick walls. The chorus of violent noises slammed to me the moment we stepped outside, for while there was no big engagement and the bridges were all raised, the crustecars were still fighting the tireless curetaceans. One shriek in particular stood out, feeling more urgent than the grunts of terrible but expected pain. Another followed, then another, and when I followed the trail of sound, what I found were people fleeing from a handful of cursetaceans that had somehow broken free of the muddy moat.


    ¡°We have to help them!¡± Berry pleaded, now anxious in a different way, but I was already moving before she could even ask. A watching kobold soldier yelped as I suddenly appeared and slaughtered a cursetacean in front of her. I heard the yelp of a a crawling crustecar woman, and I killed the cursetacean chasing after her before she could lose another of her once six legs. I charged away before she could thank me, and rammed my sword into the head of a cursetacean about to devour a crying child. I stepped away to find my next prey, and I stood there panting and marinating in my most violent desires as that was the last of the enemies that had gotten inside.


    ¡°Hey Haell,¡± Angrily smirked as she walked up to me with everyone else. Her eyes glanced over to the dead monsters. ¡°You okay?¡±


    ¡°Never better.¡± I smiled back. ¡°Anyone feel like healing my arms?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Of course!¡± Granuel focused his nature magic on the sandy shores.


    ¡°I¡¯m on it,¡± Moonwash said with her hands out, until finally a bed of flowers grew around me and soothed my wounds.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    I sighed and leaned against her, as I beheld the continuing carnage. The crustecar people wailed briefly for their fallen, and then they took the bodies away to be mourned whenever they might have the time. The world continued to churn despite the deaths, and soon they were cleaning up the mess that had been made, and fixing what structures had been broken. The soldiers didn¡¯t care at all, as they berated the crustecars for having failed in their guarding of the moat. The inhexes were deployed where they saw fit, but they had not reacted fast enough earlier when enemies had actually breached the moat.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± a voice muttered. I looked over at him with a child held in his three hands, and I reasoned he was the father or some other guardian figure of the boy I just saved.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± I smiled, though it could not be seen as always.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He looked intimidated, but pushed through. ¡°We don¡¯t have much, but if there is anything we can do for this great favor you have given us¡­¡±


    ¡°Think nothing of it. But¡­¡± I noticed how one of my friends was fidgeting, clearly wanting to ask for something. ¡°Berry, you want to take over?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Ummm¡­¡± Berry hesitated, but this was a bandaid that had to be ripped off at some point. ¡°Do you know of Billory?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ knew of a Billory,¡± the crustecar man answered, ¡°Billory, spouse of Kart, Rob, and Lena?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the one.¡± Berry made her equivalent of a gulp, as she visibly grew nervous and distressed. I placed a hand atop her carapace to try and calm her down, and it did help. She asked a question that she dreaded and knew the answer to. ¡°W-where is she now?¡±


    He went silent for an awkward few seconds. ¡°She¡¯s dead. I¡¯m sorry.¡± The crustecar man glanced at his kin, still fighting and being whittled down little by little to this day. ¡°I can take you to what¡¯s left of her family, if you wish. I believe Rob and Lena are still here.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just one parent, but two who had died in her absence.


    My friend cried, and I raged at the world that had brought her such sorrow.


    ~~~


    After seemingly an eternity of sadness that made even me shed a single tear, Berry had collected herself enough to speak again. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯d like that please. To see who¡¯s left of my family.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± we followed our new crustecar acquaintance through the paths made in between the fence houses. I noticed that there were other sorts of structures right by the walls. From elevated buildings and offices for the soldiers, similar structures for a few select stores and businesses, to the cramped barracks that the inhexes were stuffed into.


    The local crustecars who lived here looked up at us as we passed. They were clearly curious, but also nervous and afraid. Some even made sure to step out of the paths to make sure they didn¡¯t get in our way. I certainly didn¡¯t mind being respected, or even feared for the right reasons, but not like this. It felt wrong.


    ¡°Berry?¡± someone immediately asked once we¡¯d arrived.


    ¡°Berry, is that you?¡± Another crustecar perked up.


    ¡°BERRY!¡± Now everyone had noticed.


    ¡°Big sister!¡± All their many legs began to move as crustecars of all levels and ages rushed towards their loved-one now returned. Berry yelped as she was swarmed by a million hugs and kisses, and we all just watched on fondly as we remembered how nervous our friend had been for this meeting.


    ~~~


    ¡°Hey. Where¡¯s Billy?¡± one of them asked just as things began to calm down. He was Rob, a father of Berry, and his carapace was a deeper shade of blue.


    ¡°H-he¡¯s dead,¡± Berry informed them, and the gathered crustecars all chorused a haunting wail in unison. They also had terrible news to share as Berry learned of who exactly had died during her absence. She had only been gone for about a decade, yet already there were so many people who she could never meet again. The crustecars of this era lived such short and fleeting lives, and Berry knew it, but I was sure every confirmation remained a spike through her soul.


    ¡°Hey, Berry.¡± I tapped her on the carapace once there was a lull in the conversation. ¡°We¡¯ll let you catch up, okay?¡± I thumbed towards the perimeter where cursetaceans were trying to cross even now. ¡°Call on us anytime.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay. I will.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± I patted her on the back one last time, before I led everyone else away.


    ~~~


    ¡°I want to smash something,¡± I said as we sat down to rest. My gaze was focused on the cursetaceans climbing out of the moat, and the crustecars that screamed as they killed the enemies that looked similar to them. God fucking damn it, why are their names so similar too! It¡¯s confusing.


    ¡°Of course you do.¡±


    ¡°We know.¡±


    ¡°Enjoy, Haell.¡±


    My eyes narrowed, and I turned to my friends. ¡°Right. Thank you for the support.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    I sighed and shook my head, all with a smile on my face. The wrath mana roiled inside me as I reveled in the endless hatred that I felt. I made it to the moat, then looked down at the crustecar woman who was cringing and hesitating to crush a cursetacean¡¯s head. She knew what the action would do to her, the purple sheen of her carapace was already covered in scars, but at this rate the monster would free itself and potentially kill her instead.


    ¡°May I?¡± I asked.


    She looked up at me, uncomprehending. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°May I take this fight, and kill that cursetacean?¡± I clarified.


    ¡°Oh. Uhm. If you want¡­? But they¡¯re very dangerous and¨C¡±


    She could not finish the rest of her sentence as my greatsword slammed into the creature¡¯s head and killed it in one strike.


    ¡°Uhhm, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes. Perfectly fine. Never better,¡± I confirmed as I inspected my arm and the blood that dripped past the gaps in my armor. I relived the moment of that kill through my memory core, and then I replayed it again. As many times as it takes. As many times as I fucking want.


    As I thought, I had overdone it. I could¡¯ve killed that accursed monster with less force. I didn¡¯t need to suffer this much damage for it.


    ¡°W-where are you going now?¡±


    ¡°To kill more cursetaceans.¡± I gave her a big thumbs up and ran towards the whole buffet of monsters for my wrath to devour. I just had to sit there, and my prey would come to me.


    During this whole slaughter, I accessed my memory core, and adjusted the amount of force I used each time. At times I would undershoot, and at other times I would strike so hard that the sandy ground below me cracked. What added to the difficulty was that all these cursetaceans were different. Even if they were to hypothetically have the same levels¨Cwhich they didn¡¯t¨Ctheir physiques and a thousand other factors differed. People, animals, monsters; none of us were born equal.


    Moonwash healed me whenever I needed it, and my friends also tested their mettle against the cursetacean scum, if not to the same extent. The inside of my armor was disgusting by the end, as chunks of flesh rolled stickily against my arms that had been torn and remade so many times.


    ¡°Hey, Haell. Everyone.¡± Berry greeted us when we returned with a weary but satisfied sigh. A massive weight had been lifted off her shoulders, for it was better to know, no matter how tragic. ¡°Wanna come with me? To meet my folks?¡±


    ¡°I would love to.¡± I gestured for her to lead the way, then grimaced when my gauntlets squelched wetly because of the movement. This filth needed to be exorcised.

 Chapter 101: Beachside Date.

    We arrived at Berry¡¯s small family home, and I observed the minimalist carvings on the wood of its fence. Depicted on its exterior were various objects and animals in varying sizes and intervals, which I soon realized to be a message written in Morsian.


    ¡®Home of Lena. Home of Rob. Home of Larry. Home of Berry. Home of Billy. In memoriam of Billory. In memoriam of Kart. In memoriam of Dirk. In memoriam of Lily. In memoriam of Ray.¡¯


    Three older crustecars bowed to us in way of greeting once we reached the front of the house. Their carapaces were scarred, same as a lot of their people, for obvious reasons. It wasn¡¯t rare to see crustecars missing whole arms and legs, but that never stopped them from living their lives, even if they sometimes needed some help.


    The people in my orbit didn¡¯t really have a problem with scarring despite being veterans of many battles, because magical healing typically healed in such a way that didn¡¯t leave a mark. But those who lived outside the walls of Orila didn¡¯t get the healing that they deserved, and scars typically did remain if left alone for too long. The same went for permanent wounds, they did become even harder to heal the longer one waited.


    ¡°This is my mom, Lena,¡± Berry gestured to a red-shelled crustecar, and I smiled back at her. ¡°This is my dad, Rob,¡± she pointed to another one with a purple shell, before turning to someone with the same blue color as her. ¡°And he¡¯s¡­ my new dad! I did know of him before, and his name is Larry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you all,¡± I said. ¡°Is polyamory common here?¡± Monogamy was the norm in the empire as a whole, and while some people could have their relationship be open, marriage could only legally be done between two people, and it was irrevocable.


    ¡°It is,¡± Lena answered. ¡°It¡¯s a bit strange that you guys restrict yourselves like you do, but we do not.¡±


    ¡°Hey, as long as everyone¡¯s happy,¡± I replied, the offense I took perfectly concealed. ¡°No need to be dismissive.¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course! I meant no offense. Even among us, there are people who want different things. Between two people, no one at all, open relationships¡­ and some others that I forgot.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my favorite one!¡± I laughed as we all entered through the door in the fence. The outside was already decorated, but the inside was full of art. From pottery and paintings, to weavings, sculptures, and more. I took a moment to appreciate the love and care that went into creating this space with my girlfriend, until she finally decided to pester the people who lived here about their inspirations and techniques.


    Our hosts graciously and passionately answered her questions, and I watched on warmly as they began examining pieces in detail. I decided then that I liked these people. Berry had grown up in a nice family.


    Two of her parents had died in her absence, however, and many more of her friends and relatives had died, both during her time away and long before she had ever left Orila. I got to hear just a little bit about who these fallen people were as we looked at the sculptures and embroideries that they¡¯d left behind. It was customary for the artworks made by a fallen crustecar to be given to the many people and families that they loved in life.


    Berry took out a bunch of accessories which she carelly and almost reverently gave to her parents. They were the last things Billy had ever made, and each one gave a sense of familiarity and nostalgia.


    ¡°I helped him with some of those. Even when we¡¯ve all but given up on our dream of someday making a living out of our true passion. It was still something that we could never give up.


    Her parents masterfully rearranged their furniture and decorations, quickly finding the perfect place to hang and display their fallen child¡¯s last creations.


    ¡°He was such a sweet boy¡­ We sent them there so he would be safe¡­¡±


    ¡°But he was forced into battle anyway, so did we make a mistake?


    ¡°I¡­ I was never his father. But I knew Billy, and this world is truly cruel for taking away such a bright child.¡±


    ¡°My brother saved my life when it should¡¯ve been me!¡±


    They wailed, and the rest of us shed tears for this tragedy that we were never there for.


    ~~~


    ¡°Hey Berry,¡± I sat beside my friend, right by the fence and overlooking the outside. It was nighttime, and the moon and the stars twinkled upon us for this house did not have a roof. The tides had risen, and the shore had come closer, submerging plenty of the cursetaceans that waited outside, but the water remained far from reaching the moat. It was almost as if the ocean was taunting them, so close yet inaccessible, for it was too dangerous to even try. They couldn¡¯t even do their common funeral rites anymore, to return their fallen to the great Leviathan.


    I too wished to have fun on the beach, but alas, even that simple pleasure was robbed from me by the imperial scum.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Berry looked back at me, her voice calm but raw. Everyone else was fast asleep in piles of pillows and cushions on the floor, save for Moonwash who had woken up because I did.


    I took out two bracelets that spelled the words ¡®Freedom¡¯ and ¡®Victory¡¯ in morsian, a language that they knew.


    ¡°These are yours, isn¡¯t it? From you, and another.¡±


    Her eyes boggled as she beheld my two favorite accessories in confusion. ¡°W-what? Where¡­ where did you get this?¡±


    I smiled, and this time she could see it for my mask at least had been removed.


    ¡°It happened a long time ago, when I was but a wee child. I traveled around the city with Granuel and his mother Fiya.  We came across this stall, illegally manned by two crustecars. I¡­ I forgot what their names even were, but I loved little trinkets they made. They were shunned and bullied by everyone else for simdaring to go against a mold that they made up, and it broke my heart when they were taken away by the guards for the simple crime of trying to achieve their dreams. It was terrible.¡± I looked her in the eye. ¡°I consulted my memory core, and those people were you. You even introduced yourselves to me as Billy and Berry, but I never made the connection. I never remembered. It¡¯s good to see you, after all this time. And I¡¯m sorry for how Billy had perished, and how I could do nothing at the time.¡±


    Berry was silent. Her gaze bore into me. After a long time spent just processing, she finally spoke.


    ¡°It¡¯s you! It¡¯s really you!¡± She jumped in joy, and did a little dance with her six feet. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize! I¡¯ve honestly forgotten about that event too. You were so small back then! And, you know¡­ different from what you are now. A human girl. But I remember how happy that encounter made me and Billy feel. That was the last time we ever tried, but I¡¯m happy that you were our very last customer. Thank you. Thank you!¡±


    ¡°Aww. That¡¯s sweet Berry. I¡¯m happy to have met you and your brother back then.¡± I gave her a hug, and she returned it as if I was the last port at sea. ¡°These bracelets here are literally my favorite accessories.¡±


    She wheezed in the crustecar equivalent of a sniff. ¡°It means a lot to hear that. I¡¯m sure Billy would be happy, in whichever life he now lives.¡±


    ~~~


    It was the next day, and I found myself manning the perimeter yet again. Cursetaceans fell, I gathered their lower-right pincers, and crustecars gathered their remains to be burned later. Moonwash healed the injuries I suffered, but only to the bare minimum extent. Might as well give my regen heart a workout while we were in this safe and peaceful circumstance.


    ¡°Thank you for this,¡± Larry said. He was Berry¡¯s new dad. ¡°Thanks to you, my people are able to get a small respite.¡±


    Moonwash was also healing some of the crustecars who fought and got injured.


    ¡°Not a problem. But does it not bother you? I¡¯m aware that I might be taking your bag, your work, your money here.¡±


    ¡°It could be a problem, but not a massive one. You¡¯re only here temporarily, and we so rarely have anyone that actually wants to do this. We¡¯ll have less money, yes, and that¡¯s already tight, but a respite is worth it nonetheless. Fewer new injuries for us to grapple with, no one who would be crippled and no longer able to work, and no deaths since you¡¯ve started helping. That is worth everything.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Huh. Well, fair enough. I¡¯ll go throw you guys a feast or two later as thanks.¡±


    ¡°You know¡­¡± he began, after a pause in the conversation, and the crunch of cursed carapace yielding against unyielding metal. ¡°You seem so unbothered, yet there¡¯s no way this exercise does not bother you. How are you able to remain so calm through the pain?¡±


    ¡°You mean this?¡± I raised my bleeding gauntlets for him to see. I took damage for every cursetacean I killed. ¡°I¡¯ve had worse. Much worse.¡± In this life, and another.


    He was satisfied with that answer, and left shortly after.


    ~~~


    I observed my many cursed enemies, and tried to feel exactly what was happening when they dealt their infamous retaliatory damage. I could very vaguely feel that the greater magic was at play, the same concepts that allowed me to make rituals and even mini-rituals, but how were they able to affect an entirely different and adversarial person with such an effect? I could not influence my blood the moment it was properly ingested by someone, yet they could do so much more, and seemingly automatically.


    What was I missing?


    ¡­


    ¡­¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°AUTOMATICALLY!¡± I suddenly shouted after minutes of just standing there and pondering in the thinking pose.


    I didn¡¯t think the crustecars were actively casting any spell. It didn¡¯t even seem like they were passively maintaining a certain image in their head. I knew my own menace mana, and now wrath mana, could be heavily flavored by me. They could act on their own, and that behavior could be changed, hence why I was even able to push my hyperdemon gland to the limit when I was an imp. So were the cursetaceans able to enact instant retaliation through the use of that same concept, at least in part? It didn¡¯t answer the question of how they could manifest effects without a trail of mana, as if able to just influence the greater magic that suffused all of existence, but¡­


    My legs exploded into motion, and I splattered a cursetacean¡¯s skull with great and overwhelming force. The expected backlash lashed against my arms and the rest of my body, for what I did was overkill. But I hardly noticed the pain, as my focus was on something else. I thought I felt a flare-up of the thick curse magic that held my opponent¡¯s body together, just before it died.


    I had to test this theory more.


    So I did. I ran around the moat and killed every cursetacean in sight, exerting all of my senses to understand the way the thick mana that suffused their bodies reacted. My movements became sluggish, but I forced myself to keep moving with my wrath magic. I was nearing a breakthrough, and I couldn¡¯t stop now!


    ¡°Haell. Haell!¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± I snapped at my girlfriend, and immediately deflated. ¡°Sorry. I got lost in my head there. Didn¡¯t mean to shout at you. But what do you need?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need anything right now. But you do. You are heavily injured.¡±


    It was only then that I noticed the crowd of crustecars that were staring at me with perplexed, awed, and just outright confused expressions. My arms were in pain, and blood flowed liberally out of my armor.


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    Moonwash summoned a dense collection of trees and plants, not only to heal me but also to hide us from prying eyes. I took off my armguards and deposited the peeled-off flesh in some ditch, after which it was burned by Moonwash to make sure no traces of demon flesh remained. And then my arms were healed of their many missing chunks, and so were the plethora of injuries across my body.


    ¡°So, what happened?¡± Moonwash asked. The nature magic ceased, and was replaced by a sound barrier. ¡°What caused you to get in such a trance? What did you discover?¡±


    ¡°Well! These cursetaceans are just so fascinating! They have so much curse mana in their bodies, but they don¡¯t have a single organ for producing it. They leak it all over, so they¡¯re clearly always making more! It¡¯s like they have a heart like mine, and they¡¯re even able to hold a lot more mana in their flesh than a goblin of the same level, but then what is this mana there for? Their vengeance thingy, that¡¯s what! I¡¯ve confirmed earlier, I was confirming it earlier, and their mana absolutely roils in activity whenever you attack one! I think that¡¯s how they interact with the greater magic. Mana rushes out of them when attacked, but then it just disappears! I¡¯ve heard from Luine how mana can be hidden, some better than others, but you would never feel the spell of a good illusion mage be cast for example. But I have another theory! There are already states of magic¡­ I¡¯ll call them frequencies of magic, that we cannot feel! It¡¯s always around us after all, in great quantities that we could barely tell is there at all. So what if the magic of these cursetaceans are just changing frequencies, and then disappearing from our perception? But then it¡¯s too fast! Even those who attack with projectiles suffer their vengeance nigh instantly, no matter how far away they are! So then¡­ so then¡­ I guess they are just influencing the greater magic through the use and sacrifice of their curse magic? Is it possible to torture a cursetacean to the point that they run out of mana to retaliate with!?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s find out,¡± Moonwash immediately said, and I stood up to do just that. I surveyed my surroundings, found the many crustecars who lived here, and the many soldiers who watched us with a keen¡­ and bored eye.


    ¡°On second thought, this isn¡¯t the best place for experiments.¡±


    Experimenting with cursetaceans or anything curse-related was highly illegal. They were to be burned on sight, and woe be to the mage that had to suffer that pain.


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s fine. If that¡¯s the case, then I want to observe the cursetaceans and their reactions to being killed. I¡¯m interested in those theories of yours.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± I offered her my arm, and she took it. ¡°Shall we?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    We had a fun and lovely date by the moat of endless horrors.


    ~~~


    ¡°What if I make an armor out of this?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Their carapace,¡± Moonwash pointed out as we were having a nice picnic by the battlefield. She was keeping up a sound barrier as always. Mana was even more expensive to grab ahold of here. ¡°I can make you an armor out of them. They already retain a small part of their retaliatory properties even after death. What if you thread your wrath mana through the armor like you do for your sword?


    ¡°Moonwash you¡¯re a genius!¡± I jumped and kissed her on the lips. We were still eating some sandwiches, so I kind of made a mess¡­ ¡°I like it! Why didn¡¯t I think of that! We¡¯ve written off cursed armor because the associated elements just aren¡¯t good for protection, but this could work! It does work for the cursetaceans!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make it when we get back then,¡± she squished herself against me, and I against her. If my hard exterior bothered her at all, then she didn¡¯t show it.


    ~~~


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Moonwash declared, her hand bleeding after shooting a stone spear toward a mid-level cursetacean. The use of magic was traced back to her wand, and the magical apparatus now showed small signs of damage. She exchanged it for a wind wand, then separated us from all outside sound. ¡°I think their curse effect works like rituals, rather than somehow becoming invisible, and then crossing vast distances instantly.¡±


    ¡°I knew it,¡± I said haughtily. ¡°But yeah. It can¡¯t just be the mana being imperceptible, because it¡¯d also have to be insanely fast, and that¡¯s just not how curse behaves.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I also couldn¡¯t feel any transition to becoming imperceptible. I just disappeared all at once.¡±


    ¡°Right when I feel the great magic at work,¡± I finished.


    That was one question answered, at least.


    ~~~


    Only to be replaced with another.


    A cursetacean was struggling out of the muck, gradually snapping the many vines that had clung to its form. Moonwash just crouched before it, watching, deep in thought.


    ¡°These things produce mana all by themselves. There is precedent for this happening elsewhere, such as your cursed greatsword, or more broadly, infused items as a whole. It¡¯s not much, it¡¯s usually miniscule, but it has happened. Maybe that¡¯s all that¡¯s happening here, but greater somehow.¡±


    ¡°Huh. You¡¯re right.¡± I chewed over that thought for a moment. ¡°We also don¡¯t really know why or how mana founts and mana hearts produce mana. They just do with every beat. But who says you need a specific organ, or one that ¡®pumps¡¯, at all? Maybe it¡¯s possible to have other Mutations that passively generate usable mana, and if the entire body is acting as a fount¡­¡±


    My words suddenly trailed off as a memory resurfaced in my mind.


    ¡°MENACE MAGIC! I STILL HAVE MENACE MAGIC! IT¡¯S EVERYWHERE!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± My girlfriend asked, uncaring of my sudden outburst, and more interested in what I¡¯d discovered. I immediately searched through my memory core for the event that I wanted.


    It was when I had just evolved from an imp to a demon. I had asked to be left alone in the basement, and then I scrolled through the many notifications that were waiting for me after my evolution.


    There was one in particular that I should not have allowed to be buried for this long.


    [Congratulations! During the process of evolution, the curse of menace had become integrated into your body and soul.]


    ¡°Wow,¡± Moonwash said blandly. ¡°This is amazing. We need to figure out what this means immediately.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I was going through a tough time back then, and that kinda just faded into the background. It didn¡¯t seem immediately relevant, and I thought it might even be just flavor text. I hope it¡¯s not though! It would be awesome if it went beyond a mere passive effect that could hardly be noticed. I need to figure out how to harness it!¡±


    Moonwash squeezed my armored hand. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m with you. Let¡¯s do this.¡±

 Chapter 102: The Crustecars.

    Time passed peacefully in our city at war. I had come to know more of the crustecar people as I accompanied my friends in their quest to learn about their lives. Moonwash was very interested in their crafts, of course. Meanwhile Granuel wanted to know about what they wanted. The crustecar people desired to eat more than the blandarines they could afford, and it was a great day if they could have a common meal of meats and vegetables. Some of them, a select few, even remembered what seafood was like, but their people seldom had the opportunity to taste what agreed most with their tongues. The oceans continued to taunt them with its proximity.


    People came by every so often to maintain the moat and the natural traps within it. The mix of humans, belfegors, centaurs, and a lone ogre came from within the massive walls, and I noticed how they all looked very haggard and sickly. I then found out that while the traps and the moat were many layers of culpability removed from the casters, they still received a minuscule amount of damage from the metaphorical connection that remained. The despondence and irritability of these people were the result of a constant chronic pain that made their lives a mundane sort of hell. Even the crustecars, who did hold some sort of resentment for a lot of wall-dwellers, didn¡¯t think too badly of them.


    I learned of how money came into the crusteacar communities. They were mandated to protect the city from the cursetaceans as a way to atone for their sins, and they got paid for their contribution in a way similar to the subjugation quest we¡¯d taken. Except in their case, their employer was the army and the city itself, and they received less coin for every hard-earned and painful kill.


    ¡°Why the rush?¡± I asked the crustecar man who was carrying a sack of cursetacean pincers for exchange.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to keep these things. These are¡­¡± he glanced at some passing soldiers and spoke more softly. ¡°These are dangerous materials, and we might get arrested for possessing cursed items.¡±


    ¡°What? That¡¯s ridiculous. You have the same quest as us, if offering a far lesser payout. Fucked up, by the way. But they know what it¡¯s for.¡±


    The crustecar man hesitated. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ different if we possess it. My friends have been arrested for the possession of cursetacean claws, and we are trying to keep these things away from our lives and our homes so that¡­ we don¡¯t commit crimes No one here wants to be a criminal. But we still need to have the pincers exchanged if we want to live.¡±


    ¡°...I see,¡± I muttered after a pause. It was a good thing I had a helmet and a mask on when we stopped before the long stairs towards the military office, for my expression was hostile and ready to fight. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Up there. Inside. We¡¯re going to get those pincers exchanged, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ but do you plan on going with me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, duh,¡± I crouched down right beside my new acquaintance and whispered. ¡°Listen. I¡¯m literally the granddaughter of Golex the Hero.¡±


    ¡°Quit bragging.¡±


    I snorted, some of the anger leaking out.


    ¡°No wait¨CI¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± I halted his words. ¡°I appreciate it. Now, this could backfire so you tell me if I shouldn¡¯t, but I could come with you up there, and then complain about the price being too low. ¡®That¡¯s not what I was paid when I took those same quests. What¡¯s going on here!? Are you cheating? Is that what the angels want? My grandfather would be very disappointed were he to see this!¡¯¡±


    ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡± he took a step back, unsure what to say. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡­ I kind of want to see the look on their faces, however¡­What happens when you¡¯re gone?¡±


    ¡°I invoke the name of my grandfather, and hopefully that¡¯ll be enough to scare them off?¡±


    He slowly shook his body in the negative. ¡°No. Maybe at first, but¡­ they¡¯ll only crack down on us harder. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I patted him on the carapace, mildly disappointed at not getting to act like an arrogant young master again. ¡°Think nothing of it. It¡¯d defeat the point if I only make the problem worse.¡±


    ~~~


    We took Berry¡¯s parents into the city proper and treated them to a very nice restaurant. They actually had some crustecar chairs hidden in some dusty room when we asked, and the food they served was very delicious.


    Rob was just telling us about how surprised he was at how easily we were granted access into the city proper, when he hadn¡¯t been able to come inside the walls for months. Crustecar entry was apparently very heavily regulated, and fewer still could ever stay here for more than a day. Inns were prohibitively expensive on their salary, and their applications were almost always rejected even when they did have the money to outright buy property.


    ¡°Why stay here then?¡± I asked, referring to Orila City as a whole. ¡°Genuine question, no offense meant. I understand that you have things tying you here, like friends and family. And it¡¯s most certainly a dangerous journey. You wouldn¡¯t even be treated well, just better than what you have now, if you went further inland. But even if none of those were an option, you could¡­ I don¡¯t know, just fuck off into the ocean? There are crustecar kingdoms down there, right? They¡¯re waging war, I hear.¡±


    ¡°That they are,¡± Larry chuckled, but there was little joy in it. ¡°I understand that they¡¯re trying to help, but it hasn¡¯t worked. All they¡¯ve accomplished was make things worse for us as their alleged ¡®accomplices¡¯ whenever they attack any part of Edengar!¡±


    I disagreed. It was a valiant effort. But I held my tongue through the ebbs and flows of my emotions because they were the ones suffering the results, not me.


    I really needed a fucking break after this. My rage had just gradually reached a new much higher plateau, and in a way, I was impressed at how well I was holding it together. My mental fortitude had been tempered, like a frog dumped in water set to boil later.


    ¡°To actually answer your question, I think the oceans would be possible,¡± Lena admitted. ¡°But that¡¯s only if we can survive the cursetaceans in the way. Maybe a hundredth of us could make it if we all go at once. We could also try to make it out during an engagement with our more fortunate and militant brethren, but we¡¯re kept on a tighter leash and rarely sent out to actually fight whenever that happens to prevent our escape. Many of us are also admittedly hesitant to even do it, because we know how the others would suffer in our stead. The eggs and the children¡­¡± she choked, needing some time to cry and get the sobs under control. Understandably so.


    ¡°It is possible to flee to the inner cities and towns.¡± Rob added ¡°We¡¯ve sent Berry and Billy there before after all. But we can¡¯t really do a mass exodus or anything. There¡¯s the issue of us being granted the opportunity to use the drawbridges to begin with. It¡¯s only lowered when someone actually important wants to cross, and they¡¯ll never lower it for our sake. If we can somehow pull off a mass departure anyway, then we¡¯ll just be branded as bandits. Sympathizers of Alderam, Friars, or Silvanis.¡± Those were the names of the crustecar kingdoms of the deep. The ones who lived closer to shore were those who wanted a more peaceful life, a different kind of existence and freedom. The crustecars I knew, or at least their ancestors and the older among them, were the loose crusteacar equivalents to pacifists and hippies. ¡°Quests will be issued, armies will be mobilized, towns will not accept us, and we would be slaughtered.¡±


    It was something that they¡¯d experienced before.


    ~~~The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    War arrived in Orila City. An army of crustecars carrying the crests of the underwater kingdoms emerged from the ocean, and they were joined by a veritable tide of cursetaceans greater than I¡¯d ever seen. The size of the opposing crustecar army was a lot less than what our city could field, but if their more numerous cursed allies truly meant to fight by their side, then this would be a great and terrible battle indeed.


    "What?" I asked. "What the fuck? Why are they not being attacked?"


    "The cursetaceans only attack the people of the Angelore Empire," Larry replied. "They usually care not for the forces of other countries."


    "But how would they even know? They attack anyone that tries to escape to the oceans, do they not? They don¡¯t make any exceptions for the crustecars."


    "Yes. That''s true. But those crustecars are not from this country nor any part of the empire, so they are not the target of the cursetaceans¡¯ ire.¡° He looked back at me. ¡°No one really knows how they determine allegiances. But if you are an Angelorian, then they will tear you to pieces."


    ¡°I see¡­ But what about New Grandera? It started as a rebellion, so they were once Angelorian, were they not? Do they also get attacked? Or what about Edengar at all? This vassal kingdom did not exist when Cursifix made the cursetaceans, and I believe the people who once lived peacefully here were left well enough alone!¡±


    Larry shrugged, and offered no further answer.


    War cared not for my confusion, and it only continued its march forward.


    Our own soldiers outside the walls were already in an uproar, and many more were streaming out of the city gates. People of different species gathered, from humans in their lighter armor, ogres that carried heavy weapons, centaurs ready to charge and impale, and so much more. There were also dozens of sundertops and tyranights, each one larger than most of the gathered people, and the inhexes flowed like a swarm in front of everyone else, ready to take the brunt of the attack, no matter how unwilling they may be.


    The crustecars on the other hand were mostly ushered back into their homes, with only a portion allowed to participate with the promise of slightly better rewards. The rest were hostages, guarded by soldiers that the army had to take out of their ranks in order to ¡®keep the peace¡¯. The crustecars here could do a phenomenal amount of damage in this sort of chaos if they had the heart, but it had been beaten out of them already.


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Angerly asked, calm and collected, but ready to either run or fight.


    ¡°Well¡­ we should¡­ ummm¡­ uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh¡­¡­.¡± I hesitated and stumbled over my words, eyes darting around the entire outer-city. The cursetaceans had rushed ahead, and already the moat was overflowing with more and more of them. The crustecars on our side were sent to dispatch of them, and they screamed as they killed their entrapped enemies. But whatever vines and roots were planted on the moat were beginning to be depleted as more and more of the cursed monsters were spilling out, and soon a few managed to emerge from the mud before they could be disposed of. A crustecar woman was set upon, and she very quickly died to their claws and her own retaliations. ¡°Fuck! I¡¯m helping! FUCK!¡±


    I charged forward before my friends could react. I gritted my teeth as I was forced to take action, for I wanted to do nothing in service of the empire. But innocent people were going to die, and these monsters had no concept of right and wrong. They would spare no one, and I would not let this community I¡¯d spent the last month in die!


    ¡°FUCK YOU ALL DIE!!¡±  Spittle shot out of my mouth and into my mask as my greatsword sank into the head of one cursetacean. My words echoed throughout the outer-city, and some people even cheered, assuming that I was only referring to the cursetaceans or perhaps even the crustecar army outside, but that was far from the case. This place was sick, people were right to fucking attack it, but I was forced to defend it anyway. My words were a promise to come back one day and make this city pay for this insult!


    My party caught up behind me as I seethed, and I loosely led them away from the bridges where most of Orila¡¯s army were gathering. My goal was to defend the homes of the crustecar people who were forced to be on the frontlines outside the walls, and I intended to do it while having as little of an effect on the greater conflict as possible.


    Granuel kept me informed of what was happening just outside my perception, and I learned of how the army was dealing with the larger bulk of cursetaceans that were charging through the area near the northern bridge that had still remained raised. The monsters were hampered by the moat and the traps, and the soldiers here did a good job of killing them as they surfaced, but then the enemy crustecars made their move. Mud parted and flowed to aid the cursetaceans, plants and vines loosened their grips on the cursed enemies, and an earthen bridge began to form. Our side¡¯s mages were forced to react, and they counteracted these changes to the terrain of battle while simultaneously pelting the enemy soldiers with projectiles of their own, but our spells and arrows rarely ever managed a lethal blow against the carapace of the enemy who were then pulled back to be healed. Crustecars could be capable of magic, especially of the water element, but so few of the ones who lived here were ever given the opportunity to try.


    The bridge creaked, and it began to be lowered. The Orilan forces had finally decided that they could not just wait out the enemy forces from here, although there was a strong temptation to retreat back to the walls and allow the crustecar settlements to thin them out. That would¡¯ve caused so much more problems in the long term, and they were smart enough to refrain from doing it.


    What they weren¡¯t smart enough to do, was to leave me the fuck alone.


    ¡°Maam.¡± A soldier came up to me, and I ignored him with a well-suffering growl.


    ¡°Maam!¡± he called again, unable to take the hint. ¡°I¡¯ve been ordered to direct you to the war about to happen outside. That is more important than the affairs here in the outer-city. The crustecars can always rebuild.¡±


    I gave him a single glance. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No?¡± he boggled, offended and confused. ¡°My brothers and sisters in arms are dying out there! They have families waiting for them to come back home!¡±


    So do the crustecar people. Their homes are literally being invaded right fucking now.


    I killed another cursetacean, then moved on to the next one.


    ¡°Maam!¡± he panicked angrily when I ignored him again. ¡°If it¡¯s money you want, then you will be paid! We¡¯ve been watching what you can do, and the leadership is convinced that you and your party can make a difference.¡±


    ¡°MAAM!¡± he shouted again, once I¡¯d killed a handful more cursetaceans. ¡°Please! I know you¡¯re a Zharignan! I¡¯ve been ordered to bring you¨C¡±


    I turned around, grabbed his neck, then shoved my badge up his face.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I rumbled with imperious fury. ¡°I am the granddaughter of Golex the Hero. You will not order me around.¡±


    I walked away and left the soldier panting and afraid.


    A thud resounded. I looked to see that the bridge had been fully lowered, and our army marched out.


    They were immediately met by the cursetaceans who shrieked and ran towards the path to the city that had opened up. Inhexes died to stall them, Sundertops and Ogres used their bulk to form a bulwark, and humans delivered precise strikes to end the lives of the accursed scum.


    Parts of the battlefield darkened. The tyranights robbed so many of the enemy of their senses, and heavy and accurate strikes left cursetaceans dead with every hit. But the accursed tide was insatiable, and the sudden vertigo meant little when they knew to just keep ramming forward. A big engagement like this would always be in the cursetaceans¡¯ favor as their claws reaped lives, and the chaos allowed them to take non-lethal damage that were only returned to their attackers.


    This long and painful slog of a fight continued for a while, until another army appeared, circling around from outside. It was a flanking maneuver enacted while so many of the cursetaceans had thrown themselves into the northern front, leaving the other bridges less contested. Inhexes led the charge of this new group, and they violently jumped into the fray. The other soldiers followed to swiftly end the lives of the enemy while they were distracted, and spells were cast to cripple the unfeeling horde. The larger Orilan army already present began to regain their footing in this war as the cursetacean scourge were no longer focused solely on them.


    But it wasn¡¯t just the cursed beings that existed on the enemy side. The opposing crustecar army made their move, and they met the flanking Orila forces that had attacked their cursetacean allies from the rear. The sundertops were deployed offensively against them where they had previously been relegated to healers, but it was not easy to really properly hit the tough and agile soldiers that darted in between the cursetaceans. The sundertops could not fully avoid hitting the cursed monsters with their wide attacks, however, and they ended up taking more damage as the fight went on, but they compensated for this by being able to heal themselves. These massive quadrupedal soldiers had access to wagons full of sun mana, and they used these pseudo-magical-apparatuses that were also wagons to refill their stores.


    The war devolved into a massive melee from there, and the forces of Orila gradually gained the advantage, for there was power in the diversity and sheer number of their troops. Strengths could be exaggerated, and weaknesses could be covered, as inefficiently as they may utilize their soldiers at times. The inhex in specific were not deployed in the best way, but that was to be expected for they were unwilling participants in this battle.


    The Fortress City of Orila won in the end, as pyrrhic a victory it may be. So many people died to kill unthinking animals, meanwhile the actual sapient soldiers of the visiting crustecar army were able to retreat with remarkably little losses. They knew just where to push, when to put pressure, and they were very willing to let the cursetaceans die to cover their escape. The evil monsters were only the vehicle of a long-dead dragon¡¯s revenge, and they would be back very soon.

 Chapter 103: Growth.

    ¡°Haell. Haell! It¡¯s over,¡± Therick informed me.


    I looked at him for a second, uncomprehending. I gestured towards the cursetacean in front of me, then ended its life. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Another began crawling its way out of the moat. ¡°There are still enemies.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes. But the cursetaceans will never stop. The war outside however is finished, and the army is now returning inside.¡±


    I looked at where he was pointing, and found the remaining soldiers streaming back in through the bridge. Many healers had set up in the around road that awaited them, growing a bed of flowers, and then shining down a healing light to heal those who were wounded in the prior battle. They had already received healing from the sundertops prior, especially the high-ranking officers, but many were still in a critical state. The few inhexes that survived continued to fall in numbers as they were hardly given any healing at all.


    The soldiers were laid down at the overlapping fields of healing, and more wagons full of sun mana were brought to the sundertops. Their sun magic was more efficient than the other elements when it came to widescale healing, or any wide-scale effects in general. The wounded were soon stabilized in this way, and people received more focused individual healing according to their need and status. This sort of ¡®triage¡¯ was apparently a well-studied and official field that most professionally trained healers knew.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I said, following after Berry once I noticed that she was going somewhere instead of just watching and resting like the rest of us.


    ¡°Uhmm. You guys don¡¯t have to go with me. I just want to check on some people¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. There¡¯s no one we really personally care about among the army, I don¡¯t think. Let¡¯s go see what¡¯s happened to your folks. That¡¯s where you¡¯re going, right?¡±


    ¡°...Yeah. Okay.¡±


    We arrived at her parent¡¯s home, and I was happy to find that Lena, Rob, and Larry were all okay. They had apparently just been hiding the entire time, and hadn¡¯t even gotten hurt. The same couldn¡¯t be said for all of Berry¡¯s relatives and friends, and she had to mourn two people that she had only reunited with a few weeks ago.


    Granuel noticed the many many crustecars who were still injured, because plenty of cursetaceans had managed to breach the moat during that massive engagement earlier. I took him and Moonwash with me, and we healed who we could. Some would forever be crippled by what had happened despite our efforts, but there wasn¡¯t anything more we could do for them.


    They looked defeated and dejected, but not really surprised.


    ~~~


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving,¡± I announced once we were back at our suite and I¡¯d taken off my armor.


    ¡°Right now?¡± Angerly asked with a snort.


    ¡°Yes. Right now,¡± I answered sarcastically, but my heart wasn¡¯t in it in the eye-roll that I made.


    My mood had still not recovered from that disaster. I was rattled. I really did not want to be here anymore where this could happen again.


    I was powerful enough to make a difference, but not the difference that I wanted.


    ¡°Yeah. I agree,¡± Therick said. ¡°We¡¯ve been here long enough, and I think this is a good call to finally leave.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m down to leave. There isn¡¯t much to do here, anyway,¡± Granuel nodded. ¡°They just burn the cursetaceans, which could be the only interesting thing to get here. The rest of their stuff have to be delivered from other far-off places. It¡¯s a deadend for business.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned what I can too,¡± Moonwash added. ¡°I¡¯m ready to leave.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit it¡¯s also taken a toll on me,¡± Angerly said. ¡°That¡¯s just part of the job, but a good rest would be really nice.¡±


    We all turned towards Berry who had yet to speak, then realized what we were suggesting to her whose home had just been devastated.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s okay! I¡¯m fine! I knew we¡¯d leave at some point, and I¡¯m going back with you guys! What happened was just¡­ it was a regular thing. It¡¯ll keep on happening, with or without us, and it¡¯s not like¡­ we made a massive difference or anything. ¡° She paused for a moment, clearly chewing over her words. ¡°...I¡¯m worried about my parents though. And everyone else... Can¡­ can we take them with us¡­?¡±


    Her voice disappeared by the end, and I gave her a reassuring pat on the back. ¡°Of course. We can take them with us if you want.¡± I really did not want to travel with other people again, but I would not just let my friend¡¯s loved ones perish for my comfort.


    ¡°R-really¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But let¡¯s talk about it later, because I¡¯m just tired right now.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of that,¡± Granuel interjected. ¡°What are we doing, exactly? Renting a wagon? Joining a whole caravan? Or are we just hoofing it the whole way?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow!¡± I shouted, pulling Moonwash with me to our designated room. ¡°Tomorrow, okay!? We¡¯re all tired, and I have nothing to worry about. Only future Haell does!¡±


    ~~~


    The next day, instead of talking about the things that we needed to discuss, we had instead gathered around the living room to see Angerly evolve. Her flesh, bone, and muscle Mutations had finally reached level 20, and it was by my request which I¡¯d made a while ago that we were going to see the whole process. As an ogre, Angerly was sure to experience a massive increase in size, and that was a phenomenon I was interested in. I¡¯d never seen it for myself because I had always been a bit¡­ distracted during my own evolutions.


    Now, the timing for this was certainly not ideal, but it was, in a way, a good distraction for us all. Our time here had some really terrible parts, so it would nice for it to end with the very obvious advancement of one of our members.


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll uh, do it now.¡±


    ¡°Please.¡± I gave her a thumbs up.


    Angerly nodded, she mentally went through some prompts, and then she grunted as the changes began to occur.


    ¡°Oh fuck it¡¯s more painful than I thought¡­!¡¯ Her flesh shifted, her muscles bulged, and her clothes stretched and stretched as she grew bigger until the fabrics were completely ripped apart. ¡°But it¡¯s more weird than painful! AaAAaaAAAaaAAaaAAa!!!¡±


    It was like a superhero transformation, but slower and more visceral. The mass of her body had very obviously increased by a great amount, and that¡¯s without the need to intake food or anything else. To regrow an arm would require existing mass stored in the body to be sacrificed, but here I saw the creation of new organic matter without the same sort of limitations.


    My friend continued to grow, and I continued to observe with rapt attention as I grabbed her arm and focused. One of the things that I was on the lookout for was the involvement of the greater magic, and now that I knew to look for it, I felt its presence at work. If my eyes weren¡¯t deceiving me, then there might have been slight ripples in the¡­ ¡®space¡¯ around Angerly as her body shifted and evolved.


    Finally, after only a very short while, my friend sighed in relief at several Mutations having successfully evolved. She quickly grabbed a robe to cover herself, then did a few stretches to reacquaint herself with her new size. I saw just how tall she was once she straightened her back and stood to her full height of over three meters tall.


    By the devils, she was taller than my father.


    ¡°So, how do I look?¡± She stared at her fist, and then the rest of the room that must¡¯ve shrunk by a lot. I didn¡¯t know if it was just my eyes feeling tricks on me again, but her grey skin certainly seemed to be smoother as if the wear and tear of her over two decades of life had been wiped clean. Evolution was weird, and it could sometimes heal injuries and scars, but outright disabilities remained most of the time. The change could also be because of her lifespan having just been massively extended. Why do answers always come with more questions? It¡¯s great! ¡°Hello? Is anyone actually going to answer? Do I look bad? I¡¯ve evolved my arms before, but it wasn¡¯t quite as big a change as this! Everything changed, and I could feel my bones rattling inside of me! Did I fuck up?¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°No,¡± I chuckled. ¡°You look great.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Good. Thanks. I can¡¯t wait to give this new body a test run.¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°This is the nest that we used to keep Berry in,¡± Rob showed me a colorful mix of pillows and cushions glued to a basket. We were currently at their house, and were rummaging through many of their things. ¡°Her egg was so precious, and this was how cute she was when she hatched.¡± He handed me a card with a drawing of baby Berry next, and I smiled as my heart melted in my chest. Uh, figuratively. I hope.


    ¡°And this one is Billy¡¯s,¡± Lena¡¯s voice was melancholic, as she stood before a similarly colorful and fun nest of a different design. Both nests had embroideries on them that depicted pivotal moments in the child¡¯s life.


    We had done the discussions that needed to be made, and a few days later, me and my friends were helping Berry¡¯s parents pack up for our departure. They went over their collections to see every piece of art and memorabilia one last time, and then chose only the most sentimental ones to keep. The things that weren¡¯t chosen would be passed down to their neighbours who they may well never meet again.


    There were other crustecars who would be joining us for this journey, many of them children. Their parents wished for them a better life, and knew that this city would not provide. We couldn¡¯t organize a whole mass exodus, however, for that would cause too many problems. It might even be actually illegal because it ¡®interferes with the state¡¯s common and normal procedures¡¯. I was already on thin ice with the soldiers as they kept glaring at me, because of how I¡¯d acted and refused to help them during the previous war.


    I regretted nothing, and they could all go fucking die.


    ~~~


    ¡°In a weird way, I¡¯ll miss this,¡± I said as I plunged the tip of my sword inside the cursetacean¡¯s head. ¡°For all the shit, I enjoyed just walking around and killing a bunch of helpless monsters like this.¡± I healed my own small wounds with a nature wand. ¡°It¡¯s taught me a lot. Their vengeance effect was very interesting to maneuver around. And I feel like I¡¯ve really started to catch up with my swordsmanship skills.¡±


    ¡°I wish we could take some as souvenirs.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Me too. Fuck regulations."


    We walked along the perimeter of the moat for perhaps the final time, taking laps around the circumference of the entire city as we tried to alleviate some of the pressure on its unwilling crustecar defenders. The big attack a few days ago had killed so many people and rattled the balance that kept this city standing. It¡¯d take some time for things to return to its normal shitty status quo.


    That was when the air suddenly screamed. Something landed on the ground and a solid thunderclap blew across me before I could even register what had happened. The earth shattered, dust exploded outwards, and the fate of a cluster of cursetaceans from beyond the moat remained uncertain.


    The dust cleared, and it was revealed that the creatures had been brutally torn apart. It was an impressive feat, and my immediate thought was that whoever had done this must¡¯ve suffered the same fate. The vengeance of so many of these monsters must have been immense.


    But he didn¡¯t perish.


    With twisting golden-white skin like the roots of a tree. A tall humanoid body that stood at 7 meters tall. Axeheads instead of hands, wings that were smoother than silk to the eyes, and a halo that shone like salvation.


    It was an angel.


    It was Adamo, one of the only two of their kind in this continent.


    Those massive wings flapped, and he disappeared in a deadly blur. I felt another rush of air, and saw a great many other cursetaceans dead once I turned my head. My gaze fluttered back to the angel amidst the sea of accursed corpses, and there I saw golden sap-like blood flowing from wounds that rapidly closed. Confusingly, even the blood was gone once the healing was done. It had reentered their bodies.


    Adamo disappeared again with a supersonic crackle of thunder. The crowd around me was torn between taking shelter to avoid becoming collateral, or staying to watch the spectacle. The crustecars preferred the former, while the soldiers and everyone else that happened to be outside favored the latter. I too stayed to watch, until all the cursetaceans surrounding the moat had been killed, and Adamo disappeared into the ocean to presumably kill more of the evil beasts.


    He was a level 80, and probably a great deal stronger than Elfrafim. He was a cut above even most creatures that had reached such a level. And yet the cursetaceans who did not have a single level 40 among their midst were able to make him bleed. It was ridiculous, how overpowered these oversized crabs were.


    ~~~


    ¡°People of this city. I have come to your aid, I have answered your prayers. You have done well to protect this place that belongs to the Angelic God, as did every place in this world and beyond. Therefore, your faith has been rewarded.¡±


    Adamo returned with a flourish as he floated above the inner-city. I could do that too, it would just cause too many problems.


    Me and my friends were just on our way back to our inn, but those plans were dashed as the people around us cheered and jumped and waved their hands in the air as if their lives depended on it. The winds immediately grew hotter upon their sudden activity, and the sound rattled through every structure and every mote of air. They gathered together, all pushing closer toward the angel, and we were caught in that maelstrom of reverence that seemed to shake the very earth.


    And then a light shone upon us, originating from the angel. As if sunlight reflected off a thousand moons; not hot, not burning, but rather cold and comforting like a gentle touch. There was almost a physical weight to it, a pressure in my mind, and an undeniable sense that this was holy.


    People began to moan in ecstasy. Wounds healed, the sick were cured, and the many who were already healthy were rid of the many subtle aches and pains that plagued their bodies. I did not have this problem, but they did not know how much stress simply existing had exerted upon their bodies.


    That brought these people to their knees, and I suffered the indignation of being forced to do the same lest I jeopardize my very survival. Their cheers had reached a new high, when I had already thought that their previous energy was unreasonably loud. It was like a sonic attack, and I could almost see regular mundane people suffering damage to their ears. In fact, I noticed just that happening as the younger and weaker people winced and grabbed their heads.


    The holy light healed them back to health, but even that safety net disappeared as the angel fluttered off to other parts of the city. His holy spotlight came with him, bringing free healing to all who could be healed. He couldn¡¯t bring back the dead, nor could he affect the permanent injuries that persisted, but holy magic still remained one of the most powerful healing forces I¡¯d ever felt.


    My rage paused for a second to process all of this, and then it returned in full force as I cursed this empire that the angels had built. I wanted to slaughter their subjects, topple their monuments, and bestow upon them the same and equal fate as all those that they had commanded. Death.


    I cursed my own weakness in this moment, for the greatest embodiment of my hatred was right there, and I knew it in my bones that I could not prevail.


    Adamo continued to fly lazy circles around the city and then outside the walls, healing everyone and everything without discrimination; he could not be bothered to. Even the crustecars praised him for this, but the inhex did not.


    Make no mistake. They are the primary architect of all that is wrong in this world.


    ~~~


    We left the next day. The bridge was lowered upon my request, and the guard who did it glared at me specifically the entire time. I still felt no remorse nor regret, and I made sure that she knew it too.


    The soldier eventually averted her gaze, because I did not.


    The bridge touched down, and I immediately ran ahead with my party. Joining us for this great and wonderful journey were two centaur wagoneers, a wagon that we outright bought, and dozens of crustecars ready for a new life. We might not have been able to do a big exodus of them, but it was not unheard of for one of their kind to make a friend in just the right place, and pull their extended family out of this hell.


    The constant shrieks rose in volume as cursetaceans rushed towards the bridge that had touched down, from both the road ahead of us, and by attempting to climb out of the moat from the side of the bridge. We would be long gone before the latter could become a problem so we just ignored those, but the ones ahead of our path definitely had to be taken care of. Luckily, Adamo¡¯s meddling yesterday had cleared out so many of the cursetaceans, and their number had not yet recovered from that confrontation.


    Angerly took the vanguard and used her new bulk to just bowl over the cursetaceans ahead of our path. She was joined by the adult crustecars in our group, including Berry, who all did their best to do the same. Granuel used earth and nature magic to entrap our enemies once we had all made it to the other side, and immediately the bridge creaked as it was raised back up.


    What followed was a defensive battle as I dove into the fray and killed the cursetaceans, while others pushed and stacked the corpses to create makeshift blockages. The crustecars shouted as they guarded the perimeter of our encirclement, with a level of morale that bordered on fanaticism as their children had been hidden in the wagon at the very center of our formation. Even the centaur drivers helped, as they occasionally used the butt of their spears to push and trip the enemy crabs off balance to be finished off by the others.


    ¡°Nature¡¯s Prison!¡±


    The shout of Moonwash resounded, making the world know of the completion of a ritual. Her magic took shape, and growths of plants and vines expanded outwards like a particularly slow but inevitable mass of snakes. The custaceans were entangled, their movements ground to a halt, and we took this opportunity that we had earned.


    I led the final charge. Angerly tossed away both corpse and living cursetacean alike, and the crustecars dispatched of their lifelong enemies in the many ways they knew how, such as attempting to flip them on their backs which took an embarrassingly long few moments for such strong creatures to recover from.


    My arms gradually but literally turned to mush. I was in grave pain and my mind swam in murderous rage. But finally, the road ahead of us was clear enough to travel, and we had made it out of the blockade.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Woohoo!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe we made it with just us!¡±


    It¡¯s true. I smiled. Were it not for Adamo thinning out the horde, we would¡¯ve certainly lost some people today, and I was glad Berry did not have to lose anyone else today.


    It was only unfortunate that I would have to repay this favor with betrayal and blood. The angels would regret their inattentiveness one day, for not noticing the lone demon among the crowd.


    ¡°Alright people! We¡¯ll just get surrounded again if we dawdle! Hop to it!¡±

 Chapter 104: Do Not Taunt Me.

    ¡°Wow. I¡¯d forgotten how this felt,¡± Larry sighed contentedly as we arrived at the shrublands. He took a deep breath of fresh air, before exhaling in a long stream.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Angerly agreed. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would be that bad, but it¡¯s nice to have my mind be clear again for once.¡±


    ¡°Mhhmm. The air is fresher without all the death and the burning of corpses, and so is it quieter without the constant inane chatter and shrieks of those people.¡± I nodded approvingly. ¡°The smell of the sea was pretty nice back there though, however little we were actually able to feel it. I really wish we could¡¯ve played in the water or something.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not good either,¡± Lena looked at me with an incredulous crustecarian smirk. ¡°But we were talking about the cursed miasma that was always present? It¡¯s really nice to not have that constantly giving us a headache. Or are you too strong to be affected?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Right! Yeah. That. It¡¯s really very nice to not be under that sort of pressure anymore,¡± I laughed awkwardly as thoughts of how much I hated all of them flitted through my mind.


    ¡°Mom! Mom look!¡± The mewls of a crustecar child stole our attention at the end of our prior conversation.


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing¡­¡±


    I glanced over at the wagon to find that the children had spilled out and were now marveling at the great and expansive shrublands. Most of them had never seen anything like it, having only ever known Orila City. Even some of the adults had grown quiet upon taking in the scene. This was the first time they had ever left the city.


    We decided to stop and take a rest for a short while and just take in the scenery. Granuel spotted a cursetacean headed towards us, and I shrugged as I went ahead to meet it. The kids flinched upon learning of another impending battle, but they managed to remain calm and made an orderly retreat into the wagon where their parents and guardians could keep them safe.


    The children were afraid at first, when we had just begun this journey and were under constant attack, but they did not remain scared forever for they were intimately familiar with the cusetacean scourge. Now, I could see a burning ambition and resolve in their tiny eyestalks as they watched me march off into battle. They were the future, and they knew that they had to someday fight.


    I smiled wryly at the attention and decided to give them a show. I dismantled my cursetacean foe, but not with the same speed I usually showed. I slowed down my movements just enough for the children to follow, teaching them through example how to fight a monster like this. They learned of the risks, the patterns monsters could sometimes show, and the weaknesses it had that could be exploited. I wasn¡¯t sure how helpful my demonstration actually was given that I was a demon and they were crustecars with entirely different bodies and Mutations, but I wanted to do it so I did.


    The children cheered once the cursetacean went down after a few more well-placed hits to the head. I suffered more damage because of this method, but the enthusiasm and drive they showed made it all worth it in the end.


    I have led by example. I hope they never forget that conviction. It will carry them far.


    ~~~


    ¡°AAAHHH!!¡±


    ¡°NOO!¡±


    ¡°A monster!¡±


    ¡°MOMMY!¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t eat my face!¡±


    The crustecar children cried and tripped over themselves upon seeing a moledred (sleek mole with big maw) suddenly burst out of the ground behind us. This got the attention of the monster that promptly sniffed the air, jumped out of its hole, and charged towards our wagon.


    It was¡­ slow. I deftly dodged its charge, and my blade came down like a guillotine, swiftly beheading my enemy.


    It was the first time I encountered this monster. I wondered what it might taste like as I stared at the headless corpse that was already starting to be drained of blood.


    ¡°W-wow¡­¡±


    ¡°She still has her face!¡±


    ¡°Do we know that?¡±


    ¡°True¡­ Maybe that¡¯s why she keeps it hidden.¡±


    Excuse me? I snorted at the turn their conversation had taken. It was embarrassing that I was offended for even a single second against literal children! Wrath instinct could be so mortifying sometimes!


    The moledred I just faced was actually below the level of 10. It was nothing compared to the danger the cursetaceans posed, yet the children still reacted to these random monsters with a terror that they never showed for the monsters born of a literal ancient curse. This was because of just how familiar the cursetaceans were to them, and how those same creatures had chased away everything else. The animals and monsters of the shrublands and beyond were an unknown to them, and that was terrifying.


    ~~~


    It was the middle of the night, but there were no stars. The clouds had concealed the sky, and in the place of twinkling lights came a trickle of rain. I separated from the rest of the group with Granuel, allegedly to scout, but with an entirely different objective in reality.


    There were still cursetaceans to be found, and I killed any that my friend was able to spot. I struggled to do it quietly, because carapace breaking against metal was not quiet, and neither were the angry shrieks of my opponents. But I must¡¯ve been successful enough in my attempts at stealth since no one came to interrupt my fun.


    I even managed to gouge out the mouth of one to shut it up, and then, well¡­ I stabbed it over and over to find out if it¡¯d ever stop retaliating automatically. The monster died just when I thought the vengeance effect might have been growing weaker, but I wasn¡¯t really sure. I decided after a few more victims that while it might potentially be possible to drain a cursetacean of their mana in this way, they would be long dead before that happened.


    ¡°That¡¯s very nteresting. Thanks for waking me up,¡± Moonwash said as she healed the many wounds I¡¯d suffered for science. I had gone to fetch her earlier when I and Granuel were starting to struggle to keep up with the healing that I needed to keep up with my activities. Moonwash was by far the best healer among us all.


    We buried the dead afterwards, instead of burning them in a pit, almost as if in mourning. This was obviously not a funeral, however, as we were only hiding and preserving the materials of the cursetaceans that we¡¯d killed for later. We obviously couldn¡¯t take them with us, as it would be very difficult to explain why we were carrying such illegal goods if someone decided to inspect our cargo. I might even be able to shrug off any actual consequence if it were just us, but there were many more vulnerable people traveling with us on this journey. I would not get them implicated in my crimes, when I had promised them our protection.


    I¡¯ll get what I want some other way.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ~~~


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Moonwash whispered, and my eyes snapped open to a beautiful sunrise.


    ¡°Mornin¡¯.¡± I yawned, getting up slowly in a clank of armor. The crustecars were already awake, and they looked hopeful as they prepared breakfast and started to clean up camp. The children were playing, sleeping, or helping out with whatever chores they could do. A monster then suddenly sneaked out of the treeline, and an adult crustecar immediately got in its way, positioning himself between it and the kids. I was going to help out, but more crustecars came, and they overwhelmed the enraged largess boar in a tide of crushing pincers and unyielding shells.


    It too was delicious, and the meal was only made better by the company. Even the two centaurs we hired had started to loosen up, where they had once been so formal and guarded just a day before.


    ~~~


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just like Orila!¡±


    ¡°But different!¡±


    It was raining heavily when we reached the fortress city of Agwar. The children made remarks as they peeked out of the shaky wagon. The vehicle was hampered by the rain, its wheels would occasionally slip, but our centaur drivers were committed and soon we were leaving the fortress city behind.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving?¡±


    The kids complained as the tall walls disappeared into the distance, until it could be seen no more. I didn¡¯t want to stick around such a morbid place, and we had decided to just skip most settlements on our way back home. They would just be more trouble than they were worth.


    ~~~


    The Town of Madrika.


    That was the first settlement we willingly chose to enter, a few weeks into our journey. The wagon rolled in with Therick and Granuel at the driver¡¯s seats, and the rest of my party at the back. There was an entire group of crustecars trailing behind us, including the children, and my friends explained that they were new hires we picked up for some secret new venture. I poked my head out and showed the guards my adventurer¡¯s badge with a very annoyed and impatient tone. They quickly allowed us entry upon learning of who I was.


    ~~~


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    ¡°So big!¡±


    ¡°What are those trees¡­?¡±


    The children looked up towards the tall canopy once we reached the forest. The trees from where they came from were not this tall, nor was the vegetation so thick. Leaves rustled, birds sang, and the wind felt different and carried a new scent.


    One particular bush shook as a horned rabbit came out, and I chuckled as the children squeed at its cuteness where they had once been afraid of even such a harmless animal. I scared it off, causing a barrage of frost and ice, and the kids cheered and clapped in the many ways they could.


    Our travels continued as we made far better time than the caravan we had once traveled with, despite the crustecars not being able to keep up the pace sometimes no matter how they tried. Sometimes we¡¯d stop in more villages to buy and sell new supplies, but we preferred to avoid that and just camp in the wilderness most of the time. In truth, there likely wouldn¡¯t have been any big problem even if we just entered boldly without any sort of ruse¡­ but it was just better to err on the side of caution when we were moving around a great number of crustecars. The other travelers we¡¯d come across on the road were already wary of us, and some even assumed we were outright bandits. People didn¡¯t need to die because Granuel, Therick, and Angerly too were able to engage in diplomacy.


    There was one time when a group of bandits did attack us, but our nightwatch was able to spot them, and I dispatched of the fools in the dark. The kids woke up at some point while the slaughter happened, but the adults ushered them back to sleep and shielded them from the horrors of war. It was something they¡¯d often failed to do in Orila, but that didn¡¯t mean it was too late to give the children a more¡­ peaceful childhood. They wanted the best for their own blood, those that they¡¯d adopted, and the many who had only been entrusted to us.


    I¡¯m sure everyone else will figure out what to do with those kids.


    ~~~


    ¡°A massive tiger! Coming in hot!¡± Granuel shouted, and the kids poked their heads out of the wagon to see what this new monster was about. The adults recognized the worry and urgency in my friend''s tone, so they quickly pushed the children back inside and made a perimeter around wagon. I too understood what Granuel meant, so I hurriedly positioned myself between the approaching threat and the fleeing civilians.


    The tiger squeezed itself out of the treeline only a few beats later, and I charged toward this overgrown cat the moment it had dared to show itself. It roared at me in response as I swung my sword, but my blade never reached it for the animal had swiftly dodged away. A follow-up swipe came after me, and my eyes widened as those sharp claws sped toward me like a sideways guillotine. I rapidly flooded my legs with wrath magic and attempted to dodge, but I was still tossed away by the portion of the attack that reached me. My armor rang and groaned as I slid across the ground and winced from the pain. A deep gouge had been drawn across the mythril, and the damage would¡¯ve been far worse had my armor not been the same.


    I looked back at my friends, and the people who we¡¯d been traveling with for the past months. I felt resentment towards the latter, for I would be able to show my true power were they not here. They were taking too long to evacuate, and I didn¡¯t know if I could survive this level 40 monster while holding


    I let out a roar in frustration, and so did the tiger in front of me yell as our wrathful eyes bore down upon each other. It didn¡¯t even know what my gaze truly looked like, for my true form had to be hidden, and it wasn¡¯t fair!


    I took a single instant to heave a sigh.


    I cursed the world for this cruel fate, but I did not linger on it for long.


    I knew I had only a limited amount of time to think, and I had to make a choice. So I processed through all my emotions in a blink, and took only a single moment more to come to a conclusion.


    ¡°Angerly! Sword!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± She pulled my true greatsword from her pack and tossed it to where I was.


    I caught the thing and smiled, not realizing how I missed this cursed weapon that had almost become a part of me over the last few years. I threaded my mana across it as the contacts that covered my eyes melted away. My armored boots fell to the ground upon pulling some straps, and the rage that coursed through my mind only widened my grin.


    My secret was out. This tiger wished to kill me and my friends. And I was determined to not give it the chance.


    I blurred, and so did my enemy. We met each other for another clash, knowing that this time there would be no turning back. Claw raked against sword, and they rebounded off each other with me clearly on the losing end, but I was already following up my offensive with waves of infernal flames and wrathful malevolence. The tiger saw this rush of energy and growled as it jumped away, but I was right on its heels as my body began to fall apart in a rush of power.


    Clang, clang, our weapons met, both natural and not. I bore through the pain of just barely managing to come out even in strength, but losing greatly in the damage I was taking. My magic continued to rage in waves of power, but even that was not enough to give me the upper hand. And then an opportunity came, the tiger lunged in for a bite, my blood boiled in my veins, and an evil smile graced my face.


    My arms swung my sword with an overwhelming force that was nowhere to be found before. The tiger¡¯s head snapped dangerously away from the blow, and it whined as a tooth fell to the ground. That was when my aura flared, and my evil eyes became flooded with wrath. The action still barely made my enemy flinch, but the additional support from my friends gave me what I needed. Moonwash shot a massive fireball, Granuel aimed for the eyes and nose, Angerly put her new size to use with a massive swing to a shoulder, Therick found some badly burnt and damaged parts to exploit, and Berry clamped down a leg as hard as she could with her big claw before immediately darting the fuck away.


    The tiger showed me another opening. I was a piranha on a lake, smelling blood in the water. I called upon the greater magic to help me once more, and a second miniature ritual took shape within my bones. My arms broke, I scored another massive hit on the tiger¡¯s head, and this time it was staggered.


    It wobbled on its feet, it contemplated an escape, but after all this time, I wasn¡¯t going to ever let it go. My eyes strained to enact its evil once more, but this time of an infernal design. The monster yelped and flinched away from a nonexistent attack, a heat that never was. That was when the true heat arrived from above, and the waves of my wrath assaulted it from all sides. My friends rushed in, and I forced my broken body to move, just as I had done many times before.


    The tiger¡¯s attention remained focused on me no matter what happened from here, as I had made a breakthrough in the heat of battle, to keep it away from my friends. This fight was a gentle spring breeze in comparison to the whole of this journey, for I had learned what it was to truly hate, and what it meant for that condensed hatred to be focused and refined. I even grew to hate myself, if only for some fleeting moments, but that self-loathing became the core of my new spell.


    Taunt.


    The burning tiger, set ablaze by sickly orange flames, glared only at me in death, as if I were the sole enemy it ever had in the world. I returned the gesture, I swung the strings of flesh that were my arms, until finally, the both of us collapsed.

 Chapter 105: A Glorious Truth.

    [Wrath Heart has reached Level 25!]


    [Demon Horns has reached Level 25!]


    I was in paradise.


    I laid down in a lush field of flowers, with my girlfriend¡¯s armored thighs as my pillow. A soft light bathed my form, and with it a soothing feeling of rejuvenation. That battle had thoroughly exhausted me, and I wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in this rare and precious moment of peace.


    But I couldn¡¯t just do that. My secret had gotten out, and I needed to know the extent of the damage. I knew who the potential leaks were, people who I admittedly did not know well, and I had to take care of them to avoid any future problems.


    I shot back up with a violent snarl on my face, my body creaking in pain from the sudden motion. From my mask, to my boots, to the new contacts that Moonwash had prepared just for this sort of occasion; I reapplied my disguise, including all the makeup that had come off.


    ¡°W-what was that?¡± one of the many crustecars that had come with us asked once I returned to their group with a healing light still trailing behind me. My limbs groaned in protest with every move.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I straightened my posture as I prepared to just sweep everything that happened under the rug. All my demonic features were hidden, and they could not prove anything.


    Berry tensed, and she subtly slid closer to her people, as if to shield them from me. ¡°Haell¡­¡±


    ¡°Berry¡­¡± I had to be honest, that stung a little. Did she really think I would just slaughter everyone here, kids and all? ¡°It¡¯s fine. I promise. Okay?¡±


    ¡°...Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I answered, more forcefully than intended. ¡°Yes.¡±


    She stared at me for a long few moments, as if trying so hard to look into my soul, and decipher the meaning behind every minute twitch. Finally, she nodded in agreement and stepped aside.


    ¡°But those¡­ that magic¡­¡± Lena said once face-to-face with me. ¡°It felt much like that of the cursetaceans¡­ but different. And that fire¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned a lot from gramps,¡± I shrugged. ¡°And I¡¯ve also commandeered a lot¡­ artifacts. But as you can see,¡± I gestured towards the rivers of blood spilling out of my armor, ¡°I am far from ready yet, to make full use of them.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    There was a beat of silence, and then Rob spoke up. ¡°Thank you then, for making the sacrifice to protect us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you,¡± Larry added, and the rest of the crustecars bowed their heads.


    The centaurs nodded at me in gratitude, and I decided that I had sufficiently muddled their understanding of recent events. I was probably safe.


    It was still a major risk, and part of me hated them for that. There was a very simple solution to just get rid of all the loose ends. But I knew that it was wrong, for they had done nothing against me. It wasn¡¯t their fault my secret had to be revealed, unlike when a band of bandits had once attacked us on the road. I couldn¡¯t justify to myself killing any of them, let alone every single one, so I made sure to practice restraint.


    Fuck. I can see why Berry would be worried¡­


    I collapsed again to receive further healing, to further sell my ruse, and to spend further time on Moonwash¡¯s armored lap.


    Three birds with one nap.


    ~~~


    ¡°Whoa,¡± the kids marveled at the absurd height of the tree wall as they walked alongside the wagon. We made the last leg of the journey, and had finally arrived back at Latarus.


    The locals were certainly confused, and mildly disapproving, as we walked up the ramp towards the gate. Angerly and Berry were with the many crustecars that we had brought here, and they managed to keep things mostly civil.


    We reached the gate, and immediately we were questioned as to our purpose here. Granuel and Therick explained our cover story which was that we wanted to create some sort of business, and I peeked my head out to basically shove my badge in their faces when they started to take way too fucking long arguing.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re the granddaughter of Golex? Show your face.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I hissed at the guard. ¡°I¡¯m scarred and traumatized. You¡¯ll hear from my grandpa if you force me to disgrace myself here.¡±


    The thought managed to ease my annoyance just a little, as I couldn¡¯t wait to tell my grandpa about all the things I¡¯d said about him.


    ¡°What? That¡¯s unreasonable¨C¡±


    ¡°Forget it,¡± an older guard told her. ¡°The badge is real, and I recognize some of the people with her as having ties to the Zharignans.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but wouldn¡¯t it be best to confirm¡­¡±


    The older guard looked into my eyes, and I looked back at hers. ¡°No. Some things are more trouble than they¡¯re worth. Let them through.¡±


    He made the call, and we made it onto the bridge that cut through the dangerous flora of the tree wall. We returned the greetings of some of the belfegors who recognized us, and I observed what little I could of their settlements to see that things hadn¡¯t gotten visibly worse for them in the time I¡¯d been away. The next set of gates let us through far more easily, and our entire entourage descended down the ramp and into the city proper.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s so many people.¡±


    ¡°Where are all the soldiers?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to be staying here?


    ¡°They have a normal wall too! Why is it so small?¡±


    ¡°Where are the crustecar districts?¡±


    The crustecar children were amazed as they beheld what would be their new home. I glared at anyone who even so much as turned their nose up at the little crustecars who were only excited to be in my home city. But the kids already knew that they were hated, so they did not dare allow their sense of wonder to annoy the many passersby along the road. They weren¡¯t even free to be curious, as all children should be.


    It was actually so fucking sad and tragic, but this was their normal, and they managed to have fun anyway.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Alright! A hundred of those skewers please!¡± The human stall-owner¡¯s eyes widened at my request, but she quickly just did the work once I flashed a few pieces of gold. The kids rejoiced once I handed them all the food, and so were the adults happy to have a good meal.


    It was delicious.


    ~~~


    The children were wobbling a bit once we finally reached the foot of my home. I had bought so much food along the way, that even their guardians and parents had come up to ask me if this was okay. I thought they meant on my wallet, to which the answer was ¡®of course it is, I can buy whatever I want.¡¯ But they actually meant it in the sense of the children¡¯s health.


    I had no problems gorging myself however many times I wanted, so I had forgotten that other people still had those sorts of concerns. Ooops.


    I ate the rest of the food myself.


    ¡°Haell!¡± The door opened after I¡¯d knocked, and I found my father standing right there. I gave him a hug, and we stayed like that for a while, until my Mom came out who I also hugged for just as long.


    After just watching me greet my parents for a few minutes, I ushered my friends and our many guests into my home. There was enough space for everyone, because the building was built for giants.


    ¡°This is my house,¡± I told the kids. ¡°Don¡¯t break anything, but feel free to look at shit and run around.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°Look at that painting!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a big nose!¡±


    ¡°Whoooaaaa. What¡¯s that!¡±


    ¡°A bone. Duh.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯d they just leave it out there?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like they did anything with it.¡±


    ¡°Do they just display their leftovers when they eat?¡±


    ¡°Weird.¡±


    ¡°Fun though! I like it!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I¡¯ll display everything I eat once I have my own house!¡±


    ¡°Eww. At least clean it.¡±


    I chuckled at their antics, and then rushed ahead. I made it to the living room, and found Grandpa there almost dozing off as he stared off into the window.


    ¡°Grandpa!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Haell! You¡¯re back!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± I gave him a quick hug, which was awkward with how he was an actual literal giant. I then jumped to a nearby couch and lamented how I still had to be in my armor.


    ¡°So, how was your first official quest?¡±


    ¡°It was shit!¡±


    I told him everything that happened during that journey and back, and he agreed.


    ¡°That¡¯s indeed a big pile of it.¡±


    ¡°Yep. Steaming and stinky.¡±


    We shared another laugh. We had remained largely undisturbed as we caught up, as my friends and family were considerate enough to leave us to talk and led everyone else someplace else. Some of the crustecars would be staying here tonight, others at the orphanage, and others yet at the warehouse. Granuel would get some apartments or a compound settled for them tomorrow, as well as some business they could use to support themselves, under our names, and with just a small cut of the profits to eventually repay what we¡¯d spent. I¡¯d contribute some cash too.


    ¡°Oh right. I told them of your teachings about how the military shouldn¡¯t oppress the inhex, or the crustecars, or anyone really. Oh and they can¡¯t fucking order me around, I do what I want.  All the Hero Golex things. Which I know, because that very hero is my gramps, and he taught me all those things! Very cool.¡±


    Grandpa bellowed a laugh, slapping his thigh. ¡°Exactly, exactly! Those are indeed my teachings! Good of you to know them. Even the ones I never told you about!¡±


    ¡°I know! I¡¯m just that diligent of a grandaughter! You need to be able to read all the signs!¡±


    ¡°Good, good! I¡¯ll make sure that everyone knows how closely and precisely you followed my instructions!¡±


    ¡°Amazing!¡±


    ~~~


    _________________


    Name: Haell Zharignan


    Species: Demon


    ¡ªMutations¡ª


    Wrath Heart: Level 25


    Demon Brain: Level 23


    Demon Skin: Level 23


    Evil Eyes: Level 21


    Demon Flesh / Demon Bones / Demonic Musculature(synced) : (All) Level 22


    Demon Arms: Level 23


    Demon Hooves: Level 23


    Hyperdemon Gland: Level 20


    Demon Horns: Level 24


    Mana-infused Blood: Level 24


    Regen Heart: Level 24


    Demon Wings: Level 21


    Infernal Heart: Level 19


    Memory Core: Level 17


    Extradimensional Demon Blood Storage: Level 14


    ¡ªSoul Feats¡ª


    Reincarnator


    Progenitor


    Imp Progenitor


    Progenitor II


    Demon Progenitor


    Demon Harbinger


    _________________


    Moonwash was playing with the kids down the hill as I sat in the shade of a tree, and the crustecar children laughed as the the water dragon she had made splashed onto them. I smiled and brought up my status screen in this one quiet moment, to reminisce about all the gains I¡¯d made on this previous trip.


    It was honestly enormous. Levels were supposed to come slower the stronger a Mutation became, especially after every milestone, to the point that it just stalled until someone died. This varied from person to person of course, but I must be setting some sort of record here. My leveling speed was actually faster now than what it was before my evolution. That¡¯s absurd!


    Of course, some Mutations had remained utterly unmoving because of how I had to essentially nerf myself and refrain from using many of my advantages for most of the trip, but even their leveling speed would not look out of place for the common person. It was normal to go months without a level-up, and I too had experienced that in my childhood.


    I could only conclude that the more of a demon I became, the faster I was able to accrue even more power. The timing made sense, and I was close to evolving my infernal heart already. That was exciting!


    That was my current working theory anyway, and Moonwash said it might be true, so it must be.


    ~~~


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± I sighed contentedly as I laid down on the bed with Moonwash. It was just the two of us, and I really needed a break after all the craziness that went down. We were only supposed to go on a simple quest to learn about wagons and how to run a caravan, so how did we end up butting heads with so many soldiers, participating in entire wars, and meeting a whole fucking angel!? It was absurd! I was genuinely so fucking stressed!


    My girlfriend snuggled closer to me, just as tired and naked as I was. Here I was a demon, so clearly a demon, and there was no one to judge me for it. I did not need to hide.


    ¡°Are you also stressed?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A little bit. It does get to me, everything that¡¯s happening here. I love our friends, but sometimes I miss when we were just alone in some isolated forest. Luine and Baston were there too of course, but they¡¯re nice. Things were so much simpler.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I get that. I really do. I¡¯m tempted to just fuck off to the elves or something. I think I¡¯ll fit right in.¡±


    ¡°I think so too. If all of them are like Elfrafim, then that would be very fun.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah¡­¡± I chuckled, reminded of our friend who had still not returned. How did she enjoy exploring this place that much? It was shit, and I knew Elfrafim agreed! ¡°She really made the worst first impression, but now she¡¯s one of our dearest friends.¡±


    ¡°I had a good first impression of her.¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t,¡± I pouted. ¡°She grabbed my horns.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. That happened. My first impression is worse now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how it works Moonwash! It¡¯s first impression! You can¡¯t change it retroactively!¡±


    ¡°I just did.¡±


    ¡°Grrrrrrrr¡­¡± I gnashed my teeth and pulled Moonwash into a tiger hug atop me. ¡°Fine. Goodnight. I¡¯m sleeping like this.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Sleep tight.¡±


    I allowed the peace to take me, while it lasted.

 Chapter 106: Is This Menacing?

    Peace and quiet.


    I sat alone in my basement, an activity that I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever miss. I felt the constant boil of my emotions, and even that felt soothing. I meditated, I fell into a trance, it was time to finally make something out of the new concepts of magic I¡¯d discovered.


    The journey we took and the restrictions to what I could show had really slowed down my growth. I hated holding back, but now I could finally let loose once more.


    Wrath and infernal magic hissed out of me. I materialized both, and I felt their soothing touch against my skin. My clothes burned for I was wearing some comfortable tunics for once, and I hurriedly put them out because I liked this shirt.


    I smiled for a moment, all alone, as I sank back into deep meditation.


    Days passed in that peaceful state. Moonwash and my parents brought me food periodically as I looked within myself and the two types of mana that flowed through my blood. At times I would leak them out and cast spells with them, and at others I would just smash them together and hold them in place for hours in an attempt to get them to stick and become one.


    I felt every beat of my three hearts. One healed whatever aches may form on my body, another pumped burning pain into my veins, and the last one flooded my blood with a hatred for everything. There was noticeably more wrath mana being produced than infernal, which was to be expected for its origin was an entire evolution stronger.


    But that wasn¡¯t all.


    Not only was my wrath heart producing a magnitude more mana, but there was seemingly even more of that wretched element than what could be accounted for by the heart alone. It was almost as if¡­ the mana was¡­ multiplying.


    It was by a minuscule amount, and I immediately questioned if my senses were deceiving me, but I saw no harm in following this lead so I did.


    All of the mana currently in my body, save for the ones in storage, suddenly exited through my pores to dissipate harmlessly into the basement air. I then focused my supernatural senses on my body, but before my hearts could even beat, there were already small specks of curse-aligned mana floating through my demonic form.


    All three hearts pumped in near unison.


    Mana flooded back into my veins.


    The wrath subsumed the flecks of curse that had formed before, but I knew that they were not the same.


    My body was producing menace mana by itself.


    [Congratulations! During the process of evolution, the curse of menace had become integrated into your body and soul.]


    ¡°YES!¡± I pumped my fist in joy as I jumped up from my long meditation. This was what that notification from long ago had meant. My body was producing what I thought I had lost. It was presumably the same process by which cursetaceans became so full of curse mana.


    But then where had this menace element been all this time? All I could use was wrath and infernal magic, and I¡¯d lost access to some of my menace effects such as weakening and confusion. I desperately needed to learn more.


    So I sat back back down, calmed myself, and reentered my meditative trance.


    I could sense the usable mana produced not by my hearts, but by every part of my body, now that I knew what to look for.


    I confirmed that the element produced by my very being was indeed that of menace. ¡°Good.¡±


    I could not access that menace magic because it was immediately subsumed by the wrath. The two elements technically mixed, but only one identity truly remained. A single drop of poison would not make an entire ocean toxic, it would not kill all those that swam upon its depths.


    The menace within me was locked away by my unending wrath.


    ~~~


    ¡°What do you think?¡± I told Moonwash of everything I had discovered so far once I finally emerged from my basement. I was currently having a proper meal in our dining room for the first time in weeks. ¡°It¡¯s some great discoveries and all, but what I wanna know right now is how I could access my menace magic. It¡¯s still there, after all. It¡¯s still there. But I can¡¯t reach it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s already weird that they mixed at all.¡± She slurped her spaggheti. ¡°It might be related to the Flavor Theory which states that no two sources of mana are the same. Just like fire and infernal are different despite being so similar, so too is one sundertop¡¯s sun mana different than another¡¯s, just to a lesser degree. Your wrath magic has a slight menace flavor now, so maybe you just need more practice and precision to bring it out. Or maybe it¡¯s lost those abilities completely.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been doing, and it hasn¡¯t worked!¡± I complained between bites of sandwich. ¡°The part about just training harder, I mean. But you¡¯re also right that I might just be chasing after shadows here. What I¡¯m trying to do might not even be possible!¡± I took another swig of ale. ¡°Oh, but what if I just pluck out and isolate the menace mana before it can be consumed by the wrath in my blood.¡±


    ¡°It can work, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be practical even if you can do it. It¡¯d take forever to accumulate what you need for a single bolt of significant power.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! I don¡¯t have anywhere to store it either. In fact, it¡¯s weird that it gets snagged in my blood at all considering that it¡¯s not produced by my hearts. Except maybe for the small amount that do materialize along that area. But I guess it becomes considered as wrath mana once it is assimilated.¡±


    ¡°It is disappointing that your blood can only be refilled by your hearts. This current phenomenon is an exception, and so is you making a circuit of magic through your sword that then flows back into your body.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. I don¡¯t know why that works either. I can¡¯t even return my mana to my blood once I¡¯ve yanked it out, usually.¡±


    ¡°Blood flow. Mana flow. Some sort of circulatory system. Maybe those concepts are just related.¡±


    ¡°It could be. But I really just don¡¯t know where to go from here. I¡¯m treading new ground, and I can¡¯t know if I¡¯m onto something, or if I¡¯m really just wasting my time!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a waste of time. Discovering that something doesn¡¯t work is also a discovery. A failure today is another step to success. That¡¯s what you¡¯ve always done, you¡¯ve always trodden new ground, and I have no doubt you will achieve something amazing this time too.¡±


    ¡°Moonwash¡­¡± I gave her a kiss. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± She gave me a rare smile. ¡°Give me some of your blood. I also want to tread new ground.¡±


    ¡°Aye aye.¡± I saluted mockingly.


    ~~~


    I returned to our basement the next day with a bunch of live animals in cages for me to experiment with. Each of them were either level 1 or 2, for every individual and species had a different sort of potential, and small critters like the rats and mice my friends had caught just didn¡¯t have much potential for growth.


    Moonwash was here with me to help, for her own curiosity, and just to hang out. I sent a small whiff of wrath magic to a rat to get a baseline for how they reacted, and immediately the small critter died. That was the first hurdle and problem I encountered. I was too strong, and it was too easy to accidentally kill my test subjects.


    I tried again with a different critter, and this time the mouse didn¡¯t die. It merely fainted. The next one died again, and the one after that remained conscious but pissed itself out of fear. That was the exact reaction I was looking for. Well, maybe not exactly that¡­Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    After a couple more tries, I managed to have a rat showcase the other effect I was capable of, which was to enrage a foe. The small animal rattled around its cage, growing feral and injuring itself in an attempt to get to me. It was kind of cute how it tried so hard when it would never be able to so much as scratch me even if it managed to escape.


    A stray thought asked if that was what me fighting an angel would be like, and the imagery made me kill the rat on the spot, but I did not let it ruin my good mood.


    What followed was another training arc as I actually hired some of the crustecars that had come with us to catch for me all the vermin that they could. I then used these rats, insects, and tiny birds to practice the accuracy of my wrath magic, making sure to use just the right amount of force to get the effect that I wanted, until I could do it without any mistakes. I also did the same for my infernal magic so that it didn¡¯t fall behind. I regulated its size, speed, and temperature to an increasingly finer degree.


    It was a practice reminiscent of my time in Orila wherein I learned to control the amount of force that I used for every swing of my sword. The nostalgia made me smile as I recalled the shrieks of every cursetacean killed, and their curse that retaliated against me in painful bursts. Those were good times. Except for everything else. But that one was precious.


    [Memory Core has reached Level 18!]


    ~~~


    ¡°Wait! Shit! I got entirely sidetracked!¡± I exclaimed one day while I was helping Moonwash make a wagon from the skeleton of the one we bought from all the way back in Orila where the prices for such things were much higher. We were currently in a large workshop somewhere near the tree wall, which Granuel had obtained for our projects. The guards up on the nearby trees had been¡­ given gifts, so they¡¯d keep an extra eye out on our property. There were plenty of crustecars here, either working on their own projects or helping as out with ours. They were free to use this workshop, and the building right next to it served as housing for most of them and the kids.


    ¡°What is it, Haell?¡± my girlfriend asked.


    ¡°Nothing I just realized that I should¡¯ve been practicing how to use my menace magic again so I¡¯m going back to the basement now bye!¡±


    ¡°Okay. Stay safe.¡±


    ¡°...Right. Um. I was making a joke. I¡¯ll go back after we¡¯re finished.¡±


    ¡°No. That¡¯s fine. I¡¯m almost done here.¡±


    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case then I¡¯ll just stay here and we can go back together.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    She worked on the wheels and levers while I tilted the wagon around or held the tools she wasn¡¯t using.


    As promised, Moonwash was satisfied with our progress for the day only a few minutes later, and we waved the other people working here goodbye.


    ~~~


    I hopped down to my basement, checked that I still had some guinea pigs, and then went back to trying to access my menace magic. The first thing I tried was to separate the element from the wrath mana before they could merge, but the fusion happened so fast that I couldn¡¯t do it. The menace mana was almost attracted or magnetized to the wrath mana, and I called in help to figure out if that was something that just happened with everything.


    I and Moonwash released a bunch of infernal mana and fire mana into the air, and found after many trials and errors that they did bleed into each other at least a little. It was hard to even figure this out because mana preferred to just dissipate into the ambient atmosphere instead. Burying them inside solid stone did work to slow this process, but it also slowed any proclivity they might have to mixing in the first place. Presumably. It might also just not mix at all under those conditions. We could not confirm at this time.


    So my menace and wrath mana mixing together was not entirely unique, but it was the speed and the extent of it that was weird. That was when I had the idea that maybe it was the vastly different quantities that was the problem, and the results were¡­ mixed. Infernal and Fire mana did overtake the other faster when one had a massive advantage in quantity, but it was only a minor difference, and served more to inform which was more dominant in the mixture. The menace mana within my body did not merge any slower with my wrath mana no matter how much of the latter I dumped out of my system.


    Maybe wrath was just superior to menace in a way that infernal somehow wasn¡¯t to fire¡­ despite the latter example actually being the one that was more obviously superior? Wrath still lacked some of menace¡¯s tricks, while infernal could do everything fire could, but with free additional abilities.


    ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡±


    Another idea came to mind, and I summoned both wrath and infernal mana above my palm, to see if it was perhaps possible to mix them in this way to achieve what my mother had once shown me by deriving lava from fire and earth. I waited there, just holding the two different elements, but nothing happened. I released them into the air, and they dissipated into the ambient magic without ever mixing.


    ¡°Well, that didn¡¯t work.¡±


    I remembered how my mom had done it with fire and earth, and I recalled how the two elements began to behave differently. Fire became more rigid, earth became softer, until they acted the same as lava. Whereas I had just been swirling my two mana types against each other, waiting for them to mix, but I had no conception of how I wanted them both to behave as one coherent entity.


    That was where I needed to start.


    Where fire and earth made lava, I needed to find out what I wished for infernal and wrath to be.


    Hellfire.


    That was the first thought that came to mind. It should be more than possible. But I had a feeling, based on when I was building my infernal heart, that the Mutation would evolve to access that mana type someday anyway.


    What I wanted was something new. From the infernal flames that acted like the fire it was, but stronger against the abhorrence that was life. Wrath magic was an energy, it was a damaging smoke, it affected the mind, and it manifested as some sort of smoky contained explosion.


    What would the element in-between these two be?


    Or perhaps I was looking at this the wrong way.


    What greater element could the two become together?


    I pondered upon this question, and I came up with a variety of possible answers; from a literally burning aura, to a fire that raged inside the body. But none of them worked. None of them felt right for me. It might have been possible to reach a breakthrough if I dedicated years into this project, but just like my mom wasn¡¯t actually good at making and using lava, the result would only be mediocre even if I spent years on an image that just didn¡¯t connect with me.


    ~~~


    ¡°Cauterization,¡± Therick rolled the dice.


    ¡°Raw power,¡± Angerly moved her piece on the Adventurer board. ¡°Your wrath magic already has more raw power than menace magic in general, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh! An explosion!¡± Granuel enthused, and took down many cusetacean forces. ¡°Sheer explosive force!¡±


    We were all currently hanging out in my living room, playing games while brainstorming ideas for a possible combination element between my magics.


    ¡°What if it can¡¯t be extinguished?¡± Berry sacrificed my piece to save her own. Why was she so fucking brutal here!? ¡°T-then you can safely run away while the, well¡­ die.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be very interested in some sort of forging fire that can help me craft better.¡± Moonwash prayed at the altar to reincarnate my piece in the grand palace. ¡°Maybe it can curse everything made with it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it,¡± I said seriously. My gear was a significant contributor to my overall power. ¡°Shanayah! You stink!¡± I insulted the empress as she greeted me upon my reincarnation, and ran the fuck away.


    I took all their ideas, and after letting them germinate in my head for a while longer, I finally came up with a result that I felt I could take the whole way.


    ~~~


    It took a month more to get my first success, but I smiled by my lonesome in that basement as I perceived a mass of sickly orange and dark purple. It acted like a flame, but more volatile. Tendrils would shoot out regularly as if grasping, seeking for something. The colors, the elements, were still separate. They had not truly mixed, and that was the misconception I had coming into this. A quick and literal trip into memory lane, and some consultation with my mother who had shown me the technique in the first place, resolved the issue nicely.


    ¡°Come forth.¡±


    I manifested the magic.


    A fire blazed upon my palms, and I felt its comforting heat. It did not glow at all, for it was entirely black.


    I blew the flame toward a nearby rat¡­ and it instantly died.


    Okay, that wasn¡¯t the best way to test it.


    So I grabbed my party and took on some local quest with them as I¡¯d been doing these past few months.


    I found a sheep-sized beetle a short walk into the forest, and I loosed my new combination element towards it.


    The sinister black flame that came out splashed against my target¡¯s body, and it immediately began to rapidly spread. The creature whined in distress, but the fire stubbornly refused to be extinguished by the motion and the winds. Even colliding against trees and things did little to deter it, but neither did the plantlife burst into flame. They weren¡¯t even charred or burnt at all.


    I too felt little warmth, no matter how close I got to the thrashing monster. All the power, all the energy, all the heat, was directed towards the sole target of the magic. Just as infernal magic wished to burn all life on Varyala, just as wrath magic held all of existence in disdain; I took the desires of these two elements, and used them to create a new combination that had direction.


    The beetle died. My new kind of fire had enveloped it in record time, and it stubbornly stuck to the creature like a curse. No destructive potential was wasted by dissipating into the air, but rather it was all concentrated into the target of my ire, fueled by the burning of its very flesh.


    This was my Curseflame.

 Chapter 107: Unglowing Review.

    Upon having properly tested out my new curseflame, we set out to actually complete our quest, which was to find and kill a Woremvor that had been spotted nearby. Woremvors were very fat, chunky, and outright massive snakes, known for their strong regeneration factor that could be made even stronger by actively eating a lot. It was a rare monster that naturally matured to level 40, and the patrol that had spotted it confirmed that the creature was well into adulthood.


    Subjugation quests for strong monsters like this weren¡¯t rare, as most settlements preferred to not have high-level threats nearby. They typically went unresolved, however, because few parties were willing to take that risk. A larger raid would be sent, or they would be lured into the walls and defenses of the town, if the monster became too much of a problem.


    Latarus had it better than other places because they actually had people who could take on elite monsters, like my parents and their highly acclaimed Piss Hunters party. But this time, we were the ones on the job because we had negotiated with these top-tier adventurers, and they just allowed us to take their quests without a fuss!


    We were just that convincing.


    Curseflame.


    The spell formed in my hand after a short time spent focusing, and I tossed it at a nearby bushpider who had thought it was well-hidden. I watched the monster burn and writhe impassionately, and then I tried to take away the flames once it was but a husk, but the fire rapidly went out before I could. The corpse that remained briefly lit up in normal orange flames because of the residual heat.


    This happened because the curseflame was strict. It only worked on living targets, therefore the spell went out the moment my enemy died.


    I tossed another blob of black flame, this time to a nearby deer, but it ran away before I could form the combination magic I needed to rip the fire away. It died for its lack of cooperation.


    My next target was forestmander(forest salamander) and it dodged my curseflame fireball! The turtle that was hit instead was briefly charred, but the black flame quickly went out without a proper target for its ire.


    ¡°Huh. That¡¯s a great dummy to use, actually.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a wild first thought,¡± Therick commented.


    ¡°I feel bad¡­¡± Berry made a comically sad expression.


    ¡°Oh come on!¡± I complained. ¡°I need to know how my new spell works! We kill them all the time!¡±


    I grabbed the animal. It tried to bite me, and it actually scratched my finger armor, but that was fine. It was faster than the turtles of my previous world, but it was still a turtle.


    With Moonwash holding it down with nature magic, I formed another wisp of curseflame with the trapped animal as its sole target. I then set the turtle aflame, it shrieked and cried as its shell burned, and then parts of its limbs and head were also charred. I weaved my wrath and infernal mana together for a second time, and I used that to pick up the fire on the poor turtle¡¯s shell, thereby confirming that it was possible to neutralize it like this.


    I dumped the crackling black flames on some twigs on the ground, but just like before when I missed, it very quickly went out. A normal orange flame was left behind because all that heat still had to go somewhere, and it had no creature to direct it all into anymore.


    The same phenomenon happened when I used curseflame without a target in mind. It just burned itself out.


    I learned more about my combination element as we continued to search for our woremvor prey. I could target trees with my fire, but they couldn¡¯t really penetrate into the roots. The flames would then go out when it considered the plants dead at some point, but Granuel and Moonwash informed me that those trees may yet rise again. Life and death were complicated, and how they were defined by magic was not absolute.


    I practiced the process of creating curseflame mana a lot during this time, because combining infernal and wrath mana still required quite some time and focus. The sheer power of the magic also left quite a lot to be desired, because it was only dealing¡­ adequately more damage than my infernal flames to a given target. This meant that my infernal flames were generating significantly more heat, because it was wasting much of that heat elsewhere. Additionally, my curseflames naturally weakened a target¡¯s resistance to heat upon contact, much like how infernal flames did the same for all organics.


    ~~~


    We finally found the woremvor in between some trees, and it was curled around a semi-scattered rotting pile of corpses that served as its nest. The snake was thicker than the trunks it had wound around, though it was a lot shorter than its bulk would suggest, and its body was weirdly uneven, almost as if it was truly segmented like a worm. The head looked uglier than a normal snake¡¯s, but I was aware that one of the things it was most well-known for was the size of its open maw. It might even be able to swallow Angerly whole.


    It hissed.


    The monster had noticed us too.


    Its eyes were trained on our position and our movement, and we tensed as we readied ourselves for a difficult fight.


    But it never came.


    We just stared at each other. The snake¡¯s head had risen to a hostile and guarded posture, but it did not attack. It was wary, it was proud, it did not care to actually chase after us. We concluded that it was more interested in guarding its territory, and we had not yet reached that invisible line in the sand.


    Since our opponent was kind enough to give us the grace, I and my friends fell back to make a proper plan. This monster was well-regarded as being stronger than the common level 40, so our opening move could really make a big difference, and I too was sorta interested in what we could come up with if it would just let us.


    ~~~


    I intended to just talk about our positioning, and maybe open with a big infernal ritual, but then Moonwash had the bright idea of making a curseflame ritual.


    ¡°I just got this,¡± I mentioned. ¡°It¡¯s new. I don¡¯t know if it''s even possible to do combination element rituals¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you not want to try?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. I absolutely want to try!


    And so I opened cuts on my wrists to drain myself of blood. I made sure that it contained near equal parts wrath and infernal mana by using up the wrath, and Moonwash drew a sinister ritual according to my recounting of what using curseflame magic was like.


    ¡°Curseflame,¡± she said.


    It did not work.


    I felt the greater magic¡¯s gaze upon us as Moonwash painted the ground a horrifying red, but the blood only evaporated into the air along with all the mana it contained.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Moonwash stared at her failed ritual. ¡°That didn¡¯t work. But I should¡¯ve expected as much. I can¡¯t even use normal curseflame yet.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I received her wrath and infernal wands, which she had made, and filled them with blood of the appropriate mana content. My girlfriend then tried to create curseflame, and I coached her on my own experiences as she did¡­ but she failed. Again.


    I remembered for a moment how I had sometimes been jealous of Moonwash¡¯s talent in my youth, but now I only wanted for her to be able to do everything.


    And maybe she would. Failing on her first try did not mean that she would never succeed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try it again,¡± I encouraged. ¡°Together this time!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t use the ¡®element,¡¯ but you can.¡± She paused and pondered. ¡°I don¡¯t actually know if that would work.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s only one way to find out!¡±


    I went to find Angerly as our friends were making camp while I and Moonwash experimented, and my ogre friend handed me what I needed.


    I ran back to Moonwash, and we began to draw a ritual together. My partner made sure that her own drawings¡­ accommodated for and synergized with my own¡­ raw and¡­ emotional illustrations. I felt a pressure upon me as we continued the creation of our ritual, but it waxed and waned until in the end, it only made a similar whimper as before.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Curseflame!¡±


    A fart of inactive mana that did nothing.


    ¡°That didn¡¯t work either.¡±


    ¡°I can see that,¡± I deflated. ¡°Should we just go with the infernal magic?¡±


    ¡°No. Not yet.¡± She handed me her own brush. ¡°You¡¯re the only one here who can actually use curseflame, so you just have to make the ritual by yourself.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. That makes total sense¡± I eyed the two big brushes in my hand. ¡°But why do I need two brushes? I¡¯m already not the best with only one!¡±


    ¡°Because: Double the brush. Double the efficiency.¡±


    I searched her expression, but knew she had a perfect poker face.


    ¡°Ugh. You¡¯re fucking with me!¡±


    ¡°Not right now. Later.¡±


    I narrowed my eyes, handed her back the other paintbrush, and got to making the ritual. The world responded positively, its interest did not dip, and I too grew more excited as I reached the end.


    ¡°Curseflame!¡±


    The blood evaporated, the mana it contained crackled in the air, and then it all manifested into a big cluster of dark-purple curses and infernal flames that rapidly fell apart, consumed itself, and exploded outward.


    My ritual was judged, and it was found wanting.


    I swiftly stepped in front of Moonwash, to weather whatever blasts came our way. We had armor of a similar quality, but I had a lot more resistance to at least one of the elements coming our way. The infernal fire splashed against me, but thankfully wasn¡¯t able to damage my armor any more than normal flames would. The curses were likewise unable to deal significant damage to my mythril, although it was once again a bit scratched up, and after Moonwash had just fixed it too...


    Only some of the wrath damage was able to seep into my insides, and while painful, it didn¡¯t even warrant any urgent medical attention. My regen heart would take care of it in time.


    ¡°Is a ritual of a combination element really not possible?¡± Moonwash asked.


    ¡°On the contrary, I think I was definitely on the right track there!¡± I grinned. ¡°The greater magic was unsatisfied, but it at least gave me something. This was only my first try, but with a better ritual, I¡¯m sure that I can do it!¡±


    This was a skill that I had admittedly outright neglected.


    I needed to get good,


    ~~~


    A few days later, I found myself drawing a ritual that Moonwash had helped me conceptualize. My hooves were uncovered, and so were my eyes. The snake was within sight, and its body exuded hostility as it curled around its pile of dead bodies. We had made sure not to cross into its territory, but the woremvor hissed a warning anyway as it could somehow tell that we were up to something. It intimidated my friends, but certainly not me. I was almost tempted to hiss back.


    I finished the last massive brush stroke, creating a ritual with the shell of a sinister flame, various illustrations of wrath and infernal in unity, and the woremvor writhing painfully in the middle, beset by the furnace that was my spell.


    I took a deep breath, and felt the embrace of magic itself. It wanted me to say the words now, or forever hold my piece. I looked at the woremvor from across the trees, and it glared back. It was a downright miracle that it hadn¡¯t yet struck.


    That would be the last mistake it ever made.


    ¡°Curseflame Shot.¡±


    The world shuddered upon my words. The woremvor had finally made a move just before the utterance left my mouth, but it was too little too late. The short but stout snake rocketed through the air with unbelievable speed, only to collide with a dark flame that had met its charge. The fire that did not glow raced through its body at record speeds, clinging unto scales and visibly deteriorating skin, only to be visibly counteracted by the creature¡¯s monstrous regeneration.


    The snake hissed. It was a terrible sound that pierced right into our bones. It kept sailing through the air in a straight course towards me, and Berry met its open mouth with her shell at just the right angle. The monster¡¯s strike never reached its target, my friend was knocked away with a deep gouge through her carapace, and Angerly struck the reptile¡¯s head before it could follow up on anything. Therick and Granuel aimed for the eyes during this opening, obstructing the wormevor¡¯s senses, until Moonwash¡¯s own wind-propelled earth canon smashed against its skull near the same spot that Angerly had just smashed her mace into. Scales cracked and fell from that massive impact, and blood dripped from our enemy¡¯s eyes as it glared banefully at us with tears of red.


    And then those very wounds began to heal.


    It was a struggle between that and the black flames that had now covered the entire body of our enemy.


    The snake opened its massive maw filled with bulky fangs meant to rip and tear instead of poison.


    This was when I struck for the second time.


    I charged from the side with my cursed greatsword held high, and I swung the weapon down with all the force I could muster. The blade bit deeply into my opponent¡¯s neck, through the scales and through the flesh, and then the wrath flowing through my weapon flared, dealing additional damage and rotting my enemy from the inside.


    My enemy hissed. It swiftly turned around to behold me, and it lunged for a massive bite that could swallow me whole. I swatted its head away with a blow that sent both me and it reeling, and in the short instant where I winced from the broken numbness in my arms, the monster suddenly slithered wildly, hitting some of us with the massive flaming bulk of its body.


    I got hit square on, and I rolled on the ground with all the wind knocked out of me. A groan escaped my lips, and I took Therick¡¯s hand as he helped me to my feet. The burning monster had turned around and was now crawling back to its nest.


    It was a good thing that my curseflame was really good for not doing any friendly fire, as while direct contact with the monster¡¯s body was very uncomfortable due to how hot it had gotten, it was still a lot milder than what we would¡¯ve otherwise experienced.


    Moonwash came up to me, and I felt a surge of rage at how she limped from having been hit by that creature¡¯s clumsy movements too. I used the time wherein she healed me to regain my calm and observe my opponent as it gorged on the piles of carrion, thereby hastening the healing of all its wounds.


    The snake was fully on fire now, but its regeneration was still able to slow the burning of all its scales. Most of the other wounds we had inflicted on it were already healed save for some missing scales on its head, and one other.


    A remnant of my slash through its neck remained, and I reasoned it was likely due to me just having dealt the most damage, or perhaps even due to some of the rotting aspects of my wrath magic. But as I stared at the open wound, and back at the greatsword that had not left my hand, a different idea began to form in my mind. Wrath magic flowed from it, to me, and then back¡­ but the weapon was already cursed. It had long been cursed. And that foundation stemmed not from wrath, but from menace.


    I didn¡¯t have much time to think about this at the moment, so instead I just had a short planning session with my friends. Angerly then brought out the infernal gallons of my blood and the big paintbrushes, whereafter I and Moonwash worked together on the ritual that was needed.


    ¡°Infernal Fireworks!¡±


    We shouted in unison, and the world acknowledged us. A massive fireball formed, and it shot towards where the snake was. The monster hissed and squirmed around to put its body out of the blast zone, but that was exactly what we were hoping for because our target was its food!


    Extremely cruel, I know.


    The fireball unraveled, and split into many smaller copies of itself. The pale-orange fire landed on the corpses that had been attracting flies, and the woremvor¡¯s food began to burn away. The snake stared in disbelief, and the hiss that came out of its mouth was full of distress.


    I capitalized on its grief.


    I had charged towards my prey the moment the ritual had finished, and I even briefly made use of my wings for one flap of speed, before immediately folding them back into my body. The result was me achieving the fastest dash I¡¯d ever done, and all that force was transmitted into my mini-ritual-enhanced sword swing.


    The level 40 monster could not see it coming, and I sheared right through where damage still lingered on its neck, but this time my sword buried itself so deep that my enemy¡¯s spine audibly cracked.


    The woremvor screamed sharply, suddenly undulating its long body to crush me under its bulk. I managed to jump up, and unfurl my slightly frayed wings, in order to get out of range. I was still hit by the large and long mass, sending a crushing pain through my legs, but I was able to remain afloat despite it.


    I saw the woremvor quickly aiming for what remained of its food stash, only to find that not only was its collection burning, but someone had actively tried to scatter them around. The monster saw the culprits, and it immediately lunged for my friends in rage, causing Berry to once again take the blow with her carapace and a big shield held by her two arms. The shield did not survive, and she was knocked far away, but she had bought just enough time for me to do another dive.


    My sword crashed against the monster¡¯s flank, causing great pain upon my target. I quickly ran away to avoid its retaliation while shooting waves of wrath unto my enemy. But my spells did not appear to do any damage, for I had not intended to harm the woremvor¡¯s body, but rather its mind. I had used my taunt, and it was even more effective than my common enrage.


    The snake chased after me.


    I charged away from its weirdly undulating body, weaving through trees with a flood of wrath coursing through my legs, until I eventually exited out into a wide and open clearing. That monster had all the advantage in maneuvering with all the trees around, and it would¡¯ve caught me soon if I had not switched terrains.


    I glanced back to find that the curseflame on my enemy was beginning to die out. They did begin to expire after a short while, otherwise I might as well just wait for any foe to die after a single kiss of this magic. That was fine, I only had to refresh and replenish the effect.


    Wrath and Infernal mana were dragged out of my body and seized by my horns, made to swirl around each other as they combined while I continued to run away from the massive animal for a little while longer. I occasionally had to dodge and parry the bites of the woremvor, until finally, I had more of the black fire that I needed.


    I shot the massive dark fireball upon my enemy, and it was almost able to dodge but I made it twitch just enough with my evil eyes and aura. The dying black flames flared back up upon being fed by its kin, and the snake¡¯s scales now began to be ripped off. The exposed skin then burned and charred much more quickly, and my enemy hissed in pain as its way of movement only aggravated all its wounds further. My friends then caught up with us and attacked the monster from the flank, only striking where flesh was the most raw and vulnerable. The woremvor hissed, turned around, and inadvertently exposed the throbbing wound on its neck.


    I pounced upon the opportunity its mistake had given me. My sword swung near where it was already bleeding out, and my arms suffered from the force of my own power, but my enemy suffered more. The blade of my sword swam through flesh and gore, found where I had already cracked crucial bone, and it did not stop until the scourge¡¯s spine had snapped in half and the monster¡¯s head lolled to one side.


    I took one step forward and slashed again, to cut off the head of the snake.

 Chapter 108: A Blast From The Past.

    I walked to my friends, sheathed my sword behind my back, and settled in to get healed. A long and heavy sigh escaped my mouth as the healing energies suffused me, and then I told Moonwash and Granuel to prioritize everyone else as I sat down and healed myself with the nature mana trapped in my mouth.


    Once I began to feel a bit better, I unsheathed my sword and examined it. I threaded some wrath mana through the weapon to create a circuit between it and me. This was a cursed item, and there was still a lingering menace about it. A part of myself worried if I was only washing it away by connecting it to my wrath like this, so I retracted my weave and went back to Moonwash to tell her of what I¡¯d realized.


    ¡°That makes sense. This weapon was cursed back when all you had was menace magic. It¡¯s a reasonable worry to presume that the curse might change with exposure to your new magic, but there¡¯s nothing much to be done about that. We don¡¯t really know where to get more menace mana. Curses just kind of blend together, and it can be hard to tell them apart. The cursetaceans too probably have some sort of vengeance magic, but we can¡¯t really know since it¡¯s near impossible to identify them somehow.¡±


    ¡°So do you think I can just use this sword to try and tease out the menace magic that has remained in my body? Or is it better if I just treat this greatsword like an heirloom that must never be touched again? There was our plan to reforge this into a new sword that would keep the curse too¡­¡±


    ¡°I love keeping heirlooms for sentimentality¡¯s sake, but my advice would be to risk it and try to discover something about the current condition of your curse-aligned magics. It¡¯s too valuable to pass up. We can always make a new sword. You¡¯ll curse it good in no time.¡±


    ¡°...Yeah. You¡¯re right. You¡¯re absolutely right! I¡¯m fucking phenomenal at cursing!¡±


    ~~~


    Along our journey back home, I continued to explore what powers my cursed greatsword might hold. I did not coat it with my wrath mana yet, to confirm what abilities it had retained by itself. The weapon definitely still had an anti-healing effect, if weak, which I confirmed by stabbing some bulky monsters like an armozard or a boar, and then having Moonwash heal them. We¡¯d also come to theorize that my sword might have a weakening effect, but it was difficult to be sure because creatures generally became weaker the more you stabbed them. So, did I curse the bear with weakness, or were they acting like they were about to die because they were about to die?


    Who could say?


    We came across other adventurers at some point, and I had to sheathe my weapon once Granuel informed me of them. They were very impressed with the big snake Angerly was dragging behind her, and they had plenty of questions about the glorious fight that had occurred. I did not begrudge them that, they were right that we were fucking awesome, so I just stood menacingly in the background while my friends explained how we were able to fell such a terrifying beast. With some major details removed or obfuscated, of course.


    Once they were gone, away from even Granuel¡¯s sight, I returned to my fun and ethical experiments. This time, I allowed my wrath mana to envelop the sword, weave through its material, before forming a circuit that came back to my body. I felt a connection to this weapon that had followed me this far, and I used it to kill the creatures of the forest just as I had many times before. The flavored wrath flowed along the blade, but I did not notice a significant improvement to the menace effects that the sword naturally possessed.


    I chose to focus on this aspect for the final leg of my journey. My wrath magic contained traces of menace, and I wanted to bring that same element out in my precious greatsword. I believed that doing so was my bridge to being able to use menace magic once more.


    ~~~


    I and my friends left the city of Latarus to go to the town of Trosti. The trip was largely uneventful, and we disembarked from our ride once we crossed the stone walls that surrounded the settlement. Inside was a normal town filled with homes and apartments, businesses, tall and efficient farms, and small pockets of dense trees for those belfegors who wanted to stay in their home environment and could afford it.


    But there was one thing that was different here, one thing that we could not find in our home city of Latarus.


    Domesticated draft animals.


    We went straight to the local stables upon our arrival, and already I could see the more violent-looking horses staying in their pens and enclosures. They were called the horreks, and their bodies looked largely equine, but with thick bristles of white-grey fur. Their faces also appeared to be more violent than their horse counterpart, becoming almost boar-like.


    ¡°Hello there!¡± Granuel greeted cheerfully, upon which the workers of various species called upon their manager.


    A human man in simple tunics and leathers came up to talk to us. ¡°Hello¡­ adventurers?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ve made an appointment.¡± The smile did not leave Granuel¡¯s face. ¡°We are The Harvesters party, and we traveled here because we¡¯ve heard about what you do, and we had need of your expertise.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes, yes. I¡¯ve received the message. It¡¯s nice to meet you all. I am Adil, and I¡¯m the one who runs this place.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you too, Adil! I¡¯m Granuel, and these are the rest of my party.¡± He introduced the rest of us, with the full knowledge that the other person likely wouldn¡¯t remember all our names. Although people did have better memories here than back on mundane Earth. ¡°May we come in?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Please, make yourselves at home.¡±


    We stepped into the stables, and a beastly stench immediately reached our noses. I felt it even through my armored mask, but I was unfazed for I regularly waded through blood and guts. I was stricken my the magnificent beasts that were the horreks, so I walked towards them while Granuel and the rest talked.


    I reached out my hand to the first of such beasts, and it huffed in alarm. The horrek¡¯s eyes were full of fear and panic as it tried to back up in the small space of its enclosure.


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Limbert. Calm down!¡± A centaur woman came up to the enclosure as the caged monster kicked behind it and dented high-quality wood. ¡°Oh¡­ It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s alright. No one is here to hurt you¡­¡±


    The beast continued to buck and whine, until Adril came over to see what was happening.


    ¡°What is going on here?¡± He asked with an inquisitive gaze. ¡°Limbert. Limbert, down.¡± His voice turned authoritative and strict, and for a moment it seemed like the animal might finally follow, but it freaked out even harder once its panicked gaze had turned back towards me.


    Adril too looked at me and frowned. ¡°I think¡­ you¡¯re the problem? I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve never had them react to someone like this before. Please, let¡¯s try with another one. Limbert here might just be a bit moody today.¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­¡± I stepped away, unconvinced, but I did not remain unconvinced for long as I saw the workers finally succeed at calming the thrashing horrek down once I was out of sight. I followed Adril¡¯s instructions, and the next horrek I approached reacted with the same fear. So did the next, and the next one after that. Some even began to take notice of me and run away in fright before I could even get close to them.


    Not a single one wished to be my friend.


    That was sad.


    ¡°This is¡­ incredible,¡± Adril mumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t know what came over them. This has never happened before. How could someone be so universally bad with animals? They have different temperaments, so at least one should click with you!¡±


    I laughed.


    Adril realized what he had just said and tried to backtrack. ¡°Ah! No offense meant! It¡¯s our failure!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Relax. It can¡¯t be helped.¡± I shrugged, though there was a frown underneath my mask. ¡°Is it really not possible?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t know¡­ I just followed what my grandmother taught me, and she¡¯s never spoken about how to handle this problem!¡±


    Raising draft animals like this was incredibly rare and unprofitable here in Grandera because this was the home continent of the centaurs. Those jobs were commonly relegated to them, instead of relying on the unpredictability of monsters and animals.


    I for one would more easily trust the latter. They were not cunning in the same way that sapients could be.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just move on to see if they can bond with my friends, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± He immediately latched onto the olive branch extended. ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s do that. Please.¡±


    My friends did the same thing as me and tried to pick out a horrek for themselves, to varying results. Moonwash was able to somewhat connect with some of them, but either she was not conveying the orders well, or the animals could not understand, because she had a hard time getting them to do anything. The horreks were already trained prior, of course, but my girlfriend found herself unable to really make use of the training.


    Granuel and Berry tried next, but they were just not respected by the animals at all. The horreks were barely willing to follow their instructions, and often flung dust or mild kicks at them.


    Therick did not have this problem, as the horreks were willing to precisely follow his orders once they had gotten to know him over an afternoon. Angerly on the other hand, was very quickly able to gain the acceptance and respect of the horreks. She wasn¡¯t as efficient at ordering them around, but the monsters followed her instructions with great fervor once they understood.


    In the end, we decided that Therick and Angerly should take two horreks each, making for a total of four Level 20 monsters. They were the best and most expensive ones for sale here, and we brought them all back home.


    ~~~


    I visited the orphanage, and found a lot more crustecar children there. Luine and Salaire had taken in quite a few from those we brought home, and they were also actively helping the other crustecars who had settled here with our help. Human clerks had been hired by Granuel to sell their artworks and accessories, and it made them money they desperately needed. The people of the tree wall were also a lot more open to their products, and I was happy to know that they would at least be well-fed once I was gone.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°It¡¯s unfair! They¡¯re too good at dodging!¡± I heard a human girl complain about the crustecars during a game of dodgeball, which made me laugh. I challenged the kids to a game of tag and utterly trounced the crustecars before everyone else because they were not very good at running in a straight line. I didn¡¯t try to lecture them, I didn¡¯t want to be that person, but I knew they were smart enough for the message to get across.


    My friends soon arrive, alongside even more crustecar kids. They were the ones who lived with their parents or guardians near the workshop.


    We all had a nice afternoon just playing with them, from Granuel teaching them math, then realizing that his magical trickshots were still overwhelmingly more popular; to Berry taking them on imaginary treasure hunts, where the prizes were things she and Moonwash had created. Moonwash herself used valuable materials to draw rituals, awing and teaching the children both. Therick and Angerly ran off, then brought back a horrek each, which they paraded around the children at a distance. Therick rode one, but Angerly did not, because while the beast could carry her, it would be an uncomfortable process for both of them. The kids were fascinated by the tamed animals, because they were just not a common thing here.


    I could have shown them something even more interesting and amazing if I could just take out my wings, but I knew I couldn¡¯t, so I did not dwell on it. Instead, I focused on just playing games with them, from various kinds of sports, to board games and the creation of paper airplanes which were called paper birds here.


    They laughed, and I smiled, in this one joyful and innocent moment. It was a relief and a breath of fresh air after everything we had been through. Even the crustecar children were noticeably so much happier now, and I was happy to have been a part of that.


    ~~~


    An armored wagon rolled across the road, pulled by two horreks from the front. Moonwash had finished her first prototype of the vechicle, and the inside was a mix of cushioned seats, a door at the back akin to a drawbridge which was usually kept open, and plenty of space for cargo. The ride was comfortable, it shook a lot less than other lesser wagons, and neither did it break down as much.


    Eventually, we came to a stop, and the carriage planted itself along the side of the road with breaks that made it nigh immovable. I went into the forest, and found an armozard that would make for good prey. Memories of a time long past came back to me in a flood through the help of my memory core, and I remembered in vivid detail what it was like to use menace magic. From that sense of mischief that went far beyond evil, a pride that made me want to dominate everything, and that desire to make sure that it hurt.


    I recalled that old demon, and walked towards my prey. The armozard arose from its slumber, just as I began to charge. I poured all my power into my next slash, using a mini-ritual to boost my physique, and saturating my greatsword with greater wrath.


    The blow connected, the monster roared, and then its head lolled to one side. I was impressed, just as I had known, that the level 20 creature wouldn¡¯t instantly die from my strongest strike, but it would still succumb shortly from its wounds.


    I side-stepped the animal¡¯s attempt at retaliation, watching as rivers of blood flowed freely from the wound. It wasn¡¯t just one clean slash, but the creature¡¯s flesh was twisted apart by an evil force, for my wrath magic had participated. Its rot was suppressed and poured out instead to the organically destructive effect for the sake of this next part.


    I showed mercy, for I was a merciful demon.


    Flowers bloomed, nature arose, and my victim¡¯s wounds began to heal. I sensed that I wouldn¡¯t be able to preserve its life alone, so Moonwash helped me nurse it back to health, and a raw anti-healing effect was indeed present, but we concluded that it hadn¡¯t been significantly enhanced by my wrath magic.


    That was the goal for today, and the next days, and I did not stop until it was over. From the armozard, to a murdle, and plenty of other creatures; I sliced them all up until I could finally improve upon the anti-healing and weakening effects of my sword by feeding it with my wrath.


    I had succeeded.


    ~~~


    ¡°Haell!¡±


    We were just going back to the city when a familiar voice called upon us from the forest. Granuel glanced warily through a slit in the wall, ashamed for not having noticed the presence at all.


    ¡°Should I stop, or speed up?¡± Therick asked.


    ¡°Stop, it¡¯s all fine.¡± My friend followed my advice, and I jumped out of the carriage. Outside, I found exactly who I¡¯d been hoping for. ¡°Elfrafim! Astan! Where¡¯ve you been!?¡±


    Astan circled around, and landed on my shoulder. I could tell that he was inching closer to level 40, and would soon be at the level where a suprasoar would be considered sapient, though it really felt like he was already at that point.


    ¡°Oh, here and there. I went to see the capital of Gardine, then I went to the Infinite Twisters, and then I visited the Curse Parade! I almost got attacked by Evel in that last one, which could¡¯ve been bad! Good thing I had to foresight to leave Astan behind for that one.¡±


    By Evel, she was referring to the second angel on this continent. A being who had a bow for a left arm, and a bunch of arrows for her legs.


    ¡°Yeah, no shit that would¡¯ve been bad!¡± I laughed. ¡°I saw one too. An angel. And I get it now. They¡¯re fucking terrifying.¡±


    ¡°Right!? And holy shit, that¡¯s a story! You gotta tell me more about it!¡±


    ¡°I will, I will.¡±


    I patted my friend¡¯s shoulder and led her back to our new wagon. Moonwash told her all about her new creation, and I talked about our recent expedition to Orila.


    I did not like it, and it was shit, but we learned a lot.


    ~~~


    ¡°So there¡¯s a sister element¨Cyour previous menace magic¨Cthat¡¯s sort of maybe connected to your wrath magic¡­ and now you¡¯re trying to gain access to it? I thought we had the best understanding of magic here, save perhaps for those angels that came from another world, but I don¡¯t know where to begin with that!¡± Elfrafim exclaimed as she cradled her drink. I and Moonwash were drinking with her, with varying strengths of alcohol depending on our physiques. Moonwash had been learning more about brewing recently, and mine was always weaker just in case.


    Astan was perched on a nearby chair, snacking on the grapes that would¡¯ve created the wine we were drinking.


    ¡°What do you think I should do then?¡± I asked. ¡°There are no wrong answers.¡±


    Astan squawked.


    ¡°Not you! I meant Elfrafim over here!¡±


    ¡°Regress back to imp!¡±


    A pause.


    ¡°Nevermind. Astan, can you elaborate on what you meant by ¡®squawk¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Squawk. Reee.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Elfrafim laughed. ¡°It¡¯s a serious suggestion though. You have your memory core, right? Just look back through your memories of that time.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯ve already done that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice that you listened to my advice before I can even give it.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off.¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ve been thinking about recently,¡± Moonwash said after a pause.


    ¡°Oh? Pray tell.¡±


    ¡°I like all your thoughts!¡±


    ¡°Well, I think I might have some menace mana left, which could help you, Haell.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Well, why didn¡¯t you say so sooner!¡± My voice admittedly had a tiny note of offense and hurt to it. I¡¯d been trying really hard to discover my magic here!


    ¡°Because I can¡¯t find it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember when we tried to collect your blood in balloons?¡±


    ¡°Oh! You mean when we¡¯ve just left and destroyed the secret base for good? I remember that. Good times.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I believe there should be more, but I cannot find it anywhere. I¡¯ve looked.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Well, shit. Let¡¯s go find it then.¡± I looked around the living room, as if searching for it already. ¡°We really should¡¯ve saved a lot more of my blood before I evolved, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was a major oversight. Let¡¯s not make the same mistake again.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°Ahhh! It is here! Sorry about that!¡± Mom shouted as we rummaged through her things. We had gone through the basement, through an inconspicuous door in a corner, and beyond a tunnel corridor, to find a second smaller basement filled with my mom¡¯s things and her own experiments. Right now, she was very embarrassed because she had accidentally grabbed our last drops of menace mana, and had just left them here to rot.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mom!¡± I reassured her. ¡°We found it and that¡¯s what matters.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you kept it for safe-keeping,¡± Moonwash added. ¡°I might¡¯ve used it for something or another if it was still in my workshop, and then we would be truly out.


    ¡°...Right. Just as planned. Here you go!¡± Mom handed me the bag filled with the stuff. There was actually a little bit of decay in the bag and the organic ¡®plastic¡¯, but it should still be usable. ¡°Good luck with getting the menace back, Haell! I know you can do it!¡±


    ¡°Thanks Mom!¡±


    ~~~


    With a supply of menace mana now in hand, Moonwash lent me her old menace staff. I was just with her, Elfrafim, and Astan today, out on a small stroll in the forest, and I used the opportunity to refamiliarize myself with the magic used by my impish self.


    I spotted a small pack of barkbarks between the trees, and I thought them to be the perfect targets.


    (Barkbarks are white-furred dog/grasshopper hybrids)


    Menace mana flowed out of the staff according to my command, at first awkwardly, like a baby taking its first steps, but soon I was swirling the very small amount around with the practiced elegance of an expert practitioner. I made a tiny, bullet-sized bullet out of it, and I hit one of the barkbarks¡­ but its desiccation wasn¡¯t even enough to kill the poor sub-level-10 dear.


    I had poked the hornet¡¯s nest with my actions, and now the barkbark¡¯s came for me in force.


    ¡°Uhh, a little help, please?¡± I asked of my friends. I could very easily slaughter all these measly enemies of course, but I needed them restrained as my test subjects.


    Moonwash and Elfrafim complied, and the charging army of tiny little barkbarks were stopped in their tracks and bound by many powerful vines.


    ¡°Okay, thanks! Now, how to do this¡­¡± I focused on the one I¡¯d already attacked, and I finished it off for good this time by desiccating its heart in full using a little bit more mana. The next barkbark I attacked died instantly after that, and so did the next.


    I smiled at the small success, and summoned a ball of wrath mana in the next moment. I felt my undying hatred, but I tried to focus on the menace that hid within it instead. From the envy I felt towards those that I loved, to that overbearing desire to deprive. I gently placed the resulting magic on the next monster in line, and it was torn apart by powerful biomantic forces.


    ¡°No! It¡¯s not right at all! That¡¯s not what menace magic is supposed to do! That¡¯s still wrath!¡±


    I did not let that deter me, but instead, I resolutely used the small amount of menace mana I had remaining. I alternated between menace and wrath magic, for my thinking was that I could somehow create a connection that way, or that I would metaphorically forget what I was using and succeed in using menace magic while I was handling wrath.


    My idea turned out to be right.


    ¡°WOW! It¡¯s working! You actually made it work!¡± Elfrafim shouted excitedly as she held her wand and healing light over the mangled flesh of a whimpering bear.


    ¡°Yeah, I know!¡± I said, just as happily. I had used only wrath magic for that, yet clearly my prey was suffering from raw anti-healing!


    ¡°Do you think I can use it too if I used your blood and wrath mana?¡± Moonwash asked.


    ¡°I have no idea. We¡¯ll find out!¡±


    The anti-healing effect shown here was still weak, but I had my foot in the door, and all I needed was to improve upon it.


    I used all of what remained of my impish blood not for that purpose, but to relearn the confusion and weakening effects.


    The process was a lot easier than what came before, which was good because I was running out of the blood I had shed an odd three years ago.

 Chapter 109: Connections Forged.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad I made it in time for this! This will make history!¡± Elfrafim exclaimed. We were currently at the Harvester Home which was at the foot of my family¡¯s hill. ¡°Provided you are successful, of course. But I¡¯m happy to be part of the process anyway!¡±


    ¡°Gee. Thanks for the vote of confidence.¡± I rolled my demonic eyes at my elven friend. Our goal here today was to take my cursed greatsword and somehow transfer that infusion into a new sword, because I definitely needed a better one. ¡°Have you never done anything like this?


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Elfrafim answered. ¡°I can craft things, but I¡¯m really only about average at it.¡±


    ¡°Average.¡± I snorted. ¡°Yeah right. Then I guess the rest of us are talentless rubes!¡±


    ¡°I mean as an elf of my level.¡± Elfrafim clarified. She waltzed around the house on her toes, peering at everything she could get her bright gem-like eyes on. She¡¯d been here before, and not much had changed. ¡°We are a very dextrous and creative species, and I¡¯m very high level compared to anyone you can really compare me to in your life. But pit me against an actual crafter of similar power, and I¡¯ll probably lose without ever standing a chance.¡±


    ¡°Weak.¡±


    ¡°Hey! You¡¯re weaker!¡±


    My expression faltered. Getting called weak did offend me, but I knew I started it.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± I chuckled, just a bit awkwardly. ¡°But I didn¡¯t mean you personally. I get that you guys don¡¯t work with curses very much, but the elves are a lot more advanced than us in general, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± she answered enthusiastically. ¡°You only have us beat in all the boring things like paperwork.¡±


    ¡°Now that I take offense to,¡± I crossed my arms and huffed. ¡°I¡¯m bad at paperwork too!¡±


    ¡°Have you ever done paperwork?¡± Moonwash asked Elfrafim.


    ¡°No. Not really. But I can already tell it¡¯s an evil thing.¡±


    ¡°That it is,¡± I nodded sagely.


    ¡°On a more serious note, we can make better architecture, and I believe we¡¯d win an all-out war with just about anyone short of a dragon, but we would probably suck at planning a city or organizing an army, things of that nature. There are some enthusiasts of course, but I don¡¯t know how well they¡¯d do with the real thing.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡± I nodded. ¡°How about infusions? It seems like the kind of thing you guys would¡¯ve at least dabbled in, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it absolutely is.¡± Elfrafim gestured to her cloak, staff, bow, and many other little weapons she had hidden on her. ¡°Most of these are infused with wind, and we did it by harvesting the materials from creatures that were already infused with the element, like your cursetaceans and cloudbirds, or by leaving them out for centuries in some mana-dense place like a wonderzone.¡±


    Moonwash asked for more specifics, and I learned that most of Elfrafim¡¯s gear enhanced wind spells, reduced air resistance, or added some sort of wind impact.


    ¡°But you¡¯ve never tried to take some infusion and put it elsewhere?¡± I asked. ¡°Like to transfer the infusion on some weapon of a better make?¡±


    ¡°No. Why would we? Our infused shit are already pretty high quality, so there¡¯s no need to make any of them worse. We just pass them down to the next generation, and make something new for ourselves. Or take a hand-me-down from someone if it¡¯s available. My bow is from Ovelger who¡¯s the latest elf to reach ancient status. He¡¯s so cool! I wanna reach that level someday!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s neat.¡± I took out my greatsword. ¡°I suppose I could just keep this. Have it on display somewhere. A memento. Or I could someday bestow it upon someone else like you¡­ But nah. I don¡¯t want to. The curse of this sword has been developed through time, and if possible, I wish to keep it with me. It feels¡­ meaningful.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s all fine! You don¡¯t have to follow our customs. And even back home, it¡¯s just a choice people make. No one¡¯s going to force you!¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± I chuckled and shook my head. ¡°Let¡¯s get to forging a new blade then! A new tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°We still have to figure out how we¡¯re going to actually do that,¡± Moonwash informed.


    ¡°Ah. Right. Of course.¡±


    ¡°We knew that.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we!?¡± I high-fived my elven friend.


    ~~~


    Moonwash showed us the mountain of notes and diagrams of her ideas for this project. There were many potential paths we could take, from reforging my sword by adding in more mythril, to making some sort of enchantment or ritual array to somehow drain the curse. The problem with the former was that the mythril would then be heavily diluted, and the problem with the latter was, well¡­ how? Moonwash only had theories about that, and Elfrafim was once again excitedly clueless about the concept of ripping away an infusion from something.


    ¡°People have tried to get multiple elements to infuse an object before, and it has been successful!¡± Elfrafim said happily. ¡°But each success is basically a legendary event. Most objects either experience no change at all, or the infused elements just get diluted. Whatever effects it had would just be lost in the latter case. Ah, there¡¯s also one case where someone tried to infuse so many elements at once on one staff, thereby creating a chaos weapon.¡±


    ¡°Oh! A chaos weapon. That sounds very cool!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s just like what the hekatons were capable of.¡±


    ¡°Can it cast those chaotic shifting exploding spells then!?¡±


    ¡°Nope! Well, yes. But only once. It exploded.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Yep! Elthor created enchantments that pumped different types of mana into the general area for centuries in order to make it.¡±


    ¡°Oof. That¡¯s gotta hurt.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡±


    ¡°...What do you me ¡®why?¡¯ Because that¡¯s a lot of time and resources wasted, duh.¡±


    ¡°But it was a success!¡±


    I blinked.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m really fucking confused.¡± My face went through various expressions. ¡°The staff just exploded! How is that a success!?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s a chaos explosion. No one¡¯s ever been able to make anything like that before! I don¡¯t even know of any elf that¡¯s able to wield chaos magic! So it was a resounding success and we threw multiple parties for him!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ so you mean it¡¯s a success because you were able to make something new. Not because you managed to create some super strong weapon?¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡±


    ¡°...Well. You¡¯re not wrong,¡± I admitted. ¡°There is value in discovering and creating new things. That¡¯s incredibly important. I guess I¡¯ve just¡­ Fuck, I¡¯ve forgotten the sheer joy of curiosities fulfilled! Aaaaaahhhh!!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you have.¡± Moonwash patted me gently. ¡°You just enjoy and want both. The process and the result.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Thanks.¡± I kissed her, and we just made out for a while.


    ¡°Elfrafim,¡± Moonwash said after a few minutes.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Yeah? You guys can continue if you want!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do that later, thank you for the consideration. But you mentioned using enchantments to infuse an object? So there is precedent to what I¡¯m trying to do?¡±


    ¡°Errr¡­ I think it¡¯s completely different. All the enchantments really did was gradually dispense mana towards the staff, but most of it dispersed into the environment anyway. It¡¯s only the equivalent of being in a wonderzone.¡±


    ¡°I see. So it actually means my goal here would be even harder, because the mana doesn¡¯t actually become infused. It¡¯d just gradually float away.¡±


    ¡°Yep. That¡¯s exactly it. Good luck though! I¡¯m rooting for you! And I¡¯ll help any way I can!¡±


    ¡°Thank you Elfrafim,¡± Moonwash went to grab some cursetacean shells from a big pile in the corner. Luine had given us our first delivery just a few days ago for the many carcasses we left hidden on our way back from Orila. ¡°It sucks that they just took off the flesh, but I¡¯ll work with what I have.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve lodged a complaint to Biggie and Larryx, so the next ones should have their meat.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it. The teams must¡¯ve been dispatched by now. It¡¯s not a massive deal, they must have rotten already and these are the only actually useful parts. The meat would¡¯ve just been really good for the throwaway experiments we need to do.¡±


    ~~~


    What followed was a long line of experimentation to figure out just how to upgrade my sword.


    At first, Moonwash tried to do a ritual with my blood, but with most of the infernal magic depleted, to rip out the curse magic on a shell and transfer it elsewhere. It did not succeed the first time, nor the second time, nor in the many other failures after that. By the time it did work, we were able to move the curse mana in the carapace, but it didn¡¯t actually turn a different separate object cursed. That was the first problem. There was technically mana in everything, usable or not, and my sword probably had a lot of it, but merely managing to move the small part that was interactable did not mean we could curse and infuse another object. The magic would just float in the object for a while, and then dissipate. The bulk of the magic, the infusion itself, could not be interacted with.


    ¡°What about your curseflame!¡± Elfrafim exclaimed. ¡°Let¡¯s do something with that!¡±


    It was as good an idea as any, so I did it, but the problem was that even the parts left behind by a dead creature was not enough. My magic would only latch onto currently living targets. Using it to forge a sword out of metal that was never even alive was out of the question.


    ¡°What if you pray?¡± Therick asked in a different setting. ¡°I know you don¡¯t believe in god. But what about¡­ the greater magic? That¡¯s what it¡¯s called?¡±


    ¡°Okay, first off.¡± I reclined in the sofa of our living room. ¡°I believe that god is real. He exists. And maybe he even accepts and answers prayers for all I know. There is much we don¡¯t know about the angels. But of course, I do not worship any of them. I worship no one. As for the greater magic¡­¡± I took a some long seconds to gather my thoughts. ¡°That¡¯s kind of what rituals are already, in a way. A plea, a request, perhaps an exchange.¡±


    I still tried, even if I didn¡¯t fancy the idea of worshipping anyone or anything. I addressed the greater magic directly, and I actually felt its constant gaze on me strengthen for a second, before receding back in disinterest. Why would it ever help me without an offering?


    ~~~


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just buy a new sword?¡± Granuel asked while we were buying supplies for our trip. Moonwash was with us, ready with a soundproof wind barrier. ¡°Cursed things are illegal here, I know. But we can try asking some of the New Grandera spies?¡±


    ¡°Ehh¡­ If we¡¯re doing that anyway, then we might as well create an entirely new one myself.¡± We entered a high-end furniture store, and I bought the smallest mattress they had. ¡°The reason why I want to save and reuse the infusion of my current sword is because it¡¯s special. It¡¯s meaningful. The curse has grown with me and it¡¯s connected to me in some way. Otherwise, I¡¯ll just replace it, yeah.¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°What if we ship of theseus it?¡± I explained the philosophic concept to Moonwash and Elfrafim. I wanted to replace the sword¡¯s make, one small chunk of fantasy metal at a time.


    ¡°That¡¯s a very interesting question. Would it still be the same sword? Will the curse be kept, if it was actually possible?¡±


    ¡°Right!? It¡¯s so exciting to learn about a literal new world! I didn¡¯t expect that when I crossed the barrier range and came here!¡±


    ¡°However,¡± Moonwash added, ¡°it isn¡¯t actually possible. That¡¯s not how forging works. It¡¯ll just fall apart.¡±


    ~~~


    We debated the issue some more, until we came up with a method that Moonwash thought would work. After some extensive testing, we concluded that this plan would indeed work. What followed was some more training, because I needed to learn a little bit of forging. Good enough to follow instructions and do it accurately at least.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start,¡± Moonwash said. ¡°Just like we practiced.¡±


    I nodded at her and began to thread my mana. From my greatsword, through my body, to a forging hammer, and then back. I created a circuit of wrath magic that connected everything together.


    We were currently in a newly created room/building covered from floor to ceiling in enchantments. The fuel was entire tanks of my blood, and the enchantments were made with cursetacean carapace, goblin seed, my very blood again, and more. They depicted the many battles I¡¯d been through with my old greatsword. It showed my growth, and how I wished for my cherished weapon to grow with me. The very center of the enchantments, which was also where I had set up, showed a demoness taking the curse of an old sword upon herself and using it to forge a new one.


    That demon was me.


    A nascent greatsword was taken out of a newly built forge, and placed upon the anvil in front of me. A switch was flipped, and the enchantments were activated, causing the air to thrum with a curse that was uncomfortable for Moonwash too. Elfrafim hovered nearby, to help in whatever way was needed of her when the time came.


    ¡°Right here.¡± Moonwash indicated a spot in the forming sword, and I focused on my image and my intent. My memory core reminded me of how I had trained for this, to connect with the curse that lingered in my greatsword, a scheming menace of an infusion. It tried to invade my mind once I dove deeper, it brought such sweet promises of how good it would feel to betray and murder, but I was angry and I was wrath itself. I wrestled with this curse, I forced it to obey, and it did so easier than in my previous attempts, having now learned not to oppose my will. The infusion of menace moved, it coursed through my body painfully, and I thought of a thousand ways I could lie, deceive, and backstab. My body rebelled, muscles tore, nerves frayed, and bones began to splinter.


    Into the hammer it all went.


    My right hand struck, and the mythril sword sang upon impact.


    I had hit right where Moonwash had indicated. My accuracy was without peer. This was the culmination of my efforts.


    I took in more of the infusion upon myself. I felt the expected rush of revulsion. I had bled from every orifice in my face before I was able to interact with infusion mana, and it was far more intense in practice than what already coursed through my blood. But I squeezed down upon all that outright evil energy, for I did not wish to lose any more of the cursed infusion that I had worked so hard on for years to build.


    I brought it all to my hammer, and once again struck the nascent sword.


    I repeated this same task, over and over and over, again and again and again; without pause, without complaint, and without fail.


    It created a wonderful tune, to hear the two objects of mythril singing together for the success of all our efforts.


    I fell into a trance. Elfrafim healed me as I continued to work with a single-minded focus.


    I forgot even the pain and the pressure of taking an infusion upon myself. All that mattered was the nascent greatsword, and everything that I could do to bring out its full and true potential.


    It was all I cared about. It was all that mattered. It was my world.


    ~~~


    ¡°Can you put that over there?¡± Granuel asked from across the workshop, and I obliged. I carried the empty crates to the wagons, and then tied them secured.


    We all double-checked our cargo to make sure that we had not left anything, and after Therick had to run off to fetch some cheques, and Berry forgot a box of her personal effects for cleaning herself; we were finally ready to move out.


    I jumped into a wagon with Moonwash and Therick, while the rest rode the other one because we had two. The crustecar workers that worked there waved and cheered, but they were soon drowned out by what we found outside.


    The piss hunters had gathered. The rest of the crustecars we¡¯d rescued were in the surrounding streets. The orphans were present and enthusiastic. An elf who was openly an elf waved from the rooftops. A bunch of other people had been taken in by the massive procession and were now openly gawking and pointing. But what those strangers were most excited about was the massive 5-meter-tall man that was waiting for us at the very front. Even my grandfather had come, and we were sent off by a hero.


    ¡°See the world Haell! Have an adventure!!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll miss you!¡±


    ¡°Send letters!¡±


    ¡°Come back soon!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so cool!¡±


    ¡°I want to be like you someday!¡±


    ¡°Go Harvesters!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s happening? What¡¯s happening!?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget us!¡±


    ¡°Good luck!¡±


    ¡°May the angels be with you!¡±


    ¡°Be safe!¡±


    ¡°God bless you!¡±


    ¡°Did you forget anything!?¡±


    ¡°Bring gifts!¡±


    ¡°Come by sometimes!¡±


    ¡°Latarus born!¡±


    ¡°See you later!¡±


    ¡°Stay safe!¡±


    ¡°Tell us stories next time!¡±


    ¡°Goodbye!¡±


    ¡°GOODBYE!¡± I answered them back. We all did. We did not stop until they were out of sight, as some of them, the ones that mattered most, followed us all the way to the gates. It was an impromptu parade that I was sure would cause them some trouble, and I took joy in how that was to be my final gift to them all.


    I was crying by the end. Snot was running down my nose. It was a good thing that my makeup would not fracture just from that. But I did not let any of that detract from the biggest smile on my face that I showed to the people that I loved.

 Chapter 110: The Journey Without an End.

    ¡°Well, thanks for the ride, friend,¡± I joked to Therick as I and Moonwash hopped off the wagon once Latarus was out of sight. Granuel and Berry did the same, leaving Therick and Angerly to drive the wagons forward.


    ¡°Okay then,¡± Therick swung the reins to signal to his Horreks.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Angerly bellowed joyfully as both wagons began to pick up speed.


    ¡°Bye-bye!¡± They both shouted as they disappeared down the road.


    ¡°I did a really good job with those wagons,¡± Moonwash commented.


    ¡°And the horreks are very fast and strong,¡± Granuel added. ¡°I think they¡¯re faster than a centaur of the same general levels.¡±


    ¡°They are. It¡¯s a shame we couldn¡¯t really tame one.¡±


    ¡°I wish I had a horrek friend too.¡±


    ¡°Bah! I am the one outright hated by them!¡± I complained. ¡°There was nothing stopping you guys from getting one if you really wanted to!¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be a good partnership anyway,¡± Moonwash said. ¡°It¡¯ll only be a pain.¡±


    ¡°I want to get a different pet.¡± Granuel nodded. ¡°Maybe something real intimidating, but actually super nice.¡±


    ¡°I want something cute.¡±


    ¡°Well, if we¡¯re just throwing things out there, then I want a fucking dragon! Not as uh, a pet though. But a friend!


    ¡°Hey, ummm¡­¡± Berry fidgeted as the wagons really didn¡¯t come back. ¡°Should we go after them¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, you mean Therick and Angerly?¡±


    ¡°Yes! What else could I mean?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you¡¯re chasing after. You tell me,¡± I shrugged. ¡°But nah. Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯ll be fine. Trust me.¡±


    I found a treehugger snake nearby and tossed an infernal fireball upon the creature. It was a venomous monster that wound all the way around a tree and disguised itself as part of its bark. The creature burnt nearly just as well as wood, because its bark-like skin shared much of the properties of the real thing.


    Moonwash used water magic to douse the flame afterward, and so too did I extinguish it with my infernal magic by dumping large swathes of fire upon the nearby road. I was genuinely not looking to burn down the entire forest today, no matter how fun it would be.


    ~~~


    A sharp metallic screech rang through the air as I pulled out a sword from its scabbard upon my back. I brought its blade in front of myself, and the ominous, sinister, dark blue mythril glimmered under the light of the sun. This was my new greatsword, and it was sharper, heavier, and bigger to account for my own increase in size. My old greatsword had almost become just a regular sword in my hands.


    ¡°Who do I need to kill?¡± I asked sharply, and Granuel answered.


    ¡°That armozard, as I said.¡± He pointed in some direction in the forest, but I could not yet see the monster. ¡°Can you try to do it without damaging the scales too much? I want to preserve the materials.¡±


    I looked at him, then the dark sword in my hands. Evil mirages seemed to float across its surface. ¡°We shall see.¡±


    We walked deeper into the forest. My covered hooves carried me through the trees and the thick vegetation beyond. Moonwash and Granuel came with me, and it did not take long until we found our prey. There, in a peaceful meadow, sat an armozard that twitched in its sleep.


    I allowed my great wrath to escape the confines of my flesh and pour into my new greatsword. I stepped forward by myself, like an inevitable reaper here to deliver the final end. The sleeping monster reacted, and its head swiveled around to find the threat. Its gaze landed upon me, and the armozard immediately jumped and screeched and ran the other way.


    I did not let it get away.


    I broke into a dead run.


    Wrath flooded my legs, and I caught up to my prey.


    Its eyes blinked dumbly once it found me right next to it, but I did not give it any more time to think.


    My straining arms swung my greatsword with all the finality of a guillotine, and the massive blade went right through the enemy¡¯s neck like a grinder through meat.


    The armozard¡¯s head fell, and its massive bulk slid through the ground. The level 20 creature was built for defense, but it was no match for the blade that we had forged. The cut was not exactly clean, for that wasn''t what I was, but doing it in one strike still saved most of the materials. It would serve us well, for the next waystation we visited.


    ~~~


    We reached the village of Elatarus a few days later. Our wagons were full of materials that we¡¯d harvested along the way, from the scales and bones of the armozard I killed, to the feathers of a powerful nowl and more. Therick and Angerly did not actually leave us behind.


    The wagons were parked in a clearing about a block away from the entrance, and Granuel handled the buying and selling of materials. I just trusted him to handle all that business while I and Moonwash went looking for an inn. We sampled the local delicacies as we searched, which were admittedly not much different from what we could possibly find in our city, but they were certainly cheaper. The town had big farms within the walls, and even a number of plantations outside.


    We found a good place to stay in the upper districts as always, wherein we spent a nice night in an actual bed. It wasn¡¯t as urgent a need as usual, however, for our wagon seats had cushions, and we had brought small foldable beds with us for this never-ending trip.


    ~~~


    The next morning, I woke up to the common sight of Moonwash in my arms. She was already awake, so we went to our small private bath to clean and soak ourselves after some days spent on the road. It was a good thing that even a small village like this had the facilities we needed if we went for the most expensive option. It was far from the best I¡¯ve had, but it was sure as hell better than not getting to wash myself at all because I couldn¡¯t be seen in a communal bath.


    Once we were done and dressed for the day, we went back outside and met up with our friends. We shared a heavy breakfast together, after which we split up to just go see the small village. There were no obligations preventing us from just taking things at our own pace.


    I had a wonderful date with my girlfriend.


    It wasn¡¯t anything fancy, there wasn¡¯t much to see, but the fewer people on the streets and the familiarity of a tighter-knit community brought a value all their own. We bought food from the local bakery, we made some purchases at the local blacksmith, and we looked at the small manor of the village¡¯s lady, Elaina Latarus. None of them were terribly impressive, but it was nice to experience a small slice of life in Elatarus Village.Stolen story; please report.


    ~~~


    Come lunch, we met back up with the rest of the party, and ate a large meal at the local diner. The ingredients were not as varied as they would be in a city, but I enjoyed the ogre chef''s large portions and perfectly juicy slices of meat, prepared in a variety of ways.


    Once we were done, we went straight for the adventurer¡¯s guild, which was a far more modest construction of wood than our Latarus¡¯ own. We went inside the vaguely temple-like building, and found a bunch of adventures drinking, eating, or just hanging out in the middle of the day. Their gear weren¡¯t particularly impressive, and few had even reached the level 20 threshold. They looked at us warily upon our arrival, though they didn¡¯t seem particularly hostile. Some even looked at us with awe, despite knowing literally fuck-all about us.


    I walked straight to the counter with my friends, without having to wait in any sort of line. Therick introduced our group, the receptionist politely asked for our credentials, and then she pointed us towards the quest board.


    There wasn¡¯t anything terribly interesting there. Not even a Level 40 monster which they definitely could not clear out, although I questioned if they even had scouts to check for those threats.


    As my friends were discussing which quest would even be worth taking, I grabbed one from near the bottom.


    ¡°I wanna take this one.¡±


    ¡°That one?¡± Therick asked, almost incredulously.


    ¡°Those are common herbs,¡± Granuel informed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t even pay much¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you, Haell,¡± Angerly commented. ¡°Did you mistake a horti for some kind of monster? It¡¯s just a plant that grows in the forest!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Nothing for you to kill.¡± Berry giggled.


    ¡°Rude.¡± I huffed. ¡°I¡¯m not some barbarian. I was just interested. This is the very beginning for adventurers, right? The newbie quest! I never got to experience that.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t either,¡± Moonwash agreed. ¡°We¡¯re here on a continental tour. There¡¯s no reason for us not to. It could be nice.¡±


    Our friends didn¡¯t have any objections after that. They just wanted to needle me, but there really was nothing stopping us from taking a simple quest if we wanted, for whatever reason we may fancy.


    ~~~


    ¡°Over there!¡± Granuel said from the open window of the wagon. The village was still in sight, and yet we¡¯d already found the herb we were looking for.


    I did not let any of that curb my enthusiasm. I jumped from the single wagon we¡¯d taken with us and landed near the edge of the road. I walked into the forest and stared at the patches of grass and bush, until I finally found the horti I was looking for. I picked it up happily and giggled like a child.


    ¡°You¡¯re really enjoying this,¡± Therick said, amused. The rest of them had now followed me in.


    ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s just a classic. Now I feel like I¡¯m really an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ You¡¯re picking it wrong though,¡± Berry pointed out, and I tilted my head.


    She showed me how to properly dig out the herbs, root and all, and I joyfully followed her instructions for my beginner and starter quest.


    After that was done and over with, we dove deeper into the forest, because of course we¡¯d taken on more quests than that. I hummed happily in good cheer for a while longer, until my mood was gradually overtaken by my undying wrath once more. Dark-purple magic snaked out of my skin and twisted around the greatsword in my arms, giving its already sinister feel an even deeper pull.


    I blurred.


    A murdle died in a smear of red feathers and blood.


    A growling breath escaped my lips. The blade of my greatsword dripped in the entrails of that which was once alive. My wrath hummed in approval upon the destruction that I wrought, but I knew it would never be sated. I could only hope that the violence shed today may allow my cursed weapon to evolve once more. I had managed to transfer the curse of menace to the weapon, but now I needed it to also contain my wrath.


    I hate it all.


    I decided to let go just a little. My armored hooves dug into the ground, and I blurred forward towards my next prey. A squirrel died, and then another. A massive centipede crawled along the trees, and I crushed it like the bug that it was. I returned to my friends with a heavy air, always and immediately shooting off towards any passing animal or monster just trying to mind their business. My aura leaked out of me, birds flew away out of fear, and devilish eyes froze them in their tracks. I killed everything in range, leaving little to even be harvested for our quests.


    ¡°Uhhhh¡­ Haell?¡± Therick hedged.


    ¡°What?¡± I answered, a bit too sharply.


    ¡°Well, care to leave some for us?¡±


    I raised a brow. I thought it over. He was most likely referring to the many monsters of the forest, and their inability to give me even the slightest bit of a challenge.


    ¡°We want to fight too,¡± Therick continued after I had taken too long to respond. ¡°We have evolutions closing in!¡±


    ¡°Oh. Of course it¡¯s fine. I was just¡­ in a different mental space there.¡± I gestured to the space around us. ¡°But go ahead and kill! You deserve it!¡±


    My friend seemed just a bit more reluctant after my words, but he obliged nonetheless.


    I watched them for a while, from how Therick danced around his opponents, beguiling a tiger and a monkey both, to how Granuel shot his opponents with spikes of rocks, often hitting them right in the vulnerable parts of their face. During this time, I just hung back and allowed my friends to experience the same joy of slaughter that I loved, but I never once let go of my sword, nor did I retract the threads of mana going through it.


    My wrath will not be denied.


    ~~~


    Our days continued in much the same way, full of travels, monster-slaying, and the brief stays in civilization in between. It soon became a sort of routine, but it never felt monotonous. Every day was different enough to be exciting, but there were also enough prevailing themes for it to feel peaceful and serene.


    The constant travel was the most monotonous part of this journey, but spending time with my friends was never a bore, and the shifting terrain and scenery felt varied enough to just be a joy to watch sometimes while sticking my head out the window and feeling the breeze. Granuel and Moonwash would show me the new plants and trees among the foliage which I had thought were all the same before. The monsters were successful in keeping us alert and awake, for despite being the same grand forest, each region had a different ecological balance than the other, along with the rarer and unique encounters that were always a joy. Even when they weren¡¯t particularly difficult, it was still fun to fight and kill a new contender in the game that was life.


    I enjoyed the thrill of battle with Angerly and sometimes with Therick. Our teamwork grew, and so did our trust in each other. Granuel was kept on his toes by the possible ambushes and opportunities for diplomacy both.


    Berry was just happy to be spending time with us. She even admitted to liking the camaraderie borne out of our shared violent experiences, despite how harrowing it could be. Our crustecar friend was the one who always had the deck of cards or a board game to make our long travels all the more entertaining.


    Moonwash found loads of exciting new things during our journey, though she lamented the lack of facilities for her to work with. There weren¡¯t really plenty of forges for rent, as most blacksmiths just settled down somewhere and did their work in the same place. That was the case even in the frequent scenarios where they worked for somebody else and didn¡¯t technically own the facilities themselves. Renting entire forgeries just wasn¡¯t a service people frequently desired.


    To allow my girlfriend to engage in her passions and make more cool things for us all, I began to take her out sometimes whenever we stopped by a settlement, and just go deep into the forest wherein we would build a pop-up forge for her to work with. Moonwash would often build it herself, along with my help and of whoever else was there, for construction was made all the easier in this world with magic and our supreme physiques. The resulting forge would still not be quite as good as the ones at home, but it was more than serviceable enough for Moonwash¡¯s purposes. We only got better at making them overtime, and she too improved in her ability to improvise and work with lesser means.


    Oftentimes, Angerly would go with us during these outings, bringing only one wagon along, which we would then use to go way off-road. Moonwash had gotten quite good at regrowing the plants to mask our passage with Therick¡¯s consultance. Angerly was a great help at building the forges, for she could carry large chunks of stone, and she could actually use earth magic too, if not to the level of a master. Once the temporary facilities had been made, I would then guard my girlfriend from the creatures of the forest while she worked. The noise and the smoke often attracted monsters, and worse, people. Worse yet, fellow adventurers.


    We decided to just tell the truth that our adventurer ally was a smith, and needed facilities like this from time to time. Questions would be asked about why she was an adventurer to begin with given her background, but we just told them to fuck off. I told them to fuck off. The interactions were a lot more diplomatic whenever Granuel was around, but it never really devolved into bloodshed either way.


    Unfortunate.


    I mean great!


    It¡¯s great that we¡¯re all getting along.


    Adventurers weren¡¯t actually that prone to violence.


    Not if it wasn¡¯t sanctioned by a quest.

 Chapter 111: Gold.

    People in opulent clothing found their seats in a large and enclosed theatre. I looked down at them from above, for I and my friends had gotten a private booth for ourselves so that we did not have to mingle with the rabble. We had just reached our first city since Latarus, so we were now taking advantage of the many facilities and accommodations we had been missing.


    ¡°Still though. Rise of Jurasca?¡± I sat down heavily in my full plate armor. I still had to keep it on even now, when everyone else had dressed up for the occasion. At least if something happened, then I would be ready to protect them. ¡°This is prime bullshit!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a classic, Haell,¡± Therick said. ¡°Though it¡¯s definitely propaganda.¡±


    ¡°It has some of the best fights!¡± Angerly exclaimed. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen this in a while, so I¡¯m already hyped.¡±


    ¡°The Blades on Stage troupe had great fights,¡± Granuel chimed in. ¡°For this Ascended troupe¡­ it¡¯s left to be seen. I¡¯ll believe it when I see it.¡±


    ¡°Bah! Don¡¯t be such a spoilsport. I always liked the scenes here, even when done by lesser troupes. Especially that scene when Golex suddenly evolves into a hero and kills sundertop and tyranight alike! You can¡¯t go wrong with that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s always interesting to see how they handle him suddenly growing,¡± Moonwash said. ¡°Straight-up illusion magic gets results, but I enjoy it when they use props to make it work. Even when it looks a bit off.¡±


    Berry was looking lost, so I chimed in. ¡°It¡¯s not my favorite play, but quit spoiling it you guys! Berry here hasn¡¯t seen it at all!¡±


    She looked back at me from the crustecar chair we¡¯d requested just for her. ¡°Ah. Uh¡­ I¡¯m fine. I just¡­ I¡¯ve never been in a place like this before¡­ Is it really okay!?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is!¡± I patted her on the back quite hard, knowing that she was sturdy. ¡°Just enjoy yourself, yeah? I¡¯ll also do the same.¡±


    ~~~


    Centuries ago, the unthinkable happened, and archangels fell.


    The curtains parted, revealing an opulent throne room upon the stage. In the seat of honor sat a shepherd woman in royal clothing, who was meant to be Empress Shanayah, the ruler of this empire. She wept openly and lamented the lamentations of her Archangel Angelo for the cruel and unjust deaths of his kin.


    ¡°Please, rest for now. I will continue your great work while you grieve.¡±


    ¡°Pretty¡­¡± Berry commented, and I laughed. The glittering actress¡¯ makeup and other preparations were admittedly top-notch. Potentially better than any other take on her character that I¡¯d seen before.


    Empress Shanayah made good on her promise, as she always does. She took the navy that she¡¯s built, and braved the treacherous seas for God and Angel.


    The scene changed. The curtains closed for a few moments, and when they opened again, the actors were inside a ship, and real water flowed along the stage. Shanayah was at the lead, and by her side were Talone and Golex. Talone was played by a shepherd like himself, and Grandpa by a human of the same size as my mother, made taller by his large boots.


    ¡°I want a ship too,¡± Granuel mumbled. ¡°What if we extend our tour to the other continents?¡±


    ¡°Relax Granuel,¡± Angerly rebuked good-naturedly. ¡°Our grand tour has only just begun, and you already want to extend it! One thing at a time.¡±


    Through the blessings of heaven, and the ever-present guiding hand, Empress Shanayah and her crew reached the continent of Jurasca.


    Shanayah and her crew disembarked from the ship, and they explored this mysterious and dangerous land. It was a world of grass that rose beyond people, and scattered trees that were even bigger. Peril may hide at every corner, and I took joy at the dinosaur-like animals and monsters they had to fight. The action was well-choreographed, if clearly unimpressive and unrealistic to I who braved the wilds on a daily basis. I particularly enjoyed the costumes of multiple people pretending to be singular dinosaurs. They looked so goofy, and the sprays of red paper as they died added a quaint charm to the play.


    After the monsters, they met the true dangers of this place.


    Tyranights and Sundertops spilled onto the stage, and they began fighting each other for dominance. Only one for each species was real, while the others with them were several people in costumes like what had been done for the other creatures in this play. It continued to be funny, and I laughed with my friends as the people on stage tripped over each other. Though the two real sundertop and tyranight did add a good layer of realism and choreography, particularly with the harmless yet no-less-flashy spells that they used. That was a hit with the crowd, and they cheered.


    The primitive peoples of Jurasca were locked in a constant war. Unsophisticated, divided, and without thought. Our enlightened leaders took advantage of their conflict, striking only at the perfect and opportune times, but leaving them to destroy each other otherwise.


    More fights were depicted, I enjoyed them for what they were, and soon my favorite scene approached.


    Surrounded by tyranight and sundertop enemies on all sides, a younger Grandpa Golex fell to his knees. A shadow swallowed his form. And when he was spat back out, he was now five meters tall!


    The human actor was exchanged for a much larger ogre one, but caked with thick layers of makeup to make him look as human as possible.


    I laughed. I was pretty sure that was not how it went. Grandpa did not spontaneously evolve in the middle of a war!


    The ensuing battle where the newly born hero demolished the veritable army that surrounded him was admittedly so fucking hype and inspiring nonetheless.


    The tyrnaights were conquered in the day, and the sundertops in the night. And thus the Vassal Kingdom of Talonir was born.


    The curtains closed, and we all stood up from our chairs to give the troupe their deserved standing ovations. Berry was crying in the end, and so were many in audience moved and awed.


    For all my issues with how this related to the real world, it was a great and exciting story by itself, and the Ascended troupe did a good and sometimes hilarious job of depicting it.


    ~~~


    ¡°This is the only quest they have for a level 40 monster,¡± Granuel showed me the poster for a tyrantula. The illustration was that of a massive spider gnawing on a human skull in the middle of the forest.


    Nice touch.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take it then,¡± I shrugged. I knew that the city likely didn¡¯t have a single gold-ranked adventurer. We had one, because Moonwash had actually gotten her badge upgraded during our last stay in Latarus after taking some lessons from the guild. Our party was also considered as having gold-rank capabilities by now because of the feats we¡¯d accomplished, though that was a more complicated system. A city as big as this definitely had parties of a similar designation, but it would take a larger reward to get them to move. Which meant that I could even sell my bloodlust as the benevolence of someone who cared not for gold, but for the safety of the people! ¡°If we do not act now, then how many more will die? A monster cannot be allowed so close to a city!¡±


    My friends looked at me like I had grown a second head. For a second, I checked my neck if it was true. Even Moonwash¡¯s blank gaze had come off as incredulous within the group.


    ¡°Okay fuck off! I do care! A little!¡±


    ¡°Sure. Sure, I believe you, Haell,¡± Therick laughed. As did the others. ¡°But I don¡¯t know about this quest. It could be dangerous.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°I¡¯ve killed a warsymbol by myself. We¡¯ve killed a vladmonke, tiger, armozard, another warsymbol, and a woremvor of the same level.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean we should run at every single one of them! Tyrantulas are especially dangerous.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually documented to be weaker than a warsymbol,¡± Angerly spoke of a popular short story and song that recounted one such battle. One of the few of its kind. There were no protagonists to root for so people were usually uninterested. ¡°Its abilities might be more dangerous against us though, than a level 40 tank.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go if you guys do. You know that,¡± Berry said. ¡°But I¡¯d still rather not take the risk. There¡¯s a reason people normally hesitate to take on monsters of the same level even in a party.¡±


    ¡°Because they¡¯re cowards,¡± I nodded.


    ¡°Not like that!¡±


    ¡°Seriously though,¡± I chuckled, then paused to scheme. ¡°You¡¯re right. I can see it being difficult. Tyrantulas are just way too adapted to their environment. But we can plan¡­¡±


    I told them of my idea, Moonwash handled the logistics, and by the end of the hour, we had submitted the quest to the receptionist who looked unsure but also uncaring.


    ~~~


    I arrived with Granuel and Moonwash in front of a large and almost modern-looking building, but even more decorated.


    ¡°Welcome to The Talon bank,¡± a human attendant greeted us elegantly as we walked into the undisputed largest bank in the empire. It was colder inside, as enchantments controlled the temperature and the mild yet soothing flow of air. I sat upon the green couches and chairs with my friends while we waited to be called upon.


    It didn¡¯t take long for another attendant to approach us, and they led us to the reception. Granuel showed his card that marked him as a member, and so did I and Moonwash do the same. The human woman processed our requests, from cheques to be exchanged for gold, to gold that we wanted in cheques and bonds. We also made a small deposit, but only a very small amount of a couple dozen gold each. It would be difficult to withdraw this money anywhere else, even in other branches of the same bank.


    ~~~


    ¡°What are you doin?¡± I asked Moonwash as she was grinding up some very valuable ingredients for a project. We were currently in a workshop that Granuel had managed to rent. ¡°Is that a potion?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she answered. There were a multitude of open books and notes around her, because my girlfriend was not actually very skilled in this craft yet. She was just beginning to learn it. ¡°Well, this might actually be considered a potion here, because people think that any concoction using magical ingredients is a potion, but they¡¯re wrong. That¡¯s not what potions are. Everything is magical and mana is everywhere. They don¡¯t know what true potions are.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ what are potions then?¡±


    Moonwash burned something in a beaker until she was satisfied. Glass constructs remained expensive, though I was sure that glass itself was far easier to make here than back on medieval earth. ¡°True potions are liquid mixtures that can ¡®hold¡¯ specific spells or effects of a specific type of mana. They are incredibly hard to make, and I have not figured out a way to actually create them yet. There are no books on the matter. Even the elves have trouble making potions. Although I have heard of a certain people in the Isla Tropics that are very capable of making them.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I said simply, satisfied with the explanation. ¡°That sounds like my mini-rituals.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. But your mini-rituals do degrade overtime if you just let it sit, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ve tried this. It¡¯s not as strict as full-on rituals that need to immediately be cast, but it definitely degrades. Though part of that is certainly the blood itself degrading, therefore the mini-ritual suffers the same.¡±


    ¡°Potions should last a whole longer, from what Elfrafim has told me. Though they should also be weaker than your normal spells, and your mini-rituals are not like that.¡± Moonwash reorganized her priorities in her head. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this more later. Can you get me those arigas?¡± She pointed to a bundle of herbs that we¡¯d harvested just a week ago on the road.


    ¡°Aye aye,¡± I complied with a smile. These recipes were really complicated, and I helped my girlfriend finish and iterate upon them.


    ~~~


    Is this the tree that looks like me when I¡¯m angry¡­? I thought quietly to myself. It had recently been burned, struck by lightning, and had been split into two, but Granuel¡¯s description was not accurate!


    Still, I was here, so I took out my greatsword and began clanging it against my breastplate.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡±


    My shout echoed into the forest, and I did not wait for a second more as I took off at a dead run towards where I had come from.


    A soft hiss soon followed after me, along with the scuttling feet of an insectile threat. I looked back to see a massive tarantula in active chase; walking along the ground, jumping from bark to bark, and just being a dizzying kaleidoscope of movement.


    That was: A dizzying kaleidoscope of movement that would soon catch up with me!


    The blood in my legs ceased to be, and I gained a sudden increase in speed in exchange for breaking myself. The wind buffeted my form, like I would almost be swept away, but my dastardly foe kept up the chase. Eventually, after only a few seconds at most, I saw my friends and reached the clearing where they had been waiting.


    I jumped and flew past the big but sparse ritual Moonwash had been making. I reached the other side of the clearing and turned back around just to see it being cast.


    ¡°Forest Binding.¡±


    Vines as thick as roots shot out of the ground. They curved to the side in search of their prey¡­ and found no purchase.


    ¡°Haell behind you!¡± Therick shouted, and I finally found out that the tyrantula had not entered the clearing and had instead circled around the trees to get to me.


    The monster was mid-jump, with its mouth wide open to bite me.


    I decided that I could lose my legs, so long as I got away.


    The bones in my legs snapped with my next action as I blurred away from my foe.


    I managed to escape the ambush and make it back to my friends. Therick was there to help me up, and Granuel had already began to heal what I had broken by taking advantage of the large and almost useless mass of vegetation we¡¯d created.


    Eight baleful eyes glared at me from within the trees, and I hefted my greatsword up as I glared back. I had to push myself just to remain upright, but I did so with courage and dignity anyway.


    The clash I awaited never come.


    The monster only stayed in the comfort of the forest, until it eventually left.


    ¡°Fuck. What now?¡±


    ~~~


    I drew my sword. I clanged it against the metal of my armor. I shouted my fucking heart out.


    The tyrantula came after me just as it had done before.


    I too ran away just the same, but not before shooting the damn monster with a ball of curseflame.


    I didn¡¯t see the impact because I had already turned around towards where my friends should be, but its outraged shriek was music to my ears. I felt the tyrantula nearly catch up to me a few seconds later, a glance back showed a giant spider covered in black flames, and when I turned my face forward again, my friends were already right there in front of me.


    My wings deployed. They carried me across the trees to where Moonwash was drawing her ritualistic creation. We had timed it just right and she was almost done.


    ¡°Forest Binding.¡±


    She spoke the ritual¡¯s name just as I flew over her illustrations. I immediately found a tree to kick off against, and its trunk shook and splintered mightily as I turned myself around. Our prey had been caught by the massive vines¡­ but not entirely.


    I took another step, my wings folded back again now. Half of the tyrantula¡¯s legs had been caught, but it used its fangs to free one, the other legs to free two, and the last was just torn off as it twisted its body around.


    The large burning monster landed on the ground, and immediately pounced for my friends. Berry reacted and got in its way, but the spider only jumped to a nearby tree to circumvent her and go for the others instead.


    I would not make it in time.


    My aura exploded out of me. My eyes pierced into my prey with undying wrath. The spider paused for but a moment, but it was enough for Angerly to at least get her massive mythril mace in the way.


    The tyrantula was pushed off by the head, then repelled by the handle. I arrived at the last moment, just before it bit down on my ogre friend and injected its deadly poison.


    My sword swung, and the creature was flung away. Three of its legs were flung in different directions. The tyrantula was still left with four. The black flames would not kill it fast enough, and I didn¡¯t have the time to make more. Infernal flames would actually consume the black instead, for while the curseflame could resist for a time, it would be too busy consuming its own target to fight back.


    That was fine. I bombarded the space in front of me with waves of wrath and sickly orange flames.


    The tyrantula dodged most of it. I shot off towards where it had jumped, but it still managed to evade my charge. It did not manage to dodge all of Granuel¡¯s projectiles, however, and that gave it pause. Berry tackled the creature where it landed, and Therick managed a stab towards one of the monster¡¯s bleeding stumps. Berry¡¯s shell deflected most of the creature''s following bite, but grooves and blood were still drawn across her carapace. Angerly was there next, and a massive swipe forced the spider to dodge. Moonwash summoned seeking vines, which further limited the space where the monster could jump. The one avenue left to it was towards my waiting sword.


    The foul creature chose death, and it was cleaved in twine by my blade, but it did not die before it could sink one fang through my armor, and deliver a payload of poison into my bloodstream.

 Chapter 112: Feast!

    There was poison in my veins. Death surged through my body. In that one eternal moment where everyone was just beginning to freak out and react, I activated the destruction in my blood.


    My shoulder exploded in fire and fury. Orange flames and malevolent purple flashed through my sight as I staggered backward.


    I landed on my ass.


    A great gout of pain blossomed in my gouged-out flesh, along with a torrent of blood. But the poison was mostly gone. Much of it had been destroyed by my own actions.


    Granuel quickly came to stabilize me, and so too did I help with my own nature magic.


    Moonwash handed me an antidote to drink, then she gave the same to Berry. She confirmed that I would be fine for now, so she healed our struggling friend first with streams of water magic that cured and renewed.


    My own pain waxed and waned. I was beginning to feel sluggish, and I tasted blood in my mouth, but it was hard to say if that wasn¡¯t caused by the damage I¡¯d caused to myself. I just knew that the level 40 tarantula¡¯s poison was no joke, and I was more confident in my chances against a mere flesh wound.


    Moonwash rushed to my side next. Much of my shoulder had already been healed, so she focused on curing what poison remained. She then restored my entire being back to health until I could stand and stretch and function back to my peak.


    ¡°Good as new. Let¡¯s do that again.¡±


    ¡°¡°Haell No!¡±¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°Woah,¡± I said. My words were echoed by my peers.


    Our wagon had stopped after a slow transition into a different terrain. I climbed out of the vehicle, with Moonwash¡¯s hands held in my own. I stood there with my friends for just a moment, to behold the new and beautiful land. From the lush green grass that went from being taller than me, to small shoots that would serve no hindrance at all. There was also a field of gold in the distance, tended to by centaur farmers. They protected the wheat from a lone bison who wanted a taste. The animal ran away and was pounced on by a bunch of lions that had remained hidden in the tall grass. Vulcatures came down to contest the still-warm meat, for they were the bulkier and more violent cousins of the scavenging vultures. The birds were driven away, but not without putting up a fight.


    Elsewhere, a flight of smaller birds migrated north. A skyle dove among their ranks and they scattered, but some were still devoured by the massive flying monster with a particularly big mouth. Horses ran free in the distance, and the massive form of a grazlibeast ripped tall grass out of the earth, roots and all. A herd of rhibras ran freely against the wind, and the particularly small and lither rhinos turned around and curved until they were facing right towards our group.


    They ran.


    They came closer.


    They were aiming for us, weren¡¯t they?


    ¡°Is someone going to do something?¡± Therick asked, and Berry moved up to the front.


    ¡°Do we run? Flee? Fight? I don¡¯t think holding our ground against that is a good idea!¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Angerly pondered. She stared at the much bigger monster at the front of the stampede. ¡°I can stun the one in the lead¡­ but no, you¡¯re right. I don¡¯t think we can face all of them.¡±


    Granuel and Moonwash readied their tower shields as I calmly walked to the front of our position.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯ll be fine. They¡¯re giving us a warm welcome.¡± I licked my lips. The enemy was fat and would surely yield a great bounty. ¡°Let us return the favor.¡±


    I charged before they could respond. Their words were lost in the wind. It caressed my face even through the layers of armor, in a way that felt refreshing. The air was fresh and crisp and abundant, different from the constraints of the constant forest.


    I approached my prey, just as the group¡¯s many pairs of eyes bore into mine. I smiled at the mindless glint in their gaze, but unfortunately failed to show the true wrath hidden in mine.


    That was fine. Our groups kept closing in. Collision was imminent. But I curved around faster than they could turn before we could truly meet.


    We only grazed each other.


    That was enough.


    I raked my sword through a few passing rhibras, and I threw the largest wave of wrath I could make at the entire herd.


    They were left undamaged. Their bodies suffered no injury. But it was their frenzied minds that did not come out unscathed.


    Taunt.


    All that rage. All that animosity. It had all become focused on me and me alone.


    I laughed and they gave chase.


    I made use of my wrath magic to stay ahead of the pack.


    My legs stung, but I did not overdo it. I showed just enough of my armored ass for the enemy to think they stood a chance. That they might yet catch up.


    That was when my allies struck their flanks.


    Therick stabbed one in the joints. The rhiba did not react for it was still so mad at me for no reason at all, but my friend¡¯s next slash and Granuel¡¯s projectiles soon got its attention.


    The monster slowed down. It turned towards my friends. Angerly clobbered it good on the head with her mace, and the animal swayed. It fell on the grass and fainted, only to be finished off by Therick.


    They repeated this same process. For once I decided to leave most of the kills to them just to be nice, though I did throw several balls of dismembering wrath at the herd as they continued to give chase. I even added in some weakening blasts just for fun. Rot was banned after many incidents because it was always a pain to cut around when it came to dinner time.


    A rhibra fell, and then another. The hold of my taunt had lessened, their rage had subsided, and more peeled off from the herd. Berry blocked one while another was killed. Moonwash restrained two, and the rest piled on for the kill. Angerly was wounded, Therick tossed aside, and I sent a fresh wave of wrath towards them to both taunt and damage so that they left my friends alone. Berry held back those that remained, running in between them with her superior agility, and crushing their legs with the superior strength of her claws. Moonwash and Granuel tended to the wounded, and soon they were back in proper fighting condition again.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    My friends took on the remaining monsters, including one that was at the level of 20. It was large, but Berry and Moonwash managed to hold it back for long enough for the rest to take out one leg. The rest of the fight was just a slaughter from there.


    There were two left chasing after me, their skin and flesh already peeling off. A few had actually died earlier from just my diffused curses alone. I decided to take the pair that remained for myself.


    The first died swiftly, for it was already a miracle that the level 10 animal had even survived this long. Next was their leader, larger than any other, and I filled my sword with the pure request for destruction and sharpness as I slammed the metal into my enemy¡¯s single horn.


    The bone construct fell apart. The rhibra whined in great distress as it instinctively covered its broken wound. The cut was not clean, for that would never be who I was, but there was significantly less spread. That was the curse-aligned magic¡¯s capability to focus its effect on enhancing what the weapon was meant to do, and to slice was the purpose of a greatsword.


    I tested that promise again by acting as a guillotine.


    A massive head rolled, before sagging on the ground.


    ~~~


    ¡°Whoa,¡± we found ourselves saying again. We were surrounded on all sides by a sea of golden wheat. Our two wagons had gone past a wooden gate and were now driving through a road in between two heavily armored fences. Our destination was the massive city of Gildora in the distance, and we marveled at its mighty walls and the large outward-facing spikes planted on the ground around it. Even its wide-open gates had spikes adorning its face, so that there may be no gap in their piercing defenses in case of a siege. This love for spikes extended to the outside perimeter of the fences that covered the farms outside the walls as well, and the centaur warriors largely preferred spears and lances as their weapons of choice.


    A convoy of the locals trailed behind our wagon, some of them carrying carriages of their own. The other strangers on the road made way for our heavy procession, and they looked on with interest at the dead rhibras openly shown on the carriages of our new centaur friends. Granuel had hired them to help bring our massive haul into the city with the promise of a damn good feast later.


    We reached the gates, and were quickly waved through by the human and centaur guards. Our small caravan made its way to the nearby parking area, and the farmers that accompanied us left their carriages in our care for now. They left with happy smiles and a small tip while I tied our horreks to nearby trees. There wasn¡¯t any place to receive the beasts because everyone just hired centaurs for their job, especially here. People had found our choice of mounts odd, and some were offended, but more were just perplexed.


    Moonwash and Berry laid out the rhibra remains for some early butchering, Granuel and Therick went off to go negotiate with some merchants, and I invited the remaining Angerly to go hang out with me and explore more of this place!


    ~~~


    Gildora City was big, as it was right on the border between the plains of Grandera and its forests. People paid us no heed as we walked, even in our full armor. There were a lot more centaurs here than I was used to, and the people here just seemed more diverse in general. The place was wealthier than I was used to, although not by a totally crazy amount. One very noticeable thing however was how the locals were better dressed, and many sported good embroidery on their shirts.


    The city made for a very lively atmosphere overall. I and Angerly quickly made it past the most overcrowded areas, and found the excitable market districts to peruse. There was wheat aplenty, as well as stalls of rice and other veggies. There were actually several small breaks in the ocean of gold we had passed by outside to accommodate for some other plants. Rice in particular was exported from elsewhere however, as people preferred to have entire settlements dominated by them.


    My attention inevitably hovered over to the street food as merchants continued to hawk their wares. I sampled them all, from many fried delicacies coated in breading, to just regular bread prepared in many different styles. I loved the sandwiches that they had, and the massive portions of everything!


    I shared the bounty of this place with my friends once we were done exploring.


    ~~~


    I stared at the beautiful sunset with Moonwash as we delivered some of the rhibras we had hunted. The various farmers had left their scattered homes to gather for the feast we had promised. Most of them were centaurs, but there were also humans, ogres, and a few other species. They were all excited and happy for an excuse to party.


    The preparations began, and I helped to roast a whole rhibra that had only been skinned. We used spices and condiments more endemic to this region, and soon I began to salivate from the smell alone as the meat began to cook.


    People set up tables, chairs, and large cushions in the periphery to give the people a place to rest and relax. They cooked a variety of other dishes, made from vegetables, and eggs, or the barn animals that were more readily kept here in this region. Music began to play, and it was a mix of tribal and folk that I actually enjoyed. Moonwash stayed by my side as we allowed this rare moment of peace to buoy us forward in the great journey that was life.


    Soon the feast was done cooking, and thanks were given to the angels that had made all this possible. I just listened respectfully to the shepherd who had been invited to the party. That was fine, he was a part of the community, and I¡­ should not be racist. Something still needed to be done about their passive influence over everyone else, but that was not an issue to be solved tonight. The sun had sunk beneath the horizon, and now the skies were a vast canvas of stars and a bright shining moon. It was an alien sky that was now more familiar and comfortable than the world that used to be my own.


    I leaned against Moonwash. We enjoyed some light alcohol with our own meals. The meat was tough, its texture rough, but it was still delicious in spite of it all. The amount of rhibras that we¡¯d brought with us was a rare event, for the animals usually ran if things ever got too heated.


    ¡°Let¡¯s join them,¡± I stood up and beckoned to Moonwash. People had began to dance around the campfire, and my girlfriend assented.


    We weren¡¯t very good. We just copied the movements of everyone else, and even that was hard for most had four feet instead of two.


    It was still fun no matter how awkward our movements were, and then we split to dance with our friends and eventually the locals. Of our party, only Therick and Berry were any good.


    We sat back down after all the excitement, and had another meal. Someone offered us more drinks, and then the centaur woman sat on the big and soft cushion beside us.


    ¡°What¡¯s your deal?¡± she asked after some cursory greetings.


    I thought over my answer for a few seconds. ¡°We¡¯re adventurers. We take on quests. We kill monsters.¡±


    She looked at the food everyone was eating. ¡°Yeah¡­ that was impressive. Your magic is so cool!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± she saw that. Of course she did. People had better senses here, and it only got more extreme. But it¡¯s fine because I¡¯d already decided to reveal more of my abilities. Grandpa had agreed, and anything I said about his approval would technically not be a lie because he had told me everything I wanted to hear, bribes or not. I even had written statements in the secret lockers of our wagons! ¡°It¡¯s forbidden. I¡¯m only allowed to do it because Golex the Hero is my grandfather, and he taught me personally.¡±


    ¡°...You¡¯re joking.¡±


    Of course, claiming to be related to a literal legend would be met with disbelief. I produced my adventurer''s badge and told a few stories, until she finally bought it. By that point, a crowd of farmers had already gathered around me to listen. Even the shepherd sat nearby to hear me speak about my grandfather.


    So I told more stories. From tales of mercy shown to former enemies, to sparks of brilliance that my grandfather had seen that were now lost for the Empire had swallowed up some of their culture. I massaged my language a little bit, not to make things too¡­ revolutionary, but the shepherd among us was still displeased in the end. Most of the crowd was receptive, however, and I allowed myself a small smile upon their cheers.


    My expression fell, just a little. It did irk me to extoll someone else¡¯s virtues than to stand on my own merit. I was still an unknown, all things considered, and while I appreciated the centaurs who actually asked me about my own adventures and were interested in my accomplishments; I was still nothing compared to the reputation Grandpa had built throughout his long life.


    It was in my best interest for things to remain that way, but it still¡­ aggravated my ego. So I told a few more stories, of myself standing against beasts that would ravage entire towns and villages. I picked the ones where I had fought with friends as a compromise, so I didn¡¯t reveal just how strong I truly was.


    The night was a beautiful one, and I gave the people I had spent it with a genuine smile.

 Chapter 113: You Belong in A Museum.

    I experienced a brief wave of confusion when I opened my eyes to find a ceiling encrusted with gold, gems, and colorful paintings of angels in serene meditation. For once I had woken up before Moonwash, and I just processed the rest of the room we¡¯d rented for a moment, complete with the most comfortable airflow, air conditioning, soft lighting, and enough enchantments to win a small skirmish. I did not realize how much more affluent Gildora City truly was until we reached the upper districts.


    Money flowed here, like water in a river.


    I tossed Moonwash in the air.


    Her eyes snapped open, she woke up flying, almost touching the ceiling, and then I caught her on the way down with my body.


    ¡°Aha! Good morning!¡±


    ¡°Good morning. Did you have to do that?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± She grabbed a water wand and soaked the both of us and the bed.


    ¡°Hey! These sheets are expensive!¡±


    ¡°And they¡¯ll wash it. I made sure not to damage them,¡± she sounded almost offended, even though none of her expressions had actually changed. ¡°We won¡¯t be staying here for another night anyway, right?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ We can, but the cost is hard to justify even if we can afford it.¡±


    ¡°I agree. There are so many other things we can buy with it. Then again, I like their enchantments. There was real skill that went into these paintings, and embroideries, and everything else. It might not be so bad once in a while.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to one again then next time.¡± I gave my girlfriend a long morning kiss, and then carried her princess-style to the baths that could pass for a public one with how big it was, but was actually just our own.


    ~~~


    I stepped out of the Gilded Hotel with my friends to find streets lined with pristine white tiles. The enchanted streetlamps were plenty, and they each looked made by a master artisan. The buildings were gaudily decorated, built with marble, jade, and more. Earth magic could move a lot of minerals, but some certainly easier than others, and the rarer and more precious ones were straight-up impossible to conjure. Though maybe there was a specific element for diamond and the like which I could use to crash the economy and bring about true anarchy!


    ¡°I want diamond,¡± Moonwash said after I¡¯d unveiled my evil plan.


    I blinked. ¡°Oh¡­ you mean like, uh, for marriage and stuff?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If you want to give it to me as a gift, then that¡¯d be great. I want to make herokane.¡±


    ¡°Oh. OH! Okay, I think there¡¯s been a miscommunication here. It¡¯s customary to give a diamond ring when you like, get engaged with someone back on earth.¡± There was of course a sound barrier isolating us from all the¡­ rich folk around us as we walked along the templar-protected streets.


    ¡°I see. I would be happy to honor those traditions if you want.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°Nah. Not my thing. Never my thing. Though the same goes for ever getting married¡­ But I didn¡¯t know diamond was a necessary ingredient for herokane! That sounds so much more awesome than a ring.¡±


    Herokane was the metal of heroes. Grandpa¡¯s own personal gear was made from the thing. It was widely regarded as the highest level of material one could possibly obtain, though I had my doubts. There were still higher steps of power beyond my grandfather.


    ¡°Golex gave me the recipe. I would rather do that if you¡¯re not at all attached to your own traditions.¡±


    ¡°Sure, yeah. I don¡¯t know how much I want a ring anyway. Maybe we could something else, like get matching tattoos?¡±


    ¡°That would be lovely. Although it would be a challenge to draw it on myself.¡±


    That was a problem I never considered. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Angerly said once we¡¯d arrived at an almost modern-looking building. Our first stop was a museum.


    ¡°Sorry, but there are no weapons allowed,¡± the guard said, barring me specifically from entry. My friends had some wands among them, but those weren¡¯t confiscated. They were just informed not to use magic inside.


    It annoyed me a little, but I surrendered my fantastreel sword without pulling the Golex granddaughter card. My real one was hidden in our wagon anyway, and I would find out if someone tried to steal it. They¡¯d be screaming for my attention.


    We paid the entirely too high fees, and then entered the well-air-conditioned building. The first thing we saw upon entering was a truly massive painting of Eden being crowned by the Angels Adamo and Evel, only this time the audience was composed of centaurs.


    ¡°The Coronation of Eden: Queen of The Plains.¡±


    ¡°Whoa. It¡¯s so big,¡± Berry had to crane her body up to see it all. She was amazed by the beautiful architecture as well, for she had never been in a place like this before. She ended up leading the way as we explored the rest of the museum holding many pieces of art that would each be world-famous back on Earth.


    ~~~


    I snorted, but kept myself from laughing as I stood in the middle of a circular room whose walls were painted by a single panoramic battle without break. We were actually underground, for the entrance was a looping staircase connected to the ceiling of the room. The painting in question was that of my grandfather leading the charge against the forces of the dwarves and harpies. Our own soldiers slaughtered them mercilessly in a one-sided battle that shook the whole of the Impenetrable Barrier Range.


    The artist did a great job, and it all looked so epic¡­ but this was a war that we ultimately lost. Everyone knew that. I¡¯d heard it straight from the Grandpa¡¯s mouth. And that was so funny!


    ~~~


    We came across a painting that I didn¡¯t really understand, but my girlfriend loved. It was almost just one blue color, but subtle differences apparently depicted the terrors of the deep. People were creeped out, they felt a sense of dread¡­ but I just felt like a kid staring at the clouds in the sky and guessing which one looked like a duck, and which one looked like a dick.


    Granuel and the rest seemed to think it was neat too, so maybe I wasn¡¯t made for art¡­


    Oh well.


    ~~~


    ¡°So this is what they once had¡­¡± Granuel said as we looked at a set of embroideries in one corner of the museum. He looked around, and held his tongue, knowing that we weren¡¯t supposed to cast spells here, thus no anti-sound barrier. But my friend had talked about some of the true history of the plains before, it was something he was very passionate about. So I knew, that in these fabrics, the great centaur ancestor was depicted.


    No one could ever agree on who this great ancestor was, all the city-states had their own version, and they all believed that everyone else was wrong and they were right. Eden had clamped down on all this worship, but they never really understood it, so echoes of the quasi-religion had made it into possibly the biggest museum on the continent.


    ~~~


    ¡°I wanna watch it again,¡± Angerly said, and Granuel forked out the gold. We were currently at an enchanted exhibit that showed illusory holograms of two centaur armies fighting each other. Honestly, the quality wasn¡¯t even that good. It was understandably difficult to depict a sequence of 3D images in one enchantment. But someone had done it anyway, and we had to pay to see incredibly wispy figures charge and shoot what might be arrows at each other. Illusion mana did not come cheap at all.


    ~~~


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Therick examined a sword held in a stand. It had engraved patterns of roses and blood on its glimmering blade. ¡°It looks pretty, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just made of steel, and it¡¯s probably not actually that good in a fight,¡± I nodded. I felt no extra power from the weapon. It looked more decorative than practical.


    ¡°It says here that it was once owned by Katane the Bladereaper though. Gifted to her by the famous smith Articore.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°She once owned it. It was gifted to her. And then she gave it away.¡± I smirked. ¡°She¡¯s a master swordswoman. Someone who has allegedly reached the level of anatomical mastery. This sword really seems too clean and¡­ whole, for someone like that.¡±


    ¡°Not everyone is as reckless with their weapons as you, Haell.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but not to the extent that it sees no damage! That¡¯s absurd!¡±


    ~~~


    Our tour neared its end as we walked down the hall of portraits. It was one long corridor filled with paintings of important figures both new and old. Queen Eden was here in her almost pirate-like dress, then Hero Golex, Swordreaper Katane, General Horian, and more.


    Therick slowed down as he looked at the most important ones with keen interest, and the rest of us also slowed to match his pace. My friend looked contemplative, almost longing. I, on the other hand, stared at the smiles on their faces, ranging from subdued to boisterously joyful.


    I couldn¡¯t wait to wipe those ugly smiles off their faces.


    Not Grandpa though! Or anyone else who might be cool. But I reckoned I¡¯d clash with most of the people here in the years to come.


    ~~~


    We had a late lunch after we were finally done at the museum. Food was not allowed in there either, so I couldn¡¯t even snack on anything while we walked around.


    The pizza we ordered was great, along with the cheesy bread, and many more! We explored the rest of the mall afterwards, Moonwash got acquainted with the kinds of materials that could be sold here, and then we checked out some of the cheaper stores to get an idea of what was truly valuable and rare and what was not.


    Granuel too took some notes, likely to better plan what quests we should prioritize. Berry was more hesitant to spend large sums of cash, but she was rich now too, so she bought some pillows and accessories for herself. Therick asked Moonwash if she could make some things for him, then bought the metals and leather required. Angerly chatted someone up in a bar, and ended up separating from our group.


    It was overall a very fun day. Our endless journey was not just about all the fighting and killing, but also these great moments in between.


    ~~~


    A few days later.


    I found myself at the bottom of a gentle cliff roughly an hour''s ride away from Gildora City. Granuel had come with Moonwash and I, and together, we built her a temporary forge to her liking. I carried whole stones over in a cart, while the two of them worked their earth magic. We installed premade grates and metal supports, until the structure was whole and stable.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Moonwash took out her illegal materials from the wagon, once her pop-up forge was complete. Granuel climbed back up the cliff for elevation and to keep an eye out for trouble. I settled in to guard my girlfriend as she began to work.


    ~~~


    A level 10 bison strayed towards us, and I killed it in one strike.


    A wormcawl crawled on its four hands, and I used the curseflame construct I was playing with to kill the abomination with fire and prejudice.


    A herd of zebras crossed the plains in the distance, and I watched the majestic sight.


    A nudertle approached me next, and I set my sword on fire.


    This was my new technique, which honestly took an embarrassingly long time for me to try. Infernal mana weaved a connection from my bloodstream to my sword and back, instead of the element of wrath. Even the handle of my sword was mildly on fire, for I was still working on my control.


    The pale orange flames winked out, and then flared again, just before I swung toward the massive fat lizard. The blade went through the tough flesh easier thanks to the heat, and the remaining flames hampered its blood magic healing. I then deactivated the fire in my sword again as I jumped back to evade the creature¡¯s beak.


    This seemingly nonsensical process of turning the magic on and off again was because the fire needed fuel, and that fuel in this case was my mana. It would just be consumed for no reason if I kept it turned on at all times. It was a problem hardly shared by my wrath magic, because it was¡­ a more reactive and automatic thing that would only apply its effects when necessary, whereas a burning fire would consume something or else it would die.


    I jumped back into the action, taunted the creature, slashed its leg, and then ran in the opposite direction. The level 20 monster was faster than one would assume because of its internal magic, but I was still faster. My magic was better, and my body was better built for speed.


    I used my fire sword a few more times, just to confirm what I already knew. It was hardly more effective than just slashing normally and then throwing a fireball. Wrath was so much better, from how it synergized with a violent weapon like a sword, to how its effect could wreak havoc on someone from the inside. Fire would be overwhelmed and extinguished by a creature¡¯s flesh and blood, and the flesh of weaker creatures might even get cuaterized, whereas rot and dismemberment would only spread from the slash wound.


    Using the two elements together was not possible. Not yet. The magic would only fall apart upon the mythril of my blade.


    Additionally, all these results remained similar even when I used a normal sword, instead of my cursed sword, which was admittedly an extremely biased source. Fire sword was possible, though it was harder to accomplish at first, but there were few reasons to use it over a curse.


    ¡°Wait, I fucked up,¡± I said as the nudertle slowed down. It had progressively grown more crazed, but now it had no hope of catching up to me.


    I shouldn¡¯t have used it to play around. I should have killed it before it could use up all the blood mana in its veins!


    Hindsight was a bitch, but I did not give up. I knocked the creature out by punching it in the face repeatedly, and then I healed it just enough for it to survive the next few hours. I¡¯d kill the animal once it had regenerated all its mana.


    ~~~


    I settled back down and watched the grass sway along an unseen wind. Birds flew in the sky, insects buzzed about, and a herd of rhibras ran and grazed at their own pace. This herd moved roughly in our direction for a while, until they were finally heading right for us.


    What was it with these animals and choosing death?


    I put down the bison leg I¡¯d been eating, which was admittedly a bit burnt by careful applications of my infernal flames. I stood up to meet this bellowing charge, and my aura exploded out of me as my true eyes were freed to deliver the gospel of my wrath.


    The herd hesitated, but it did not stop. They were clearly afraid, however, so I just killed one, and then another, until they finally decided to cut their losses and run.


    I let them go only because we could not bring them all back with us when we went back. I would feel bad about all that waste.


    ~~~


    ¡°Haell! An eagelessia!¡± Granuel announced from above.


    ¡°JUMP!¡± I shouted back to my friend in response and he complied. I too did the same, only I rose while he fell, and my wings pushed me further.


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    I caught Granuel on the way down, but it seemed the impact still rattled him some. No matter.


    I hovered back down, just in time for the big monster to alter its course and come for us down the cliff. The sun shone blindingly bright when I looked up, and I knew this was because eagelessias were covered in feathers that somehow caught and stored the sunlight, redirecting it down with every flap. The flickering lights made the monster very noticeable, but also very hard to pin down


    I shaded my eyes just a bit, I determined when it should be right on top of us, and then I let loose the wave of infernal flames I¡¯d been holding.


    A massive gust of wind followed, along with an outraged shriek. Granuel reported to me that the monster had fled and was mildly on fire.


    Moonwash¡¯s hammer continued to strike at metal and carapace, uncaring for our woes.


    ~~~


    ¡°Here.¡± My girlfriend presented me a new set of armor. This one was extremely dark and foreboding, radiating malice in a way that was both visible and not. It looked organic, like the chitin plates of an animal, and that¡¯s because it was. This was cursed armor built from the remains of a cursetacean.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± I gave Moonwash a hug and a kiss, and then I stripped in the middle of the great outdoors.


    My armor clattered to the ground, replaced by another one, and I immediately felt different the moment that I put it on.


    First, it looked unbearably cool.


    But second, I felt another pressure in my mind to join the cacophony that it already was. It wanted to answer every slight, retaliate until the whole world had gone blind, and it wished to avenge things that happened a literal lifetime ago.


    I remembered how much I¡¯d suffered under the people who only called themselves my parents. I was reminded of the uncaring world that allowed me to suffer once I was on my own. I recalled the face of that vile man who ended me just when I was at the top of the fucking world.


    I shrugged. I didn¡¯t react. It was a child screaming in the middle of a bloody war. Get in the fucking line. Pleas unheard by anyone.


    This was nothing compared to the painful sensations that coursed through my mind and body with every pump of my hearts. Even the constant eldritch attention of the greater magic ground this new influence into dust. My ego was a fortress that could never be breached.


    Annoyed and vindicated, I walked to a nearby tiger crouching in the grass. The creature swung its claws at me, and I just took it. My armor was chipped, but so too did a wound blossom in my attacker¡¯s paw.


    The animal tried to run away after only that single clash, but I blasted it with a taunt, and so it struck again.


    The results were the same. My armor was damaged, but so too was the one who had dared to assault me. I became engrossed in this experiment with my friends.


    I eventually concluded upon the corpse of my foe that my armor dealt less damage than a live cursetacean would, but it was more potent than the dregs of one that had already fallen.


    The armor had connected to me somehow the moment I wore it, so I then had the thought to make the connection stronger.


    Like the limbs of a sinister god, my wrath mana quested out of me and seeped into my organic armor. I weaved it over the material, just like I always did for my sword, and I found little difficulty with this activity despite that target being a larger and more complex object. I just needed to exert a little effort, less than it took to learn how to wield a fire sword, until finally, eventually, I succeeded.


    Wrath mana flowed into my armor, and then back into my body, in an endless cycle of debauchery.


    I walked forward with barely a word, then found a lone qwarker to bully. The monster was a heavy flightless brown quadrupedal bird, and I enticed it to attack me at its best.


    The animal opened its beak, and bit down on my guantlets. A small portion of my wrath mana was consumed by the armor, and blood spurted from the qwarker¡¯s face.


    The thing had suffered greater backlash damage than we anticipated.


    ¡°It works!¡± I jumped for joy, uncaring of the creature that still wanted to fight. ¡°This armor has successfully turned my wrath magic into a vengeful force. Just like the cursetaceans!¡±


    A chip fell from the carapace that made up my bracers.


    ¡°It¡¯s also, um, falling apart. Ahahaha!¡±

 Chapter 114: The Most Painful Way To Die.

    [Infernal Heart has reached Level 20!]


    My eyes snapped open and the curseflame construct I¡¯d been working on fizzled away.


    I got up and shouted, ¡°YESSS!¡±


    ¡°Whoa. Haell, what¡¯s up!?¡± Therick snapped the reins in surprise, and Angerly¡¯s wagon behind us also drove faster to catch up. I was currently sitting on the roof of the lead wagon, and it was lurching uncomfortably under my armored ass.


    ¡°What manner of warcrimes did you do this time!?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Angerly!¡± I shouldn¡¯t have told them about all that. The Angelore Empire did not have any such agreements with any foreign state. At least, not officially. You can¡¯t warcrime if no one knows what a warcrime is!


    [Would you like to evolve your Infernal Heart?]


    Yes! Absolutely upgrade it now!


    [Multiple evolution paths have been discovered for Infernal Heart. Please choose one of the following.]


    [Standard - greatly enhances all aspects of the Mutation.]


    [Hellfire Heart - The heart of someone who wishes to burn the living and make them suffer the maximum amount. Produces hellfire mana.]


    ¡°Yes! The hellfire is there! YES!¡±


    Moonwash suddenly appeared. She had climbed out of the window and was now crawling up the roof.


    ¡°Tell me more.¡±


    ¡°Well, wait just a second! Let me finish taking it first.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± my girlfriend oh so graciously allowed.


    I selected the hellfire option, and then I felt one of my hearts shift painfully. I clutched my chest over the armor as I curled into myself from the utterly weird sensation that was only marginally painful.


    And then my new heart pumped once.


    That was when the true pain began.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!¡± I screamed as a new burning sensation coursed through my body. It was not dissimilar to the infernal magic that came before it, except for being unimaginably more painful. It was a sensation that drilled into every nerve, every tissue, and every single waking moment as my mind was overwhelmed by a sensation that threatened to break it. The pain was alive, and it sought the ultimate destruction of the self.


    I breathed. My wrath was reacting to this, and I was seeking for an outlet, but the only one here with me upon the roof of the wagon was my girlfriend, and I refused to hurt her again. So I anchored my ego, I anchored my emotions, and I anchored every single thought that entered my mind on absolutely nothing but sheer will.


    And then I felt a bloating. It was a discomfort that bordered on torture. It made me want to reach into my body and dig out everything inside.


    ¡°Fuck fuck! My blood is not designed to hold three elements inside!¡±


    I conjured the largest most inefficient infernal fireball I could and tossed it into the air.


    ¡°That¡¯s not hellfire,¡± Moonwash commented.


    ¡°I know! That¡¯s the point!¡±


    I created a sort of funnel with the pale orange mana, and then released a fucking flamethrower into the horizon. It sprayed into the enviroment, continuously fed by more mana, and predictably, the grasslands began to burn as embers rained down like snow.


    ¡°FUCK! FUCK!! Not that!¡± I turned my aim upwards, and that gave enough time for the infernal flames to die out and not set anything on fire. The amount of the element in my body gradually lessened as more of the hellfire replaced it instead, but I didn¡¯t seem to be making as much progress as I thought¡­ ¡°Ah shit! I¡¯ve been keeping the blood flowing in and out of storage this entire time!¡± I stopped doing that and sealed off my extradimensional demon blood storage. I then remembered how we had run out of menace mana before due to poor planning. ¡°Quick, Moonwash! Get the containers! I have infernal mana left!¡±


    ¡°We have plenty at home.¡±


    Ah right. We did do that just in case before we left. There were gallons stored in the basement of my house and elsewhere.


    ¡°Might as well get this though. It¡¯s our last chance. You¡¯ll even get to do surgery on me!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± She agreed to my logical argument, which I shouldn¡¯t have made because now she had an excuse to cut me up!


    I¡¯m panicking. I¡¯m panicking! DON¡¯T PANIC! FUCK!


    My girlfriend had gone down to get her tools while I continued to vent out my infernal mana into the sky. I then slapped my face for forgetting that I didn¡¯t actually have to activate the magic. A growl escaped out of my throat as I wanted to just stop thinking, but I remained anchored into the present so I did what I must.


    I had not hurt anyone yet. I did not lose control. And that was a big achievement for the change I was going through. My constant introspections had paid off.


    I stopped my flamethrower, sat cross-legged, and began venting raw infernal mana out from my skin in every direction.


    I was just finishing up by the time the wagon under me lurched and stopped.


    ~~~


    I was cut open by my own lover.


    My friends either watched or looked away from the sinister sight as Moonwash stabbed me below the hearts and ripped the flesh apart to reveal an organ stuck between three large blood vessels. The organ in question was rubbery, bordering on hard, and it had some sparse craters in it for no immediately discernible reason. The reason for them soon became clear though as a schism in space rippled in one of the craters, and a fountain of blood came out.


    That¡¯s¡­ a cool idea. I wanted to have an actual fountain made of myself like this one day, with red water pouring out of a demon¡¯s open chest. It¡¯d be so epic.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Does that not hurt?¡± Berry asked, and I looked up from my prone position on the ground.


    ¡°Oh, it does.¡± I winced from the continuous beats of my newly improved heart. ¡°Hellfire is no joke.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Haell, I think Berry meant the open hole in your body,¡± Granuel said from his lookout post atop the wagon. ¡°I want to know too. You never seem to react much to it.¡±


    ¡°Ah. That one.¡± I nodded. Moonwash guided me into a push-up position to aim my geyser of blood into a pot. ¡°Well, of course it hurts. But get in the fucking line, you know? Life is painful.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Berry was quiet for a few long moments. ¡°But wait¡­ does that mean you¡¯re like¡­ constantly¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± I confirmed Berry¡¯s realization. Moonwash exchanged the bowl beneath me. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m being milked.¡±


    ¡°Of course she made it fucking weird,¡± Therick shook his head and looked away.


    ¡°What! I¡¯m draining my fucking blood near the chest and into a container! Am I supposed to not say what we¡¯re all thinking!!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy,¡± Angerly laughed. My discarded armor and clothes were right by her feet. I¡¯d have to quickly hide if some other people were rude enough to pass by near here. ¡°I mean, I was thinking it too. But it¡¯s weird that you brought it up!¡±


    ¡°Nuh-uh. It¡¯d be even weirder if literally anyone else did.¡±


    ¡°...You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°But we would¡¯ve all been fine without anyone ever mentioning it!¡±


    ¡°And leave a truth unspoken? I will never allow it!¡±


    I glared at Therick. He glared back. Until we both started to laugh. And then everyone else joined in. This was just too fucking funny.


    ~~~


    ¡°Shit! Bandits!¡± Granuel suddenly cursed just when I was about done with¡­ draining myself of blood. I looked at the same direction as him, then back to my naked self. I jumped into the wagon because I could not be seen like this. The red of my skin was exposed, as even my extensive makeup routine did not reach literally everywhere!


    ¡°Wait! I still have a bleeding hole in my chest!¡± I realized as blood pooled on the wooden floor. Moonwash recognized my pleas, so she poked her head inside the window and began to shine a healing light upon myself.


    The bandits arrived. My friends readied themselves for war. It started with a conversation that almost made me think this would be resolved peacefully after all.


    ¡°Good afternoon fine travelers!¡±


    ¡°Good afternoon to you as well.¡±


    Unfortunately, the negotiations only deteriorated from there. The bandits wanted to take both our wagons and everything in it. The best they were willing to compromise was to let us keep our horreks. They found it interesting that we did not use centaurs as our wagon-pullers.


    Therick refused. He had Moonwash show her gold adventurer¡¯s badge. This was their chance to do the smart thing and run the other way and never look back¡­ but they did not choose to live.


    ¡°Hah! Good try! But I have level sense! I can tell, you know? She¡¯s only level 20! And we outnumber you greatly!¡±


    Therick tried to argue that it was a true badge. He explained how Moonwash got promoted to gold because of her skills being strong enough to compete with people at that level. It wasn¡¯t the amount of levels that mattered, but how you used it.


    They laughed at him and my girlfriend.


    I growled. I got dressed faster as I squeezed into someone¡¯s random cutesy pink shirt with happy embroidered dancers that I found in the wagon. But it only made sense that they would not believe in Moonwash. Special cases like her weren¡¯t common.


    Still pissed me off though.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t see reason, then we will take it by force. CHARGE!¡±


    I heard the energetic rush of galloping hooves and the warcries of the enemy. I too rose out of the wagon, ready for blood. I considered for a moment, staring out at the dozens of centaurs charging towards us, if this was a dire enough situation for me to truly go all out. I had gone through the trouble to reclothe myself to hide what I was, with my exposed arms of the right human color, but maybe that wasn¡¯t necessary anymore. Maybe I could finally let go, and leave none alive.


    A massive fireball was launched by Moonwash. The bandits themselves weren¡¯t alone, and they had one human spellcaster behind the centaurs who managed to mildly throw my girlfriend¡¯s attack off course. The cavalry then curved around just a little to dodge the rest of her spell. Some were still caught by the blast, but only a few were completely put out of commission.


    So? Is this enough? Is this enough justification!?


    My armored hooves landed out of the wagon, and I came to a decision. I met the enemy¡¯s charge, I ran faster than they who were built for this, and the entire time, hellfire mana oozed out of my skin in great quantities.


    It manifested.


    Unlike the pale orange of infernal.


    Unlike the bright orange of the mediocre.


    A deep red tide blazed around me, and that wave of magical fire crashed against their front lines.


    ¡°AAAAAHHHHHH!!!¡±


    ¡°No! NO!¡±


    ¡°STOP!¡±


    ¡°Stop please!¡±


    ¡°Make it stop! PLEASE!!¡±


    They reared. They ran. They screamed. They spread chaos among their ranks.


    Even the ones who were only mildly on fire panicked, and those who had escaped my wrath the first time were forced to stop and regroup all the same as their companions made a mess of their formation.


    I had broken their charge.


    I did not need to throw off my disguise.


    They were not good enough to give me a real fight.


    My friends capitalized on the opening I¡¯d provided and pushed the bandits further into a rout. The remaining healthy centaurs were forced to stand their ground and fight. Therick slashed at their legs to limit their mobility, while Berry took the vanguard and demanded their undivided attention. The mage and archers of the enemy backlines had their hands full just trying to survive against a counter-barrage from Granuel and Moonwash. The bandits had their own ogre who had finally caught up, but she was stopped by Angerly as her mace easily crushed the smaller enemy¡¯s club. I too did not remain idle as I rammed my sword through the largest groups of enemies while shooting fireballs at the most troublesome ones.


    They were now so afraid of my own attacks that anyone even remotely close to where hellfire might land began to panic and flee, further spreading chaos among their lines.


    ¡°Kill me! Stop! Please! KILL ME!¡±


    I turned my head towards a particular centaur rolling across the ground. Another two of his kind fell on their own spears to finally end the torment of my flames. Some of my burning enemies had naturally died by now, but those that remained continued to lose their fucking minds.


    ¡°No! NO MORE! PLEASE!¡±


    I walked towards the centaur man begging for death. His agonized screams had broken the last of the bandits¡¯ will, and those who still could were now all leaving. My friends allowed this to happen, and I¡­ obliged by their decision. They could be a problem for everyone else. That was none of my concern.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!¡±


    The man continued to wail. He was almost dead.


    My friends stood frozen. They stared at the final fallen enemy, and then at me. There was fear in their gaze, worry, and perhaps¡­ guilt. They felt it on my behalf.


    I took a shuddering breath. I did not act on the unkind thoughts that wished to scream at them, for it was not their place to determine the worth of my actions.


    ¡°What is this? WHAT IS THIS!? MAKE IT STOP!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hellfire,¡± I admitted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I would do nothing different.


    But maybe I should try and limit the use of this magic in the future.


    My sword swung down, and the suffering of the enemy leader finally ended.

 Chapter 115: Fields of Green.

    We arrived at a patch of grasslands with a particularly suspicious crop circle without vegetation. A quest we had taken in the nearby town of Trils had taken us here, and we found the level 40 grazlibeast that was to be my target. It was a mighty monster, with an almost shovel-like mouth, four large trunk-like legs, and a massive furry body that was as large as a creature of its level could possibly be. The animal cared not for whatever might be happening around it, only focused on uprooting grass and devouring them whole.


    A vulcature swooped down from above to attack it, and the level 20 bird managed to score some hits, but then had to flee as soon as the larger beast turned and tried to slam its enemy with its sheer bulk. The violent vulture managed to escape successfully, but the grazlibeast still had still proven itself deceptively fast. Slow enough for me to potentially escape without using my magic or my wings, but still ridiculous for something that size. I could feel the wind from here when the creature truly moved.


    ¡°You sure you don¡¯t need any help?¡± Therick asked with a raised brow.


    ¡°Yeah. I wanna test myself against a level 40 again. I¡¯ve gotten stronger since I last tried to solo one.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair though,¡± Granuel complained. ¡°They¡¯re paying so little to kill a threat that strong!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because grazlibeasts are super weak for their level?¡± Angerly asked.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s because they¡¯re less of a threat.¡± I drew my sword and began thinking of how I wanted to approach this battle. My eyes were exposed and so were my hooves, as Granuel had confirmed for me that there was no one watching.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re docile,¡± Moonwash explained. ¡°They typically don¡¯t attack unless provoked. They are considered a nuisance for being bad to the environment, but it¡¯ll regrow anyway.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll be a calamity back on Earth,¡± I chuckled. ¡°But nature does retake faster here.¡± It required active effort to maintain settlements.


    I took a step forward. Hellfire formed above me, ready to enact its punishment. I aimed the malicious projectile towards the giant in the distance, and then I shot it with all of my magical might.


    My aim proved true, the monster was hit, and the fire almost gleefully devoured its living flesh for it had retained the properties of infernal magic. Hellfire was more effective against organic creatures, bringing them greater heat, and from that greater heat, ever great pain!


    The grazlibeast recoiled, its eyes widened from the sudden agony, and then it reared up and wailed. The sound was deep, reverberating, haunting. My friends stood rooted behind me, stunned, and then I realized that I was the same way.


    This was the roar of a grazlibeast, a part of its Mutations, and my mental defenses had been found wanting. It was something that I was supremely confident in, so its failure filled me with shame that was quickly consumed to fuel my anger. The ground rumbled as the massive mass of the monster came barreling towards me, and I bared my own teeth in sheer defiance.


    This will not stand!


    I moved. The stunning effect had long been overcome. I only stood still for as long as did because I was nigh apoplectic with rage. My face had turned into an ugly rictus under my helm, and I did not bother to try and calm myself. With a scream that rivaled that of my foe, I rushed into battle with my aura flaring and my evil eyes deployed.


    The grazlibeast did not falter. It just kept coming. My annoyance built further, and I poured it all into one rotting slash towards the monster¡¯s gigantic leg, but I actually found myself almost carried away by the sheer momentum of that single limb!


    I still managed to hold on of course, and I left a deep cut on the creature¡¯s flesh, but it was not really that deep if I considered the thing¡¯s size. The grazlibeast ran past me, but my friends were thankfully already falling back, just as we had discussed. I threw another fireball and then a taunt bullet at the monster¡¯s face, before I too made some more distance. I couldn¡¯t let it chase after my party!


    ¡°ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAHHH!!!¡±


    The grazlibeast turned back around with another terrible scream, but I was ready for it this time and I did not falter. I threw another fireball at its face, I slashed into its sides, and the burning monster did not come close to goring me this time either.


    The monster kept going, it was having a hard time turning around after our clash. Its body was too large, and our following jousts that only played out in the same way proved that the grazlibeast had no hope of ever catching me.


    But I did not allow myself to grow complacent. I used no direct magic against the creature on our fifth clash, and on the sixth, the fireball I threw was black.


    The grazlibeast wailed in pain. It absolutely went fucking wild. That was only to be expected because I had found after some extensive testing that I could still create my curseflame, if a fair bit harder than before. In exchange, not only did it keep its precious effects, but even the pain was carried over, and that was only exacerbated by how hot the flames truly were. Even such a monster, an evolution above me, could not handle the pressure of this attack.


    So I exacerbated the problem even further. I flooded my evil eyes not with wrath mana, but with hellfire. It was honestly painful for me too, but that was a fair price to pay for my enemy¡¯s suffering!


    The overgrown creature barely even noticed my approach when I went over to chop at a leg that was taller than me. The blade bit deep into a huge gash that I had inflicted before, and the grazlibeast began to limp. It focused back on attacking me upon remembering that I was here, but its already clumsy movements had somehow become even more predictable than before. They were also more wild and chaotic though, so I made some distance again to allow the monster to tire itself out.


    I noticed that the black fire was slowly being overwhelmed by the remaining vanilla hellfire. So I decided to continuously slather it in curseflame, until its bulky shape had become hidden by an abyss without light. The beast cried and went after me in a blind rage and plea to make it stop, but sheer desperation alone did not cross the literal gap between us that I made sure to maintain.


    Gradually, the grazlibest slowed down. Its voice had grown hoarse, and its occasional screams were no longer effective. The creature panted, in a way that was almost pleading, but no help ever came.


    Eventually, the monster crashed heavily into the ground. Its life slowly ebbed away, but I did not intend to wait. I stared into the grazlibeast¡¯s¡­ defeated eyes as I finally ended its suffering.


    ~~~


    A few more months later.


    I walked alongside our wagons with my left arm fully exposed. It was fully caked in make-up of course, and the flowing red lines of blood would camouflage my true skin even if some of the cosmetics were to come off. A hyena had been taunted, and it was drooling all over itself as it gnawed pitifully on my arm.


    I bled harder. I felt the pain course through my limb. I focused on the power within my blood, and I commanded it to take vengeance.


    My assaulter¡¯s head exploded in a red cloud of rot and dismemberment.


    It was a failure.


    All I did was manually cast my magic.


    What the cursetaceans were able to do was more automatic, and it ignored things such as distance, whereas mana only flowed out of me in an eager wave.


    I was still a long way off from being able to replicate their abilities. But it must be possible, for my mana was once consumed by what was once their carapace, and was able to achieve the same effect!


    ~~~


    A shambling green thing stumbled into view as I was letting a canipet(dog/bird) gnaw on my shoulder. The approaching creature was bipedal, humanoid, ugly as sin¡­ it was a goblin.


    Where there was one, there would be more.


    Regrettably, I had to kill my new pet to take care of this new nuisance. The canipet¡¯s corpse was snatched by Granuel with a long hooked stick from the wagon as I approached this sorry excuse for a sapient.


    The goblin ran with glee and malice upon spotting us, just as I expected. Wicked mana dripped off its body along with a terrible odor as the monster continued to barrel to its death. I very quickly and literally disarmed her the moment she was in range, and then I grabbed the little monster by the throat.


    I squeezed. Life began to ebb away from my enemy, but she still did not let go of her enmity.


    That was exactly what I wanted. I held her gaze as I continued to walk in pace with my lazy friends just sitting in their lazy vehicles.


    The goblin¡¯s neck snapped and she died.


    ¡°I have an idea.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± Therick commented. That got a giggle out of everyone but Moonwash, and not because she didn¡¯t find it funny.


    ¡°I was thinking that maybe I could learn a thing or two from these guys.¡±


    ¡°It gets worse!¡± Angerly laughed.


    ¡°Even bandits wouldn¡¯t mess with those,¡± Granuel warned. ¡°Not that they¡¯re inherently evil, but they¡¯re desperate people,¡± he quickly amended. ¡°The bandits, I mean.


    I laughed and pointed at the massive foreboding ball of wrath that I¡¯d summoned above my head.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit too late for that.¡±


    ¡°Way too late,¡± Moonwash agreed. ¡°There¡¯s no point in holding back now.¡±


    I cackled harder. Hard enough for the two of us.


    ~~~


    We found another lone goblin, whom I killed from afar. A field of grass was set alight because my aim could still use some work.


    Our caravan came across another pair, and then more as we continued our travels. I allowed some to approach, even sparring with them a little as they repeatedly and mindlessly threw themselves at me, in the hopes that I may learn something.


    I¡¯m going to be honest, I did not.


    I didn¡¯t learn anything.


    They sometimes instinctively used their wicked mana to strengthen themselves, but I could do that on purpose.


    They constantly released wicked mana into the air because they didn¡¯t have anything that could properly hold it, and the small amount their bodies could take was full.


    They didn¡¯t have anything I didn¡¯t have, except for the element they held, but they didn¡¯t even know how to use it!


    These goblins were a fucking joke.


    ~~~


    ¡°Yes!¡± Therick pumped his fist as he danced around a squad of goblins with Angerly. They killed the green fuckers left and right until their corpses decorated the paved roads with their blood. Our two drivers had left their driving duties to Moonwash and Granuel so that they may have a chance to also fight.


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± I said to my swordsman friend who was staring at thin air. ¡°You reached level 20?¡±


    ¡°Yes! It¡¯s my feet!¡± He crouched down and fell on his ass as his legs restructured themselves. There was some rippling along the skin, and his bones shifted, like there were crawling worms inside his flesh. Ew. ¡°I¡¯ve just evolved it! My first level 20 Mutation!¡±


    ¡°Great! It¡¯s your first one, right?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± He ran around, did some leg exercises, and then jumped up to return Angerly¡¯s high five. ¡°I want to go try them right now.¡±


    My eyes scanned the horizon, and found a bull in the distance. It was close enough to taunt.


    Wooosh.


    The projectile flew true, and in a moment, a level 20 monster was charging towards me.


    I patted Therick on the back. ¡°Have fun.¡±


    ¡°Haell yeah!¡±


    With that parting pun, my friend stabbed and sliced at the monster, until it finally decided to fight him instead of continuing to try and go after me. Therick ran around the creature, the bull shook its head and tried its hardest to gore him with its horns, but my friend was too nimble to ever be caught. It took a short while, but the animal eventually fell from a thousand cuts without ever landing a single hit on Therick.


    ~~~


    I had lunch on the wagon as I watched Berry, Granuel, and Moonwash take on the oncoming goblins upon their request. They came in clumps as we traveled, Granuel and Moonwash would bombard them from afar, and Berry stalled any that managed to survive. It was a fun and easy system. It was only too bad that there was little of value to be looted from the little green monsters, except for whatever roughshod gear they¡¯d managed to steal.


    ¡°There¡¯s so many of them,¡± Granuel sighed, a bit spent and nursing a headache. That was what happened when someone overused magic. I technically experienced it too from time to time, but I was so good at ignoring it that I sometimes forgot it was even there. It was important to keep track of that though, because everyone had limits.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I agreed as the wagons resumed their movements, and we crested up a hill. ¡°There¡¯s way too many of them. I¡¯m actually worried about what we¡¯ll find in the next village¡­¡±


    My words were proven right just as they left my lips. We crossed over the mound, and found on the other side sprawling farms of rotting wheat and other things. There were bands of goblins dotted throughout, and then a man screamed in a tone that shook me to my bones.


    He was being tortured, as he slowly, ever so slowly, turned green.


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°Oh no.¡±


    ¡°This is horrible.¡±


    Granuel was somehow the first to recover. He pointed at the walls of Karron Village in the middle of the fields. ¡°There are still people there. Most of them must have evacuated.¡±


    I stared at the crenelations. There were people moving atop the walls. There were only a few spikes protecting those walls.


    That was normal for villages. They were not like the former city-states that had now been taken over.


    ~~~


    Goblins lay dead at my feet. I stood with Moonwash and Granuel as we stared at the man halfway through transforming into a goblin. He did not acknowledge our presence.


    ¡°Goblinification is reversible,¡± Moonwash explained as she traced lines across our patient¡¯s shrunken body. We had read books and came across some goblins over the past few years, so my girlfriend had learned more about the subject. ¡°It would eventually reach an equilibrium if you just stuck a seed unto yourself, otherwise it would be too easy to convert someone. But torture, despair, and other such emotions would hasten the process. Weakening them will reduce their ability to resist. I believe the latter is more important.¡±


    ¡°So, what do we do?¡± Granuel asked.


    Moonwash was silent for a few moments more. She summoned a bed of flowers around the suffering man. She tried to heal him, but¡­ ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m not strong enough to do anything about it. Nature magic should be the best against this as it would ¡®bring someone back to their natural state.¡¯ Although that is just a theory I¡¯ve read in Nature Magic and its Intricacies by Horis.¡±


    ¡°So what do we do?¡± Granuel repeated. He also tried to cast, and so did I. But nothing happened. The change had gone too far now.


    I drew my blade.


    ¡°W-what are you doing?¡± Granuel asked. The rest of our friends were making sure that we remained undisturbed. Therick and Angerly focused on that task, while Berry took a good look at the dying man, and then shook herself sadly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a mercy,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s the only way.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    His protests died, at the same time that the man did.


    ~~~


    ¡°There are too many goblins,¡± Therick said.


    I can see that. I did not make the sarcastic remark. We fell back in an orderly manner back towards our wagons, and then killed the remaining goblins as they chased after us. There were still many left along the fields, so I hit some groups with taunts and led them back towards us where we could take them on favorable ground. Granuel and Moonwash had climbed to the roof of the wagons, and they acted as our towers of magical pain.


    A few mages helped us from atop the walls of the village. They attacked and lured the goblins back whenever it looked like we had attracted too many and might be overwhelmed.


    That wasn¡¯t about to happen, of course. But I appreciated the consideration.


    ~~~


    ¡°Who are you!?¡± Nervous guards shouted from atop the wall as we stood before the locked gates.


    ¡°ADVENTURERS!¡± Therick shouted back. ¡°YOU JUST SAW THAT WE KILLED THOSE GOBLINS!¡±


    Just as he said that, another one of the monsters approached from the side, and Granuel shot it in the head.


    ¡°Yeah, they did do that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re goblins in disguise.¡±


    ¡°That was never the contention, Jaz!¡±


    The guards muttered among themselves from atop the wall, until they finally came to a decision after I and Therick tossed some badges up.


    ¡°OKAY! We¡¯re letting you in! The gates will open!¡± She paused. ¡°Please keep the goblins at bay as much as you can! We¡¯re running out of arrows and are rationing our mana!¡±


    ¡°ALRIGHT!¡± We gave them a thumbs up.


    The gates creaked open upon the guard¡¯s words, and Therick and Granuel waited to drive the wagons through. We had cleared most of the goblins on this side of the village, so I didn¡¯t think there would be a problem, but that was naive.


    One goblin realized what was happening and screeched. Another screamed from farther away, then another. Soon, I heard the pitter-patter of small running feet. A whole horde of them had arrived from both sides of the square walls as the gates were only halfway open.


    It appeared the goblins might be smarter than I gave them credit for. They were sapient after all, if utterly insane. Then again, the cursetaceans were also capable of rushing towards an opening. Did that mean they might be sapient too¡­?


    Those existential thoughts did not distract me from the biblical slaughter I was about to enact.


    Hellfire mana flooded out of me, specifically from my head, and more specifically from the gems in my helm. I made it look like the magic was coming from there, I gathered it all into one big ball, and then I shot the burning orb of blood-red fire into the horde on the right. Moonwash did the same on the left, but with regular fire, if hotter than my own.


    The massive fireballs exploded among their midst, and many immediately dropped dead. Others yet kept running as they burned alive, but soon fell as their bodies grew too blackened and charred. The ones that suffered from my magic screamed harder, some grew confused and ran into their allies, while others yet could not function at all due to the pain.


    This did not break them. It did not stop their charge. Those who had fallen were merely trampled upon, and soon the goblins reached me in ones and twos.


    I slashed the first of them to reach me, and the burning goblin died. The next one perished in the same way, and the next ones came in greater numbers. I reaped through their ranks like I was harvesting wheat, while hellfire continuously splashed among the approaching group. The guards were beginning to gape at my prowess, for I never ran out of power, I could keep on using magic all day!


    There were level 20s among the goblins, but even they were no match once I further empowered my swings to take them in one shot. Their gear was roughshod, and sometimes nearly coming off due to being the wrong size. Some only had random pieces of wood as weapons, others bare rock, while a few were armed with pilfered steel and chitin. The amount of goblins that reached us was getting larger, but I could still hold this position by myself against these amateurs.


    Why did they still fight so slovenly if they were capable of learning?


    The other side of the battlefield was covered by Angerly and Moonwash. Angerly¡¯s mace smashed and swept aside crowds, while Moonwash threw the occasional bomb of whatever element she fancied. Granuel sometimes assisted from his wagon for the stronger foes, but it was seldom necessary. Berry mainly took care of the stragglers who came from elsewhere, instead of along the length of the walls. There were only a few of them, so she also came to help me out a few times.


    The guards and adventurers upon the walls suddenly unleashed their magic in great quantities, thereby holding back the goblin tide and giving us a good moment of resptite. The gates had opened wide enough to let our wagons through, three centaurs wearing the green of messengers ran out, and our two heavily-armored vehicles drove through the gap one after the other. The rest of us followed, and we defended the gap for a short while longer, until the gates could be fully closed once more.


    It was easy. A ready kill zone was only fodder upon my blade, and for my friends.

 Chapter 116: Everyone Turned Green.

    The battered gates slammed closed, and I leaned on our sealed wagon to rest. That wasn¡¯t our most difficult battle, but it was just the mood of the thing. All the guards and adventurers who had fought with us¨Csort of, we did most of the work¨Cwere also sagging in relief. Except for a few arguments, some shouted¡­ and now two people were duking it out


    ¡°I hope they reach someone this time,¡± someone said tiredly. They were talking about the messengers that had suddenly come out of the gates earlier, and those they had sent prior.


    ¡°You really think they were killed?¡± a centaur adventurer sobbed, the bags in her eyes so very clear and visible.


    ¡°Yes. No one¡¯s come. No reinforcements,¡± a human guard answered. He looked thinner than normal, like so many of the people here, but not nearly as bad as I would expect for the disaster situation they were in. ¡°The goblins got the previous ones we sent.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°All right, everyone! Take a break!¡± A human woman in templar colors clapped her hands twice and dismissed the defenders. ¡°There will be less goblins for at least a little while. Take this opportunity to rest.¡±


    The previous defenders began to file out, along with the townspeople who were just as quietly desperate. A few more brawls broke out along the way, and I realized it was because of the wickedness in the air. They couldn¡¯t even take this much. How pathetic.


    I shouldn¡¯t say that.


    I did think it, however.


    The templar approached us next. ¡°Thank you for your assistance earlier.¡±


    ¡°It is nothing,¡± Therick replied in our stead. ¡°We couldn¡¯t get into the village with the goblins in the way anyway.¡±


    ¡°True enough,¡± she chuckled a little, but quickly schooled her expression back to a solid neutral. ¡°But why come here anyway? Why continue when you must¡¯ve encountered so many goblins along the way?¡±


    ¡°Why? Well¡­¡± Therick looked back at us. We all just gave a collective shrug. A metaphorical one in Moonwash¡¯s case. ¡°No one¡¯s brought it up at all. That was¡­ an oversight.¡±


    Now she full-on laughed. For a second. ¡°I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t think of it then. I¡¯ll send you on your way now, since I¡¯ve already seen your badges. There¡¯s not much to see here, especially right now, but do keep yourselves out of trouble.¡±


    ¡°Of course, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Likewise,¡± her voice turned to a whisper, but we were too close not to overhear. ¡°You can come see me at the Singing Cocktails tonight, if you¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°I, uh¡­ Okay. I will.¡±


    She left after those silent words were passed between them. We then found the place to leave our wagons and horreks in, and then headed straight for the central district.


    ¡°No need to come with us, Therick,¡± I smirked. ¡°You got a date coming up. Just look for the most expensive place later, and we¡¯ll be there.¡±


    Therick snorted to hide his embarrassment, as everyone else made teasing noises as well. Even Moonwash tried and it was soo cute!


    ¡°She¡¯s a templar. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s happening, guys.¡±


    I paused to look at him. Really looked at him. ¡°She¡¯s not doing a coercion thing, is she?¡±


    ¡°What? Oh, no no. It¡¯s perfectly fine!¡±


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re so excited then!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say¨C¡± he tried to argue, but gave up.


    We all laughed at his expense as he separated from the group, but Granuel and Angerly also decided to go off on their own for reasons that I was sure weren¡¯t related. Not at all.


    ¡°What about you, Berry?¡± I asked as only the three of us were left to go find an inn. Casual encounters were not discouraged here, though they weren¡¯t encouraged either. People were expected to just never bring it up in polite company, but I was very impolite.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You could go with them if you want.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I¡­ No. People really don¡¯t find me attractive here.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± I shrugged. She wasn¡¯t wrong. People were generally still attracted to creatures of the same general shape as them, and many were vaguely humanoid. But there were exceptions, such as herself. ¡°I just thought you might want to try. People are feeling trapped. Their inhibitions are down, more than any other time.¡±


    ¡°...Haell. That is a very creepy thing to say.¡±


    I slapped the mask that covered my mouth.


    ¡°Fuck. You¡¯re right. I wasn¡¯t thinking. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine, Haell. And¡­ I think you¡¯re right. Not about the inhibitions, but that maybe I should try. I¡¯m gonna find everyone else, so bye!¡±


    She zoomed off.


    I shook my head, grabbed Moonwash¡¯s hand, and followed.


    The inn could wait.


    ~~~


    The inn couldn¡¯t wait!


    The best place was already packed before we made it here. As in before we¡¯d ever seen the village. They¡¯d lowered their prices a tad to allow some traveling merchants and nobles to stay for the entire duration of the crisis. The gall!


    We were forced to spend the night in a lesser establishment. I was appalled, I was disappointed, but alas I made the sacrifice as a woman of the people.


    We slept in slightly harder beds than normal, and then we left the fine establishment the next day after having a good breakfast.


    ¡°Are you the harvesters?¡± a centaur man asked the moment we had stepped out of the inn. He was dressed in the armor and fabrics of the templars¡¯ white and gold colors. It was more common for people of his species to be chosen to join the templars here in the plains, just by the sheer number of them.


    Strange how that wasn¡¯t the case for belfegors back in my hometown.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± I answered hesitantly for the rest of my armored group. We were planning on going to the adventurer¡¯s guild to take some quest about the goblins outside and beyond, before immediately setting off to fulfill it.


    ¡°You have been summon by Lord Karon. Follow me.¡±


    He turned around and walked away without even waiting for our response. That was rude, and I felt indignation for his behavior because I wasn¡¯t to be fucking ordered around¡­ but I supposed meeting with this upstart lord wasn¡¯t entirely a bad thing.


    I decided to be the bigger person and just let it go.


    ~~~


    We arrived at the nearby manor which was at the very center of the village. It was only about as large as a common mansion from Earth.


    The templar continued to lead us as we went past the open gates, through some corridors, up particularly large stairs designed for centaurs to be able to use properly, and finally into a well-decorated office.


    ¡°Ah, you must be the harvesters,¡± said a shepherd man from behind a desk. ¡°The adventurers who came through here just yesterday.¡±


    ¡°That would indeed be us,¡± Therick bowed to show respect.


    ¡°I see. I have a mission for you.¡± He looked out the window behind him. ¡°I need you to take care of those pesky goblins for me.¡±


    ¡°Of course, my lord. We were planning on it. We will be going to the adventurer¡¯s guild after this to get a quest regarding the matter.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± He smiled. ¡°It¡¯s good that you are proactive. I¡¯ll issue a personal quest for your party and increase the reward.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. You honor us.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± the lord of the village was quiet for a few moments. ¡°I¡¯ll also give you the boon of my guidance before you go. Come.¡±


    The temperature metaphorically rose and fell in the room as my anger bubbled and simmered inside me, but in a show of supreme self-control, I only glared at the freak who wished to control us.


    He noticed and frowned.


    Therick felt a cold sweat run down his back as he stammered. ¡°Thank you for the offer, but my companions wouldn¡¯t appreciate that kind of treatment, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    The fucker¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°You would refuse my kindness? Have you no idea what manner of creatures you are facing? They will break your minds if you are weak of resolve.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry for this inconvenience,¡± Therick bowed deeper, but offered no further explanation. The noble¡¯s eyes squinted, then his gaze roamed back to me, who was still mildly shaking with rage.


    ¡°Would you refuse this guidance too?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I spat. Venom leaked into my voice even though I tried to control it.


    His two templar guards tensed, but they were on the lower end of level 20. They were nothing. I could kill every last fucking person in this building by myself if I wanted. It was by my mercy that they continued to live and draw breath.


    ¡°Fine,¡± the shepherd man finally dismissed us after some time spent pondering, and no doubt trying to control his tiny insignificant pathetic flame of anger. ¡°Your quest will be at the guild.¡±


    ~~~


    We went to the local adventurer¡¯s guild with the same templar who had led us to the central manor.


    The adventurers inside were either drinking in the middle of the day, or desperately planning and practicing among their friends, or sometimes both at once. We ignored them and went straight to the reception. The templar handed the receptionist some papers, which she very quickly read through.


    ¡°I understand. I shall swap out the poster right away.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that will not be necessary, Kila. The¡­ Harvesters, was it? Lord Karon has informed me that you have agreed to take this quest, yes?¡±


    Therick nodded in confirmation. He was the registered leader of our party, and our main guy for communicating with all the ¡®important¡¯ types.


    She scrutinized us. ¡°They¡¯re the adventurers that came from outside before, right? I¡¯ve heard good things about you, but this is a big horde we¡¯re talking about. We don¡¯t know how they¡¯ve gotten this big without anyone noticing, but based on where they¡¯re coming from, I think they have taken an entire village. This isn¡¯t a quest to leave to one party alone.¡±


    We paused. A silent communication passed between us. I was honestly not entirely sure what it meant other than it was bad.


    Therick sighed.


    ¡°We¡¯ve kind of already promised to take it to Lord Karon.¡±


    ¡°We should¡¯ve thought about it more, huh?¡± Angerly shook her head.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t know the contents of the quest until now,¡± Berry protested weakly. She hadn¡¯t urged us to reconsider either.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, technically,¡± Granuel hedged. ¡°But we were asked to take care of the goblin problem. It¡¯ll reflect poorly on us if we don¡¯t at least try.¡±


    My friends grumbled some more in indecision until I spoke from where I¡¯d only been standing menacingly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it. In private.¡±


    I gestured to a nearby table, and a sound bubble was put around us. The templar had not left and was still standing by the reception, likely to report on whatever we decided to do.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°We¡¯ve gotten cocky,¡± I stated the obvious.


    ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s just you, but¡­¡± Therick took a swig of ale. ¡°We¡¯re kind of in the same boat here.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve already decided that we¡¯d take the quest before we left the inn.¡± Angerly nodded.


    ¡°It was a good inn. Not the best. Not the best. But it was good. It was good.¡±


    I got a few chuckles out of the table.


    ¡°Haell, I don¡¯t think this is the time for jokes,¡± Moonwash leaned in and gave me advice.


    Moonwash gave me advice on social stuff.


    Fuck.


    I loved her, but fuck.


    ¡°So what do we do then?¡± Granuel asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure there are other quests we can take¡­¡±


    He visibly hesitated. I urged for him to go on.


    ¡°...but this is a personal quest. Our first personal quest. We are just beginning to make a name for ourselves, and if we don¡¯t even try¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Angerly agreed. ¡°Reputation is important for our line of work. I say we take it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure,¡± Therick said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be even worse if we took the quest and failed?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know the answer to that. How the nobles thought was beyond me. But I did have my own opinion on the matter.


    ¡°We agreed to take the quest already. It¡¯ll annoy me if we back down now. It¡¯d feel like I¡¯m losing, somehow.¡±


    Angerly gave me a nod, though the rest of the table we more torn.


    Someone I didn¡¯t expect agreed with me. Well, for a definition of agreeing.


    ¡°I think we should go,¡± Berry gulped. ¡°Because if we don¡¯t then¡­ what? Do we just leave the town to its fate? Because the goblins will come. And they will¡­ do worse than just kill everyone here.¡±


    That moved my friends, as it did me. We deliberated for a while longer until Moonwash spoke, as if to decide for the whole group.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take it then. If it¡¯s impossible, then we just retreat. Simple.¡±


    It truly was simple.


    We took the very simple quest to ¡®Eliminate The Goblin Horde.¡¯


    What could possibly go wrong?


    ~~~


    The gates began to open in front of us, our two wagons were arrayed right by the entrance, and some guards had actually been stationed around the perimeter to catch the stragglers. The houses behind them, the ones closest to the entrance, were in states of disrepair that weren¡¯t present in the deeper parts of the village, even the ones that clearly belonged or were rented to poorer households. I reckoned it had to do with how the gates had clearly been nailed down and reinforced twice over with planks and metal.


    The goblins had gotten through here before. Multiple times, even. And now they plowed for the depths of Karron again.


    A green arm pushed through, the gap in the entrance was officially wide enough.


    Many more green arms followed, for they were just that excited to see all of us.


    The gates opened wider, and so did the unrestrained sounds of violence grew louder, for the number of them had only grown larger than when we had first arrived.


    A goblin finally got through, tearing chunks of its arms in the process, and Therick stabbed it in the head to finish the job. More immediately followed, and Berry held back the tide as Granuel shot his projectiles from one of the wagons. The gates yawned further open, and Angerly smashed into the great mass of them with her heavy mace. Our killzone began to get clogged, and I allowed the goblins to trip over each other as I picked out the stronger ones to assassinate with a resounding roar.


    ¡°Hurry up with the gates!¡± Moonwash shouted blandly, and the soldiers cranking the gates open redoubled their efforts. More of them came to help spin the levers, and it became harder and harder to hold back the tide as more of the green fuckers could stream through at once, but we persevered. My massive unrestrained waves of wrath and fire proved consequential in thinning the numbers of the horde as they went through.


    I ducked and rolled away with my friends.


    ¡°Noonsun Beam.¡±


    Moonwash spoke the words into the world, and all of existence glowed a bright white. There was a slab of earth just behind us and before the wagon, and in it was written down a ritual of the sun. The magical element was mainly controlled by the army, but Granuel had managed to buy a good amount from some enterprising sundertops, stored in the taboo repositories of their dead brethren that we¡¯d bought from the black market.


    And of course, my girlfriend was able to learn how to wield the magic well enough from the limited amount of mana we could obtain. I was so proud of her.


    ¡°Hot,¡± Angerly pointed out the obvious. A beam tore through from the slab of earth, and through the open gates. Goblins burned within that heat, as even those who were skirting around the sides were not left unscathed. Sun magic was apparently, and obviously, stronger during the day when the sun shone high in the sky.


    ¡°Go!¡± Moonwash shouted again. The ritual had concluded. She had already jumped from the ritual slab to go drive one of the wagons. Granuel was in charge of the other one.


    ¡°You heard her!¡± I grinned and charged into the fray. The sun ritual had left an opening in the horde of goblins, but it would soon close again if nothing was done. So I did something and became a whirlpool of wrath and hellfire. My three melee friends took the other side, and we held back the goblins long enough for the wagons to get through unimpeded.


    We then had to run to catch up to our speeding vehicles. Angerly ran forward to smash through and toss off anyone in the way. Berry took the read guard, and Therick killed and crippled the goblins giving chase. I burned the veritable mass of them trying to crush us from both sides, and then I shot a nasty fireball to distract a weaker nascent goblin shaman (she had a crude magic staff) that suddenly showed itself from one side of the thinning horde. Granuel followed it up with some earthen bullets from his wagon, and Moonwash completely chased off the level 30 monster with her following fireball.


    The remaining four of us finally made it into the wagons, and we all jumped back in to travel comfortably through the still goblin-infested road.


    ~~~


    ¡°Goblins have a main camp,¡± Moonwash said. Our two wagons were right next to each other right now with the windows wide open to facilitate conversation between everyone. ¡°Our quest is to find them.¡±


    ¡°There are three villages that could be their home base,¡± Granuel chewed on a piece of honeyed jerky. ¡°If it¡¯s true that they¡¯ve successfully taken over a village.¡±


    ¡°It has to be true.¡± Berry traced along a map that we could not see for she was on the other wagon with Granuel. ¡°I¡¯ve been on these missions before, and goblins have little capability to make their own industry, but they love to take over existing ones.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s narrow it down, then,¡± I said, then gestured to myself and Moonwash. ¡°We¡¯ve eradicated a small camp before. We just need to find the direction where the concentration of goblins keeps increasing, right?¡±


    ¡°Luine and Baston were with us when we did that,¡± my girlfriend countered. ¡°They did the tracking. It¡¯s not that simple.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re right. I definitely can¡¯t do it. Should¡¯ve done more to learn those lessons. No reason not to try though. Granuel, Therick, you think you can do it!?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°We can try.¡±


    ¡°Good enough,¡± I shrugged. ¡°If you miss, then we¡¯ll just check the other villages, like we would¡¯ve likely done anyway.¡±


    ~~~


    A pair of goblins came closer, and I killed them like it was a chore. The frequency of the attacks, and the sheer utter weakness of every single one of them, had made me¡­ bored.


    I was killing my enemies in bloody fucking ways.


    That should not be boring.


    How had they ruined such a lovely and beautiful thing!?


    It wasn¡¯t right!


    I summoned balls off hellfire. I shot canonballs of the element and of wrath to devastate enemies from afar. I did it until I found myself smiling again, and reveling in the slaughter. This was what I was meant to be!


    And then my boredom was further quenched when a particularly special goblin came into view.


    ¡°Guys! Guys! Keep the other gobs away from me! I¡¯ll take this one myself!¡±


    My party agreed to my request like the good friends they were, and I charged towards the goblin lord for our promised duel. Standing at about a head shorter than me, the monster wore armor that was almost the right size, and she wielded a fantastreel sword that was clearly of a good make, if ill-maintained.


    It almost snapped in half when she received my opening slash. The goblin eventually regained her footing but I got a good cut on her shoulders before that happened. The wound festered and spread because of my curse. Her expression twisted into further bloodrage, but it was still so cute compared to what I felt. I smiled and received her counterattack.


    It was stronger. Stronger than me for we both used magic to enhance our physiques, but crucially, not overwhelming. Any other level 40 that could use magic to further enhance their stronger physiques would¡¯ve broken me right then and there.


    I grinned.


    I focused on defense after that one clash. Our swords danced through the air, and my weapon met her stronger slashes at just the right angles. I was far more skilled than my opponent who might¡¯ve literally been born yesterday, and I received all her attacks without fail. In the meantime, my mind was also hard at work, along with my horns. Hellfire rushed around us like a twister, and so did wrath magic saturate the battlefield. I even managed to create some curseflame, which forever burned my enemy in one grisly screaming end.


    She could unfortunately not continue any longer after that one. Goblins were also particularly brittle for their level.


    But it was a glorious battle, and a glorious end.


    I acknowledged the might of my opponent.


    I was satisfied.


    Thank you.


    ~~~


    ¡°This is worrying,¡± Granuel said. ¡°That was a goblin lord! A level 40!¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the only one?¡± Berry hoped.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on it.¡± I shook my head and burst her bubble. ¡°If they¡¯re really in the village, then most of their forces would be concentrated there, including their elites. Unless if they¡¯re already on the move right now.¡±


    ¡°Are goblins actually known for that?¡± Angerly asked.


    ¡°Err. It¡¯s what my gut tells me. And I think it¡¯s broadly true for the wholescale goblin exterminations I¡¯ve taken. Something¡¯s wrong if there is a lord or shaman among the dregs.¡±


    ¡°What do you propose we do then?¡± Therick asked.


    ¡°Nothing for it, keep going.¡± I shrugged. ¡°What else can we do?¡±


    ¡°But what if we see more of them?¡± Berry asked. ¡°Those stronger ones.¡±


    ¡°I can duel one by myself. If it¡¯s two, then we¡¯ll be stretched thin, but I think you guys can stall it and all the other dregs at least while I kill the other one. If it¡¯s three¡­ that is when we run.¡±


    ~~~


    The walls of Eluth Village came into view.


    But before that, was the sheer depravity that surrounded the ill-maintained ramparts of the village.


    The farm that should¡¯ve surrounded it was gone. In their place were mounds of assorted flesh turning green. More prey was being dragged in, and we even saw a few dead humans among them. It was difficult to capture someone alive, especially for such vicious and eager creatures.


    Those were the better parts of this hellscape.


    Worse were the cacophony of screams from dozens of suffering animals, monsters, and people who they did manage to capture alive. They were each being stabbed, peeled, and subjected to a grinder of subpar and rusted tools. Body parts were missing, out of the difficult battles they must¡¯ve fought, the sheer callousness of their captors, or their hunger.


    The goblins did need to eat, and sometimes that came in the form of foraging in the flesh mounds, killing each other, or consuming their still-living and currently-transforming prey.


    I looked back at my companions but I found them retching, puking, and crying. They were almost as green as the goblins. Even Moonwash came up to me and held my hand. Nothing had prepared us for a true nest of goblins. Certainly not from those who had taken over a village. It was a well-known thing among scholars that the slow death of sapients brought forth stronger variants.


    ¡°I think¡­¡± Berry began. ¡°I think this might be the horde that¡¯s too much for us to take.¡±


    ¡°Let me scout out the area first,¡± I did not answer her directly. Even my voice had a slight tremble to it. ¡°Granuel, can you see anything from here.¡±


    ¡°There are a lot more in the village. Some bigger ones. And shamans with staves.¡±


    Plural. Multiple shamans. That was indeed a problem.


    ¡°Is there anyone savable? Or anyone watching us from afar. I wanna fly and take a closer look.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s dangerous. They have ranged shamans! But¡­ no. I don¡¯t think you have to worry about getting spotted.¡±


    Hmmm. Well, Granuel wasn¡¯t wrong about the shaman being a danger to me even in the air, but I didn¡¯t think they had the best aim, so I just had to fly higher.


    Having made my decision, my wings unfurled behind my back and I began to soar up into the air. From here, I could see that there were still goblins streaming towards my friends, but they handled them with little problem. So I flew higher and higher, feeling the wind become stronger in return. It destabilized me, I wobbled in the air, but I managed to regain my balance and inch forward slowly until I could behold the inside of the village from high in the sky.


    I saw a tide of green, more packed than in the outside. A goblin shaman shot a wicker spear towards me, but it entirely missed. Just being a little off meant being dozens of meters off at these distances. But I wanted a better look, so I readied a wrath bullet of my own as I slowly glided down and hovered in the air lower in the air.


    I could make out the people being tortured from here, and some of them suffered in a more¡­ systematic and measured manner. Those were the ones under the personal ¡®care¡¯ of the shaman, who had pierced his victims with small spears formed out of the miasma that permeated this place while taking care not to kill them. It was still so fascinating how they were able to use the diffusing wicked mana in the air, and how they were able to establish a connection. It was not a feat I¡¯d seen replicated by anyone else. Not even Elfrafim.


    I scouted out the rest of the village while I could, and found three more lords. They too took a more measured approach to their tormentations, if not to the level of the shaman, and it was at this point that I peeled off my mask and just let it rip. My vomit rained down, and it appeared they might have taken offense.


    Another projectile shot towards me, and it was intercepted by my own. The two collided in a manner halfway between winds and liquid, but what was important was that they managed to stop each other. Another shot of wicked magic flew up towards me, and I slashed it with my sword. That diffused the projectile, but some still made it to me, and fewer yet made it past my armor.


    A bit of flesh and skin peeled off, but nothing too egregious. I took that as my cue to leave and returned to my friends.


    ~~~


    ¡°I have to admit,¡± I sighed heavily as we sat atop a grassy hill for a full meeting, ¡°I don¡¯t think we can take that.¡±


    My friends were speechless.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Moonwash agreed.


    ¡°I do too,¡± Therick hedged after her. ¡°I¡¯m just surprised.¡±


    ¡°Super surprised,¡± Berry nodded seriously.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that at all!¡± Granuel shouted.


    ¡°Are you really Haell?¡± Angerly worried. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you knew the word surrender.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on!¡± I pouted. ¡°I¡¯m not that fucking stupid!¡±


    They laughed¡­ because it would truly be stupid to think that I was stupid.


    ¡°So, are we leaving then?¡± Berry asked.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± I hesitated.


    ¡°Ah, there it is.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s gonna go anyway!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that!¡± I crossed my arms and huffed. ¡°But I do have an idea.¡±


    ¡°¡±Oh no.¡±¡±


    ¡°Listen! Not you too Moonwash!¡±


    I explained my plan to them, once we had gotten all the jokes out of our system.

 Chapter 117: Dont Be Like Me.

    I stood alone before the horde of goblins that surrounded Eluth Village. I smelled the putrid air and felt the thick miasma of wickedness around me. It was scary, it was terrifying, and nothing could be more exhilarating. My friends had agreed to my plan, and as the one who proposed it to begin with, I willingly took on the most dangerous of all duties.


    Not that anyone could pull it off but me.


    I did not look like myself today. My eyes were out, and so were my hooves, but those were the only things that were familiar. I was wearing a costume over my mythril armor that made me look like some sort of demon-bat-bird monster.


    I snickered.


    It was my idea. I had explained what cosplay was to my friends, and Moonwash readily agreed to make it. She made this costume for me in a hurry, so that if someone were to somehow see what I was about to do, they wouldn¡¯t make the connection that it was me. The final product looked intimidating and far from humanoid, despite barely hampering my movements at all. It was amazing.


    I stepped forward. I jumped. I flew and took off.


    I took a moment to appreciate the wonder of flight, before souring that beauty by looking at the fields of putrid green down below. Some of the goblins saw me and began to go crazy, jumping up and down like children trying to reach for a bird high up in the sky. They were the smart ones. The others didn¡¯t care, they were unaware, content to frolic amongst their corpse piles or torment those who still lived.


    The air around me ignited.


    The blood-red blaze descended like the end of the world.


    It rained of hellfire and agony.


    And the goblins below burned upon the touch of my flame.


    They reacted. The goblins snarled and shrieked and rolled in pain, but their tantrums achieved nothing. They jumped and threw stones and crawled all over each other in an attempt to get back at me, but their pleas went unanswered.


    Their behavior only made them better targets. Their mounds of birthing flesh combusted. Their outrage fueled the greater wrath that was myself.


    Fire continued to fall like snow, and the ruined landscape was cleansed by a hell of my creation.


    Spears of wrath then dropped down from the sky like the judgment of an angry god, but it was actually my mercy. These projectiles ended the lives of those people who had so cruelly remained alive, but could no longer be saved. I did my best to kill them instantly and painlessly, so they didn¡¯t have to suffer the excruciating pain of the furnace that was hell.


    The goblins did not deserve the same mercy. The storm of fire assaulting them grew progressively stronger as I circled around the village, coming ever closer to the center with every revolution. I memorized how high these creatures could jump or throw their weapons, and I remained just high enough to be out of reach so my waves of fire could reach them at maximum power. I continued to carpet bomb them until their dying screams finally reached the attention of the cowards who stayed hidden behind their walls.


    A dense tide of green spilled out of the broken gates. I merely snarled and shot massive concentrated fireballs towards them, to take advantage of their congestion. Stronger goblins joined their ranks, from both within the village and without. Many had died from my earlier assault, but there were also many that survived. They were the goblins fast enough to run away, or those durable enough to survive the fire rain.


    I could have killed them better if I had concentrated my attacks more. I decided to vary my approach next time.


    I continued to bombard the entrance and exit of the village for a short while. The goblins congregated below me for I could not kill all of them, though I could slaughter big chunks. The shaman finally stepped out of the gate, and I considered for a moment if should engage. I could definitely take him one on one¡­ but this was definitely not a 1 on 1 situation. He was surrounded by too many allies for me to kill.


    I turned around and flew away.


    ~~~


    I came back for round two sometime later. I flew circles around the outer ring of the village like before, and then left when the elites showed up. They did try to give chase, but eventually gave up for I was far above their reach.


    The same thing happened again the third time, but the fourth saw me getting attacked by a Hulwark on my way back. It was a big bird monster, and I barely reacted in time to its approach, but I managed to have it seize up for a few seconds when I instinctively released my aura and the power of my evil eyes.


    That gave me the opening I needed to swing my sword and blast my surprised enemy with two extremely destructive elements.


    We both fell. I had admittedly freaked out. But I flapped my wings once, stabilized, and then continued the rest of my fall with grace. I then walked back to my friends from there, and I rested in our camp as I recharged my hidden wings.


    This place was in the opposite direction from Karron village. I had made sure that if the goblins were to follow me, then I would not be leading them to the village we were supposed to save.


    ~~~


    The ring of goblins around the village had shrunk. I flew to the air uncontested once again, and the goblins suffered a fiery death like before. Their screams were music to my ears, the scent of burning flesh an intoxicant, and my blood forced me to unilaterally slaughter more.


    But I did not let my guard down. The goblins had responded faster each time I did this, and today proved no different. They reacted almost instantly as I heard them shouting inside the village the moment I began raining down punishment upon their brethren. They soon spilled out of the ruined gates, and I flew away.


    They followed.


    That was not unusual, but they kept following.


    Only the shaman could potentially hit me from here, and I could rain down bullets of wrath and fire upon their massive horde with impunity. But my options were also limited because I could not escape higher into the skies. There would only be more monsters to contend with there, with allegedly some really scary ones permanently in the air. Additionally, I was quite a slow flier, and I knew that I would eventually have to land upon the waiting maws of the goblins.


    The green fuckers did not give up the chase like every other time before.


    I was not surprised. I knew this was coming, so we had long prepared for this eventuality. If anything, it was insane how long I was allowed to just run amok along their ranks, before the goblins finally wised up to my tactics.


    I kept flying. I led them to a small valley between two shallow hills. By this point, most of the weaker goblins had already fallen behind, but there was still a sizable horde on my tail, plus all of their elites. And then a goblin lord fell into an abyss. Another followed the same fate. This place had been lined with pit traps according to our design!


    The goblin lords climbed back up. The spikes at the bottom did little damage to them. Another one of them had been born yesterday, making for a total of four lord-class enemies. They weren¡¯t even duped by the next pit traps, and the shamans only followed in their steps. The weaker goblins were at least further diminished, either by the traps, or just because they fell behind, but the true threats continued to thrive in the long chase.


    That was fine. This was still fine.


    I fell from the air. My wings retracted as I purposely hastened my descent. I landed on my two hooves, and immediately broke into a furious run.


    I pulled ahead insanely fast. The goblins behind me rushed harder upon me entering their reach, causing them to fall into more of the traps. The crucial elites were still alive and kicking, but even they found themselves falling behind as I used wrath magic to make myself faster. I could not keep this speed up forever, however, so I paced myself properly until I made it to a field of very tall yellow-green grass.


    I shot fireballs in front of me. It spread through the plantlife like wildfire. The goblins were still hot on my heels and wicked projectiles were shot my way, but weaker now because there was less ambient wicked magic to draw on with their diminishing numbers. I chose to dive through the flames of my creation rather than face any of them.


    The hellfire burn me. It was a hell of blood-red fury. I felt the heat, and the excruciating pain that came with it. The real thing was worse than the phantom sensation of my blood.


    But I was still fine. This was nothing. My pursuers on the other hand smashed into the same wall of sinister fire, and their grunts of pain and suffering stoked the everlasting embers of my bloodlust.


    I continued forward.


    I swam through the burning grass, and then through the normal ones, which I quickly set alight in as well. I made it to the other side, then chanced a glance back to see the smoke rising into the air. There were no signs of the goblins, but I wasn¡¯t going to wait for them to show themselves.


    I kept on running.


    I finally saw signs of the goblins again.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    There were some scattered in the landscape in front of me, but they were few and weak.


    A few came out of the burning grass, and they were the elites, except for one lord-class that I managed to shake off.


    I shot a hellfire flare into the air, and then kept on running.


    Even as blood poured out of my legs from sheer overuse, I kept on moving.


    My arms swung in front of me to take care of the few dregs that dared to stand in my way.


    I shot streaks of hellfire and wrath behind me without even looking back.


    One of the shaman¡¯s projectiles managed to hit me in the shoulder, causing flesh to slough off, but I just forced that limb to keep moving too.


    I neared my destination and shouted, ¡°WHY SO GREEN? CAN¡¯T KEEP UP!? ABOUT TO PUKE!? YOU PATHETIC FUCKING GOBBERS!¡±


    I reached the final cliff, I did not slow down, and I fucking jumped.


    ¡°THREE LORDS ONE SHAM!¡± I shouted as my friends and a large pit that we¡¯d dug came into view. I plummeted towards the ground, and I only deployed my wings at the last moment to arrest my momentum.


    I immediately ran to my workstation.


    I grabbed my paintbrush by our parked wagons, and started to paint on a slab of stone. The ink was basinfuls of my own blood, and I used it to hurriedly draw ritualistic illustrations of fiery cyclones and burning people. Moonwash did the same, she had started before I¡¯d even arrived, and our two slabs arrayed around the spike-filled pit right below the cliff became heavy beacons of art as the very fabric of magic watched our creations with bated breath.


    This plan all hinged on whether the goblins were dumb enough to follow my lead and make the fucking jump.


    They weren¡¯t.


    But it didn¡¯t matter.


    They were dumb enough to look over the ledge.


    ¡°Earth Javelin!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a ritual, but Granuel shouted anyway as he shot a spear of earth into the air.


    The ledge leading down had already been weakened, and it fell along with the four goblins looking down at us once Granuel¡¯s spell struck the lip of the cliff.


    They screamed. The shaman drew on his own wicked mana to attack me, and the goblin lords tried to grab hold of something, but I met them all with both fire and wrath. Some of my magic was lost to the level 40 shaman¡¯s, but Berry and Therick took the remaining blast for me as I had never stopped working on my masterpiece of a ritual.


    ¡°Noon Star!¡±


    Moonwash finished her own artwork first, and a miniature sun dropped into the pit with the goblins just as they were forced to land.


    Heavy thuds followed as Angerly used a heavy earth staff to strike against the ground, collapsing it into a grand avalanche that included the massive boulders were had collected beforehand.


    The pit was buried in fire and stone, but two lords still managed to crawl out of that destruction.


    ¡°Hellstorm!¡±


    Scattered blasts of hellfire shot out from my own ritual, to make sure that every goblin was dead, and finish off the few that remained.


    One still managed to reach the walls of the pit and climb. He scaled the earthen walls with bloodied claws faster than we thought possible. The goblin lord was breaking his body to push past his limits like I always did!


    Therick stabbed the hand that crawled out of the pit and managed to put the monster off balance. Berry soon caught up and crushed a part of the other already deteriorating hand. The goblin still managed to recover from this coordinated assault and get out of the pit. Therick and Berry clashed with him briefly, wherein the former could barely keep up and do damage, while the latter had chunks of her carapace torn off. The monster was on its last legs now¡­ but so was I, apparently. I had tried to rush over there, only for my hooves to actually give out on me. They¡¯d been running on sheer wrath for a while now already, and now, at this crucial moment, they truly fell apart.


    Everyone else managed to help, abandoning our next wave of attacks toward the pit. Projectiles flew from Granuel and Moonwash, and my own rounds followed a few moments later. Angerly reached the desperate struggle, but not in time to save one of Berry¡¯s two remaining hands from being torn apart. My ogre friend¡¯s angry mace smashed through the goblin lord¡¯s torso, but he still managed to take an ear from Therick.


    ¡°GAH!¡± My friend shouted in pain as he raised his sword, and delivered the finishing blow.


    ~~~


    ¡°Shit, I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said as I contributed to the fields of flowers that healed both Therick and Berry. I was also slowly getting healed as I literally couldn¡¯t stand right now.


    That fucking goblin lord was insane. I didn¡¯t expect it to pull a¡­ well, me.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Haell.¡± Berry looked at the stump of her hand. Unlike her third arm that was entirely missing, this one was only cut near the elbow. ¡°We all agreed to the plan. But hopefully, this allows Karron Village to survive.¡± She thought back to the things we had seen of the goblins. ¡°No one deserves that¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I trailed off, still sitting on my ass as I also received a little bit of healing for my overused legs.¡±


    Therick finally spoke in the ensuing silence.


    ¡°What¡¯s done is done. We should just finish the quest so it isn¡¯t a waste.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± I looked up the cliff. A goblin looked back and fell. It died without the need for our intervention. ¡°There¡¯s still one lord there that we need to knock off.¡±


    ~~~


    We rested for a while, everyone got healed, and then we started to move out once more. We easily took care of the goblins that approached, and the few that chose to plummet to their deaths were very entertaining. It wasn¡¯t rare for goblins to just die by themselves like that. I would be surprised at their continued survival if I wasn¡¯t aware of how they reproduced.


    So we waded through scattered hordes of the goblins, made it back to the village, and then commenced a wholesale slaughter of those that remained. We hunted down those on the outskirts outside the walls, and then we used our wagons to box in and slaughter the goblins that remained inside and wanted to go out. They broke and fell after an afternoon of struggle.


    Huge pyres were made to burn down their corpses, and I had half a mind to just do the same for the entire village. It was lost anyway.


    ¡°Haell, you can¡¯t do that,¡± Granuel argued.


    ¡°I certainly can,¡± I shot back, haughty and offended.


    ¡°You know what I mean! People will want to reclaim this place at some point. They wouldn¡¯t want that.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh. It¡¯s all ruined by wicked miasma anyway, right?¡±


    ¡°...Still. They might at least want to recover some stuff.¡±


    ¡°Eeeehhh. So no looting for us either?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ A little bit of looting is fine.¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah! That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡± I unfurled my wings and flew happily inside.


    There were still goblins left in here, and I had fun hunting them down. I even asked my friends to let me spot some on my own, so I could get just a little bit better at tracking. It was starting to get dark so I really had to challenge myself to find my prey.


    I snapped my fingers and summoned a ball of hellfire to illuminate our surroundings once the sun had truly set. Moonwash then made her own torch using fire magic and some alchemical agent, as the color of Hellfire was quite strong, and not the best for banishing the dark.


    We went inside people¡¯s homes in search of our valuable loot, but the small subpar paintings they could afford of their families, the toys that were left behind, and the blood on the walls made me want to actually back off. So we went to the larger businesses instead, and took a chunk out of their treasuries!


    I couldn¡¯t take it all though, and we prioritized the ones in places that were thoroughly smashed, so that we would not be ¡®suspected¡¯ or whatever. Booooring.


    ¡°Oooh! The manor!¡± We made it to the center of the village, and I immediately wanted to rob the late lord of this place, but Angerly put a stop to my dastardly plans.


    ¡°Haell. That would really be horrible for our reputation. They¡¯ve got the resources and the means and the reason to investigate. And even if they can¡¯t prove it, they would just know it was us. And then we won¡¯t get personal quests anymore!¡±


    ¡°Boo.¡± I pouted. ¡°Booooring!¡±


    We went back to cleaning up the remaining goblins. There would still be many left to roam around, but it was best to at least try to be thorough here since that was part of our mission, and every little bit helped.


    ¡°I found the goblin lord,¡± Granuel said, pointing to a random intersection where a larger goblin than the others had just woken up. I skipped over to where he had indicated, killed those in our way with ease.


    ¡°You know¡­ I was going to suggest that we take one of them by ourselves without Haell,¡± Angerly hedged, and I totally sympathized.


    ¡°I¡­ would rather not, honestly,¡± Berry said. ¡°Unless if Haell doesn¡¯t want to fight it by herself! But otherwise, it¡¯s just too risky. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth it, especially since I don¡¯t think I¡¯m at my best right now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Therick nodded. ¡°I¡¯d love to test myself against the beast, and the risk is just part of the job¡­ but I don¡¯t feel up to it right now either. I just lost my ear. It¡¯s affecting my balance and my senses. Haell can at least recover from that if she messes up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to,¡± I simply said and stepped towards the goblin lord. ¡°But it¡¯s an important experience. How about I take the lead and you all support?¡±


    They debated my suggestion for a little bit, but eventually decided that I was correct. This was as safe as things could be.


    The following battle was just pitiful for our opponent. I pushed towards the creature and then held it back by engaging in a duel of greatsword against spear. I stepped into the optimal range for my weapon at the start, and I did not give up that advantage. Not that the goblin even tried to circumvent my advantage and retreat a little to use his spear to its fullest. The pilfered weapon was just a pokey stick to him, and for that reason, I easily deflected away his stronger thrusts and sweeps.


    My friends unleashed their overwhelming offensive while I was having this duel. The monster was beset by their weapons and spells from all sides. I struck him hard at the opening created whenever he tried to go after them instead, and my friends very quickly retreated while I stalled the level 40 enemy.


    The goblin lord had no chance, and it died a helpless death.


    ~~~


    In the end, we went back to Karron village and told them the crazy tale of our most recent adventure. We had omitted a lot of the even crazier parts, but they still doubted our story, so we presented the guild with the few remains of the goblins lords and shaman we had managed to salvage. Specialists were called to identify the bodies and confirm our claims, and while some were too mangled to be easily identified, the few intact remains were enough to convince them of the veracity of our tale. It was perfectly understandable for us to have used a trap to kill most of the goblins: a part of the story that we hardly embellished at all.


    The guild was sent into an uproar. The village was horrified at the extent of the danger they were in. And we were hailed as heroes as an entire party was thrown in our honor.


    The village lord got involved. He gave us some additional rewards and medals. I noticed in the distance that expeditions were already being sent out to try and hunt down the surviving goblins and secure the lost land.


    I didn¡¯t pay much more attention to the brewing ripples in this part of the world.


    I just enjoyed our downtime.

 Chapter 118: Wonderful Memories.

    [Memory Core has reached Level 20!]


    I was just reviewing our fight with the goblins all those months ago when the Mutation that was helping me do so finally reached the promised threshold. I did a little jig upon that happening, ignored the laughter coming from my lazy friends in their wagons, and then I chose to evolve the maxed-out Mutation.


    [Would you like to evolve your Memory Core?]


    No.


    Just kidding! Yes, of course! I just said that!


    [Multiple evolution paths have been discovered for Memory Core. Please choose one of the following.]


    [Standard - greatly enhances all aspects of the Mutation.]


    [Unbreakable - massively improves the durability of the Mutation.]


    [Rapid Memory - massively improves your ability to sort through and call upon specific memories.]


    Oh shit. They¡¯re all good.


    That last one was exactly what I was aiming for, and something that I foresaw being possible during the creation of the Mutation. I had already planned out what I wanted to do. It was going to be a massive step up in power.


    But then¡­ Unbreakable was very tempting. I didn¡¯t know yet what would happen if the organ broke, and I definitely didn¡¯t want to find out. Now that I was thinking about it, depending on how exactly my existence worked, it might be possible to set up some sort of insurance with this advancement¡­


    I couldn¡¯t yet make a decision, so I jumped back into our wagon and pondered.


    _________________


    Name: Haell Zharignan


    Species: Demon


    ¡ªMutations¡ª


    Wrath Heart: Level 29


    Demon Brain: Level 27


    Demon Skin: Level 25


    Evil Eyes: Level 25


    Demon Flesh / Demon Bones / Demonic Musculature(synced) : (All) Level 24


    Demon Arms: Level 26


    Demon Hooves: Level 25


    Hyperdemon Gland: Level 20


    Demon Horns: Level 27


    Mana-infused Blood: Level 28


    Regen Heart: Level 27


    Demon Wings: Level 24


    Hellfire Heart: Level 21


    Memory Core: Level 20 (Max)


    Extradimensional Demon Blood Storage: Level 18


    ¡ªSoul Feats¡ª


    Reincarnator


    Progenitor


    Imp Progenitor


    Progenitor II


    Demon Progenitor


    Demon Harbinger


    _________________


    ~~~


    Come nighttime, as I stared up at the skies with Moonwash laying down beside my armored form, I finally came to a decision. She knew a little bit about my most recent choice, but I actually found myself hesitant in talking about this Mutation at all, even with my closest friends, especially now that it was in my mind that memory core could break. Elfrafim, Moonwash, and my parents did know the specifics since they helped me pick it out in the first place, so I felt a little bad to leave the others out¡­ but I didn¡¯t owe them literally everything about myself.


    I selected the Rapid Memory option.


    I breathed deeply and sharply as something shifted above my waist, and then I let out a sigh of relief once it was over.


    I accessed my stored memories, and thankfully they were still all there.


    I searched for our disastrous goblin battle, and like a fish jumping out of the ocean, it surfaced.


    I thought about the last time I saw my parents, and the memory core immediately responded as a mere second later, I hallucinated that very moment. From the people cheering as our wagons departed, to how proud and happy my parents looked.


    I allowed myself a small tear.


    I then tilted my head and thought about all my memories of my parents in general, and like a school of fish about to be devoured by a whale, the memories presented themselves one after the other.


    My memory core now almost functioned like a search engine for all my memories, and it was fast.


    ~~~


    I got up in the middle of the night. I couldn¡¯t help myself, I had to test something. So I separated from my sleeping friends, told Granuel and Angerly on watch duty that I had to do something, and then I went deeper into the untamed plains.


    A sinister red flame blossomed upon my palms. I made it stronger by imagining all the horrors of hell, of flesh melting like lava, and of hellfire invading a person¡¯s mouth, nose, and ears. I felt its heat, my palms began to hurt from underneath my gloves, and then I stopped supplying the flame with mana until it winked out on its own.


    I created another fire. It felt almost cold compared to what was there before.


    That weak ember was carried away by the wind, and then I summoned another flame, but this time I did something different. Within a split second, I beckoned to my memory core, and I received my prior image of hell in return. I fed that idea into my spell, and the fireball that formed was stronger, if still inferior to what I could accomplish if I properly channeled my thoughts for a short while.


    It was still a wonderful ability, and I immediately tried to use it to create curseflame. I drew on my many memories of successfully merging wrath and hellfire, until a black flame flickered above my palm. I had curseflame faster than I ever had before.


    It wasn¡¯t instant, of course. It still took much longer than any normal spell. But it had worked.


    With one evolution of a single Mutation, I had managed to hasten the creation of my most powerful spells.


    ~~~


    I swung my sword in front of me in the quiet morning sunrise. I immediately recalled the last half-a-second, and then repeated the same motion with a minor alteration that made it better. I rapidly shifted through forms, making small adjustments each time, which I could further review later. It was not exactly a new process, only made unimaginably faster. I couldn¡¯t go through multiple variations this fast before!


    I peeled off from my waking teammates and then found some monsters to fight.


    The first ones I came across were perfect, for they were a small party of tall and muscular green humanoids who were not goblins, but orcs. It was the first time I¡¯d encountered these monsters, and I was very excited because my grandpa loved them, and I¡¯d heard great things!This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°Raaa¡­!¡± They shifted and raised their weapons or bare fists as I approached.


    I smiled and waved at them as my memory core raced.


    I remembered Grandpa¡¯s words, and the smell of morning coffee which I also partook in because it was there.


    ¡°Orcs are great! They¡¯re apparently not sapient, but after meeting them, I really think they are. They¡¯re hard-working, they dedicate themselves to the martial arts, and they spend their whole lives mastering one form of it. What¡¯s even weirder is that while they are largely believed to be incapable of communication at all, that¡¯s not actually true. You can only convey a select few ideas, as far as I know, but any orc, from any continent, would recognize these few gestures¡­¡±


    I drew my greatsword, pointed it at the one orc with a similar weapon, and roared.


    The monsters paused for a moment, the orc I¡¯d singled out pointed his sword at me in the same manner, and then he also roared.


    The other orcs fell back, and I smiled as the duel commenced.


    I charged forward and reached my foe. Our greatswords clashed, and I managed to win out in sheer power and momentum, but my opponent was not knocked down for he had received my attack with the perfect form.


    Then it was my turn to be pushed back. The orc retaliated and I grinned as I parried his blow, only to find the sword nearly ripped out of my hand. This confirmed what I already suspected, which was that this orc possessed an anatomical mastery. There was a weight to that purely physical strike that could not be explained by the momentum of the attack, and he certainly wasn¡¯t using magic as I understood it!


    I exchanged more blows with the creature with glee on my hidden face. I felt anger every time I lost an exchange, but more than that I felt the absolute elation of the moment and respect for my opponent. Without using any external magic, I enhanced my sheer strength and tried pushed my mind to multitask and improve upon each and every move and stance. That distracted me too much, and I realized that I was not ready for doing this mid-battle just yet. I just relied on my superior power to batter my opponent until more and more wounds accumulated on his body and he began to slow down.


    I felt some regret when the end drew near, but I did not let up for that would only be an insult to this honorable orc. My final strike pried his broken and battered sword away from his hand, and he collapsed to the ground, panting.


    He grunted. He waited for an end that never came.


    ¡°RAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!¡±


    He roared in a mournful tone, and I returned the gesture.


    We both understood that the fight we just had was to the death, but I had the option to spare him and I took it.


    His promise was likely to never attack anyone of my kind, unless if it was an honorable duel agreed upon by both parties. Though I wasn¡¯t actually sure what he understood ¡®my kind¡¯ to be. It¡¯d be hilarious if he meant all demons, because there was only one. Making more was just becoming a worse and worse idea as I grabbed and reached for more power.


    I left them behind, and every single one of the orcs bowed. I smiled, and happily reviewed this battle in my mind. I moved through my stances and strikes during the fight, and then I reviewed and compared my perceived improvements to what I did in the heat of the moment. I lost myself in this process, until I just found myself back at camp.


    I smiled and my breakfast stew, before then going through all my numerous fight, and even the fights of other that I had witnessed, all while I ate.


    This was precisely why I chose this evolution of my memory core. It would be a gradual process but something that helped me train so much better would empower me more than anything else. I would just have to make sure that neither I nor my memory core broke, and that would only become easier the stronger I was.


    It all came down to power.


    ~~~


    Months later.


    ¡°Whoa,¡± we all said in unison as the true wonder of this place came into view. I stuck my head out of the wagon, and marveled at the veritable field of flowers and clovers that were not rooted in the ground, but were instead flying in the air like propeller wings. Our wagons shook from the gale-force winds coming from the west, and the fact that there wasn¡¯t a proper road underneath the wheels. I would¡¯ve stayed out of the vehicles permanently had our wagons been any less well-made.


    The constant turbulence continued to howl in our ears as we traveled, but it did wax and wane to a degree, and the flying plantlife reacted in kind, sometimes even settling down to take root. The ground was full of various plants, ranging from trees that swayed and danced but never broke, to grass that seemed able to literally cut through air.


    It had been a long while, but I was finally in a wonderzone once more.


    ¡°LACHITA! RIGHT!¡± Granuel suddenly shouted, and I jumped out of the opposite window.


    I landed on my armored hooves, then began to immediately scan the landscape in front of me. My sword was already drawn, and mana continued to leak out of my pores as I gathered the largest mass of wrath and infernal that I could. I saw my target, a brown and green cheetah traveling insanely fast in my direction. I had only a few moments to react, which I used to position my sword and activate my chaotic waves of magic.


    The lachita impaled parts of itself on my greatsword, and the magic burned and flayed through its flesh, but I too suffered damage as its paw managed to land on my chest.


    I felt the wind be knocked out of me. I rolled on the ground as I vomited blood and felt the pain of some broken ribs. There was a deep gash in my armor, and blood poured out of what my enemy¡¯s claws had managed to cut. My heart was damaged, and I felt the amount of wrath mana I was producing slow down.


    No matter, I had a lot in stock.


    My wrath was made manifest through my body, my wings unfurled themselves, and then they flapped once to lift me up while I was still rolling. My contacts were burnt off by my own power, and I took but a brief instant to assess how the battlefield had evolved. The lachita had veered off and crashed into Angerly¡¯s stopped wagon. The other carriage had stopped as well, and Moonwash was preparing something big over there. Therick was dashing towards the fighting, Angerly raised her mace as she closed in on the dazed monster, and Granuel shot his projectiles as fast as he could from the wagon. Berry too had gotten off the carraiges, and was the one confronting the level twenty monster. The lachita managed to score some deep cuts on her carapace despite its confused state, and my aura and eyes flared to give my allies the time to breathe.


    Angerly arrived, and the monstrous cheetah dodged her mace. Therick¡¯s sword managed to nick it, and Moonwash¡¯s earth spell threw the creature off.


    That was when I arrived, with a mythril greatsword steeped in wrath and swung with the power of an angry demon.


    My own blood melted, and my arm broke, but so did my enemy.


    The lachita was bisected in half.


    ~~~


    ¡°Yes! We caught one!¡± Granuel rushed over to me as I sat down and began to heal myself. Oh wait, he wasn¡¯t running towards me but the dead monster.


    We had been attacked twice by a lachita before, but those encounters were brief and we never managed to kill one because they just ran away at the first sign of genuine trouble. I couldn¡¯t hold back to bait it either, because these were level 40 monsters. That would be a disaster. We were only able to get one intact this time because this one lachita was stupid enough to crash into one of our stupid wagons.


    ¡°Aww. The fur is so damaged here¡­¡± Granuel sighed.


    ¡°Oh sorry. I guess it¡¯s not intact after all.¡±


    ¡°No, wait! That¡¯s not what I meant!¡±


    I just laughed, until Moonwash finally finished healing Berry, leaving behind a few scars on her blue carapace. She then tended to me afterwards, and it didn¡¯t take long until I was whole and hale once again. My girlfriend¡¯s then started butchering the lachita once she¡¯d confirmed that everyone was fine and healthy.


    She might be the one that did the most work here. I decided to help out, just a little.


    ¡°You suck at this. But thank you.¡±


    I whined like a puppy that had been kicked.


    ~~~


    We arrived at the remarkably small city of Torwana. The winds sang like heavily distorted chimes, and a mountain embraced by a tornado was visible in the far distance.


    Despite its smaller size, Torwana City was not weak by any means. It boasted of tall walls that were made only by the best architects, carpenters, and mages. The winds blew ever harder as we neared our destination, but the guards upon the walls and down at the gates remained unflappable. Workers stood beside them, monitoring the walls for damage and doing general maintenance. There were only a few people and wagons coming and going through the city, and the guards didn¡¯t take long to check our badges and let us through.


    There was a road leading out of the city here, but I knew it would cut off at some point, before picking back up again sometime after. I imagined it must be much harder to maintain in a place like this, but the road would then lead to the closest settlement from here, which was also another city. Horlin City was a lot larger than Torwana, and it was built just far enough from the very edges of the wonderzone to not be affected.


    Our wagons rolled through the gates, and I raised an appreciative eyebrow at the city that greeted us. From homes both well-decorated and well-defended, to well-maintained apartment buildings interspersed among the other structures. This continued past the general area of the gates, and into the parking areas that we went to. It would usually be very obvious once you were in the poorer areas, but either that was in a more well-hidden corner here, or those places just didn¡¯t exist in the city.


    We disembarked from our wagon, and then walked across the comfortably windy city towards our favorite place.


    Not that I could feel much of how nice the diffused wind was here behind the walls, because of my thick armor.


    It really fucking sucked how I couldn¡¯t just experience some things normally.


    ~~~


    We arrived at the singular marketplace here, and found a market district that was larger than most other cities¡¯. Torwana had no mall, but this more than made up for it. The smaller population of the settlement gathered here, and I felt that they were just a little bit stronger than usual on average. But what was more important was that there were more standout individuals. Level 20 adventurers weren¡¯t terribly rare, the guards were also stronger, and I even spotted a level 40 centaur walking amongst everyone with a respectful berth given to him.


    We immediately went for the stalls selling food, and got some weird local delicacy called a waramaju, which was basically a hot fluffy bun with thin layers of meat on top. It was delicious, and we ate our fill while exploring the many unique things that could be bought here. From the wide selection of materials, to the many things that could be made from them, and the butcher shops set up nearby.


    Their cuisine was a lot lighter than usual, especially for someplace still ostensibly in the plains, but I greatly enjoyed it all; from the cheapest stalls, to the most expensive restaurants. The city lacked a little in luxuries, and the price of common goods were higher. But there were also loads of things that were cheaper to buy here, namely the locally harvestable materials, and the standard quality of goods and services was higher than in other places.


    Finally, after a fun day that promised an even more fun tomorrow, we stayed in a quiet and subdued inn that I had absolutely no complaints about.


    The decorations were tasteful, the bed was one of the best I¡¯d ever slept on, and the wind was only let in enough to create a wonderful sleepy breeze that very quickly lulled me and Moonwash to sleep.

 Chapter 119: A Sh*tty Encounter.

    ¡°This might be the best adventurer¡¯s guild I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± I mumbled honestly the moment we stepped into the building.


    ¡°That it is!¡± a woman raised her mug to us from the bar counter, and a man laughed from the practice mats after cutting all the flying clovers and flowers kept afloat and moving by enchantments.


    ¡°Welcome to Torwana!¡±


    I smiled, but decided not to speak further. The facilities here were just next level, from the drinks served at the bar, to the training areas provided freely to the adventurers, and even the church part where people could get blessed before they went out to risk their lives. It was more functional than normal guildhalls too, and the decorations that were present were all made from locally sourced materials that were apparently changed out quite regularly.


    The staff was well-trained, and they were able to process our requests very fast. The library was rich in information, somehow containing books about not just this wonderzone, but also the other ones within the purview of Edengar. Moonwash made full use of her gold rank, and we spent a few days just waiting for her to peruse those books, before then telling us about anything that might pique our interest.


    Regretfully, she couldn¡¯t stay here forever. We had to pry her away at some point, but I made sure to promise my girlfriend that we would come back. I didn¡¯t intend for this to only be a short stop.


    ~~~


    We took our quests, and then set off towards our next adventure.


    The winds instantly grew stronger the moment our wagons exited the gates, for the walls no longer broke up the breeze. The rest of the wonderzone came into view, and it was just as beautiful as before. The constant song of this place rose in prominence, and we oriented ourselves towards the single mountain in the distance. It was unnaturally steep, embraced by winds of chaotic directions that were visible from here. It was a howling beacon, towards which we traveled.


    The clearing surrounding the city quickly faded away into alien vegetation, for there barely was a cleared area surrounding the walls to begin with. It was already hard to keep nature out of settlements, but it was made even harder by being in a wonderzone. The mana was thick in the air here, and I felt so wonderfully alive as flowers twirled in the air, and the occasional trees danced with it. So naturally, something had to happen which immediately ruined my day.


    I was shat on.


    Literally.


    A stalactor flew in the air. It was a bird I¡¯d read about in the guild libraries, and the brown fucker shot a hardened spike of literal shit at me from above.


    I managed to react, thankfully, else I would have no choice but to eventually wipe all life from this world. But I didn¡¯t actually have the time to draw my sword, so I had to swat the shit away with my hands.


    Now there was poo dust at the back of my guantlet. And the mythril was actually scratched!


    ¡°GRAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!¡± I growled and stomped my concealed hooves. I was so stark raving fucking mad, but my friends were the exact fucking opposite. They laughed and hollered and rolled across the wagons, and then they laughed some more!


    They will pay and so will that fucking bird!


    I heaved a deep breath, floating through my unkind thoughts like a buoy in the ocean. It was funny, I had to admit. I would react just the same if not even harder if it happened to one of them. But it happened to me!


    At least Moonwash was not laughing.


    ¡°Stinky. That¡¯s funny.¡±


    ¡­Well, she still wasn¡¯t laughing. But she just had to make it clear what she really thought about what happened! AaaAAaaaaaaAAaAAAaaa!!!


    I looked back, to see Torwana city still in view. More importantly, there was a different adventurer party I could see to my right, and another a long way behind our group. It would not be a good idea to fly after the putrid little monster.


    But¡­


    ¡°ARGH!!¡± I roared in frustration and annoyance, and then summoned a lance of hellfire. I launched it towards my target, but the projectile was thrown off and carried away by the wind. It could not maintain its cohesion in the end, and the hellfire lance dissipated into smaller and smaller embers.


    The stalactor farted again. Air pressure built up in the birds ass, and then it was all released in one go along with the hardened payload. The result was a fast-moving spear of shit, but this time I was ready. I swiped my sword in the air, and the piece of shit broke apart. The bird did another circle above, and when I moved it vaguely followed. I realized that the shitty bird might have been specifically targeting me!


    ¡°How do people even defeat these things?¡±


    ¡°Usually, they don¡¯t,¡± my girlfriend answered. ¡°The problem with that bird is that it doesn¡¯t need to come down to attack someone, so it just stays in the air, and few people can reach it.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm.¡± I tried a spear of wrath next, but it didn¡¯t hit my foe from all the way up there either. It was only disrupted by the winds like before.  ¡°What do we do then?¡±


    ¡°We can wait it out,¡± Therick suggested.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Berry giggled. ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ Let¡¯s just stay here for a while. It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°But what about me!? The bird is shitting at me!!¡±


    She giggled harder, and so did the rest of my friends.


    I fended off another sharp spike of shit. The bird had still not targeted anyone else!


    ¡°What if I throw you?¡± Angerly pondered, and I agreed.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡±


    ¡°I really want payback.¡±


    ¡°Well, here goes then.¡±


    My ogre friend got off her wagon, picked me up with both hands, and then threw me as hard as she could. I sailed through the air without the power of my wings, and I regretted how I really couldn¡¯t use them just yet. Still, I made it far enough, and I formed bullets of wrath and fire as fast as I could, before throwing them all at this shitty fucking bird!


    It dodged.


    The projectiles were able to reach, but the fucking stalactor dodged.


    ¡°THAT¡¯S NOT FAIR!!!!!¡±


    I whined into the air as I fell back down.


    Angerly and Berry were there to catch me, and I pouted after I had landed safely.


    In the end, Granuel tried to shoot down the monster, but found his projectiles unable to travel that far either. But then Moonwash copied what he was doing, and sent out many beams of sunlight, until a few managed to hit and burn the enemy.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± I raised my fist angrily when the bird ultimately fled. ¡°You better run!!¡±


    ~~~


    We came across a swarm of singing bees that made just the most irritating sound with their wings. The wagons halted to a stop as the horreks panicked and could not agree on where to go. My friends too suffered, and they clutched their heads in mind-numbing confusion as we stumbled out of our vehicles. I didn¡¯t fare much better, but I clung onto my wrath and the pain of hell. Rage overtook my being and I dashed for the overgrown insects(about cat-sized) and rampaged across their ranks. They were swift and small enough to potentially avoid my slashes, but the waves of burning and rotting magic that followed were too big for them to escape. It didn¡¯t take long until we managed to drive them off, and we could go back to the city.


    Moonwash read, we stayed at another inn, and we enjoyed the luxuries of civilization.


    ~~~


    Another time, we fought a cardillo. It was a donkey-sized armadillo monster that could curl up and travel insanely fast like a rolling wheel. We saw it coming, and Berry placed herself in its way to stop the creature in its tracks. She fell over herself and stumbled from the impact, but so did the enemy stagger to a halt.


    We surrounded the monster before it could recover.


    The cardillo remained curled. It refused to lower its defenses, which I had to admit was the smart choice. The thing¡¯s defenses was really thick, and the attacks of our weaker members were easily deflected. A little bit of testing showed that several truly full-power strikes from me would definitely break it, and the same went for Angerly¡¯s mace. But the solution we ultimately went for, upon Granuel¡¯s insistence, was to burn the fucker.


    Oh, the monster itself was quite inflammable, as I found out when my curseflame had a harder time spreading through its shell. But the cardillo was quite vulnerable to heat, and while it could initiate a spin, it was almost immobile right now with us restricting its movements. So we dug a pit, dumped some grass and twigs, and then set it all alight. All the while, I continued to pile on blasts of hellfire and curseflame.


    The kitchen very quickly got too hot for the monster, and I Therick stabbed it through the heart the moment it uncurled to try and dig itself out of its predicament.


    The materials left were hardly damaged.


    ~~~


    My favorite catch was when we saw a fish that could swim through the air. It looked so pretty


    with the faint rainbow shimmer on its scales, and the sharp notes produced by the stronger flicks of its body.


    We were alone this time, as confirmed by my friends, so I snapped my wings open and jumped so that I may fly and catch my prey.


    I failed.


    My wings were yanked away by the strong winds like a failed umbrella in a storm.


    I crashlanded painfully, not too far away from where I had taken off.


    I was too heavy to actually be carried by my wings, and it was only through its magical properties that I could fly. This meant that while the winds could cancel my flight, it couldn¡¯t toss me away very far other than forcing me to fall.


    ¡°Well, that didn¡¯t work.¡± I laughed as my friends caught up to me. ¡°Let¡¯s try again!¡±


    Granuel and Moonwash tried to bring down the swingfish themselves, but it just swam away after taking some damage. I then spent the next few days practicing my flying, and learning how to stay stable against the winds of a storm. It was difficult, I fell and failed many times, but by slowly refining my technique with the help of my Memory Core¡¯s perfect recall, I managed to stay afloat for some time.


    By some time, I meant under a minute if I truly gave it my all and everything aligned just right. I was still unceremoniously dropped by the end of it. And if I tried to land gracefully, I was just as likely to fuck that up and be taken by the winds.


    Still, it was good enough for another try, and we found another isolated swingfish. I got as close to the thing as I could, and then I launched my projectiles. Most missed, and only a few managed to nick the monster who almost immediately started to swim away.


    There was another way.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Angerly tossed me like last time, and I flapped my wings in the air for more speed. The fish tried to swim away, but I got close enough to hit it properly until it began to drop.


    The swingfish still managed to stay afloat with jerky movements halfway through its fall. That was when Moonwash and Granuel struck, and the fish was dead by the time I reached them after falling down to the ground myself.


    ~~~


    Deja-vu


    We had gone back and forth from the wonderzone to the city, establishing a new routine for our stay here. But then, today, just as I was having a nice drink with friends at the adventurer¡¯s guild¡¯s tavern, someone suddenly pulled up another chair and sat right next to us. She was a level 40 human woman with the most punchable confident smirk on her face.


    ¡°You must be The Harvesters, right? I¡¯ve heard so much about you!¡±


    I looked at my friends, waiting for them to talk to this random asshole right next to me.


    Therick spoke for the group as always, ¡°Yes. That would be us.¡±


    The woman¡¯s gaze glanced over to him, almost dismissive. ¡°Wonderful! I¡¯m Prancine, of the Primal Party. And I¡¯ve come here to make a proposition you can¡¯t refuse.¡±


    She was looking not at my party, but at me specifically when she said that.


    I did not reply.


    She clicked her fingers in front of my face, and I almost punched her. I wanted to dig my claws into those eyes and fucking pull.


    ¡°Heeey! Cat got your tongue? Why so glum?¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Oh come now. That¡¯s not how you treat your superiors, is it?¡±


    My whole body twitched. I could not believe what I just heard. My wings shifted in their extradimensional compartment in my back ¡°And how, pray tell, are you my superior?¡±


    She snorted, as if I was a child who had asked a particularly stupid question. And then she produced her badge. ¡°I¡¯m gold rank. Level 40. Do you not even have the level sense to figure that out? I had some hopes for you.¡±


    Of course I fucking knew¡ªARGH!


    ¡°I do not care for your hopes.¡± I drank a mug of ale, then another one to try and drown the rage because I was this close to burning the entire guild down. ¡°And I could tell what your level was the moment you came here. But you are not my superior.¡±


    She stared at me, almost taken aback. A laugh escaped her mouth, and then she glared at me with all the condescension in the world. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of your feats. I¡¯ve heard of how strong you are. That¡¯s why I have come here to recruit you. But disrespect me one more time, and you will find out exactly why I¡¯m your superior.¡±


    Fuck you. I¡¯ll kill you and make a blood eagle out of the corpse. Let¡¯s see you call yourself my superior then.


    With a monumental effort of will, I answered instead with a politeness that she did not deserve.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    I was confident that I could rip even her limb from limb, but I did not wish to reveal myself just yet. I would not allow her the satisfaction of exposing me¡­ even if she would be dead by then.


    A tense moment passed, but then Prancine ordered a drink for herself and the infuriating smirk returned on her face. ¡°I¡¯ll let that go. I want you to join my party.¡±


    ¡°Were you not listening?¡± I stared at her incredulously, after the tense conversation we just had. ¡°No. I¡¯m not interested.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you don¡¯t know,¡± she drummed her fingers. ¡°You¡¯ll be missing out on a lot. I am a knight. A noble. And you haven¡¯t even taken the same title for yourself despite your heraldry. Instead, you¡¯re palling around these nobodies. You have so much potential, and I¡¯ll bring it out!¡±


    Mana roiled inside of me as I imagined the creation of black flames that would engulf her whole. I felt some sort of reaction inside of me, but I decided to shelve that for later.


    ¡°Thanks for the pitch,¡± I snarked and turned back to my friends. ¡°But go find someone else who¡¯d actually buy your bullshit.¡±


    ¡°...You¡¯re a real problem, aren¡¯t you?¡± Prancine did not leave. She was unable to accept a dismissal when she heard one. ¡°All talented people are, but you just take it to the next level, don¡¯t you?¡±


    I did not respond.


    My instincts screamed.


    ¡°Look at me when I¡¯m fucking speaking.¡± She grabbed my face and wrenched it to face her. ¡°Remove your helmet when you¡¯re indoors and when you¡¯re fucking eating¨C¡±


    Prancine grabbed my horn, and was about to try and pull my helmet off through that, but my fist connected before she could try. She fell off her chair and landed on the ground in sheer and utter surprise. The bewildered expression on her face was priceless as she wiped the blood off her nose with her fingers.


    It was pathetic.


    I stood up. Aggression pulsed through my body as a savage smile was bared through my teeth. My hand hurt from the sheer force I conveyed through that one strike, but I was ready to draw my greatsword and continue.


    ¡°Whoa, whoa!¡±


    ¡°Hey Haell!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, please.¡±


    My friends both pulled me back and readied themselves for a fight of their own, as Prancine¡¯s own Primal Party gathered around her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you! I fucking kill you! I offer to take you in, and this is how you repay me?¡±


    ¡°No one fucking asked, bitch! Shove it up your ass and die!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know shit! You¡¯re a whelp! People would kill for my offer!¡±


    She drew her bow, but then her party members started to talk some sense into her.


    ¡°Prancine, please.¡±


    ¡°Not here¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get in trouble with the guild.¡±


    ¡°Look. People are already talking.¡±


    The kobold guy was right, and I did not like what I was hearing.


    ¡°Who does she think she is? Just because she¡¯s got some famous parents!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Golex the Hero! He¡¯s not just famous.¡±


    ¡°Who cares? Who the fuck is stupid enough to provoke a gold ranker?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Prancine should really teach her a lesson or two!¡±


    ¡°That Zharignan brat started it!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ she¡¯s been here for a few months now, and she¡¯s been¡­ well, quiet. Prancine was the one who wanted to start something.¡±


    ¡°She wanted to recruit her! Is that such a crime!? It¡¯s a good thing.¡±


    ¡°But she was already in a party! It¡¯s clearly disrespectful!¡±


    ¡°No it¡¯s not. Haell just had to refuse.¡±


    ¡°But she did!¡±


    ¡°You guys are missing the point. She clearly got physical first by grabbing the poor girl¡¯s helm.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. It won¡¯t end well for her. That¡¯s a gold ranked!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s fucking nuts. Does she not have common sense?¡±


    Why the fuck are people already convinced that it¡¯d be my loss!? I seethed silently. They know fucking nothing!


    ¡°Fine,¡± Prancine eventually said, after having listened to the gossiping adventurers. A slight smirk wormed its way back to her bruised face. ¡°I¡¯ll let this go.¡±


    I was about to retort when Berry place her hands above my arms that were already holding a greatsword between them.


    ¡°You too, Haell.¡± Her other hand was now replaced by a long spike, because of how hard I¡¯d pushed in the past.


    ¡°Ah, fine. Okay. Alright.¡±


    I glared at Prancine, and her eyes stared back into mine. We would never be friends, but in that moment we were in sync.


    This is not over.


    ~~~


    ¡°Shove it up your ass and die,¡± Granuel repeated my own words from yesterday, before laughing madly. We were currently on the road again, or lack thereof, this time in search of a rare plant that could potentially make a sword sharper somehow.


    ¡°Ugh, shut up! It was a heat-of-the-moment thing. And it was a great comeback anyway!¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure¡­¡± he wheezed.


    ¡°I agree though,¡± Angerly sagely agreed from the front of my wagon.


    ¡°I thought it was pretty cool,¡± Berry hedged.


    ¡°I will bring trouble later,¡± Therick admonished, ¡°...but I¡¯ll admit that it was a great moment.¡±


    ¡°It was hot,¡± Moonwash finished, leaning against me.


    I chuckled, and leaned back.


    Our journey continued, and we took turns killing the monsters along the way, gradually making it further inside the wonderzone.


    I got off our wagon at one point while Berry disembarked from the other one to catch a tumbear in the distance. A tumbear was a very fluffy panda that often traveled by just letting itself be carried by the wind. It wasn¡¯t a light animal by any means, of course, but its tumbleweed-like hairs had properties that allowed this to happen, along with a slew of other Mutations.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look and just listen,¡± Berry whispered. ¡°We¡¯re being followed.¡± We continued to sneak towards the tumbear grazing on the grass. ¡°Prancine is nowhere to be found, but it¡¯s definitely the Primal Party.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± I said in realization. ¡°I forgot my dagger! Hang on!¡±


    I went back to my wagon, and informed Moonwash and Angerly about what had happened. Afterwards, I resumed my hunt with Berry, captured the monster successfully, and brought back the carcass into the wagons. I then went back to my own carriage, and began sorting through some crates.


    Granuel looked at me with a particularly urgent gaze after a few minutes, and Moonwash began to draw on the wagon floor.


    Our vehicles kept moving, my eyes scanned the horizon as if for a genuine love of nature, and then the floor underneath me lurched as our horreks neighed.


    One of them had been shot and injured by an arrow.


    I jumped to my hooves and faced the approaching people. They walked towards us confidently, but they did not yet know that they were not the only ones who wanted this outcome. A savage smile split my face behind my mask when Prancine showed herself, from an entirely different direction than everyone else. My expression then turned into a further rictus of rage as I allowed myself to embody my wrath. The separate elements inside of me reacted, and they wanted blood to boil.


    ¡°Well, well, well.¡± Prancine drawled, and I heard her nonsense as if she spoke while drowning. ¡°You fucked up. There¡¯s no one here to save you now. There is no one else here but us. Are you ready to admit yet that I¡¯m superior!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± I said in lieu of a reply as I stepped out of my own wagon. The armor concealing my hooves fell away, and the contacts that hid my eyes burned. I deployed my wings to show them the depths of who they had offended, and it had the desired effect. My friends had agreed with me that negotiations were futile now that things had come this far. ¡°I can finally let go. Thank you.¡±


    The gratitude was genuine. I was confident that I wanted to kill them infinitely more than they wanted to kill me. And now they¡¯d gone through the trouble of getting rid of all witnesses for me. How could I not be thankful?


    ¡°Wa-wha¨C¡± One of them stammered upon finally seeing for the first time what I truly was, but his voice was drowned out by a different one.


    ¡°Fireball.¡±


    Moonwash¡¯s ritual sailed through the air, and then all hell broke loose.


    The rest of my friends descended upon them, while I charged and flapped my wings beyond the chaos. The ritual had surprised Prancine for a second, but she quickly recovered. So I stalled her further by unleashing my evil eyes and aura. Bullets of hellfire and wrath followed, and she was unfortunately sensible enough to dodge.


    She nocked her arrow, but then I activated my Evil Eyes again, this time of the hellfire variety. The sudden pain, which had only gotten worse since the infernal became hellfire, forced a pained grunt out of Prancine. It didn¡¯t even do any damage other than the sensation, but she was pathetic enough to miss her shot because of it.


    The distance between us shrunk rapidly. Prancine still had the time to shoot one more arrow, and all my tricks didn¡¯t stop her this time, but they still messed up her aim. What truly saved me from a head-shot in the end, however, other than using my greatsword as a shield, was that my speed changed as I traveled, creating chaos as my hooves carried me forward with all the wrath in the world.


    Prancine released the arrow, and the fantastreel-tipped thing went through my armor and buried itself in my left bicep.


    A mild pain registered, but I kept going. I did not let the injury slow me down as I forced the damaged arm to move normally anyway.


    I reached my target, and she tried to jump away.


    My blood melted for this last stretch, and then my sword swung down like a guillotine with all the momentum of my charge.


    ¡°ARGH! FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT ARE YOU!!¡±


    She made another mistake. She talked in the middle of battle, and while it barely slowed her down, it still made it just a little bit easier for me to follow up. My body was puppeted by my wrath, magic was launched in waves by my horns, and my sword swung again before she could grab a weapon other than her bow.


    The elegant brown bone of the weapon stopped my sword for a moment, and then it crumbled under the weight of my metallic rage. The blade continued its arc from there, devastating her torso, and leaving it to visibly rot.


    ¡°No! Wait! Shit! WHAT DID YOU DO!?¡±


    She discarded her broken bow and drew her shortsword, but it was instantly flung out of her arm upon my next swing. Prancine was not weak, her level wasn¡¯t just for show, but she was disoriented and gravely injured, on top of having only one functioning hand with which to use her weapon.


    She could not match my sheer power in that state. Not at all. And I showed only the opposite of mercy upon seeing her struggle.


    I reveled in it. I grew angrier with every pound of flesh that I took. I did not pause to monologue, as satisfying as it would be.


    All I cared about was the crunch of bone and tissue as I gleefully hacked her body apart. She was cornered now, and I did not fear the damage I did to my own body in order to make her suffer worse. I remembered every insult of our one interaction, and I made sure to repay each and every one in blood.


    Prancine struggled to the end. She dodged even when her remaining arm was only a mess of tissue and bone. She kicked, until even that was impossible because I¡¯d sliced off a leg. And still, she found a way. She jumped on her one functioning limb, and deployed an axe kick that entirely crushed and dislocated my left shoulder.


    I crashed into her. I smeared her across the ground. I overloaded her with destructive magic until there was not a single patch of healthy skin left.


    Prancine screamed and shouted profanities even then. She did not stop until she was dead.

 Chapter 120: Speechless.

    I laid there, over the rotting corpse of my enemy. I couldn¡¯t move, my body was in pain, and yet I spasmed and twitched and flooded the area with my magic as I still wanted to fight. There was so much left to destroy and demolish, and I didn¡¯t have the time to be moping around in the remains of previous fights!


    My senses intensified. I could still hear the melodious howl in this place. But more than that was the scent of blood and the energetic din of battle.


    People were still fighting, my friends against the allies of the dead woman below me, and I wanted to be part of that bloody requiem to violence!


    I twitched harder. I forced my body to move. Little by little, with cracking bone and tearing muscle, I crawled my way forward and turned myself around. I rose from my slumber like a rising puppet.


    I fell back on my ass. I could not do it, and I knew that I should not. I took the steps necessary to control the rage, from taking deep breaths, to letting the emotions be spent in solitude and inaction.


    I allowed myself to fall further, into a deep sleep.


    ~~~


    ¡°Hey! You alright? That was so cool!¡± A familiar voice pulled me out of my slumber, but it was not any of my party¡¯s. A soothing sensation of magic stitched my body together as overgrown grass grew all around me. I raised my head to see that my friends were just about finished with their fight, and I saw the person who had chosen to help me.


    ¡°Elfrafim!¡± I coughed out blood. ¡°You made it!¡±


    ¡°Yes! I did!¡± she confirmed, and Astan squawked as if to say he was here too.


    I just smiled and closed my eyes, waiting until I was whole and hale once more. We had planned to meet up with them here years ago, and I was glad that we didn¡¯t miss each other.


    ~~~


    [Extra-dimensional Demon Blood Storage has Reached Level 20. Would you like to evolve your Extra-dimensional Demon Blood Storage?]


    We all sat down together after everything was done and over with. My last new Mutation had reached the level 20 milestone, and I agreed to evolve it. There weren¡¯t any choices this time, the organ right below my heart simply shifted and became more, and then it was done.


    The evolution did not add any new abilities, but the Mutation was already good for what it was supposed to do. I never ran out of mana or blood, and now I would have even more of the two.


    I just needed to eat a whole lot first to generate the additional blood I could keep inside myself, but unfortunately, our recent prey should not be eaten.


    I asked my friends how that fight had gone exactly, and I got to learn of how Prancine¡¯s party fared while I was too busy with our own battle to pay much attention.


    Moonwash¡¯s opening fireball evidently proved vital as it injured, confused, and outright killed one of the attackers. The rest were scattered and overwhelmed one by one by Therick, Angerly, and Berry all working in tandem, while Moonwash and Granuel tried to keep the other ones distracted. It didn¡¯t always work, but my three melee friends could handle themselves if more came to target them, while our two mages hid behind their tower shields and armor to stall the enemies that tried to go after them. They got out of that fight with serious injuries, but not a single death.


    ¡°So why were you guys even fighting?¡± Elfrafim looked at the pile of corpses we¡¯d set aside. They would be stripped of their valuables and burned later. That was more common here for the dead. It was not technically illegal to be turned into materials after death, only taboo, so if someone wanted their corpses to be undisturbed then this was the best way. Only the powerful got graves, because they had to be guarded just in case. ¡°I caught some of the fighting, but no context at all!¡±


    ¡°Oh, well listen to this!¡± I pointed at the mush that was previously Prancine. ¡°She wanted to recruit me, but then thought that the best way to do that was to manhandle my head, grab my fucking horns, and try to wrench my helmet away that way!¡± I calmed down just a little, because the perpetrator was already dead. No reason to dwell on it. ¡°Why is it always the helm and the horns? What the fuck is wrong with people? Do they want to die??¡±


    Elfrafim chuckled awkwardly. ¡°Even I tried it when we first met! That was really bad.¡±


    ¡°You did!¡± I gestured and huffed in mock offense. ¡°Ahhh. Why must I be cursed with such beauty?¡±


    ¡°Because you are a demon,¡± Elfrafim replied confidently.


    ¡°Flattery will get you nowhere!¡± I huffed, completely flattered.


    ~~~


    We traveled towards the very center of the wonderzone. The wagons rolled across the untamed magical wilderness as the mountain in the distance grew ever closer and more bizarre. The winds blew stronger, the song screamed louder, and the monsters were higher-leveled.


    We were only confident enough to aim for the very center now because we had a powerful friend with us. All the information we got from the guild indicated that this wonderzone was a lot more dangerous than the Bottomless Oceanlake that I had once spent years near in. Our current working theory was that the wonderzone of watery depths was simply far larger than any other, so the monsters were more spread out, and they preferred the depths. The lake allegedly went all the way down to the planet¡¯s core after all. Not that there was actually any evidence for that. How could anyone know?


    On one particular night, we were attacked by a striger. It was a sort of large cat-bird monster that preferred to strike in the dark. It was utterly silent, and its fur allowed it to blend into the blackness of the night perfectly. I was sure I could¡¯ve easily taken the level 40 monster by myself in a straight-up fight, but as it stood, were Elfrafim not standing on watch, then some of us might have died before we could react.


    Another time, we found ourselves facing off against a chuwawar. It was a level 40 monster in the guise of a chihuahua, and just as vicious if not worse. Elfrafim allowed us to take on this foe upon our request, and the chuwawar began barking at us before we could even brace ourselves.


    The sound seeped into my ear canals and punched my eardrums.


    That was not an exaggeration, but an accurate description of the pain and disorientation that suddenly assaulted me and my friends. Blood poured out of all our ears, and I did not fare any better, for I was not even the most durable of us all, though I did recover before the rest of them because I just didn¡¯t care about the pain. Granuel had it the absolute worst as he was forced to his knees because of how much more sensitive his ears were.


    Still, everyone was able to recover swiftly, because we were strong. The chuwawar kept on barking, and we just powered through it until Moonwash managed to put up her anti-sound barrier. The song of the wonderzone completely stopped, and the barks of the chuwawar came to us at the same volume as that of a normal chihuahua, but heavily muffled.


    The monster finally realized that something was wrong once we launched our projectiles toward it. Our barrier was also heavily disturbed by the assault, and more of the sound got in, disorienting us some more. The chuwawar on the other hand showed us just how quick on its feet it was as it managed to dodge most of our projectiles, but not all. We had blanketed the place with many different elements, and the tiny dog could not dodge everything. It came out of that encounter lightly damaged, unable to fully shrug off even the weaker attacks. Our opponent was not that durable.


    We launched another volley.


    The chuwawar dodged most of it, and then charged right for us.


    That was exactly what I wanted as I surrounded myself in crashing waves of magic. Moonwash canceled her barrier as it was useless now for a variety of reasons. The chuwawar¡¯s deafening barks came back with a vengeance, and it avoided my magic and greatsword before managing a lunge and a bite on my bracers.


    It didn¡¯t last long. My countless offensives drove the frothing beast off, and then I heard its irritating barks once again. I got so pissed off that I manifested the wrath magic in my ears, and just fucking let it rip.


    I wavered.


    The world spun, the song of the wonderzone stopped, and I could no longer tell which direction I was facing.


    Destroying my own ears did not only shield me from the violent sounds, but it also completely ruined my balance.


    ¡°I fucked up.¡± My throat vibrated, but I could not get the words out.


    ¡°I FUCKED UP.¡± I shouted the same thing again, then remembered that I literally could not hear a single damn thing.


    I thought I was being clever by getting rid of my hearing, but this was worse than what that chuwawar was doing to me.


    I stabbed my sword in the ground in an act of defiance. I leaned against it to keep myself standing. I refused to be taken out of the fight.


    My eyes scanned the battlefield, and I could not find the chuwawar in my field of contorted vision. I fought off the dizziness for a second, and finally spotted my prey. It had circumvented me and was instead going after my friends.


    My evil eyes pulsed, and so did my aura. The monster buckled for a moment, and was not able to completely evade Angerly¡¯s mace. Granuel and Moonwash locked it down with their nature spells, and Berry dove in there to make sure that the monster could not escape. Her big claw came first, which the chuwawar immediately latched onto, and then the blades of her hand and lack thereof punctured shallow wounds into the creature.


    Our enemy tried to break free and run away as more and more vines bound its speed, but it found Therick¡¯s sword waiting on its way out.


    That wasn¡¯t nearly enough to kill the monster, despite the gash that it managed to leave, but it was enough. The anvil had done its job.


    Now it was time for the hammer.


    I allowed the wrath to overtake me, I relied on my vision to tell me where to go, and I made it there in a single bound.


    The chuwawar whimpered pathetically in that eternal moment before the end, but I did not show mercy and swung my sword.


    My entire might and a lot more was behind that strike, and it entirely broke the level 40 monstrosity into separate pieces of gore.


    I had won.


    The world remained quiet.


    ~~~


    ¡°FUCK,¡± I shouted when my friends began to heal me, though I did not hear my own voice. ¡°I SHOULDN¡¯T HAVE DONE THAT AHAHAHAHAHA.¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    They looked confused, so I explained.


    ¡°I ATTACKED MY OWN EARS BECAUSE I THOUGHT I CAN OUTSMART THE CHUWAWAR THAT WAY.¡±


    They looked at me with incredulous expressions. Many laughed, others sighed, and some just kept on working.


    Finally, my hearing popped back into place.


    ¡°...u¡¯re a fucking idiot.¡±


    ¡°Why would you destroy your own ears?¡±


    ¡°What kind of imbecile thinks that¡¯s a good idea!¡±


    ¡°Of course you lost all sense of balance.¡±


    ¡°What did you expect?¡±


    ¡°It was hilarious to watch.¡±


    ¡°Sqwuak!¡±


    ¡°The real enemy was yourself all along.¡±


    ¡°Damn. That¡¯s deep.¡± I clutched my hearts through the armor, and fell to the ground laughing.


    ~~~


    ¡°I¡¯m taking this one,¡± Elfrafim said.


    I looked out the wagon window and agreed.


    Standing in the distance was humantis. It was a naturally level 80 monster that looked like a giant vibrant green mantis. Even I wasn¡¯t insane enough to think I stood a chance. So I stood back, made sure I was battle-ready just in case, and then settled in to watch.


    Elfrafim reached the creature, and they both just blurred.


    I felt a gust of wind, but one that was laughably mild compared to the devastation that I saw. It was almost indistinguishable from the constant howl of this place. They moved at a speed that should¡¯ve rivaled an angel, but it did not shake the environment in the same way.


    I wanted so desperately to bear witness to this battle, but my perception could hardly keep up. So I strained my mind and pushed all my senses to the maximum. My wrath magic could not help me here, but I continued to watch until my eyes and my brain could at least process some of what was happening.


    The mantis was faster, I realized, but it almost didn¡¯t matter for how much Elfrafim won in sheer skill. The creature did get some hits in, spreading cuts across Elfrafim¡¯s body, but they were all shallow, and each was paid for in blood as my friend only allowed those strikes to get through so she could smash her staff into her opponent harder.


    The humantis¡¯ movements grew more strained as the wounds piled up, while Elfrafim barely slowed. Eventually, after what had been a pretty short battle, the opening she had labored to create finally showed, and Elfrafim literally jumped on the opportunity.


    She latched herself onto the monster¡¯s head and absolutely brutalized it with her daggers.


    ~~~


    We stopped.


    Me and my friends exited out of the wagon, almost as if in a trance.


    We had gotten as close as we dared to the mountain that was the center of this phenomenon. The winds here were so strong that I had to actively fight it lest I be swept away. And the sound, oh the sounds!


    The song of this place had reached its zenith. It slammed into our ears in the gentlest ways. It whispered, it screamed, it was a melody of a thousand cohesive wholes. I closed my eyes and plunged myself into darkness, just to listen to it for a time.


    And then I opened my eyes again to the wider world. Vision returned and I beheld the foggy skies and the mountain not of earth, but of a brown and grey crystalline structure. It was very steep, almost like a pillar at times, and it was not entirely whole. The glossy mountain was pockmarked by holes and tunnels that went around its entire structure. It was like swiss cheese in the many openings that it had, and it was like a flute as powerful winds flowed through each hole like an elegant dance that created an entire tornado centered around this place.


    But it was not really a tornado. It had the force of one, if not more, but it was not the shape I associated with the concept. No, this was truly a dance as the winds somehow looped around each other with little disturbance, as if creating roads through the air that continued onwards into the wider wonderzone.


    The animals that could live this close to the mountain took advantage of these air currents, from the birds, to the bats, to the fish and snakes that could just wiggle their way through the air. But there was one that lorded above them all. For high in the sky, beyond the ever-shifting clouds, and at the very peak of the mountain, was a truly gigantic serpentine creature. Its long body of shimmering scales coiled and looped through the many tunnels of the mountain, and on its back were a pair of brilliant white wings.


    I had only read about them in books. With a long body of shimmering scales that looped and coiled through the many tunnels of the mountain, and brilliant white wings on its back. I knew the creature to be a basilisk.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    I finally allowed myself to speak a single word.


    This was the Singing Vortex.


    ~~~


    ¡°Hey Elfrafim,¡± I said the next day, when we had just found a small boiling pond. It wasn¡¯t actually hot, but air just bubbled forth from the bottom of the natural formation. ¡°You think you can take me?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? You¡¯re very strong for your level, but I don¡¯t think you can punch up that high!¡±


    I snorted. ¡°I have not used my hyperdemon gland since my last evolution. My Demon Harbinger soul feat has also mentioned some improvements in my ability to advance my species. I almost want to just bank on that to become a greater demon or whatever comes next, because it might just be too risky to try anything.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ We can still do it if you¡¯d like. I think you might be able to do some damage, but nothing permanent. So it¡¯s okay. Do you still have¡­ that thing where your mana can at least prevent you from killing yourself?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, I uh¡­¡± I looked within myself, and I struggled to interpret how my wrath mana behaved. It wished for the destruction of all life and more, and that included me. The framework I¡¯d built before about how I couldn¡¯t do evil things if I died was still there, but it was far less effective with an element that wished for my demise too.


    I conveyed all this to Elfrafim, and decided that I should at least make sure that I would survive it if I ever had to use my hyperdemon gland again in the future.


    ¡°That aside, there¡¯s something else I want you to teach me.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so I can fly right?¡±


    ¡°Congratulations!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t tell if she was taking the piss or being genuine.


    ¡°...Right,¡± was what I settled for. ¡°I suck at it though, and I want you to teach me.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I don¡¯t mind, but you do know that I¡¯m no expert at that either, right? I only use gliders.¡±


    ¡°And yet you¡¯re still far better than me, and I have wings! I think it might just be my brain and instincts. I don¡¯t think I got much inherent knowledge about how to fly, and my mind is just not built to be in the sky.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ve had centuries to practice. You¡¯re doing fine, Haell. But that is an interesting thought about brains. I definitely don¡¯t have a bird brain either, so maybe I can teach you a thing or two!¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah! But wait, there¡¯s more. This one I¡¯m sure you¡¯re an expert in.¡±


    ¡°Well don¡¯t leave me hanging!¡±


    I went back to the nearby wagon, and produced a bow.


    ¡°Air superiority is absolutely broken. And this will allow me to be even more unfair.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha! Yes! Yes it would.¡±


    In the depths of the Singing Vortex, a new training arc began.


    ~~~


    We spent the next year and change in the Singing Vortex wonderzone, where Elfrafim taught me a lot of things. She could not stay indefinitely in the air during these winds either, but it was definitely easier for her considering that it was by the power of wind that she flew. She could actively interact with and mitigate the turbulence of this place, or even directly ride the wave. All I was really able to learn from her was some tips and tricks about balancing and gliding, but I still managed to improve my flying skills in many more ways simply because I finally had the time to give flying the attention it deserved.


    I never had that. I was often too close to civilization ever since I got my wings, so I couldn¡¯t just freely fly whenever I wished lest I be caught and pursued. It was a great disservice to the wonderful ability that was flight.


    I did have another teacher though. I learned more from watching Astan than from seeing how Elfrafim¡¯s glider worked. He couldn¡¯t speak of course, but there was a lot that could be understood from just having someone who had actual wings slowly show you the process. The limiting factor was that my suprasoar friend also used wind magic to assist with his flight, which I could not easily replicate.


    I did try though. Moonwash made a wind wand for me, and I had a decent affinity for the element. It definitely worked to stabilize me, but I felt that it was mainly because of where I was. So we left the wonderzone for a while, and I confirmed that wind magic helped more in those extreme conditions, but it also always helped regardless anyway.


    All in all, I could see myself using the wand as a flying aid from time to time, but I would definitely not use it to try and fight someone with. It was blatantly obvious how much weaker it was compared to my innate magic. It lacked that innate connection to me that I was increasingly convinced mattered a lot, like how I inherently generated wrath and hellfire.


    Additionally, every moment of my existence was training for wrath and hellfire magic, for as painful as having them in my blood was, it was certainly effective. I just didn¡¯t have that for any other element, and the power I could achieve with each was only underwhelming.


    ~~~


    Elfrafim trained me in the way of the bow just as I had asked. Aiming was made even harder by the winds, so we went out of the wonderzone again a few times just to get me used to normal shooting first. I used my memory core to perfect my aim, just like I did for my flying practice and every kind of training I did in general.


    Once that was done, the wonderzone actually provided a really good training ground for shooting in extreme conditions. But the most important thing my friend taught me was probably how to add an element to each and every shot. Elfrafim¡¯s own bow was an extremely limited magical apparatus by itself, usable only for weaving mana into her arrows. It was a process that I was intimately familiar with, for I always did it with my sword, but there was a stark difference between our methods.


    First was that my weave was almost an extension of my circulatory system, while Elfrafim¡¯s was a series of elegant knots that would not be out of place in either a king¡¯s cape or a ship. This turned out to be a problem for me because arrows were meant to be launched away from my body, which meant that I would lose my connection to it, and the mana would not be able to circulate through my body and back. Worse, so much of the arrow¡¯s mana would just be wasted dissipating into the air, like a severed arm that was still trying to pump blood back into the greater body. I never learned to seal off my weave, as it wasn¡¯t ever meant to function on its own.


    This meant that I had to learn a different weave for my arrows, one that kept the mana compact and unable to escape into the air. I shouldn¡¯t just tie it off, because while that would work, a structure like the veins of a living thing that I had been using would be wholly inefficient for what I was trying to achieve.


    I worked with Elfrafim and even the rest of my friends to come up with a new weave. We had to consider the speed of construction and the amount of magic we could pack into every shot, among other things. I tried plenty of different methods, but in a very ironic twist, what I ultimately came up with was chains.


    I was familiar with this imagery, for it was the very thing that I hated. Yet those emotions were an obsession in and of themself, so I had actually developed an affinity for the structure of the chain. I wasn¡¯t sure about it at first, but I needed more rigid structures like this to bind mana more tightly into an object, so I decided to just go with the method that worked best. Moonwash helped me create a few lengths of chain to deepen my understanding of the structure even more, and I¡­ actually found myself playing around with it as a potential weapon afterwards.


    At the end of the day¡­ I did find the imagery of chains to be very cool, no matter the symbolism.


    ~~~


    A vortex crawled below me, like the pathetic abomination that it was. The monster was a massive octopus, whose body stretched very far across the land. It hunted prey by overwhelming them with a truly massive amount of thin tendrils, each equipped with fanged suction cups that could slurp up some pretty large prey when all put together.


    I continued to float in defiance to the winds as I focused on my task and appreciated the song of the land. I fetched an arrow from the quiver in my thigh, and I suffused its very being with mana held together by chains of hellfire. I aimed my bow, I nocked my arrow, and then I drew the sting with all the wrathful strength of a demon.


    Hellfire was made manifest.


    My grip on the string was released.


    The arrow flew true.


    It fell upon the monster like the judgment of a wrathful deity, and I was pleased to see the fire spread across the vulnerable flesh of the level 40 monster


    The vortex recoiled and tried to slink away, but I did not let it escape. I followed the creature on my wings as I drew another arrow and repeated the same process I had done before.


    A wrath arrow descended like the rod of god, and the wound exploded into gore as rot began to seep deep inside the creature.


    This was a weapon that evidently synergized better with my wrath magic. The arrow would bury itself inside my enemy, and the horrid element would take advantage of its depth by spreading rot and other curses around the affected area in a way that hellfire could not. The wrath embedded within might even be increasing the arrow¡¯s sharpness, for it was an element of magic that worked well with many different methods of inflicting violence.


    I continued my bombardment, the vortex died without ever having a chance to retaliate.

 Chapter 121: The One That Got Away.

    ¡°Hey, Haell,¡± Therick called out to me once we stopped the wagons for a short break. It had been months since we left the Singing Vortex wonderzone and separated from Elfrafim. ¡°Wanna have a duel?¡±


    ¡°A duel, you say?¡± I raised a brow. I occasionally sparred with my friends, but a duel was different. It was a competition, and there would be a clear winner. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll bite.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Therick smiled and tossed a dull steel greatsword over to me. He held a smaller sword of the same harmless make. ¡°Let¡¯s do first vital hit wins!¡±


    ¡°Oh? You know I still wouldn¡¯t likely die if that happened, right?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah. But that¡¯s why it¡¯s a duel! A friendly duel! We¡¯re not actually trying to kill each other here.¡±


    I thought it over for a few seconds, then shrugged. ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    I shifted my hooves and lowered my stance. The time for negotiations had come and gone.


    I charged. My opponent didn¡¯t do the same, but instead took a defensive posture and parried my opening strike. My momentum was spent, but neither could my opponent capitalize because I had pushed him back so hard that his hands shook. His sword might¡¯ve cracked if I had coated my own with mana like I usually did, but I did not do that for this exercise for safety concerns. Mere steel might actually be deformed by my own power at this stage anyway.


    We recovered at nearly the same time, and then a few more exchanges followed wherein my enemy was barely able to stay alive. I grew more and more annoyed each time, and my muscles rose in power in tandem with my wrath. Therick had really gotten stronger, as he was blocking and parrying strikes that should¡¯ve folded him long ago.


    Still, the ultimate result was inevitable. He was brought to his knees and I moved my sword closer to his neck to end the duel, but he dodged at the last moment, and stabbed.


    It was a futile effort that would never reach.


    Except it did.


    The sword was undoubtedly too short to reach me from there, but I still heard and felt a ping in my armor.


    Therick had extended his range through strange means.


    ¡°I did it!¡± He jumped up. ¡°I won! Ahahaha!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± My mind froze, and then resumed in a rapid stream of thought. During that entire battle, it made no sense that he was able to hold back the weight of strikes. It should not have been physically possible. ¡°You have achieved anatomic mastery?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± The one who had defeated me continued to revel in his victory. ¡°It¡¯s awesome, isn¡¯t it!?¡±


    All my training had gotten more efficient because of my Memory Core, but I had spread myself too thin. During the time I had been busy learning from Elfrafim in the Singing Vortex, my friends too had been making strides of their own. If only I had focused more on the sword, then I would not have lost. It was my greatest weapon, and I had neglected it. I had been a fool, and that was infuriating.


    ¡°You tricked me!¡± was the accusation that came out of my mouth.


    Therick stopped celebrating. ¡°...What? Yes? That¡¯s the point¡­? I don¡¯t think you can argue that it was wrong when you¡¯ve been using magic the entire time!¡±


    ¡°But you know about that! And my magic was internal, but that definitely wasn¡¯t! I could¡¯ve ended you in seconds if I were allowed to use the same fucking tactics and you know it!¡±


    ¡°...Shit, Haell.¡± He sighed and deflated. ¡°It¡¯s still part of my swordsmanship, that¡¯s what anatomic mastery is. I¡¯ve finally done it. Can you really not give me even that?¡±


    I opened my mouth for another violent retort, but my conscience finally caught up and I came to a screeching halt.


    I was being a massive flaming asshole.


    I should be celebrating his accomplishment right now, but instead I was so super fucking butthurt over a single insignificant loss.


    I didn¡¯t know what came over me. I just¡­ I got so angry. The wrath took over. I thought I had well and thoroughly conquered that part of myself, yet here I was, hurting the people I cared about because of it.


    What the fuck was I doing?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said sincerely. ¡°That was my bad.¡±


    Therick glanced back up at me, but said nothing.


    ¡°I¡­ it¡¯s my wrath. It just¡­ came back. You know how it is.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± he confirmed blandly. I winced.


    ¡°Sorry again. And uh, I¡¯ve ruined the fucking mood. But congratulations on achieving an anatomic mastery. That¡¯s what I should¡¯ve said from the start. Not rained on your victory and¡­ yeah. That was terrible of me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± He allowed himself a thin smile. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ~~~


    The world faded. There was only me and the sword.


    My body moved, in a series of motions that resulted in a slash. My mind worked and examined this one moment. My analysis took only another moment, and then I repeated the motion with a single-minute adjustment.


    This process repeated. It was done for every move, every stance, and a multitude of common possible flows in a battle. I had acted like an asshole to Therick the other day, but I did have a point about how I should focus more on my swordsmanship. It was the best weapon I had to defeat those who were stronger quickly.


    ¡°Haell! It¡¯s time to eat!¡± Time had flown away from me, and I joined my friends at the camp with the intention to continue my training later. Maybe when we stopped by the next town, I could use most of my free time for it.


    ~~~


    Slowly, gradually, after months of effort, I began to see improvements in my swordsmanship. I saw the difference when I fought monsters without ever letting them touch me, and I could function for longer as my movements became more efficient and refined. It was amazing how much a change in stance could cause so much less damage to my body whenever I overloaded my muscles with wrath magic.


    But it was not enough. I had hit a wall. I could not develop an anatomic mastery, when Therick who was also training even now, had done it. I had the advantage of my memory core, so I should be so much better, but that was not the reality in front of my evil eyes.


    I remembered a certain creature I saw just the other day.


    I decided to do something drastic.


    ~~~


    I found myself running across the untamed plains by myself. We had just stopped by a village and I informed my friends of my plan and that I needed some time alone. I reached a river that should be isolated enough, and then I put on the new clothes my girlfriend made for me. I looked like a lavishly wealthy medieval noble knight with all the purple and blue fabrics I had stuck onto myself.


    Yes, I did take joy in the cosplay, beyond the disguise it offered.


    Finally, after traveling some more, I spotted the beings I was looking for.


    Except I didn¡¯t, actually. They were goblins. I killed them with a disappointed sigh, and then moved on. There might be more of the creatures around, but I really didn¡¯t think a whole infestation was going to happen here of all places if my information was correct.


    A good sign appeared later on when I spotted another group of green humanoids, but this time it was the orcs I was looking for.


    ¡°RAAAAHHHH!!¡± I yelled excitedly, waving my sword around. It was cursed, but not yet coated and bound to me by wrath. The orcs rushed towards me and then stopped when I held my posture straight and ultimately pointed the blade at who I felt was the strongest among them.


    The almost level 20 orc paused, and then offered me the same gesture.


    ¡°AAAAAAAGGG!!¡±


    Her sword was pointed right back at my own, and the rest of the orcs stepped back to make room for us to fight. They watched as if they could be included in the battle at any moment as they quite honestly had the perfect ready stance for each of their chosen weapons. Their attires ranged from wearing light armor or just plain loincloths that were clearly not made for their size that just about equaled my own. I wasn¡¯t even obscenely big, but they had such slim pickings that they could not even accommodate for that.


    That was interesting, but I largely ignored them in favor of charging down my opponent like a train about to crush a damsel tied to the rails. The orc in front of me raised her sword and managed to at least put it in my path, but I simply batted it aside and then continued with my momentum to slam the broadside of my greatsword into her whole torso.


    She fell in a coughing wheeze, and I did not pursue further. She slowly recovered, and I thought back to the fight. I did not think she had an anatomic mastery at all, but I could not possibly expect every single orc to have achieved that level.


    Finally, she stood back up and howled their gratitude. The other orcs lost interest, and absentmindedly swung their weapons around. Some observed their surroundings instead, and then swung their weapon at random patches of grass or rocks. One watched me with wild eyes, and then lightly swung his hammer. I dodged it, and then a faster swing came for me. I parried it with my greatsword, pouring more power into the blow in my annoyance, and the orc was knocked on his ass.


    He stood back up, made a wheezing-breathing noise that might have been a laugh, and then pointed his hammer at another orc. This one was an orc woman wearing heavy gauntlets who had almost defeated that rock with punches that had perfect form.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°ROOOOAAARRR!¡±


    ¡°REEEAAAARRRR!!¡±


    She returned the greeting, and they clashed. I watched in dumbfounded amusement as they both moved like masters despite their silly behavior. They didn¡¯t have an anatomic mastery quite yet either, but I decided that I would bet on them against almost anyone else of their level. The gauntlet orc tried her best to get close, and she delivered devastating blows whenever she managed to do so, but it was never as strong as it could¡¯ve been because she always came to the fight wounded. The hammer orc could not always keep her away, but he made sure that he managed to at least deliver a glancing blow whenever his opponent managed to slip into his guard, and he quickly pushed her away with his hammer whenever that happened. The battle continued as bruises racked up on both their bodies, until a particularly bad blow to the thigh finally forced the punching orc to one knee.


    A ten-count sounded in my head, and the fight was over before I could finish.


    I turned to the other orcs, who had gone on to spar with each other as well, except without a roar to announce any of them. I noticed that they were moving too slowly, and then I realized that it was because these fights weren¡¯t really serious. They were just playing.


    An orc was hit by a club, and he vomited blood.


    I waited for a moment longer, and then decided that I should say my piece now.


    ¡°So! Will you take me to your village?¡±


    ¡°Oog.¡±


    ¡°Arr!¡±


    ¡°Ighh??¡±


    Half of them paid attention. Some grunted their¡­ responses. And then they got back to what they were doing before, whether that be sparring, lounging, or writhing on the ground.


    ¡°Arragggg!!!¡± The same orc that I¡¯d fought earlier eventually said, and they all began running¡­ in some direction. Those who were more heavily injured struggled a bit to catch up, but they still managed to not be left behind as they hefted their weapons and sallied forth. Their running forms were all different, but paired with whatever weapon or fighting style they chose perfectly. They were way too spread out and almost flowed in and out of each other¡¯s way.


    One had gone in the wrong direction entirely, and was not coming back.


    ¡°Hey! Wait up!¡± I called. To the greater mass of orcs, not the one that got away.


    ¡°Org!¡±


    ¡°Ooog!!¡±


    ¡°UUuuHH!!¡±


    I got a few acknowledgements, but no one waited. I didn¡¯t think they understood. I knew they wouldn¡¯t, so I just followed after them until they found a herd of deer, and all of the orcs(except for the one that got away) converged upon the herd. The deer tried to get away¡­ and they were largely successful, but two were too slow. They paid the ultimate price for their tardiness as the orcs caught up to them and immediately started swinging.


    The orcs were all really good with their chosen weapon, but I found out today that they weren¡¯t actually all that good at teamwork. It was a chaos of blood and gore that paled in comparison to what came after.


    The deer died, and the orcs feasted. They ripped apart dead meat with their bare hands, and plunged their heads into the carcasses to drink the blood of their enemies. Bones cracked like delicious chips, and flesh rained in the mess they were making. There was no decorum here, no manners; only the most base expression of consumption.


    I had¡­ seen animals who were more respectful.


    So naturally, I tried to join in.


    ¡°AAAAHHHH!¡±


    ¡°OOooOohHH!¡±


    ¡°UuuGGGGG!!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± I laughed when they started screaming at me. I waited for them to be done, and then luckily spotted a nearby lone rhino. They started racing for it, still evidently hungry, but I was faster. I reached the animal, slashed it in the neck, dodged the clumsy attempt at a headbutt, and then finished the job.


    The rhino¡¯s head rolled on the golden grass, and I plunged my hand deep into the stump left behind on the body to scoop out meat and blood and bring it to my mouth.


    I would have gagged had my sheer control over my reaction not been godlike.


    It was shit, and this was no way for a proper demon to eat.


    Certainly not this fucking sober.


    ¡°Ogg?¡±


    ¡°OOOG.¡±


    ¡°Aaag!!¡±


    The orcs made some noises once they finally caught up. They stared at the large hunk of meat that was the carcass of my foe, and then they began to disperse.


    This behavior confused me, until it finally clicked.


    ¡°No! Wait! WAIT!¡±


    One orc looked back, and I pulled the rhino carcass to him with wrath-empowered muscles.


    ¡°Orrggg.¡±


    He didn¡¯t understand, so I shoved his hand violently into the rhino¡¯s dying wound.


    The orc pulled it back, then stared at the blood in his hands.


    He licked it.


    He looked at me.


    I did not react.


    The orc grew bolder and ate everything that had stuck to his palm.


    Upon seeing that I still did not care, he lowered his head and began to drink from the hole where the rhino¡¯s head used to be.


    I laughed and separated a chunk of meat from the animal¡¯s back before the rest of the orcs could arrive and join the feast.


    I properly seasoned and grilled my own using the supplies from my pack while the orcs set to their free meal with wild abandon.


    ~~~


    My helmet clattered to the ground. My armored boots followed, and then my makeup was washed away. The contacts upon my eyes were the last to go, and I looked at the orcs who were just about finished after having carved great chunks upon the corpse of what was once a rhino.


    They looked at me, they grunted, they sparred, and they rested.


    None gave a shit about how I looked like, and that just felt so refreshing. Here, I didn¡¯t need to hide.


    We took a break there for a short while, and I was just about to get some meditation in when I heard an orcish roar from afar.


    ¡°UGGGOOORRRRRR!!!¡±


    He was pointing his axe at the same orc I had fought before, and she accepted with a roar of her own.


    ¡°AAAGGAAAAAAAAARRRR!!!¡±


    The battle commenced, and I settled in to watch with the other orcs. The axe sailed through the air with massive force, but the sword-wielder dodged and stabbed at her opponent. Blood dripped out of the wound, but it was shallow because the axe had successfully cornered her into a position where she could not accomplish anything more. The axe returned for another attack, and the sword orc fell back. The axe wielder pressed the advantage, and the sword slashed out to parry and softly redirect its momentum so that the other orc could successfully dodge. This did not always work, and sometimes the sword orc suffered some massive gashes across her flesh.


    This furious clash continued as more and more wounds piled up on their bodies. The orc woman suffered from a few terrible wounds that could hardly be stopped by her chainmail, while the orc man bled all over from smaller but more plentiful cuts and punctures that targeted the gaps in his leather armor. The fight ended with one particular clash as one orc plunged her sword into her opponent''s chest, while the other chopped through the right side of his opponent¡¯s guts.


    They both fell and stilled.


    ¡°Did they just¡­ die?¡± I asked as everyone else cheered.


    It made perfect sense. The orcs often fought each other seriously, and they weren¡¯t always in a position to spare each other. This was the only logical outcome.


    The orcs continued about their day as they sparred, trained, or lounged about. I joined them, sometimes exchanging blows, and at other times swinging my sword on my own.


    At one point I decided to sit down and meditate. I had not trained my hyperdemon gland with Elfrafim in the end, but I had begun preparations just in case I really needed to use it one day. My wrath demanded my own death too, so I searched for a reason to live when I hated literally everything.


    The answer was spite.


    Pure fucking spite.


    I clung to that single ideal, and made it resonate with my mana. I unleashed my wrath and redirected it, for I wanted to become too angry to die. My death would be my final defeat, and what could be more hateful than that?


    I continued to cultivate this image. I did not know if it even worked. I hoped to never find out.


    ~~~


    I came out of my meditation to an orc that I thought dead once again walking amongst the living. He was the one who had previously wielded the axe, and the wounds on his chest were still raw but had definitely closed and healed. The other orcs who had been injured during this journey had also healed, and I concluded that resting greatly improved an orc body¡¯s regeneration capabilities.


    One orc remained dead, however, and it was the one I had first interacted with on this trip. This made me reconsider how I should interact with them, but ultimately decided to just let nature take its course. Though I would at least try not to hold grudges if one I liked fell in a proper duel, where I otherwise would¡¯ve absolutely taken revenge for the fallen.


    Our journey continued from here, and orcs came and went into our group; both because they just went somewhere else, or because they died in battle, sometimes to their compatriots.


    Days passed, night fell, and the number of orcs we encountered grew as we went deeper into their territory. We encountered another party of orcs, and two of them immediately challenged two of our own. The orcs battled, and those on our side lost. I gathered from the slashes that extended past the blades, that at least one of the enemy warriors had a full anatomic mastery.


    No one died this time, and after a couple hours of rest, our two parties merged and continued to travel.


    Our trajectory this time took us further away from the heart of this orcish territory, which did irk me, but I had never actually asked them where we were going.


    I decided that it was fine, and after a day or so, I found an opportunity to duel the orc woman with the very noticeable anatomic mastery. Her two shortswords¡­ or long daggers sent waves of slashing power with her every slash, and while I was pretty sure my armor could take it, I wanted to be fair so I parried each and only missed a few as I made my way over to my enemy.


    She was still formidable in close range, and she got a few good hits in to my extremities as I evaded the blade but not the slashing wave that followed. It was a real killer to not know this about your enemy, as I had also learned from Therick, so I sparred with her until I could at least tell when a sword wave was coming.


    I observed her movements as we sparred, and I realized that her every move whenever she wielded a sword just felt like they were more. It was a subtle difference, but being able to spot this would help me assess an opponent, and it had given me a clearer goal to aspire to. I even noticed an improvement to my instincts as I became able to somehow not-yet-very-accurately tell if a new orc that joined our group had an anatomic mastery or not.


    I took it upon myself to challenge those orcs, and the fights actually became quite difficult at some point. I unleashed magic around me to inform the orcs that I had it, but still refrained from using it in the fights as they might get confused and decide to attack. Magic caused them to react in various different ways, but it was good that they didn¡¯t really care about me using it internally to boost myself and my physical capabilities. A few did attack me for the display of magic I chose to do, but they very simply died, and the rest did not care. I found the orcs to be very callous about their dead, as they were often just left there in the open to rot.


    Our travels continued, and I began to hop from group to group to actually start making it to my destination instead of going around in circles. I clashed with the stronger orcs, and I could feel myself getting better as I incorporated their techniques into my own style. My memory core leveled a few times, as I used it to analyze and combine the treasure trove of martial arts that I had found. I even took inspiration from the orcs that used other weapons, as I painstakingly adjusted them just to see if they would be useful for my build as a demon who carried a big-ass greatsword.


    It seldom worked, but I gradually grew better. My strikes became heavier, I parried lighter, and my core became immovable from where I stood. It was not quite an anatomic mastery, but I was very proud of what I was able to accomplish with raw technical skill.


    My dream yet remained unrealized, but I had made great strides.

 Chapter 122: Be Humbled.

    They slept, they fought, and occasionally they fucked. I had arrived at the orc ¡®village,¡¯ and that was all I found. No walls, no homes, nothing of the sort. They just sat in the open, and were uninterested in even taking over existing fortifications like the goblins when they totally could.


    I should have expected as much given what I knew of them, but I definitely liked this place more than any goblin settlement I had found. I could just feel the sheer violent potential as dozens of duels and friendly spars happened all at once. Some orcs came from outside to bring in food which they did share, while others yet lounged about on the massive clearing of bare and barren soil.


    There were other populated areas nearby, for the orcs did have the foresight to at least keep their children and pregnant away from the fighting. They sat, they played, and they watched the battles longingly, but everyone seemed to agree that no violence was allowed in those scattered areas of peace. There were other orcs there, whether it was to visit, guard, or take a rest. They all reacted and fell upon a single overgrown lizard when the animal had somehow made its way this deep into their territory.


    ¡°RAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!¡± It didn¡¯t take long for an orc to single me out among the party that I had arrived with.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!¡± I returned the greeting with a roar that even gave the orcs pause as it reflected all the wrath that was constantly contained inside of my small frame. I walked forward heavily, and the spear-wielder almost flinched and ran, but I commended him for standing his ground. I wanted to test out all my recent improvements, and I was always looking for an excuse to vent.


    My pack dropped, and the world blurred. Soil was dug out by the sheer force of my hooves as I charged, and the level 30 orc barely managed to respond fast enough. He jabbed out his spear toward me, and I sensed a greater weight at the tip of the weapon, so I smashed it away with my greatsword while making sure that the spearpoint was never anywhere near me.


    The spear very swiftly swung back, and the orc did not lose his balance, but I stepped into his guard and stabbed towards the very hand that held his spear. My enemy fell back, I pressed the advantage, and in the opening that was created by him protecting his arm, I slammed my sword forward and plunged it into his heart.


    The cut spread, and it blossomed into a flower of sliced flesh.


    The wound decayed, and the orc fell towards me with a final thrust of his spear. I tried to evade, but the best I could manage was to make the attack land in a more harmless area. I was very familiar with the workings of my body, so I took the hit somewhere on the right side of my guts.


    My armor gave out, and I felt the spearpoint swim through my flesh like a knife through butter, until it was finally stopped by the other layer of armor behind my back.


    I knew there was a reason why my instincts screamed against me ever taking a hit from this now-dead orc man.


    ~~~


    A few orcs cheered for my victory, but most didn¡¯t care as there were many other fights happening. I made my way deeper into their ¡®village¡¯ as I considered why they hardly reacted to the magic that I used. My sword had been thoroughly drenched in wrath in that last fight, because that orc was not one that I could hold back against.


    I just shrugged in the end, happy to learn more about their boundaries and how much I could show before I was jumped.


    The oppressive feeling of so many strong creatures gathered in one place grew ever stronger as I became surrounded by the orcs in training or battle. I stood unfazed, however, as I would never be intimidated into submission. Instead, I only grew more excited as I watched all the powerful fighters around me perform in all the ways that they knew and loved. I absorbed all this information with the intent to scrutinize them harder later, but I was currently more interested in the single most overpowering presence that stood out even amidst this sea of terribly powerful combatants.


    It was coming from a particularly tall but lither orc man, and he was currently working through forms with a dark greatsword held in his hands. The orc moved slowly and with such grace that it was almost mesmerizing, but somehow I knew, I could feel it in my bones, that the blade he carried was lethal with the weight of a mountain behind it despite how deliberate and careful his swings and slashes were.


    Bright powerful eyes opened upon his face, and he pointed his greatsword at another who wielded a shortsword and a shield.


    ¡°ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRRRR!!!!¡±


    His voice was the deepest and angriest I¡¯d heard from the orcs so far. It was almost enough for me to acknowledge his rage as worthwhile.


    The two orcs clashed. I seared the moment into my eyes as the most powerful orc I¡¯d met surged like a tide and swirled like a river. His sword met his opponent¡¯s shield, and the latter broke in two. The shortsword came up next to try and force him back, but that weapon was swept away and cracked so finely it was almost sliced like a vegetable being prepared for dinner. The weaker orc stumbled and fell, and a sharp blade drew a line of blood upon his neck, but it did not continue deeper. The most powerful orc spared him, for he was benevolent to the weak.


    Naturally, I shouldered my way forward through the crowds and challenged him to a duel of my own.


    ¡°Ar!¡±


    My sword was not pointed at him, but rather at myself. It was a rarely used gesture by the orcs, but they did understand the concept of learning from a greater master. And for as much as it made me absolutely fucking boil with rage to make a gesture of surrender like this, I chose to prioritize my goals as to why I came here to begin with. Hellfire surged around me, and so did destructive amalgamations of purple-black. I informed them of my magic, just in case I would need to use it later. Likely to escape, though I didn¡¯t think I was without a chance to somehow pull off a win against the level 40 orc.


    ¡°Ro.¡±


    The orc responded calmly, and took a ready stance.


    I waited a moment further to allow the other orcs to clear the path, and then I charged. Wrath surged through my sword and body as I held nothing back. My very blood was sacrificed to propel me ever faster as I rapidly closed the distance to the center of the village. I swept my greatsword up, and then swung it down in an overpowering overhead arc¡­ only to find myself rebounded.


    The strongest orc blocked my blow in its entirety, and he was hardly shaken by the force of it.


    I flailed to regain my balance, but a counterattack came before I could even recover.


    A wickedly sharp blade tore through my armor and spilled the right side of my guts.


    I collapsed and began healing myself as the orc watched on for a moment longer before leaving me to my fate.


    I did not activate my hyperdemon gland, but instead got up when the wound had closed but was still raw.


    I pointed my sword at the orc who had injured me and roared.


    I was not yet defeated.


    ~~~


    I was defeated.


    Many times over.


    The stars shone down upon me as I laid there on the barren ground in my broken and battered armor. I had thrown myself again and again at the strongest orc, at first in a fit of rage, which never truly left, but that anger eventually coexisted with a newfound respect, and a rabid hungry eagerness to learn.


    Even now, I still repeated those memories in my mind. From how solid and immovable the best orc¡¯s footing was, to how quickly he could launch off from the foundation and become an unstoppable force. There was just something more to his movements, a sort of enlightenment I didn¡¯t possess, and I was increasingly convinced that an anatomic mastery was not just about doing something over and over until you totally master it. If that was the case, then I would have already obtained what I wanted, for I was confident that I had mastered the sword at least as much as Therick.


    There was still something I was missing.


    I got up suddenly, prompting a few glances from the orcs. One challenged another, and I saw a rare instance of a challenge unanswered as one orc just kept on shoving meat into her mouth. I was hungry too, so I went off to catch something for myself.


    An hour later, I returned to camp, and challenged the biggest wall in my path again. I would do it as many times as it took to achieve an epiphany.


    Luckily, the orc himself did not seem displeased. He even took my offering of two whole rhibras, and ate them with the same lack of dignity as any other self-respecting orc.


    ~~~


    Time passed in a haze. I charged forth a thousand times, and I was repelled a thousand more. My arms and legs felt like they would fall off, and they did more than once. The battle continued in my dreams, and the moment I woke up I would throw myself at the next challenge.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    What am I missing? What am I missing!? I would continue to ask myself.


    Through the defeated beasts of the wilderness, and against the weaker orcs who fell by my blade. I tried to copy the elegance with which the strongest orc moved, but there was a limit to what I could accomplish with my body, and under the destructive influence of wrath. Neither was meant for finesse.


    So what am I meant for?


    I did not know if I possessed a single slice of original flesh left, as my body had been broken down and regrown a thousand times over. My armor had long been stripped away into mere piles of scrap that would have to be reforged later. Now all I was left with were bloody rags.


    And yet I did not give up. I endeavored still to control my wrath. Slowly but surely, I became able to move with pure grace even at my strongest and literally bone-breaking labours. I swung my greatsword for the ten-thousandth time, and the immovable orc buckled under the force, but he remained standing, and I lost to his counterattack.


    Once again I had failed. Once again I had lost. The constant defeat gnawed away at my ego, and the specter of rage followed me at every turn. Always, I endeavored to ignore it. I felt the emotions, I processed them, but in a way that was detached and automatic. I caught only flickers and glimpses, but this time there was something different. There was something that was always there but I hadn¡¯t acknowledged in a long time.


    I let go.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!¡±


    White-hot rage. Black-hot rage. My wrath exploded out of me in an uncontrolled torrent as my aura was released purely by instinct. The mass of orcs faltered, but their strongest remained unfazed and unshaken by the display. I remembered that impassive aggression that veiled his face every time I fell. I relived with vivid detail every loss and every injury I had suffered under his tutelage, and I raged.


    As one.


    Body, sword, and mana.


    At the confluence of hatred, I moved.


    As an avatar of wrath, I attacked.


    The world seemed to darken and just not exist for a single split second.


    And then it was back.


    My greatsword was swinging.


    Another greatsword rose to intercept it.


    Crackling dark energy coated the blood-soaked expression of enmity that was my entire being.


    The blades collided, and everything aligned.


    The very reality that I occupied pushed, and my enemy¡¯s sword was hopelessly swept along the tide.


    The slash continued. The powerful orc was forced to his knees. And the cursed mechanism of wrath that was my greatsword grew beyond its confines and surged to demolish all that was in front of me.


    A slash of malevolent energy. A wave of ripping miasma. It was split apart by my enemy¡¯s own greatsword, but the dregs still reached him as his skin opened up like wilting flowers of flesh.


    I breathed.


    I felt weak.


    My body was falling apart.


    I had given it my all.


    My adversary stood, and he looked down at me as I glanced upward at him.


    He roared, and it was a complicated one. Respect, hate, mourn, and everything else.


    I returned the same courtesy before I passed out.


    ~~~


    I woke up undisturbed in the middle of an orcish camp. They were all going about their day like normal, without care for the passed-out demon who had just arisen from her slumber. My stomach growled, and I looked around. I spotted the orc I had fought, been fighting, for the last few months. He sat near me, and I saw that his wounds had also healed, though marks still remained, and the previously pristine and well-fitted leather he wore had become tattered. I could hardly tell how much clothing was left on myself, because my skin was red, and everything was drenched in drying blood.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I said.


    He looked at me. I thought I saw intelligence in those eyes, but I didn¡¯t know if my own were deceiving me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going now. That was¡­ that was really something. Thank you.¡±


    The tall and thinner orc man did not reply. He looked back towards the fighting orcs in the distance without ever reacting. It appeared that my anthropomorphizing of the orcs was a foolish endeavor til the end, but like a fool, I indulged the impulse one last time.


    I bowed. A full ninety degrees. My pride rankled, just a little, but I expressed my gratitude.


    I would¡¯ve loved to test myself against this powerful orc now that I had what I came for. I wanted to see how far I could come with my magic, and my flight, and every other tool of violence I had in my arsenal.


    It would¡¯ve been glorious.


    But I refrained.


    I couldn¡¯t explain why.


    It just didn¡¯t feel right.


    Let it end on a good note.


    ~~~


    I am not a suspicious person. I am not a suspicious person¡­


    I repeated the mantra in my head as I stalked the outskirts of Mirel Village on the cold rainy night while entirely covered by a dark hooded cloak.


    I watched as the gates remained closed. I watched the guards upon the ramparts as they slept. I remained hidden in a taller patch of grass nearby.


    I also fell asleep, only to be woken up by the sound of approaching footsteps and grating voices.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Look over there!¡±


    ¡°A person!¡±


    ¡°Are they passed out!?¡±


    I looked at the three guards and jumped. The humans and ogre were startled, their hands reached for their weapons or their feet carried them backwards. A tense moment passed without another sound being made.


    I turned around and ran.


    ¡°I¡¯M NOT A SUSPICIOUS PERSON!!!!¡±


    ~~~


    After days of stalking the village and them so rudely sending parties out to try and catch me as if they could ever measure up to these legs, I finally found who I was looking for.


    One of them looked in my direction. A silent communication passed between us, I was sure. And then I followed them from afar, always making sure not to be seen.


    ¡°HEY!¡± I finally said once we were alone.


    ¡°Woah. Haell.¡± Granuel smiled. He was the one that had found me earlier. ¡°You look¡­ different.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Tell me about it.¡± I removed my hood and revealed the broken helm and tattered clothing underneath. I used to have spare clothes, but they kept breaking so I kept having to change them out. I had colored my skin a human pale just in case, and I was also wearing my hoof-concealing boots, but I decided that the guards might wrongly accuse me of being a suspicious person if I tried to enter the village while looking like this. ¡°But later, actually. Because¡­ RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!¡±


    My friends were startled by my sudden shout. There was a grin on my face, and my greatsword was pointed right at Therick.


    ¡°...What?¡±


    ¡°...A duel,¡± I answered. ¡°I, Haell Zharignan, challenge you to a duel!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Ah, uh¡­ Right now? You just got back, and you look¡­ like you need help.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll get it. Later. But first, we fight!¡±


    I gestured to Angerly, and she tossed a practice steel greatsword to me from her pack. Therick was handed a smaller one, and he took it a bit hesitantly.


    ¡°Alright! Ready?¡±


    Therick panicked harder for a second, but his eyes steeled shortly after and he faced me resloutely.


    ¡°Fine. Sure. Ready!¡±


    I smiled, allowing my wrath to suffuse both me and my weapon as one. Magic activated along my hooves, and I surged forward like a devouring train. Therick raised his sword to block, but in a confluence of hatred, I slammed my weapon against his own.


    My enemy¡¯s sword broke, and so did he buckle. He fell to the ground, and the wave of wrath that followed dispersed through his leather and steel armor to lash the skin beneath.


    ¡°GAH!¡± He hacked, as I cheered.


    ¡°I did it! See!? I can do it too! That was an anatomic mastery! Specifically, I like to call it the confluence of wrath, or the confluence of hatred. The problem was that we were thinking of anatomic mastery as just an automatic thing that happens when your techniques reach a certain threshold, but it¡¯s not¡ª¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Therick suddenly interrupted my tirade, and my words turned into a frown. ¡°Shut up! Argh! Haell! What did you do to me!?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I stood dumbfounded for a moment. ¡°What do you mean? I won? It was a duel?¡±


    ¡°It was a spar! We¡¯re not supposed to kill each other!¡±


    ¡°And I didn¡¯t! You would be fucking dead if I was actually trying to kill you!¡±


    Therick opened his mouth to argue further, but wisely snapped it shut. A moment of silence passed as I noticed how much blood was staining and flowing out of his armor. The leather and metal were only lightly damaged, but I knew the effect would be worse for what was inside.


    ¡°Ah, shit.¡± I finally said in the ensuing silence. ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I took a deep breath, trying not to retort in a similarly candid way. ¡°I tried to hold back, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m too weak?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I said!¡± I snapped. I genuinely held back as much as I could in that short fight. The confluence of hatred was an incredibly difficult to control skill, and I had spent the journey here trying to learn how to at least hold back.


    I thought he was stronger.


    ¡°What do you mean, then?¡±


    ¡°That it¡¯s a fucking spar, like you said.¡± I paused, just to let the emotions pass, and not let the rage bleed any more into my actions and make things worse. ¡°Sometimes,¡± I continued more calmly, ¡°accidents happen. People get hurt. But there¡¯s no permanent damage, right?¡±


    ¡°...No.¡±


    ¡°Good! Because I did genuinely try to hold back. Anatomic mastery is weird, and the far inferior sword made the resulting attack even weaker. I haven¡¯t actually tried that yet.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Well, good for you.¡±


    My friend moved to get up, and I offered him a hand. He stared at it for a second, before finally taking me up on my offer. I then healed him as his pained expression gradually returned to a calmer and more relieved state.


    ¡°There. Good as new!¡±

 Chapter 123: The Confluence of Power.

    AN:


    So, I made an error, and lost a solid chunk of my progress in this chapter. I worked on those parts again, but halfway through I managed to restore the progress that was lost because of a few misclicks. So uh, it¡¯s good that that isn¡¯t part of the chapter anymore, because I was so mad, and I feared that would reflect in my writing!


    Anyway. Enjoy! All¡¯s well that end¡¯s well!


    ============= =============== ============= =================


    Kilmid Town was a wreck.


    The farms outside were trampled, large parts of the walls were destroyed, and we entered the settlement on our wagons only to find roads cracked and littered with debris. The homes within fared no better, either smashed in places or entirely collapsed.


    A dirty centaur child dug through the rubble, and she whooped upon finding something made of silver.


    People sorted through the carcass of dead homes, and pyres were made out of their remains.


    Meat was cooked over those fires, right next to the butchered skeleton of what I recognized to be a dead rhibra.


    Our wagons stood out, and they spotted us. Soon, a whole crowd of them was clamoring for our attention.


    ¡°Look!¡±


    ¡°Supplies?¡±


    ¡°Has help finally come!?¡±


    ¡°Oh thank God.¡±


    ¡°Baron Kalmer has finally sent aid!¡±


    ¡°Please! Help us!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, everyone,¡± Therick tried. ¡°We¡¯re just adventurers, passing through. Can you tell us what happened?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°We were attacked by a herd of rhibras, and we¡¯ve sent runners to ask for help¡­¡±


    ¡°And you must¡¯ve been sent by the Angels!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s too convenient otherwise!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re here for a reason!¡±


    ¡°The Angels work in mysterious ways.¡±


    They almost lost their enthusiasm there, but they were able to very quickly whip themselves back into a frenzy.


    ¡°Alright, okay!¡± Therick just agreed. ¡°We¡¯ll see what we can do. Where is your adventurer¡¯s guild? And an¡­ area to tie off our wagons?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right this way!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll guide them!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming too!¡±


    A bunch of people guided us through the ruined village, and I found out that not every street was as broken as what we found near the entrance as the stampede of rhibras hardly passed by other areas. Their lack of a decent gate was still a problem, and so many of their warriors and leaders had died. A literal seven-year-old child was now in charge because the village lord died in the attack, and his daughter didn¡¯t know shit about leading. So it¡¯s all chaos, and pandemonium, and almost lawlessness as quite a lot of the administrative officials had also died because the rhibras had passed through the manor at some point, thereby killing many people there. It was a disaster.


    Finally, we made it to the parking area¡­ and we argued about who could be left behind. We would be stupid not to consider the possibility of theft or worse in the current climate of this village.


    ~~~


    ¡°So, how¡¯d it go?¡± I asked once my friends returned. We had ultimately decided that I would be the one left behind, as I could handle myself alone the best. Additionally, some of my friends just wouldn¡¯t be respected by the people here, whereas they still thought I was human. I was curious about the greater happenings of a village in ruin like this, but I didn¡¯t really care enough to argue against standing guard.


    ¡°Nothing much to say,¡± Therick shrugged. ¡°The guild building was destroyed, so they were operating out of some random nearby house. They had a few quests for the few surviving adventurers to help out, but we didn¡¯t take any of those.¡±


    ¡°What quests do they actually have on right now?¡±


    ¡°Nothing too interesting,¡± Angerly answered. ¡°Just some quests for scouting, or getting some materials, or even helping clean up.¡± She handed a quest poster to me. ¡°That one¡¯s pretty good though, and no one¡¯s actually taken it.¡±


    I raised a brow and looked at the drawing of a rhibra. But instead of a normal rhibra, it had two parallel horns on both sides of its nose, and a shell carapace covering its body.


    ¡°A rhibradier.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Moonwash confirmed. ¡°I wonder how they were able to do it.¡±


    A rhibradier was an evolved form of a rhibra. Not just an altered Mutation or two, but its species had evolved similar to how I had gone from being a humble imp to a proud demon. No one knew how they were able to achieve this, because most people didn¡¯t know how anyone or anything was able to evolve their species to begin with, but the point was that I doubted they had access to the methods I knew and used. No rituals, nor knowledge, or anything. It wasn¡¯t something that just automatically happened either, as all rhibradiers were level 40, but not every level 40 rhibra was a rhibradier.


    ¡°Who knows,¡± I shrugged. ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll find out. I say we take the quest.¡±


    ¡°We already have¡­¡± Granuel said. ¡°We were gonna ask you, but Moonwash figured that you¡¯d absolutely be fine with it¡­¡±


    I raised a brow at that, but nodded in the end. ¡°She¡¯s right.¡±


    I did leave the choosing of quests to them a lot of the time, and I certainly would not begrudge a good battle.


    ¡°How about things here?¡± Berry asked. ¡°Did anyone¡­ try to make any trouble?¡±


    ¡°Eh. A few,¡± I said dismissively. ¡°I just scared them off with a shout or two, and I gave about half of our food supplies to some kids who wanted to steal something.¡± I didn¡¯t think that was what they actually wanted to steal, because they didn¡¯t look particularly starving.


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    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Berry nodded, happy with my decision. We could always hunt later.


    We soon left the village, for the rhibras had left the best inn out of two destroyed. There was no point in staying the night here.


    ~~~


    Zaril Town had fallen.


    Haelan Village was trampled.


    Jose Village stood no chance.


    And Kalmira City alone was battered, but not yet broken.


    In all of these places, we collected more quests for the subjugation of the rhibradier and its herd. In that last one especially, people were more skeptical. We were but one party, fewer and ¡®weaker¡¯ than their own forces when they fell, and without any fortifications of our own.


    Therick managed to convince them in the end, because who else would even try? A subjugation force was being assembled, but a stronger coalition had already failed with the support of their home fortifications. Whereas, our reputation preceded us, and people were beginning to expect miracles from me, as the granddaughter of a hero.


    I was stronger than Grandpa ever was at my age and level. Of that, I was certain.


    ~~~


    We found the rhibra herd.


    The wagons had been left behind so that we may stalk our enemies unseen from afar.


    There were just about three dozen of them, which wasn¡¯t actually that many for a herd of rhibras. They had destroyed many settlements, but they also paid a price for all that destruction. The rhibradier was immediately obvious among the group, for it was significantly larger than the others, and it had several other features to differentiate itself.


    First, were its two parallel horns. Second, were the chitin plates along the front half of its body that were thicker around the head and thinner further away. And third was that while most of the rhibras were of differing shades of brown, the rhibradier¡¯s skin was a grey that was almost white, while its chitin armor was a gray that was almost black. I bet it would love 50 shades of grey.


    I had read about this monster before with Moonwash, so I knew a little bit more about its capabilities. Those chitin plates were capable of briefly storing and then redirecting kinetic energy, particularly towards the thicker front. This created for a powerful defense and the bane of fortifications both. From horns that pierced through walls and weakened the foundation, to the shell that would be the hammer of demolition if the first impact were to fail. The spikes and gates of the towns and cities that should¡¯ve been especially strong against stampedes had crumbled against this monster¡¯s might.


    ¡°But though walls may have fallen to this creature, I am no wall.¡±


    The rhibras noticed us, and with a roar, they began charging through the open plains.


    ¡°Run!¡± I shouted. ¡°I¡¯ll scout them out first, and see if we actually need a proper plan!¡±


    My friends knew better than to protest at this point, and they left as I went the opposite way towards our enemies. I tossed blobs of taunting wrath and hellfire at them, and then I ran away scot-free as their momentum was so great that they could hardly turn. I slammed my sword against the rhibradier¡¯s face once an opportunity arose, and the chitin cracked. I smiled as that confirmed my theory which was that the kinetic absorption of the shell was much more useful against bludgeoning sort of forces. The other rhibras caught up then, and the rhibradier shook its head wildly, so I ran back away and took flight. From there, up in the air, I pulled out my bow and retrieved an arrow from the quiver in my thigh. I aimed, chained wrath through the projectile, and then pulled taut the extremely rigid string of my bow that would have hardly budged if I had not enhanced my physique with magic.


    The projectile was set loose, and it buried shallowly inside the creature¡¯s flank. It was obvious, but I wanted to confirm anyway how much weaker those unarmored areas were.


    I flew away, the rhibras followed, and I continued to glide and flap smoothly until I found a grazlibeast peacefully grazing in the distance. I landed just as my wings ran out of charge, and I left the two parties behind to slaughter each other for scraps. A few enraging bullets made sure that it was so.


    ~~~


    I found myself once again suspended in mid-air. My wings flapped, and the rhibras down below ran in circles for they could not reach me upon my throne of wind. They were particularly bad at jumping too, which just further spelt their doom.


    Arrows and magic rained like it was a storm in winter. The sun shone brightly upon the skies as the two elements diminished the forces of mine enemy. My arms began to hurt, and I suffered from a headache that pierced into my horns, but I did not falter. I continued to cast and shoot, to the point that I actually began to deplete the mana that I kept in my extradimensional blood storage. I mixed the two elements, and set the leading rhibradier ablaze with a fire so black it devoured light. An idea occurred to me, and I cut my wrist to make it rain literal blood. The liquid combusted and turned flesh into rotting flowers. I did everything, and at the end of it all, most of the rhibras had already fallen.


    That¡­ was not part of the plan.


    My wings were close to giving out, so I gave the demonic signal with my hands to my friends who were but a mere dot from where I flew. I could not see anyone else, but I smiled when I recalled how Moonwash had created for me a pair of functional wind gliders that mimicked the appearance of my actual wings. I could actually use it to fly, if barely, but their main purpose was to convince people after the fact that my flight was but the consequence of my girlfriend¡¯s genius.


    It was a brilliant ruse.


    I flew towards my friends, and I reached them unmolested. I began to land, and the rest of the Harvesters attacked the weaker rhibras to pull their attention away from me for a moment.


    I landed heavily on the grass, and closed my eyes.


    ¡°Sunshine.¡±


    Moonwash intoned the name of her spell, and I felt an intense searing heat as the darkness of my eyelids was banished. I opened my eyes after a second to find only three rhibras remaining. The idea was to disorient them with that and ¡®reset their aggro¡¯ so that my friends could lead everyone else away while I dueled the big bad. But it appeared that wouldn¡¯t be necessary as they were already overwhelming the two remaining rhibras, and I didn¡¯t have to face the rhibradier alone.


    I still did, however. The monster¡¯s terrible burns and injuries had only worsened, and while I was also suffering, my legs were perfectly fine. The rhibradier charged with terrifying momentum, but I was more agile than the beast who had only gotten worse because of my prior harassment. We chased each other for a few passes, until I found the perfect opportunity for an overhead slash. My confluence worked best with the most straightforward of attacks.


    The blade sliced deeply into the rhibradier¡¯s unarmored butt, and came out cleanly on the other side. A secondary wave of wrath was released by the strike, and it feasted eagerly on the softer flesh inside. This was the true essence of my anatomic mastery, and peeling away the surface flesh was but a party trick in comparison. Its true promise was one of desolation if my enemy were to ever fail to defend.


    The evolved rhibradier whined. It was already limping after that one strike.


    Another clash followed after we had both circled all the way around. This time I tried my mettle against the armored shell of my enemy, resulting in the grating whine of metal against chitin.


    The sword broke through, but the confluence did not cause as much havoc as before. The blade was unable to bury deep enough into the flesh, and it actually got stuck on the chitin. A burst of kinetic force then followed, which helped dislodge the sword so I could pull it out.


    ¡°You fool. You have only helped in my favor!¡±


    I ran away from the raging monster again. We clashed a few more times, which only led to similar results. The rhibradier reacted ever slower thanks to its limp, and it was nigh immobile before long. Its most vulnerable organs were shielded, but I asked my friends for help in the end, and we battered our immobile enemy with utter impunity.


    ~~~


    We went back to the city as heroes. At first, it was only guards who were gawping at the skull we had affixed to the roof of our vehicles, but word quickly spread, and soon the entire city was rushing towards us to get a peak at the ruined rhibradier head, and The Harvesters party that had brought it back home.


    They cheered, they preached, they extolled our virtues, and bards sang about us of their own volition. It would always amaze me how quickly they worked, and how the people here were just accustomed to vocals that would have topped the chart back on earth. It did irk me just a little how much they focused on my heritage instead of me personally, but as always, I had plenty of things to be angry about already.


    Sing about me being a demon. Wail about how I am the one and only Queen of Hell!


    Things quickly turned into a feast, as we had brought plenty of rhibradier meat with us, even going so far as to tie cratefuls of meat to our roof. The guild congratulated us, the city count commended us, and we received our rewards not only for the quest we had taken in this city, but from all the other settlements that demanded the rhibradier dead.


    We enjoyed being the center of attention for a week longer, and then we set off towards the burgeoning line of trees within sight of the city.

 Chapter 124: bugsbugsbugsbugsbugsbugs--TREE!

    Our wagons traveled down the road as the plains gradually transitioned into a forest. What were once lone trees became more, until we were eventually surrounded on all sides by vegetation. This transition did not stop, the forestation grew ever denser, and before long we had found ourselves in a place that eclipsed any part of the forest that we¡¯d ever been to before. It was fortunate that the land had been tamed, if barely, for without the road, our wagons would not be able to go anywhere here at all.


    We had officially left the plains and entered the rainforest.


    These were in the lands south of our home.


    ¡°You guys wanna take a stop?¡± Therick asked from the front. A small clearing had come into view from the side of the road, which should barely be big enough to take our two heavy-duty wagons.


    ¡°Yeah. Of course,¡± I answered. ¡°I wanna explore.¡±


    That was part of the adventure. It was why I was here to begin with, instead of some other place where I would not be in danger for who I was.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Angerly called from the other wagon, and drove it to the cleared area, followed by our own.


    I disembarked before they were done, and took a massive breath of the air. Thick, humid, and fucking BUG!


    Hellfire formed in my throat, and it spilled out of my mouth, in a display of firbreathing that broke my mask. Some sort of beetle thought it was a good idea to enter my bloody facehole, and this place was making a terrible first impression already. Can I just go back to the plains? Orcs are so much nicer than this!


    I heard my friends laughing and I flipped them off. I sat by the side of the road, and noticed how the vines and roots and even the bushes were beginning to eat away at it, and it was already the narrowest major pathway I¡¯d seen yet. A low hum buzzed in the background, formed from the cries of many different animals, but mostly from more bugs. It was a constant struggle against nature everywhere, for nature was more powerful in this planet, and in a place like this even more so.


    My friends finished their preparations, and we gathered in front of the treeline, checking our packs one last time before we dove in. Moonwash still had her notebook open, on a page that listed all the things she wanted to encounter here the most.


    ¡°The diversity here is really good. It¡¯s almost a wonderzone of its own, and it could be argued that everywhere is a wonderzone of differing degrees. The average level of creatures doesn¡¯t seem to be anything ridiculous at least, but there¡¯s just so much more of them, and the lethality of the environment in between the trees has been expressed to be almost as dangerous as that of wonderzones.¡±


    ¡°There are fewer stops we can take here.¡± Granuel had a map that was too big for him open as he looked towards the road and the destinations beyond. ¡°There used to be a lot more settlements because this is where the bulk of the belfegors lived, but¡­¡±


    ¡°They were slaughtered and driven out.¡± I finished for him. They were not allowed to form their own enclaves, especially not without a proper shepherd leader. Otherwise, they would be no better than bandits.


    And on that wonderful note, we dove into the treeline in search of new experiences.


    ~~~


    ¡°Bugsbugsbugsbugsbugsbugsbugsbugsbugsbugsbugsbugsbugsbugs,¡± I repeated like a mantra, to my friends¡¯ amusement, but they were beginning to agree. We stepped around roots entwined on the ground, and navigated around the thick vegetation all around. Berry was having the most trouble with how wide-heavy she was, and sometimes she just had to trample through some plants. All the while, small annoying little fucking bugs kept on flying and crawling around us.


    I fucking lost it.


    Mana leaked out of my skin and through the armor to become a whirling dervish of burning death to keep all the bugs away. My senses sharpened, I felt my surroundings more keenly, and the moment I spotted a beetle that strayed too close to the sun that was me, I fucking destroyed it.


    ¡­I was genuinely getting better at this. Fine control had always been a little bit of a weakness of mine, but this place was really forcing me to adapt. I was almost grateful, but all I could feel was a burning desire to burn the entire forest down.


    What even was the point of having bugs? Never had I ever met creatures so hateful and pathetic. They could hardly ever improve their already weak Mutations, and they would never evolve a single one, so what the fuck was the point of their fucking existence? They should just fucking die!


    Magic popped around me like fireworks as more bugs came close. Most were actually just minding their own business and just happened to enter into my range, but I killed them anyway. A bushpider pounced at me, and I was actually happy to see the giant bug. At least it had some potential and a reason to ever be fucking born.


    I kicked it.


    The monster¡¯s skull caved in and it rolled, but miraculously, it survived.


    I congratulated the beast by stomping on its bleeding and dying body until it was but a smear on the ground.


    ¡°Uh, Haell?¡± Berry prodded me gently with her big claw. ¡°You okay? You seem¡­ off today. More than usual, I mean.¡±


    I stared at her for moment, and then laughed. My aura flared, and I thought of all the bugs I could perceive as an enemy. Almost instantly, the rainforest grew quieter, and I had a beautiful moment of peace.


    ¡°Never better.¡±


    ~~~


    We continued to encounter more bugs of the big kind during our journey. Like how a bungeepider suddenly dropped right on top of Angerly, and she blocked its grasping limbs with her arm. The bungeepider latched onto her, and then tried to pull her up as the very elastic web attached to its butt strained, but the creature found no success. Angerly then pulled back, and her adversary let go of her arm in a panic. The bungeepider bounced back into the canopy, and I wondered what the fuck it expected to happen when it grabbed my giant ogre friend.


    I tried to shoot it down with my friends, but the monster left its bungee web and ran. Moonwash wanted the web, so we tried to retrieve it from the canopy. I jumped and flew up, only to find flight way too difficult with all the obstacles in the way. Therick tried climbing next, which he was decently good at, but he had to quickly retreat from the many other creatures that called the thick and intertwined canopies home. From the few that I noticed, there were tiny birds, tarsiers that could use nature magic, rabbits with long dextrous limbs, snakes that could hardly be spotted, and many more.


    Moonwash wanted a sample of all of them.


    I shrugged, and decided to just go for the easiest tactic of the all. I drew my greatsword, and sliced through the entire trunk of a tree in one go. It was a little bit tougher than the trees I was used to, but it fell all the same. That shook a lot of creatures loose, including the web my girlfriend wanted, and my friends caught as many as they could.


    ~~~


    Granuel had finally reached level 20 a while back, and his improvements were truly felt in this place. He spotted a mantis-spider that was stalking us, and we were able to prepare for the saradonis because of his early warning.


    The monster finally attacked after we had gotten a few seconds to prepare, and it still managed to nick Therick in the shoulder despite all of us being aware of the enemy. The monster was only around¡­ level 30, but it was still able to so swiftly move and jump through the trees of this place. A few more attacks followed, and it was able to land some more hits, but thankfully our readiness and its incredibly lacking offensive capabilities left little wounds on our flesh. The monster was finally caught when I managed to nick it with the field of magic that surrounded me, and Granuel ensured that it could not run away with his accurate projectiles.


    The whole motherload of our ranged attacks followed.


    ~~~


    ¡°Let¡¯s go home,¡± I suggested after we had driven off a swarm of barkbarks. A level 10 darthawk had zoomed through the air to bury itself into Berry¡¯s carapace during the confusion, and she was currently being healed. The particular monster was a long and thin dart-shaped bird, with wings that allowed it to fly straight as an arrow. And it was dead. Berry was the one being healed.


    ¡°You mean like, to Latarus?¡± Therick asked.


    ¡°No¡­ I was just being dramatic. But now that you mention it, that wouldn¡¯t be so bad. It¡¯s been almost a decade.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ You¡¯re right. I do miss everyone.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve been nice to me too.¡±


    We fell into a companionable silence for a while, until Berry was fully healed.


    ¡°Well¡­ Let us go, please. This place does kinda suck.¡±


    I knew, that out of all of us, Berry definitely enjoyed hard combat the least.


    It began to rain.


    Our packs were very waterproof, and I just enjoyed the water cascading down my body as we made our back to the wagons.


    The wildlife became just a little more docile along the way, and I liked to imagine that they were similarly enjoying the ambiance.


    ~~~


    ¡°Are you sure we¡¯re in the right place?¡± I said once our destination came into view. The skies were clear today, and soft sunlight shone along the road. ¡°That looks way too small. Maybe we¡¯ve been turned around and ended up in some random village somewhere?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the correct one,¡± Granuel said across from me. We were currently playing a board game, and we were about tied. ¡°That is Warmingale Town.¡±


    ¡°Eeehhhh. A town? But it looks way too small.¡±


    ¡°Size doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Angerly suddenly shouted from the other wagon.


    ¡°Says you!¡± I retorted to the ogre.


    ¡°It makes sense,¡± Granuel steered the conversation back on track. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that things are just built smaller here in general. The constant march of nature is harder to ignore.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s technically true,¡± Moonwash agreed from the other vehicle as well. ¡°It¡¯s also how the belfegors that used to own this land have lived, and some of the places we¡¯ll visit are just expansions of their former settlements. I¡¯m excited to see some of their authentic building processes.¡±


    ¡°Would it not be the same as what we¡¯ve seen in the tree wall, or just the countless belfegor houses we¡¯ve met along the way? They¡¯re still built atop trees and shit.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯ll be a lot of similarities, but the ones we¡¯ve seen are either new or isolated. I believe I¡¯ll find something close to the genuine article here, if modified and surrounded by a lot of other buildings.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Well, good luck. We shall see.¡±


    We came in range of the gate, and a human and belfegor guard welcomed us inside. I stuck my head out the window to see the trees that coexisted with the buildings, and the taller structures to accompany them. The town was still overall smaller than normal, but they did build just a little bit higher than other settlements.


    Our first order of business was to find a parking area and tie off our wagons and horreks. The next thing we did was sample the street food, and I experienced stronger flavors here as they marinated and preserved their food a lot more for that was the main draw of belfegorian cuisine.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I accompanied Moonwash as I ate, and she seemed to be having a lot of fun just examining the architecture even if none of it showed in her expressions. I happily continued to buy food as we walked around town, and my girlfriend pointed out to me how the carvings present in the houses differed just a little, emphasizing nature more, alongside the usual angelic imagery. The belief was that this would strengthen the structure, which was allegedly how magic truly worked sometimes, but even Moonwash¡¯s artistic capabilities were not at a level to produce such an effect to a noticeable degree. That might be changing soon, once she starts reaching level 40.


    ~~~


    ¡°Those houses seem to be particularly undecorated.¡± Moonwash looked up at the treehouses of a nearly entirely belfegor district. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that their original architecture was very minimalist in design.¡±


    My girlfriend walked to the rough and widely spaced stairs along the trunk of one tree, and I followed. We saw some shops from below, and had seen fit to visit. Most of the people up here were belfegors, and they almost looked at us suspiciously, but not quite. The first shop we visited was run by a belfegor whose skin was a shade of brown that was almost yellow. Moonwash bought some wooden trinkets from him, and then we went to another shop run by a belfegor with near-red brown skin. Most of them still preferred an inoffensive brown that blended in with the trees, but the shopkeeps did prefer their brighter-colored skin.


    We ended up buying all manner of things, from more food, to really good liquor, and even a crown of weaved flowers that would wilt in a few days. I put it over my girlfriend¡¯s head with a smile, and then we visited a shop of pottery and baskets hand in hand. Moonwash was impressed with the quality of each one, meanwhile I was more impressed by how they were all arranged.


    This was a message. The sizes of the things on sale corresponded to a code in morsian. I approached the belfegor shopkeeper and showed her a necklace that Luine had given me so long ago.


    I didn¡¯t mean to contact them here, but it had been a while since I had checked on what New Grandera spies were up to. It was as good an opportunity as any.


    Our receptionist''s eyes that were almost asleep widened, for as far as they were aware, I was some sort of VIP bigshot.


    She did not react further.


    Good.


    ¡°Moonwash.¡± I called, and she encased us in a privacy bubble.


    ¡°The place is secured.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes yes.¡± She straightened herself from the normal slouch of the belfegors. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of you¡­ Haell Zharignan, yes.¡±


    This time, I was the one who withheld from answering, or reacting at all.


    ¡°Everyone knows who you are¡­¡± she chuckled. ¡°But good effort on pretending anyway.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°No offense meant,¡± she shrugged back. ¡°So, is there anything I can do for you?¡±


    I thought about it. ¡°Nothing specific. We just got here. Like, as in from the plain to the rainforest. I was just wondering what¡¯s up, if anything.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there is something¡­ Lots of somethings¡­¡±


    Of that, I had no doubt, The war against New Grandera was a lot more active here, than in the north, and it was only speeding up.


    ~~~


    We had a good night¡¯s rest in a room that was smaller than normal, but I didn¡¯t intend to complain about it too much. The inn had a pretty good breakfast at least, and my entire party partook before we went off and checked out what the adventurer¡¯s guild had to offer. As usual, we skipped the ones asking for bandit subjugation or some criminal bounty, and took the quests for killing monsters or gathering herbs. There were two quests in particular that we had to discuss, because there was not one, but two Level 40 monsters currently just squatting around in the area.


    ¡°I want the lizekto,¡± Moonwash said once we were in the privacy of our own soundproof bubble. ¡°Do you think I can tame one?¡±


    ¡°Oh, a pet?¡± I mused. ¡°I never really had the¡­ stability for one of those, but I always wanted one.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ probably shouldn¡¯t,¡± Angerly retorted, and we both looked at our ogre friend.


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t think I can do it? I¡¯ll have you know that I¡¯m very responsible!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Moonwash agreed. Whether about my general agreement for getting a pet, or about how responsible I was, I would never know.


    ¡°Setting aside how responsible you are¨C¡±


    ¡°Why though! Don¡¯t set that aside!¡±


    Angerly giggled, but ignored me. ¡°This is a poisonous monster with poison magic.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Moonwash agreed again. ¡°That¡¯s why I want it.¡±


    My friends blinked. I nodded as if everything made sense.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you¡­¡± Angerly paused, then laughed harder. ¡°I¡¯ll admit. That sounds very cool. I want to take the job too, if we can actually do it. But do you actually have a plan?¡±


    That was a good question. I recalled what I knew of the lizekto, which was a sort of insectile lizard. Grandpa had talked about them, and they were creatures that could move quickly through the trees. The thing they were most known for, was their ability to spit some sort of poisonous acid that could eat through even mythril if given enough time. The poison would then be lethal once it seeps into someone¡¯s skin, as it was the result of both biological process and magic enhancement.


    The more I thought about it, the more difficult it seemed. We would be fighting in the rainforest so my flight would be limited, when it was already dubious if I could catch up to the creature while it was in its element. It wouldn¡¯t want to get close to us, so it would actively keep its distance and attack from afar. Climbing after it would be even more of a losing proposition, as it would just switch trees. If I tried to take flight above the trees and bombard the creature from far above¡­ then it could probably just dodge, like what I experienced from the level 40 goblins before. And then, since its main weapon was ranged, it could probably just fucking shoot me down. I briefly considered using wrath or hellfire as a shield, but neither would destroy the liquid projectile fast enough, and in the case of hellfire, melting the acid into gas might actually just make it worse.


    I¡­ couldn¡¯t think of a proper plan of attack against this monster at all.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± I finally said. The expression on my face was like I currently had bleeding constipation, and they could only see half of it through my helmet. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can take it¡­¡±


    I explained to them my reasoning, and my friends went silent.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Therick asked. He scratched the scar that used to be his left ear. ¡°No other scheme?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really giving up?¡± Granuel added.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would ever happen¡­¡± Berry trailed off. ¡°But that¡¯s great! That does sound like a nightmare to fight, and I¡¯m glad you were able to see reason.¡±


    ¡°Uh, excuse me? I can be reasonable.¡± I huffed. ¡°Ugh. I thought about it. I really did. But I can¡¯t actually find a world where I win against that fucker in this environment. Unless if I change the environment¡­ no it would also just leap to another tree. But if I just burn everything to the fucking ground¡­¡±


    ¡°Haell, come on,¡± Angerly deliberately spoke slowly. ¡°You were doing so well.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Yeah, yeah. I get it. The lizard would still be able to run away. It could probably survive some time in hellfire, at least, and I don¡¯t know if I can properly surround it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the main issue¡­¡± Therick mumbled.


    I ignored him and continued. ¡°But uh, sorry Moonwash. I don¡¯t I can get you that pet.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She held my hand. ¡°We¡¯ll get it next time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes! Of course! If we can¡¯t beat it, then I doubt any random team would ever stand a chance. So it¡¯d still be here years from now!¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°Are we sure we should take this treant quest?¡± I asked just before Granuel went to the reception to have our quests registered.


    ¡°Yes?¡± he answered, confused by the question. ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was just thinking, but why do they even want the treant gone? They just stay in one place, and the other animals there love them because the treants give them food. It¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Whoa,¡± Angerly said, amazed. ¡°Who are you and what have you done with Haell? That¡¯s the second time today!¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Ugh. Come on. It¡¯s just a question! I¡¯d still be down to burn it all down to the ground anyway.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Carry on then.¡± She chucked and I laughed with her.


    Granuel actually explained, ¡°The treants aren¡¯t completely immobile. It¡¯s already this close to the town. If it ever decides to attack, then it can just smash through the gates, and the monsters that ¡®love¡¯ it would follow and kill everyone¡­¡±


    ¡°Justification acquired, then.¡± Not that I needed it. ¡°Let¡¯s go kill this thing!


    ~~~


    It rained, it shined, and through it all we hunted down our enemies and the herbs and fungi we¡¯d agreed to pilfer along the way. The skies were weeping once again when we reached the hardest challenge of all, and we used that time to kill all of the treant¡¯s friends along the outskirts of its territory. It was a monster that lived symbiotically with other monsters, thus I knew that the creatures of the forest would come to its aid if we didn¡¯t kill them first. Blades slashed, magic roared, and I found my hellfire just a little bit hampered by the rain, but not nearly enough to immediately put it out. The big boss that was the treant finally stirred by the time the rain was over, and sunshine was beginning to peak through once more.


    We walked over to where we could see our enemy, and there I found a tree thicker than most others, nearly bald of leaves, and possessing two branches that were way too big. The latter soon revealed themselves to be arms, and four bumps along the trunk opened to reveal pitch-black eyes hiding within, thereby giving the monster a 360¡ã view of its surroundings. The transformation was not over, as the treant pushed its two stumpy arms along the ground to pull out its roots that were soon revealed to actually be four large and thick legs that were only covered by a short skirt of roots.


    There was nothing to be found underneath those skirts.


    I threw a black fireball.


    My enemy had only begun to heave itself out of the ground when the curseflame rapidly spread throughout its wooden body. The treant did not scream for it had no mouth, and I didn¡¯t know if it ever felt the pain. The wood of its body charred and flaked off, but then the bark regrew as my opponent began to use nature magic directly on itself. It redoubled its efforts and pushed harder against the ground until a leg finally came out, for its body could be enhanced by that very same element.


    This was the terror of the treant. A plant that could use nature magic. It could heal itself and enhance its body, just like how every root and every grasping vine of a nature mage was tougher and stronger than their mundane counterparts.


    It was a terrifying combination, but one that I was confident I had the means to overcome.


    Another black fireball followed, and my enemy burned harder. Its regeneration began to lag behind the damage it was taking. The treant wasn¡¯t nearly as flammable as most trees I¡¯d encountered, but it was still in the end a tree!


    Fire was always the answer.


    A massive boulder was made to fly by the power of Moonwash¡¯s ritual, and Granuel and Angerly loosed projectiles of the same element.


    My other friends kept watch, and they intercepted some monsters that we¡¯d missed who had now come to our hated enemy¡¯s aid.


    The treant finally finished heaving itself out of the ground, and it began to run. The ground shook, and trees fell along the walking tree¡¯s path. Our enemy charged with a speed that should not be possible with its weight and size.


    Not that a tree should be moving in the first place!


    I ushered my friends away, and faced this monstrosity myself. I finished forming another cursed fireball, and I shoved it towards my foe. I focused inwardly as the treant rapidly approached, and I did not let the collapsing trees it had left in its wake intimidate me, for I could do that too! My hooves dug into the ground, and I allowed them to carry me forward towards my hated foe. I raised my sword, I reached for the confluence of my wrath, and the treant could not react fast enough. Even with all its enhancements, the creature of wood still moved slowly and so incredibly stiffly, for a being that was supposed to be over the level of 40.


    I swung my greatsword down, and took its entire arm as my toll.


    The tree did not scream for it had no mouth.


    I kept on running. The treant stopped. And that was when I noticed how the arm was already beginning to regrow.


    It made sense. Nature magic was not subject to the same limitations as healing magic as it was able to make plants grow rapidly without limit, although the process did create a lot of weaknesses in the plant¡¯s structure which might cause its death later on. I also saw the treant¡¯s root-like legs digging into the ground to presumably pull out more nutrients to fuel its regeneration. So it wasn¡¯t completely costless after all.


    I did not waste this time given to me either, and threw another set of curseflame bombs. My enemy burned, until it began to give chase again without ever having to turn itself around. It had eyes on all sides of its body after all, and its limbs were not subject to the same joints as my own. Not that they couldn¡¯t be cut off, like any other.


    I met the treant¡¯s charge head-on like before, and I used my anatomic mastery again, this time to attack the very center of its trunk. My blade buried somewhat deeply, but it could not go all the way and the metal got stuck. I let it go and jumped back, lest I be caught and killed by my enemy. Vines grew out of its wooden body as it tried to hug me with its bigger arms, and I unleashed my magic to cut those off and escape. The treant did not even have a focus to affect magic outside of itself, but it seemed like that wasn¡¯t a problem at all if it could just alter its body to grow more vines and roots, and control everything through the use of magic.


    I shrugged and bombarded it with more projectiles of curseflame. That previous maneuver had really damaged and torn some of my ligaments, but I did not let it affect me. I could still keep myself ahead of the creature despite all my self-inflicted injuries.


    My friends continued to hunt down any creature trying to intervene on behalf of my adversary, and Moonwash tossed heals of light down my way. Layers of bark and wood were stripped away from my enemy, until it finally began to slow down. The treant was suffering, it could not heal as fast as it used to, nor could it move with the same agility. This was a point that even most gold-rank adventurers could not reach, but I had accomplished it. My destructive capabilities were without compare, for they could outstrip even the power of people an evolution above my own.


    I had to deplete over half of all my stores, but the tough and defensive treant ran out of mana before I did.


    I retrieved my greatsword that had gotten stuck earlier and checked the wound left behind. I cocked my head when the destruction had only marginally spread, and then realized that this was because my opponent was all wood. The main strength of my anatomic mastery was how much it could mess up the squishy insides, but the treant was stiff and hard to the core. Even its ¡®eyes¡¯ were like marbles of steel.


    I chuckled and cut off all its limbs. The monster would die soon, but I hacked away at it anyway to hasten the process. There was no central lethal organ to aim for, though I did avoid the large nature magic repository it surely had. It even possessed a different sort of mana fount of its own that was made of a harder sort of material.


    The dead carcass of our enemy was the treasure we wanted all along.


    [Wrath Heart has reached Level 35!]

 Chapter 125: The Enemy of an Enemy is my Friend

    Hey hey! Sorry for the very late chapter aAaaAAAaAAaAaaAAaaAaHHhhhHH! I had some decision paralysis with some choices made in this chapter, and my backlog is dead, so I couldn¡¯t make it on time. And then this chapter turned out to be an even bigger chunker than I thought! It¡¯s almost 6K words! Just 30 words off! (As of the second draft. Might still rise or fall before the third and final one.) I almost want to just¡­ vomit out 30 more words to hit a new record¡­ but I must not. I will not compromise the quality for that.


    But since it¡¯s a 6K word chapter(just give me this pls) that¡¯s uhh, 2 chapters worth? Can we just say this is 2 chapters worth of content? Please? Pretty please?


    Okay? Okay! Thank you!


    Thank you for your continued support. If you¡¯re feeling down, then I hope this cheers you up just a little. And now please enjoy the show!


    (Reminder that my author notes are written for whatever''s happening when I post to Patreon.)


    =========== ============ ============ ============== ============


    The City of Beslow.


    It was an urban sprawl of tall buildings and taller trees with the occasional ramps and ropes crisscrossing the upper floors and canopies. It was funny that there were even any to begin with, as the structures weren¡¯t actually that high. Certainly nothing compared to the skyscrapers of Earth. But I liked their inclusion anyway.


    The belfegors used them a lot, but they weren¡¯t the only ones there, as the design of the city truly came into a chaotic life. I continued to traverse it with my friends as we explored different galleries, smiths, and forges to see the best this side of Edengar had to offer.


    I cockroach flew by towards me, and I subconsciously stifled it with my magic.


    Only Granuel noticed.


    ¡°Something up?¡±


    ¡°No. Nothing. Bug. I¡¯m losing my fucking mind.¡±


    It had been almost a year since we had arrived in the rainforest, and my training did not wait for anyone. I made sure to not neglect my sword this time, I became even better at using my magic during our long travels, and I did not stop preying on the little bugs even if I was admittedly exaggerating my hatred of them. They made for fine fodder regardless.


    But now they were everywhere.


    In my quest to develop finer control over magic, and to improve my sensory abilities, I had been led to truly come to know how the bugs scurried just underneath every surface, and how they nested in the places above and around us. It was actually quite fun hunting for all their hiding spots, until I became able to feel just a few them underneath my hooves. This opened up my senses to the many other things and creatures around me, and now I could potentially spot dangers and ambushes as well. It felt like¡­ some sort of mixture of my level sense, and my nascent ability to get a very vague and indeterminate sense of the fleeting ambient mana. The latter was something that I believe had been steadily getting better, if incredibly minutely so, ever since the greater magic had noticed me and never left.


    Not that my newfound sensitivity to things could compare at all to what Granuel was capable of, but it was good to cover for my weaknesses.


    Just like right now, when a hooded belfegor man walked faster behind us and was about to deliberately run into me. I dodged his rude efforts, and then grabbed his shoulder before he could escape.


    ¡°Hey there, friend. We almost bumped into each other. Good thing we didn¡¯t, hmm?¡±


    ¡°Oh! I, uh, uhmmm¡­ I¡¯m sorry,¡± he very timidly apologized, and we both just paused once we got a good look at each other. My eyes lingered on his attire and the various accessories he was wearing.


    Finally, after a long moment, I spoke, ¡°No, no. I overreacted.¡± I clapped him on the shoulder with an unseen smile. ¡°Carry on.¡±


    He walked away, and I went to a restaurant with my friends. Finally, once we were seated, I asked Moonwash to put up a sound barrier.


    ¡°So¡­ Rebel forces want a meeting with me.¡±


    Help. North. West. I remembered the various codes hidden within the belfegor man¡¯s attire, and deciphered them.


    ¡°What for?¡± Therick asked after a pause had passed.


    ¡°No clue yet,¡± I shrugged. ¡°But they should be somewhere that way,¡± I pointed at the north-western part of the city. ¡°Granuel, can you go check where they are?¡±


    The New Grandera people were always so hard to find. You¡¯d be left staring at so many displays for hours trying to determine if there was some secret code there or if you were just crazy.


    It was probably a good thing that they were that well-hidden.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Granuel responded. He had interacted with them the most out of all of us. ¡°I¡¯ll go look into it.¡±


    ¡°This is exciting.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried.¡±


    Angerly and Berry looked at each other after they made those last two comments, and laughed.


    The sound barrier was dropped, and I received our order of smoked river eel. It was my favorite dish this side of Edengar, and I intended to enjoy it. I didn¡¯t intend to stress over a rebellion that wasn¡¯t even my own.


    ~~~


    Granuel led me to the poorer parts of the city. The people here were overworked and less well-off, but slums as I knew it didn¡¯t really appear in Edengar because the leadership would just kill them. Along the way, I passed by a full group of level 20s, and one level 40 ogre.


    ¡°Excuse me, are you Haell Zharignan, the daughter of the Hero Golex?¡± a human mage stepped away from the party, and his fellows stopped to listen.


    ¡°Granddaughter, but yes,¡± I answered curtly.


    The person before me took my aloof and uninterested attitude in stride.


    ¡°Ah, I misspoke. I just wanted to say that it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. This is my party of the Crimson Hunters.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    He struggled for a moment, at my unwillingness to keep up the conversation.


    ¡°I¡¯m Alecus. Would you happen to be joining in the bandit raid in a few days?¡±


    ¡°A bandit raid? You¡¯re bandits?¡± I smirked, though my mirth could only be seen in my eyes.


    ¡°Angels no! We¡¯re the ones who shall bring them to justice! They¡¯ve already killed far too many adventuring teams sent after them!¡±


    My smile fell when he clearly didn¡¯t get the joke.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Another pause.


    ¡°So, um¡­ Would you happen to be going? It¡¯d be reassuring to have the famed Harvesters with us, and we¡¯ve always wanted to see you in action!¡±


    ¡°We shall see,¡± I shrugged, uncaring. I had no problems killing any bandits that dared to attack me or my friends, but there was a reason why I never took on those quests.


    ¡°The quests are in the guild if you¡¯re interested!¡± he shouted to my departing back. ¡°The pay is really good, and it¡¯s exactly the kind of valiant mission for a future hero like you!¡±


    I stifled a small laugh and a stronger cringe. As far as I knew, he was just a random adventurer. Why the fuck was he so desperately trying to sell me on a random quest?


    Weird.


    ~~~


    We made it to the hideout that Granuel had found, and we were led to the back of the clotheshop after I¡¯d made a few purchases of my own.


    I set down the anti-sound enchantment that Moonwash had made for me, barely enough to cover the small table that the three of us had all huddled around.


    ¡°So. I heard that you need my help?¡±


    ¡°Direct to the point,¡± he smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re the next coming of Golex, and an incorrigible ruffian in equal measure.¡±


    ¡°And both are correct.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. I¡¯ll get straight to business, then. Are you aware of belfegor enclaves?¡±


    ¡°A bit. They don¡¯t exist anymore on account of being wiped out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the common knowledge, yes. Hmmm, are you also aware of nomadic belfegor tribes?¡±


    ¡°Nomadic? I might have heard a thing or two, but I won¡¯t pretend that I¡¯m familiar, no.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Well, they¡¯ve always been a thing, but recently, they¡¯ve also been the one last way for the belfegor tribes to continue to exist in Edengar. Most have either perished or moved to New Grandera by now, like all the other belfegor tribes, but sometimes new nomadic ones are built. Of course, since their existence is not sanctioned by the state, they are bandits by default, and well¡­¡±


    ¡°Now they¡¯re being hunted down.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But this one is led by a level 40 belfegor. They¡¯ve actually been successful in repelling attacks, and have turned the tables on many of those who tried to kill them. The problem now is that a bigger raid is being organized across many towns and cities that we¡¯re afraid will inevitably corner and wipe them out.¡±


    ¡°I see. And you want us to stop them?¡±


    The ishkawtan man laughed. ¡°If you can, then sure! But they¡¯re already running away to New Grandera. I just want your help in thwarting this force, so the nomads can slip away.¡±


    ¡°Ah, new citizens,¡± I smiled at him, but he actually shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m part of the resistance, but I am not an operative of New Grandera.¡±


    And there was a difference. I usually just conflated the two, but they weren''t entirely synonymous. There were plenty of people dissatisfied with the current regime, but were not part of New Grandera.


    ¡°Alright. That¡¯s fine,¡± I eventually nodded. ¡°But you are doing New Grandera¡¯s bidding, yes?¡±


    ¡°Because those people have nowhere else to go! I do not believe in borders, only people. And I¡¯ll work with anyone to ensure a brighter future for all.¡±


    The passion bled through his face for a few seconds, and then he got embarrassed. I only smiled, for I had a weakness to those kinds of sentiments, and I was well aware of it. ¡°You¡¯ll love the elves.¡±


    ¡°The elves?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The elves.¡± People lacked so much knowledge about them, so I told this proud resistance member just a little about them.


    ¡°But we¡¯re getting off track,¡± I eventually said. ¡°I empathize with your plight, but if I¡¯m going to do this, then I¡¯m going to need more information, and it won¡¯t be for free.¡±


    You know how it is, in today¡¯s economy. I decided against making the joke. I was absurdly wealthy.


    ¡°That is fair,¡± the operative across from me eventually agreed.


    I gestured to Granuel, and the negotiations began.


    ~~~


    ¡°That is¡­¡±


    My friends gathered around the intricately made table and stared at the even more intricately carved token. I had returned to our suite to have a meeting with the full party, and I presented to them the price I¡¯d extracted for my participation in an upcoming conflict. The token was a currency for favors among the various rebel forces, and this was of the highest caliber. One could only imagine what it could be exchanged for, but it was definitely more valuable to me than sheer gold.


    I proceeded to explain to them how I, but mostly Granuel, had obtained this prized object, along with materials and books from outside the empire to be delivered. I was a mere level 30 human as far as the ishkawtan spy was aware, but he was convinced of my abilities after a small demonstration outside the bounds of the city. No one even knew we left, for we took a very well-hidden tunnel from the upper districts.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have accepted without consulting us first,¡± were the first words out of Therick¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Were you not listening? I accepted it for myself, not for you.¡± And they would actually be offered another token as a collective, if they decided to accompany me. I didn¡¯t know if I wanted that.


    ¡°Even so. We¡¯re a party. You can¡¯t just make a decision like this.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yes I can. I can have my own solo projects too.¡±


    ¡°Not if it implicates all of us!¡± his voice raised, and I stared at him.


    ¡°...You¡¯re not wrong,¡± I finally admitted. They would be suspected of having colluded with me, and worst case scenario¡­ a shepherd would check. ¡°But it was always going to end this way. I¡¯ll find myself in conflict with the empire eventually.¡±


    ¡°...So that¡¯s it, then? This is it? We¡¯re going to have to be on the run? Hunted?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not impossible. But don¡¯t be dramatic, come on. I am going to have a disguise, and I¡¯ll do all the things to ensure I¡¯m not identified. Just some random asshole, or even a monster, passing through.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re sure this will work?¡±


    ¡°You can never be sure of anything,¡± I shook my head. ¡°But if you¡¯re that worried, then I¡¯ll mostly operate alone and leave no survivors. There.¡±


    There was a deep silence for a moment. I took the time to admire the decor. The suite was smaller than what most inns would offer at the same price, but it felt entirely worth my money all the same.


    ¡°I have¡­ concerns,¡± Angerly was the one to break the silence, and I raised a brow for her to continue. ¡°You¡¯re famous. Everyone knows of your feats, of your hellfire and wrath.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    That forced a chuckle out of her. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant! People are familiar with your very distinctive greatsword, and the magical elements that you wield.¡±


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Eh. Not that familiar. I don¡¯t really fight in public, unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary. People know I got some weird deep-red flame, but none of the specifics. And few would dare to sing and gossip about my curse-aligned magic as that was a deep taboo, and most people would refuse to believe it, if they¡¯d even heard of it at all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ fair. But I¡¯m not worried about random people or even the very soldiers and adventurers you¡¯re fighting finding out. I¡¯m worried about the traces left behind, and inquisitors coming to investigate.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Inquisitor teams were basically the detectives of the empire, and they were usually composed of at least one shepherd, one ishkawtan, and maybe one human. They were very good at their job, and mana did leave a vague and fading impression in an area¡­ ¡°Shit. You might be right. Do you think they can actually detect something that minute and trace it back to me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ possible,¡± Granuel supplied. ¡°I think I probably can gleam something if it¡¯s fresh enough.¡± Magical senses were often at least marginally proportional to ¡®real¡¯ senses.


    ¡°Shit. Well, shit shit shit. Why didn¡¯t you tell me back then when we were negotiating!?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think about it! I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    I paused. ¡°I¡­ no. I didn¡¯t think of it either. It¡¯s not your fault. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°This is why you should¡¯ve consulted us first.¡±


    I whirled on Therick, froze, and then nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Does this mean you¡¯re calling it off?¡± Berry shifted hopefully.


    ¡°I¡­ No. No. I¡¯ve already given my word.¡± I shook my head, buried my face in my hands, and hammered lightly at my skull and horns. ¡°Okay. There¡¯s a problem. But if I just use¡­ No, I can¡¯t just not use my magic at all. That¡¯d be suicide. Even if using wrath internally is fine¡­ I know the subjugation party has at least one level 40. Maybe more. They¡¯re pulling from different places, as the nomads are on the move and are hard to pin down¡­¡±


    ¡°Haell, come on. You see it too right?¡± Therick pleaded. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve given my word, and an entire nomad people would be wiped out! Is that what you fucking want!?¡±


    My friend recoiled, as if struck.


    ¡°No. Wait. Sorry. I am freaking out. Deep breaths.¡± I did as I said, and got my wrathful turmoil under control. ¡°I¡¯ll just¡­ I¡¯ll think about it, okay? I really do want to help, and though I may¡­ have been too hasty in accepting the offer, I do have my pride. I want to at least try.¡±


    By the end of the day, I had a plan.


    Even I felt bad about what I was about to do.


    ~~~


    A leopard laid dead by my hooves. I rummaged through the dead corpse and planted the seed within. In a few hours or a day, something green would rise from the rotting remains, but it would not be pretty. Whatever may result from this action would not carry the beauty of nature, but rather be an abomination, for the seed that had been planted was that of a goblin.


    My face twisted into a grimace for I knew that it was fucked up, and my expression twisted even further when I did not stop. I was angry at myself, I was mad, this was not okay, and I hated how those arguments weren¡¯t enough!


    I cared, but I would continue to walk down the road to hell anyway. I was, after all, a demon.


    CRACK!


    Wood cracked, bone cracked, and blood disappeared inside of my body. The pain only intensified my anger, and the way I vented accomplished nothing. My regen heart would heal my hand, and I pried away the pieces of metal lodged inside.


    I stood back up and moved on.


    I left the decaying compost behind, to find more bodies to cultivate into some of the most evil beings this world had ever seen. I walked alone, for those that I cared for need not witness this. Moonwash had been experimenting more with the troves of goblin seeds we had, so I knew what to expect. The incubating time was variable, and could last as shortly as half an hour, or could take over a week. It wasn¡¯t actually that often that goblins formed into a truly big and dangerous horde, for they could get wiped out by other monsters, and even if new ones rose from their corpses, they would be progressively weaker, if they weren¡¯t just outright consumed. I was hoping that was what would happen here, as this rainforest was a more dangerous environment for them. But I¡¯d take responsibility later if this truly spiraled out of control.


    Additionally, goblin seeds were usually not strong enough to convert any living and thriving creature, and would just be shat out after maybe making a mess of a few scores of flesh that would eventually be healed from being green.


    ~~~


    I found another leopard, and it died by the hellfire while a seed took root within. A bungeepider tried to pounce on me, and it suffered the same fate. I caught some smaller creatures like the small birds or the tree rabbits, and I mushed them just a little bit and planted a single seed within. This same process repeated, and I gathered some of the bodies together so they could immediately cooperate. After a few weeks of this, I began to find roaming bands of goblins. After a few days more, I met an adventuring party.


    ¡°AAAAHHHHHHH!!!¡± One of them screamed upon seeing me. I must¡¯ve looked like a monster to them, for my skin right now was not the red of a demon nor the hues of a human. No, right now my skin had a darker green than that of a goblin, my face was ugly and made to look like theirs, and my body was covered in a tattered armor that was also tinged in green. My real evil eyes were exposed, I had no boots so my raw hooves could be seen, and there was no helmet to protect my head. The greenish horns were so very clearly my own, along with several other protrusions of the same make that made for a crown.


    I looked like a monster, and the reality was no different.


    The adventurers elbowed each other, and they calmed down once their scout informed them I should only be at around level 20. She was coincidentally their only member who had crossed that threshold, while the rest were just over level 10.


    I hesitated for a moment. They were a very weak party, and I doubted they could survive long in the rainforest anyway. I knew that the nomads were close, and the inevitable clash would happen nearby, but I didn¡¯t actually know that group was here for the subjugation quest. They might just be looking for herbs, or any other such innocuous quest. They might be innocent. They might not even be the enemy.


    The hesitation passed. I moved faster than any of them could predict, and they had still not recovered from their shock by the time they had all died in chaotic showers of blood.


    It was so easy, even without my true weapon. The greatsword that I held had a green tint to it for it was different. It was made only of fantastreel, with a coating of mythril that was treated to be the right color.


    I felt sick to my stomach when I then considered if I should convert these people I¡¯d just killed into goblins. It would neatly get rid of any evidence¡­ but that was already what the goblins were here for. Granuel had informed me that once diffused into the environment, it would be very difficult to distinguish between the different kinds of curse-aligned energies, and goblins were sure to pass here at some point. They might even seed the dead people themselves¡­ but they were just as likely to be dragged off and killed by a random monster.


    I just allowed the fates to decide what was to become of their corpses.


    ~~~


    I found the side road I was looking for, followed it for a short while, and then veered off.


    There, well-camouflaged by blankets of leaves, were the three of my friends who were waiting for me.


    Granuel, Angerly, and Therick.


    ¡°So. It¡¯s done?¡± the latter asked.


    ¡°The seed has been planted.¡±


    He shook his disapprovingly but didn¡¯t say a word more.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to come, you know?¡±


    ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t have if you hadn¡¯t dragged Granuel along with this¡­ evil scheme.¡±


    ¡°It was my idea!¡± The ishkawtan in question defended me. ¡°She even argued against it.¡±


    Therick just shook his head again, and accompanied us deeper into the forest. After a few hours, we made it back near where the nomads and the subjugation forces were going to clash. We met a few goblins along the way, and had to kill most of them because they decided to attack us. Granuel finally found an adventurer party who were currently battling goblins, and I charged. My goblinic roar reverberated into the forest, and they looked at me wide-eyed. One of them then separated from the group to face me while the others fended off the goblins, but the human woman just died when my sword snapped her spear in half, and then did the same to her body.


    One of them screamed, another tried to run, but none were able to escape.


    The goblins attacked me next now that their previous prey was gone, for while I could fool humans and others into thinking I was a goblin, the goblins themselves would never accept me as one of their own.


    That was reassuring.


    I ran away.


    Not because I could not take them, but because I wanted their presence here.


    They pounced on the corpses left behind once I was out of sight, and I began to feel bad. The little green things peeled away the flesh of the dead people, and I loathed myself for letting this happen. I charged into their gathering, and planted the goblin seeds myself.


    What I did was terrible and evil, but at least it was honest. My inaction would have resulted in the same thing, and it would¡¯ve been cowardly to use it as an excuse to spare my conscience and think better of myself.


    I might be evil, but I am no coward.


    ~~~


    I returned to my friends who had done their best to remain hidden, and we went ahead in search of more adventurers to kill. That was their entire role in this debacle, and Therick and Angerly were only there to guard Granuel as he helped me find my enemy. He had offered to do more, but that was all I was willing to take.


    Over the following days, we encountered more and more hostile forces, and Granuel led us away from small groups of hiding belfegors who were waiting to ambush the adventurers that wanted to kill their people. I witnessed a clash between just those two groups as the rebel belfegors got the jump on a group of adventurers. The battle devolved into a chaotic melee as the adventurers were forced into a grapple, and while they did have two belfegors of their own, it did not prove to be enough. They died, either by being crushed and choked out, or by being stabbed to death by jagged daggers made just for this purpose. The rebels won, but not entirely without casualty.


    ~~~


    The adventurers began banding together. I spotted their main force consisting of not only adventurers, but also soldiers and even templars. They remained close to each other, and they had no problems fending off the occasional goblin party, though I did notice they were more spread out than I would¡¯ve expected. The rainforest just made troop movement more difficult and dangerous, whereas the nomads running away from them were predominantly belfegors who excelled in this task.


    I slinked away and did not engage. There would be time for them yet.


    ~~~


    I found a particular adventurer party that was winning against a group of retreating belfegors and a human. Goblins were attacking the flanks of the adventurers as well, but the tiny creatures hardly offered a distraction, and I made my decision.


    I intervened.


    I charged into battle. These were the same adventurers who had once tried to solicit me to join them in this purge. There was a level 40 ogre among them, but I just ignored her for now and went after the rest of the party. She tried to stop me, but I was too fast, and their skin and armor broke against the confluence of my wrath.


    Soon, the rebel forces had successfully retreated, and all but one of the adventurer party was dead.


    The ogre woman looked at me with horror.


    ¡°You¡­ You! What have you done!? A GOBLIN!??¡±


    She fucking lost it in her grief and anger. I was even angrier than her, but I contained that rage and still acted with finesse. This was the difference between me and these novices who knew naught about true wrath. They would be lost if they felt a portion of what I did.


    I dodged her club, and stepped into her guard. She had thick armor, but it was only fantastreel. The metal was opened up with my first confluence slash, and I jumped away only to jump back in again after a wave of wrath. The ogre screamed from the pain, and got momentarily distracted despite how she professed to be angry on behalf of her fallen comrades. It was a pathetic display, and my next strike invaded deep into her body in a tide of destruction and rot.


    The remaining goblins had their way with the corpses, and I planted a few seeds myself for this was all my doing.


    ~~~


    The Edengar army marched between the trees and even chopped down some of them for easier passage. Belfegors occasionally dropped upon them or attacked from their sides and flanks, but that soon stopped, as they were easily overwhelmed by the sheer mass of the army and the loose collection of adventurers with great individual prowess. The ones who lay in wait saw little success as well, as the well-trained soldiers thoroughly checked each tree before passing through them, oftentimes attacking the canopy even if they were not sure.


    It would not be long now until they met the resistance organized by the rebels, New Grandera, and the nomadic tribe. All manner of species had gathered together, here to resist the tyranny of the empire once more.


    I turned around and left.


    I ran through the forest upon Granuel¡¯s directions and found pockets of goblins who had so far proved inadequate in putting a dent in either army.


    I punched one in the face.


    She shrieked, and her whole party followed.


    I ran away, and then found another group of goblins.


    I punched them in the face too.


    I continued to run, just slow enough to not totally leave them behind.


    I ran even slower as I completed my circuit and was now on the way back towards the clashing armies.


    They were already exchanging blows by the time I got there. The battlelines were scatted and chaotic because of the environment they were forced to fight in. The Edengar army could not destroy all the trees before the battle commenced, because the rebel forces peppered them with ranged attacks from afar. Now belfegors dropped among their ranks, and many more swung through the trees. Arrows and spells flew, in a violent rain of projectiles that sailed through the air. Blood was spilled, spells were dodged, and arrows sunk uselessly into the dense trees. It was clear, however, that the rebel side was on the losing side, for the enemy just had better troops and better numbers.


    That was when I arrived. I looked for all the world like a goblin lord leading her goblin army into battle, when the little green creatures upon my trail actually wanted me dead all the same. The forces of Edengar weren¡¯t even alarmed, as we were mere goblins, and I did not come with a big enough horde.


    That was a mistake.


    My life flashed before me.


    From how I was reborn, to how I learned more about this new world I was born in. Its lack of freedoms, the rampant and gross racism, and the doctrines espoused by literal mind-rapers. The environment I was raised in was fundamentally opposed to what I was, and I wanted nothing more than to burn it all down!


    And now the army, the very manifestation of all that rage, was right here in front of me.


    ¡°GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!¡±


    Now they recoiled in fear. My wrath was expressed through my body, and I pulled ahead of the pack. They were not ready for me, and the first row of defenders crumpled like paper. The goblins then arrived, forcing them to split their attention. I made it to one of the stronger mages in the backline, and I gutted him for all to see. My greatsword was not my own, it was not cursed, but my wrath still flowed through it, and that was enough.


    They threw more bodies at me, and I was only happy to scythe through them all. But I did feel myself growing weaker, the damage was piling up, and they had me surrounded. It was only a matter of time before I fell.


    And so I roared again.


    ¡°GGGRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!¡±


    It was a beastial sound followed by a beastial aura and enhanced further by deeply beastial eyes. My opposition froze in fright, and the painful waves of wrath that followed gave me the opportunity to do something very rare for a goblin.


    I ran away.


    The army regrouped


    My little sojourn had already shifted the battlelines, and the rebel forces were pushing back against the imperial fools harder.


    That made me crack a smile.


    Time for another run.


    ~~~


    There were goblins closer to the action who I deliberately did not target first so they would easier to get to. This time, there was a group that had already been attracted to the constant sounds of bloodshed, and I followed them into battle. I sliced through the enemy lines, and took out a mage who had actually reached the level of 40, if barely. They had really recruited the big guns for this endeavor, whereas the rebel forces only had two of the same level far as I could tell. A belfegor woman who was leading some hit-and-run attacks like I was, but of an arboreal nature, and with powerful nature magic of her own. The other was an ogre carrying a shield that was way bigger than I was, and he was holding the very center of their battlelines with stoic determination.


    I ran away again, and took a little break to heal myself of the injuries both self-inflicted and not. I returned with even fewer goblins, just enough to make us one adventurer party. We did not get far, for we were met this time with a veritable wall of arrows and spells. I was forced to retreat, and my comrades died in battle, but our sacrifice was not in vain for the rebel forces were able to push harder thanks to the distraction we provided, and their belfegor elites in particular managed to take out some very key targets.


    The troops on both sides of the battle were quite dumbfounded about my behavior, but weird exceptions existed for every species, and the goblins had always been a mystery.


    ~~~


    For the next wave, I only had a single party of four goblins with me as the ones in the area had really dried out. The subjugation force had also wisened up to my tactics, and now had a level 40 fencer standing in my way.


    I swung my sword down. He pushed it away with his rapier. But my weapon did not budge.


    It continued on its arc, slitting open the left side of his torso, and ravaging his insides with a storm of wrath.


    The confluence of my rage transcended milestones and evolutions, especially right now when I was facing the forces of that which I hated the most.


    The Angelore Empire.


    ~~~


    For my next pass, I actually attacked the rebels, just so no one got suspicious that I wasn¡¯t actually a raging goblin. I targeted an area of their defenses that had crustecars and ogres of the defensive persuasion, and I sliced into them with a wrath-covered sword, except the magic weaved into it was barely active. I was sure I killed a few, but most would survive.


    ~~~


    The tides had turned. The Edengar army was in an orderly retreat by the time I arrived after a longer rest spent recuperating with the help of my friends.


    It was too late to stop now. I was already frothing at the mouth screaming. So I crashed into their backlines, and their belfegor elites used that opportunity to attack the other side of the retreating army to force them to split their forces.


    I cleaved through a small layer of adventurer and soldier alike, until I reached the Templars. They were in as perfect a position as they could manage in this terrain, and I faced difficulty in killing them as they layered their shelds and attacked me with their melee weapons in tandem. Their leader gave the order for them to pin me down, but I shook off their attempts with my full intimidation package. I considered using raw wrath magic¡­ but that might be going too far. My sword was coated in the stuff, but while rare, it wasn¡¯t unique, and didn¡¯t give as raw of an impression as actual waves of wrath. My confluence of wrath also gave of a different and terrifying presence. There was a limit to what sort of wrath magic they would only assume to be a different flavor of wicked.


    Their tight ranks opened up at the last second, and I ran to make my escape. That was when the level 40 kobold templar revealed himself and opened his mouth. There was a flash of orange, and then a scorching hot jet of flame.


    I dodged, but I was still licked by the blast. It burned me, but my body was not actually that of a goblin, but of a demon built specifically to withstand heat. I survived. My melted armor was uncomfortable, but I would live. The Edengar army was converging upon me, and I could tell they were hellbent on taking revenge for all the damage that I¡¯d done.


    I opened my very green wings and took flight.


    They were dumbfounded, and I unleashed my intimidation combo just when they finally decided to try and shoot me down.


    That did not hold them forever, but their retaliation was just late enough that I managed to break out of their encirclement before being forced to land.


    They could not catch up to me on hoof.