《The who that I really am》 The dark within Hey there! I''mNystro of Din! I''m currently 12 years old. I''m the second son of a general here in the country of Naian. Quite the status don''t you think?I''ve been training since I was seven years old or so. I want to be a warrior just like papa!Mama always says that I have a lot of talent so I''m going to keep train so I can be just as good as Papa!I have two siblings, my older brother Peter and my younger sister Laura.Laura looks just like mama but smaller! Golden hairs and blue eyes with a petite body!Peter is the face of Papa but also has golden hairs and blue eyes. But I''m different from them... I have a more feminine look even though I''m male. Also, I have green eyes instead of blue ones and dark brown hair instead of golden.Papa has green eyes and dark hair so I kind of look like him! Haha! Today is the "training with papa" day! Today is the day papa stays with me the whooooole day to train me! ?Are you ready son? ?(Papa) ?YEAS PAPA! ?(Me) I vertically swing my sword, but papa easily parries with his. ?You''ve been getting better by the day! I see you''ve been training hard! ?(Papa) ?Of course I have! I wanna be strong like papa! ?(Me) ?That''s a huge dream you got there! ?(Papa) My older brother arrives in the meanwhile while me and papa trade some blows. Papa is always going easy on me, so I sometimes get upset when he goes too easy! ?What are you enjoying with him that you don''t with me? You''re just being unfair you know? ?(Peter) That 17 years old talk is really egocentric... Am I gonna be like this in 5 years? I don''t want to... ?Do you really want to know? It''s because he is enthusiastic about getting stronger and you aren''t! Mwahahaha! ?(Papa) Someone needs to call the healers...My brother''s pride is deeply hurt. Oh, I didn''t talk about it did I? Here there are a few people blessed with magic abilities. Our sister is one of them. Her fire magic is incredible. She is a prodigy! Meanwhile, Peter has gone into the mansion to dry his tears. MEDIC! When suddenly... ?What is this voice in my head?!? ?(Me) ?You are hearing the voice of the world son? What is it saying?! ?(Papa) ?Something about a little... "The Chosen" or something.?(Me) ?That''s incredible! Maybe you are fated to be the next hero or something... maybe even better! Way to go! That''s my son! ?(Papa) Papa stroke my hair. Fated to be great? ?So son, keep training and keep getting stronger for the fate of humanity! Fighting the monsters and the demons is the duty of us humans! ?(Papa) ?YEAS PAPA?(Me) ?That''s the spirit! ?(Papa) We started laughing like crazy people. ?Nys if you keep laughing like that your wound from the last monster invasion will open again. ?(Mama) ?I know mama. I''ll be careful. ?(Me) ?You always say that. Huh... What a wild boy. ?(Mama) It may not look like, but it is a really big wound. It will leave a great scar all across my back. ?Brother Nys needs fire healing again? ?(Laura) What a cute little sister I have! Always caring for me! I... really have a great family, don''t I? Papa grabs his training sword. It''s a simple sword made of dense wood to simulate the weight of an actual sword. ?What are you spacing out for? The pause from your training is already over! ?(Papa) ?YEAS PAPA! ?(Me) ?Haha looks like your brother is doing good even without your healing. ?(Mama) ?Looks like it... If he is good, then I''m happy! ?(Laura) What a sweet girl... Today is the day to help people at one of the nearby villages. Right now I already grew a little! I''m 15 years old now! ?Good morning everyone! ?(Me) ?Good morning young lord. ?(Villagers) Yeah, my family was given some land, and this is one of the villages in that land. It''s expected, after all, my father is one of the main generals of this kingdom. ?What do you need help with today? ?(Me) ?Let''s see... Today inside the village is all good, but one of the scouts is ill. Can you go with the rest of the scout group? There are some nasty rumors around lately by the way.?(Village chief) ?Understood I shall assist in that. ?(Me) ?We thank you for your charity. ?(Village chief) ?I''m going to meet with the scout group. ?(Me) I turn my back to the young village chief and go in the direction of the scouts'' house. The chief is a nice, young man with light brown hair, average height, and weight. Completely average now that I look at it. The house where the scouts meet is an average, small house with a grass roof.I quickly met with the scouts, and we departed quickly after.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. I know everyone in this village, and everyone knows me. It''s a really nice and warm-hearted village. (...) ?Hey, have you heard the rumors lately? ?(Scout Captain) The captain was talking to some scouts and suddenly said that while looking at me with a really... serious expression. ?I heard from the village chief that they were nasty, but he didn''t tell me what they were. ?(Me) ?There is a group of dangerous monsters in the zone. Ones with high intelligence and high combat capabilities. Some really high-level monsters. ?(Scout Captain) ?Father and his men went to the villages to the north, those monsters must be around there. ?(Me) ?You sure are clever as always. Exactly as you said. They probably will take 2 to 3 days to get past this village if they don''t find anything in the way. We need to be really careful from now on. ?(Scout Captain) This seems really serious... Suddenly my instinct started screaming. ?GET DOWN! ?(Me) At my shout, everyone but three scouts dropped to the ground. Those 3 were cut in half along witha large number of trees behind them. ?THEY ARE ALREADY HERE! LIGHT THE ALARM FLARE! ?(Me) Unfortunately, the scout that was supposed to light the flare was one of the three that died. I ran, got the flare and lit it. People from far away will see the smoke and the light and might come with help. ?You have to run right now! We''ll buy you some time! Evacuate the village! ?(Scout) ?What about you all?! ?(Me) ?We were all prepared to die from the moment we came here with such rumor around! ?(Scout) ?...? I started running as much as possible leaving behind the scouts and the humanoid, lion-like creature that could barely be seen within trees. I arrived at the village in less than 5 minutes. ?EVACUATE! THE MONSTERS ARE NEARBY FIGHTING THE SCOUTS! ?(Me) Usually, I would try not to cause panic but right now there is no time for such luxuries. ?What are you talking about?! Calm down! ?(Village Chief) ?There is no time! The monster will be done with them in an instant! We have no way to fight it right now! ?(Me) ?N-n-no way... ?(Village Chief) ? HURRY UP BEFORE IT''S TOO...late...?(Me) Coming this way is the lion-like monster. He is alone but he is probably powerful enough to destroy a small army by itself. ?RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!! ?(Villager) Panic rose as everyone started running in the opposite direction of the monster. I silently drew my sword. It''s a simple steel short sword but I have nothing other than that. ?Do you plan on fighting it?!?!?! ?(Village Chief) ?Yes, I do. ?(Me) ?Are you crazy? ?(Village Chief) ?Yes, I am. ?(Me) ?...I hope you survive, young Lord... ?(Village Chief) The village chief finally went away. Now it''s me and him. ?What guts you have young warrior. ?(Lion-like Monster) It... Talked? ?I do what I need to protect my people! ?(Me) I plainly answer its question. I really don''t understand what is happening but every second that I can get is good. ?Such pretty words are wasted on such lowly creatures. ?(Lion-like Monster) ?What do you mean lowly you monster? ?(Me) ?Exactly what I said. I would like to continue chatting, but I have no time. You are not my objective, so I''ll let you live as you are nice for a human. ?(Lion-like Monster) ?I won''t let you pass. I will protect my people. ?(Me) ?What a weird boy. Bound by neither honor nor pride. Just the pure will to protect. You sure are special you know? But if you won''t let me through, I won''t have another way but to kill you. ?(Lion-like Monster) ?I didn''t expect less from a monster. ?(Me) ?That hurts you know? After all, I also fight for my people! ?(Lion-like Monster) I really don''t understand what he means by "My people" but right now I don''t have the luxury to even ponder. He roared and dashed in my direction.My body was half paralyzed from such a frightening roar so I could only slightly jump backward. ?What a great footwork! What a well-trained body and mind! What a pity for you to die! ?(Lion-like Monster) He said that as if crying. It almost looks as if he doesn''t want me to die somehow... He then jumped forward and landed on top of me, who still couldn''t fully move. ?What a pity...?(Lion-like Monster) He slashed me with his claws several times, creating numerous bloody wounds all over mychest and abdomen and threw me away. I simply saw him going in the direction of the villagers while I was losing consciousness... I feel useless... <hr> POV: Village chief After running from Nystro''s side, I ran to meet with the rest of the village. When I finally caught up with them, a roar was heard. "Please be safe Nystro... " Was the only thing I could say or think. I was filled with guilt of leaving him behind, but I can''t dismiss my responsibilities as the chief. I''m sorry... I''m so sorry... There must be sacrifices... (...) After walking a while, someone screamed while looking at the path from where we came from... He was there. With claws dyedcrimson, he walks in this direction. Just the mere presence of the monster is frightening. ?WE ARE DOOMED! ?(Villager) Panic... Panic spread like wildfire. This can''t be controlled anymore. It''s a dead end now. Is this what they call karma? It must be... What have I done so badly for this to happen? No! I must not panic! ?I will try to bait it! Run for your lives! ?(Village Chief) But it was too late he was already on the chase. It''s the end...There is no exit out of this locked fate.That''s what I thought when suddenly the monster was knocked back. With a single punch possessing overwhelming power. It was Nystro. He was alive. But... He seems different.He is covered in deep wounds, and his aura is just like that of a monster. His eyes are the same crimson color as the wounds on his chest. ?You sure got me good! You have potential! ?(Monster) He lunged forward to attack Nystro. He isn''t reacting! He''s gonna get killed! Why is he simply staring at the monster with dead eyes? ?Huh?! ?(Monster) Nystro appeared behind the monster, and a huge cut appeared along the monster''s body. A really deep wound. It was so fast that neither did I see him moving nor did I see how he made the wound. ?What is this boost in speed?! Wait... You are unconscious?! ?(Monster) He is unconscious?! ? But just a boost in status won''t prevent me from fulfilling my mission! ?(Monster) He is going in the direction of the villagers! I need to save them quick! But Nystro gets in the way of the monster... ?NAIVE! ?(Monster) He got punched in the chest and was thrown into the air even though he somewhat protected himself from the blow by crossing his arms in front of his chest. He then fell a few meters from the villagers. ?When someone is in such state they lose all their fears and move completely on instinct and desire. He desired to save them this strongly. Incredible. I wished to know your name but... this is the end! ?(Monster) The monster was going to hit him when he suddenly jumped back. What is happening? What is this intense, ominous aura? ?So you weren''t using your all yet? ?(Monster) ?AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!! ?(Nystro) A roar... From Nystro. Intense dark energy is coming from him. ?What an interesting young man! I will remember the name Nystro! ?(Monster) Did he hear me saying his name? Nystro made a blade of dark energy on his hand, starting on his finger tips and going on for about a meter. He swung it diagonally, and a spatial blade of energy flew in the direction of the monster. The monster was cut in half not having time to react to such fast strike. ?OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAh?(Nystro) Nystro is grabbing his own head.The dark energy is going out of control. While Nystro was suffering the monster quickly ran away into the forest. ?I won''t let that happen! GRRRR! I won''t become like that! ?(Nystro) (...) After some time he finally stabilized. He really controlled that intense power by himself just with his willpower. What a... monster. Masked warrior Everything''s black... Such emptiness. Where am I? I need to defeat that monster! ?Calm down... This is inside of you?(?) ?Who is talking? ?(Me) ?Down here... ?(?) I looked down to find nothing but my shadow... My shadow has a weird face on it though... ?Who are you!? ?(Me) ?Me? I am nothing... but I''m you at the same time. ?(?) ?What do you mean by that? ?(Me) ? I am everything that you banished from within you. I am everything, from your fears to your true power... ?(?) ?True power? ?(Me) ? The power of a monster capable of global destruction. ?(?) ?I am human. ?(Me) ? You still don''t trust me huh... Well, I''ll let it move a bit based on your desires. ?(?) A small portal appeared before me. There can be seen what is being seen with my eyes. The eyes that are on my physical body I mean. My body is moving but it is not me who is moving it. It''s moving on its own. It caught up with the monster and made a giant wound on his body. ?Is that really me? ?(Me) ?Yes and no. You banished that at an early age. ?(?) ?...?(Me) He is saying something. What a weird monster. ?He is running for the villagers! Save them! ?(Me) I just screamed when I saw him running towards the villagers. ?Are you crazy?! ?(?) The body was hit. Intense pain ran through me. ?We feel pain in here? ?(Me) ?Yes, we do! And not only is it more intense but also if the body dies, we both die! ?(?) But it was already too late now. The body was sent flying while trying to protect the villagers. ?That hurts... ?(Me) ?Crap! The power is going out of control! ?(?) My shadow starts panicking. ?What?! ?(Me) ?It''s going to be consumed by the power! ?(?) ? I won''t let that happen! GRRRR! ?(Me) This is so exhausting... ?Like that, you are going to become a ghoul! ?(?) ?I won''t become like that! ?(Me) (...) I finally stabilized the power and regained control over the body after a while... But I''m too tired now... This sure was exhausting... I might just take a nap... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Where am I? Is this the village''s hospital? ?Are you awake? ?(Village Chief) ?Oh, chief... How long has it been since I got unconscious? ?(Me) ?About a day. ?(Village Chief) It seems like the other me and the power disappeared completely... When I looked around I noticed something was off... ?Why is this empty? ?(Me) ?There were no more injured thanks to you. ?(Village Chief) ?Then shouldn''t there be some more people here??(Me) ?Go outside to get some answers. Probably you''ll understand after that. ?(Village Chief) Is he making the face of disappointment? When I went outside I understood his words. When I appeared outside everyone looked coldly at me as if I was the most despicable and disgusting creature. Why though...? I almost died protecting them... Why are they being like that? ?Do you understand now? Everyone fears you... ?(Village Chief) ?I...I did everything I could... I saved them... ?(Me) ?I know. I understand what happened. But they don''t. So I''m going to ask you to go away from here and never come back. ? (Village Chief) What is this...? I am being exiled from the village I helped the most... Where is the warm village I always knew...? <hr> I arrived at home. ?What happened to you?! Call the healers! ?(Head maid) The head maid is in panic. It''s understandable after all I''m arriving one day late, covered in wounds and with a face of someone dying on the inside. ?The village was attacked by a monster. I defeated him. ?(Me) ?Him? You mean the monster? ?(Head maid) ?Who else could I be referring to as "him"? ?(Me) ?Monsters are not people. They are not referred to as "him" ?(Head maid) ?He had intelligence and people to protect. ?(Me) ?Most animals are like that and we don''t call them people right? ? This isn''t going anywhere... I don''t even know when I started to believe the words he said and treat him like something that is not a monster... ?Brother, what happened? ?(Laura) ?Got in a fight to protect the village. ?(Me)Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ?Did you lose? ?(Laura) ?No... How could I lose and let them all die? ?(Me) ?Then why are you so sad? ?(Laura) ?They banned me from the village... After the fight, they started to fear me... I don''t really understand what really happened... ?(Me) ?THAT''S HORRIBLE! HOW DARE THEY! How can they treat their savior like that? ?(Laura) While my little sister complained about what the villagers did, a group of people in white arrived. ?The healing team has arrived. Let us heal you. ?(Healer) The healing took quite a while... (...) Next day... Father entered the room with a happy face. ?Seems like you are almost good again. ?(Papa) ?Yeah... ?(Me) ?Don''t get sad like that! Let''s have a trip! ?(Papa) ?I''m not really in the mood... ?(Me) ?YES, YOU ARE! I''ll get the wind dragon. ?(Papa) ?hmmmmm... ?(Me) I always wanted to ride the wind dragon! But Papa would never let me... I can''t say no right now can I? (...) ?Ready son?? ?(Papa) ?YEAS! ?(Me) ?LET''S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ?(Papa) We took flight... It''s the same I''ve always seen but much more majestic and beautiful seen from above. We are going around in our lands... ?Remember that ravine son? ?(Papa) ?Of course I do! I always wanted to go down there. Haha ?(Me) ?It was next to this ravine that I taught you the meaning of being human, remember? ?(Papa) ?Yeah! To fight the monsters and the demons! ?(Me) ?Exactly... ?(Papa?) The mood is going down for some reason... My instinct is screaming! Are we gonna get attacked by someone? Wait... it''s coming from...Dad? ?Then you understand what I have to do right now... ?(Dad?) I got slashed by my own father and fell from the dragon. ?W-w-why... father... ?(Me) He is looking at me with the same eyes as the villagers did the other day. Is this what it is to be human?! To simply slash everything that is abnormal, everything that you fear? Isn''t that no different from what we are taught that demons and monsters are? Is a human just someone who has no honor at all? Someone that finds any way to have things their way? Are humans such lowly creatures? Am I such a lowly creature...? I''m a human after all... NO! that''s not possible, right? I''m not like them! I am not human... I must not be... ........ After a while, I finally hit the bottom of the ravine... I fell right inside it and lost consciousness. <Title acquired: Dead Man> <Title acquired: Betrayed one> <hr> I woke up on a leaf bed... In a poor house made with raw materials from a forest like straw and wood. I don''t know where I am at all. ?You are finally awake! You were really injured you know! I thought you''d never wake up... ?(?) ?AAAAAAAAH?(Me) A female humanoid creature stands before me. She has a greenish skin and some vines and leaves around some parts of her voluptuous and erotic body. Pretty much everything about her is greenish. Apart from that, she was almost the same as a human. If I''m not wrong it''s a dryad. I tried to get away from her but my body wouldn''t move as I wanted. ?As expected you fear me... That''s not something you were supposed to do to your savior you know? Don''t humans understand the meaning of a savior? ?(?) ?I''m... no human... I refuse to be such a disgusting creature... you just scared me... I''m not used to seeing anything but humans. ?(Me) ?No, you ARE human. Son of humans is human you know? ?(?) ?I refuse to be called that! Ouch... ?(Me) ?Don''t move too much. Here there are no healers. Only medicines made from the resources of the forest. ?(?) ?...? After a bit of silence, she breaks it with her sweet and friendly voice. ?Is there something on your mind? ?(?) I can''t resist such voice... I''ll just be direct with her I guess... ?Why...? Why did you save me? Why are you treating me? ?(Me) ?Don''t humans treat people in need? ?(?) ?Usually they do but they don''t treat enemies, so why would you help a human? Aren''t humans and other creatures enemies? ?(Me) ?First of all, don''t call us creatures. We are demons. Second, the humans made us their enemies. We usually only protect ourselves. It''s very uncommon for us to attack the humans. ?(?) ?Why was the village attacked then? ?(Me) ?There were a few families who were exploiting our reserves from a few villages. We couldn''t get them so we sent Galgo to deal with them. He started from the north and then destroyed the responsible families'' villages on his way back?(?) ?... That''s why I don''t want you to call me human... ?(Me) ?You don''t want to be human but then what are you? ?(?) ?Neither do I know nor do I care... I''m just not a disgusting human... ?(Me) ?Then would you like to become a demon? Or will you become a monster? ?(?) ?...?(Me) ?See? ?(?) ?...?(Me) She stayed a few more hours next to me until the sun started to set. ?Get some rest. Tomorrow I''ll come back again. Until then rest. There is some food for you right there if you feel hungry. ?(?) She said while pointing at a bowl with some fruits and something that looked like soup. Why would they do this to a complete stranger... that''s what I was going to ask but I stopped myself... I''m tired anyway. I might be able to move tomorrow... I might just run away... But where to? I have nowhere to go now... I might just stay here for a bit longer then... Thinking about that I fell asleep (...) ?WAKE UP NYSTRO!!!! It''s a new morning! ?(?) I was woken by such an energetic scream. ?When did I tell you my name? ?(Me) ?You didn''t. He told me. ?(?) She said while pointing at the door of the poor house. When I looked at it there was a lion-like demon... it''s the one I fought in the village... My body froze at the sight of him. Neither can I fight not can I run. ?Hey, how are your wounds? ?(Galgo) What he said was completely out of my expectations. Is he caring for me? I almost killed him! Wait, where are his wounds? There isn''t even a scar? ?MWAHAHA! You seem surprised with my regenerative capabilities! Awesome aren''t they? ?(Galgo) What do you mean awesome? A wound that could kill pretty much anyone was healed in days! I still have the wounds you made me you know? ?But For you to make such a wound on our village''s strongest warrior you sure are something! ?(?) ?You are strong! ?(Galgo) They are both praising me... They are being so friendly with me... Never have I been treated with such friendliness in such a small time like this... ?Haha... you sure are different from humans... Humans are taught from a little age to fear and kill demons and monsters. ?(Me) ?Is that so? Then why did you listen to me when we were about to fight? ?(Galgo) ?I would like not to be compared to humans if you don''t mind. ?(Me) ?What are you then? ?(Galgo) This again... ?Stop it... He doesn''t want to talk about that... ?(?) The dryad''s sweet voice tries to stop the lion-like demon. Such... bewitching voice... ?Why not Mirim? Is he a demon or something now? ?(Galgo) ?GALGO! Can''t you seriously get it for once? ?(Mirim) ?Fine... ?(Galgo) ?Can you just give me some time to sort out my life? ?(Me) ?Ok. Rest as much as you want. ?(Mirim) They walk out of the tent like house talking about something, but I can''t hear it anymore... So... what am I gonna do now? <hr> Mirim POV ?...? ?So Mirin... what did you want to tell me? ?(Galgo) ?You said he was fighting for the village''s people right? And he was severely injured right?? ?(Me) ?Yes, that''s what he was doing... Why are you asking that? ?(Galgo) ?I appraised the poor boy... ?(Me) ?Why "poor boy"? ?(Galgo) ?After the fight with you, he might have acquired two titles... ?(Me) ?Isn''t that a good thing? Which titles are they? ?(Galgo) ?"Dead man" and "Betrayed one"... ?(me) A thick silence takes over for quite some time. ?You serious? Was he betrayed and presumed dead??(Galgo) ?Most likely.?(Me) ?That''s... Horrible... ?(Galgo) ?Do you now understand? He is rejecting the fact that he is the same species as them. ?(Me) ?I... I kind of get it now... poor boy... ?(Galgo) ?Good. Tomorrow we''ll revisit him and help him live on. ?(Me) ?Better to live than to be alive right? ?(Galgo) ?That is right! ?(Mirim) <hr> ... Where is this? Oh I remember... This is inside of me right? It seems hollower than before... ?Hey... we somehow survived huh? ?(?) My shadow is talking to me again... ?Yeah... I wasn''t expecting to be saved by demons... they sure are nicer than humans... ?(Me) ?Maybe. Maybe not. We still don''t know what the other demons will do if they know you are a human. ?(?) ?I am no human... at least not anymore. ?(Me) ?No. You are human. You must not deny it. ?(?) ?I will still deny it no matter what! I''m not human! ?(Me) Everything is shaking for some reason... ?You can''t deny it! You can''t deny your own HUMANITY! ?(?) This space is about to collapse! ?YOU CAN''T DENY ME! ?(?) ?NYSTRO! WAKE THE HELL UP ALREADY! ?(Mirim) A... A dream? No that was too real... we met again... I can''t quite remember everything he said but I feel like I really wanted to forget anyway. ?Nystro are you listening? ?(Mirim) I woke up from that nightmare to a screaming dryad. ?I''m awake already! ?(Me) ?Finally! We have something to discuss with you! ?(Mirim) She seems enthusiastic about it... A bit too much. ?So what is it? ?(Me) I sit on the bed to hear Mirin. ?Me and Galgo are going to the demonic Academy. What do you think about coming with us? ?(Mirim) I still haven''t decided on what to do with my life so it''s quite a tempting suggestion. ?Isn''t Galgo the strongest in this village? Why is there a need for him to go? ?(Me) ?He is still 132 Years old you know? ?(Mirim) ?What do you mean by still? That is almost ten times my age! ?(Me) ?Oh I kind of forgot to tell you that demons have really long life spans in comparison to humans. For Galgo''s specie, until 200 you are still a teenager. ?(Mirim) ?That sure is unfair... How old are you exactly? ?(Me) ?You sure know no courtesy... 52... Compared to humans I''m about 17 years old. ?(Mirim) ?Is that good..? ?(Me) ?Probably! Haha ?(Mirim) ?Haha...?(Me) ?SOOOOOOOOOOOOO? What do you say? ?(Mirim) To such suggestion, there is only one answer. After all, I really have no idea of what to do anyway. ?I''ll go. But I want to go to that village one last time. Just to say goodbye to my old life. ?(Me) ?You are presumed dead so... How about we get you a new name and something to cover your face? ?(Mirim) Well, I did get the title so that might be a good thing to do... How does she know though? ?Sounds nice. I''ll ask the villagers around here if someone can get me something like a mask. They seem nice. ?(Me) ?What about Jim as a name? ?(Mirim) ?Anything is fine for now at least. ?(Me) ?Then it''s decided! Prepare everything! ?Mirim) Start of a new life ?Are you ready Jim? ?(Mirim) ?Yes. ?(Me) ?Meet with us at sunset at the canyon. Until then you have your time. All good? ?(Mirim) ?Good for me. ?(Me) I am visiting the village to see if they are doing good. No matter what it''s just too hard to start hating your own family. The one you grew with. So I will care for them one last time. After that, I will cut my ties to this village. (...) I arrive at the village. They are still having problems with the reconstruction of some houses. They were destroyed during the battle between Galgo and me. Some still have the marks of his claws. By the way, they don''t recognize me because of the mask that I am using. It''s a mask that covers the whole face. It''s nothing but a simple white mask with some drawings. I watched over their work until, after many hours, I was prepared to head to the canyon. At that moment I saw something unexpected. ?How is the search? ?(Laura) ?We are not searching and we won''t search for him! That bastard is a monster that will ruin us! ?(Village chief) ?How can you say such thing from the person that saved you?! ?(Laura) ?HE-IS-A-MONSTER! Being saved by a monster is already a disgrace!?(Village chief) ?He is still my brother and the son of your lord! ?(Laura) ?Then it''s a good thing that he died! ?(Village chief) ?He isn''t dead! He couldn''t possibly be dead! ?(Laura) My sister is discussing with the chief. They are probably talking about me. ?Brother?! Is that you?! ?(Laura) Shit, she saw me! I''ll try to fake being another person... If I slightly change the way I talk she won''t notice it''s me right? ?I am not your brother... ?(Me) ?You... you aren''t? *sniff* ?(Laura) ?No...Why are you searching like that for your brother? ?(Me) ?My brother is being accused of being a monster! Even if he has a great power within him, he is still a very good person! But when he was on a trip with our father he fell from the air dragon! He is said to have gotten eaten by something... And now no one wants to search for him! ?(Laura) ?That is sad... ?(Me) That is not the actual story... That bastard of a father covered the true story... He is the only witness, so he can do it with no problems. ?But who are you then? What are you doing here? ?(Laura) ?Me? Just a peddler I think? I was just roaming around and decided to stay here for a bit and look at your hard work... ?(Me) ?But who are you?! Answer! ?(Laura) ?I... Am nothing more than a dead man... ?(Me) Sorry for those kinds words, you are not at fault, but you are still innocent. I don''t want to break such innocence. With such thought, I leave the village in the direction of the canyon. I hope we meet again... My little sister. (...) I arrive before everyone... I wait for about half an hour before they appear. ?Sorry! We are a bit late! ?(Mirim) ?No problem. Let''s just go already. ?(Me) ?YEAH! ?(Galgo) And like that, my journey in the direction of the demon academy started. <hr> ?So... Where is the Academy exactly? ?(Me) ?On the furthest demons country. Degilia. ?(Mirim) ?Isn''t that really far away? ?(Me) ?Yes, it is. Did you really think that there would be a demons school next to the humans? ?(Mirim) ?No, but why there? ?(Me) ?Because it is not only a school but also a fort. Kind of a last defense where everyone runs to when needed. ?(Mirim) Do they use a school for that? Wow, I sure have much to learn. I fear the answer to this question but I''m going to ask anyway... ?How much time will we take to arrive there? ?(Me) ?1 week and we should be there. ?(Mirim) Huh? 1 week for such a long travel? ?We are going to use a teleporter. It''s incredibly handy! ?(Galgo) Thanks, Galgo. You answered my question without even knowing. ?So we''ll be there in a week? What are we waiting for? ?(Me) ?For you to finish your damn dish! ?(Mirim) Oh... yeah, I was having dinner. Kind of forgot about it. I finished the large dish that Galgo made. Although it looked like old puke from a beast, it was somehow edible.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Wait... Will I be eating stuff like this for a week? I hope nothing happens to my insides in the meanwhile... <hr> After a horrible week, we stopped next to a house in the middle of nowhere. We didn''t see even the slightest sign of wild or civilized life in the meanwhile. It sure was weird, but thankfully we brought some food and ate some veggies from the forests we passed by. ?It''s here. ?(Mirim) ?What is here? ?(Galgo) Galgo is just as confused as me somehow. ?The teleporter! Can''t you even remember where one of the main teleporters is? ?(Mirim) ?Weeeeeeeeell... no. And you know it. ?(Galgo) ?You good for nothing... anyways the portal is this house. ?(Mirim) ?What do you mean? ?(Me) Now it''s me who is confused beyond belief. How is the house itself the portal? ?Go through that door, and you''ll understand. We''ll be right behind you. ?(Mirim) Why do I have to go in first? This is a bizarre house as if used to plot something evil... While I thought of conspiracy theories I went through the door and found myself outside again. But it was nothing like the human kingdom. It was greener, healthier, and looked cozier. ?Welcome to the demon country! ?(Mirim) The two of them are right behind me as promised. This place really has a different atmosphere from the human country. ?This is... beautiful. It''s just so different... ?(Me) ?It is! AHAHA! Welcome to our home country! ?(Galgo) ?Thanks... ?(Me) So this is the place where I''m going to pass most of my life... ?We are camping close to the portal tonight. By tomorrow we depart and it''ll take some days to the capital of Degilia, Dism. ?(Mirim) ?Well Galgo, set up the tents! I''m going on a stroll. ?(Me) ?Don''t get lost!And don''t order me around! ?(Galgo) I Couldn''t hold a giggle while going away. When was the last time I even giggled with a group of people? It sure was some time ago... I don''t remember it happening anymore. While I was on my stroll something strange caught my eye. It was a strange light. It had some shades of white and blue. A truly beautiful light. ?What brings you here, little one? ?(?) While I look at it I hear a voice. A really old sounding voice. It was a tree. Neither did it have eyes to see me nor a mouth to talk. But she saw me looking and talked to me. Is this what they call an Ent? ?Just having a stroll. Just arrived in this country so I wanted to go sightseeing. Then you caught my eye with such a beautiful light. ?(Me) ?You seem not to be lying. So there are still demons who use that old house as a teleporter? ?(Ent?) ?Yes... How did you know? Can you move from here? ?(Me) ?No... I wish I could. But over the many years that I lived, many used that house to meet the divine tree. What brings you to this country? ?(Ent?) ?I''ll be attending the combat school in this country. ?(Me) ?So you are a fighter... you must be strong. For you to adventure in such a country alone. ?(Ent?) ?I am not alone. I have two friends. ?(Me) ?That is good. ?(Ent?) I spent some time talking with the tree. She must be lonely here all by herself. Wait just remembered something. ?Didn''t you talk about a divine tree a while back? ?(Me) ?Yes, I did talk about that. Want to know about it? ?(Ent?) ?Yes, if you please. ?(Me) ?it''s said that there is a tree, somewhere in this vast forest which is known to be the divine tree. That tree is said to connect the heavens and hell with the earth and is the tree of all creation. It''s known as "Tida" ?(Ent?) ?A tree is capable of such thing? ?(Me) ?Who knows... That is just a bit of the legend. ?(Ent?) ?It''s really amazing how a tree is capable of doing something that no one is. Wait. FUCK! I got distracted! It''s past the time I was supposed to head back! ?(Me) ?Then go little one. I thank you for the time you spent with me. Take this on your journey. It''s a gift for spending your time with the old me. ?(Ent?) The branches bend and a glass bottle falls on the ground. It somehow didn''t break. Inside the bottle, there is a liquid and some large seeds or the like. ?What are these? ?(Me) ?Those are some of my seeds and sap. They have great potential if used well. ?(Ent?) ?Thank you! ?(Me) I start running in the direction of the camp. When I looked back both the tree and the lights had disappeared. How mysterious... ?Jim you are late! Where have you been? ?(Mirim) ?Sorry I was keeping company of a tree. ?(Me) ?A tree? What is an Ent doing here? ?(Mirim) ?What do you mean? ?(Me) ?There are no Ents in this country. At least there were supposed to be none.? But the tree said that she had been there for many years... How did no one know of her existence then? Well... Thinking about it too much will get me nowhere... I think. <hr> After about two days we arrived at the city of Dism. It looks just like a human capital... but better somehow? I can see lots of smiles on the faces of all the humanoid and not humanoid demons. It feels like this is heaven and a human capital is hell even though they look the same on the surface. That''s how different it feels. ?The Academy is on the opposite side of this city so let''s hurry! We might not be able to do it tomorrow!?(Mirim) ?WHY ARE YOU SAYING THAT NOW?!?(Galgo) We all start running as if our lives depend on it. It technically does, after all this school will be our lives for quite a while. I only noticed now, but it seems like my physical capabilities were somehow improved in the meanwhile so I''m running alongside with Galgo and we arrived there in less than 5 minutes. Mirim arrived right after. She is surprisingly fast because of her nature magic. She can control most plants and summon a few of those from the ground. We were greeted by bulky minotaur security guards at the entrance of the academy. The academy is GIGANTIC! It''s basically the size of the terrain my Fa... that traitor owns. It has lots of different spaces from outside fields to a cafeteria and bedrooms. ?Are you three here to join the school??(Bulky minotaur guard) ?Yes, we are. Where do we take the test??(Mirim) ?Straight in this direction and you''ll arrive at the place you want to go.?(Bulky minotaur guard) ?Thank you very much!?(Mirim) ?You welcome, milady.?(Bulky minotaur guard) We went in the said direction and arrived at a building with an old man in front of it. After seeing us, he suddenly shouts. ?HEY! Are you here to join the Academy??(Old man) ?YES!?(Us three) Unanimous answer to the question. They really are excited. Everyone is smiling right now. ?Then come here! Go up the stairs and enter the first door you see. It says "Appraisal room".?(Old man) Seems like we are going to be appraised. We probably need to be strong enough in status to join. They want no weaklings here. We go up the stairs and enter the said room. There we see a table with a crystal ball on top and a man behind it. That man has long silver hairs and red eyes. Such a weird combination. He is also really skinny which makes him even weirder. ?Oh? So there was still people coming? Here was I thinking that I was already done for this year...?(Weird man) He looks like he is being forced to do this job... He looks so bored and uninterested. ?Come on, young dryad come here, let''s get this done with.? He is really rude. He looks like a human but with two horns on his forehead. Is he from a higher species of demon? When I was about to say something against him, Mirim did it. ?Why the hell are you talking like that to us?!?(Mirim) ?Because the last ones are always the least interesting ones! All the promising ones are already in...?(Weird man) He looks at the crystal ball and stops talking. It seems like Mirim is interesting for him. A broad grin forms on his face. ?Nevermind... You are interesting... hehe... You beast-men! Now your turn! Dryad you are in!?(Weird man) ?ALRIGHT!?(Mirim) ?This has great statuses! AHAHAHA! You in! Now you!?(Weird man) ?LET''S GO!?(Galgo) When I approached, he looked at the ball and every little bit of his smile disappeared. ?What is a Human doing here??(Weird man) Looks like what I feared did happen. The appraisal shows the race you were born with. ?I am no human.?(Me) ?NO! NO! YOU ARE HUMAN! There''s no denying it! The appraisal is always correct!?(Weird man) ?I was born from humans... Feared by humans... Disgusted by humans... I''m not like them.?(Me) ?...? Great pressure is felt in the entire room. ?Did you 2 know about this??(Weird man) ?Yes, we did. He was nearly killed by humans because of his power, and we saved him.?(Mirim) ?HE WAS BETRAYED! Otherwise, he could not have lost! He defeated me after all!?(Galgo) ?He did?!?(Weird man) He double checked my appraisal as if my stats didn''t match with the result of the battle. After a few long seconds, his face changed from confusion to shock and then a broad grin like no other formed. ?You devouring monster... This is interesting! YOU ARE VERY INTERESTING! YOU ARE IN!?(Wierd man) It seems like I was accepted. ?Isn''t there a problem with accepting a human??(Galgo) GALGO WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU SAYING!? HE MIGHT JUST GO BACK ON HIS WORDS NOW! ?NOPE! I''m the principal after all!?(Principal?) We were all dumbfounded. This kind of guy is the principal? It looks like this is going to be fun huh? This is how we entered the best demon combat academy, and my new life started Exams After being accepted into the school, we were sent to the main building. It didn''t look like the main building at all. I was smaller than most of the others and wasn''t even in the center. But after going in, it''s understandable. Everywhere in that building shows luxury. Sculpture of high quality are everywhere, and painting that would value in the millions are just as common. Anyways, in that building, there is all the info needed for the next few days. Tomorrow is the written exam. History makes most of the test, and the rest is basic mathematics (at least that''s what the info says). Then two days after that there is the magical exam. You will use a few magic spells of your element and will be evaluated for that. If you had already learned magic then you do the best spell you know followed by some simple ones, if not they will teach you some simple spells and You will be evaluated based on performance and time needed to learn that spell. Then, two days after that is the physical exam. This exam takes two days, being the first day some basic tests like push-ups and the second day is one of the big events of the academy. They call it the Rookie Tournament. In this tournament winning or losing doesn''t really matter at all... At least at first. That tournament is going to be watched by everyone at the school from teachers to higher grade students. I don''t dare say that they are older because age doesn''t determine your class, the time when you enroll is what determines the class you are going to be in. I''ll probably be in the same class as Mirim and Galgo. Anyways, everyone watching will take their favorites and then the more support you have, the more advantages you get... Basically, you want to show how strong you are so that you have people taking you under their wing. After that, every score will be added up and done some stuff to, and it somehow becomes a grade from D to S. These exams only determine your rank in the school huh? ?Looks like they have a good system, right Jim??(Mirim) ?Meh.?(Me) ?Don''t you just "Meh" me! I want a decent answer!?(Mirim) ?Alright, Alright... For me, everything is fine except for the part where you basically MUST get support from others to succeed.?(Me) ?You can still do it on your own right???(Mirim) ?Yes, but there is a great difference in the advantages you have.?(Me) Now that Mirim is kind of satisfied with my answer we go into the town. This town looks like any other really... The only thing is that it looks more like a capital somehow? There are more people, more houses, more shops, more luxuries. There are all kinds of demons here. From Beastmen like Galgo, imps, to some demons that are clearly of a high standard that I can''t identify at all. ?Is it normal that everyone has humanoid forms??(Me) ?Of course it is! Otherwise, some wouldn''t even fit in the city! Do you think that the family of the Leviathan would fit anywhere in here??(Mirim) That... is true. I completely forgot about the gigantic demons. It''s going to take a while to get used to the new common sense huh... After sightseeing for a while, we all go back to the dormitory. It is located right beside the main building that by the way is located in the northeast corner of the academy. When we enter, we are greeted by a woman with an important look. Important here just means that she stands out...A lot. She is almost the definition of beauty. Nice curves, long straight caramel hair, an expression that imposes kindness, that kind of stuff. ?Hello there! My name is Lilith. Can you give me your names??(Lilith) With a bewitchingly sweet smile, she asked for our names and Galgo went ahead as soon as she finished. Mirim seems kind of mad somehow? ?My name is Galgo, a lion beast-men! Pleasure to meet you!?(Galgo) ?Y-yeah... pleasure.?(Lilith) I don''t know what he did, but her expression changed from "Let''s be friends forever!" to "What does this freak want?" really fast. That was surprisingly enough to also change Galgo''s confident expression. ?Wh-what''s wrong?? ?Don''t talk to me ok? Pfft, I hate guys like that. And you two? Can you tell me your names??(Lilith) She turned down Galgo and turned to Mirim and me. I have to admit it, that personality swap was incredible. It''s as if she never showed her other side. ?My name is Mirim. Nice to meet you, Lilith.?(Mirim) ?Mirim! What a great name that your parents gave to you.?(Lilith) She said that with the usual smile and then turns to me. ?And what YOUR name??(Lilith) ?Jim. Pleasure to meet you.?(Me) When I said my name, she stepped back and made a curious face. ?That name sounds like that of a human. Are you from near a human country??(Lilith) ?Yes, we all are from near the country of Naian.?(Mirim) When I was about to answer, Mirim did it instead. Did she think I would say something bad? ?Hmmmm... Anyways! You will be on the rookie side of the dormitory so go that way and then search for the room with your name on it. You might be paired with another person so don''t find it strange if your room has another name on it.?(Lilith) ?Thanks, Lilith.?(Me) ?You welcome sweetie.?(Lilith) I don''t really know why but it looks like I''m her favorite? Poor Galgo looks devastated. We go through the corridors, and we each find our rooms. They are right in front of each other on the second floor of the rookie section. It is already kind of late, so we went into our rooms. Only Mirim has another person in her room, so I''m going to sleep like a rock today without having to care about waking others up with the monstrous noise I do while sleeping. By the way, the rooms are simple: small, with a desk, a wardrobe, and a bed. There is also a big window and a carpet on the ground. Well... it''s still better than sleeping on the ground inside a tent right? In the morning I wake up as if in heaven... It''s so good to have a bed again. The bed is not all too bad after all. I get up, dress in the uniform that was in the wardrobe and head out. The clothes were of a perfect size somehow. I guess the appraisal also shows that kind of info. Galgo and Mirim were already there. It seems like I slept a bit too much.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ?You are late Jim! As a man, you shouldn''t make people wait!?(Galgo) Wow... Galgo is inspired today. He was faster that Mirim this time! ?Yeah sorry. Let''s go to that written test then??(Me) ?YEAH!?(Mirim) Mirim was faster this time. Keeping her pride, I see. We walk to the building that was identified as the "Classroom building" when we saw all the info. It''s just a normal building, to be honest. We walk in, they call us after a bit, we do the test, and then we exit that place. The test Is basically all a summary of common sense, basic math, and history. I''m pretty confident in my answers, but the history part is making me nervous. The history that I was told might not be the same as the history that they were told and even common sense might be different. All that might get me in trouble if someone actually puts some thought into it. Well, I still doubt someone will actually think that much about me for now. Now we have a mission... Finding something to do with the time we have until the physical test. I wonder what they will do... ?So... What are you two going to do for the next days??(Me) ?Well... I don''t really know. Heh... What will you do Galgo??(Mirim) ?I don''t really have anything to do so I''ll just stick with you??(Galgo) I kind of feel like I shouldn''t be with them too much for now... Well, I might just wander around. This is a magnificent city after all. Like that two days passed by and it was the test day. These last days I simply just explored the town and played with some kids. They were all happily playing around, and training and I couldn''t resist joining them ok? Don''t judge me! Anyways, The tests were in an open field that was identified as the training field in the info. There were a lot of people here. We were simply told an exercise and then we would have to complete it as fast as possible. All the exercises were as simple as "20 push-ups then one lap then 20 sit-ups and repeat 2/4 more times!" and such. Even if exhausting I managed to finish everything. There were some that dropped out instantly right at the start and some that didn''t even look exhausted at all. That most likely sets apart the mages, the warrior and all the others out there. One specific long haired blond guy seems to have an exception physical capability. He has great speed, great strength, great resistances... pretty much perfect? What the hell is that guy!? I head into town and find the kids training. They wave at me like I''m someone they have known for years. Well, at least humans would only be like that to someone they had known for a really long time. These next two days will be spent in the same way as the previous ones, wandering around and interacting with people. The people here don''t even care about my mask for some reason. Neither they mind nor they even ask about it. I wonder if there is a demon race that uses a mask like this one. The villagers probably gave me this mask because of that. Today is the magical test. The test will be really simple as always, you go in, they check your elements, then ask if you ever trained magic, and you do a few spells. If you don''t know they give you a simple explanation to use "element manipulation". Element manipulation is simply having your element in front of you and being able to control it using your mana. By the way don''t go asking how magic works, apparently no one knows... it seems suspect but whatever. I''m with Mirim and Galgo again today. They were waiting for me when I went out of my room. This time I wasn''t late to be honest, but they were already there. Mirim went first and checked her element. It was obvious that her element was "Nature". There are a lot of different elements, and they are divided into three groups: Simple elements; joint elements; And finally the supreme elements. The simple elements are the ones that are only composed of themselves, unlike the joint elements that are made of 2 or more simple elements, while the supreme elements are basically extremely evolved forms of an element or an element that is extremely powerful and rare. Some examples of each would be fire and life for simple elements, Nature (life+earth) and mist (water+fire) for joint, Infinite and golden fire for supreme. Meanwhile, Galgo already went ahead and discovered that his element was earth. With earth magic, you can reinforce your body, so I guess he has been using it for a while... never mind, he didn''t know he had an element. If everyone has an element, I wonder why that idiot thought he didn''t have one. Well, it''s my turn now. I already know my element anyway so this will be no surprise. My element is wind. I was told that by a sage that passed by the village and decided to be kind to me as I was the Lord''s son. ?Well aren''t you a rare one?! Two elements? Not only that but they are elements that work really well together!?(Tester) Wait a minute...*Breathe in*... WHAT THE FUUUUCK?! ?hum... I think there might be a problem... I have only one element.?(Me) ?Don''t be modest! Having wind and fire elements is incredible!?(Terter) ?No, no... My element is only wind...?(Me) ?See for yourself kid. Each different color is an element. Yours are the bigger ones that can be clearly seen with the naked eye! See the bright red and the light green? Those are your elements! You are blessed kid!?(Tester) What appears in the crystal is undeniable. A big zone of light green and a slightly smaller zone of red. Those 2 occupy around 95% of the crystal. The rest is a mix of black, blue, brown and a few other colors that are mixed in a way that they can''t be identified. Doesn''t that mean that I have a lot of different elements? ?Well kid, did you ever do any magic??(Tester) ?No. I was trained as a swordsman.?(Me) ?Well then, take this and go over there.?(Tester) He gives me two papers with a simple explanation on how to use element manipulation and points to the place where Galgo was also sent. Mirim went the opposite way. When arriving at the place I''m asked to show the paper I received (even though I have 2) and then I''m sent to the place where the people with fire element are located. A few teachers are in front of the rookies evaluating them one by one. How do I know they are teachers? Their clothes and what they are doing is just like that of teachers. My time finally came, and a pig-like man stands in front of me and hands me an unlit torch. ?Light it.?(Pig teacher) It looks like the first task is very simple. To light the torch. Both papers I received say the same. Magic is all about visualizing the magic happening in your head for the most part. More complex spells require a chant, but simple ones don''t and can be very useful if used in combination with close quarter combat. ?Very well. Now, increase the flame.?(Pig teacher) After lighting the torch, I am asked to increase the flame, which by the way, is just as easy. ?Looks like you have talent. Here, chant this spell, it''s called fireball, and it''s one of the simplest spells there is.?(Pig teacher) After looking at the chant, it has ten words and the effect is simply creating a small mass of fire and shooting it in a certain direction. This spell does something so simple... let''s try something fun... I imagine a fireball the size of a human head and shoot it directed at the target that the man had prepared. It worked just fine. The target was destroyed and is now burning beautifully. It looks like I can do anything with magic as long as I can correctly visualize it in my head right? Doesn''t that make magic extremely powerful?! ?Uh... boy? Are you sure you should be on this side? The side of the people that never used magic??(Pig teacher) ?I never used magic.?(Me) ?Are you sure? Because what you just did was an intermediate level spell without any chanting. Either you are a liar or a prodigy. You can go now... I''m going to report this to the higher-ups.?(Pig teacher) ?Can I really leave? I thought I had to evaluate my other element.?(Me) ?You have another element?!?! What the hell... and what element is it??(Pig teacher) ?Wind.?(Me) ?And it''s wind... Go to that group. I will tell them to give you a basic spell immediately.?(Pig teacher) I walk to the place that the pigman pointed and a child looking woman arrives and give me a paper with a spell while murmuring something along the lines of "Is he really like that" while looking at the man from before. The spell is "Air Shot" and has the same basis of the "Fireball" spell. So I just imagine a mass of air and shoot it towards the target just like last time. The spell hits the target and passes through like the target wasn''t even there and hits a rock right after. This was to be expected after all I tried to manipulate the shape of the shot to a spearhead shape which enhanced the penetrative power of the shot. I learned of how the shape of the weapon changes the damage dealt to the opponent from that bastard of a father, and I plan on using this against him. ?What was that? What did you do to that shot?! An Air shot isn''t supposed to have that kind of power! It was supposed to be like a long-range punch and not... that! And on top of that, it was chant-less! What did you just do?!?(Loli teacher) The teacher that looks like a child is acting like a child... ?I just changed the shape of the shot... It wasn''t that much.?(Me) ?You shut up! Just get out of here! ?(Loli teacher) Wow sorry. It looks like I''m in the wrong somehow. I''m just going to obey her for now, or something bad might happen here. Well, now I''m going back to the routine of wandering around and interacting with people. Two days pass like it''s nothing huh? The kids are going to see me in the tournament tomorrow because they now see me almost like a "gentle man of justice who will use his strength to put an end to the evil humans". Well, they''re not wrong but neither are they right. But in all seriousness, I can''t deny them, so I kind of want to live up to their expectations. Well, now I''m going on my usual stroll, and then I''m going to bed. The Rookie tournament starts in the morning, so I better go to sleep early today. Rookie tournament In the morning, I woke up full of confidence and anxiety. I don''t really know how I have both, but I''m not going to question it now. I''m just going to focus on doing my best. As I arrive at the arena, I notice how big of an event this is. There is without a doubt more than twice the population of this city inside this arena. It''s gigantic so it would be capable of such a large amount of people. Oh and this is more of a coliseum than an arena, but it''s called "Demon arena" so I can''t really question it. In appearance, the arena is made of large stone blocks making sculptured pillars, sculptured walls... Basically, everything is just like a great sculpture right? Oh, that is except the zone where people fight in which is plain right? Well, I''m going to pick a sword now! One like the one I used to use! Hmmm... THERE''S NONE LIKE THE ONE I USED to use! Oh, nevermind. I found one just like the one I used to use. ?Buddy calm the heck down! I do not even see your face, and I can tell how freaking nervous you are!?(?) A slim yet muscular, short silver-haired wolf guy called out to me. Am I really showing it that much? God damn you, Jim! Get a hold of yourself! ?Thanks... I hadn''t really noticed myself.?(Me) ?You welcome man. It would be a pity if you lost to some weakling because you were too nervous! It would be like super horrible!?(?) ?Why do you say that??(Me) ?Because I am the one that will defeat you! hahaha!?(?) It looks like I got myself a rival and I don''t really know how. Well, It''s fine to have some setbacks every once in a while right? The tournament is going to be one of these pyramidal tournaments. 2 fight, one goes up and the other drops out, the one that goes up finds the next that went up and so on until there is only one left. My first match is going to be the 3rd of the day... meaning that there are only two other combats before mine right? ?Buddy you are getting nervous again. Well, I''m off then! Good luck buddy!?(?) I give him a wry smile and wish him luck with my hand. So his combat was the first one. ?AAAAAAAAAND NOW LET''S BEGIN THE TOURNAMENT!?(Really damn loud voice) Everyone is making noise in their way, some through screams others through roars and other through multiple hitting of objects. ?ON THE FIRST MATCH WE HAVE A VERY PROUD BEAST! A LONE HUNTER THAT YOU SHOULD NOT UNDERESTIMATE! HE WHO FIGHTS WITH HIS BODY AS A WEAPON! HE IS DIOND!?(Really damn loud voice) The wolf guy jumps to the middle of the arena with one single jump and throws his fists into the air. He is in a victorious pose. ?ON THE OTHER SIDE WE HAVE A SKY RULLER! SHE IS A HARPY AMAZONESS THAT FIGHTS IN THE AIR WITH EXTREME AGILITY! SHE IS VANDA!?(Really damn loud voice) A harpy descends from the sky and lands on the arena and then points the tip of her spear to the sky. Are victory poses and dramatic entrances really needed? ?PREPARE YOURSELVES BECAUSE THIS BATTLE IS ABOUT TO START! 3! 2! 1! FIGHT!?(Really damn loud voice) While the combat started, they both bowed their heads and got into a battle pose. At the sign, it was simply a battle of speed, but Diond was faster. He got down on all fours and ran at incredible speeds in the direction of Vanda who was about to start flying but didn''t do it in time. Diond arrived next to her before she could even get her feet of the ground and punched her in her chest and sent her flying against the wall many meters behind. It was an instant knockout. ?WHAT INCREDIBLE POWER! THE BATTLE IS ALREADY OVER!?(Really damn loud voice) Diond made the same pose from the start and headed to the door meant for the victors while Vanda is being carried through the door for the losers. And right after, another match starts between two beast-men. The tiger won. By the way, he had a really unique way of showing respect for the opponent, instead of simply bowing he also got on his knee. After both of them are out of the arena... It''s my turn. ?AND FOR THE NEXT BATTLE WE HAVE A MYSTERIOUS SWORDSMAN! HE WEARS A MASK, SO NO ONE ACTUALLY KNOWS HIS FACE AND EVEN THOUGH HE IS A CLOSE QUARTER COMBATANT HE SHOWS GREAT TALENT IN MAGIC! HE IS JIM!?(Really damn loud voice) I walk into the arena, and once I''m in place, I put my right fist into the air. Not like a punch, slower and with a look of being uninterested. ?ON THE OTHER SIDE WE HAVE AN ELVEN BEAUTY! BUT DON''T THINK OF LETTING YOUR GUARD DOWN OTHERWISE YOU MIGHT JUST GET AN ARROW THROUGH YOUR NECK! SHE IS TIFFANY!?(Really damn loud voice) It seems like the humans also branded demi-humans as demons. She walks into the arena, put an arrow in her mouth and poses. She also winks at me. Thankfully I have the mask and good pants... ?AND NOW GET READY!?(Really damn loud voice) At this moment I bow like a human noble would in the presence of the king. One foot behind the other, leaning forward with the arm under my chest while lowering my head. She does a simple bow. ?3! 2! 1! FIGHT!?(Really damn loud voice) As the sign is given I start running in her direction at full speed. ?Are you really going to fight me, an elf, like that? How naive!?(Tiffany) She starts shooting multiple arrows in my direction, but I keep running. ?What an easy battle! haha!?(Tiffany) While she was celebrating her victory, all the arrows miss me, who was running in a straight line.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ?WHAT?!!? IMPOSSIBLE! HOW DID I MISS?!?(Tiffany) Well, that was to be expected, after all, I''m using wind magic to change the trajectory of the arrows. ?WHAT THE FUCK?! HOW ARE THEY NOT HITTING!??(Tiffany) While she was saying all that I get close and hit her stomach with the hilt of the sword. I catch Tiffany, who had fainted from the intense pain, while she was falling and then handed her to the healing team who came running. ?WHAT KIND OF MAGIC WAS THAT?! NO ARROW SHALL HIT THIS MYSTERIOUS SWORDSMAN!?(Really damn loud voice) With that, I exit through the victors'' door with my fist in the air. ?What a show buddy! Now I''m certain that you deserve being defeated by me!?(Diond) He starts laughing, and the only thing that I can do is smile back even though he is unable to actually see it... ?But really, what was that? That was AWESOME!?(Diond) ?You mean the arrows not hitting??(Me) ?Yeah, yeah that! How the heck did you do that??(Diond) ?Wind magic. Just a slight hint of wind on the arrow will change its course and miss.?(Me) ?I don''t get it, but that''s awesome anyways!?(Diond) I don''t understand the logic behind this guy''s thinking either so it''s fair... The tournament went on, Diond won two more matches, one right before lunch against an ogre and one some hours after lunch, against a succubus. I won one against a cat beast-man right after lunch. He just went head on so it was easy to parry his attack and counter. Galgo and Mirim are also doing good... Probably. They won one match each but I haven''t seen them since... I''m about to go into the arena again, but this time I might just lose in seconds. That is not something to be surprised after all I''m against that extremely strong guy that I saw during the physical exam. But of course, it wouldn''t be a problem if he only had a great physique. He is also a master swordsman. He is without a doubt someone who in a few decades will become one of the strongest in the world. Above all that, he knows no mercy. He almost killed one of his opponents wouldn''t the referees have intervened. I''m against that kind of guy. Right now I''m trembling like I never did. I''m going to fight that guy, and I might get killed, so it''s normal to feel fear right? I start walking into the arena. All the loud noise can''t reach my ears anymore. Something inside of me is screaming danger and telling me to retreat, but I''m still going. Would I retreat and I would be no different from those disgusting humans. We are both looking at each other waiting for the match to start. I don''t know when I was supposed to do a victory pose, but this time I don''t even care about it, I won''t do it. I have no confidence in winning. He is smiling. He is smiling at me with a smile befitting of a psychopath. He might not be seeing my face, but he knows how much fear I''m feeling going through my body right now. The counting starts, and the moment the word "go" comes out of the loud guy''s mouth, the guy disappeared. Where did he go? But just a moment after, everything became clear. He didn''t disappear; he is just moving very quickly. For some reason, his movements slowed down after a second but it doesn''t matter anymore, I can''t dodge this. He is already swinging his sword at me. ?TAKE A STEP BACK! QUICK!?(?) Such words screamed inside my head, said with my own voice. I take a step back. I was much faster than I should have been and managed to dodge the attack. Since when am I this fast? Like this, I can win! But... what is this burning feeling in my right arm? Did he use magic on his sword so burn me? When I look at my right arm, I enter a panic state. It was missing from under my elbow onwards. I then realized the mistake I made. I impulsively put my arm to protect my body and didn''t even realize. I am completely paralyzed. The mix of surprise, stinging pain, and fear made it impossible to move. But he won''t stop. He is already swinging his sword again. But this time he is pulled back by one of the referees, making his sword barely miss my face. My mask received a clean, diagonal cut from near my right ear to the left side of my jaw. Half of my face can now be seen. ?The match is already over. You won.?(Referee) At this moment I dropped to the floor to the sight of that guy going to the victor''s door. ?Now... Let''s treat that bleeding.?(Healer) The referee called the healing team, and they led me to a room with a series of beds and life magic tools piled on a bunch of shelves and healed my arm. But of course, it didn''t grow back. <And it won''t...At least for now.>(?) Here it is. This voice again. This voice is almost the same as mine, just a bit... gloomier? Who are you? And what do you mean by "for now"? <Can''t believe you already forgot about me. I''m you. Or better said, the you that you banished at an early age. Remember me now?>(?) Of course, I remember. But how can you talk into my head? <I''m inside you anyways ain''t I? Isn''t it normal? Well anyway, "for now" means that in the future you might be able to regenerate it.>(?) How could I regenerate it? Unless I learn some kind of magic that regenerates body parts, I won''t be able to regenerate it as I''m just a human! <You are human?>(?) NO! <Huh... By the way, that kind of magic is really advanced life magic.>(?) Then how am I supposed to regenerate my arm oh Mr. other me? <First, call me something better. I think"other me" is lame. Second, you don''t know what kind of power you banished do you?>(Mr. other me) Does it let me regenerate body parts? <It could.>(Mr. other me) What kind of power is that? <Do you really want to know? That power is fused with the dark, dark humanity that you banished alongside with it and knowing about it will make you use it unconsciously. Using that power you can''t deny being a human anymore.>(Mr. other me) That makes no sense! How can that make it impossible to deny being human? <Because, right now, you are just a part of the human race and your insides are that of another creature. Using that power, your human part will come back and you will become a full human again, inside and outside.>(Mr. other me) But... does that mean that I will eventually become like those lowly humans? <Not necessarily. Not all humans are like that. Being human does not mean being like that. To everything, there is an exception. You can be human while not being like them, that is up to you and you only.>(Mr. other me) Being human does not mean being like them... then... doesn''t that mean that I can use that power for good? <You can.>(Mr. other me) Then... tell me about it. <Are you sure? Are you accepting your humanity?>(Mr. other me) Yes... Kinda... <Anyways then. Let''s start with your power. You were born with a very powerful skill called "God Eater". What it does is simple: You steal a part of the status of what you eat. The stronger the creature you are eating is, the more status you get. For example, if you eat a rabbit, you will get a boost in your agility. But would you eat a god with tremendous agility, you would get a massive boost in agility. The same works for the other stats like strength and vitality for example. That also works for skills. Other than that, the more recent the creature being eaten is, the more your status will rise, and more skills will be acquired. In other words, the more time passes after what you are eating is disconnected from life, the less status and skills you get, which makes it better to eat it on the place or even alive for the most efficiency. The only inconvenient about this ability is that you won''t get anything if it wasn''t you hunting for it. If you are eating a dead creature, to get status you need to be the one that killed it. If you are eating a part of the creature, but the creature is still alive, then you need to have been the one to take that part from the creature. Remember that boost in power when you fought Galgo? That was this power boosting your stats temporarily. All that was the accumulated stats of the creatures that you hunted and ate.> Disgusting. This power is absolutely disgusting. Isn''t that the power of a monster?! <It is your power. The one who could become the biggest monster ever, one who would frighten the gods!>(Mr. other me) (...) I remain silent in my head while thinking about this power until I remembered something that the school principal said while appraising me. What is the "devouring monster". <I am the devouring monster. Surprised?>(devouring monster) Not that much but then... why didn''t the principal see the "god eater" skill? <Because I am also that skill. I thought you had already realized that your banished humanity had fused with your power and that I was what originated from that fusion.>(devouring monster) Then you are my power? <Exactly. Will you deny me now?>(devouring monster) No... I can''t deny. I never could right? <You are right. You are human, and as a human, you are a complete monster.>(devouring monster) I laugh wryly and get up. More time passed than it looks and the day is already ending. I will go and see if the kids are still around. I walk to where I had seen them earlier, but they weren''t there anymore. I''ll just look for them tomorrow. I walk to my room, fall on the bed and pretty much instantly fall asleep. God eating blade ?It hurts! My arm hurts!?(Me) I woke up with a terrifying pain in my right arm. This horrific pain is coming from the missing part of my arm. This is much more painful than anything I ever felt... <Calm down, that''s normal. That''s called ghost pain. You are missing part of you and that is seen as intense pain by your body.>(Devouring monster) WHY THOUGH?! <I dunno... Human stuff.>(Devouring monster) Looks like I''ll have to deal with it huh? <Yup you will.>(Devouring monster) You really are talkative today... I get out and right as I take 3 steps outside, a hairy man shouts out to me. ?HEY YOUNG MAN! You''re Jim right??(Monkey person?) Now that I look closely... He is really short. Is he a dwarf? ?Yeah, that''s me.?(Me) ?Great! Luckily I decided to go there on the first day, opposing the higher ups opinions! Come with me!?(Hairy dwarf) ?Wait a second. Where are we going and why is that lucky??(Me) ?I''m going to show you the faction I''m in! You should always join a faction on the first few days unless you want to be bullied by others!?(Hairy dwarf) So if I don''t have the backing of a faction, I''ll have a bad time? Wow... ?And I''m lucky because you have great potential! Most higher ups from the factions don''t go to the first two days of the tournament so that they won''t lose time watching battles between weak people. You were one of those unlucky to be strong and have potential but just not enough to defeat one of the first enemies. As so, I''m the only one from a faction coming to recruit you!? He kind of explained most of my doubts... everyone that acquires power becomes like that no matter if they are human or not... We arrive at a Big factory-like building and go in. Inside most people are working on making weapons and others are testing said weapons. This seems like a blacksmiths faction. ?Don''t get this wrong, we are not a blacksmiths faction, we are a warrior''s faction. The thing here is that while we give great importance to one''s weapons, most other factions only care about raw power. So while they are exhausting their talent, we are refining ours.?(Hairy dwarf) ?What will I get for joining apart from backing??(Me) ?Well, it all depends on if you do join. But I can promise you that you will get a brand new weapon!? I look at the dwarf full of doubts in my mind. But after looking at the smug face the dwarf was making... I made a decision. ?That looks suspicious and with quite a lot of things in that you kept hidden... I''m in.?(Me) The Dwarf started to look disappointed until I said I wanted to join. From that point onwards he was smiling from ear to ear. ?If that''s so I guess I can tell you something more! We here give very high importance to weapons, as such, you will forge your own weapon with a secret technique of ours and make a weapon so good you will keep it for life!?(Hairy dwarf) So it''s that kind of secrets this faction holds? I was expecting something like "You''ll need to sell part of your soul to us". ?So do I have some sort of initiation??(Me) ?Oh yes. But you''ll have to make a vow of silence. Even if you fail the initiation, which will probably not happen, you will not spill our secrets to outsiders. You will not even hint at them existing. Understood?? ?Yeah, that''s understandable.? After hearing my answer, the hairy dwarf pulls a lever and a secret door opens on one of the walls. After going through, a whole new world appeared before my eyes.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ?Welcome to the actual faction hall!?(Hairy dwarf) In front of me, there were all kinds of things. Things from training camps that were fit for warriors, for mages, or even thieves. There were gigantic buildings where teaching would take place. And the biggest of all was, without doubt, the forges. The forges were twice as big as the camps and the buildings together. Inside you could see all kinds of materials to your weapon and armor. Everything from copper to platinum to other materials that I don''t recognize were there. ?I''m kind of impressed...? ?Don''t underestimate the Metal Warriors buddy!? I get it now... I should have doubted it before but it didn''t even pass through my mind... The Metal Warriors were one of the top 10 factions around here. Some even say they are the strongest but as they keep most of their power a secret, they barely make it into the top ten as their known numbers are very small. Those were true. Looking at this place makes me feel like they are very powerful but at the same time, I can''t see a lot of people. They were all over the place and there were only 200 around every one of the 3 main places. ?Now as initiation, you will make your own weapon!?(Hairy dwarf) ?Is that really it??(Me) So they will have me make a weapon? Just that is enough? ?Yeah so now I''ll tell you how you''ll make it. Be ready to surprise me because I''ll be evaluating you!?(Hairy dwarf) We get into a vacant room and inside there is every kind of tool needed for forging a weapon is present. ?Now I''ll tell you the secret technique we use here... This technique makes forging much easier but also much harder at the same time so pay close attention. Once your chosen metal is in a liquid state you will put a part of your soul into the metal and then pour it into the mold. You can also but more than one kind of metal and even put other things like blood into the molten metal to get special effects on your weapon. Then it''s done! Oh and remember that no matter what mold you put the molten metal into, it will always become the weapon that most fits your soul.?(Hairy dwarf) Seems simple enough but how do I do that? While I was thinking, a light appeared in the dark... <I think I have an idea.>(Devouring monster) Really? What kind of idea is that? <You''ll get it once we get there. Start by selecting the metal and smelting it. Once it''s done I''ll do my part.>(Devouring monster) That''s not really the kind of explanation I was expecting but I have no other ideas so I''ll go along with it. I look at the many kinds of metal and one seems to have some kind of aura. ?What metal is this??(Me) ?Not telling you! That is also part of the test!?(Hairy Dwarf) <Get the one on the left. It''s much more compatible with you.>(Devouring monster) What do you mean by that? How do you know? <For fuck''s sake... you''ll get it in a bit.>(Devouring monster) Well, thanks then I guess? After picking a nice amount of metal and putting it over the fire, I sit and wait for it to become a liquid. ?Hmmm, that metal might not be the best... That one is a very versatile metal but it''s very weak at first. It can be improved but it''s kind of hard unless you know of the right method for your specific weapon.?(Hairy dwarf) So once I get to that point of no return he''ll actually tell me what it is? After the metal becomes completely liquid, which too 5 minutes because I got bored and used a combo of flame and air magic to swiftly increase the temperature, I get a random mold ready. <Drop the seeds and sap into the molten metal and then pour it into the mold, I''ll take care of the rest.>(Devouring monster) All right but what kind of result will I get? <The one you wish the most, even if not complete.>(Devouring monster) What I wish the most? Let''s see what he mean by that... I open the jar and drop everything from inside of it into the metal and watch it start emitting a bright light while I pour it into the mold. The lights had a white color but suddenly started changing to a really dark purple color. The metal wobbled around a bit and then took the shape of a sword about the size of me, maybe slightly bigger? ?Well, that was unexpectedly good! Not only did you pour a piece of your soul, you also poured one of your skills! Now both you and the weapon share souls and that skill as one. That''s impressive!?(Hairy dwarf) I GET IT NOW! <Finnaly!>(Devouring monster) So you are now inside of my weapon along with all of my "humanity"? <Exectly. It''s still linked to you but it''s not in you anymore. Isn''t that what you wanted?>(Devouring monster) And you used that metal because it can grow stronger with the god eater skill am I right? <Yes you are.> AWESOME! <Thanks, now I''m going to sleep, that tired me much more than it should...>(Devouring monster) With those words, I grab my new sword. It''s much lighter than it looks. As of appearance, it''s gorgeous dark sword. ?So, What will you name this sword??(Hairy dwarf) ?hmm, what about Excal...?(Me) ?Taken. Be original please.?(Hairy dwarf) Won''t even let me finish the name... ?What about "God eater"??(Me) ?hmm... Seems to fit such a large dark blade so... I guess it''s alright?? I then swing it a few times as if getting used to it, put it on my back and walk out of the faction zone. It''s actually quite dark already so I walk to the dorms. ?Hey, Jim!?(Mirim) ?What happened?!?(Me) Mirim appears from out of nowhere, which means that she came from the arena now and I didn''t notice. And she is full of injuries. ?The same as who did that to your arm... That handsome bastard almost killed me...?(Mirim) So that fucker also almost killed her? I''m gonna pay him back someday. ?So anyway, next week school actually starts and we''ll have a field trip already. We''ll have to form groups and we''ll have to go hunt in the nearby forest. Wanna be in the same group with me and Galgo??(Mirim) Is that so? Wait a second... ?Yeah it''s good for me but where is Galgo??(Me) ?Oh, I defeated him and he is probably still crying in a corner somewhere.?(Mirim) Well, that''s harsh... We have some more chitchat and go into our rooms and sleep for the night. Looking at it now, those times were quite funny... Little did I know that in a week, my whole life would change... Fated encounter It''s been a week since I made this sword. It''s kind of hard to get used to it but I think I''m doing good. After all, I''m used to using swords that are half as big and not nearly as heavy as this one. As so I had a need to start developing a new fighting style. I still only have an idea of what it''ll be like but if it works, most of the weaknesses of using such a large blade would pretty much disappear. At this moment I''m heading to the meeting point for the expedition. It''s at the side of the school closest to the forest so it''s still a bit far seeing as the school is gigantic and I''m on the opposite side of it for some reason. Meanwhile, I think I can just revise what I studied this last week. So, classes are just the same as in the human country, with just a few major differences. The main difference is that, even though the demon society is stratified just like the human, they all attend the same school, just in different classes. Humans would never have their royalty and nobles in the same school as commoners but here they just aren''t in the same class. Usually, this makes it so that the future rulers like the demon nobles and even the demon princes or princesses create strong bonds with some commoners, leading to them getting a position as perhaps a general under that noble. I kind of like such a system. Humans would most of the time need to either be very lucky or manage to show off their abilities somehow to get invited to such positions. The stratification is also very similar, if not the complete same. First is the king, the eldest son will succeed the previous king, once this one dies. Next, the nobles. These are the ones that in the past proved themselves as strong and loyal to the king and so, they were awarded the status. then It''s the clergy. It''s a little weird for me but demons do worship a god, the Demon God. The clergy is also stratified but I still don''t know how. If my guess is right, it''s the same as the human as well. Starts with the Pope, then the Cardinal, Archbishop, Bishop and finally the Priests. And at last, the commoners. Other than those, nobles and commoners are also in a hierarchy based on their power and riches. The top would be the king''s personal guard, followed by the royal knight''s leaders and warlords. Then would come the generals, then the royal knights, the merchants would be around here, even if that depends on how much money they have, and finally would come the normal warriors and footmen. Non-fighters would be the bottom of the hierarchy. Commoners can still have more power than a noble but that would mean that the noble is a non-fighter from a weak family and the commoner is at least a general. If the Demon King has a commoner personal guard, then that commoner would have more power than every noble that isn''t a personal king''s guard. That would all then depend on the family each one is born and their riches but this is the base of it. (Author: The religion is based on the Catholic because it''s the closest to me and the one I''m more familiar with.) This makes me believe that they might have been altogether as one, a long, long time ago... Oh, but there is one major difference that everyone knows. After all, it''s what teachers and parents tell the next generation so they get motivated in training. The royal family in the demon country is always the strongest. As such, one can challenge the demon king for his position. If the challenger wins, then he is the new king. Power reigns the demons. No loyalty is needed if you are strong enough. Other than that, I received the results of my exams and the results of the tournament. On my exams, I was quite shocked for some reason but don''t really know why. I got full marks on the written exam. I guess common sense is the same here as well? I kind of feels like the humans and demons are just too similar for some reason... I the practical exam, I scored 70/100, which is nice. But then... I landed on 97th place in the tournament. I got eliminated very soon so I guess they take into account the enemy that defeated you? Everyone can get a fairer score like this so it makes sense... Still, out of almost a five hundred, it''s pretty damn good. Like this, I got graded as a B Rank. Galgo and Mirim got both graded as A. When they discovered, they silently looked at each other, smiled and walked away without saying a word. If I wasn''t stalking paying attention to them, I wouldn''t even know their grade. Also, the handsome bastard won the tournament and is now S ranked. At least he had a tough fight with another (now also S ranked) person.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. I finally arrive at the meeting point and notice that something is weird... I did arrive slightly late but... what would make everyone be so down like this? I can''t even see Galgo or Mirim here so they might be going another day... ?Everyone who hasn''t checked their groups should do it as soon as possible. The first group will be going out in a few minutes.?(?) I looked for the teams and once I find them I discovered why everyone seems down. All the goups are random. So we''ll have to fight along with unknown people. Luckily, it seems that the handsome bastard isn''t here. I can relax a bit I guess... Or not. My team seems to be fully made out of nobles. I know it because just like humans, demon nobles have all at least three names in their name. I just hope they are at least a bit humble... ?Are you Jim??(?) An arrogant man in a golden armor directs his word to me, who was looking at team 13. ?Yes, that''s me. Are you on my team??(Me) ?No, YOU are on our team. And you are out of place. Get out.?(Arrogant Noble) Well then, I guess this is going to be a hell of a time... ?You have to work with whoever it is that is on your team, that''s the thing in this expedition. Let him stay.?(Kind noble) A girl with gorgeous scarlet hair appears from out of nowhere and protects me. She might be a bit flat but she is gorgeous other than that. Especially her eyes that look like raging fire, opposing completely her kind appearance. ?Do you think that I will ever have to work with a pleb like this in the future? Because I think not!?(Arrogant Noble) ?You might so get used to it...?(Kind noble) She says that and turns to me who was silent the whole time. The arrogant noble made clear his disdain for me by spiting next to me. What a noble character... ?Ignore him if you need to, he''s been like that for as long as I can remember. Oh, I''m Stephanie by the way. Nice to meet you!?(Stephanie) ?Nice to meet you too.?(Me) ?Oh and that was...?(Stephanie) ?Don''t care about his name...?(Me) I stop her before she tells me the other noble''s name. I don''t intend on getting affectionate to anyone of these people. After some teams depart, my group finally departs in direction of the forest. My team has three guys, Me the arrogant bastard and a silent guy that looks like an assassin and one girl, Stephanie. Our group is the smallest but as there were groups of four to ten persons each, I guess it was planned. As we walk through the forest no one says a word so I''m trying to remember everything that we need. We need a species of red and blue mushrooms that grow in the darkest part of the forest, a dragon scale and to survive without the need for a rescue. They are simple yet hard for those that don''t know what to do. While we walk, everything keeps getting darker so they are probably going for the mushrooms first. I''m still wondering if the dragon scale really needs to come from a dragon. Wouldn''t it be too hard, if not impossible to actually defeat a dragon with just 4 people? I heard that the forest''s guardian is a giant dragon but I don''t think they would have us slay it. I guess his underlings will have to do. As I plan such things, the arrogant bastard turns around. ?Plep! Go scout ahead and prove you are worth something!?(Arrogant Noble) I look at the other members of the group and after noticing Stephanie nodding in approval, I nod and walk ahead. After a few minutes of walking, I hear a loud noise coming from ahead. There seems to be a large battle happening a kilometer from here. I''ll go back and tell the rest of the group. Or I would... If they were still where they were before. But they are nowhere to be found. I still couldn''t find them after searching for a while. <Be careful, seems like something suspicious is happening around here.>(Devouring monster) After such words, I start walking in the direction of the large battle from before. What I saw when I arrived at the battle site, what I saw shocked me. A small girl is lying down, unconscious in front of a giant dragon. She has gorgeous long purple wavy hair, blood red eyes and a white smooth skin that could be seen under all her cuts and bruises. She is beautiful while still being incredibly cute. Every part of her shows incredible beauty and perfection in small proportions. While I was mesmerized by such a person, the dragon raised his claws high and prepared to strike. When I noticed those claws getting closer to her body, I instinctively ran and prepared to parry the attack. <Ready to use the power?>(Devouring monster) For saving someone, I''m always ready! Strong energy goes through my body and sword. I parry every claw of his by putting my large sword horizontally above my head and then pushing the dragon away. That''s the moment I realized I was much stronger than I ever thought... Verdand Dragon With such strong power, I managed to easily push a giant dragon away. <Don''t talk like this is all the power you can get. This is nothing but the start.>(Devouring monster) So I''ll keep on growing? <Yes. But be warned, you just spent most of your mana to parry that attack.>(Devouring monster) WAIT WHAT?! <Yeah, this power spends a lot of mana. You still haven''t eaten any intelligent, mana-rich creatures so your mana is basically the one you were born with. Don''t be afraid, your mana is very high for a human.>(Devouring monster) THAT MEANS NOTHING IF MY STRONGEST POWER IS UNUSABLE WITH THIS AMOUNT OF MANA!! <Why don''t you try using wind or fire magic. This is a forest dragon, fire magic is especially effective. Oh, wait... nevermind. His scales counteract that.>(Devouring monster) How do you know? <Appraisal?>(Devouring monster) And how do you have it? <You ate someone with it and as I kept checking everything with it, it slowly upgraded.>(Devouring monster) But I only ate animals my whole life... <Yeah... No. You ate a few demons in the past and not only that, one of the rabbits that you hunted, roasted and ate on the spot was actually a reincarnated human.>(Devouring monster) I feel like puking now... <Don''t. The dragon will kill us if you puke.>(Devouring monster) He''ll kill us anyway... Can I use appraisal too? <Not for now. We are still not completely fused back even though the making of that "God Eater Sword" helped a lot. You have a really good naming sense by the way.>(Devouring monster) Shut up... <Oh right. The dragon is coming. Be careful, your life is my life.>(Devouring monster) Yeah, thanks for that... I think. After discussing with the monster inside of me, I looked the dragon in the eyes. This green dragon looks really majestic and probably strong enough to destroy a human army on its own. <Oh and he has a few weaknesses. One of them is still fire. Once you get through the scales, he is very vulnerable to fire. Other than that, he has no scales on his eyes, nose... genitals, and anus... so good luck with that. I''ll be sleeping so I won''t have to see that.>(Devouring monster) Seriously? AT A MOMENT LIKE THIS?! Not only do I have to actually castrate a dragon, I won''t even get to use my power?! <You can still use my power to a certain extent. Remember that we are partially fused already.I''m going to sleep now. I don''t want to have a nightmare because of this...>(Devouring monster)Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. After I completely lost contact with the devouring monster, the dragon looks at me and then at the girl. Then back at me. Then back at the girl. Then he looked at my sword and shivered. Then back at me who was running towards him. He seems confused by me parrying the previous attack and takes a step back instead of confidently attacking me in return. Once I get close enough, I swing my sword with all my might and hit the dragon''s leg. Even though the dragon''s balance was affected, my sword took much more damage than him. My sword was instantly chipped and the dragon didn''t even have a scratch. After noticing such a thing I step back. Those scales are really tough... I won''t be able to do anything to them at all... I guess I''ll really have to go for the unprotected zones... Please don''t make me resort to the last two... The Green dragon lost no time and as I took that step back, he took two forward and attacked me with his claws. This time, I''ll just evade them. I don''t have all that power anymore so I can''t take risks. Meanwhile, the sword regenerated somehow... <That''s the special effect from the seed and sap from that tree.*Goes back to sleep(Apparently)*>(Devouring monster) Well that''s... convenient. to say the least. I dodge his claw attack and start running up his arm. Once near its nose, I swing my blade with everything I have. But of course, a giant dragon wouldn''t be that easy. He spits blue flames at me. IT BURNS LIKE HELL!! <Yeah, some nature creatures that are related to swamps have the power of the will''o''wisp. Be careful.>(Devouring monster) That would be a nice information to have BEFORE I GOT BURNED. You can pretend to sleep again. <Oh, Yeah.*Pretends to sleep again*> The dragon slashed with his claws again. This time I barely made it because most of my left leg is burned to a crisp and I can barely move it. I got slashed by one of the claws. I''m bleeding now, great... I looked at the dragon as life started to fade from my eyes, along with the blood flowing from that large cut on my torso. The dragon is now looking at the girl... I''m gonna eat this fucking lizard... <Do it.>(Devouring monster) I start running in the dragon''s direction. Once I see the dragon throwing his claws at me again, I started spinning my whole body. Once the Claws were close, I hit the tip of the sword in the ground and use that momentum to get out of harm''s way and keep running forward. I pass through the gap between his front legs and go directly for the genitals. I start spinning again and use that spinning momentum to cleanly cut his genitals off. <Tittle acquired: Dragon Castrator> He screams in agony and falls to the ground with me under. luckily I could somehow get out in time. I proceed to do something I would never think I''d do... I put my hand inside the dragon''s anus and pray to whatever god that is watching me that what I''m about to do works. I imagine a large amount of fire coming out of my hand and try to turn that into a spell. Right when the dragon was finally getting up, I managed to succeed and a large explosion occurred inside the dragon''s anus. After the dragon struggled for a bit, the smell of cooked meat indicated my victory. All his scales fell off as well... <Tittle acquired: Dragon Slayer> I won... I killed a dragon! <Don''t be so proud. It was disgusting and using disgusting methods.>(Devouring monster) SHUT UP! I WON! Now... I''ll have a giant lizard feast... <Wash your hands first please...>(Devouring monster) After somehow eating most of the dragon, I look at the girl who is still sleeping in the same spot. I better take her somewhere safe... I put the girl on my back and head the same way that I came... After putting her on my back and start walking, she moves slightly.Is she waking up? For a few seconds, she moved as if looking around. <Title acquired: ????? ????? ???> After that, she held onto me with a bit more strength than before and stopped moving again. She''s probably really tired to not even say anything after seeing a stranger carrying her... But seriously... WHAT ARE THOSE TITLES?! The dragon slayer one is understandable but... Is that "Dragon castrator" title really needed?! And what kind of title is that incomprehensible gibberish?! <I will only say one thing for each of them so pay attention. You killed a dragon. You are disgusting. You still can''t know what that title is.>(Devouring monster) WHAT?! <No more answers.>(Devouring monster) But what can it be? <...*intense silence*>(Devouring monster) Seriously what is that crap...? With such thought in mind, I keep walking towards the meeting point of the expedition with a sleeping beauty, a bunch of dragon scales and a few mushrooms that were growing on the dragon''s back. What the fuck just happened?! After walking for a bit, I arrive at the meeting point. The examiner starts panicking as she sees us arriving in an extremely sorry state. Most people were not panicking but were mostly shocked. Why? Because two persons from different groups are coming back together and without their respective groups. ?What happened?!?(Teacher) ?I got separated from my group and found her being attacked by a dragon. I don''t know what happened to her previously but she was alone and had fainted so I took her back after killing the dragon.?(Me) Everyone got shocked at my words... <Of course they are shocked... You, disgustingly, defeated a dragon. That''s no small feat so...>(Devouring monster) Almost forgot about that... ?Is she all right??(Teacher dressed in white) ?I don''t know.?(Me) A healing teacher started healing my obvious large wounds. My chared leg is almost normal again and the bleeding from that claw wound has already stopped. He must be a really good healer. <Don''t give him too much credit. Your natural healing is also getting stronger so it''s normal.>(Devouring monster) ?She seems to have only fainted. She is strong after all so it''s to be expected.?(Teacher) ?Who is she exactly??(Me) ?She is one of the prodigies from the previous year. If you want to know more, ask her once she wakes up.?(Teacher) <She''ll go see you anyways so don''t waste too much time.>(Devouring monster) How are you so sure? <You saved her and she knows who you are. Despite being similar, demons still would do everything they can to thank their saviors, unlike most humans.>(Devouring monster) That''s true... ?As you two came back together, would you like to be taken from your previous groups and put together as a new group? I assume that in the end, coming back alive is the work of both and you have everything that was asked and it''s of very high quality even.?(Teacher) ?I think that''s okay?(Me) <Keep a few scales and mushrooms.>(Devouring monster) Why exactly? <Why don''t you trust me a bit more?>(Devouring monster) Why should I? <Because I win nothing over your failure?>(Devouring monster) Fair enough... I think... I grab a handful of scales and mushrooms and give the rest to the teacher. I then start walking to the dormitories. I''m dirty so I''ll take a bath and then I''ll see what I''ll do for the rest of the day. ?Hey, Jim! How''s it going??(Galgo) Once I got to the dormitories, I found Galgo and Mirim reaaaaaally close to each other, slightly hidden by one of the walls. They were probably kissing before I got here. I guessed they were in that kind of relationship by the time we arrived at the demon country. They were never open to others about it so I never knew for sure but after finding them like this, kind of hiding and seeing Mirim shyly bury her face on Galgo''s chest, It confirmed all my doubts... I''ve been holding a candle for them this whole time! ?Keep going... I''m going back to my room.?(Me) ?*whispers* thanks man...?(Galgo) Even though Mirim is usually very green all over, her face is completely red. She might even be bearing fruit in a few months... I then took a long bath to clear my mind of those unstable thoughts of mine and got back to my room. I lay on the bed and thought about life for a while... Until a knock on the door woke me up from my GOD DAMN life thinking moment......... Why am I acting like this..? I wait for a bit to see if it really is important and as the knocks keep on going I walk to the door and open it. <Calm down, please... Your body might get a hormone overdose if this goes on...>(Devouring monster) ?Hello again Jim! Mind if I come in??(?) The one I saw was the girl I just saved... WHY IS SHE ALREADY HERE I AM NOT PREPARED YET! As I started to fully open the door I notice that I am almost naked... That''s not something good... I think. ?Wait a second. I''ll just put on some clothes.?(Me) ?Okay!?(?) OH GOD, THAT SMILE IS SO GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!! <That''s just a normal smile... I think all those hormones are doing something bad to your head... And it''s actually fusing us even more...>(Devouring monster) I put some clothes on while I fight the war flag that was raised on me... And finally, open the door... Once I did, her beautiful smile illuminated the room as she walked in and sat down on the bed.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ?Soooooo... I''m here to tell you something! Thank you very much for saving me from that dragon! I''m Noemi! Nice to meet you!?(Noemi) SO DAMN CUTE! ?It''s a pleasure to meet you but you don''t need to thank me like that. I did it because I wanted to.?(Me) <My impression of you is getting lower and I didn''t expect that to happen for a while after the thing with the dragon...>(Devouring monster) SHUT UP AND LET ME ENJOY THIS! She is thanking me while on her knees so that''s making me a bit awkward... ?NO! You saved me from a giant dragon! I still need to thank you!?(Noemi) She leaps up and looks me in the eyes... she is a few centimeters from my face and it''s making me feel a bit nervous... After a few seconds (those were seconds but felt like hours!), she realized the situation and ran away while blushing... She is so cute... After such a weird scene I went to sleep. I wonder when we''ll meet again... <hr> The next day, the whole school was kinda weird. Galgo and Mirim are missing and the whole school, in general, seems gloomier than usual. The loli teacher from my magic examination comes into the room looks around. Her short green hair and green eyes give her a complete look of a wind user. ?Listen, everyone. I''ll be your new teacher from today onwards. As you probably have already heard, there have been a few attacks from the old Demon king faction and your teacher was discovered to be involved and as such, I''m taking his place now.? So that''s why? But... I hope it''s a coincidence that Galgo and Mirim are missing as well... Let''s not think about it. They came here with me from really far away. I doubt they have anything to do with this. ?Anyway, today it''s magic training. Everyone must be able to use a few advanced spells even though you might be a non-magic fighter. You probably already know most of the theory behind magic so just follow me.?(Loli teacher) So after the expedition, we start getting practical lessons? Seems nice. ?YOU MASKY BOY GET YOUR ASS AWAY FROM HERE! GO "PRACTICE" WITH ANOTHER CLASS OR SOMETHING!?(Loli teacher) As I got close to the rest of the class the teacher screams at me and leaves with the whole class. Meanwhile, I''m just standing in the middle of an empty classroom, completely dumbfounded... <She took quite a hit to her pride when she saw you using magic for the first time...>(Devouring monster) What is she to act like that? A child? (Devouring monster) ?Why don''t you join us then Jim??(Noemi) Noemi comes out of the door opposite to the doom my class just went through... WHY IS SHE HERE?! <She probably heard those really, REALLY loud screams from your teacher. There is one "masky boy" around so... I guess she used her brain?>(Devouring monster) Makes sense... ?Yeah, I''ll go. Looks like I can''t practice with my class so...?(Me) ?GREAT! Come with me!?(Noemi) She takes my hand and pretty much drags me to the magic training field. Her class is the one that came here last year so... yeah they are right next to my class. ?WHY DID YOU COME HERE?!?(loli teacher) ?Is that your teacher? What is she, a child??(Noemi) ?You can''t imagine how many times I''ve wondered about that just today.?(Me) ?WHAT ARE YOU TWO LAUGHING ABOUT?! GET AWAY FROM ME!?(child teacher) ?I''m going with her.?(Me) ?*Incomprehensible screaming*?(child teacher) We arrive at the section of the field her class''s in and the teacher starts sweating bullets... It''s the Pigman teacher from the magic examination... <What''s a bullet though?>(Devouring monster) Dunno. It''s an expression. ?Okay... Let''s all try this spell out... it''s an advanced spell called "Elemental armor". It... Provides Great varying defense depending on the element you use. It possesses quite a big chant so... Use it before a battle starts... that''s what I would advise you do...?(Pigman teacher) The teacher keeps stopping the explanation to look at me and at that time everyone looks at me along with him... Except for Noemi. She is looking at the teacher and is looking as happy as ever. After a quick explanation, this spell is just as simple as the others. For this spell to work, you just need to cover yourself with mana and then infuse an element to it. I''ll try wind for now. ... Works just fine. Seems like any attack that comes my way will be redirected by a strong wind. Fire just provide a bit of defense compared to the wind one but anyone who strikes at me will be attacked by raging flames. I assume that the earth armor will just increase your raw defense and the water one will absorb the impact of any strikes. <Don''t forget that you can now use nature magic as well. You ate that dragon after all.>(Devouring monster) That''s true but... I''ll try it then. I try to infuse it but it''s kind of hard for some reason... After some time trying an herbal armor appears on my body. I guess its effects are a mix of earth and life armor so it grants a lot of raw defense while healing the wounds. <Hey wanna see something cool?>(Devouring monster) What? Suddenly the sword on my back starts moving on its own and turns into a liquid. What the hell is happening?! <shhh... relax and let the magic happen...>(Devouring monster) You are getting way creepier than you should! The liquid metal jumps and covers my whole body and then slowly turns into a dark armor. My missing arm included. <Try to move every part of your body.>(Devouring monster) The bastard... I can move every part of my body even though the armor looks extremely unflexible... my missing arm is back as well... I can actually move it... After testing it a bit, it starts turning into a liquid again and goes to my missing arm and becomes a large gauntlet that almost covers my whole arm... I mean, what''s left of it. <You can make it become an armor and even get your weapon back. In the future, we might also have more variety of weapons and armors.>(Devouring monster) This is great but... Why can I only do it now? <Because our fusion is going smoothly. Do you think I''m here only to answer your questions and makes sarcastic comments?>(Devouring monster) Actually... <Forget it...>(Devouring monster) By the way... I had an idea... Can I cover my bones with metal so that I can increase their resistance? <That''s a really weird idea but that might actually work. I''ll try it the next time you sleep.>(Devouring monster) Forget what I just said then... <No turning back now... We''ll be the strongest and this will help...>(Devouring monster) ?You are so awesome Jim! How do you do that??(Noemi) I realize that while I was focused on the magic armors and weird metamorphic weapon, everyone gathered around me and just watched the progress. ?I''m just going to be true with you... Most of it is either natural or just random lucky shots...?(Me) ?Still impressive!?(Noemi) Noemi''s eyes shine as she grabs my arm and proceeds to hug it. I don''t think I can handle this... She then pulls me down a bit and lands a smooch on my cheek... IT''S OVER NOW! I''M GOING IN! <*Mental slap* Stop it.> *sniff* Okay... I calm myself down and notice some girls lowering their reddening eyes... I guess for them this was Noemi just marking her territory. Don''t really mind but... Why is she doing it? <*intense "are you really that dumb, are you sure we were once the same person" silence*>(Devouring monster) It''s seriously creepy how I can hear your silence... After walking with Noemi back to the dormitories. I arrive at my room and Noemi starts getting red. Is she remembering that from yesterday? She then leans closer and whispers into my ear... ?My name is Noemi Satan. Nice to meet you, my king.?(Noemi) She then happily walks away while shining like the cutest thing ever... She''s beautiful... But what was that exactly? <Are you really going to make ME say it? I''m supposed to have nothing but rationality and negative emotions you know?>(Devouring monster) What does it mean though... I like her... <*sigh* She is the future demon queen and she wants you to be her king.> *breathes in* WHAT?! But we barely know each other! <She (somehow) fell in love with you (Disgusting) during that fight with the dragon...> oh... well... Alright? <You need to eat a genius or something...> Meanwhile... I wonder what happened to Galgo and Mirim... ??? I look around. I can''t find any memories of a place that has anything to do with this one. It''s completely empty yet completely full of something that I don''t even know. ?Have you awakened, Sweetheart??(???) It took me a while but I notice that I''m lying on someone''s lap. It''s a woman. Not only is she gorgeous with her long silver hair that feels like the finest silk, her eyes that radiate uncomparable love and her legs are soft like a divine pillow, she also radiates the aura that no earthly being should have. Yes. This is a goddess. The goddess of death. One of the everlasting gods and one that I''ve met many, many times before. How many? I''ve already lost count. ?Looks like it...?(Me) ?This time you did really good. You actually managed to ascend to the realm of the gods. We could be together a lot more than usual as well this time. It''s just a pity that you can never actually remember me. We have to start over, and over, and over. Somehow our feelings keep getting us together every time you go back. I''m really happy.?(Goddess of death)Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ?But you still remember me when you go back right??(Me) ?Yes, I do. But I don''t know where you are. I don''t know your face. I know nothing. Just that you are somewhere down there. But once I find you, I make sure to be part of your life until the end, even if you don''t remember me, so that we can create new memories and ascend back here again, together. No matter how many times we go down, we always come back together.?(Goddess of death) ?Where shall we go now? Can we choose where we go??(Me) ?I don''t know. We can only choose who we go with.?(Goddess of death) ?But that''s already chosen so I guess there are no more choices.?(Me) ?Let''s go then. To our new adventure.?(Goddess of death) She blushes slightly as we both get up. We walk to the edge of this place, look at each other and, as always, jump together while in each other''s embrace, kissing passionately. After the usual kiss, we see our bodies starting to shrink and my memories starting to become blurry and say the last words in this encounter. ?The legend of the Human God and the Death Goddess shall continue till the end of times!?(Both lovers) White light swallows both of us and we arrive at our destination. Little lion ???????? (???) ''No... Father, don''t do it... DON''t DO IT!'' ?GALGO! WAKE UP!? (Mirim) ?Huh?? (Me) ''A dream? No... That was a nightmare... Pretty sure of it.'' ?Why have you been like this these few days? You haven''t even been coming to school!?(Mirim) ?No... It''s nothing...? (Me) ?Is it because of what happened to your family in the past?? (Mirim) ''How does she know?! Can I even hide anything from her?'' ?You don''t need to worry. It has nothing to do with you anymore,...???? (Mirim) My head starts to get heavy and I fall unconscious again... <hr> ?Galgo?? (???) ''Mom is calling me. Should I stop training, for now, to go there and see what she wants from me or should Ikeep training and make father proud?'' ?Galgo?? (Mom) ''I think I''m better off making father happy right now. I''m his only son and the only successor to our family so I''ve got to be as strong as possible. I''ll keep on training.'' ?GALGO?!? (Mom) I keep on training as I hear mom getting closer. A drop of cold sweat falls to the ground. ?GALGO LIONVIGOR KULANAGA GET HERE RIGHT FUCKING NOW!?(Demon king incarnate/Mom) ''OH SHIT, SHE''S COMING!'' As I get up, mom already grabbed my head and lifted me off the ground. ?Being the only successor of this family does NOT give you the rights to ignore your mother! You''ll be helping us!?(Mom) ''How does she even know what I''m thinking?!'' ?What do you need my help with?? (Me) Once she drops me she pointsto a pile of boxes at the end of the large hall. We are moving for some reason and they want me to help carry them. ''Why don''t they ask the maids and buttles to do it instead of asking me? Seriously...'' I get myass off the ground and start carrying the boxes to the carts outside. They are all simple wood carts thatfarmers would use with a single horse in front of each. Box by box I finally finished moving all the boxes. ''Those boxes were all as big as me! It''s not really because they were big but I''m not that small either!''Stolen story; please report. ?We''re going now. Say goodbye to this house.? (Father) After spending hours sitting in this really uncomfortablecarriage, once dawn arrives, we arrive at a poor looking house. It looks like the house a farmer would live in. ?This will be our house from now on. I''ll have to deal with some things for the rest of the day so make yourself at home.? (Father) ''Well... Looks like I''ll keep on training my muscles then. Wait... There isn''t even a single place inside the house for me to train! Is this an actual farmer''s house?! I guess I''ll need to go to the nearby forest to get some training done.'' (...) ''Huh? Night already?! Today really passed by really fast. I better go back now.'' As I was walking towards my new home, I start hearing a large ruckus. ''It''s coming from my house! What''s happening!?'' I run through the door. What I''m seeing is completelyout of this world. Mom is crying and father is chained to a metal rod that is coming out of the ground. ?I see the sondecided to join.? (???) A very formal man steps forward. He looks very important. ?Let me inform you, the family leader, of the current happenings. Your father was found to be conspiring against the King. Several witnesses confirm this statement. As such, we intervened and stripped him of his statuses. Now we just need you, family leader, to sign this paper so that we can leave.?(Important looking man) ?Galgo don''t trust anyone other than your family and very close friends! They are trying to trick you!? (Father) ?The words of a traitor are not worthy of your ears, Leader.? (Important looking man) ''My father did such a thing..? I can''t believe it... Why would he do it?! Has he been lying to me all this time when he said he would make this country better? How could I trust him!? W-why am I crying?! I''m the leader now!'' I grab a pen and sign the paper presented to me by that man. ?I can''t... I can''t trust you... You told me many things that are not true! How could I trust you!? (Me) The important looking man quickly puts the paper away and a slight smile forms on his lips. ?Finish them off...? (Important looking man) Two of the men that were near my parents take out a sword each and quickly decapitate them. Their heads fall to the ground and roll on their own blood that splashes around the room like a fountain. I''m already at the door but my feet are also drenched with my father''s blood. They are now looking at me now. Without knowing when or how, I run into the forest. I run, and run, and run, and run... eventually collapsing to the ground from tiredness. (...) ?Where am I?? (Me) I wake up in a weird leafy bed that has been slightly roasted. ?Are you awake?? (???) A driad comes from behind a tree and greets me. She seems agitated somehow? ?Great. Young warrior, I need your help.? (Driad) ?Why do you need my help?? (Me) ?I need you to take my daughter to my hometown.? (Driad) ?Why don''t you do it instead? I bet you don''t want help from someone like me.? (Me) ?Because... I''ma few days from "blooming". I don''t have enough time to take her there.? (Driad) ?But...? (Me) ?I told those imperials that I found your dead body and threw it into the river. You can relax. I know you are no traitor.? (Driad) ?How do you...?? (Me) ?Do not underestimate a driads eyes. They are naturally magic.? (Driad) Suddenly, a girl much smaller than me peeks from behind the tree the driad hame from. ?Don''t be shy. He''ll take you home.? (Driad) The little driad is now hiding behind her mother. ''I wish I had any siblings... But I can''t have any now...'' ?Don''t remember that past. Forget all that and walk to this new future. I''m sure you''ll be better this way.? (Driad) ''Wow... Driads are impressive...'' ?Here, take this. This compass is a relic that will show you the fastest way to his pair. The pair is in your destination so you just need to follow it.? (Driad) ''Every word she says takes away an excuse from me...'' ?Alright, I''ll do it...? (Me) The driad smiles. ?Go on, tell him your name.? (Driad) ?M-my name... Mirim...? (Mirim) ?Pleasure to meet you, Mirim.? (Me) Mirim smiles and hugs her mother again. She actually went and got a large backpack in the meantime. ?There''s enough food in here for a few weeks. You should go now. I don''t know how long it''ll take for those imperials to realize they can''t find your body in the river.? I look at Mirim who is also looking at me and then start walking in the direction indicated by the compass. I look back at the mother that I ended up not even know the name and realize she is crying while caressing one of the little flower buds on her chest. <hr> ?DON''T YOU DARE GO BACK TO SLEEP AGAIN!? (Mirim) ?Yeah... I''m awake.? (Me) ?Now we''re going out!? (Mirim) ?Whyyyyy?? (Me) ?I''m not going to let you become lazy again! GET UP!? (Mirim) Familiars '' Hey, can I use appraisal? '' <I suppose but...> (Devouring monster) '' Will I die? '' '' Doing it then '' I try to appraise myself and information starts to flood my mind. <hr> Skills: Sword Mastery Lv6, Large sword mastery Lv 3, Martial arts mastery Lv 2, Acrobatic combat Lv 2, Wind magic Lv 3, Fire Magic(will''o wisp) Lv 4, Nature magic Lv1, Physical damage resistance Lv 7, Magic damage resistance. Lv4 Special: God eating monster, Greater magic talent, Greater magic potential, Titles: ?????? ??? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ????????? ?? ? ??? ? ??????????? ???.?????, The chosen, Betrayed one, Deadman, Non-human human, Dragon Slayer, Dragon castrator, ????? ????? ????. <hr> While trying to read I notice that something is kind of odd... I can''t move my body and as a result, I fall to the ground. <Thankfully you listened to my warning when I tried to tell you that you would most likely enter a semi-hibernating state as a side effect from using appraisal.> (Devouring monster) '' I''ll use this time to read that info again then. I don''t have anything to lose from that now. '' I read the appraisal a few more times and come to a conclusion... '' What the fuck is wrong with this?! I didn''t know I had so much physical damage resistance! I didn''t even know I had magical resistance! Since when do I have greater magic talent and greater magic potential! And what''s wrong with that title?! '' <One thing at a time, please... God damn it... So, everything that you have under "special" is what you were born with or that was created from something that was already in that "special". Do I really need to explain the titles?> (Devouring monster) '' Yes. I can''t get any detail yet do I? '' <I guess you have a point... "The chosen" is a title that meddles with your fate, I don''t know much more. "Betrayed one" is an effectless tittle. It might turn into something in the future but for now, it''s just nothing. "Deadman" is a title that increases your survivability. That''s why you have those defensive skills at a decent level. "Non-human Human" is a title that allows you to break free of your human limitations as long as another living creature is able of doing such a thing. "Dragon slayer" is a title that makes your aura seem intimidating for dragons. The more you kill the more that effect will grow. "Dragon castrator"... The dragons instinctively protect their genitals if you charge in. I hate to say this but this might be the best title you have. > (Devouring monster) '' What about those other two? '' <Don''t know much about them... I only know that one of them has something to do with royalty and the other one has to do with death... That gave an idea...> (Devouring monster) '' Wow... that''s... Awesome? Well, I better get ready and go meet with Noemi. Today I''m going to learn a new magic spell with her again. '' I get ready and head to her class. ?Hey Jim! Is everything alright? You look kind of pale..?? (Noemi) ?Yes, I''m alright... Just stop appearing from out of nowhere, please...? (Me) '' She keeps scaring me like this... What are her stats?! I can never sense her presence which is weird... '' <I''m busy so I''m not trying to appraise her again.>If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. '' Seriously?! '' We arrive at the field and the teacher''s shirt gets drenched in his sweat instantly. ?S-s-s-so... T-t-today w-w-we''ll learn t-t-this spell...? (Pigman Teacher) The teacher gives a sheet of paper to every student while trembling, except to me and Noemi. ?Why do we not have one as well?!? (Noemi) The teacher jumps and moves a few steps back. He then slowly and reluctantly approaches us and gives us an old looking piece of torn paper each, before running away to the other student''s side. We look at each other and start reading the paper. ?So we are using a harder spell?? (Me) ?N-n-no... T-the p-p-princ-cipal t-told m-me...?(Pigman Teacher) ?I told him to have you two summon a beast. Seems like he didn''t know you two were geniuses and is now incredibly nervous. The pieces of paper you have are the instructions to the magic circle. After that just drop a bit of blood on it and imagine the most loyal thing you could possibly have as a pet. Then, voila! Your Familiar will appear and automatically for a contract with you. Convenient am I right?? (Principal) The principal comes from out of a building and explains what the teacher couldn''t. ?Are they getting a familiar already? So lucky... ? (Student A) ?They are geniuses so I guess it''s just normal...? (Student B) ?Why is it always them...? (Student C) '' Look''s like we''ll be getting really famous really fast. '' ?Okay, I''m bored of waiting I''ll make that damn circles for you. Just put your blood in it and do the thing and get it over with.? (Principal) The principal stomps his foot and two large circles appear on the ground right behind him. Noemi walks forward and takes out a small knife. '' Was that space magic?! Where did that knife come from?! '' She lightly cuts the tip of her finger and a single drop of blood fall to the center of the circle, takes a few steps back, sits down and closes her eyes. An intense dark red light starts overflowing from the circle. A shadow then starts rising from the center of it. Dark, thick horns appear and after almost ten minutes, the familiar is fully out. It''s a Ram. A dark Ram with an ominous aura that could take two persons on it''s back. He looked at Noemi, lay down and bowed its head. ?I''ll name you "Despair" ? (Noemi) They seem to talk telepathically a for a while and then Despair disappears in a cloud of darkness. ?A ram huh? That''s actually the first time I''ve seen anyone summoning a ram. Then again, I usually only watch the geniuses'' summonings so I''ve basically only seen the summoning of dragons, angels and the likes. Now, Jim. Go for it.? (Principal) ?You''ll get a really good familiar! I know you will! ? (Noemi) ?Hopefully.? (Me) I approach the circle and I slightly cut the tip of my finger by making a sharp blade on my gauntlet. A few drops fall into the magic circle as I step back. I then imagine the most loyal dog, one that would never leave my side and would be waiting for me even if I would never come back. Bright dark lights come out of the circle and, this time, as a small fox suddenly appears on it. ?I guess his familiar won''t have an epic entrance as well... ? The small fox climbs to my shoulder and rubs its obsidian-like fur on my face. '' I have to say... You might not look strong but you are incredibly adorable. '' <Thanks for the compliment, Master!> (???) A female voice sounds inside of my head. '' I guess the contract does this as well... Really convenient. '' ?IT''S SO CUTE!? (Noemi) Noemi''s eyes are shining while looking at the fox. The fox seems to also be smiling. '' I still need to name him something... and yes... it''s a him. '' ?I''ll call you Kit.? <Wonderful name, Master!> (Kit) ?Now I guess you all can go on with your class. I''m heading back.? The principal takes a few steps and then stops. He just stays like that. ?C-can I touch it?? (Female Students A-F) All the girls in the class approach me in the hopes of petting my familiar Kit. ?L-let''s go...? (Female student A) ?This is getting dangerous...? (Female student B) Noemi is scaring all the girls off with her intense stare. Some students even ?I think you might have saved us... We would have most likely drowned in there if it went on...? (Me) ?No problem! I need to protect my lover as well right?? (Noemi) ?So the humans are at it again... Understood. ? (Principal) I didn''t hear anything from what the principal said other than that. ?Why the are you making such a face..?? (Noemi) ?Nothing... ? (Me) '' How does she even know my face if I''m wearing a mask...? '' The principal looks at me and then keeps walking into the building. Time < Master, wake up! There is a hairy dwarf at the door! > (Kit) I wake up to the telepathic screams of my pet fox, Kit. '' What does he even want me for... '' (Me) I get up from my bed, get dressed and walk to the door. He''s been banging on it for the whole time. ?At last! I was getting bored of waiting! ? (Hairy dwarf) ?I realized that but how did you know I was still here? ? (Me) ?That matters not! Let''s go! ? (Hairy dwarf) He grabs my arm and throws me through the window, making me fall into some kind of portal. I then appear in the same space where I made the sword. '' It''s the same place but... Is it different somehow? I mean, I don''t remember giant statues everywhere... '' A row of important looking people stands at the feet of the biggest statue. The hairy dwarf steps forward and bows towards them. I follow his lead and bow. Kit does the as well. '' I guess they are the big shots around here huh? Based on looks and gut feeling... I would be dead in negative six seconds. that''s how powerful they look. '' ?So this is the new "Fool". I welcome you to The Metal Warriors, Jim. ? (Leader?) I remain silent and simply not in accordance. ? I guess it''s his first time seeing someone like us. Be at peace, boy. We are not dictators. You can talk if we direct our words to you. ? (Sub-Leader?) ?Y-Understood.? (Me) <Nice save.> (Devouring Monster) ?Show us the weapon that you''ve created and it''s characteristics. If you impress us, we might give you more than others. Think of this as a "trial".? (Leader?) '' That''s a bit too simple...'' My gauntlet expands and a sword is formed from out of it. The Gauntlet is unaffected. <Your weapon shares your power. As such, the stronger you are, the more metal it has and the bigger the variety of things you can do with it.> (Devouring monster) Their eyes open wide. Some even have their mouth gaping. ?A Metamorphic weapon? It''s been a while since I last saw one. You have far surpassed my expectations. Brussog, you made a fine judgment.? (Leader) ?I am honored, sir.? (Brussog) ?Now, Jim. I''ll give you a quest. The time you must take on it is undefined. Your mission consists of going to a specific ruin and slaying a specific monster in it. Are you up for it?? (Leader) '' I better not ask for what I''ll get. Might give them a bad impression of me. '' ?Understood. I shall slay the monster.? (Me) ?The monster you''re looking for is a chimera. A fusion of different creatures. Brussog, Bring him a map to the ruins.? (Leader) The hairy dwarf runs to a nearby door and comes out holding a small map. once I had it in hand I noticed that it was an artifact that would show me the way as I walked. ?I wish you the best of luck.? (Leader) As the sword was fusing back into the gauntlet, the leader(?) smiled slightly and a portal opened under my feet. I was suddenly in my room again. ?Where have you been?! I''ve been looking for you the whole morning!? (Noemi) ?Sorry. I was taken somewhere that I probably can''t talk about to outsiders. I was given a mission so I''ll be out for a while.? (Me) ?Did you find a mistress already?? (Noemi) ?Wha-No!? (Me) ?Of course not.? She put on a smug face and turns around. ?I''ll tell Galgo and Mirim then. They were also looking for you.? (Noemi)Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. She then leaves. '' I wasn''t expecting it to be that easy... '' <Is that what you call easy? There''s probably more to it if we don''t leave immediately.> (Devouring monster) I get some basic essentials and depart immediately. ''So... How am I supposed to use this?'' <If you keep going forward then you''ll arrive at the place. That''s what the map says.> (Devouring monster) ''Is it really only that?'' <Don''t create problems where there are none...> (Devouring monster) I keep walking and eventually, arrive at the ruins of what looks like a temple. The temple seems to have been abandoned for quite a lot of time but the main building is still intact. Not only that, there seems to still be some kind of barrier protecting it. I get to the barrier''s boundary and look inside the main temple building. '' Wow, it''s bigger than it looked from outside. '' <Be careful when going in. This barrier has a few hidden things our appraisal can''t see.> (Devouring monster) '' Sounds like this won''t be as easy as they made it look... '' <It would never be that easy. Let''s go in and get this done with as fast as possible.> (Devouring monster) Once I go in, I find myself in a completely different place. The sky is green and the previous main temple building turned into an old castle. Once I go into the castle, whose door was open, I meet many different enemies. Spiders, praying mantis, ants, and many other kinds of insects. '' That''s a lot of insects... '' <Wait a second, your sword is too slow to deal with so many enemies.> (Devouring monster) My gauntlet expands and a plain staff comes out. '' I don''t know how to use a staff! '' <Improvise. The insects are coming.> With a series of vertical and horizontal swings of the staff, every bug was squashed. '' Luckily they were not smart or had any kind of strategy... I have no idea what I just did. '' <*Chuckles*> (Devouring monster) After walking for a while I come across a room that looks like some kind of old torture room. Blood stains everywhere and a peculiar creature in the middle. '' WHAT IS THAT THING?! '' <The chimera you''re looking for.> (Devouring monster) '' That''s a chimera?! I thought it would be a lion with an extra goat head and a snake tail! '' <That''s just the most know kind of chimera. A chimera is any kind of hybrid creature of two different creatures.> (Devouring monster) '' Oh... So that... centipede... cockroach... thingo... is a chimera? '' <Do I need to repeat myself? Oh, it''s waking up> (Devouring monster) The chimera start''s wiggling its gigantic body and moving around. The chimera looks like a giant centipede with a cockroach outer shell. '' That thing''s disgusting. '' <You''ll eat it for status so deal with it.> (Devouring monster) My staff starts to morph into the usual giant sword as the Chimera finally notices me. <As long as you stay away from the legs and the outer shell, you''ll be safe. Its weak point is that the zones under its body are very weak to cuts. Not only that but there''s a weak point in the middle of each leg.> (Devouring monster) '' I''ll have to make it fly then... It''s too dangerous otherwise... '' The chimera charges forward at incredible speed and passes by me. All of its hundreds of legs are being used either to move or attack me. '' So that orange spot on the legs are the weak points then. I know what to do now. I can use nature magic right? '' <Yes you can... why exactly?> (Devouring monster) '' You''ll see. '' <Touch¨¦> (Devouring monster) Suddenly, thousands of leaves start falling, appeared from out of nowhere. Those leaves are razor sharp leaves that are sharp enough to cut through stone. A giant tornado appears and swallows all the leaves while lifting up the centipede in the air. My feet are buried in the ground and I''m using the air armor so that no leaves ever touch me. The chimera wails in agony as the razor leaves cut its legs through its weak points and the under of its body is filled with cuts. The room starts to get sprinkled with yellowish blood. Once the razor leaves are almost over and the tornado isn''t as strong, I jump for its head and land a clean cut under its neck. It twitches for a while and then, comes to a stop. '' That was surprisingly easy '' <I have to admit it. It was quite a good plan. It took around 90% of your mana though.> (Devouring monster) '' I''ll be honest, I just adapted one of the techniques Mirim used at the tournament. '' <I noticed that. It was still a good idea to use it with the tornado to hit all the weak spots at the same time. Now, dig in.> (Devouring monster) '' I''ll really have to eat this won''t I '' <Unless you want me to take control, yes> (Devouring monster) '' *Gulp* I think I''m going to puke... '' I start eating the chimera. After two hours, the centipede had disappeared. I somehow ate the whole centipede that was hundreds of meters in length. '' It wasn''t that bad... I think '' <I''m going to puke now... let''s get out of here.> (Devouring monster) '' So now you find it disgusting?! '' I walk out and as I pass through the barrier, I get shocked beyond belief. Not only is it night already, which was supposed to be still evening, but also the moon... is crimson. A crimson moon can only mean one thing in this world... War. I run back to see if everyone is alright but... ?Sorry, we can''t let you in. Only students and authorized personnel may go in.? (Head guard) ?But I''m a student here. I went on a mission this morning and just came back. ? (Me) ?Sorry, boy. I know every student in here from two years till now, but I don''t know you. I don''t know your circumstances but if you don''t want trouble, go fight the human. If you do well, you''ll be able to go in. That''s a good option if you really are a student right?? (Head guard) <We have no option. Do as he says. This guy has too much experience.> (Devouring monster) '' Either we''ll fight for him or we''ll be seen as traitors on the spot... fuck! '' I walk in the said direction while pondering what is going on. '' This is just too weird... '' ?And keep your pet fox under control.? (Head guard) Kit''s growling at the guard for a while now... '' ... Don''t feel bad Kit but I forgot about you. '' <I noticed but I don''t mind! I get to be on master''s shoulder!> Such a sweet fox... Generals mission As I walk to the place the guard said, I notice that the scenery seems to be changing. Everything seems redder than before. It''s not only the moon anymore. Eventually, I come across an army of demons. There are at least thousands of them in here and this is probably only one of them. ?YOU! BOY! Who are you?? (General?) The man that has the most important looks around shouts out to me who was wandering aimlessly. This general has a heavy armor of something that looks like silver that covers his whole body and a giant war hammer as a weapon on his shoulder. ?My name is Jim. I''m a student at the academy but I wasn''t allowed to go in. The guard told me to come here so I could go in.? (Me) ?And how do I know if your words are true? The guard who sent you here was probably the head guard so you are probably suspicious! And you are!? (General) ?But I need to go in! I want to at least finish my quest!? (Me) ?Would you mind telling me what kind of quest it was and gave it to you then?? (General) ?It was to slay a chimera in an abandoned temple and it was given to me by The metal warriors? (Me) Once the general hear what I said, his face went from confidence to shock and then to a smug smile. He then got closer and whispered. ?Show me your soul weapon then. If you really are from there, you have one.? (Me) '' Is he from The metal warriors as well? To be honest that hammer does look really unique. '' My sword appears from the metal gauntlet and his face went back to shock again. Then it became a wide, terrifying grin. ?No wonder they gave you that mission. I''ll give you a quest so that the guard is satisfied. You will eliminate the small camp that we found to be in the nearby forest. Are you up for it?? ?I guess so. I''ll be going then.? (Me) '' This is probably the best opportunity I''ll have. I wonder if The metal warriors only have strong people it there... '' <Their weapon building is very unique, that''s for sure. The affinity between the user and its weapon is most of the time a decisive factor in the battle.> (Devouring monster) I walk into the forest and start looking for the camp. (...) After much searching, I find the camp. It has no more than 30 men in there and 10 women. All human with the exception of a few men that seem to be demon slaves. <I have an idea. Take that compass artifact that they gave you before.> (Devouring monster) '' Why? I don''t need to go back there. '' <Trust me. This will help you greatly.> (Devouring monster) I take the compass out of the giant backpack on my back. <Now eat it.> (Devouring monster) '' Yup. You have officially gone too far. Why would I eat an artifact?! '' <Because it has useful skills?! Why would you not?> (Devouring monster) '' Because it''s not even something I''m supposed to be eating! '' <Allright then... Pierce it with your sword then. It will have a similar effect.> (Devouring monster) '' HOW?! '' <Remember that the weapon shares your power. If the weapon eats, both get stronger.> (Devouring monster) '' That seems more... logic. '' The giant sword appears as I drop the compass to a pile of leaves and pierce it. The tip of the sword melts and involves the compass. When the sword goes back to normal, the compass is gone.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. <Just as expected. You now have a new skill called "Mind compass" that has better effects than the one you just destroyed.> (Devouring monster) '' Did I just destroy an artifact for that kind of skill?! '' <No. The objective was the "Inventory" skill but you are a little short on space magic status for it. If you had eaten the damn compass, it would be just enough.> (Devouring monster) '' Fuck off. '' I look back at the camp. They are still walking around. '' How will I do this though... '' <Hint: Just kill them all because their stats and skill are not appropriate for combat.> (Devouring monster) '' Sounds like a plan. '' <Just be careful of the 3 demons in there. Their skills are decent.> (Devouring monster) I drop my backpack in a safe spot and jump from the tree I was into, right to the middle of the camp. I quickly decapitate a few with a single swing in that moment of surprise. '' I won''t kill the demons. That should prove to the general that I''m on his side. '' The women that were close start to run once they noticed the bloody decapitated heads rolling on the ground. The remaining men all got their weapons and charged forward. With the first swing, I slashed 2 in half creating a bloody mess of organs on the ground. The momentum from the swing is used to throw a powerful kick to the next one, knocking him unconscious on the spot. Kit then bites the leg of the one that had almost reached me, giving me enough time to slash him in half as well. '' This sword is perfect for simple one slash kills... '' The others start to run seeing that their teammates were ended so easily. Kit starts chasing them along with me. Kit is surprisingly fast so he jumped on top of one of the running men and bites his throat. The bleed is so intense that he is guaranteed to die of loss of blood if he doesn''t die of lack of air to breath. All the others were killed in the same way, except for the demons who were protecting the women and were already ahead. Once all the men were killed and their guts were spilled all over the place, the demons say a few words to the women and stop running along with them. They start walking towards me instead. But, against what I had thought they would do, they brandish their weapons and then charge against me. '' Why are they attacking me? '' (Devouring monster) I Parry the sword of the first demon and kick his legs, making him partly lose balance. Then, a swing was enough to spill his green blood everywhere. One of the demons that were left brandished his giant scythe and charged forward while the last demon, who looked to be very old, stayed in place. The scythe demon swings his giant scythe with extreme force. I parry the swing but not without getting pierced through the opposite side''s shoulderby the tip of the scythe. '' Shit... Fighting against this kind of weapon is so weird. The curved blade can also be used like this huh... '' With the tip of the scythe pierced through my shoulder, the demon then starts spinning, dragging me along and deepening the wound on my shoulder while slightly shipping my sword. After a few spins, he throws me away, dragging the tip of the scythe across my back. '' FUCK! It hurts! '' A deep, bloody wound appears on my back as I fall to the ground. But he is relentless. He dashes forward instantly, not giving me enough time to get up. He spins to build momentum and jumps, making his body turn and keep spinning in the air, now vertically. The scythe spins with unbelievable force, if that hits a wall of iron, it would be either smashed to a ball of scrap or cut right through. '' I cant parry this... Am I gonna die...? '' <No, you''re not. Use magic you dumbass>(Devouring monster) '' Oh... right. '' A strong wind suddenly pushes the Scythe demon away, making him lose all his momentum as he fell to the ground. I take this opportunity to get up and then charge forward. The scythe demon also gets up and parries my sword. '' This guy... I''ll try something different then. '' I cover mysword in mana and add the wind and will''o wisp fire to it, making the sword burst into great, blue flames that slowly start eating the scythe. The scythe demon noticed it and pushes me back to get a bit of time. While he looks at the molten part of his scythe blade, the gauntlet expands and becomes a light metal armor that I cover in mana and add the nature element into, becoming a strong armor that regenerates me as a side effect. The scythe demon looks at me again and his shows anger with a tint of frustration. He charges forward again, this time, holding the scythe in a different way. Before, he was holding the scythe as one would hold any pole weapon. Now, he is holding it with one of his hands reversed. ?It''s been a while since anyone made me go into "reaping mode". Well done. Now, die for the safety of my lady!? (Scythe demon) He charges forward again and makes a swing as if someone who was reaping cereals from the fields. I deflect the swing upwards with my sword and deliver a kick to his knee, which causes him to take a step back. '' I don''t know what that "Reaping mode" is and I won''t let you show me. '' I dash forward and feint a swing to deliver a strike to hisdiaphragm with the hilt of the sword, making him lose his breath and then swing my sword, resulting in his body being cut in half and scorched at the same time, not letting a single drop of blood out as it all dried from the heat of the blade. '' Done but... what about the old demon? '' As if reading my thoughts, the old demon who seemed lost in thought looks directly at me. ?Don''t bother yourself with me, you have won. You are much stronger than them so you are stronger than me.? (Old demon) ?Why did they attack me then? I''m with the demons.? (Me) ?Because we chose to be with the humans. It was still a better life.? (Old demon) ?Being a slave is better than living with demons?? (Me) ?I don''t know for you, but for us, it was preferable.? (Old demon) The old demon takes out a dagger and, as I was getting my guard up, he stabs it into his own heart and fall on the spot. At that moment, doubts fill my mind. <I''ll be eating all those corpses. Wait for a bit.>(Devouring monster) The sword melts into a slime-like creature and starts eating all the corpses and entrails that were on the ground. Not even the weapons were left behind. I then retrieve my backpack and head back with Kit on my shoulder. '' You helped me quite a bit today. Thanks, Kit '' <You welcome master!> (Kit) We walk away from there with Kit wagging his tail. Back to school I''m next to the guard again. He looks at me with the face of someone who is seeing me for the first time. '' Does he not remember me? Why is he looking at me with those eyes? '' I take a step forward and he stops me immediately. ?You can''t go into the academy. Only students and authorized personnel can come in.? (Head guard) ?Don''t fuck with me. You just sent me to battle so I could go in and now you are treating me like a total stranger?? (Me) ?Watch your tongue. If you really did it then you would be showing me the badge they give already.? (Head guard) ?They gave me nothing.? (Me) ?See how easy it is to catch a liar?? (Head guard) '' This bastard is pissing me off. '' ?I''ll report this to the general then. I hope you are sure of your words. ? (Me) '' I can''t believe I''ll have to tell on him... But something seems fishy here... '' < Don''t mind it. Just go with it.> (Devouring monster) I turn around as the guard slightly smiles. That smile was small enough so that most would not even notice it. I walk in the direction of the general again, completely mad about what just happened. I arrive at the spot and see a person screaming to the general. The general obviously looks kind of pissed off as well. As I get closer, their words become clearer and I notice who the person screaming to the general is. A student from Noemi''s class. ?I''ve already done 5 different jobs for you! Give me the damned badge already!? (Noemi''s classmate) ?I''ve said it already and I''ll repeat myself! I don''t know who you are! If you want the badge then get to killing!? (General) The student seems to lose it and throws his fist imbued with earth magic at the general. The general simply swings his fist and sends the student flying a few meters. '' Such strength... he easily sent that guy flying! That guy is not really a small one either! '' <The student seems to be from some kind of giant species. > (Kit) '' How do you know that? '' <Mostly because of the size!> (Kit) '' Not that. How do you know about that if you haven''t been here for all that long? '' <Oh, that. I''ve been living in another realm until you summoned me! > (Kit) '' That''s interesting. I want you to tell me more about that realm later then. '' <YES!> (Kit) Kit mentally screams excitedly as we approach the general and the unconscious student. When the general looks at me his eyes seem to panicfor a second, while his face remained unchanged. He thenputs his hand on his head and slightly waves his head. ?I forgot to give you the badge, didn''t I? Dear me, it''s been happening quite a lot lately so I can''t trust anybody!? '' Is he trying to excuse what just happened to the student? '' <He is lying!> (Kit) <He is not lying. He has that on his appraisal.> (Devouring monster) '' How the... If you say so... '' The general takes a small badge in the form of a shieldout of his armor and throws it at me. I caught it in mid-air and the sweaty badge slightlycrumbles. ''I this supposed to be the badge?'' <Yes. Now take it to the guard quickly before it disappears.> (Devouring monster)This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ''What about telling...'' <GO!>(Devouring monster) I quickly walk to the guard and hand over the badge before he could utter a single word. The shock was great enough so that he couldn''t even prevent it from showing on his face. ?How did he... I mean...? (Head Guard) A few long seconds of silence succeeded the almost unhearable words the guard uttered. He then crushed the badge and the words that were stuck on his throat finally came out. ?It seems like it was my mistake. I''m sorry.? (Head Guard) The guard looks down and then back up as if he had an idea and the corner of his lips slightly curls up. ?I''ll just need you to come back until tomorrow with someone from inside to make sure you are indeed a student.? (Head Guard) '' That''s a trap. I''m sure of it. '' <Don''t do anything and do as he says. We can''t risk it.>(Devouring monster) '' B-but! '' <Leave it to me.>(Devouring monster) I walk into the school ground and I''m instantly received with screams. ?JIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM!? (Noemi) Noemi jumps and grabs my neck while burying her face on my chest. ?Why such a large noise? Is it that hard to get past that bastard guard?? (Me) She looks up with tearful eyes and locks her gaze deep in mine. ?Where have you been? I missed you so much...? (Noemi) ?On a short mission.? (Me) ?SHORT?! Where in the world is 5 years short!?? (Noemi) ''WAIT!? 5 years?!'' <That''s probably what that barrier was. Inside the barrier, time passes differently from outside. In this case, much slower than outside.>(Devouring monster) '' I''ll go talk with the faction leader now... This is getting all too weird... '' < Do you even know where it is? >(Devouring monster) '' I... No... I was teleported last time, wasn''t I? '' < Precisely. >(Devouring monster) I start walking to the faction building with Noemi still hanging onto me in the hopes of seeing the hairy dwarf there. ?How long will you be holding onto me?? (Me) ?5 years.? (Noemi) ?...? (Me) '' Did she really miss me that much? Why would she? '' < Women stuff. Don''t worry about it. >(Devouring monster) ?So... How''s school been while I was gone, Noemi?? (Me) ?It''s been awful! All we do is training for the great war!? (Noemi) She starts to cry again as we enter the building. '' Being the daughter of the demon king must be very emotionally tiring... '' ?GOD DAMN! Took you a while didn''t it?!? (Hairy dwarf) The dwarf screams from afar and a portal appears under my feet. We appear again in that room with the leaders united. ?You have returned. I was expecting you to take only a few days at most because of travel time.? (Leader) ''Travel time? It was just half a day away from here wasn''t it?'' The leader keeps looking at me with the eyes of disgust as if someone had just trampled his trust and expectations. ?What do you mean by that?? (Me) ?It took 5 years to do something one would do in less than a week. We actually thought you had run away from the sheep-bat chimera and never came back in shame but you actually had the nerve to come back.? (vice-leader) As the Leader was about to speak again I do something I never thought I would do... ?WHAT THE FUCK?!? (Me) ?Mind your words boy!? (Hairy dwarf) ?I''ll give you one opportunity to explain that reaction. If I deem it insufficient, I''ll kill you.? (Leader) Noemi looks slightly up and tightens the hold. '' She seems... scared? '' I take a deep breath and calm a bit. ?The chimera I killed was neither days away from here nor was it a sheep-bat chimera.? (Me) The leader gets up and draws his rapier. ?Give me details then.? (Leader) ?So I followed the path the artifact showed me and in half a day I arrived at some ruins. The compass seemed to be pointing to the middle of it. I went into the barrier that was protecting the place and the whole environment changed to an old castle. I went into the castle and found a lot of giant bugs. Further in I found a giant centipede-cockroach chimera. I then somehow killed it and then came back. Once I got out of the barrier again, I was in the middle of a war zone. Only a few minutes ago did I realize that the time inside the barrier is much slower than outside...? (Me) They all just heard my story in shock until one of the lesser members couldn''t hold it in and interrupted me. ?How big was the chimera?? (Lesser) ?A few hundred meters long I think?? (Me) Some members hung their heads in disbelief as some other just flat out blacked out. The leader very specifically was in shock. ?Describe the chimera.? (Leader) ?Looked like a normal gigantic centipede but had the body covered by a cockroach-like shell.? (Me) More than half of the people present had already fainted. Mostly women that imagined the horrifying creature. ?That is enough... You just described the sanctuary and the chimera of one of our later trials... It is just weird that the artifact took you there and the barrier was supposed to be just a space barrier and not a time-space barrier... You are free to go.? (Leader) A portal appears under my feet again and we fall on my bed. Noemi is on top of me still holding me but now she is slightly trembling and holding with much more strength. ?Did you know him?? (Me) Noemi nods slightly in agreement and proceeds to bury her face on my chest. When I realized I had my hand on her hairs and was pating on a weird way that I didn''t understand. A single tear goes down her face as she jumps up and goes in for a kiss. <One does not want to be human while the other wants to be more human...>(Devouring monster) I try to struggle a bit ut my body does not feel like it''s mine anymore. Our lips touch after the longest second. Each time they touch and separate, then touch and separate again, they seem to be melting and fusing into one singular mess of feelings and emotions. Not only body but something else as well... Something more... A kiss that would transcend the body. During that long, undefined time, that body was not mine. It was a mere shell while I was fusing with her, who had also left her shell behind. What am I? Who are we? Those questions had left me since that time in the village, right after I was betrayed by the humans and saved by the demons. Once the endless kiss finished, I couldn''t hold myself and hugged her tightly as she buried her face back on my chest and hugged me back. We stayed there for I don''t know how long, hearing and feeling each other''s heartbeats, connected to a level I didn''t even know existed. <My master is such an adorable love bird!> (Kit) At that point, I couldn''t even hear the hysterical screams of my pet fox... Leading monster It''s night time. I don''t know how long I''ve been here like this. I was just saved yet here I am with a splitting headache getting killed from the inside. ''Who am I. What am I? I''m not like them! I''m not like the humans so what am I? A demon? But what are demons actually? How much of what I know was a lie? Agh!'' It seamt as if my head was being chopped in half with the war axe of the previous demon king. It hurts. <You are making everything worse. > (Devouring monster )This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. '' It was your fault! Shut up! '' <Thanks to me, you discovered the true human nature.> (Devouring monster) '' I did not need to know it! '' <Then don''t. Just forget about it. > (Devouring monster) '' How am I supposed to forget something like that?! '' <Then don''t. Just don''t think about it. Let me guide you in the dark. > (Devouring monster) '' Why would I trust you? '' <Because my success is dependent on your success. As long as you succeed, I''ll succeed. What would I win with your downfall? Only death.> (Devouring monster) Clowded by the pain I black out hearing such things... Perhaps it''s not a bad idea... I look at the ceiling, cover my face and relax my whole body... '' I''ll follow you. At least for now... '' I feel the monster smiling as I black for the night. <Good...> (Devouring monster) Another day I wake up with Noemi sitting at the feet of my bed. She looks very satisfied but other than that she also seems... different somehow? It looks almost as if she was glowing with a gloomy light that would make her body seem much more attractive than usual. <She did grow up in these last 5 years. She has a bit of a more mature feel now.> (Devouring monster) '' It''s no that... There''s something else... '' She looks at me and smiles as brightly as the stars while mumbles some words to herself. I only understood "reflex" and "something" as my thoughts became clouded by the shine. She then got up and left the room while partially hiding her blushing face. <She knows what she''s doing. She knows a bit too well even.> (Devouring monster) I wanted to ask why but when I felt the hostility, I stopped myself. He doesn''t seem too fond of her... Why? I get up and get into some decent clothes. I was still wearing battle clothingso it was getting uncomfortable. I take of the light armor and then the clothing under it. '' So much happened in this short while... I defeated a dragon and a chimera... '' <You were strong, to begin with. You had mesupporting you so it''s obvious that you would be strong.>(Devouring monster) Why does he feel so... selfish now? So weird. I get out of my room and take just a few steps before being stopped by a group of people... Led by Galgo and Mirim. ? You''re back! Where have you been?! ? (Galgo) I look at the big group with a shocked face that seems to be reflected in each of their faces. Did he become the leader of this group in these past 5 years? ?Uh... Boss? Who is this weakling? ? (???) Galgo looks at him with the eyes of a madman and is stopped by Mirim who lightly holds his hand. The message was given nonetheless. ?This is Jim. He was missingfor the last 5 years. So Jim... DID YOU GO OFF TO TRAIN and get stronger?!!?!?!? (Galgo) Galgo almost lunges at me but contains himself because Mirim is still lightly holding his hand. I guess if he does anything rash, her hand will slip away. It''s actually quite amusing to watch how their relationship progressed. I giggle lightly and clear my throat. ?Not really. I went on a quick mission that ended up in a time-space barrier where the 5 hours I spent there were the same as 5 years outside.? (Me) Everyone seems dumbfounded by the announcement. The silence is later broken by Noemi whocomes back in a set of clean clothes. She grabs my arm and pulls me across the group and into the training fields. The group later joins in. In that field, there''s basically no one. just a few lonely students. ?Why is there no one?? (Me) ?Because there are a lot of generals and a few warlords here training the students. Here there''s no one like that so nobody really comes here.? (Noemi) ?What about the teachers? What about classes?? (Me) ?The teachers are all with them and because of that, there are no classes. Just combat training.? (Noemi) ?That''s kinda sad...? (Me) We do some basic body exercises and sparred with the members of Galgo''s group. In such sparring, I noticed the thing I am lacking the most. Range. I seriously lack anything that can hit from afar. On the other hand, Noemi uses a bladed wheel that she throws and moves using chains. It''s incredibly powerful.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! We ended up winning every sparring match we had and ended up winning everyone''s respect as well. Most of the combats would go the same way. They go in, get countered and then defeated. They are all more muscle than brain but I can''t deny that they are quite strong if their opponent does the same as them. Most of them are earth users like Galgo and fire users but, surprisingly, there were quite a wind and water users as well and even some mud and sand users. ?He didn''t use any magic yet he could defeat so many of us... No wonder Galgo respects him so much.? (Someone?) ?You''re talking about the one that made me retreat in the heat of battle! He is very strong!? (Galgo) Everyone started whispering to one another and then all of them kneeled. They said nothing and just waited there with their knees on the stone floor of the training field. ?He is not used to such things. I believe there''s no need for you to kneel.? (Noemi) With those words, Noemi turns around and leaves. Her eyes were clearly clouded in complicated thoughts that I wouldn''t be able to grasp. Probably something related to her family and the Demon King. <Forget about it. Just go take a bath and then relax for a bit.>(Devouring monster) '' I''ll go in a bit... '' ? You''ve become stronger! right now, you are as strong as when you defeated me but without using that second form... ? (Galgo) Before he could keep going, he started shivering while looking at me. '' Huh? why is he shivering? '' <Cold?>(Devouring monster) <seriously?> (Kit) He gulps and his hand is pulled by Mirim. He immediately stops shivering. ?Something''s weird. Let''s go.? (Mirim) They whisper something and then start walking away. I wryly smile and try to loosen up things. ?Good luck to the two of you.? (Me) With those words, it was clear that Mirim started blushing and lightly tightened her hand on Galgo''s. Galgo looked back at me and then at Mirim and then noticed what it was and hid his face with his other hand. I then went back and took a bath... To be honest, I don''t know what that second form is or... I start getting a headache. <Don''t think about it.>(Devouring monster) I get back to my room to find Kit patiently waiting for me. '' Weren''t you with mea few minutes ago, training? '' <Yes but I came IMMEDIATELY back to receive you!> (Kit) What a sweat fox... Would you not be a boy and I would probably not be able to contain myself and end up cheating on Noemi... <So that''s what you think of your relationship with Noemi?>(Devouring monster) '' What do you mean? '' <You actually ended up falling in love with her so quickly... She''s good...>(Devouring monster) '' I didn''t fall in love with her though? '' <You say that but your body and soul are screaming "I''m going to give my life for her.">(Devouring monster) '' How do you even know that? '' <Remember that I am living right next to your soul right?>(Devouring monster) ''Oh... yeah. Anyway, Kit. Tell me about that other dimension you were in.'' < YEAS MASTER! > (Kit) '' Try not to scream too much, please... My headache is still here. '' < SORRY MASTER!> I end up giggling lightly at Kit''s attitudes. I guess pets have this kind of overwhelming loyalty. < Before you summoned me I was patiently waiting at a dimension that exists and links all other dimensions. One located everywhere, nowhere and in the middle of other dimensions all at the same time. In other words, it''s more of a plane of existence than anything else. In there only energy and information exist and that information it''s that information that rules all of reality. Like this, I managed to learn quite a lot of useful information by analyzing that information. I believe the "Devouring monster" also has access to that plane. > (Kit) '' So basically, there is a plane that it''s everywhere and nowhere that rules existence by manifesting its energy on our dimension... I think I get it. '' <You understood the limbo a bit too quickly....>(Devouring monster) '' So it''s called the limbo? I somehow already had an Idea about it but I don''t really know where it came from.... '' Kit shows a bright, satisfied smile while the devouring monster mumbles to himself. He sounds both mad and confused. I then go get something to eat. Lately, I haven''t been eating properly with everything that''s been happening. I get some roasted meat and sit down. A few minutes later Noemi sits in front of me and everyone stars looking at us. Quite a lot were already looking at me but when Noemi sat down and locked her legs around mine, everyone was already looking. She''s one of the biggest geniuses and the daughter of the demon king so of course, she would have a lot of attention on her. The thing is all that attention seems very... negative. She seems to be very moody as well and I can hear a lot of gossips. I look her in the eyes and a single tear comes down her face as she hesitantly opens her mouth to talk. Her voice is kind of weak as well... ? Everyone is against my father... He just wants peace and for everyone to live happily yet... All they want is war and to destroy humanity... They are trying to get him out of the throne no matter what it takes... they have even been sacrificing lives in rituals and then blaming him for their death when it''s proven ineffective...? (Noemi) '' I guess she is not only sad and worried that her father might lose but also has been getting treated very poorly as well... I guess that burst of happiness I saw was just because I had just gotten back... '' < That''s probably true... > (Kit) < That has nothing to do with you. Don''t mind it and get stronger. >(Devouring monster) '' You know very well it has to do with me. Don''t try to trick me... '' I cut my own words short. Something is wrong with the devouring monster... Hopefully, he is unable to hear this kind of thoughts. He sounds really mad but I don''t think it''s because he heard that. I guess I can hide some thoughts from him. I put my hand on top of Noemi''s and smile at her like someone who says " everything''s gonna be alright "and lightly caress her hand. With her other hand, she wipes her tear and smiles back. ? Once we can... Let''s just run away from here... ? (Noemi) I don''t know why but... that smile... deeply moves me as if she had the power to light a fire deep in my soul... I want to protect this smile of hers... Bad night of sleep After eating I went to my bed. I know it''s not the best decision but I''m really tired in many ways... I lay down and Noemi swiftly and without leaving even a gap, lays down next to me... with next to me I mean she''s hugging me. She looks happy so... I''ll leave her be. <...> (Devouring monster) I close my eyes and quickly "fall asleep". I''m still half asleep and can''t move but... <It seems like Master was really tired... You, Monster. What do you have against my master?> (Kit) <Whats with the accusations? Do you not trust me?> (Devouring monster) <Not even a bit. From what you''ve shown, you are just a manipulative beast that only thinks about his own good.> (Kit) <To be honest, I don''t trust you either. You were not summoned at that time after all were you? You just appeared there and canceled the summoning to make it look like you were the one summoned. That''s not really trustworthy. Not only that, you yourself are manipulating him, are you not?> (Devouring monster) <I was waiting for an opportunity to be master''s pet as our relationship transcends time and space. That''s why I have been doing little things so that you don''t stray my master. I won''t let you take him to the path of destruction once again!> (Kit) <Again? I never did it though?> (Devouring monster)The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. <Hmmm... It seems you still lack some knowledge. I get it. You''ll just keep denying it so there''s no use in keeping this conversation. Just keep in mind I won''t EVER let you taint my Master with your impurities.> (Kit) <Don''t you know that I''m his impurities? Aren''t you lacking something there?> (Devouring monster) <Don''t piss me off. You know very well you are not only his impurities.> (Kit) <Calm down. I''m not your enemy here. She is. Were you blinded by your hatred towards me and your love towards him?> (Devouring monster) Kit''s aura of rage suddenly appears. It''s probably the most intense aura I''ve ever felt. <Don''t you dare TRY to run away by blaming my Master''s holy wife! She is the only one apart from Master that I will never doubt for even a second! She is the only one to have given her life for master COUNTLESS TIMES.> (Kit) The Devouring monster goes quiet as Noemi lightly looks up at me and tightly hugs my arm. ?I''m sorry, Jim... In the end, you''ll get dragged into my life''s problems again. This time, you either have to kill a whole country of demons or... my father. It''s my fault... I can never do things on my own... I''ll always need you no matter what. You''ll be in trouble again because I was too careless. You''ll have to fight all my "Friends" that turned on me because I''m the daughter of the demon king... He''ll take me under his wing if things go bad and there''s nothing I can do right now... I''m sorry... This is all becauseI was born like this... with a fragment of divinity already in me. That will make fight all the Demon God wannabees... I''m so sorry...? (Noemi) Noemi starts crying without making a single sound but I can feel all the dozens of hot tears falling on my arm. I hug her... she is so soft and squishy that she could break at any moment from a single hug. With all the strength I had, I could only mumble a few words. ?Don''t worry about such things...? (Me) After that, I completely blacked out. Needless to say, I was already late to get more than 4 hours of sleep. Chains -Last night was horrible... I couldn''t sleep with Kit''s and the monster''s discussion... They are both hiding their true selves from me... No... Probably only the monster is. Kit was faking that personality in the discussion to have more impact. Wait... Why do I know this?- I get up and look at Noemi. She had already woken up and was just lying next to me until it was time to get up. ?Let''s go eat something so we can keep on training?? (Noemi) ?Alright. Lead the way.? (Me) I quickly get into the armor and go out with Noemi. ?Why are you red all over?? (Me) ?B-because... I wasn''t expecting to see everything of you yet... To think you would get into your armor while I was still in the room...? (Noemi) ''I''m so tired I didn''t even think about that...'' <How can you screw up like this?> (Devouring monster) '' I''m tired alright?! '' <Master you are getting red> (Kit) -I can just feel your cheeky smile from here....- Noemi sits down to have breakfast and I sit next to her. After a few minutes of looking at her, I had an Idea. '' Hey, monster? '' <What is it?> (Devouring monster) '' Can you add chains to the end of my weapons? '' <Why do you want such a thing? It''s only going to hinder your movements.> (Devouring monster) '' Just do it and you''ll understand. ''If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. <... whatever> (Devouring monster) -Is he still pissed off at Kit? I''m acting of my own will but it seems like it.- '' Well, this is going to solve most of my range problem. I can''t always rely on magic. Might need to train that as well. '' We get out of the cafeteria and head to the same place as the day before. The giant sword appears but this time there a chain connecting the pommel and the end of the glove, near the elbow. '' Like this, I have quite a lot more possibilities. I can just swing it while grabbing the chain for more range or just throw the sword at someone''s face. IT''S BRILLIANT '' (Devouring monster) '' We are not dating. '' <If you aren''t, then you should add a "Yet" to that sentence.> (Devouring monster) -To be honest, I can''t really deny it anymore. It''s as if we were made for one another. But... I wonder if it''s really like that or if it''s just her trying to be like that on purpose. I might have fallen for her either way.- Noemi looks at me with a bright smile when she notices the chain on my weapon. ?Looks like I was able to help without even meaning to.? (Noemi) ?Yeah. It was really helpful.? (Me) ?LET''S SPAR GODDAMNIT!? (???) A large group arrives. They seem to come to avenge their losses from the previous day. We spar for the rest of the day, only stopping to have lunch and dinner. -The chain is really useful. Not only can my weapon be thrown and easily retrieved, I can also use the chains to either block attacks when the weapon itself is far or to bind someone. It''s really good.- I go to bed and, as usual, Noemi lays down next to me and hugs me. '' Did she really miss me that much? '' <Looks like a married couple whose husband had gone to war for a dozen years and is finally back! SO ROMANTIC MASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!> (Kit) -Well but, I have an Idea- <hr> Appraisal: Stats: Strenght Lv 4, Vitality Lv 6, Endurance Lv 8, Agility Lv 4 Skills: Sword Mastery Lv 7, Large sword mastery Lv 6, Martial arts mastery Lv 3, Wind magic Lv 5, Fire Magic(will''o wisp) Lv 5, Nature magic Lv3, Acrobatic combat Lv 5,Polearm mastery Lv 1 , Chain mastery Lv 1 Special: God eating monster, Greater magic talent, Greater magic potential, Titles: The chosen, Betrayed one, Deadman, Non-human human, ????? ????? ????, ?????? ??? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ????????? ?? ? ??? ? ??????????? ???.?????, Dragon Slayer, Dragon castrator. <hr> '' Why is it different? '' <Your appraisal leveled up I think.> (Devouring monster) '' hmmm...The main difference is that now there is a new "Stats" tab where physical things seem to go. Physical damage absorption disappeared, there are quite a few new skills and all of the old skill leveled up. I guess that by doing something similar, those also level. That''s the only way I can explain "Sword mastery" leveling up if I haven''t used a normal sword since the last appraisal. '' < Don''t go into it too much... > (Devouring monster) -huh.. why does he seem... mad?- This is war I wake up. As always, Noemi is next to me, looking at me, waiting for me to wake up at the usual time. To be honest, the next year was all the same. I woke up with Noemi next to me Got dressed, trained for the whole day, only stopping to eat or talk with Noemi, sometimes took a bath other didn''t and then went to sleep. We have been getting stronger, no doubt about it but Noemi... has also been getting bolder. She would sometimes slip her hand into my pants at night and I ended up doing so as revenge but she was enjoying so it always ends up not really being a revenge... Anyway, our relationship seems to have gotten to that point where we could get married. Galgo and Mirim as well. At least they already told me, which is already really good. On a more worrying note, the monster seems extremely passive. It started when he discussed with Kit that night but as the months passed, he got more and more quiet until I barely even heard him. It''s as if he never existed. The only way I know he even existed is because I still have my arm and weapon. As both the arm and weapon can be controlled without relying on him, it''s all good for now. But that takes us to the present. <hr> Appraisal: Stats: Strenght Lv 6, Vitality Lv 7, Endurance Lv 8, Agility Lv 5 Skills: Sword Mastery Lv 8, Large sword mastery Lv 8, Martial arts mastery Lv 5, Wind magic Lv 6, Fire Magic(will''o wisp) Lv 6, Nature magic Lv4, Acrobatic combat Lv 7,Polearm mastery Lv 1 , Chain mastery Lv 5 Special: God eating monster, Greater magic talent, Greater magic potential, Titles: The chosen, Betrayed one, Deadman, Non-human human, ????? ????? ????, ?????? ??? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ????????? ?? ? ??? ? ??????????? ???.?????, Dragon Slayer, Dragon castrator. <hr> -Seems like working out and increasing my "stats" was really worth it like Kit said. My skills have all increased as well. Except for polearm. I won''t be using such things again... I hope.- Right now, we are all walking out of school. The demons have been losing too many battles and as a result, the humans kept advancing to the point they are now. They have theircamp just a few kilometers from the school. This means that we are the last hope of the demon race. The plan is for all the students to stale for time until the demon king is able to come and wipe them all out with the reinforcements form the islands. Most people of influence have already been transported to those same islands. The castle of the demon king is on the furthestisland so he might take up to a whole month if the sea gets too agitated at some point. We are now going to hear the full plan from a general outside. Most likely it''s going to be the one from last time. ?HEY! How''ve you been?? (Diond) Diond appears from out of nowhere. Looking at him, he seems really stronger. His furturned silver and his claws seem longer and sharper. ?It seems you are enjoying your life quite a bit huh...? (Diond) ?This? Meh, you could say so.? (Me) I lift my arm and, along with it, Noemi who was holding onto it. ?You say that but I can see it yourface. You are enjoying it quite a bit.? (Diond) He keeps letting small, controlled laughs out at the end of almost every sentence. ?So, what happened to your fur?? (Me) He smiles as if saying "I see what you did there". ?I evolved into a silver-back werewolf.? (Diond) Seeing my confused face, Noemi climbs up to my ear and whispers. ?Some demon races are closer to monsters than others. Those have the possibility of evolving, just like monsters.? (Noemi) I look at Noemi in shock. I had never heard about monsters evolving so for demons it was even more shocking. Noemi smiles full a weird kind of malice in response to my shock. ?I heard a legend that says that every living creature can evolve though. Monsters are just more likely to do so.? (Noemi)Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ?I want you to tell me more about it later.? (Me) Noemi brightly smiles and goes back down, back to holding my arm. ?So, What did you get from that evolution?? (Me) ?Not much to be honest with ya. Boost in speed and power with a weird thing...? (Diond) Diond stops and a deep concern is shown on his face. ?Don''t leave us hanging and finish talking.? (Me) ?Well... I... Can no longer eat meat.? (Diond) ?Huh?? (Me&Noemi) Noemi and I look at each other and then back at Diond... Then burst out laughing. '' He is that concerned because he can''t eat meat? '' <He is so silly Master!> (Kit) Even Kit was laughing while Diond looked at us dumbfounded. ?T-this isn''t funny! My life is in danger! I will go crazy without meat!? (Diond) The three kept laughing for a few more minutes. We then swept away our tears and looked at Diond who had fallen to the ground. ?Don''t worry! There''s quite a lot of meatless meat out there! You will find something.? (Me) ?I''m starting to hate the moon goddess for giving me this curse/blessing...? (Diond) Once again, Noemi climbs and whispers to my ear. ?Sometimes, distinguished people receive a blessing from a god related to them. In this case, it''s not weird that a werewolf got blessed by the mood goddess.? (Noemi) ?You really have a lot to teach me.? (Me) ?They taught all of this in the classes that YOU MISSED IN THOSE 5 YEARS?!? (Noemi) ?Get away from my ear when you''re going to scream! Damn that hurts!? (Me) Noemi''s face goes from wrath directly to "What have I done" and then to " I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have done it" while looking down, while still holding onto me. ?I''ll teach you all when this is over so... I''m sorry.? (Noemi) ?Seriously... what was that...? Noemi drops to the ground and starts walking slightly ahead of me. -I should have said something else...- < Master you made her sad! Do something > (Kit) '' What should I do? I never had to deal with something like this?! '' < Follow your instinct! What does it tell you to do? > -What it tells...- Out of nowhere, I grab Noemi and sit her on my shoulders. She doesn''t move for half a second but then, instantly bends to hug my head. I use light armor with some metal plates on certain parts of the body like the chest, belly, thighs, some on the back, back of the upper arm and the back of the hand that I still have. This results in a decent balance of defense and agility while highly prioritizing agility. When I first chose this armor, I thought something like " If they can''t hit me, then the defense is useless but just in case, I better have some. On the other hand, Noemi uses a tight armor completely focused on agility which means... I can feelalmost everything on my neck and head. I can feel everything from her slender thighs to her tiny fingers wrapped around my face. The only thing I could see in front of me was her gorgeous purple hair, feeling like I had been exiled from the world I was just in. I could even perfectly feel her tiny, delicious breasts with her nipple furiously poking the top of my head and her tiny small treasure grinding against the bottom of my neck... -STOP LEWDING HER LIKE THIS DAMN IT!- ?Huh... C-could you lean back a bit?? (Me) Noemiapproaches my ear, red as a tomato, just like me. ?I know you are enjoying it...? (Noemi) She then leans back. Now half of the problem is gone so I might be able to handle it now. <You are both enjoying this quite a bit... Couldn''t you have done it in your bedroom?> (Kit) '' Shut up... I wasn''t expecting it to go this way. '' We keep walking, both red as an imp. ?They have officially forgotten I exist...? (Diond) ?You''ll get used to it? (Kit) ?HOLY FUCK! A TALKING FOX? (Diond) Everyone around us starts looking at Kit who starts doing fox noises. '' Need help? '' <Yes, please... Master> (Kit) ?Your meatless state is quite worrying Diond.? (Me) Diond swiftly shifts his eyes between me and Kit a few time before grabbing his head and walking ahead, disappearing among the people. Noemi chuckles and pats my head. ?Now he thinks he is going crazy. How evil of you.? ?...? '' I hope this isn''t something bad for his health '' <It won''t Master! I guarantee!> (Kit) After awkwardly walking for a bit more, everyone stops. On top of a large stone, the warlord stands with the might of a king. ?SILENCE!? (Warlord) Everyone who was talking suddenly stops when facing the might of the warlord. ?You all already know what you are here to do! You will be separated into 3 groups and then you will fight the enemy head-on. With the little time we have, no ambush will work. The groups are already done. If you can see a line on the ground, get awayfrom it.? (Warlord) Everyone starts looking down and then space starts tightening. ?These are the groups.? (Warlord) ?Very simple and quick I guess. Three groups that seemto be equal.? (Noemi) ?The first group to your to your left is number 1, Middle is 2 and right is 3.? (Warlord) The warlord grabs his giant sword that was pierced in the ground and says it on on his shoulder that is covered with heavy armor like his whole body. '' Won''t the sword cut the mantle he is wearing? '' <It''s probably dragon hide Master! It''s very resistant!> (Kit) '' I see. '' ?Before the guides take you to the battlefield you will fight in, I have one last thing to say.? (Warlord) The warlord clears his throat and fixes his posture that was changed by the weight of the sword on his shoulder. ?THIS IS WAR! This is the moment of truth! Don''t be afraid to lie! This isthe moment to live a winner and the moment to die a hero! We will fight to the death!We will fight to the end of this brave worldand save the demon race from the humans!? (Warlord) Such words light a fire inside everyone. The Warlord then joins the middle group and starts walking to the battlefield. Same happens to the other groups with the guides. ?Kinda sounds nostalgic for some reason...? (Me) Noemi throws her palm to her face. ?Of course it does...? (Noemi) I didn''t really understand at the time but I wasn''t really going to give it much thought. The only thing on my head was that each human squad had at least one commander level fighter that would turn everything grim. -Yeah...- This is war Preparation We keep walking forward to the battlefield. The demons are not in the active and will be defending for as long as possible. I''m in group 3 and my battlefield will be in an open zone in the middle of the forest. It''s a zone big enough for a whole army but if there are two armies, some of each will still be hidden by the trees. The mages and archers will be taking advantage of that to fire dozens of projectiles at the enemy. Unfortunately, so will the enemy. They are not dumb enough not to use it. My group is being led by the general with a bad memory that I met before. He is using the same equipment that I had previously seen yet his aura is completely different. It''s heavy, dense and serious. Even a total newbie could see the aura. ?The humans are coming! Mages and archers form a group and stay far. Close quarters fighters group with me. Mid-range fighters form a group and position yourselves as you prefer. Do not engage in battle and let them come to you. Close quarters group, let the heavy units take the front line and cooperate in smaller groups for best effectiveness. LET''S GO!? (General)Stolen novel; please report. A group of veterans joins the general as everyone forms groups composed of 2 to 6 members. I look around and... ?I don''t know anyone in here other than Noemi huh...? (Me) ?Of course you do!? (Galgo) ?I might be going crazy but I''m still here!? (Diond) '' So we ended up together. That''s good. '' ?A group of five then? Galgo in the front with me, Diond and Noemi right behind and Mirim in the back. Me and Galgo will be dealing with the front lines. Noemi will be strikingfrom mid-range while Diond will use his agility to strike and fall back, hence and repeat. Mirim uses her magic from slightly further. Anything against the plan?? (Me) ?ALLRIGHT!? (Galgo) ?You know I''ll go with whatever you say.? (Noemi) ?Sounds like a good plan.? (Mirim) ?A plan deserving of you.? (Diond) Everyone gives it some thought and then nods in agreement. Everyone except for Diond. He just nods blindly to my words. Even Noemi pondered my words even though she would accept them either way. And now we wait. Everyone ready. All the groups are ready to battle at any moment. We wait. And wait And wait. And wait. And wa- what''s that? First battle The humans are coming at an accelerated pace. Not fast enough to get them tires yet not slow enough no give us time to think or do anything. They are coming directly at us. '' They probably know where we are. '' < All platoons have at least one wind user specialized in recognition. You have no secrets in this battle. The humans are advancing because they are sure of their victory but... their numbers are too small for that. Perhaps they have another plan? > (Devouring monster) '' Oh, welcome back. '' < Shut up with the sarcasm. Our lives are in danger now. > (Devouring monster) -So you only showed yourself because you felt the danger to your life? I''m starting to understand it.- < Don''t talk to Master like that! > (Kit) '' Calm down kit. He is right. '' <B-but...> (Kit) '' Anyway, it changes nothing. I bet they are going to fight us head-on as well. We''ll just fight. '' <Before that I just have one question. Do you know what you''re fighting for?> (Devouring monster) '' What kind of question is that? Of course, I''m fighting for... for... '' < For? > (Devouring monster) <Stop that!> (Kit) '' For... For... For Noemi! That''s it! '' <You... really just keep lying to yourself don''t you?> (Devouring monster) '' W-what do you mean? I''m fighting for her, ain''t that obvious!? '' <Yeah that''s the obvious yet... you just didn''t have that in your head. You know very well that if you said "Let''s run away" that she wouldn''t think twice and you two would be out of here. She is the daughter of the demon king, she can handle everything from then on and get the two of you a great life.> (Devouring monster) '' I don''t want that. '' <Why? This way, You could guarantee your survival along with hers. Isn''t that the best scenario you could ever ask for?> (Devouring monster) '' What about my companions? I can''t abandon them ''This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. <Didn''t you say you were fighting for her? Now you are just trying to find excuses. Hey, admit it... > (Devouring monster) '' What is there to admit... I...'' <Stop immediately!> (Kit) <You have been feeding yourself lies and excuses because you knew from the very start that you were just a demon''s puppet.> (Devouring monster) '' No! I''m nobodies puppet! '' < You are being used by the demons and you know it. only those very close to you see you as a friend or more, other than just seeing you as a pawn that could die and nothing would happen. Someone without importance. You have no reason to fight... > (Devouring monster) At that moment my mind became muddy and I blacked out. I couldn''t see what was happening but I just knew that the monster was trying to take over my body while Kit wasn''t allowing him to do so. I try to open my eyes and find myself in that same dark space again. -So I entered that state again.- I was murdering every human that appeared in front of me. At that moment I remembered what it was that the monster helped me forget a while back... I want to kill all humans. That was the reason I joined the demons, who are the enemies of humanity and also the reason as to why I didn''t want to be human myself. I kept lying to myself and finding rational reasons to fight and kill humans. When I came back to my senses, the battle had already ended. I went on a rampage and as such, most groups died as a result of me screwing with their strategy. Yet, they couldn''t say anything to me. In the end, I killed half of the human army. That in itself probably saved more those that died because of me. I was tired, exhausted. All of that slashing and punching and jumping around had drained most of my stamina. <Master are you alright?> (Kit) <Of course he is! Right at the end, he became one with himself again. Even if you sealed all of my power, I don''t really need it anymore.> (Devouring monster) <What?!> (Kit) <He finally accepted what he really is. Now I just want to ask you. What do you plan on doing?> (Devouring monster) '' I... I don''t know... I don''t want to kill them anymore... There''s no need, yet... I don''t know what to do! '' I look around and notice that everyone was looking at me and shivering. Even Galgo, Mirim and Diond were shivering. Out of everyone, only Noemi dared to take a step forward. ?Are you alright?? (Noemi) ?I... I don''t know. Please tell me something. ? (Me) ?What is it?? (Noemi) ?What am I? What should I do?? (Me) ?What you are huh... I don''t think that really matters does it? You are you and you are my lover. Is that not enough? If you really don''t know what to do, let''s run away. Let''s run away somewhere where we can be ourselves. What do you think?? At that moment something clicked inside of me. I realized something so simple yet so meaningful. Before being a swordsman, before being a warrior, before being a student, before being human or demon... I am myself. I am someone similar to many other yet so different. And so is everyone else... I just wanted to a part of a group and be protected... When I got out of it, I got lost and joined another one... At that moment I realized, Noemi is the one person I always needed in my life. Overwhelmed by emotions, hot tears fall down my bloody face as I hug Noemi, Noemi hugs me back, and I cry my lungs out. When I finally calmed down and managed to clean my tears I looked Noemi in the eyes. I had made my decision. As Noemi looks into my eyes, filled with determination, she shows the sweetest smile I had ever seen. ?Let''s go then?? (Noemi) -No wonder I fell for you...- As I smile and get off my knees a scream echoes. ?The humans have brought reinforcements! And the Fire Empress is among them!? (???) Once I saw it, I dropped back on my knees. It was almost unbelievable. Leading the somewhat small army as a gorgeous girl with around 18 years wielding golden flames as golden her hair and piercing through us with her blue eyes as blue as the sunny sky. Kidnapping The sight was absolutely shocking for many reasons. The main two is because of the majestic appearance of the women and because the woman in question is without a doubt my lovely younger sister. Right now she would be 1 year older than me but there''s no doubt that''s her. '' Why is she here?! Is she the Fire Empress? '' < Seems like it. What are you going to do?>(Devouring monster) - I... I want to save her! But can I really do it?! She''s our enemy right now. I don''t want to do needless killing anymore...- ?Noemi... Can I ask you something?? (Me) ?Of course you can. What is it?? (Noemi) ?I''m going in, I''ll get someone from their army and we''ll run away. I''ll probably have to carry her so I might need you to cover me. Can you do it?? (Me) ?Who is it?? (Noemi) ?The Fire Empress...? (Me) ?Hmmm. All right.? (Noemi) Is she really going to accept it so easily? ?Are you sure? Don''t you doubtme?? (Me) ?Not really. I''m sure you have good reasons. Even if you don''t trust yourself, I will.? (Noemi) We both look at the army coming our way. It''s going to be a hard battle to take someone alive in this kind of scenario so I''ll try to go all out. '' Right now I can freely use the eater''s power right? '' <Indeed. And I''ve lost all power over it.>(Devouring monster) '' Alright. I''ll be running past every enemy without fightingand I''ll be retrieving her. '' Kit looks at me with a confused look. '' Hop on top of Noemi for now. Wait with her until I come to meet the two of you '' The enemy formation goes into a half moon formation and before I even noticed, the battle had started. Looking around, the battlefield had become an arena. I was circled by battle and in front of me, Laura of Din drew her sword. ?To think that the mysterious men from so long ago would be a demon. Not only that, he would become my enemy in the final steps to avenge my brother. I won''t let any of you survive.? (Laura) '' What kind of lies have they been feeding you? '' (Devouring monster) ?What movessuch anger?? (Me) ?You know it already. I already told you. He was murdered by demons!? (Laura) ?That''s not what you had told me. You told me he had fallen from the air dragon and eaten by something. You also added that you didn''t believe he was dead.? (Me) ?That''s what Dad reported but his body was found dead later with marks from fighting against demons. It was assumed he didn''t fall on his own. You did this!? (Laura) A few tears appear on Laura''s face. ?You, a demon, appeared there at too much of a convenient time! It was you wasn''t it?!? (Laura) ?No... Let me tell you something. They''ve been lying to you.? (Me) ?What the hell are you saying?! Why would my father lie to me?!? (Laura)This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ?I don''t know. There could be many reasons. Perhaps to hide something? Perhaps it would benefit him or the whole human country to have you fighting for revenge. There could be a lot of reasons.? (Me) <hr> Tittle acquired: Great Guesser <hr> -Bingo- ?NO! That can''t be!? (Me) She points her sword at me. At the same time, I notice someone among the battles paying full attention to our conversation. It looks like a big bulky demon with red skin. Most likely an ogre. He is using a giant shield and uses it to protect everyone. He looks ready to jump into our battle to save her so I''ll need to be careful. She lunges forward with the same moves that father used to make. It''s very predictable for me. She madly swings her sword with the precision of a needle. Would I not know her moves and dodge, I would end up in slices very quickly. Seeing as I kept on dodging, she enchants her blade with golden flames, forcing me not make bigger evasions and occasionally to block with either my sword or gauntlet who ended up melting lightly with every hit and instantly recovering to the previous state. The shield ogre kept his focus on our battle and in the end... there are no blind spots. I know very well of the only blind spot and weakness but the blind spot is covered by the shield guy and the weakness is that she won''t have enough stamina if she keeps up. But she knows that very well. Her swings are just fast enoughto not give me a chance to counter while using up stamina as efficiently as possible. I don''t have a lot of time. Noemi might get in danger because of this so I''ll need to take a few risks. I look around to see if there is anything that could be of use, anything that could be used as a surprise attack but... there''s nothing. The only thing I can do is use a specific tactic so somehow create an opening. I have an idea but... It might give me away if I fail. It''s the only thing I can think of so I''ll have to do it. I keep doing the same thing over and over again and wait for a specific move from her. A large, horizontal swing from the right. Once she''s about to do that move I put my sword over my head, holding it with my right hand as I grab the chain with my left hand. Her sword and my chain clash and at that moment I do something I never thought I''d ever do. I''m going to adapt a technique from my father to my current giant sword with chain. I pull the chain, making the side of my giant sword and her sword to clash with great strength, making her movements sluggish for a single second. That second is more than enough. I then deliver a rotating kick to her knee as she tried to hit me again, making her lose her balance and making her miss her swing. ?I''m sorry, Laura!? (Me) In a swift movement, I hit her stomach with the hilt of the sword, making her unconscious. The ogre was a little too slow as she was already unconscious but made it in time before I could take her from there. ?Don''t you dare hurt my Master... She is my everything... I won''t let you hurt her any further!? (Ogre) The ogre goes into a fully defensive state, making it impossible for me to take Laura away from there. Or so I thought. A giant bladed wheel came flying and hit the giant shield of the ogre, bouncing up and knocking him down. The bladed wheel then flew back down and hit him directly. -So strong!- ?Quick!? (Noemi) I grab Laura and look back at the ogre. Frustration fills his eyes as he gets up and the rubble falls from his body. ?I''m going to save her from all of this. If you truly wish to protect her, follow me. I won''t be fighting anymore.? I run and after a few minutes, I finally find Noemi. The ogre followed as I expected. He looks too weak to even walk, furthermore fight. I think he made his decision. I signal him to keep walking with us and we walk for a few hours until we finally arrive at a beach. The night is very close by so we''ll be making a camp here. ?We''ll stay here for tonight.? (Me) Everyone sits down and Noemi takes a campfire and a bunch of bed from out of nowhere. <That''s the space magic you were supposed to have by eating the clock.>(Devouring monster) '' Is that so... '' <And you might not have noticed but you got quite a lot of new skills and powers from this battle.>(Devouring monster) '' How?! I ate no one right? '' < You didn''t. The sword did. > <hr> Appraisal: Stats: Strenght Lv 9, Vitality Lv 9, Endurance Lv 11, Agility Lv 7 Skills: Sword Mastery Lv 10, Large sword mastery Lv 10, Martial arts mastery Lv 8, Wind magic Lv 9, Fire Magic(will''o wisp) Lv 8, Nature magic Lv5, Acrobatic combat Lv 8,Polearm mastery Lv 4 , Chain mastery Lv 6, Axe mastery Lv 1, Hammer Master Lv 2, Earth Magic Lv 1, Water Magic Lv 1, Sand Magic Lv 1, Life Magic Lv 1 Special: God eating monster, Greater magic talent, Greater magic potential, Titles: The chosen, Betrayed one, Deadman, Non-human human, ????? ????? ????, ?????? ??? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ????????? ?? ? ??? ? ??????????? ???.?????, Dragon Slayer, Dragon castrator, Great Guesser. <hr> <There''s something you should know about that. Only "stats" can go above level 10. Skills that reach level 10 might either evolve or fuse with another skill, also at level 10.>(Devouring monster) '' That''s nice. '' I look at the ogre who is also looking at me and Noemi with a face filled with shock. ?W-who are you?? That question caught me off guard. At this point, I don''t know who I am. I''m just sure that I''m myself. ?Noemi Satan, pleased to meet you!? (Noemi) At that moment I made a decision. I''m not going to just tail behind her. Noemi looks at my face and smiles. -Do my objectives show that much on my face or is she just able to read me that easily?- The answer shook the ogre beyond words and made him fall on his knees. ? Nystro of Din. A pleasure. ? Siblings After Noemi stored everything back into her inventory, we kept going on our journey. ?Where are we going?? (Me) ?To the neutral demon lands, up north. If we follow the coastline, we''ll arrive there in a few weeks.? (Noemi) ?Sounds good. Hey, Ogre. Why are you so loyal to a human?? (Me) ?I... I was caught as a slave when I was a small child so they named me "Gonzo" and forced to do all kinds of work. My life was made of poorly eating and manual labor... that is until I met her four years ago. She treated me like someone who had a life. She bought me to aid her in the search for her lost older brother. She never mistreated me nor abandoned me even after he was proclaimed dead. She kept me by her side while constantly getting stronger. Now the only thing she could think of was to kill all the demons that could be responsible for her tragedy. Yet, she never looked at me with ill eyes. Perhaps because I couldn''t have done it or perhaps because I was a precious ally. I swore to myself that I would protect her with my life... but in the end, I failed.? (Gonzo) Deep regret sprouts all over his face. It''s Noemi who tries to comfort him. ?You didn''t fail to protect her. You let someone else do it when you couldn''t. That''s just as good if not better.? (Noemi) ?How did you save her? Now she is in the middle of the demon country with only us as allies, right?!? (Gonzo) ?I''ll explain that once she wakes up. It might be hard for her but it''s something she must know. The reason that I was siding with the demons, that is.? (Me) We keep on walking and as we are about to enter a city, Laura moves lightly. ?Let''s stay out of the city for now. She''s about to wake up and it would be a mess if she goes into a city without knowing anything.? (Me) As Noemi is taking the camp out of her inventory. Laura opens her eyes and calmly analyses the situation. She first looks at Gonzo and then at me and then at Noemi. She then jumps and tries to take out her sword. Luckily I took it from her a while ago.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ?Why?! Why did you take me from the battlefield?! And more important, why do you know my name!?? (Laura) ?I wanted to protect you.? (Me) ?Why would a demon want to protect a human?!? (Laura) ?Because... I am no demon...? (Me) She looks at Gonzo, who is calm and composed, and then turns back to me with an angry yet confused expression. ?Even if they don''t see me as human, I''m...? (Me) I take off my half broken mask. ?Still your older brother, right?? (Me) I smile as Laura''s expression suddenly changes from the previous angry confusion to a mess of tears and emotions as she jumps and hugs me. After a long while, she looks up at me while probing my back for scars. Once she finds them, she forces a single word out of her mouth. ?H-how?? (Laura) ?Sit down and I''ll explain to you.? (Me) She sits next to Gonzo. At this point, Noemi was already making that face she does when she sees two lovers. ?As you know, it all started because of a single lion man demon. Using a power that I never knew about, I defeated him and everyone started to fear me. Until here it''s as you know. I got very sad and so, father took me on a trip on the wind dragon. And then, mid-flight I was attacked... And this is where the lies begin.?(Me) Laura looks at me with a deeply concerned look on her face. She is a smart girl so she knows very well that it''s something to do with humans but... ?Father stabbed me.? (Me) Her expression breaks into despair. -That''s just as I expected to be honest...- ?No... Don''t joke about such things... I can''t believe this... You''re just a doppelganger aren''t you?!? (Laura) Luckily, all of Father''s weapons have a certain characteristic. They always leave a deep, golden colored scar. It''s a unique enchantment passed down the family that nobody else has. I show her my belly and a deep golden scar could be seen as clear as day. ?No way...? (Laura) She touches my scar as if in disbelief. ?How did...? (Laura) She couldn''t finish the question but I understood it nonetheless. ?I was saved by Galgo and Mirim. Two demons. Mirim is a dryad and Galgo is the lion beastman that I had defeated previously.? (Me) ?Why would they? Didn''t they attack to kill us?? (Laura) ?No... The humans were exploiting their reserves. They were forced to attack to survive. Galgo and Mirim are good demons but... Looking at it again, they were probably being played with as well. I then departed with them to the demon school to train and try out a new life as a demon but... I couldn''t act like everything was fine anymore. She... Noemi opened my eyes once again and I made my decision. I want to destroy this world so I can build it new. This way, everyone will get a new life. A life free from shackles made by the strong...? (Me) I was about to continue when I realized Laura wasn''t following anymore. She was in pure disbelief. ?Humans are... bad?? (Laura) ?Not all of them but yes. Same with demons. Not all demons are bad. That''s what I discovered in these last years.? (Me) ?Do we have no allies?!? (Laura) ?We do. The four of us are allies. Two humans and two demons. We just need to find the others.? (Me) Poor village The plan is simple. We''ll head towards the neutral lands, where we''ll be safe and from then we''ll try to find. Sounds like I''ll be overusing the appraisal now. ?Do you understand the situation now?? (Me) ?Yes but...? (Laura) ?Will you join us?? (Me) ?Yes!? (Laura) With her answer and the seeming disappearance of her doubts, I put my mask back on. -I don''t know why but I don''t really feel safe walking around without the mask...- ?Let''s go into the city. We''ll stay there for today and get a good night of sleep before we keep heading north.? When we walk into the city, we finally realize that demons are just as bad if not worse than humans. Despair is king and poverty is queen. Disgust can be seen on everyone''s faces, mainly on Noemi''s. ?I had heard that only the main cities had good living conditions to motivate the warriors and soldiers but... this is just too much.? (Noemi) I look around and notice that all the prices are higher than in the city I was previously. They get less money and have to pay more to survive. -This is fucking ridiculous.- ?Let''s find an inn. Next time we see a city like this, let''s avoid it.? (Noemi) It was sad but the most logical option. If we stayed too long in such cities, we would end up making a ruckus asking for better living conditions, maybe by force even. ?How much money do you have? I have some on me if needed.? (Me) ?Don''t worry. I always carry a lot with me.? (Noemi) We walk into an inn and the receptionist tries to force a smile. She manages it but it''s obvious that she had quite a hard time. ?Welcome, travelers! How may I help you?? (receptionist) ?We would like two rooms for today, please.? (Noemi) The receptionist looks at us and a cheeky smile appears on her lips. At that moment, it looked like her dark hair had regained all its color. ?Just try not to make too much noise at night alright? Otherwise, I might have to fine you.? (receptionist :3) ?Eek?!? (Laura) I look back and find Laura hiding her mouth and blushing along with Gonzo who was looking away to hide it. When I look to Noemi, she is also blushing lightly and looking down at her toes. ?We-we haven''t gone that far yet...? (Noemi) Noemi looks up at me as if she had lost control of the situation and seeking for help. She gives the money to the receptionist and she gives us two keys with the numbers 7 and 8. ?Let''s go, we still have some things to do before it''s night time.? (Me) We walk out while we still feel the cheeky smile on the back of our heads. -Experienced ladies sure are scary...- We walk to the market zone and find a bunch of merchants selling their merchandise. Laura walks around like a child, filled with curiosity.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ?Would I not know that we were still in the demon country, I would think this was a normal human village. Their appearances are the same as ours.? (Laura) ?Most demons developed a human transformation for convenience. Some kinds of demons are just too big to live in a society. Having human forms like this makes it a lot easier for everyone.? (Noemi) Suddenly we hear a lot of screams coming from behind us. ?Come here you fucking brat!? (???) An old man is running after a young boy. The boy seems to be around 10 years in human years. The old man seems to be a merchant and it''s running after the boy whose hands are filled with bread and a few fruits. In this case, the boy had the size advantage as he can go through people much easier than the old merchant. He passes by us and at that moment I turn to Noemi. ?Stay here. I''m going after the kid.? (Me) ?Don''t just act as a hero of justice now!? (Noemi) ?I''m not!? (Me) I jump on top of the roofs and start running along with the boy, who was running through the crowd in the market. -I don''t know if I should tell them I appraised the boy...- When the boy passed us, I appraised him and found a very interesting thing. A skill called "Glass canon". This skill more than triples everything related to attack but more than triples the damage received as well. Not only that, he also possesses "High magic talent" and "High magic potential", which means his magic is top notch but his defense is absolute garbage. Even though his only magic seems to be water Lv 1 and air Lv 2, if we manage to get him on our side and nourish him into a great sorcerer, with just a good piece of armor or someone protecting him, he might become one of the best offensive mages to ever exist. -This great opportunity has presented itself to me. Be it fate or whatever, I''ll take it!- The boy walks into an alley once he got far enough from the old merchant. I throw a chain down and gesture him to grab it. He does and I pull him up. The old merchant appears right after. ?Fucking brat escaped again. FUCK!? (Old merchant) The old merchant walks away and the boy takes a deep breath. ?Thanks, sir.? (Boy) ?No problem but it''s bad to be stealing like this. Why do you do it??(Me) ?What would it be for? To survive! I have no other option...? (Boy) Tears start forming in his eyes. -You had quite a hard time huh... You really are thin.- ?Let me ask you a few things. Is that alright?? (Me) ?I-I guess so...? (Boy) ?Fist of all, what''s your name?? (Me) ?Z-Zey? (Zey) ?Do you have any family or anyone close to you?? (Me) ?No... not anymore...? (Zey) -I better not touch that subject too much.- ?Do you think this world is unfair?? (Me) ?Yes! Very unfair!? (Zey) ?And to finish it all off. Would you join me in a quest to change the world? You might not get fame or anything the like but you will one day be either a hero who saved the world or the villain that forced the world to save itself. What do you think?? (Me) Zey''s eyes shine like diamonds at the sound of my words. -Looks like I hit the jackpot!- ?YES! but...? (Zey) ?What is it?? (Me) ?Food?? (Zey) ?Don''t worry about food. We have plenty.? (Me) ?What would I do? I''m very weak and get hurt very easily. I have no good skills or stats and my magic is miserable...? (Zey) ?Nobody is born powerful. They have to practice a lot. You as well. I''ll train you so you can be a great magician. Believe it or not, you have quite a lot of talent that would go to waste otherwise.? (Me) His eyes shine once more as if all his previously crushed hopes and dreams had suddenly melded back together to form a new hope. ?I''ll do it!? (Zey) ?That''s the spirit! Now cover your face. We''re going back to the market.? Zey covers his head with the torn jacked that he''s wearing and we go down. I jump and then he jumps so I can catch him. It would be bad if he broke his legs this soon. We meet with the rest of the group and finish shopping for supplies. Lots of food were bought and lots of random things were bought as well. Camping will be no problem for at least a few months now. We go back to the inn and ask for one more room for him, who had been sleeping in the streets for a while. The rooms are simple with a single desk, a single drawer, and a single bed. It''s only light source was a window that led to the street so as night fell, the room became dark, only illuminated by the silver shine of the moon. Everyone was already in their rooms and I was ready to sleep until... ?Pssst! Come here listen!? (Noemi) Noemi was by my side, between me and the wall. She had her ear close to the wall and was blushing lightly. I approach the wall and what I head made me red as a tomato in seconds. I could hear the soft suppressed moaning of my sister. Her bed is probably next to the wall as well so if we listen closely, we can hear everything. ?So they are already at that stage...? (Me) It''s shouldn''t surprise me but as an older brother, it still makes me feel weird. Noemi suddenly jumps in for a long kiss. Once we are separated again, she whispers into my ear. ?No need to envy them...? (Noemi) After such words, I succumb to lust and start biting and suckling every part of her body. Hearing her moan softly didn''t help me contain my lust. I fully strip her as she fully strips me as well. I then defile the sacred garden which is lightly died red of roses. From then on I barely remember anything. I can only remember the feeling of fusing together again and again and again until we were a mess of feelings and emotions again. After a long time, we part and kiss again. It was something I could never forget. Introductions I wake up next to a naked Noemi who was still sleeping. Yesterday was really intense... Who would have thought that Noemi would just turn into a thirsty lustful monster in the middle of it... But for a first experience, it was quite good. I get dressed and walk out of the room. I take a seat in the main lobby and eat some cereals I had with me. After a few minutes, Noemi joins me and an hour after that, Laura and Gonzo join us as well. Only another hour did Zey join us. ?Good morning sleepy head!? (Laura) Zey blushes intensely once he looks at Laura''s radiating smile. To be honest, everyone was radiating in some way. ?What is it?? (Laura) Laura acts confused but she really can''t hide the nervousness of already knowing the answer. ?I couldn''t sleep because of you!!!? (Zey) ?...? (Laura) ?Did the four of you really need to have sex the whole night long?! Seriously?? (Zey)If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Laura looks confused at me and Noemi, who look at each other and hide our faces on instinct. At that moment the receptionist walks up to us. ?Hey you, saying that you shouldn''t make too much noise was not an encouragement to do it, you know?? (Receptionist) We all awkwardly look at each other as Zey and the receptionist scold us. The gazes of everyone in the main lobby are focused on us. ?W-well... Let''s go?? (Noemi) We awkwardly get out of that awkward situation... Like that we keep heading north. ?We''ll get to the dragon mountains in about two months. If you plan to train...? (Noemi) ?Zey.? (Zey) ?If you plan to train Zey, Our camping will take more time and so, we might take up to three months.? ?Alright. I don''t believe anyone of us has introduced themselves to you have they?? (Me) ?No... Not even you have.? (Zey) ?That''s true so... I''m Nystro of Din. Welcome to the group.? (Me) ?Noemi Satan. Pleasure!? (Noemi) ?Satan? Like the demon king?? (Zey) ?Background means nothing here. Don''t worry.? (Me) ?I''m Laura of Din. Pleased to meet you!? (Laura) Zey looks at me, then back at Laura and then repeatedly switched between Noemi and Gonzo. ?We''re siblings. Not married.? (Me) Zey''s face shines with understanding as Laura''s face blushes as she intensively shakes her head in disapproval. ?Gonzo. Her slave.? (Gonzo) ?I know you aren''t just her slave.? (Zey) ?Well, now you know everyone. No one''s past really matters as long as we all work together. By the way, I usually go by the name of Jim around here.? (Me) And like that, we started our journey. Hardships of a father ?It''s a boy!? (Doctor) After nine long months, he finally came out. My second son. ?Honey, did you not choose a name for this boy?? (Titha) Titha looks at me with eyes filled with fatigue. Giving birth is one of the most tiring things known to men. ?Yes. He shall be named Nystro! Nystro of Din!? (Me) The doctor hands the crying baby over to me, the father. It might not be the first time I held the newborn of my own flesh and blood, yet the feeling is still breathtakingly pleasuring. ?As of tradition, let us appraise the boy and check what he inherited from the parents. Seeing that you two are the parents, I expect a strong warrior like your eldest son.? (Doctor) I take the baby to the appraisal room and lay him down on the table. I occasionally look bat at Titha to see if she is resting well. Out of nowhere, the doctor''s expression grims as he takes a dagger out of his clothes and points it at the boy''s heart. I stop the dagger with my arm, bathing my son in my blood. ?What are you doing?! ?(Me) After a few seconds of silence, the doctor manages to open his mouth. ?Ridding this word of monsters...? (Doctor) ?This is my son! You saw where he came from!? (Me) ?There''s no mistaking it! He possesses skills with so much dark power that no human could ever be born with... He is a monster!? (Doctor) ?Having that skill means nothing! You can''t kill a human baby like this!? (Me)You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ?He has to die! If that skill ever manifests, all of humanity will have an enemy within their lines!? (Doctor) ?I''ll educate him so that he doesn''t!? (Me) ?That won''t do!? (Doctor) ?What kind of skill is this to be so bad!?? (Me) ?Just uttering the name will bring misfortune... I''ll be reporting this to the king. This monster cannot live.? (Doctor) This is taking us nowhere. What is this damn skill? If the only problem is the skill then... ?Let''s seal this skill. If it ever manifests, I take full responsibility for it. Please let my son live.? (Me) The doctor looks back at me who was on his knees with the forehead laying on the stone floor. He gulps and then keeps walking. ?I-I''ll be reporting this to the king.? Like this, Nystro might survive. The sealing has quite a high chance of doing nothing and a chance to kill him just as high but, it''s the only way. There''s now a slight chance that that skill will be sealed and he can live a normal life. A few days later, the three of us went home. Peter finally met his younger brother and was delighted beyond words. A few weeks later, a messenger from the king arrived with a message. ?I will now quote the king: "I hall allow it. Seal the boy''s power. BUT! With two conditions. The two of you shall show absolute loyalty to the kingdom and fight for its peace against the demons. Lastly, would the boy''s power awakens once again, you shall kill him yourself. If he survives, your life will be taken as well as his.? (messenger) This is a trap. This is obviously a trap that we can never get away from. He will keep on fighting and eventually, the seal will weaken and his power will run wild... Even if he gets sealed successfully, one of us won''t die of old age. ?I agree.? (Me) But there''s really no choice. In the end, the sealing worked. There was a side effect that his personality divided and half of it sealed as well but it''s something meaningless. Later we had our first daughter. As soon as Nystro turned seven, I started instructing him on killing demons and swordsmanship. We trained together and on our own. He was exceedingly kind and strong. Surprisingly so. Those days were happy. But I knew very well they wouldn''t last forever. A demon attacked the village when Nystro was there and his powers awakened once again protecting everyone. Word spread around like wildfire and I knew what had to be done. I want him to live but... What can I do? They probably have spies already looking at me. I can''t help him run away nor can I fake his death somehow. The only thing I can do is make a bet. There have been sightings of "Peaceful" demons. He is strong so, even if dropped from high up, he''ll probably survive for quite a bit. If those demons find him and heal him. Both of us will be safe until he is found again. He might hate me and might want to kill me but, at least he can live. Zey the great sorcerer! As we start walking towards the dragon mountains, we immediately find a great problem. Zey has little to no stamina. Perhaps that skill also affects his stamina. We''ll have to train it along with his magic. ?As I''ll be the one teaching you magic, I''ll tell you how I came to understand magic. Then, I''ll have you reproduce it and then perfect it. Understood?? (Me) ?YES!? (Zey) This is the first stop of our traveling days. -I''m going to teach him "air shot" and see if he manages to get a grasp of what magic is like I did.- I write down the chant for the spell. I use the chant and shot an "Air shot" at a tree in the distance. ?Do the same.? (Me) His face looks lightly displeased. ?I''m already able to do this. I need more spells to become stronger!? (Zey) ?That''s incorrect.? I gather my mana and create a perforating air shot like I did back in school but this time larger, and threw it at a tree. Half a dozen trees fall to the ground instantly. ?See?! That spell is strong!? (Zey) ?That was an air shot though?? (Me) Noemi giggles from afar while Laura almost fainted and Gonzo thanked god that we were allies.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ?Huh?? (Zey) ?Yes. The only air spell I ever learned was air shot. From then on, I could create any spell at will. You can do so as well. You just need a good grasp of the basics.? (Me) Zey is dumbfounded. All that he thought was powerful and weak was getting destroyed and rebuild. ?Can I really do any spells from just air shot?? (Zey) ?Yes.? (Me) For the next two hours, Zey just recklessly used air shot over and over again until he could no longer stand. To do it for so long, it shows that he has quite a lot of potential. ?You are doing everything wrong!? (Me) ?Eek! Why?!? (Zey) ?I told you, you had to understand the basics, didn''t I? You are just training air shot! You need to understand what magic itself is!? (Me) I just gave him a hint as I said that while pointing to my head. I took a few minutes to understand because of my high-grade magic skills. He has really good ones but just below mine so he should take a few hours. When I finished talking his face lit up like a firefly. ?Visualisation! That''s it!? (Zey) I try to hide my satisfied smile as I turn to Noemi and leave Zey to his discoveries. In the end, even though he managed to get a better grasp of it, he still just used air shot over and over again. This time without chanting so he only lasted half an hour. Still, it''s really good progress for just the first day. He really has the talent for this. I sit down and Noemi sits on my lap and lays her head on my shoulder. I end up holding her on a whim again. She smiles and lays her hand on top of mine and slowly falls asleep to the sound of Zey trying to get up to train more air shots. I was so focused on Zey that I didn''t notice that it was night time already. Laura was already asleep, held by Gonzo. She must be very scared after all. No matter what, we have a hard mission. *SPLASH* I wake up in the morning all wet. What happened?... ?Zey... I don''t mind that you are enthusiastic about your talent, but please... DON''T WAKE US UP!!!? (Noemi) ?I''m sorry! I''m very sorry!? (Zey) Zey seems to have adapted his air shot training to his water element...And fire... and earth? I notice that he made a campfire out of earth magic and then lit it up with fire magic. '' What the hell?! '' <Looks like he had the latent potential for every element. He might even have more.> (Devouring monster) '' I got my hands on quite a dangerous boy... '' Hunting With Zey growing like a monster in just a single day, I have to do something to keep up. Not only me but Laura as well. I doubt Noemi needs to get stronger and Gonzo trains his body every day. Because of that, I end up having crazy ideas all day long. '' Hey monster, I have a few questions. '' <What is it?> (Devouring monster) '' What happened to that scythe you devoured the other time? '' (Me) <It was destroyed but you can rebuild it with its original stats. You can also add those stats to any of your weapons. Any of your weapons will keep on growing with you.> (Devouring monster) '' That''s what I wanted to know a much more... So other than that... '' My thought was interrupted by Noemi''s high voice. ?We''ll be staying here for today.? (Noemi) I sit down and look at Zey who immediately started practicing a bunch of spells at the same time. -luckily he has no advanced elements...- ?We''re staying in the middle of a forest. Don''t use fire.? (Me) ?Allllright!? (Zey) -His ego is starting to inflate.... this might be bad.- <Didn''t you have more questions?> (Devouring monster) '' Yeah, I did. So... Can other people use weapons crated from mine? '' <They can. They just won''t be able to use the metamorphic part of it. Other than that, they can use it.> (Devouring monster) -Perfect. I already have the base idea done so now I just need to make it into an actual thing.- '' I''ll be changing my style a bit for a while to see if it goes well. '' A scythe similar to the one I devoured before appears. The only big difference is that it now has a chain connected to the end of it. Other than that, the robust appearance is there and the size is there. This scythe is massive. It''s just as tall as me and that''s just talking about the pole. The blade is almost as big. I swing it around a bit and notice something immediately. It''s sluggish! It''s a really weird weapon to swing so I can''t use it like I would use a sword. I should use it by rotating it all over my body like a pole with just as few differences that it has a massive blade in one end so... I''ll have to use it kind of like a spear with no thrusting and a bit more slashing? I also need to use more magic. If I have the capabilities, then I should use them. I practice for a bit and it seems to work much better this way. I just need to keep in mind that I''m using a scythe and not a spear and then get better with it. I never used this kind of weapons, to be honest, but My brother used a spear most of the time I notice Gonzo training as well so I approach him. ?Hey, Gonzo. How do you attack with that?? (Me) He notices that I''m pointing at the giant shield that he has on his back at all time like a turtle. ?I don''t. The most I do is bash people with it.? (Gonzo) -I''ll get him a new one then. I already know what to do so I might even start today. It''ll probably be done in a week maybe?- I walk back to see how Zey is doing. If he is left unsupervised, he might just blow something up and I don''t even know how. ?Let''s eat!? (Noemi) Noemi has just finished preparing dinner. We all sit down in pairs... except for Zey... And eat as much as we can. We need all the energy we can get to improve. We need to be the strongest. At that moment, as I finished my meal, I had an idea. ?I''m going to hunt. Zey, come with me.? (Me) '' This way, I can improve by eating monsters and I might be able to control Zey''s ego. '' <Be careful master!> (Kit) -Once again I forgot about Kit... I kinda feel bad for him.- ?Why can''t I just practice?? (Zey)Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ?No matter how powerful you are, with actual experience from battle, you are as good as a civilian dressed in gold.? (Me) We walk around the forest for a bit a finally find a reptile monster. It looks like a salamander but smaller and with much more scales. Might even be a lesser dragon. '' If this is a lesser dragon then we need to pay attention. '' <Why don''t you appraise him?> (Devouring monster) '' Oh... right. '' .... It''s an earth lesser dragon. There''s probably the big one wandering somewhere. ?This one is yours. What kind of magic will you use?? (Me) Zey starts gathering flames and I hit him in the head. ?What the hell are you doing?!? (Me) ?I''m gonna burn him!? (Zey) ?Not only would you not be able to pass by his scales you would also burn the whole forest to the ground! Use something else!? (Me) ?My other spells are not as strong as this one!? (Zey) ?I guess I''ll have to demonstrate then...? (Me) I shoot a drilling air shot at the lesser dragon''s neck. The air shot turns into a blade as it pierces the lesser dragon''s scales, decapitating it on the spot. ?Evaluate your enemy. Everyone has a weakness. If your enemy is highly armored, the best thing to do is to puncture through it and render the armor useless. Look closely. Because my magic turned into an air blade right after it pierced the scales the first time, only those scales are damaged. The other scales are as good as new.? (Me) '' How do I eat it without looking like a monster? '' <Master I know! Transfer your arm into the head of a dragon and eat it!> (Kit) '' How long have you been thinking of that? '' <Dunno!> (Kit) -Either way, it''s a good idea.- My arm turns into the head of the Nature Dragon I killed and ate a while back and devours the corpse of the lesser dragon, leaving nothing behind. Zey just watches the whole process dumbfounded. ?Let''s hunt one or two more and let''s head back. It might get dangerous otherwise.? (Me) ?Alright...? (Zey) We walk around a bit more without finding anything else and head back. By then everyone was already sleeping. Or pretending like Noemi. In the morning, we wake up to the sound of heavy footsteps. We all look in the direction of the sound as we grab our weapons. Everyone is on guard. Everyone instinctively went into a weird, unorganized formation with Gonzo at the front, me and Laura Right behind, Noemi behind us and then Zey at the back. Zey starts panicking and gathering flames. ?No flames Zey!? (Me) From among the trees emerges... A giant Earth dragon. He is a quadropede with large wings and a large tail. Characteristic from these dragons, it''s scales are much bigger and look like plates made from rock. It''s tail also seems to have a large ball of stone. Weirdly enough, different from most other dragons, he had no horns anywhere making him look bland. He approaches slowly and steadily but as he looks at us, he tightens his hind legs and starts walking in a weird way. Noemi even ended up gigling at some point. '' What''s with that walking '' <He can probably smell the scent of cut dragon penis from you.> (Devouring monster) '' Oh for fuck''s sake!! '' <At least your mere presence will make this battle a lot easier.> (Devouring monster) ''...'' The dragon keeps getting closer and seems to be preparing for an attack. Zey starts bombarding the dragon with high pressure water jets. It doesn''t seem to be having much of an effect though. I''ll appraise it then. ... '' Once again his weak points are eyes, none, mouth, penis and anus. No wait. This one actually has weak points on the back of his legs, at knee level. Not only that, his scales don''t cove a few spots along the neck. '' ?Aim for the back of the legs and those lines without scales on the neck! Zey, aim for the eyes!? (Me) Laura and I dash forward. Zey starts aiming his atacks at the eyes but the dragon actually has some see through armor covering his eyes. -It''s take a while for him to go blind.- Laura slashes her flaming golden sword at the dragon''s body, throwing the dragon off balance and slightly melting the rocky scales of the dragon''s chest. These golden flames might be much hotter than normal fire but they don''t seem to spread regardless of that... The dragon spins and whips his tail, swinging the stone ball at the tip at a high speed. It Gets blocked by Gonzo''s giant shield, breaking the dragon''s momentum. I take this opportunity to move behind his front legs, slashing one of them instantly and then throwing my scythe, spinning at the other, slashing it as well. '' The cut might not be as deep but it works quite well! '' I pull my scythe back and get out from under the dragon who can barely hold himself. I throw my scythe up and then whip it at the mack of the dragon. The impact was enough to get the dragon on his knees. <You copycat.> (Devouring monster) The dragon starts screaming as his eyes bleed and he lowers his head. Zey finally managed to get through the see through armor on the dragon''s eyes. Noemi swings her bladed wheel upwards, lifting the dragon''s head and exposing his neck. I jump on top of it and throw my scythe, getting it stuck on one of his bleeding eyes and then pull the chain, making it impossible for the dragon to lower his head again. ?Finish him!? Laura jumps into the dragon''s neck and stabs her sword onto one of the weak points and starts releasing inhuman amounts of golden flames, finally slashing along the weakpoint. The dragon liver for just a few more seconds. ?We did it! We killed a Giant Dragon!? (Zey) We all get away from the dragon. ?I''m surprised!? (Laura) ?Why?? (Me) ?We never fought together yet we killed a dragon like an experienced team!? (Laura) ?That''s because everyone here has his own style. In the end, our styles are so varied that we just never really get in each other''s way.? (Noemi) -This is really a weirdly good team.- ?I''m going to repair the cracks on my shield.? (Gonzo) Gonzo sits down and starts tinkering with his shield. -Didn''t know he had this kind of skill.- I look back at the dragon as my instinct screams to eat it. ?This might be disgusting so look away if you want to, I''ll be right back.? (Me) My left arm turns back into a dragon head as I walk to the dragon''s corpse. I start devouring it and I could hear the sounds of Laura throwing up. After an hour, it was as if the dragon never existed. I walk back and join with the group. Noemi and Zey look normal but Gonzo has a weird expression on his face and Laura is completely pale. ?Was there really a need for that?!? (Laura) ?Yes... I wish there wasn''t to be honest. It''s really disgusting sometimes...? (Me) -I hope she gets used to it.- ?Let''s go?? (Me) ?Yes...? (Zey) ?Yup!? (Noemi :3) Laura and Gonzo simply nod in agreement. Like that, our travel goes on. Those with no own will It''s been a week since we started walking towards the north. Our food is starting to end and we need to stock up on more. luckily Noemi has that inventory skill. Thanks to it, we can have fresh food without the need to stop in every city. ?I don''t like this city... Can we hold it until we arrive at the next one?? (Noemi) -What''s the matter? For her to be like this... What do they do here?- ?Do we have enough food that no one gets hungry until then?? (Me) ?N-no... we''ll be without food for a few days...? (Noemi) ?Then let''s go in and out quickly just to buy enough food for those few days.? (Me) Noemi''s eyes shine as she smiles and hugs me. -She was probably misunderstanding my first question.- I laugh awkwardly as the five of us walk into the city. Noemi tightens around my arm as we walk in. A single think walks into everyone''s head. "Smells like death". The streets were bloody and chained people could be seen everywhere. All of them in rags, their exposed arms and legs were covered by cuts and bruises, their bones could be seen on theirskin and the look of misery, desperation and fear could be seen on everyone''s face. They had already lost all hope. Among each group would be a wealthy looking man, dressed in luxury clothing among the misery and poverty.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Apart from the people that were all over the place, the city itself was in ruins. From the looks of it, it used to be a city like any others but now... It''s just the perfect slave dealing spot. Pretty much everyone was turned into a slave here. Only merchants and dealers are free. ?Sir, would you like of these beauties to accompanyyou? I bet...? (Dealer) ?Not interested.? (Me) I look around and appraise every single slave in the plaza. ?But just in case, can you explain to me how this works?? (Me) A large grin appears on the dealers face as Noemi''s face shows deep concern and shock ?Well of course! From the moment you pay, we will cast a spell to pass the ownership to you. From then on, they can''t go against you! And don''t think of stealing. If our merchandise is stolen, any "Merchant" can order her until the spell of liberation is cast on the merchandise. This kind of magic is very rare so I doubt you''ll ever be able to do it. Which one caught youreye?? (Dealer) '' This is just disgusting... slaves aren''t merchandise and you are no merchant... '' <I wanna bite this bastard!> (Kit) '' Calm down... let''s wait a bit. '' I walk away, leaving the dealer hanging on his own exciting world. We quickly arrive at the market and Noemi finally managed to talk to me. ?What was that?!? (Noemi) ?I''ll free everyone. Once night falls, they''ll die and the slaves will be free. It''s just a few hours away so there''ll be no problem.? (Me) Everyone looks shocked at me. ?Do you have slave magic?? (Laura) ?No...? (Me) Everyone''s shock turns into concern... ?Not yet at least.? (Me) And shock is back. Now mixes with deep concern. Plans Noemi looks at me with a concern written all over her face. ?How will you do that?? (Noemi) ''Should... Should I tell her?'' <Don''t you trust her?> (Devouring monster) '' It''s not that... I wonder what she''ll do after... '' ?Please... No secrets between us...? (Noemi) '' Don''t say that with those puppy eyes! '' I immediately get closer to her and try to whisper in a way that nobody else would hear.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ?I have a skill that allows me to steal other''s powers.? (Me) -WHY DID YOU TELL HER DAMN IT! What if she leaves...- (This was a monologue lol) Noemi looks at me as if question marks were popping from her head. ?By eating their corpse?? (Noemi) -IT''S ALL OVE...- ?Huh?? (Me) ?Is that why you ate the giant dragon and pretty much every enemy we''ve encountered?? (Noemi) '' I forgot she was this clever... '' <I feel bad for her!> (Kit) ?Yeah...? (Me) ?Alright then. So we kill them, you eat them and then free everyone?? (Noemi) ?Exactly?? (Me) Noemi lightly tilts her head. ?Why that reaction?? (Noemi) ?I... just wasn''t expecting you to react like this and already know everything I had planned.? (Me) Noemi''s cheeks puff out as a tint of annoyance sprouts all over her face. ?Who do you think I am? Of course I would know!? (Noemi) -My embarrassment is probably showing on my face...- Liberation Right now I''m in the outskirts of the slave-dealing village, preparing to go back in. By preparing I mean Psychologically. I don''t really need other preparation. I''m waiting so that night completely falls down. ?What do you plan to do with the freed slaves?? (Noemi) ?Nothing I guess. None of them really have anything useful for us so I''ll just set them free so they can start over.? (Me) Noemi starts giggling and gets closer to me. ?This is kind of nostalgic in a way.? (Noemi) She jumps in for a quick kiss and then leaps backward. ?Now you are ready to fight!? (Noemi) She shows me her sweetest smile and waves at me while being showered by the last rays of light from today''s the sun. '' With this kind of motivation, I bet I could even take on an army. '' <OF COURSE!> (Kit) Kit seems very enthusiastic. He sometimes even shivers from sheer enthusiasm. -Why is is so enthusiastic about this... unless it''s something else?- As the sun disappeared on the horizon, I turned around and started walking back into the slave village. At night, even inside the village, there was barely any light. Apart from the occasional light coming inside of the houses, there was only a single big street candle in the main plaza. All the houses with slaves had them sleeping outside in the cold. Even if there are some that have them inside, I bet if I catch even one, he''ll tell me all I want. '' It''s surprising but... these guys are just as bad as humans... '' <No comments.> (Devouring monster) -Well, let''s start with this one.- I arrive at a big house with two floors and a large number of slaves outside. Other than that, it''s a normal house. Half molten metal appears on my gauntlet and forms a key. This key is dripping metal all over the place but as I put it into the lock, it takes the locks chape and hardens, allowing me in. -Nice! It works! I didn''t really want to have to break down the door and alarm the rest of the dealers.- I walk in with the slaves all looking at me, probably wondering who was going to be taken away. <He is upstairs in the bedroom.> (Kit) '' We''re going directly to him then. '' I walk upstairs while making as little noise as possible and while in the middle of the big corridor that leads to a single room, the bedroom, I noticed that even if I had broken the door to come in, he would not have noticed. Humping noises could be heard from afar. I walk into the room and the fat slave dealer looks at me stunned. ?W-what are you doing here?!? (Fat fuck) ?Cleansing the filth. Looks like I hit the jackpot.? (Me) The gauntlet''s fingers stick together and turn into a blade as I approach the fat bastard. ?S-stop it! I''ll give you anything! Money? Slaves? Anything!? (Fat fuck)A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. He throws a bunch of coins from the table at me and even throws the women he had been using. I caught her but as the fat bastard''s semen flowed out of her, I snapped her neck. A doll. She had become a lifeless doll. She did nothing apart from the bare minimum to survive: breath. She couldn''t even see anything as her lifeless eyes couldn''t focus anymore. As if that wasn''t enough, this is a kinky one who enjoyed to cause pain while he bathed in lust and ecstasy. Her body was filled with bruises. '' Sometimes, true mercy is to take someone out of the misery they could never recover from. I hope the other''s aren''t in such a state. '' I put my blade on the fat bastard''s neck. ?Tell me where the other slave dealers live.? (Me) ?Will you let me live?? (Fat fuck) I fiercely look into his eyes, not giving an answer. ?E-every merch...? As he was about to say "Merchant" I punch him and send him flying against the wall. The wall cracks like a spider web. ?E-every one of us lowly, disgusting slave dealers keep our mer- slaves outside at night. Apart from one that keeps them in rooms.? (Fat fuck) -His heavy breath is making me sick. Disgusting.- ?How do I know where that is?? (Me) ?It''s the biggest house in the whole plaza!? (Fat fuck) '' I did see an exceedingly large house a bit ago. '' ?I guess that''s it. You have won my mercy.? (Me) ?T-then...!? (Fat fuck) A maid comes in as I stab his fat belly. ?W-what?! W-where''s my mercy? (Fat fuck) I answer as I look at the women that he was using a while ago. ?There''s no greater mercy than to take you out of the misery you''ll never be free of.? (Me) ?H-help me, you fucking bitch!? (Fat fucking dead) The maid looks at the dead woman lying on the ground and back at the dealer and drops to her knees. ?No...? (Maid) A crest shines on the maid''s chest. It''s the slave crest. <A slave disobeying to the master is asking for death...> (Kit) I look back at the fat bastard and stab him through the neck and quickly devour all of his fat. The maid is being overwhelmed with pain and is screaming her lungs out. '' Got it! '' ?Release slave!? The slave crest quickly fades away and turns into nothingness. ?I''ll release every slave living here. Take them somewhere and start all over. As a maid, I bet you are capable of such. My allies are on the outskirts, you can join them for now. Let''s go.? (Me) The maid looks dumbfounded at me as I jump out the window into the streets again. I release all the slaves of this dealer. -This guy put all the seals either on the breasts, butt or vagina...- The maid arrives and I wave at her as I head into another house. and release the slaves that are outdoors. -I''ll leave the big mansion for last.- I open the door and head to the bedroom and quickly dispose of the sleeping dealer. I repeat the process over and over again until it was time to head into the giant mansion. It was a good mansion filled with luxuries. Yet the biggest difference was that there were a lot of maids. All of them with a slave crest somewhere on their legs. As they look at me they all go into a battle formation. ?Calm down everyone. I believe we can talk this through with this gentlemen.? (???) An old man walks down the glamorous red stairs like a noble would at a party. He is wearing a formal blacksuit that complements his white mustache. Everything about him screams high class. All the maids form two rows and lightly bow down to the passing old man. ?My name isAlfred Abdiel. It''s a pleasure to meet you.? (Alfred) ?I''m Jim.? (Me) ?No need to be so tense. Let''s have some tea and discuss this through.? (Alfred) The old man snaps his fingers and two butlers bring a round table as two maids bring a chair each. They then invite us to sit. A few minutes later, tea is served to both of us. The weirdest thing is... he didn''t order them as slaves. The slaves did this out of their own will. ?No need to be so tense. Relax a bit.? (Alfred) ?It seems you are different from the other dealers. For the slaves to have such loyalty, you treat them much better.? (Me) ?Are they not living beings? I can only see slaves as a job people can''t choose. It''s a job where they do what their superior says.? (Alfred) I appraise the tea as I sit down. it''s a plain, high-quality tea. I take a sip. ?That is a very unique way to see it.? (Me) ?Indeed... May I ask you, why did you come into my house?? (Alfred) ?To kill you.? (Me) All the butlers and maids go back into battle mode. The old man didn''t even move a centimeter. ?Let me rephrase that. To kill the filthy, disgusting slave dealer that lived in this house. Yet instead, I found you.? (Me) I look around at the maids and butlers and then back at the old man. ?Seeing as this is, I don''t need to kill you, the only decent slave dealer I''ve ever seen.? (Me) I down the rest of the tea in one gulp and get up from the chair. ?You are now the only slave dealer in this whole city. I freed all the slaves and they should allbe at the outskirts of town by now.? (Me) I walk in the direction of the door as everyone''s tension starts to fade. ?Well anyway, thanks for the tea. It was great.? (Me) As I closed the door behind me, I took a last peek at them. Happy tears falling down everyone''s faces as they share a hug. -So there are still people like this around...- Quick announcement from the author So basically I''m going on small vacations so, in the next 2 days, I''ll write a bunch of small chapters and schedule them for the days I''m out. I''ll be out for 5 days starting on 7 (My birthday :3 ). Those chapters will be more like filler chapters so I''m sorry for it. Other than that, I won''t be active here for comments but will come at least once a day to see if there''s anything new :3 I need more characters to schedule this so I might as well say some of my intentions with this story. This novel is the first that I ever wrote but it''s supposed to be number 4 in a series of stories that I''ll write. Which one I''ll write after this will be chosen by the readers in a poll in the last chapter of this novel. This series of the novel will all have the same main characters to make it interesting in a way that was already revealed in this novel :3Stolen novel; please report. Anyway, I hope you are enjoying my novel and have a nice day </img>"> Arrival I walk out of the village again and meet with everyone but... ?Where are the slaves?? (Me) ?They came here, thanked us, told us to thank you as well and departed immediately.? (Laura) -They probably have families and things to do that they couldn''t while being slaves.- At this moment the sun started to rise. '' I spent the whole night up... '' Noemi looks at me and sighs. ?Let''s take the day off today. Sleep well Nystro.? (Noemi) I lie down and fall asleep almost instantly. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Once I wake up, we continue to head north. Every day had already an untold routine. We walk until the sun starts to set, train until the sun completely sets and then sleep. We have lunchand dinner in the meantime. To be honest, Zey''s progress is abnormal. Training every day on his own, he''s developing original magic at the snap of a finger. We had quite a few problems when he decided that a giant fire tornado was a good idea. Or that giant explosion that sent pieces of sharp metal everywhere. Or that massive fireball that burnt half of the forest... He really likes fire related magic... He has complete control over all the four basic elements and a few advanced ones like explosion magic. Right now, Zey is face to face with a half-dragon warrior... His dragon half seems to be from an earth or mud dragon. ?If you really aren''t a terrorist, why would you use such dangerous magic near the city?!? (Half-dragon) ?Like I said, I didn''t know that the city was that close! I was just practicing!? (Zey) ?That''s what you get for using those dangerous spells without properly analyzing your surroundings.? (Me) ?Please help!? (Zey) ?Don''t worry, you''re Zey, the great! You can deal with it!? (Noemi) Yup, he recently had his ego so inflated that he thought no one apart from those in our group could defeat him. ?You''re coming with me!? (Half-dragon) And that''s how we got into the neutral lands. Neutral city of dragons With Zey take away we walk into the city. It''s a very lively city with a great variety of different species. From dragons to elves to imps even. Everyone here seems to live in harmony. The streets are lively with children running everywhere as their mothers sit in on the stairs of a house talking about daily things and gossiping like all mothers do. Men are carrying merchandise for the merchants in the market and some armed people walk out of the city, likely going to hunt for food or protect the camps that are cultivated in the outskirts of the city. The most noticeable thing is still that some nobles can be seen walking around. Those people make sure everyone knows they are nobles by the way they are dressed and by the great number of contracted people that follow them. No matter where you go, money rules everything. It''s still kind of nice to see such a sight. Makes me believe that this world might actually be saved once I succeed. It feels me with determination. <hr> ?What''s your name?? (Half-dragon) ?I have the name that everyone shall burn into their pitiful brains! As I am the great...? (Zey) Zey gets hit by a sheathed sword on the back of his head and falls to the ground. The one who did it was an elf.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ?Just tell us your name already! Making yourself important while you''re a criminal... Don''t you have shame?!? (Elf) ?I''m not a criminal! As I just said, I was prac...? (Zey) ?We hear you were practicing but that''s obviously a lie! Why would you practice something that dangerous to begin with?? (Elf) ?I wanted to see what I could do...? (Zey) ?You little...!? (Elf) ?Hahahaha!? (???) At that moment, an old dragon suddenly appears and starts laughing as everyone looks shocked at him. Once the half-dragon and the elf see the old dragon, they immediately bow down and get on their knees. ?Boy, what''s your name? This time without the glory.? (Old dragon) ?Zey...? (Zey) ?Zey, you are free to go. This time you''ll just get a warning so be careful where you practice next time.? (Old dragon) ?Yes! Thank you, sir!? (Zey) Zey does a quick bow and runs away. ?Can we know why...? (Elf) The elf didn''t even manage to finish his sentence. ?That''s a child. He got drunk in his new power and lost control over his surroundings. It''s not something you haven''t done. Not only that, that boy is already fated to be one with the dragon race, I can''t have him delay such a fate.? (Old dragon) The elf felt deep shame but it was all washed away by the announcement made right after. After all, this old dragon was the legendary Dragon of wisdom that could look into anyone''s fate. First day is over After exploring the city for a while, we meet Zey in a back alley. He is in a weird armadillo mode and simply jumps once he sees and runs in our direction. ?WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!?!? (Zey) ?Would you look at this! The great Zey is crying!? (Noemi) Zey trips and almost falls to the ground. ?Don''t go too far. I bet he already had a hard time.? (Me) Noemi smiles at me. -I''m pretty sure she''ll just keep it going...-Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ?Let''s go to the inn.? (Laura) ?Which one?? (Noemi) Laura gets red as a flame and sneaks a peek at Gonzo. ?Anyone is fine but I would like the one with good walls...? (Laura) Noemi blushes as well and looks at me. I simply look away to hide my embarrassment. ?YOU DAMN SEX MANIACS! I WON''T SLEEP AGAIN!? (Zey) ?Don''t say that out loud please...? (Me) At this point, I just couldn''t hide my embarrassment so I just started walking in the direction of the inn that seems to have the thickest walls. '' Might not be cheap but at least... STOP IT KIT I CAN FEEL YOUR SMUG '' <Hehehe... I envy Noemi...> -What was that?- As it was getting late already, we pay for three rooms at that in, tested the walls and had "fun" for the rest of the night before sleeping so much we missed lunch. <Quality content...> (Kit) -I''m getting scared...- The power of lust compels me! I wake up fresh as an ice dragon. Noemi is still naked, sleeping while hugging me. To be honest... I don''t mind such things anymore. To think that something like this would happen. My self from the past would say it''s unthinkable yet... here I am, naked with a naked demon hugging me. It''s kind of funny how everything turned out. Lost in thought, I ended up analyzing every little nook of Noemi''s body. She''s absolutely gorgeous. She might be small and have small breasts and a small ass but it all just goes perfectly with her somehow. As I pass my hand by her legs and slowly go up, he tenderness fills my hands. The hand on her slender arms descends to her belly and then back up as I''m overwhelmed by lust again.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ?Nngh...? (Noemi) Noemi moans lightly as my hands rub both her tender breasts. -It''s all over, I''m going in again!- It was a day well spent on the bed with a lustful demon fake sleeping. ?Did you enjoy?? (Noemi) I try to hide my embarrassment even though I knew that I couldn''t hide it from her. ?Weren''t you enjoying it more than me? Pretending to sleep?? (Me) ?Mayyyyybeeeee.? (Noemi) Noemi goes in for another kiss but stops midway as three knocks sound on the door. We keep silence in the hope that whoever it was would go away bu... ?STOP FUCKING ALREADY!? (Zey) ?SHUT UP!? (Me) ?Leave us be!? (Noemi) We keep going until nighttime and have a normal night of sleep. It was truly a good day! <*Heavy breathing*> (Kit) -Please, stop...- Blacksmith After such a... An interesting day that was yesterday, I think I should go around town on my own affairs. Alone. Or I might just fall into temptation again in some random back alley and my vitality won''t be able to handle all of that. ?I''m going around town on my own today. I''ll be here by nighttime.? (Me) -I say that but I have no idea what to do...- ?Alriiiiight.? (Noemi) -I bet you''re satisfied for at least a few hours now...- I look at Zey who seems surprisingly normal. ?Those walls are really thick... No sound can go through. Thanks, brother.? (Laura) ?Y-you welcome...? (Me) -So she also did it...- I head out and start walking around town. Not knowing what I was looking for, I simply looked at everything... After a while of searching, I found a certain, slightly hidden blacksmith shop. It was located on a hidden street that branched from the main one. It had a humble feel with nothing but ragged black banners on its outer walls but the weapons at its doorstep were very well done. Driven by curiosity, I go into the little blacksmith shop. ?Welcome, buddy! How may I help you?? (Dwarf) At the sight of a dwarf, I prepare myself to fall through a portal but, nothing happens. ?I something wrong? You seem frightened...? (Dwarf) ?Y-you just remembered me of someone else, I''m sorry. I saw the weapons at the door and thought it would be good to check it out.? (Me)Stolen novel; please report. ?You like my weapons? Most people just come here because they are cheaper than a professional blacksmith and say it barely does the job.? (Dwarf blacksmith) ?So, you''ve been getting scammed all this time? I say those "Professional blacksmith" weapons and they were just shiny pieces of glass.? ?Seriously?!? (Dwarf blacksmith) ?Yeah but anyway, show me your best works and your most unique works.? (Me) The dwarf stops scribbling what looks like new prices and goes through a little dwarf-sized door behind the counter. He then comes back with three swords, an axe, and a crossbow. The swords were plain but sharp and were all enchanted. Each of them would value at least thousands of gold. But the one thing that caught my eyes was the axe and the crossbow. The axe was large but with a small axe head, more like a halbert. The interesting thing is that it could be split in half turning into a small axe and a sword. And then the crossbow... ?Can you explain what''s that?? (Me) The dwarf gets the crossbow and gets closer to a practice dummy made of straw that was nearby. He bends half of the crossbow downwards as a *clack* sound is heard, exposing a hole. He fills that hole with bolts and then closes it, sounding the *clack* again ?You open it and load it with a bunch of bolts and now...? (Dwarf blacksmith) The dwarf aims at the dummy and shoots. Then quickly a little piece of metal that seems like a lever and shoots again. And repeat until no more bolts are being fired. ?Like this, you can rapid fire without needing to load a bold every time!? (Dwarf blacksmith) -It''s really a good idea to have such a thing but it gave me a good idea...- ?Can I ask something custom made?? (Me) ?Of course!? (Dwarf blacksmith) ?The idea is a giant shield that can be split in half and turned into large hand blades and then back to a shield.? (Me) I make an example by punching the air and then joining my fists in front of my chest. ?I believe that with that technology you used on the crossbow, that it would be possible to have the two blades spin slightly to then join and become a shield. What do you think? Can you do it?? (Me) ?Hmmmm... I get the idea. It''s possible without a doubt but it might take me a while to work the kinks on it. Is that alright with you?? (Dwarf blacksmith) ?Yes, it''s alright.? (Me) ?Want anything else? Want any of these?? (Dwarf blacksmith) He shows me the weapons again. ?I don''t really have the money, to be honest... Each of those would be at least a few thousand golds right?? (Me) He grabs the crossbow and one of the swords and hands them to me. ?Now that I know the value of these, you have paid for them, my friend!? (Dwarf blacksmith) The next few minutes I just stood in place, dumbfounded wondering what the fuck was wrong with this dwarf... Its not stealing if you steal form a stealer... ?See you later friend!? (Dwarf blacksmith) '' DAFUK WAS THAT?! '' <I''m starting to have my doubts about the dwarven race as a whole...> (Devouring monster) I look around and notice that nobody is around. -Perfect- I throw the sword and crossbow up and morph my gauntlet into a dragon head. They are swallowed by the dragon head and then it turns back to normal. '' Now I should be able to produce them at will. '' <That enchantment is actually quite useful. Unbreakable. Anything you make can now be three times as resistant to all kinds of damage. That dwarf might not be good on its head but his items are top notch.> (Devouring monster) '' True... '' I return to the main street and continue to walk around. In the end, I go back to the inn without finding anything else... Or so I wished but I came across a ruby earing that would fit perfectly on Noemi but... It''s too much money!If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. '' Seriously?! A thousand gold for a pair of earrings? That''s a robbery! '' They were small, metal earrings with a flat ruby on each. Simple yet gorgeously beautiful. '' How can I steal it though? '' <Stealing is bad, master!> (Kit) '' Are they not stealing as well? '' <Why don''t you eat it?>(Devouring monster) '' Why did I not think of that?! '' I approach the stall with the earrings and grab them and try to make it look like I''m evaluating it. Instead, I cover the earings by metal and devour them. Then I create a copy and put them back on the stall. The merchant(robber) didn''t even have time to approach me. Mission accomplished. -In a few minutes, the fake earrings will disappear and come back to me... It''s brilliant!- As the sun was setting, I arrive at the inn and find Noemi in our bedroom... almost naked. ?Why did you take so long?? (Noemi) ?Found something nice. Open your hand and close your eyes.? (Me) Noemi blushes slightly and does as I said. I put my hand over hers and re-create the earrings but with the unbreakable enchantment. ?These are so cuuuuute! I love them!? (Noemi) Noemi immediatelymakes a small hole in each ear for the earrings and puts them on. She then does a cute pose exposing her ears. ?Do they look good on me?? (Noemi) ?Of course they do.? (Me) She stops for a moment and then smiles as brightly as the sun. ?Thank you!? (Noemi) -My heart! Don''t do that or my heart will melt!- She then embraces me and drags me to the bed where we get a good night of sleep. Girls are scary... Noemi is now strutting around while I shamefully let her hang onto me. The reason is simple yet disturbing. (Remember) <hr> ?Sooooo... Who did you steal it from?? (Noemi) ?H-huh?? (Me) ?This is an enchanted jewelry piece. It costs much more money than whatever amount you might have. So... Who did you steal it from?? (Noemi)Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. '' She''s too sharp! '' ?I made it.? (Me) ?By eating it and recreating it?? (Noemi) I became completely silent. My face got distorted by several layers of doubt and few layers of fear and WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?! ?Why that face? Isn''t that why your weapon can shapeshift? Because it shares an ability with you? If I remember correctly, The Metal Warriors make such weapons. You''re a member, right? I bet you ate some other weapons for their enchantments and then added them to your normal weapons as well.? (Noemi) -Alright, that''s just scary now.- <hr> And that''s how we came to this point. Right now, all of our group went its way. I''m with Noemi just shamefully walking around, Laura is with Gonzo searching for equipment and Zey... '' Zey just disappeared again. Was he taken by the guards again? '' Dragon training (Zey''s POV) -I''m lost. Those four lovebirds went somewhere once I looked away and now I can''t find them... I bet I would be a nuisance anyways so...- In the end, Zey just aimlessly wandered around town. He saw people here and there doing their everyday chores or playing around. Some were buying, some were trying to pick up girls, which made Zey frustrated, or others would be training. One particular training field stood out. Not because the people training there were impressive but because of the noise that came from there. It was the old dragon and a young girl. ?Again! Repeat it a thousand more times! Even if your worthless power doesn''t rise, at least get stamina damn it!? (Old dragon)A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. The girl kept using fire magic as her body''s sweat kept getting evaporated and then formed again, drenching her over and over again. Her red flame-like hair flew around with each magic she used. ?Why?! I''m a warrior!? (Young girl) A few tears could be seen on her face for a second but they also disappeared with the heat. ?Because my blood runs through your veins you disgrace of a granddaughter! You should have enough power to burn this whole city to the ground!? (Old dragon) The old dragon kept on insulting the young girl and Zey stayed by watching her ceaselessly repeating the same magic. ?Even that boy could do better than this! And he''s just an Imp!? (Old dragon) The old dragon was pointing to Zey. He didn''t know when he was noticed but he fell to the ground once he heard his race being referred. He was a high-imp. Still, an imp nonetheless. Imps are lowly magic demons no even high-imps who are as powerful as normal demons are seen as low creatures. Questions stormed his mind but one surpassed all the others: "How?" How did he know? Showing off After almost half an hour, Zey was still there dumbfounded. How could that be possible? Did he do something that he didn''t notice? After all that he trained, he was confident he could detect any spell! ?He broke! God damn boy! Come here already!? (Old dragon) ?...? (Zey) Zey had been shaken deeper than anyone could think. He believed he was one of the strongest now that he was training with the strongest but that wasn''t quite right yet. This old dragon was the proof of such. ?Do a fireball and throw it in that direction like she''s been doing. Do it!? (Old dragon) Zey moved like a zombie. He slowly got up and looked at the tree the old dragon had just pointed to. His mind was completely clouded by doubts and uncertainties. He could barely see the tree he was looking at.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. The moment he tried to use the fire magic, it immediately went out of control and backfired. not only was the tree burned to ashes but a dozen nearby trees were as well turned to ash along with a thin layer from his arm''s skin. He was saved in the last moment by the old dragon who used water magic to protect him from the heat. ?How fragile can you be?... He blacked out... Wow.? (Old dragon) The young girl looked at the sleeping face of Zey and fell to her knees. His magic was too powerful. As powerful as she was supposed to be, she thought. But it wasn''t only her who was impressed. The old dragon, even though he kept his angry poker face at all time during the training, was also completely shocked. He knew that the boy had a lot of magic potential but he couldn''t believe it would be this much. ?Keep an eye on him. Get some rest while you''re at it!? (Old dragon) With such words, the old dragon turned around and left. ?This is unfair...? (Dragon girl) An enemy is a good training partner ?You two will be training together! Learn from each other!? (Old dragon) Those were the words that sealed their fate. Zey and the dragon girl were bound to training together for a while, giving no freedom to neither of them. Would they not get better and they might get punished. That was a possibility that they agreed to not even try. In the end, they would clash with each other and go nowhere. ?See? Easy.? (Zey) Zey brags as much as possible which just keeps rubbing salt on the girls already low self-esteem and making her nervous and unstable. Because of that, they never were on good terms with each other.Stolen novel; please report. ?How the fuck is that easy?!? (Dragon girl) ?LANGUAGE!? (Old dragon) ?Yes! I''m sorry!? (Dragon girl) Zey would always start giggling and worsen the situation. ?Where is this easy?! This spell is strong enough to damage an elder dragon!? (Dragon girl) ?Visualization! That''s all! You just need to be kind of smart!? (Zey) Almost a week went by but they were always fighting with words instead of training. This made their progress slower than ever. But at least it''s moving forward, is what the old dragon thought. She had been stuck for a while but now, maybe thanks to her frustration, she''s been able to slowly get better. It was the right choice to make Zey stay against his will. ?Fuck off!? (Dragon girl) ?Make me!? (Zey) Yeah... The right choice... Sparring ?Today you''ll do some sparring!? (Old dragon) Zey and the dragon girl had just woken up but the old dragon was merciless in their training. They took a deep breath. There was nothing they could do. They had already known that from the very start. They both positioned themselves with a mere 20 meters between each other and readied their weapons. The dragon girl had gauntlets with spikes while Zey was using a staff he had received for training purposes. The staffs have the power to amplify magic but this training staff barely did anything. It was more of a blunt weapon in case of need. The old dragon knew very well how the battle would go. After all, they are polar opposites in battle. As long as Zey keeps his distance, he wins. If the enemy gets too close, he''s done for. Zey is proficient with all the basic elements and somewhat so with the secondary elements by mixing the basic ones but is as fragile as a piece of glass. The dragon girl on the other hand barely uses magic but all her physical power is outstanding. Truly polar opposites. Like this, the old dragon planned on evaluating their strategy, instead of only evaluating their power. He was giving his all so that their fate could be fulfilled. They had too much of an important fate. They were fated to save the world together as something more than just allies... It was hard to just hand over his granddaughter but he won''t go against her fate. That would be even crueler. Even though they keep screaming at each other and throwing insults all the time, those feelings have already started to sprout, waiting for the right time to bloom. They had such an important fate but in there, there were two individuals that had no fate at all. In the group of 13 they would form, two had no fate. The reason is still unknown but the gods might have something to do with it. The old dragon had already seen everyone fated to the group, all of them couples apart from the lone assassin. There is a driad that''s too kind for her own good and a lion Beast-men that became obsessed with his lover''s protection. A human swords-woman of noble blood and a shielded ogre that is a silent slave. A werewolf that is obsessed with having a rival stronger than him and a sweet, young human girl priest that will always go against her god even though her faith is unwavering. An orc swordsman whose gluttony and lust surpassing everything one could think of and a gorgeously cute elf archer with very weird sexual fetishes. The old dragon almost puked once he noticed that the cute elf was actually a boy. No matter where you go, homosexuality is seen very poorly and in some countries, is actually punishable. The old dragon grinned at the next ones. A high-imp with absurd magic power but a fragile body and some ego problems and a half-dragon girl with barely any magic but outstanding physical power and also with ego problems. Those two were, without a doubt, the ones in front of him.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Next was the weirdest one. An assassin that is always alone and isn''t actually in the group officially, he/she who has no gender had followed them from basically half their adventure and only actually joins in the end... But after that were the most intriguing for the old dragon. Because even with an almost maxed appraisal and maxed "Fate view", he couldn''t see anything on their fate and could barely see any of their statuses. He only knew that one of them was an absolute monster with enough power to destroy the gods and the other actually had the power of the gods. The only thing he could see about their future was that the monster had the title of demon king. It was still sealed but it was already there. Even without fate, he is sure to become the demon king. All this made the old dragon ponder. It was too weird. Who were they? In the end, he could only believe that the world was lucky those two were together and were going to save the world somehow. Otherwise, the world would end right there. The only thing the old dragon could do now was grooming these two and make sure all the other''s fates are fulfilled. Humans were planning an all-out war so that''s probably their last stage. They have quite a few years until then but it''s still very little time. The old dragon came back from his thoughts and looked at the two in front of him. ?What are you two waiting for?! GO!? (Old dragon) The moment those words echoed on their ears they both started moving. The dragon girl immediately dashed forward... or that was what she intended to do but she slipped on the mud that Zey had created under her feet and fell on her knees. She immediately got up and started moving in a zig-zag pattern. Zey changed his approach and blew her away with a lot of wind. He then created another zone of muddy ground, making her slip and fall when she landed. ?Are you making fun of me?!? (Dragon girl) Zey tried to hid de fact that he was giggling and enjoying the mud-covered girl but the dragon girl understood it immediately. ?God damn you!? (Dragon girl) The dragon girl launches a fireball and dashes forward. Zey creates a water wall that swallows the fireball and once he notices the dragon girl getting closer, he quickly freezes the water wall into icy spikes as big as an arm and throws them at her. She dodges a few and parries another few but two still hit her right shoulder and leg but she still charges forward. Zey quickly jumps backward and creates an earth wall in between them and starts preparing a larger magic. An explosion. It was one of his latest "creations". He was sure he would have time. The dragon girl would either go around the wall or try to break through so he would have enough time to prepare his magic. Little did he know that she would actually jump over it. That thought had slipped his mind because, rationally speaking, being airborne would leave you open to an attack but, for a dragon, being airborne was not disadvantageous at all. He tried to quicken it but in the last moment he gave up on the explosion and pushed her away with more wind. Unfortunately, he still couldn''t cast many spells at the same time so he couldn''t use another spell while preparing another. Otherwise, this would be his win. The dragon girl landed on the muddy ground and fell with her face on the mud. Some tears could be shamefully be seen on her face. ?Why?!? (Dragon girl) Zey was unable to even smile this time. It was an accident. Not only that, it was a close call. If he had pushed her back a moment later, she would have won. Zey was stunned and the girl had lost her will to fight out of shame. ?Stop it right there. That''s enough.? (Old dragon) He was proud of them. They had fought well while using their new power and utilizing their natural strength. Even though the dragon girl gave up, for the first time, she had stolen Zey''s proud smile. Next step After watching the battle, the old dragon understood something: This was all their fate. They were fated to become one of the most powerful duos. They complemented each other perfectly. This combination could only be forged by fate itself. Fate was also the reason why his granddaughter could barely use magic. It all made sense now. It was fate all along!Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ?Eshriel, you are ready for it.? (Old dragon) ?REALLY?!? (Eshriel) ?Yes.? (Old dragon) Eshriel was jumping around with pure joy to the point she went to hug Zey. She backed off at the last moment though Ready? After jumping with joy, Eshriel dropped on her knees in front of the old dragon and bent down in a very respect ?Please teach me!? (Eshriel) The old dragon caressed the long white beard that gave him the appearance of a wise old man.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ?I will. But I''ll be going into the next step with Zey as well. Do you mind going along with him, side by side?? (Old dragon) ?ABSOLUTELLY NO PROBLEM!? (Eshriel) Zey looked at her dumbfounded. What was the next step that could get the stubborn girl on her knees? ?Follow me, you two.? (Old dragon) Eshriel got up almost instantly and followed the old dragon while Zey followed slightly behind. Long ago... ?Sit down. Let me tell you a story.? (Old dragon) <hr> Once upon a time, in this country, there was an all-powerful wizard. This wizard was so powerful, he could destroy an entire army with a single spell. Yet, he felt his power was incomplete. Following that feeling, the great wizard departed on an adventure. to find what he was missing. He went through deserts and forests and defeated many great foes until one day he found something that caught his eye. A half-dragon slave. This slave was very weak but could turn into a dragon, something that most unable to. The great wizard looked at the chained half-dragon and approached him.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ?Do you wish power? Power to turn all your enemies into ashes?? (Great wizard) The half-dragon said nothing but hiseyes shone as they got filled with emotions. He nodded to the great wizard and looked over his shoulder to the dealer. ?I understand. I''ll buy this one.? (Great wizard) The dealer finishes the ownership pass to the arch-wizard and as he was about to receivethe money, he bursts into flames, leaving nothing but ashes after a few seconds. Everyone was shocked and turned into statues from pure fear. ?Let''s go?? (Arch-wizard) From then on, everywhere the wizard would go, the dragon would be his shield. While the wizard was wiping everyone out, the dragon would carry him on his back and fly around, protecting him from all harm. This... was the legend of the "Magic Dragon Rider". <hr> ?Sounds fake. Why did the name of the wizard change in the middle of it?? (Zey) ?SHUT UP FOR FUCKS SAKE!? (Eshriel) A womans tears Once the old dragon finished the story, the duo started arguing again. They didn''t understand why they were told such a story and weren''t really thinking about it all that much until... ?The two of you shall be their successor.? (Old dragon) The duo suddenly stopped and looked at the old dragon for about five minutes until they couldn''t hold it in anymore. ?WHAT THE FUCK?!? (Duo) The old dragon ignored the lightly blushing duo. He understood very well why they were blushing. They were paying enough attention to notice the story was actually a love story. This made the announcement all the more awkward.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ?Their blood runs in our family, waiting for the right generation to manifest and repeathistory once again. Perhaps not with a slave but the love of a half-dragon and a powerful wizard. That''s you.? (Old dragon) Zey blushed lightly and turned around and started walking away. ?Nope! Not happening!? (Zey) But he gets stopped by Eshriel who grabs the tip of his sleeve. ?Don''t go... It''s fate...? (Eshriel) A single tear flowing down Eshrial''s face stole of Zey''s strength on his legs. He falls down to his knees with only one thought: What kind of power is this? ?F-Fuck off... Don''t...? (Zey) As the next tear falls down Eshriel''s face, Zey goes mute. After a few minutes, Zey''s frustrated scream finally came out. ?GOD FUCKING DAMNIT!? (Zey) Zey goes back and sits in front of the old dragon, blushing red like a tomato. The old dragon nods in agreement. ?Let''s begin.? (Old dragon) Dragon duo ?First of all, Eshriel. You are going to train every physical aspect possible. Zey will do the same with magic...? (Old dragon) ?Haven''t we been doing that since a while back?? (Zey) ?Eshriel has been training magic as well. Not only that, we have to work on her transformation.? (Old dragon) The old dragon suddenly starts shining and is covered by mist. Once the mist clears, a majestic giant dragon with golden and cyan scales appeared. It was an appearance worthy of the Legendary Dragon of Wisdom.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ?Take me as an example. Every half-dragon has different appearances once they transform, unlike normal dragons that follow the same appearance patterns. Not only that, you get new abilities if you transform into a dragon.? (Old dragon) The old dragon''s wings shine a golden light and all the surrounding city seems to disappear and is replaced by a golden city. ?I can create illusions once I turn into a dragon.? (Old dragon) The old dragon turns into his old man form again. ?I''m truly intrigued about what kind of ability you''ll unlock...? (Old dragon) The old dragon looks up, thinking deeply about something. What does fate have stored for them? Dragon form Every day after the old dragon told them that story, they would train together with every hour occupied. They would wake up and eat breakfast, next they would train their basics like stamina and strength for eshriel and magic power and mana quantity for Zey. They would repeatedly hit a target dummy to slowly and steadily increase those stats. They would then have lunch. The old dragon had their diets on his watch so that they would only eat the best and healthiest of foods and they could be as strong as possible. Then, they would train their specifics. Zey would train a different element every day while Eshriel kept perfecting her martial arts and techniques. Every day, the old dragon would take Eshriel somewhere to train her dragon transformation for a few hours until it was dinner time. They would have then one hour to relax and then they would sleep to get a full nine hours of sleep to wake up fresh in the morning. All that, of course, while screaming at each other for half of their time together. After a few days, the old dragon had convinced himself that it was also their fate to be in the strongest love-hate relationship ever. After a week, two hours had passed since Eshriel had been taken to train the dragon transformation when the old dragon came back alone to meet Zey. ?Come with me. I have a surprise.? (Old dragon) ?It''s not a surprise if I already know what it is.? (Zey)You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. The old dragon grinned. It was both because he was impressed by Zey''s intelligence but also because he knew that even if he knew what was coming, it would be still surprising. Once they arrived, Zey stopped walking at the sight of a giant dragon he had never seen. Its beauty was outrageous. The dragon was bright red with dark red scales and a few black rune-like patterns on the scales. A few horns on the head and on the tip of the tail made the dragon as majestic and divine as possible. ?That''s Eshriel if you still haven''t realized.? (Old dragon) At that moment, something weird happened in Zey. Something that he would never let out no matter what and to no matter who it was. He found that dragon extremely arousing to the point of wanting to have sex with it. Zey fell to the ground in a desperate try to hide the erection that was raging like a dragon inside his pants. ?Is it that majestic?? (Old dragon) The old dragon laughed a bit until he saw that Zey was almost as red as the dragon and was holding his crotch. ?Oh right... you have a dragon fetish....? (Old dragon) Once Zey heard this, he instantly fainted out of shame. Little did he know that the secret he was going to take to his grave was already uncovered. If he knew that Eshriel had actually heard it as well, he might have actually died of shame. Luckily for him, Eshriel was actually aroused as well. She had been seen naked in dragon form and had been fantasizing quite a bit of Zey using his magic in various... various ways. The old dragon throws his palm to his face and rubs it a bit. Then he looks at Eshriel he was quiet and still like a statue while breathing deeply and dripping a slimy liquid from near her tail... ?You two even have matching fetiches...? (Old dragon) Eshriel falls to the ground, unconscious, and transforms back to human form. ?Goodness gracious...? (Old dragon) The old dragon grabs the two of them and takes them home. That day, they didn''t even have dinner and slept for 12 hours straight while almost waking up from nightmares every hour. Meeting the monster Once the duo woke up, they shamefully had lunch and then met up again with the old dragon. They were nervous beyond belief but the old dragon ignored it so that they could relax a bit. ?Now we shall begin your actual training.? (Old dragon) They looked at each other with several doubts written all over their faces. The old dragon led them outside of the city into an open plain nearby. ?You''re going to train your combat together now. You can start by fighting while both are in human form but later on, I want you to ride her in dragon form.? (Old dragon) Zey turns red along with Eshriel. ?Not that riding...? (Old dragon) The old dragon sighed telling himself that this was all their fate. He couldn''t believe his granddaughter and her fated one, both who had great fates, were kinky like this. He could only lie to himself that this was their fate as well. After a few sloppy hours of watching the duo complain about their lack of teamwork and coordination, the old dragon saw someone approaching. The young boy was wearing a half-broken mask and had a metal arm. Other than that, he would blend into the masses quite easily as he looked like a normal person. That is, for the naked eye. The old dragon appraised the boy and realized immediately that this was the leader. The monster without fate that would lead the group along with his beloved one.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ?I see you are taking good care of them. I expected nothing less from a legendary dragon.? (Fateless Monster) The old dragon was extremely uneasy and nervous yet he held all that in. ?Yes, but they are quite the handful.? (Old dragon) The old dragon forced a smile that almost looked real. Of course, the monster saw right through it. ?No need to be like that. You are training my allies so I assume you are myally as well. Unless you have some hidden objectives of course...?(Fateless Monster) The monster didn''t even finish his sentence but it was clear that he would not let him go would he ever show any intention of betraying him. The old dragon felt deep fear. This boy was a monster. A true monster capable of ruining the gods. He was sure of it. He is a legendary dragon but as a dragon of wisdom, he wasn''t even going to put the possibility of betraying this boy on the table. Betrayal was death. But weirdly enough, he had noticed that his allies seem to have a deep trust for him. He had seen that in Zey. Occasionally, his allies would be the topic of conversation and no matter how much he complained about them, he never even thought of abandoning them. It''s as if all of the ones on that team have a bond deeper than anyone could think of. Perhaps as deep as a lover''s bond. It was all a mystery for the old dragon. He could only go with it. <hr> '' How did it go? '' <YOU LOOKED AWESOME MASTER!> (Kit) <You prepared yourself for weeks to do such a pitiful theater act...> (Devouring monster) '' Shut up! With this, I''m sure they''ll be ready in a few weeks. '' <Yes! Perfect plan!> (Kit) -I better go check on the dwarf as well. He''s probably done the thing already.- Gift for a tank ?Hey friendo buddy!? (Dwarf blacksmith) I arrive at the small blacksmith''s shop. He sees me, shouts and runs into the room in the back. After a few minutes, he brings a giant shield. ?It''s done! It was quite the challenge to make it practical and easy to use but it''s here! Try it, buddy!? (Dwarf blacksmith) -It''s not really for me but I might as well test its quality.- I put each half of the shield in each arm. Right now it''s a giant shield that is slightly bigger than me. '' The metal seems to be a good one. Not only that but it might have taken quite a bit to turn it into such a piece of art. '' The shield was carved beautifully all over.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. After using it for a while and shifting between giant claws and giant shield modes I noticed that one of the metal straps that held the left hand onto the shield could be easily taken off with a simple movement. ?Why is this strap like this?? (Me) ?Well, sometimes you need to attack while defending right? With it like that, you can just free one hand and grab a sword while keeping your shield up!? (Dwarf blacksmith) <To be honest, that''s pretty well thought.> (Devouring monster) '' Right?! '' At the moment I couldn''t hide my excitement. With this, the team would become much stronger. We would have a true tank that can also attack instead of just taking hits. ?It''s even better than I expected...? (Me) ?Right?! Even I surprised myself? (Dwarf blacksmith) I ate the weapon while making it look like I stored it in the inventory. ?How much do I owe you?? (Me) ?Come back with more weapon ideas and I''ll give them to you for free! The base idea is much more valuable than the weapon itself!? (Dwarf blacksmith) The dwarf starts laughing like a maniac. <He''ll be going bankrupt in about a month like this...> (Devouring monster) '' Let''s get away from here for now... '' The who that I really am I head back from the blacksmith''s shop and meet up with the rest of the group, Zey excluded obviously. ?Did you meet with him?? (Noemi) ?No, I just met his teacher. I couldn''t bring myself to interrupt his training with his new "Friend"? (Me) Noemi grins. I wish I didn''t know what that grin cheeky grin means. ?Let''s leave them alone for now. In a few months, we''ll get them back. We have fate on our side after all.? (Me) ?What do you mean by that?? (Laura) ?The old man that is training him is the legendary dragon that can see people''s fate. It''s common knowledge around here. It would be weird for him to just pick up some random kid that comes from who knows where.? (Me) <...> (Devouring monster) ?That really seems weird...? (Laura) ?But...? (Me) I make a pause and wait for everyone to look at me in suspense. ?Buuuuuuut?!? (Noemi) ?He was waiting for someone to arrive at the to arrive so, we might wait for that someone as well.? (Me) ?Wouldn''t that be you then?? (Laura) ?Why would he look so shocked when I approached him then?? (Me) Everyone thought to themselves but whenever they looked like they thought of something, they would go back into deep thought again as if they had either forgotten or thought of it incorrect. In the end, they couldn''t come to another conclusion. ?Yes. Until then, let''s sharpen our skills. When that someone arrives, we''ll depart again.? (Me) <hr> Even though everyone went their way again, they still had doubts. Especially Noemi. She knew that I wasn''t normal to begin with, even if I didn''t know. From the "beginning", she had known me better than I myself do. She knows how to deal with me, with my problems, and I ended up loving her like she wanted me to. Women are scary. <hr> After that, I started thinking of new weapon ideas before realizing I forgot to give the shield to Gonzo. -I still need more information. I might just pay another visit to the dragon...- I walk to where I met the dragon just a while ago. Once I saw him, I unconsciously salivated. That gave me an idea. <Isn''t it possible to get his ability?> (Me) <It is. But it might be dangerous.> (Devouring monster) <Why?> (Me) I see the monster grinning. <You''ll see.> (Devouring monster) -He knows something...-Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. I signal the old dragon to come over. He panics before slipping away while the two kids were aggressivelyhitting each other and flirting at the same time. I was a weird sight. ?W-what do you want??(Old dragon) <Now... how doI even ask for it...> (Me) We awkwardly look at each other before I make a blade and hand it to him. ?Cut a bit of yourself and give it to me.? (Me) The old dragon almost fainted to the request. ?Why would you... want such a thing??(Old dragon) ?I have my own reasons. I guarantee it''ll help those two. It''s fate I guess.? (Me) The old dragon was shocked beyond belief. The request was absurd but I was affirming that it would help their fate. He was perplexed but in the end, grabbedthe blade and, while chanting healing magic, cut his whole arm off. <Such resolution!> (Kit) -I forgot about Kit again...- He grabs the bloody arm while a new one was growing back and for the first time, his eyes that never made contact with mine finally did. I could feel his determination and resolve on my skin. It''s scary. I fake a confident smile while I grab his severed arm. ?Don''t worry. With this, I''ll be able to guarantee everything will go according to the plan.? (Me) ?I don''t know how but whatever. If I ever find out that those were just hollow words, I''ll go through hell to have you pay for it.?(Old dragon) <Why is he so serious?> (Me) <He literally gave up his arm to you. It''s still going to take a while to come back.> (Devouring monster) I head to the nearby forest. I intend on checking fate and then start practicing all the skill that I have. I arrive at the heart of the forest and climb to the upper branches of the highest tree. I sit down and take the dragon''s arm out. -Here I go.- I start munching on the old dragon''s arm. It''s kind of hard to bit off and chew but it''s surprisingly tasty. That''s of course because my tongue had deteriorated tot he point of anything that doesn''t taste awfully seems to taste good. I finish the arm and decide to appraise myself. It could happen that I couldn''t get the skill. While I try o do it, the devouring monster starts smiling and grinning while containing his evil laughter. The reason became obvious after a few seconds... I can''t appraise myself. I tried appraising other things around me and all the results came up as expected. The squirrels, the weeds, the trees, and even a wandering spirit I accidentally appraised. But for me, I couldn''t be appraised. I could still use all the skills like magic and the devouring monster was still around so my skill was still there. In pure disbelief, I tried to see something''s fate...after a few tries, it worked on the squirrel. I could see she was going to find a good male in a week. The Weeds would grow and in a few years, there would be a massive fire that would burn everything to the ground. The only thing fated to survive was the giant tree I was sitting on. This tree would survive another thousand years before getting hit by a meteor. Me... it was all black. I couldn''t see anything. In front of me, the monster materialized in the form of a shadow. His large, devilish grin scared me to my core. He knew it from the beginning. <You know why that''s happening? I''ll explain then.> (Devouring monster) He looks around and sees Kit sitting very quiet on another branch, ready to hear everything. He then looked me in the eyes, right into my soul. <"You" are dead.> (Devouring monster) My chin drops as I throw my hands all over my body to check if I could feel anything. But even after a while, I didn''t notice anything abnormal and looked back at the monster, perplexed. <"You" died by the hand of your father. Your body was later found on a valley and The End for "You". That was "you''re" fate. But YOU are free.> (Devouring monster) I look at him in absolute confusion. His grin becomes as big as it can get. Literally from ear to ear. <YOU... aren''t connected to the rules of this world anymore. YOU are alive. Skills like "appraisal" and "Fate viewer" only work on people linked to this world''s rules.> (Devouring monster) At that point, I started to realize what this was all about. ?I''m...? (Me) I start stuttering in panic <You have been drifting away from this world''s and using MY power and YOUR power in combination ever since you broke through your fate. That made me realize something... You are not human! You''re not a Demon! Not even a monster! You never were!> (Devouring monster) I start trembling uncontrollably. Everything I had tried to forget was coming back. <You''re not even Nystro of Din! He died by the hand of his father years ago!> (Devouring monster) I fall from the tree branch and land flat on my back. I''m in pain but I can''t feel it anymore. My mind is clouded by doubts and questions. At this point, not even the crazy laughter of the devouring monster can reach my senses. My mind was clouded. -Who... Am I?- Me...? As I fell from that tree, Kit disappeared. The shadow is laughing like a maniac. What am I? What really am I ?! This time, it''s not like I can be in the middle of everything! -I''m not even from this world?!- I exist, yet I don''t? That makes no sense! I''m something, but what?! I eventually hit my back on the ground. I had fallen from great heights before but this fall shook me to the very core. I was slightly trembling even though I felt nothing. In the meantime, the shadow is leisurely taking its time coming to me as more thoughts came into my head. -Where did I really come from?- -Who am I?- -Why am I here?- -Why me?- -Why...?- -What is even happening... My already irregular breathing starts getting deeper and deeper. Calmer and calmer. ... Time passes as the shadow''s humming becomes as loud as my thoughts. I can''t really think anymore. The shadow approaches its face to the point where I could smell it. It smells bad. It smells like a rotten corpse. A corpse that has been rotting for at least a decade. It''s disgusting.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. <You know what happens next.> (Devouring monster) -I don''t... But I feel it...- I''m slowly losing myself. It''s weird, now it''s as if I had never existed. -It''ll just go on I guess.- I started to accept my fate... But... *Thud* Noemi''s body falls to the ground and a gorgeous lady in front of her. Noemi is clearly unconscious but the lady doesn''t seem to care with it''s back turned to her. Noemi and this lady are completely different. While one is a petite girl, the other is a luxurious lady. One has purple hair, the other has golden hair. The ladie''s eyes are covered by a blindfold but I feel like they have a deep sky blue color, I don''t even know why I feel like that. But above all, they both have the same presence. I can''t begin to explain it but it''s the same. She snaps her fingers and light bursts from out of nowhere, making the shadow back off. Not only the shadow but every living being starts running away from the light... ?AAAAGH!? (Devouring monster) Yet it''s resonating with me. It feels pleasant and nostalgic. After the flash of light, the lady had already disappeared along with Noemi''s body. It was weird... Just like a dream... Yet it meant so much. I have never been Human or demon. Never been anything other than... A nostalgic voice whispers inside my head... <Human Sin> (World) -Something like that I guess. I''ve never been anything other than what I really am. I don''t fucking care anymore at this point. I have shit to do.- The corners of my lips curl up. It looks scary but at this point, I just don''t care about anything other than going forward. -I am THE ONE! God damn it, I''m pumped!- I walk back into the city, not even noticing that my body had suddenly not only grown a little bit taller, but my hair and eyes had become a bit lighter. <hr> While Noemi was looking at some stalls, she was startled by a sudden fox that suddenly jumped from a portal. Her look went from surprised to grim after a few seconds. ?Sav...? (Kit) Kit couldn''t even finish his first word before Noemi left. ?On it.? (???) The voice wasn''t Noemi''s. It was much softer and seductive. She had no time to lose, both she and the fox knew very well what the shadow had been trying. Kit knew all that very well. His choice was the right one and at the right time. Higher up In a certain place, there is nothing but powerful beings. They are doing nothing, as always, while trying to find something to entertain their unaging selves with. Most would just pick a random mortal and give him a blessing or a boost in power and then watch their progress until they die. Some others would just watch the human wars and how the powerless became heroes. Watching humans entertained them. They were unpredictable and had a weird mechanism that would make them as immortal as themselves. Their souls get reincarnated. It was perplexing. Such weak creatures had souls that would possess another body somewhere else after dying, taking something along with them. This way, humans continue to grow. This scared some of them, but the great majority thought that they could deal with the problem if it ever occurred. That is, until "He" appeared. ?He''s turning evil!? (Angel) An angel suddenly landed at the feet of the most majestic of them and knelt. He was in panic but no one else seemed to care. ?He''s not. He just lost himself.? (Majestic one) The angel was dumbfounded. "He" was clearly evil now, yet no one was doing anything. ?Wh-...? (Angel) Before the angel could make any more questions, he got interrupted by a man with a cracked mask. He approached and the majestic one spits at his feet. He pays no mind and turns to the angel.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ?You are new here and you still don''t know but, there''s really no reason to stop this "evil" ? (Cracked mask) ?Why?...? (Angel) ?He isn''t actually evil. He is just crazy right now. But most of all, its because it''s just no use. "He" will just come back somewhere else like any other human. As long as "He" doesn''t go committing genocide, that''s good enough.? (Cracked mask) The angel is staring at the cracked mask while lost in thought. What kind of human would make one of them like this? What kind of human would sprout fear from them? But the biggest question was the simplest... ?Why don''t you destroy his soul? Can''t you do something like that?? (Angel) The majestic one''s face grims as he takes a step forward. He had already seen it enough times to know the crooked grin behind the cracked mask. ?We tried once. But he resisted and used it to get even more powerful, powerful enough so that we can''t touch his soul anymore. Our only choice is to buy as much time until the day he tried to come here. Every reincarnation is a step closer to that moment. ? (Majestic one) The angel''s face goes blank. ?Humans are truly dreadful, aren''t they?? (Cracked mask) The cracked mask opens up showing that the cracks make a weird, spiky mouth. A smile was hiding behind it. ?W-What kind of proof is there of it happening?!? (Angel) The poor angel didn''t even know what the human would do. He didn''t want to find out, that would be more precise. He just looked at the crazed human through a little hole in space as he approached the city he had left a while ago. At that time, a time-space gate appeared. It was a perfect time-space gate that no one could create. Or so he thought. The cracked mask opened up to reveal a confident smile like none other. ?Proof? That would be me. See you all in seven reincarnations!? (Cracked mask) "He" takes off the cracked mask to reveal his face. The angel blacks out in disbelief as he goes into the time-space gate along with a fox riding women that appeared from out of nowhere. The majestic one sends the sleeping angel flying with a kick out of sheer frustration. ?Supreme one my ass!? (Majestic one) New begining Noemi was back shopping in no time. It was as if she had never left. This situation was quite dangerous and she knows quite well why. If the shadow had taken control of him, they would have "shattered" him.[1] That shadow had nothing but bad intentions and that would ruin everything that''s been going on. She just wouldn''t allow it. She kept acting as if nothing happened and at the end went back to wait for her lover. ... When he finally arrived it was already night time but he seemed... different somehow... His eyes were now a lighter shade of green while his hair was basically hazel in color. Yet that wasn''t even the biggest difference. The biggest differences were subtle... his expression was softer and his aura was lighter. It felt like all that he was carrying had fallen off his back during that fight with the shadow. Noemi felt happy but all that was held back as she simply hugged him like usual. ?I''ll be off for a while.? (Nystro) Those words came out as a shock. Why would he want to separate from her and the rest of the group? She became very suspicious but in the end, she just nodded in agreement. After all, she just couldn''t bring herself to tell him no at the time.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ?In a few weeks, Diond will arrive at this city. When he does, tell him I headed northwest and go along with him. Once we all meet up again at the nearest city in that direction, we''ll head back to the academy. After that... You''ll see.? (Nystro) His weird actions had been justified within moments. Perhaps because she understood the plan. Perhaps because she simply trusts him that much. She believed him. She gave him a kiss and he departed immediately. Even after that, she still had some doubts. For example, how would his powers work after that clash with the shadow? She simply believed that he was capable of surpassing any barrier that would rise in his path. <hr> <Where are we going master?> (Kit) <Didn''t you hear?> (Me) <Of course I did!> (Kit) I giggle as Kit wags his tail frantically. I saw the groups fate so I''m going to speed it all up. After a bit of testing I found out that even though I can''t appraise my skills and the monster is gone, I can still use every skill and even the metal arm. That leaves me with lingering doubts that the monster is actually just hiding but that fucker will eventually have to come out. Meanwhile, I''ll just get stronger. As strong as possible. Stronger than anyone has ever been! ... While walking out the gate I kept appraising everyone and a little boy caught my eye. <Skill: Mana abundance> A simple skill that increases the amount of mana, which is great for my extreme mana consuming abilities. -Hmm... Interesting.- I move nearly at the speed of sound for a single second, consuming 1/1000 of my total mana. The kid that almost looked human with a horn and slightly yellow skin was unable to withstand the pressure a turned into a bloody paste that I immediately stored in my inventory. The mother that was nearby started panicking, since, in her eyes, he just disappeared from out of nowhere. -Don''t worry, his sacrifice won''t be in vain in the end.- I start eating the bloody paste and even lick my fingers at the end. A burst of mana overflows my body. This skill multiplied my mana by around 10. I then finally walk out of town. <Here I go save the world!> (Me) <Y-yeah...!> (Kit) Arriving monsters After walking out of the city, the travel was smooth. I would go around the place and hunt what I found useful, take a good sleep and then repeat. Sometimes I would stop to clean myself from the blood and guts that would sometimes get stuck somewhere on my body before it started to stink. Kit would simply tag along and do nothing most of the time but his company is always appreciated. What I''ve been noticing is that I''m exponentially stronger than before. Right now, I wouldn''t even fear a group of dragons. My physical power is abnormal now, I can lift about 1000 times my own weight I think. My magic is a weird case though. It''s undoubtedly powerful but the elements seem weird. All of them have turned nearly black. This made them stronger but I don''t really understand why it happened. It might be that the monster was hiding something more than I thought. I''ll keep eating. I''ll keep getting stronger. I''m even testing new weapons! Right now, I''m trying to perfect some claws. People call me a monster anyway so might as well go for it! Right now I''m testing for the perfect length. Since these claws are coming from my knuckles and not my fingers, they can be a bit longer than they were supposed to. (...) After a while, I arrive in a city. The city looks just like any other and I simply walk in... over the walls and so fast no one could notice. I end up giggling while looking back at the really high wall.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. <Now... Where is she?> (Me) <hr> After Nystro departed, Noemi was down for quite a week. She barely left the room. The others didn''t know Nystro had gone out of town on his own. They would sometimes bring food to her, mostly sweets, in a try to lift her up. They would sometimes just barge into the room and pick her up to go to a party somewhere. Even though it wouldn''t work, she still appreciated that they were trying. After that week, she forced herself to go around town. She would go around the market, do chores to the wives of the guards and bring them food, which hurt her even more. She would repeat it every day, only going back to eat, take baths and sleep. On the sixth day, she saw a silver werewolf walking through the gate while giving the handmade food to one of the guards. That silver werewolf walked along a blond cleric that wore a chain on her neck. Other than the chain, everything was pure, colored white and blue with some gold. When the werewolf looked at her she immediately understood everything... <Don''t tell me that...> (Noemi) The werewolf dashes as fast as the wind in her direction. ?WHERE IS MY RIVAL?? (Diond) He stopped mere centimeters from her face, almost drooling in anticipation. The cleric started running, her neck chain rattling wildly. ?Wait, sweetheart!? (Cleric) "Why does fate hate me?" That was the only thing she had on her mind among the loneliness she felt without her lover. Two of a kind- The monster whisperer I look around town. I''m looking for an elf girl. This girl has long, blond hair with a hint of blue. Apart from the fact that she''s always lonely, I can''t see anything else. I put my mask on, take a few coins out of my inventory. I don''t even know why I put the mask on again. I approach a stand with a red devil standing behind it. The stand had a large frying pan with a fire underneath and there were large pieces of meat being cooked. ?Sir, I''d like a few pieces of meat!? (Me) The red devil looks at me, smiles and, as he takes a few coins from my hand, puts a few pieces of juicy, tender meat on a piece of paper and hands it to me along with the change. It was all done in a single movement. I jump onto a rooftop and put a piece of meat in my mouth. <DELICIOUS! The meat is so soft and tasty!> (Me) I look at Kit, who is salivating like a wild animal. ?Here, have some!? (Me) <THANKS MASTER!> (Kit) Kit takes a bite and his eyes start to shine. He then gulps the rest in one go. -Now that I think about it... does he ever even eat? Does he hunt when I''m not looking?- I refrained from asking anything and kept on eating the delicious, juicy, marvelous... I''m salivating again... I finish the meat and get up with a single jump. -Let''s see...- I hop from rooftop to rooftop in search of any elves with the said characteristics. I searched for a few hours but all the one I found were either man or weren''t lonely at all. <If she''s always lonely, then she might be outside of the city. Alone.> (Me) While thinking about it, I start to get a bit melancholic and sad. <She must be so sad!> (Kit) -You''re not helping me feel less sad now!- I end up not saying anything and jumped over the wall again. Since we''re talking about an elf, I''ll look for a forest. After circling the city, I could only find a single forest where she could be. It''s the only forest within a kilometer of the city. I walk in and an ominous feeling permeates my body. <Be careful master! There are monsters in here! Lot''s of them!> (Kit) -So that''s what that feeling is. I''ll take note.- I keep on walking and as the ominous feeling gets stronger, I arrive at an opening in the forest. In there, there were at least hundreds of monsters, all circling a single point. There were all kinds of monsters from wolf monsters to lion monsters to giant serpent monsters to monsters that didn''t look like anything at all. <That''s her isn''t it?> (Me) <I think so as well!> (Kit) The point they were all surrounding was, as we thought, the elf girl. She was sitting in the middle of them all, curled into a ball and looking at the ground. She was a stunning beauty, more than worthy of an elves fame with her slender and tall figure. The only thing that ruined it were her eyes, scarred and tired from crying in the dark, alone. <I''m gonna get sad again...> (Me) The monsters all start to move as they feel my presence. I start to prepare myself to save her at any moment by creating the claws I had been experimenting but... They didn''t move in her direction. Against all my expectations, they turned their backs on her and looked straight at me, not moving an inch from their place. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. -Are they protecting her?- Some monsters that were already within attack range of her start rubbing themselves against her like a pet would comfort its master. <What should I do now...> (Me) <Let me try to talk to them!> (Kit) <Can you really talk to them? Can they even understand you?> (Me) <YES!> (Kit) Kit proudly walks forward. The monsters take a defensive stance but after a few minutes, the monsters make a path leading to the elf girl. Kit looks at me and proudly wags his tail. -foxy fox...- I walk forward through the path that just opened before me. <"Try not to scare her, she has been through a lot."> (Kit) <Did you just try to mimic the monster''s voice?> (Me) Kit rolls on the floor. I approach the elf girl and stop a single step away from her. I get on my knees and wait for a bit. She had her eyes fixated on the flood and didn''t even see me arriving or the monsters. She slowly looks up at me and panic fills her. ?D-Don''t hurt me! Please!? (Elf) She starts crawling backward while keeping eye contact with me. Her whole face was twisted in fear. -Luckily the monsters understand what is happening.- ?Please calm down.? (Me) ?You''re here to take my head as well aren''t you?? (Elf) ?No...? (Me) ?These are my only friends! You are just like the others! You don''t understand!? (Elf) <It''s as if she isn''t even listening to me...> (Me) <Show her who you really are!> (Kit) -I... would she understand?- I get up and start walking in her direction. She keeps crawling, now faster than ever. ?GET AWAY FROM ME!? (Elf) She is covered in her own mucus, crying and screaming in despair as her back hits the giant wolf monster that is laying down behind her. The monster showed no signs of moving. When her breathing starts to get euphoric and absurdly irregular, I sit down and slowly take my mask off and store it in my inventory. Would I have taken another step and she would just blackout. I''m 2 meters away from her. ?I''m not like the others? (Me) The elf girl keeps kicking wildly for half an hour until she gets too tired to move. ?Why don''t my friends help me... I have been abandoned again...? (Elf) -Abandoned? Again?- ?Just kill me...? (Elf) ?I won''t kill you.? (Me) ?You''ll make a living curse like me a slave then?? (Elf) ?I won''t make you into a slave.? (Me) The elf girl''s eyes open slightly when hearing my words. ?What will you do then?? (Elf) ?I''ll help you.? (Me) ?Why would you help me if no one ever did...?? (Elf) ?Because I''m not like the others.? (Me) A single tear falls from her right eye. Her face starts twisting like that of a baby who''s about to cry. But she held that in. ?Can I hear about your past? It''s alright for you not to tell me if it''s too much. We''re quite similar after all.? (Me) Her eyes open wide and little light shines deep in there. ?Similar?? (Elf) ?Yes. I was born human. I was the second son of a noble family. Ever since I was little, I trained to protect my people just like my father did. Because of that, my father said "You see that village over there? That''ll be the first village under you''re control once you become independent!" while pointing at a certain village close to our home. I ended up going there as much as I could. I would help them by doing a bit of everything. The adults would treat me as their son and the kids would treat me as their siblings. I was happy. Truly, truly happy. But soon I would learn that nothing lasts forever. That very same village got attacked by a lion beast demon. I was willing to sacrifice my life for theirs, just like the truly wise leader that I always wanted to be but something different happened. A dark power awakened within me. That power had a mind of its own and led me to defeat the demon, who fled the battlefield. "I''m their hero". That''s what I thought but... truth is harsh. For them, I wasn''t their wise leader or their hero. I was a monster. I started isolating myself from everything. Everyone hated and feared me now. The only people who didn''t were my father and little sister. My father, in what I thought to be an attempt to cheer me up, took me to fly on the family''s wind dragon. He knew I always wanted to fly on it and used that opportunity to... stab me and throw me out to die... I was miraculously saved by demons. I was ironically saved by the lion beast demon that I almost killed a few days back. I entered a weird state, I didn''t know what I was and that other me, that dark power, led me to forget that I even was something. I started traveling along with that lion and his lover, eventually, I found the love of my life, and kept traveling until I got here. Believe it or not... only a few days ago did I actually realize who I really am...? (Me) The elf girl shed a tear. It''s not a sad tear. It''s a happy one. A hope-filled tear. -Who I am... I''m... the "thing" that was born from such a past... I''m myself... That''s who I am! The entity born from those livings! Maybe I shouldn''t have just killed that kid for a skill the other day... Perhaps a single arm was good enough. I don''t know anymore.- ?Now, can I hear your past?? (Me) ?I...? (Elf) She gulped and filled herself with as much determination as he could. ?I was born from a normal... elf family. I led a normal elf life. I practiced my bow like my mother wanted me to. I had friends and family but... A "monster" killed my mother and cuddled next to me. From then on, I was seen as cursed. Every day, I would get stoned and beaten. The only time I found at peace was when I entered this forest. "Monsters" would come to play with me. They didn''t care about anything. I felt loved. They were my only friends. Their numbers kept on increasing and because of that, I got banished for the city. I started living here with them, only to see them getting slaughtered every day, trying to protect me. People would always aim for me. I was their target all along. But my friends kept on dying and dying and dying and dying and dying...? (Elf) As the despair on her face increases, I put my hand in the air, telling her that it''s enough. ?I think I understand. You are just like me then. Just different circumstances.? (Me) She wipes the tears off her face a tries to smile. It''s clear that she hasn''t smiled in quite a lot of time. ?Will you join me in my mission to change the world?? (Me) ?Yes!? (Elf) <"We trust you. Would you ever step on our trust and we''ll make sure you end dead!"> (Kit) <Can you stop mimicking their voice?> (Me) <Sorry, master!> (Kit) Enthusiastic wolf Noemi, Zey, Eshriel, Laura, Gonzo, Diond and Daisy, the priest are all walking towards the village Nystro had told. Diond was shaking, barely even able to walk. He kept walking while using Daisy as a support. ?ARE WE THERE YET?!? (Diond) No one says anything. No one wants to entice him with anything. ?ARE WE THERE YET?!? (Diond)Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Once again, no one answers... ?ARE WE THERE YET?!? (Diond) ... ?ARE WE THERE YET?!? (Diond) .............. ?ARE WE THERE YET?!? (Diond) Noemi is getting bright red. ?ARE WE THERE YET?!? (Diond) ?WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP!?? (Noemi) ?Aaaand she''s done it? (Laura) Noemi has been incredibly frustrated ever since Nystro departed. Holding until now was already too much. ?Don''t talk like that to my sweetheart!? (Daisy) Noemi just turned around and kept walking while ignoring the self-righteous cleric. The silence was finally installed. Merry christmas! Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you''re having a great day with all your family around the table! As this goes out, I''ll probably be doing the same. These past two weeks have been tiring beyond belief so I couldn''t bring myself to write anything. I did think of another concept for another story which I might write after this one so I''ll do a poll in the last chapter.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Other than that, I''ll have an extra exam on the 14th of January and after that, I''ll be on vacations! Do you know what that means? :3 It means that I''ll try to post a new chapter every day! In the end, I hope you''re all having a good time and wish your entrance to 2019 is a good one! Meeting once again ?How was that?? (Alais) ?That''s... Actually quite impressive? (Me) I know that elves are skilled archers but hitting a moving fly from 100 meters? That''s just a bit too much. First try even. <AWESOME SKILLS!> (Kit) ?Thanks, foxy!? (Alais) (...) -It''s going to take a while to get used to the fact that Kit is a part of the whole "Monster" thing that she can talk to...- ?Alright, you are a skilled archer, even more than I ever expected... So, as you already have that, let''s try to increase the power of your arrows.? -I already checked. Her Only element is air. Quite convenient to be honest.- ?Let''s add air magic to your arrows. First of all, try to control the air around you. It shouldn''t take more than an hour for you to see results.? (Me) ?I''ll do my best!? (Alais) -I''ll just show off a bit.- I create strong winds resembling a tornado around me. It''s not strong enough to lift people off their feet but it''s strong enough that large trees might fall.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. -Noemi and the others are probably coming as well so they''ll probably realize I''m here. Killing two birds with one stone.- ?That''s what you are aiming for. Did you get the feeling?? (Me) ?It''s a bit different from normal wind... I think I get it!? (Alais) I sit down under a tree that was nearby and while mesmerized by the wind running between the trees and the sun permeating through the leaves, my eyes close. It''s relaxing... (...) (...) The monsters start making a lot of noise. I open my eyes to check it out. They are all looking in the direction of the city. -Did they send another hunter?- Suddenly, a group enters my detection, moving fast like the wind and screaming like a madman. Well, two of them actually. ?NYSTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO? (Noemi) ?RIIVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!? (Diond) -Fucking hell...- I turn to the elf girl that was almost succeeding... <Kit tell everyone that those aren''t a threat.> (Me) <YES!> (Kit) Kit goes to the monsters and after a few seconds, they all lay down respectfully. -What did you tell them you foxy fox...- (...) Suddenly, a small girl with teary eyes comes flying from within the trees. Slightly behind, a werewolf runs in the ground. -So in a race, Noemi is faster than a werewolf... Note taken.- I Catch Noemi in mid-air with my right arm and used my left one to deliver a blow to Diond''s chin and pinned him to the ground in a swift flow of movements. ?NYSTRO I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!? (Noemi) ?EXPECTED NOTHING LESS FROM MY RIVAL!? (Diond) I hug Noemi as softly as I can and slam Diond''s head against the ground. He has gotten quite strong since he is still laughing like a maniac and wagging his tail like a good boy. ?WHAT are you doing to my sweetheart?! I''ll rip your fucking head off!? (Daisy) -I completely forgot about this crazy bitch...- Just four more -This is weird...- I don''t understand how it came to this but right now Diond is sitting in front of me wagging his tail. If it wasn''t weird enough for a werewolf to be acting like a good boy, Noemi has been holding onto my neck ever since we met again... ?Don''t you dare.? (Me) ?W-What do you mean!?? (Daisy) Daisy hurries and hides her knife... -Aren''t the followers of god supposed to be forbidden to have any kinds of sharp weapons?- ?RIVAL!? (Diond) I notice that the rest of the group is arriving now so I ignore Diond. He really is a pain... ?Everyone gather here! I present to you Ala... wait a second.? (Me) -I almost forgot Alais is like this... Everyone here is fr... have very, very strong "personality".- I jump on top of one of the monsters. Everyone is absolutely shocked that the monster let me do so. I jump behind one a few rows behind in the mass of monsters and pick up the gorgeous elf that was hidden in there and drop her in front of everyone. ?I TRUSTED YOU!? (Alais)Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. She starts retreating in panic. ?These are our allies. Everyone, this is Alais. She has problems with other people so be REALLY kind to her.? (Me) I smile demonically as I say "really". I believe everyone understands why. ?Are you sure? There are humans in there...? (Alais) ?Yes. I''m sure.? (Me) Alais gets up, shaking, and hides her face behind her bow. <She realizes that won''t hide her, doesn''t she?> (Me) <Meow?> (Kit) I look at my pet fox. He looks at me. <I forgot the sound foxes make, master!> (Kit) <You never even made fox noises!> (Me) As I look back at the group Alais is back on her knees. -I guess it''s just way too much interaction for her.- ?You have three days. After that, we''ll be heading back south. There are four members left for our group.? (Me) ?How south will we go?? (Laura) ?Why do you ask?? (Me) ?Because there''s a war happening?? (Laura) ?Well, that''s exactly our objective!? (Me) Everyone freezes in place. ?Can I ask why?? (Noemi) It was Noemi who broke the silence. ?By then, our group will be complete and we''ll be able to easily complete our first objective.? (Me) ?Don''t tell me...? (Noemi) ?Defeating the demon king and taking his throne!? (Me) Everyone blows winds of relief. ?For a moment I thought you were about to say world domination...? (Laura) ?That? That''s the next objective!? (Me) Everyone freezes again in shock. ?Can''t you just be like a normal anime character that won''t fuck up everything?!? (Noemi) ?Your loli words against my neck mean nothing!? (Me) I start laughing like a maniac. I might have taken this joke too far. The weirdest thing is that Noemi is just looking at me with surprise written all over her face. ?Did you just say "loli"?? (Noemi) I look at her who is slowly lighting up like a morning sun. Unfortunately, that was a sun that wouldn''t last. I have no idea what that is. It just came out of my mouth from I don''t know where. I don''t know what to do... Dragon present Weirdly enough, when Noemi noticed the wry smile on my lips all her brightness went back to normal. ?Oh, it''s one of those again...? (Noemi) I don''t know what she means by that or by "again" but I won''t say anything for now. I don''t want to say something I''m not supposed to. After that awkward event, I signaled everyone to go do their things until the time of departure. <The next member should be nearby already. He probably heard my plans and is now going to come with us without us even knowing...> (Me) <You mean the small guy dressed in black that''s eavesdropping from way over there, master?!> (Kit) I focus my attention on the direction Kit just mentioned so that he won''t realize. <Yup, that''s him.> -That means that the only one left is the orc...- I walk into the village and book an inn for everyone. Everyone except for Alais. She preferred to stay in the forest. I do a little stroll around while appraising for potential good skills. Sadly, nothing really worth appeared. Since there''s no one with good skills here, I decided to finish perfecting my claw weapons in the plains.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Meanwhile, a large earth dragon appears. -Aren''t you just perfect to test my weapons on?- I ready my claws and the dragon instantly lowers his body height. -That title is frustratingly useful...- I dash forward while dodging the dragon''s bite sideways. I pass one of his legs and slash the inner part of his knee with a spinning slash. He shouldn''t be able to use it for a while. The dragon quickly moves and spins to strike me with the bowler he has on the tip of his tail. I quickly retract my claws and make the massive shield that I gave Gonzo. <Did I really give it to Gonzo?> (Me) <Maybe!> (Kit) <Why do I even ask you...> (Me) I block the dragon''s tail by putting the shield diagonally, deflecting the attack upwards and opening the dragon''s "backside" for a counter attack. The dragon screamed and drops to the ground while covering his genitals. -Alright, this title is just a bit too much.- After a few seconds, I had an Idea. <Aren''t dragons monsters as well?> (Me) <Yes!> (Kit) <Talk to him to join us.> (Me) <YES MASTER!> (Kit) Kit happily struts by me and goes to talk with the almost crying dragon. After a few minutes, Kit hurries back. <He doesn''t want to be your pet!> (Kit) Kit sounds as surprised and perplex as a little big fox could get. <It''s not for me, it''s for Alais. She''s the monster whisperer after all.> (Me) <I UNDERSTAND!> (Kit) Kit hurries back and a single minute after the dragon gets up. <Tell him that I''ll put him in a safe place. He''s way too big to be walking around the city.> (Me) As Kit talks to the dragon, I open a portal to a parallel dimension. It''s basically the upgrade of the inventory skill since I can store literally anything in there instead of just objects. The dragon reluctantly walks into the portal which closed right after him. -Since time doesn''t flow the same way in there, he won''t really be bothered. I think.- Accessories I walk around town doing basically nothing for the rest of the next two days. I exercised, ate, talked with random people. Nothing really worthy of notice at all! -So boring...- After those days ended, we all gathered in front of the city. When we were about to depart, I realized there was a problem that I had completely forgotten about... <How are we supposed to walk around with a legion of monsters?> (Me) <Can''t you put them together with the dragon, Master?> (Kit) <I could but that would be very temporary. If she was to fight on her own, she must have a way to access them.> (Me) <Can''t you create an inventory ring, Master?> (Kit) <You mean infusing the skill on an object... Wait! That''s it! Thanks!> (Me) <YOU ARE WELCOME MASTER!!!!!> (Kit) As I create a bracelet, Kit wags his tail ferociously and happily. Since the bracelet is made from that weird magic metal, Mana-eating Mythril I believe, not only does it change sizes depending on the wearer, it also boosts the status of the wearer. If that wasn''t good enough, it''s also compatible with skill infusing as long as you provide enough mana. Thanks to that, I easily infused the dimensional skill in it. -Might as well do something similar to everyone.- In the end, I made: -Magic boosting bracelet for Zey -Physique boosting earing for EshrielDid you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. -Defense boosting necklace for Gonzo -Will o'' wisp ring for Laura -Life magic ring for Noemi -Mana boosting earing for Daisy -Agility boosting necklace for Diond -Second dimension bracelet for Alais All of them were looked like masterpieces from master artisans. Noemi''s ring looked slightly like a wedding ring but it wasn''t really on purpose. I gave Gonzo the shield I have been wanting to give him for quite a while. He simply took it and said nothing. -Guess I''ll never know if I had actually given it to him.- ?Now, Alais, try to open a portal with that.? (Me) She visibly tries to pour mana into the bracelet and, after a few minutes it shines slightly and a portal appears. ?I... I did it!? (Alais) ?Tell all of the monsters to go into the portal. Also, tell them that whenever you need them you''ll just need to open the portal again. Later you can try to plan some code for them to know how many should come out of there. That way we can prevent complicated scenarios.? (Me) Everyone is in awe. Alais turns to the monsters and they start going into the portal one by one. At some point, I let the dragon out and he goes into Alais'' portal as well. ?Everyone''s accessory simply makes them stronger so there''s not really the need for an explanation but...? (Me) I turn to Noemi and Laura. ?Laura, your ring upgrades your fire. If you use it, your fire will be the Will ''o wisp fire. It''s quite a bit stronger so you''ll need to practice using it first.? (Me) Laura looks at her hand and clenches her fist. ?Yes, brother!? (Laura) ?Noemi, Your has life magic in it. You can use all kinds of healing and cure with it. I don''t want you to die.? (Me) I was dead serious when those words came out of my mouth. Mixing that with the fact that the ring looks similar to a wedding ring, her face becomes as red as a tomato and her lips curl into a smile that she tried to keep hidden. ?Yes...? (Noemi) Only when Laura whistled did I realize why she was so red. ?Ahem! Anyway! Let''s get going!? (Me) I store in my inventory the rest of the accessories I made: -Vitality Boosting nose piercing for the orc -Agility boosting Ring for the assassin boy -Vitality boosting necklace for Galgo -Magic boosting earing for Mirim For a total of 13 people. These are the core of the revolution. If I hadn''t broken my own fate, this would be a group of 12, a much more luck-inducing number than 13. Not only that, Noemi would end up together with the assassin boy in the future. Let''s see where this goes. ?Let''s go!? (Me) ?YEAH!? (Everyone) All acording to plan We depart from that city and start heading back. To be honest, it feels kind of weird to be traveling with such a large group now. The travel goes as usual but this time we aren''t going to stop in any city or village on our way there. This way, we''ll be arriving there faster and there won''t be any psychological friction for those that used to live there. Since we rushed it, we were back to the sides of the battlefield in a little less than two days. Since the slower ones would get carried by their partners. Gonzo carried Laura. Eshriel carried Zey while flying in her gorgeous dragon form. Alais rode on a monster. Diond carried daisy on his shoulder and I did the same for Noemi. Kit just accompanied us. Once we arrived, we took cover within the forest and checked how the battle was going. There were hundreds of corpses laying there in that sea of blood. However, the number of bodies wasn''t nearly enough for the war to have ended. Not nearly enough time had passed either. -They are probably waiting for the other to move so they can counter it huh...- ?Everyone, let''s wait here for now and plan our turn.? (Me) The girls all sat down when they arrived while Diond decided to scout the area. Once they heard me, all of them formed a semi-circle in front of me. They were all ready to hear whatever I had to say.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ?I don''t know if I had already mentioned this but you''ll work in pairs. You already know the pairs. It''s the person you hold the closest relationship with.? (Me) Every pair had a completely different reaction to these words. Eshriel and Zey looked at each other, blushed as much as possible and looked away trying to look mad even though their faces said the complete opposite. Laura blushed and timidly looked down while Gonzo had no reaction at all. Daisy started hugging and kissing Diond and they basically made a party right there. Noemi blushed and held my hand. Alais started crying. ?Since your pair is still missing, you''ll be staying back and not battling directly.? (Me) I tried to calm her down but a woman''s heart won''t really calm down with just that... I already have experience with that. ?In this battle, we have two objectives! One: Rescue two of our missing members. They are easy to identify since they are and Driad and a lion beastman that won''t instantly die with a single one of our attacks.? (Me) Everyone started to imagine what they looked like. ?Their names are Mirim and Galgo, respectively.? (Me) Everyone silently listened to it. Contrary to everyone, Diond''s face lights up and he almost starts jumping. ?I remember them! I saw them before I ran away with Daisy!? (Diond) ?Can I leave it to you then?? (Me) ?Will you battle me after?? (Diond) ?I plan on sparring with everyone, so yes.? (Me) ?YAHOOOOOOOO.? (Diond) This time he actually started jumping around and daisy followed his lead. ?Then, everyone else, the second objective is to win the battle! This is going to be the first battle not won by Human, Demons or monsters! It''ll be won by US!? (Me) Everyone is silently motivated. All of them were already stron enough to notice that something was already starting behind me... The start of a new era After waiting for a day, it became clear that the war was still going. The only problem was that neither side wanted to make the first move. -This might be the only way- I thought for this past day and I could only find one quick effective way to break this stalemate. To become the catalyst. Since in our group, there are both human and demons from birth, we can bait them into moving against each other. ?Diond, once we start moving, go find those two and bring them here. Tell them I''m here as well. It''s probably enough for them to join us. Other than that, Laura. You''re coming along with me. Zey and Eshriel go with Noemi. We''ll be temporarily breaking the pairs for this initial move. After it''s done, we meet back here and wreak both sides in one fell swoop.? (Me) Everyone nodded. I signaled Noemi to come close and told her that the plan was to bait the enemy and retreat. With that, she nodded and signaled the other two. Gonzo simply looked at Alais and nodded, indicating that he would protect her while the others were gone. I looked in the direction of the demon camp and took off my mask. I have to look as human as I can. ?Let''s do this!? (Me) Everyone departed in their objective''s direction. <hr> I can see the enemy camp. It''s still in the same place as it was before but most people seem wounded in some way. There are still healers going around and healing people even many days after the previous battle. ?Laura.? (Me) ?Yes? Brother?? (Laura) She looks at me with the innocent eyes of a puppy. She is simply happy. ?Let''s wreak some havoc.? (Me) ?Yes!? (Laura) She draws her sword and I summon my claws. <LET''S DO IT MASTER!> (Kit) Kit enlarges and jumps into the camp in a single leap, knocking down most tents and people. He then disappears. I and Noemi follow along and start slashing through them as soon as we get close. ?Damn you, humans!? (???) The commander comes out. At the sight of a giant hammer, my face seems to start shining along with the gentle yet creepy smile on my face. It''s that one general that makes people work to get back into the school and doesn''t let them in once they come back with their job done. The general readies the hammer and stops his foot into the ground. ?I''ll teach you the meaning of the one named Abigol!? (Abigol) Before he can start swinging the hammer, I dash forward and punch him in the guts. That simple punch sends him flying. ?I have no need to know the name of a dirty man who''s about to die.? (Me) He gets back and his feet and his eyes burn with anger. ?About to die? To a mere fucking human?? (Abigol)Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ?No, not to a human. To an "Entity" ? (Me) I warp behind him and put the scythe around his neck. With a swift move, his head rolls on the floor. Not only his but also from a few of those that tried to save him and got caught by Laura and were burned to death by blue fire. ?R-Retreat!? (???) Every demon starts running for their lives. Their general, the strongest warrior they had, was dead. Laura was about to chase after them but I stopped her. ?Let them go. We might have even gone too far already.? (Me) ?Ooops...? (Laura) ?Don''t worry, it was my fault. Let''s go back? (Me) <hr> We arrive and Alais is hiding once again behind a tree. Gonzo is standing in front of that tree. It doesn''t look like they had any kind of combat. ?We''re back!? (Laura) Laura immediately announces our arrival and Gonzo lightly smiles at such sight. I sit down and wait for good news. ... After an hour, Noemi comes back with the other two... who were screaming at each other again. ?I told you not to use THAT spell or they would be too scared! I had to make myself look weak or they would have retreated immediately!? (Eshriel) ?It''s not MY fault that those humans are such cowards!? (Zey) ?You basically blew half of them into ashes!? (Eshriel) They kept discussing until eventually they hugged and kissed out of frustration for each other. It''s such a weird relationship. ?Mission complete. Their generals are already marching forward to counter-attack.? (Noemi) In the end, they did it. ?Good job. Now we just wait for either Diond or for the next battle. After seeing the state of their troops, both sides will go for an all-out attack with every last troop they have to try and ensure the victory. At that time, we destroy both sides. Now, we wait.? (Me) ... After a long silence, a single voice timidly asked: ?Is this really needed?? (Zey) ?Are you doubting my brother?!? (Laura) I stop Laura before she said any more. ?We need to cause a shock on both sides. This was a great opportunity to do it all at once.? ?If that''s really worth it...? (Zey) Now we just have to wait. <hr> After a while, the human army, or what was left of it, passed by us. We stealthily followed while keeping a central position. At a certain point, the human army halted their advance and changed their formation. The Demon army was within sight. They had a defensive formation since they were probably waiting for me, but instead, the human army appeared. Everything was quiet and peaceful for a bit and Iscanned the battlefield, looking for our four members. Since they were nowhere to be found I''ll assume Diond was successful. ... A warcry sounded from the human army and the demon army answered with another warcry. Every single warrior in that battlefield was screaming from the top of their lungs for this final battle. The humans charged in. The two sides clashed and the metallic sounds resounded deeply within the forest. Blood started flowing and heads started rolling. ?Everyone, get ready.? (Me) As everyone gets ready, the battle rages right in front of us. Everyone prepared their weapons and took a deep breath. Then they put on their masks. Each one has a different mask that somehow relates to their personality. Gonzo has the simplest mask. A plain simple light grey mask. -The Golem. Laura has a mask filled with geometric figures and stars all colored with bright colors. -The Child. Zey has a mask that is contortedwith a bitter feel and has marks on the forehead that looks like a crown. -The Defeated King Eshriel has a mask that has a cold stone crying face with similar crown looking marks like Zey. -The Sad Queen Alais has a light blue mask showing shock and deep fear. -The Coward Noemi has a pink mask with dark vine-like details all over it. -The Lover And I have the usual mask. -THE Entity. Once both armies'' numbers had gone down by about a quarter, I took a step forward. Everyone stepped along with me within a second. ?Remember to let some backlines live to tell the story.? Everyone nodded in anticipation for the next words. ?Let''s make history!? (Me) As it was previously planned, Gonzo and Laura go first. Gonzo uses his massive shield to block the attacks from both sides while Laura slashes some and burns whoever is nearby. This sudden masked appearance had both sides fall back temporarily. A dragon was suddenly heard. It soared through the sky with a single person on top of it. Zey started casting spells and the battlefield was filled with fireballs and tornados with the exception of the zone where Laura and Gonzo were. That zone had become a death arena. Those who somehow survived a little longer than others had a bladed wheel hitting and shredding them to pieces. That or were devoured by my weapon like all the corpses I came across. ... The battle was a quick one. In the end, as the few backline survivors got up and started running away, I left my last message. ?We are not humans. We are not demons or monster either! We are Entities and we''ll destroy all of you!? (Me) My loud voice reached their ears and they, while panicking, started running as fast as possible. It has begun. Just one left After the battle was over I took a few hours to deal with the rest of the new corpses. Since I didn''t kill most of these, the effects are minimal but it''s still an upgrade in power, no matter how small. ... When I was almost finishing, four people approached. It was Diond, Daisy, Galgo, and Mirim. ?Welcome back.? (Me) Galgo stays quiet. I can tell how bitter he feels. ?See? I told you Jim would never betray us!? (Mirim) Those few words shone a light on every doubt I had. I got closer to Galgo and whispered into his ear. ?Don''t worry. I know you just wanted to protect her. You did what was best with what you had.? (Me) Galgo drops his chin and as his eyes slowly close, he walks to Mirim, in absolute silence. -I guess even he would change a bit because of all this.-This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. When I finished, I went back to where everyone was. To think that there are only two people left already. From within the chatter, Noemi approaches and hugs me. It felt warm and soft. ?What will we do now?? (Noemi) ?Now, we''ll get ourselves a flying castle. We need a base of operation after all.? (Me) Noemi''s eyes open wide. We''re talking about the demon king''s castle after all. To get it, we''ll have to kill the demon king... Her father. ?But if you''re against it. I''ve already thought of...? (Me) ?Let''s do it. Don''t worry about me.? (Noemi) She silenced me with a kiss before I could worry more. She knows me a weird bit too much... But with that, everything''s decided. ?Listen, everyone. You too assassin guy or whatever.? (Me) I couldn''t feel him but I''m sure he''s listening to us. Kit was, as expected of his incredible senses, the first one to notice him appear and looked in his direction as he appeared within the forest. He''s human. With dark hair and dark eyes and dark bandage-like clothing. Everything about him is dark with the exception of his skin that was mostly covered. ?How long have you known?? (???) ?From the beginning. Even before the fox here.? (Me) ?You''re going to destroy my pride you know?? (???) ?Don''t worry. We would still accept and help you.? (Me) I smiled. He is smart so it should be alright. He sighs and looks at his feet. ?Alright, I''m in. Go on with the next plan.? (???) ?Alright. Do you have a name you want to be called?? (Me) ?Just call me Nexus.? (Nexus) I smile like I never did. The elite team is almost complete. We''re officially half-way there. It''s all going according to the plan. ?Next step is...? (Me) I pause and looks around at the effect of the suspense. With the exception of Noemi and Nexus, everyone was at list a little tense. What kind of crazy idea would I come with to fulfil the final objective? ?...Defeating the demon king!? (Me) All their faces were in shock with a clear of "there it is!" twist near the eyes. Being the leader Now that nexus has joined us, once we head to the demon king''s castle, we should meet with the orc. -I need to keep in mind that this guy has a really hard to deal split personality.- This orc has polar opposite split personalities. ... I gave everyone a day to relax and alleviate fatigue. Some couples disappeared at some point and came back a couple of hours later. Including me and Noemi. Just by looking at her eyes I understood that it had been a while since we last did it. Once everyone gathered again, some far happier and excited than others, we departed in the direction of the demon king''s castle. ... At a certain point, Kit flinched. <MASTER!> (Kit)If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I heightened my senses and felt a blade directed at my neck. I caught the blade with my bare hand, carefully missing the blade in the chance it was poisoned. I couldn''t feel him at all... ?What''s the meaning of this? Nexus?? (Me) He calmly stepped back and looked me in the eyes. After taking a quick glance at Noemi, he stepped back forward. ?I was just thinking... I''m much better of a leader than you are.? (Nexus) Noemi was about to step forward but I lifted my arm, signaling everyone to stay put. - To think fate would try to correct itself at this point. - ?Why don''t you prove it to me then?? (Me) Nexus smiles and disappears. I can''t feel it but Kit is looking around the place. I assume he is moving really fast around me. ?Let''s me warn you that the next time that dagger comes near me will be it''s last. Make it count.? (Me) After a few seconds, Kit growled. Thanks to that, I was able to sense the dagger and parried with my gauntlet. He quickly disappears again but it''s over now. The Gauntlet left little shards of metal embedded on his dagger. Even if I can''t feel him, I can perfectly feel the metal from my gauntlet. I sense him going around, moving really fast. But not nearly fast enough when compared to me. I quickly close the distance and punched the place where I thought the head was. A clean hit. He was sent flying against a tree trunk. ?You want to be the leader yet you fight without even a strategy? Keep dreaming.? (Me) Everyone waited till he got back up and departed. Nothing else occurred until we arrived at the castle but it''s sure to happen more eventually.