《Insectum Chronica》 Chapter 0: Prologue It hurts. With every breath, I¡¯m assaulted by a sharp pain that digs into my back. Surely I can''t say that the rocky surface I''m leaning on is at all comfortable. Even then I''d very much welcome this sensation more than the excruciating agony in my left leg. It must be twisting in an impossible direction right now. Even without looking I can somewhat imagine my leg bone sticking out through the torn skin. But I¡¯m not going to confirm it. Eh? It''s not that I''m scared of the sight you know. Well, I am though¡­ Putting that aside, something else is catching my attention right now. Standing in front of me is a 3 meter high, gigantic figure of an insect staring down at my tattered body. Calling it an insect would be too light of a description however. On each side of the lower body that''s 4 times my size, attached 2 sturdy, spider-like legs. A big and long tail that resembles a centipede spreads out on the ground. The creepiest part of it is the upper body that has the silhouette of a human female. Although at best it''s just a ¡°silhouette¡±, since the skin isn''t human-like. It''d be hard to call it skin because the shiny texture gives off the feeling of a green insect husk. The face is anything but human, six small round eyes on the forehead and two more gigantic eyes right below. From its ant-like jaws a sticky, transparent liquid dripping down as to testify the creature¡¯s savage hunger. There''re too many points to retort about it! (tsukkomi) Not that i have the strength to. To think about retorting in this situation. Could it be that I''m actually an amazing person? Thinking about such stupid things might just be my final obstinacy to rebel against this hopeless dilemma. Without minding my circumstances, the insect "thing" swiftly moves closer to me as if it''s the most natural thing in the world to do. Jaws that are sharper than any knife cut into my belly like butter. I''m violated with a pain so intense, it drowned out all the agony from my broken legs that was tormenting me. It hurts so much. I want to cry, but the skin around my eyes are so dry they seem to be crumbling apart. While making disgusting, sloppy sounds, the sight of my entrails being dragged out became the last thing i see before the unbearable pain makes my body goes numb. And then my consciousness fades into the dark... I came to this world just recently¡­ and it¡¯s already the end¡­ Even bad jokes have a limit¡­ __________________________________________________________________ Going back several days ago. I was walking toward my class like usual. From behind the doors miscellaneous chatters from teenage students who can''t sit down quietly could be heard. The moment I open the door and walk in however, silence fills the atmosphere. Mocking glances are sent toward me together with some whispers of ridicule. I''m a bit amazed that they don''t get tired of doing it every day. The top of my desk is littered with garbage, mostly the leftover wrappings of some convenient store''s breakfast. There''s even a puddle of milk dripping down from the table to the floor. If you were going to make a mess out of my desk then shouldn''t you try harder? What''s with this minimal effort of a bully scheme where you utilize the remains of your breakfast?! Not that it matters¡­ Without showing a change in my expression, I pull out "those" from my bag. Already, I can feel the haughty stares of the surroundings changing into dumbfounded looks. kukuku I came today prepared. Don''t think that I would be defeated by this level of harassment. Brandishing my cleaning tools with a heroic expression, I start to triumphantly clean my desk without minding the surroundings. Glory to civilization! These cleaning tools that were made possible by thousands years of human wisdoms. Let me wield them with pride. Victory is mine! ______________________________________________________________________________________ . . . I wonder, since when did this start? It¡¯s not as if I¡¯ve been receiving this kind of treatment all my life. Before middle school, I was getting along with my peers. My daily life was that of a kid you¡¯d find anywhere. I will admit, from a stranger point of view I do looks like the type that easily gets bullied. My body build is thin, a short stature, a feminine face. Moreover I¡¯m not at all outspoken and don''t make an effort to communicate with others. Still, it¡¯s not that I''m gloomy. My patience is just a little too low when it comes to things I don''t enjoy. I tried to mingle in with my classmates back in middle school but it felt like I was just playing out a script. I could not get myself interested in the conversation, nor could I understand their thought process. Every single time I would just wish for it to be over quickly so I can go back to do things I''m actually interested in. In the end I gave up on making friends. One could say that I was just being a child. And the result is this. Even then, it would not be so bad if it was a typical frontal bully. Though I look feeble on the outside, I¡¯m not the type to just take whatever other people throw at me without resistance. If violence is done toward me, I''ll return it, even though I''m not strong. If someone blocks my way, I''ll push through, even if it leads to a fight. I¡¯ll probably lose¡­ no, I¡¯ll definitely lose. Since bullies are never alone after all. The whole point was the strong oppressing the weak, so it¡¯s no good if the bullies don¡¯t band together to form a big group to ensure their dominance. It¡¯s not bullying if you only win, it¡¯s bullying when you win with superiority. But even then, it is okay. I don¡¯t mind losing, or getting hurt. Well, I do¡­ But at least I could give those guys a proper answer, a solid resistance. In fact I wouldn¡¯t be so troubled if the bullying I was receiving were physical harassments¡­. And yet, for some reason, I was never directly bullied. Instead all I get are dumb pranks done behind my back like this. To be honest, I''m not sure how to handle it. Harass them back? To fall down to the level of petty school girls¡­I feel like I¡¯d lose something important as a man. Call them out and talk it over? That might be a good idea, communication is the basic of human relations after all. Who''s going to do it though? Eh? Me? Wait, wait, isn¡¯t the difficulty set too high? I can''t remember the last time I had a proper conversation with someone. Not to mention I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m being ostracized by at least half of the school. Nope. No way. Impossible. "Ara, Kawagami-san, your desk is as dirty as usual isn''t it" -??? Geh.. It appeared. The source of my problems. The girl who called out to me with an arrogant attitude is accompanied by her two friends. Her two chums are both pretty girls above standard, but it would be quite mean to compare them to Chiba-san who''s standing in front. Luxurious golden hair fall past her shoulders, thin rosy lips and a face that looks like it was crafted by a master doll maker. Yet, different from the artificial sensations of a doll she exerts amorousness unfit for her age. Add a golden, voluptuous body proportion to the mix and we have the number one idol in the school. No¡­calling her an idol would be wrong. She¡¯s more like a tyrant. A demon lord! As if possessing a beauty that renders any man powerless against her isn¡¯t enough. She¡¯s also the granddaughter of Chiba Group¡¯s founder. Who basically owns this private school. Since no one dares to go against her, she just does whatever she pleases. As for me, she¡¯s the type that I¡¯d never want to get involved with. Yet why she''s such a problem to me, we have to go back to the event last month. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I did mention I had feminine facial features did I not... Well that''s a bit too light if I put it that way. To spit it out, rather than having a girlish face, I look exactly like one. To make it worse it¡¯s not even on the level of just looking like a girl, back in middle school there was a secret fan club that consists of more than half the school¡¯s male population. Aaahh... My heart has gone cold a bit, thinking back on that black history. There''s nothing like that in high school so I was saved. I hope they didn''t secretly make one though. Anyway, back to the real topic at hand. Last month, I was called out by a 3rd year senpai. And not just any senpai, he¡¯s the captain of the basketball club who¡¯s the object of admiration and jealousy for many. While I was wondering why the school''s prince called me out¡­ Well¡­ That bastard confessed to me!! What the hell was that? It''s important, so let me say it once again. What the hell was that? Was this guy that kind of guy? Though I know his nick name and fame, I have no idea what his name is in the first place, so how did it become like this¡­ even as a joke this is too cruel. As expected, I loudly rejected him and ran away as if my life was depending on it. Despite having that kind of thing happened, the guy wasn''t persistent so I thought I could put that incident behind me. But apparently this woman, Chiba Chika, is also in love with him, just like many other female students in this school. Though in her case, I wonder if it has less to do with love and more to do with her inborn pride. Losing to a guy was probably unforgiveable. It doesn¡¯t help that her influence in the school, with regard to both her looks and lineage, was actually much bigger than that prince. And so, we came to this point, where I get shunned by everyone while receiving harassments from her. Well, getting confessed to by a guy, not that I can blame them for wanting to ridicule me... Ah, not good. My heart''s going cold again¡­ "My my, since I''m a person with a big heart, let me help you to clean this up" -Chika "I''ll pass on that" I curtly reject her. Well, it''s expected you know. Especially if you say it with eyes that are full of ulterior motives¡­ What''s with this woman! Scary! "Is that so, even though I went as far as offering my help to the likes of you.." -Chika She was displeased. As expected, either choice would turn out bad. Isn¡¯t this game impossible to clear? I would like to have a choice that can actually lead to a good ending. "Ahaha, what''s with that, even you are just a transvestite" -??? A cheerful laugh rang out from behind Chiba. A girl with a small, but lively stature skips to the front, shaking her ponytail while wearing a mischievous smile. That''s one of Chiba''s entourage, Asano Asako. Even though she¡¯s nowhere comparable to Chiba, she can also be counted as one of the popular girls in this school. Mostly thanks to her looks, athletic abilities and a cheerful personality that can talk with anyone as if they''re friends. She¡¯s often referred to by both guys and girls as a mood maker who brightens up the surrounding with her seemingly limitless energy. If I put it that way, she seems like an amicable person doesn''t she. That supposedly amicable girl just went ahead and threw some crumbled bread wrappings down my desk. ¡°Since you¡¯re at it anyway, clean this up for me won¡¯t you?¡± -Asako Then as if natural, the trio turned around and move to their seats. Really now...what did I do? I don''t understand women. Rather, you just make a statement that I can''t overlook. What do you mean by "transvestite"? Would you like to confirm it with your body? . . . Leaving that aside, it seems like they''re done with harassing me for now. Lately it''s been like a standard greeting every day, I''m getting tired. I should do something about it after all. But even if I say that, with many years of insufficient human relations, it''s hard to think of a solution¡­ I¡¯m so hopeless¡­ even if I do say it myself. Shortly after I finished cleaning, Sensei entered the class. Our homeroom teacher, Ikeda Ichiro sensei is a 180cm tall man in his early thirties, despite still looking like he¡¯s in his mid-twenties. He¡¯s a reliable adult that¡¯s popular with both guys and girls from all grades. For some reason the principal is together with him. Hnn¡­that¡¯s.. the principal right? I rarely pay attention in school assembly so I¡¯m not too sure. Apparently it''s a surprise inspection. Really, how troublesome¡­ I wonder why are schools in our area are still carrying out inspections on student¡¯s bags anyway. It¡¯s redundant if you ask me. Let just hurry and get this over with. While everybody was preparing their bags for inspecting while muttering complains, someone intruded into the classroom. "Sensei, the 2rd year¡¯s inspections are done" -??? "Good work, Shinmei-san" -Principal A second year girl with long black hair tied up to a neat ponytail reported to the principal from outside the class, did the second year perform the inspections by their selves? "Also, may I see Sonohara-kun?" -Shinmei The class immediately started to bustle with chatters. Well, that''s to be expected, a senior girl directing calling out a boy, quite the scandal among these love-hungry adolescents. The 2nd year senpai moves toward a certain seat without minding the gallery. She seems used to be the center of attention. "Your mom asked me to deliver the Bento you forgot, really now, being careless like that, you''re as childish as ever " -Shinmei "I..I''m not a child ! just go back to your class already! " -Sonohara The Sonohara boy blushes a little while chasing her away. Speaking of which, were this guy in my class? I can¡¯t remember. He doesn¡¯t leave any particular impression. "Close as ever huh, you two" ¨CGirl1 "Don''t be so mean to your wife, idiot Souta" ¨CGirl2 "Damn it, my Shinmei-senpai... Sonohara you lucky bastard!" ¨CBoy1 Such remarks resounded among the peanut gallery. Shinmei senpai is it, isn''t she that pretty captain of the kendo club? I think her name was even on some sport newspaper at some point. I''m not too interested in strangers so I might be wrong though. From the way the situation is unfolding they seems close¡­ Wait¡­ Childhood friends? Eh? Approved by parents? Eh? Is this a gal game? * It''s a gal game isn''t it? Diverting my gaze from the enviab¡­, I mean unpleasant scene and turning my head to the black board, our homeroom teacher was making a wry smile, he¡¯s soft on his students as ever. Principal sensei seemed like she was going to put an end to this noisy chatters and awkward atmosphere. However, she abruptly stopped just when she was about to speak. No, it would be more correct to say she couldn¡¯t move. In front of me, the scenery turned grey, as if colors were drained out of space itself. Nobody could move a finger. Not even a small sound echoed in the air. It¡¯s like time stopped to flow in this colorless world. However, from the corner of my vision, the scenery outside of my class looked the same as always. The stone paved yard is silent as always when classes are in sessions, the green rustling leaves sway to the gentle winter breeze like there¡¯s nothing out of the norm. If I were to describe this situation, it¡¯s as if my own class was cut off from the happenings of the world. A jet black crack appeared in the middle of the colorless space, slowly extends toward every directions. I wonder if everyone is having the same kind of bad premonition as I am right now. Not that I can confirm it since we¡¯re all fixed in space without being able to move or talk. And then the class¡­.no¡­it¡¯s more like space itself broke into pieces, like shattering glass. And I was enveloped by complete darkness, as my consciousness fades away¡­ *Note : gal game = Japanese Dating Sims, Visual Novel.... etc. Where the main character is surrounded by convenient love interests. Chapter 1: In the woods Good morning all you good ladies and gentlemen. Today''s weather is a fine one. The sky is clear and the air is refreshing. Even though there is no cloud, the hazy sunlight isn''t too harsh on your eyes and instead warm up your body gently. On a beautiful day like this, sleeping outside is truly a luxury not many are able to taste isn''t it? Why am I sleeping outside you say? I want to know why too!! The last thing I remember was the classroom turning into this unexplainable colorless space and then everything in front of my eyes shattered into pieces like breaking glass. Then I seem to have lost consciousness after that. Putting the strange situation aside I guess I¡¯m thankful just to know that I¡¯m still alive and breathing. But that''s not the problem here. The problem is that in front of me, spreading as far as my eyes can see, is a lustrous green forest covered in vines and thick trunks of wood. Ahahahaha. This, this is that isn''t it. Did I somehow catch a fatal illness and is now in a coma? Or maybe I''ve already passed on to the next world already? Why the forest though? Eh? Where am I? Eh? Who am I? . . . . . Huff...Haaaa...(heavy breathing) Calm down, me. Fuuu... Breathes in¡­ breathes out, slowly, yes. Panicking won¡¯t do me any good. I try to regulate my breath back to normal and calm down my heart that¡¯s full of confusion right now. _________________________________________________________________ Well. Now that I¡¯ve calmed down, what should I do? I would really like someone to explain to me just what is going on exactly already. Though the only thing that answers to the desperate shouts in my heart were the similarly desperate sounds of my stomach grumbling. How long have I been sleeping? It was around 8am when my lesson started and judging from the position of the sun it¡¯s already past noon. There¡¯s no familiar face in sight. Or rather, there¡¯s not a single person in sight. Is there no other choice but try to address the situation myself after all? .... First of all, this is not a dream. The grassy smell that''s tickling my nose is far too vivid. The chirping sounds of birds and insects echoing from all directions. The realistic sensation when touching the ground. The feeling of my own weight¡­ Yep, it''s not a dream. This is not a TV program where someone from that corner over there will jump out holding the "you got tricked" sign isn''t it? No matter how you think about it this is too elaborate for a prank. Then why is it I am in the middle of a jungle when I was supposed to be in my class a moment ago? To find myself waking up in an unknown place after blacking out in my classroom, was this an accident or intentional? And for what purpose? Even after I rack my brain up I couldn¡¯t find the answer. I can only make a couple of conjectures that either someone, for some reason transported me in this place during my sleep, or if I were to be fancy, I was thrown into this place due to some unknown super natural phenomenon. It¡¯s pointless to ponder over things I can¡¯t understand. Let''s go with this theory for now. If I find out more then I''ll think about it then. The more pressing matter is that I am here right now, alone in the middle of a jungle. Now then, I would''ve liked to at least still be in Japan but... This isn''t Japan at all is it? After all, we were in early winter and we are supposed to be changing to winter uniform next week. Even though it''s not very cold yet, it was nowhere near as warm as this place I am in now. Ahh, this is bad isn''t it. It''s going to be hard to find help in an unknown place. If this place uses English then I may be able to manage somehow, but what am I going to do if it''s another language? More importantly, does this place even have people? Hn? People? Come to think of it, what happened to the rest of my class? If I am to assume this situation is because of the strange phenomenon back then, wouldn''t the rest of my class be around too? In an unknown land like this it is better to find people you know and work together after all. Alright, now that''s said let''s go around looking for my classmates! Who is going to do it? Me? No way right? Me who is bad with communication in the first place is going to look for the very people who were shunning and harassing me? Putting not being able to co-operate aside, wouldn''t we turn on each other instead? Uhhhhh¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ I won''t be able to get anything done like this. In all honesty, it''s better to do something without thinking rather than think too much and not doing anything after all. Hm? Did I say something really cool just now? I''m so great, me. It''s not guaranteed that there are people around anyway. I will deal with it when that time comes. So with that out of the way. Since there''s no choice, let''s start moving out while looking for signs of people. Even though it''s warm now, the temperature might fall very low at night. Not to mention the possible wild animal attacks. It might be a good idea to collect fire wood while i walk around. It would be nice if there are fruits too. I have never tried to make a fire out of primitive tools like that though, I''ve only seen them done on television. If my memory serves, fresh wood is no good isn''t it? you¡¯ve got to look for dried up wood, preferably branches from a dead tree, which should be dried up and brittle. I¡¯d need to find some dried up dead grass to use as tinder to ignite the flame as well¡­ The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Either way, there''s nothing to do but to give it a try. I also picked up a spear shaped sharp stone, this is unexpectedly a good find. The edges were sharp enough to possibly cut through my own skin with ease. I¡¯m not sure how effective it is on animal, realistically speaking. Since animals have much thicker skin than human. But at least it provides some sense of security. The important thing is feelings, yup. I continue to walk for about 2 ~ 3 hours but there''s no sign of humans, only the rustling of leaves and the occasions sounds of wild monkeys calling each other from far away. The sun is setting down from above the horizons, it''s probably about 4pm now judging from that position? But still, there''s no one huh¡­ Could it be that I was the only one who ended up here? In the first place there are too many mysterious points about this whole deal, I can''t be too sure about anything anymore. Just as I was thinking about that, my expectations were betrayed by a scream echoing from not too far away. "Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!" Ah, Un. There they are. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s one of my classmates or not, though in this situation I can¡¯t think of it being anyone else. This is the point where i rush to whoever is facing a dilemma isn''t it. But my feet aren''t moving. It really can''t be helped! Common sense is telling me to go over there but at the same time the thought of meeting my classmates isn''t too thrilling for me. Knowing that possibly up ahead is my classmate who¡¯s in the same situation, I feel half uncomfortable, half relieved. Still, nothing will happen if I just stand around like this. It would be bad if she is being chased by a wild boar and actually fall off a cliff or something. And so, having resolved myself, I drag my feet toward the voice reluctantly. After a few hundred meters, I could make out the figure of two human from the corner of my eyes. As I walk closer, I started to make out the figures of the two people who¡¯re standing ahead of me. A girl and a boy. The girl is a face I know very well. After all, she''s one of Chiba''s trio. Her name was Harusaki..... um... what was it again? They were calling her "Haru-chan" weren''t they? Her hair is in a bob cut with length almost reaches her shoulder. She has white porcelain skin, jet black hair and eyes, delicate facial features that give off the impression of a Japanese beauty. I bet she would look really good with a kimono on. Un¡­ in a situation like this and I''m thinking those kind of things. Self-reflection. Self-reflection. The boy is erm... what was his name again. Was it Taka... um... or Ryo-..shi... Something. Well, forget it. I can''t remember the name of half my class anyway. Unless they standout I won''t be able to remember them. Rather than remembering, the name of those stood-out individual kind of pushed their way into my memory. Back to the situation at hand. It appears that Harusaki-san is leaning on a tree trunk, trembling with a terrified face. Looking like she is ready to burst out in tears any moment. She¡¯s desperately holding back, not because of courage, but it was as if losing her cool here would results in forfeiting her life. The boy is standing in front as if to cover the girl behind him. On his hands a big, sturdy piece of wood about 1.5x times the size of a baseball bat, probably picked up from somewhere. The cloth on his right shoulder was ripped through, a little bit of red stained his white T-shirt. However with that small amount of blood the wound doesn''t seem to be too deep. Now then, the problem is the thing that they''re facing right now. How do I describe it¡­ It has the body of a black panther but the head is clearly not something mammals normally would have. That¡¯s right, it''s the head! The head! It''s just like a huge worm without eyes! There''s a huge, round mouth on the place where there would normally be a face. Rather than a worm¡­ Isn¡¯t this more like a sea lamprey? Those strange fishes that resemble a huge leech. Ahahaha¡­ This¡­ This is not even Earth anymore is it? Everytime it breathes, the mouth contracts and expands lightly to gasp for air. The countless teeth spreads around its oval mouth also twitch lightly to the mouth''s movement, making the dangerous looking creature looks even more eerie. Uwaa¡­¡­¡­ Looks like it''ll hurt a lot if you got bitten by those. Well then, since the guy is giving his all protecting a girl. Interfering here would be rude now wouldn''t it? Since I''m a person who can read the mood, let''s quietly exit the stage here, like a gentleman, yup. Just when I was about to turn around, the panther''s tail twitches lightly and points toward my direction. Then its head also turned toward me while hissing like a snake. Ah, not good. It noticed me. The other people also turned around and saw me too. Before I can even react, That guy takes Harusaki-san hands and runs toward my location. "Kawagami, It''s me! help us out!!" Even if you say "It''s me", it''s not like I know you. I can''t even remember your name you know. Chapter 2: This world is a survival game In front is the sight of my two classmates running toward me, wearing what would probably be the happiest looks I¡¯ve seen them shown to me yet. Even though their faces are painted with desperation, they still have a more favorable expression than all the time they''ve been sending mocking glances toward me. I''m well hated aren''t I?... I get lonely easy you know, I demand better treatments. Why am I doing stupid complains and not running away you say? Obviously, because there''s no point. If you think that you can out run a panther with just fighting spirit I''d like you to show me how. Well, that thing certainly isn''t a panther, but looking at it''s build one can easily guess it''s a speed oriented creature. Not to mention this terrain with bad footing and many obstacles, I''d rather spend my energy finding another way out rather than signing my death certificate foolishly. While all my brain cells are desperately burning their selves out to find the solution, my classmates are already just one step before me. However, the panther was faster. "Kyaaaaa !!! " ¨CHaru With a "thud" sound, Harusaki-san was pinned down by the panther from the back. Aiming for the weakest one first? That''s one shrewd animal. Or rather, that''s what you get when you show your back to the enemy you know? Harusaki-san is about to burst into tears any moment, ironically the only thing holding her back is the extreme tension and fear not allowing her to relax. Like this, it''s 2 to 1. Yet, the panther did not finish Harusaki-san off. With one front foot pinning her shoulder down, its head is faces toward us, letting out a "kishaaa~" hissing sound threateningly. Hmn¡­ it''s a cautious fellow, the hurdles just suddenly got even higher. However, not all hopes are lost. If this was a bear, then our chances is close to zero, but luckily, this one¡¯s body looks like something between a panther and a greyhound. It has incredible speed, but the body itself shouldn¡¯t be so sturdy that we cannot inflict mortal wounds on it. A bear¡¯s thick hide and enormous strength would be impossible for us to take on. This dog/panther like thing however, the slim limbs and elegant body is a masterpiece when it comes to sprinting, but that''s only assuming it''s a 1v1 race. This is not a race, it''s a confrontation. It''s running speed is certainly high but just speed alone won''t let it be able to finish off two opponent at once. Our enemy is a bit bigger than the size of an average adult panther, 2.5-3m long spanning from the tip of it¡¯s nose to the tip of it¡¯s tail, standing straight on all fours it¡¯s head reaches as high as our waist. If we can surround and pin it down with the force of two people, there''s a chance for us. It''s a long shot even if I were to be optimistic, considering the opponent is a ferocious wild animal and we''re just two sheltered high school students. But I myself am not that weak in the physical department, though I don''t take any martial arts I train my body regularly for health sake. The other guy too seems to be in a sport club... I think? His build is fairly big so I can at least expect something out of him. However, the panther too understand this. Not taking it¡¯s time to finish off Harusaki-san and instead putting up precautions toward us is a proof for that. As expected of a wild carnivore, it knows its game well. The biggest problem is how to create an opening. Maybe using Harusaki-san as bait, we could wait for the chance when it lowers its guard and finishes her off? Yep, an evil plan if even if I were to say so myself. But I have no intention to sugarcoat it. If it''s for my own survival, a stranger''s life is of no importance. Now if only the other guy would figure this out... "Bastarddd!! get away from Harusaki!! " ¨CBoy Shouting at the top of his lungs, that guy fiercely rushes toward the panther. Ah. Well. There he goes. Time for a new plan. The boy charges forward, take his wooden club into a wide swing, striking at the panther with all his might. The panther nimbly dodges the attack, did not forget to dig its claw into Harusaki-san''s shoulder right before it moves and clawed out a big wound as it jumps to the side. "GUAAaaaa !!! " -Haru Seeing Harusaki-san''s shoulder dyed in red while letting out a painful voice, his eyes become blood shot. "Damn it !!! " ¨CBoy He lunges his body forward intending for another strike but this time the panther counter attacked by swiftly slips through his swing range and bite on his wrist. Uwaa¡­ that looks painful. "KUu !! this bastard ! " ¨CBoy Twisting his face in pain, he frantically delivers a kick to the panther''s belly, throwing the beast''s body on the ground, but it got up in an instant as if there were no damage. On the other hand, the boy''s wounds run deep, his wrist is already covered in blood. Tears start to form at the corner of his eyes while he''s wearing an expression filled with agony. Still, he is desperately trying to keep his grip on the wooden baton. And then his body is tackled by a shadow. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. No, it was not an enemy. The warm and soft sensation wrapping around his waist was actually Harusaki-san''s body. She''s clinging to him while holding back most of her tears, yet the overflown droplets keep streaming out of her eyes. "Takanashi-kun..-sob-.. Takanashi-kun.." ¨CHaru Oh, so that''s what his name was. Well, it''s fine and dandy to know his name and all but¡­ Are you people fine with clinging to each other like that in this situation? Are you really? Right now both of them are sitting ducks for that beast''s jaws. Also, Takanashi-kun, stop getting carried away, why are you looking at her face with a gaze full of affection? There''s like a man-eating beast to your right you know? Shouldn''t you be looking at that instead? Looking at how things are unfolding, whatever hopes I had left for survival would be extinguished by now. But it seems like the duo wasn''t the only ones who got carried away. Facing bloody preys, the panther''s body trembles in excitement. Its tail twitches and wiggles. The beast''s claws dig into the soft ground, ready to pound on the unfortunate ones at any moment. Hmm? Pounding on them? Something is wrong with this development¡­ The panther''s tail shakes with disgusting movements, just like that of an earth worm twitching in midair. The pointed end of the tail that resembles a pitch black bud turns its tip toward the source of the blood. The bud then open like a flower with 4 petals, in the middle of it various thin yellow tentacles are rustling and wriggling about, as if expressing their happiness of being drowned in the scent of blood. And the next moment¡­ With a "thud" sound like something hard hitting a soft surface, the tail''s tip got knocked back as if being shot by something. A couple of tentacles were smashed and fell on the ground. "Grruuuooooooo !!!" ¨CPanther The beast screamed painfully and threw itself on the ground, its body twitches in agony. Next to its crawling body is a stone covered in blood that was not supposed to be there before. Did someone throw it to wound its tail? Who? Who could have done such a thing? . . . Oh right. It was me. I''ve been thinking about it from the start. How does this thing that possesses no eye maneuver around? The answer is due to its tail that acts like an antenna. From the time when it noticed me for the first time and when it was confronting us, its tail tip always pointed toward ourselves. But it was only opening a little. If my conjecture is right then the reason it became so aggressive suddenly was because of the smell of blood stimulated its sensitive feelers. The tail tip opened fully and its appearance no longer carries the same calm it was just a moment ago. The proof is that even though I''m standing right here it forsook all precautions and only concentrated on getting the prey in front. All were just wild guesses in the heat of the moment. But whether I¡¯m right or wrong. This is my only chance. If I can somehow wound the tail I can distract it with pain¡­ After all, the more sensitive its feelers are the more susceptible it is to pain. If I were to describe this in anyway, it¡¯s similar to hitting your toe against a table''s leg using all your strength. With that said, I don''t have any confidence in my throwing accuracy, not to mention the target is incredibly small and is a moving one on top of that. So I used the sharp stone I picked up earlier and cut my own palm, smears it with my blood. Ouch, it hurts. Getting scratched unintentionally is one thing but to purposely wound your own body required much more courage than i thought. I don''t like pain. Somehow, thanks to the stress and the adrenaline pumping into my head, I was able to cut into my skin. When I threw the stone its tail caught the scent and turned toward the projectile by itself, putting its own feelers on the path of the thrown stone. As a result, after its tail gracefully "caught" the stone some feelers were smashed and now it¡¯s crawling on the ground in pain. It was truly a gamble¡­ Looks like this time, Takanashi-kun realized his chance. After a short pause, he wastes no time to jumps forward and strikes the beast''s head over and over again like a mad man. "You ! you ! shit !" ¨CTakanashi . . . "huff...huff..." After spending all that''s left of his strength until he couldn¡¯t hold the piece of wood properly anymore, the panther¡¯s body finally stopped twitching. Its head already turned into a sloppy mess of flesh. It looks like I can relax at last¡­ Seriously, I hate this survival game. Chapter 3: Not a survival game, but a fantasy "Takanashi-kun...-hic-....-sob" ¨CHaru Harusaki-san once again clings to Takanashi-kun, this time however, she finally was able to let out all of her previous tension. Looking at her figure that sobs while shaking uncontrollably, perhaps some switch was flipped as Takanashi-kun naturally wraps his arm around her shoulders and snuggles close. "It''s okay, it''s okay now Harusaki , I''m here after all" ¨CTakanashi Hello... I''m here too you know ? Could it be that my existence have been forgotten ? Takanashi got all the nice part but I tried my best too didn''t I ? I wasn''t the one to give the finishing blow but I made all this possible so this could be said as my victory could it ? Can I maybe expect a little reward too? .........sob But, you are forgiven! Right now I''m much more benevolent than usual. Why you say? Because right now¡­ Two more of those panthers are approaching us from the sides.... Perhaps they were lured in by the smell of blood. From my right and left, the beasts that look exactly like the corpse on the ground are cautiously closing the distance. Did they see their friend''s death? Even though the air should be filled with aroma from the red liquid covering our bodies, they aren''t losing their cool like the one just now. As expected¡­ these guys are way too vigilant. I''m not expecting to win a big gamble again two more times. Ahahaha. We''re checkmated hard aren''t we? Ah¡­ look at that, those two are having cramps on their faces. I''ve only ever heard of the term "eyes looking as if they''ve died" in books before, I never thought that I''d get to see it in person. Not like it can be helped. Even though my eyes are following the pair of beast cautiously, my heart has already given out. The situation is pretty much a hopeless one. I''m holding my ground right now isn''t because I think I can get away, it''s simply the obstinacy of a living creature that clings to life at all cost. Who is it? Who''s the one responsible for this unreasonable series of unfortunate events? If this was a novel then the writer must not be a decent human being! Have the beasts noticed our resignation? They are getting in position, ready to attack. But, they never had the chance to. With a dull sound, the body of one panther was screwed in by an arrow. I didn''t even hear the "swisss" sound that an arrow normally supposed to make. It was silent, as if the air splits itself out allowing the arrow to travel without any resistance. Before we even had the chance to pull ourselves together because of the sudden turn of event. The part that was struck with the arrow burst open. It was an explosion but there were no smell of gun powder. Moreover, the thing that exploded from the arrow was a transparent, small tornado that had a faint green shine. When we come to, the panther has already spread its body on the ground, unmoving. A Large amount of blood is streaming from its wound, a gaping hole that''s the size of a man''s fist. The other one is nowhere to be found, perhaps it ran away the moment its friend died. "Everyone, are you okay!?" -??? From the direction of the voice, a slender figure frantically runs toward us. It was our class representative, Fujioka-san. ______________________________________________________________________________ "Harusaki-san, Takanashi-kun! you''re bleeding!" ¨CFujioka I''m bleeding too you know? In my heart too. "C, class-rep! you''re here too?" ¨CHaru "Un, but talk later, let''s have your wounds treated first" ¨CFujioka The moment class-rep said that, as if waiting for the right timing, a man walked in from the same direction as she was. The man is about 180cm tall, with short blond hair and youthful facial features. He looks to be 20 years old. But I wouldn''t be surprised if he was one of those kinds that look twice as young as their real age. He''s wearing leather armor on top of a dark green tunic. On his back a quiver full of arrows and holding a wooden bow on one hand. So the arrow just now was the handiwork of this guy? Well, putting that aside, there''s something bothering me about how he looks. No it''s not the clothes that seem to be straight out of a story in the Middle Ages, neither it is the golden-haired-pretty-boy looks that could be mistaken for a celebrity. It''s his ears. That''s right, the ears. They''re long and pointy. . . . Un, I see now. This is not a survival game... but a fantasy one ? _______________________________________________________________________________ The day grows dark as we sit around the bonfire made with the fire woods I picked up earlier. I dropped them in the fight with the panther but since we didn''t run it was easy to collect them back. Class-rep is treating the two with bandages and medicine received from the young man. My wound was lighter than the two of them so I did it by myself. It¡¯s just a scratch wound after all. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.Today''s menu is whole roast panther. According to the young man, who named himself Teruel Fristoris, the panther meat isn¡¯t very tasty but it has all the nutrients that the meat of a normal cattle would have. Since his name is long, let''s call him Teru-san for now. Un, this meat, how do I say it. It''s neither good nor bad. It has a taste similar to beef, but there''s no seasoning, and it kind of stink. Above all else, it''s hard. Since I''m very hungry, I try to stuff as much as I can into my belly to recover my strength. But my teeth might just fall off before that. And so, while trying our very best to chew on the unappetizing meat, we shared our stories around the bonfire. "------- --- --------- -------- -------------------------- --- " ¨CTeru-san Teru-san was saying something but I have no idea what he is talking about. I kind of expected it since this isn''t Earth but our languages are different after all. Then, how is it, that we''re able to converse? "--------- ---- ------------------" ¨CClass-rep That''s thanks to the one over there who has been speaking to Teru-san as if it''s a natural thing. The other two are looking at class-rep with a dumbfounded expression. Well, it''s understandable since a normal classmate up until now was able to converse easily in a language of a different world. None of them are reacting very strongly to this however, they just sit next to class-rep and let her does the talk. I guess the recent series of crazy events has already given them some degree of immunity to surprises. When asked, class-rep said that for some strange reason it was as if the language is ingrained inside her head and she had a complete understanding of it. She was able to communicate with Teru-san who she met by chance and ended up saving our hides. According to Teru-san, it seemed to be a special [Arte] that enable someone to comprehend various languages. He himself has never seen it so he doesn''t seem to know much about this [Arte], perhaps it''s a very special one. Hmn¡­ I see, everything makes sense now. Not. What was that, did I just hear a very disturbing word mixed in there? [Arte] you say? ____________________________________________________________________________________ Let''s arrange everything I''ve learned from our conversations in a way that''s easy to understand for now. There''s too much information I might just get drowned in it. First of all, this forest is called the Ciallmhar Forest. It''s a forest where various low ranked monsters and animals live. Due to the sheer vastness of this forest, not all of it has been explored even though the monster living in here aren''t very strong. Teru-san belongs to an Elf community that stay on the east side of the forest, his job seems to be hunting and collecting herbs in the area nearby their village. Class-rep introduced us as coming from the land of [Japan], however did not mention anything about being from a different world. After all even if he helped us he''s still a stranger from an unknown land. Was she aiming for him to misunderstand that we came from a faraway country by himself? Since we don''t know anything about this world, telling clumsy lies may get us exposed so she''s letting the other person do his own interpretation. I thought that she was just a hardworking student but unexpectedly she''s very witty at times like this. My evaluation of her has gone up in a flash. Class-rep, how cool. Additionally she told him we have no idea how we ended up in the middle of the forest. We were studying just a moment ago then when we woke up we were here. Teru-san made a difficult face and tried to link the events together. He apparently is going with the theory that we''re a bunch of noble''s kids from a foreign country who got kidnapped and our kidnapper somehow ran into troubles, with the monsters maybe, while losing us on the way. I wonder just why does he think we¡¯re nobles? Is it perhaps because we¡¯re ignorant about the way of the world? He also mentioned that the clothes we¡¯re wearing are made of very fine and luxurious material he has never seen before. Putting his leather armor aside, is that tunic of his made from linen? I¡¯m not sure at what level is the civilization in this world but perhaps cotton fabric like ours aren¡¯t yet available in this era. Well, It''s a story full of holes, but since we''re not the ones who come up with it, we have no need to explain. All we need to do is to tell him we don''t know. When he makes his conjecture, class-rep suitably adds in some vague follow-ups while trying not to make any blunders. Like ¡°No idea, If we need something other people can take care of it¡± or ¡°Never heard of that before, we don¡¯t set foot out of our house very far¡± I wonder if it''s because she''s smart? Or is it because she''s a woman? This girl sure is good at lying. Scary. Chapter 4: [Arte] Well then, let''s move on with the more disturbing part of the talk. Up to this point, even though it''s unbelievable, I can nod my head on certain parts. I have already accepted the fact that we¡¯re in a totally different world than our own. [Arte], however, is a very mysterious thing. To put it simply it¡¯s like a supernatural power that people of this world possess. Some may be born with one, others may gain it from being taught, there are certain [Arte] that even require a special ceremony to obtain. This world still hasn''t been able to understand everything there is about [Arte]. From what Class-rep told us, when asked ¡°Does everyone has an [Arte]?¡±, Teru-san shook his head and said this: ¡°Having an [Arte] is a coveted privilege that only available to some. Even among the users, most only have one [Arte] but throughout history there are some special people with two or more [Arte]. These people often end up leaving their names in legends¡± ¡°You said there are various types of [Arte]? What are those?¡± ¨C Class-rep ¡°The first and the most unique one is the in-born [Arte]. Some are born with or awaken to it at some point in their life. Some of these are [Arte] can¡¯t be found in anywhere else, such as the power to read mind, or the power to create diamonds from rock. I suspect your power of language is one of these, Ojou-chan. Though there are also simpler ones such as [Sword Talent] or [Magic Talent]. The effect is exactly like the name, however, if you don¡¯t have those doesn¡¯t mean you have no talent in sword or magic. Having them, however, will increase your proficiency in learning sword and magic techniques on top of your own innate talent¡± ¨C Teru-san ¡°And the other types?¡± ¨C Class-rep ¡°The 2nd type is obtained through vigorous training. For example one possible [Arte] you might obtain through training in magic is [Magic Talent]. It is exactly the same as the in-born [Magic Talent], only the method is different. All training [Arte] can theoretically be obtain through in-born. But not all in-born can be obtained through training¡± ¡°The last type ¡­ I¡¯m not too sure about. It seems that some special rituals can grant a person certain unique [Arte]¡­ but as to what kind of [Arte] or how to perform such ritual, they¡¯re all state secrets that aren¡¯t disclosed to public¡± ¨C Teru-san Or so the conversation went. If class-rep for some unknown reason was able to obtain a special ability that allows her to communicate in any language, then it''s explained how she was able to talk to an Elf. How was she able to get it though? She is famous in our class for being able to speak 7 different languages. Is that one of the trigger? Or is it the fact that we came from a different world? Now that we heard about it, we would like to confirm if we too had an [Arte] too, but it doesn''t seem to be possible right now. You need a special magic tool for it. Ehhhh¡­.¡­ How primitive¡­ I was hoping to be able to know it just by closing my eyes and imagine¡­or something similar. Since it''s decided that we will be temporarily sheltered in the Elf''s village, we might be able to see our [Arte] then. From Teru-san''s talks, his village possesses the required magic tool to read a person¡¯s [Arte]. Takanashi-kun seems to be excited knowing about [Arte]. Un, I get it, it does excite a man''s adventurous spirit isn''t it? Getting lost in a fantasy world, having a fantasy superpower. Harusaki-san have a difficult face however, seems like she can''t swallow this story easily. I suppose if we weren¡¯t in the situation we¡¯re in right now, she would¡¯ve laughed at how silly a boy¡¯s adolescent dream of adventures is. Class-rep doesn''t show any expression, she is just calmly looking into space, as if trying to organize all the information obtained. As for our remaining classmates who are missing, there''s nothing we can do at the moment. Even though finding each other like this has made the probability of them being around increased, we simply don''t have the means to. There''s a lack of man power, the supplies Teru-san brought was for just a single person, not to mention monster running around. It is best to go back to his village, then ask them to send a rescue team later. For now, let''s sleep to recover our fatigue and start the journey to the nearby Elf village tomorrow morning. _____________________________________________________________________________________ And so morning came. "What the hell is this!?" -Haru "H-Harusaki!! Kuhh.... this fucking rope.." -Takanashi Ara ara ? What are those two getting flustered around for I wonder? Being too excited like that in the morning just as you wake up isn''t good for your blood pressure you know. "------------- ------------------------------------------- !! " ¨C Class-rep "-------------------------------------------" ¨C Teru Class-rep seems to be shouting something with Teru-san in an argument. Even class-rep seems to be losing her cool. Can¡¯t blame them. After all, our situation right now¡­ We''re riding a horse carriage through a rocky mountain path. With our hands tied, that is. "I''m sorry, everyone..." ¨CClass-rep With an apologetic expression, class-rep faces us and explains the situation. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Apparently Teru-san has been rather impressed with class-rep special ability. There''s a chance that we might have similar abilities to her. On top of that, we look like a bunch of well-fed, sheltered noble children. Which mean we''re going to be sold for a hefty price, especially the girls. Well, mostly the girls, male are usually treated as simple labor slave so it''d be better if we were more muscular instead. Teru-san is now wearing a triumphant and haughty look on his face, as if he has just struck a good deal of business. If you ask me, this face that show your inner desire so obviously is more likeable than the good-guy smile he has been faking yesterday. "Wa...what''s with that...slave?" ¨CTakanashi "Explain yourself! Class-rep, isn''t he your friend? Go talk to him!" ¨CHanasaki "................." ¨CClass-rep To the two''s barrage of blame, class-rep didn''t answer back, only looks away in frustration. Aaa¡­ that look, that''s the kind that think you yourself bear the responsibility isn''t it? I guess she is the type with a high sense of responsibility? I personally think it''s not good to beat yourself up over things that can''t be helped you know? That said, it''s not like I didn''t expect this situation. No, it''s not that I predicted it, I was just never good at trusting another in the first place. I''ve considered the possibility that we might get betrayed, however, after some thinking I decided it was better to not take any action. We were in a very dangerous circumstance, we knew nothing of this world, nor do we have any means to protect ourselves, getting killed inside this forest is just a matter of time. Teru-san didn''t kill us and there''s nothing to steal, so if he were to betray us, it''d probably something like selling us off as slaves. Compared to dying in the forest, being able to continue to live for a bit longer, is a better option. If chances come we might be able to even improve our situation later somehow. It''d be bad if us guys were to be sold as labor slaves in the mine though. Back in the era where slavery was wide-spread in our world, being a slave in the mine means you''ll have a very short life. The strenuous labors day and night, the terrible working condition, the poisonous gases, not to mention the high possibility of getting caught in an accident. Our chance of surviving would be incredibly low if we were to be sold in to the mines. Really¡­ ever since I''ve come to this world, I''ve done nothing but gambling with my life. I''d like to be given a break already¡­ Just as I was thinking that, as if mocking me, several shadows draw near to our carriage. Their identity is something we know well. After all, we were just one foot on the other side of the death door due to those things yesterday. Words cannot describe how fed up I am with them now. Just how persistent are they anyway. Are you guys that? The kind of low level monster that over populate the beginner''s area and you will only find new types in the next map? Are you guys the same as slimes and goblins? Are you really fine with that! Panthers!? "Kyaaaaaaa!!! " -Haru "D-damn it! Why the hell are they here again!?" - Takanashi "No way...." ¨C Class-rep "-----------!!!" - Teru At my classmates'' shouts and mournful groans, Teru-san dropped his former laid-back attitude, apparently shouting something shortly, which I assume to be cursing words, and at the same time hurries the horses to run faster. However, there''s no way 2 horses carrying a carriage with 5 people could outrun panthers. One panther separates from the other 2 and strides along the mountain wall that''s to the carriage''s right side. Oi oi, running on the wall is cheating you know. Of course, the panther would not hear the idle complains in my head and with a kick, it lunges itself from the wall toward our carriage. The place it''s aiming for is... ...bad This is not good at all. It''s aiming for class-rep. I wouldn''t care about the other two, but class-rep is irreplaceable. In this world where we don''t know anything about on top of unable to speak the language, she''s our sole bridge. Losing her would drastically lower our chance of survival. Since its body is in midair, maybe I can do something. With all the force I can muster, I stand my body up and tackle the panther''s body from the side right before it''s fangs could get to class-rep. Unable to dodge or change direction, It was thrown off and crashed on to the ground, making the other two shortly stop on their track because of their friend''s body was thrown right in front of them. Kuh... but it didn''t receive any damage from such a light crash after all, they''re going to be back to chasing us soon.. isn''t there anything i ca---- ..Un, eh? Wait. Wait. Weren''t we not supposed to stand on a moving vehicle? Why was it I wonder? As if to answer my question, the carriage shook strongly due to the high movement speed and the rocky uneven ground. My unsteady body was thrown off from the carriage to the side of the cliff. Momentarily, I came to know what it''s like to be floating on air for the first time in my life. And so just like that. I fell. Chapter 5: Insect monster What I remembered then was vague. Falling off the cliff, I crashed on the protruding part of the cliff''s wall, luckily it was not my head, but my leg is now in such a horrifying state I don''t have the mental strength to look at. Back then, I continued to fall, with the tree''s branches that extend out of the cliff¡¯s wall cushioning part of the impact, I fell into a river. When I came to, I already was washed up on the river bank in a certain cave, with my lower half still submerge under the water. If this continues I might freeze to death. Enduring the pain as much as I can, I turn my body to the right side where my other healthy leg is. With the only still moving leg facing the ground, I slowly crawl with my whole body up the riverbank like a caterpillar. I don''t remember how much time it took¡­ Was it minutes? Hours? Whichever it was it still felt like an eternity to me when just enduring the pain took most of my mind''s strength. And then, I met that. ____________________________________________________________________________________ [narrator POV] Delicious. How many month has it''s been since it got to eat something this delicious? It has only been a little over a year since it first left it''s mother''s womb. It belonged to a batch of seeds with similar disposition to their mother. In other word, once it becomes an adult, it''ll leave the nest and build its own. Taking a month to travel far away from mother''s territory, it finally arrived at a good location, abundance in prey, rich in food and water. By itself, it was not a strong monster. No, if compared to weak monster, it is certainly strong. However, that was as far as its strength goes. It surely was not something that could proudly and arrogantly walks this dangerous world on its own. But there was no need for it to do everything by itself. After hunting some weak monster, building a nest, it started to produce soldiers. And from that point on, everything was running smoothly. There were a couple of strong monsters around the area, but none of them were a significant threat, it simply overwhelmed them using numbers. The colony¡¯s strongest weapon was not a single individual¡¯s prowess. It was the combined strength of hundreds and thousands members, all single mindedly carry out their duty till death. Life was secure and stable, until one day. Its nest was attacked by a powerful army, lead by one of its siblings. It had confidence in its own excellence, but the opponent this time was overwhelming, much more than anything it had experienced. Whether it be number, or individual strength, the invader had the upper hand in all areas. Abandoning everything, it ran away and finally arrived at this forest. When on the run, it did not have any time to relax and was only able to eat weak and bad tasting monster on the way. It had been a long time since it was able to taste good meat. Delicious. Even though it''s of the same species, this is much better than the previous ones. Not the villagers who are just skin and bones, not the stinky adventurers. Sweet, soft and juicy meat. In no time, there was nothing left but the prey''s inedible outer most skins. In the place that the high school boy once was, now there are only puddles of blood and his torn clothes. _______________________________________________________________________________ [Class-rep POV] ¡°Kawagami-san!¡± I screamed as the boy who just saved my life fell off the cliff¡­ ¡­or so maybe that¡¯s what supposed to happens, but it didn¡¯t. I did not so much as to let out even a small sound. Everything happened too fast, My brain cells were still in the middle of trying to comprehend the situation. When that panther jumped at me, I was scared stiff, I wasn¡¯t able to move. Even if I could I would not make it. I was sure that was the end of me. Yet I¡¯m alive. Before I realized it the panther that aimed for me was thrown off the carriage and stood in its place was Kawagami-san. Was Kawagami-san always this kind of person? He has always given me the impression of someone who would never let himself be bothered by other people¡¯s antics. He¡¯d ignore his peers and goes at his own pace, even when he was bullied and shunned by the whole class. In such a person¡¯s eyes, what do we, his classmates look like? If I were to venture a guess, he probably sees us as simple bags of potatoes lying around. It might sound harsh... but everyone is free to choose their own way of living. Though I think his is a little lonely, it¡¯s not like he¡¯s causing trouble for any one. More importantly, it doesn''t concern me. Classmates or not, we''re technically strangers. That''s why I¡¯ve been turning a blind eye to the bullying, despite being the class representative. What is a class representative anyway? Everyone were just pushing the troublesome job they don¡¯t want to shoulder to me. Though my grades are good, I doubt they have any relation to the job of a class representative. Realistically speaking aren¡¯t I just a glorified class gofer? I just want to quietly go through my high school days, then go to a good university and get a job as a translator or interpreter. Maybe even a book author if I were to be ambitious. I didn¡¯t want any trouble. So I looked away. Even if you were to call that cowardly, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s true after all, I am a coward. I want you to spare me from those kinds of hero acts. I didn¡¯t want to involve myself in trouble. And I believed he was the same. Yet, why did he save me? Certainly it was not life risking, and him falling was a stroke of bad luck. Yet, why even risk anything at all? We never even talked to each other. I doubt it was because of the goodness in his heart. But still, why? Even if I wanted to ask, it¡¯s no longer possible. Even if I wanted to think about it, I don¡¯t have that kind of leisure. The panther are closing the distance, they would catch up soon. ¡°Teruel-san! You can use magic can¡¯t you, please deal with them like you did yesterday!¡± I shouted in Elf¡¯s language. ¡°Haah? There¡¯s no way I can. My magic is at most being able to enchant my arrows. Magic isn¡¯t something so simple you spoiled brat! Not everyone can easily shoot out offensive magic and defeat monsters!¡± ¨C Teru Isn¡¯t your personality a complete 180 compared to yesterday? But¡­ is that so, it seems like magic is not as overwhelming as I thought, or maybe it¡¯s just his ability that¡¯s low. If the best he can do is to enchant arrows, the moment he stops this carriage and takes out his bow they would catch up and turns this into a melee¡­ I can¡¯t think of any way to get out of this situation, we¡¯re check-mated. Looking at the hungry beasts that are closing the gaps every second, I unintentionally forget to breathe. There''s a lump in my chest, and my eyes start to feel hot. ¡°Hey, brat, if you want to live, kick that big kid off the carriage!¡± ¨C Teru What is this guy saying? ¡°You don¡¯t want to die do you, just kick him off already, your legs aren¡¯t tied are they!¡± ¨C Teru ¡°There¡¯s no way I can do that!¡± The nerve of him! He wanted to sell us as slaves, and then nonchalantly order me to betray my friend? Though Takanashi-san isn¡¯t exactly my friend¡­ ¡°Those guys won¡¯t endanger themselves more than necessary. Once they¡¯ve gotten their prey, they¡¯ll stop chasing us! So just fucking kick him off already or I¡¯ll kill you even if those beast don¡¯t kill you, goddamn brat!¡± ¨CTeru Ahh¡­ I see, so he plans to sacrifice the slave that¡¯s likely to make the least profit doesn¡¯t he... Just how low can you get? But it¡¯s not as if I can object to that either. Considering the situation, it is our best bet to get out of this alive. I guess I¡¯m a low-life too. ¡°HEY! Class-rep, what are you doing! Stop arguing already and do something!¡± ¨CHarusaki ¡°That guy is strong right!? Tell him to help us!¡± ¨CTakanashi This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it My two classmates desperately petition to me. Can¡¯t you two see that I¡¯m also at my wits end here? Are you perhaps expecting a miracle because I awakened my [Arte] or whatsoever? If I could do something about this I¡¯d have done it already, my own life is at stake here. ¡°Hey! Aren¡¯t we friends!? Please do something!...this¡­-sob-¡­no more¡± ¨CHarusaki ¡°Ha¡­Hanasaki¡­don¡¯t cry, I¡¯m still here, I will protect you¡± ¨CTakanashi ¡°Takanashi-kun¡­¡± ¨C Hanasaki Takanashi-san¡­ I know you want to look good in front of her so it¡¯s not like I can blame you. But it is still irritating either way. While their foolish display unexpectedly returned my calmness back to me, the grumpy guy on the driver seat apparently has run out of patience. ¡°Damn it you noisy brats. Fine! If you¡¯re not going to do it then I¡¯ll do it myself!¡± ¨CTeru Losing himself to anger, he turned his palm toward Takanashi-san and his palm started shining with a pale green light. This guy! He¡¯s going to blast Takanashi-san off the carriage. Or rather, so you can shoot an offensive spell after all? If so then why don¡¯t you shoot it at the monsters in the first place!? Perhaps it¡¯s too weak to wound monster but is enough to push someone off a carriage? Not that it matters anymore. Because before I knew it, I tackled Takanashi-san¡¯s body and pushed him out of the spell¡¯s path. Why did I do it I wonder? It¡¯s so uncharacteristic of me. It¡¯s not like me to save someone, I was never the self-sacrifice type to put my body in the line of danger for others. Yet my body moved without permission. What was it about going through a peaceful normal school life? About a trouble-free graduation? About becoming an Interpreter? I¡¯m regretting it already¡­ My body is assaulted by a strong gust of wind and after floating shortly in the air, I crashed onto the ground, rolling. It hurts¡­ My body is hurt all over. Did I break a bone from my fall? I can¡¯t really tell, all I can do right now is to groan in pain¡­ Over the distance, I can hear Teruel cursing in Elf language after losing his most valuable merchandise. Serves you right, I thought. The monsters stopped chasing the carriage just like he predicted, they surround me cautiously, slowly close the distance, and their teeth sink into my flesh¡­ If this was a nightmare, then would I wake up by this point? But the pain from the fall, the pain from countless fangs slicing my skin apart mercilessly denies my last hopes. Surrounded by the nauseating stink of wild beasts, the flaming agony of being cut into. As if a dam breaking, all the fear and panic I''ve been pushing myself to suppress these past few days overflow and fills my heart with intense dread. I shake my limbs wildly and bawl like a child, even though I know it''s futile. I don''t want to save any one. I don''t want to help any one. I don''t want to die. I don''t want to die. ________________________________________________________________________________________ [Narrator POV] The monster was still hungry. It wanted more. More. This is simply not enough. It''s not filling at all. Mor-- "Kisshhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa !!!! " The monster''s painful throes echo through the cave, smashing away the tranquil atmosphere that was there just a moment ago. What happened? It could not understand. No, it doesn''t understand, but somewhere deep inside its consciousness, it understood by instinct. Something is tearing itself apart. Not the body, not the mind. In the depth of its very existence. Something is destroying its soul. The only thing that could touch the soul would be another soul. However, the monster would not understand that. It doesn''t understand how such a thing is happening, nor does it realize the identity of the perpetrator. The only thing it understood was that its existence is being crushed, broken, and torn apart. Pain unlike any flesh wound shook its entirety. Not good. This is not good at all. Desperately the soul tries to hold itself together. But it was too late. The attacker has already got the upper hand with their surprise attack. No, perhaps even if that was not so, the monster stood no chance. It understood this very well, from colliding with that other soul, it understood that the other existence held much stronger will to live than its own. It''s different from a monster''s simple instinct. That existence wishes to live with its entire being. That existence is something that has experienced the world in much more colors than the monster. A monster that can only be a slave to its own instinct cannot even hope to perceive the kind of rich world that an intelligent being can perceive. Whether it be sadness, anger, or joy, the experiences that a human goes through while living are something that¡¯s out of the scope of comprehension for a beast. For the first time in its life, the monster posed a question. It was just a fleeting thought, a slight tremor in its mind. It wanted to know just what kind of world does that being sees through their eyes? Just what kind of world do they feel so attached to that they even surpassed a monster¡¯s born instinct to survive? Why do you wish so strongly to walk this world? But it could not ask, there was no way to. And the only thing that lies ahead, is the monster¡¯s own soul being disintegrated into darkness. The meat that was being digested inside the monster''s body, started to throb. As if that flesh has gained their own consciousness, and then it started to fuse together with the monster''s own flesh¡­ ______________________________________________________________________________________ [MC POV] I thought I was dead. No... I died. But, from the deep abyss where there was neither light, weight, nor direction. I regained my consciousness, and once again I was able to feel. Thought it was not something I''d want to celebrate. Because the first thing I felt. Was pain. It was similar to the pain when my leg broke, the only difference is now that pain is felt all over my body. Every single cell in my body screamed in agony. My mind is extremely exhausted, as if I had been through mortal combat where I was waging my very own existence. Yet, the pain was not at all considerate of my situation. Throughout my whole body, every single one of my bones break down, and joined together again, my muscles tear themself apart, then sewn together again. It''s as if my body is rebuilding itself¡­ "Kukuku...so this is it, my final form" Like I could say something like that. This isn''t such a nice turn of event. My body is screaming to me. That the battle is not yet over. Yea, I get it, this body is rejecting me. Even though the owner''s soul is no longer in this world, this body is rejecting the strange existence that was not supposed to be inside. The majority of the body''s original flesh is being torn off. The massive tail was the first to detach from the body. Then one leg fell off. And then another. Pieces of skin and meat drop on the ground with sloppy sounds. What''s left of the body could be falling apart at any moment now¡­ Chapter 6: In memory of my son How many days has it been since. Or maybe it has only been a few hours? I don''t know. The torture that seemed to repeat without end was the last thing I remember. Since when did I lose consciousness? Still fresh on my mind, there¡¯s the hazy feeling of being submerged in an eternal darkness. And before I knew it, once again, light enters my eyes. My body is incredibly sluggish. It''s not that I was lacking sleep, instead I felt as if I have slept far too much. However, right now I could not muster any strength in my body, being able to open my eyelids like this might just be all I am capable of. Huh? Eyelids? Do I have those? No no, I''m supposed to have them, of course. But I''m having a bad feeling about this. Let just leave that kind of thing for later¡­ Right now all my strength has left my body, and I''m incredibly hungry. No, even more than my hunger, I''m thirsty... My throat is so dry just talking might tear it apart. Fortunately, there''s a river flowing in this place. Summoning whatever strength I could, I drag my body near the water source, crawling on the ground. Haa...haa.... -Slurp- Haa...haa.. Delicious. Has water always been this delicious? All the drinks I''ve had in my life until now could not compare. The clear liquid wets my mouth, seeps into my throat. Water is supposed to be tasteless but to me it¡¯s as sweet as nectar. The cool stream of water flows in as if raining down on a desert, revitalizing my body. Yes, at this moment, I can truly say that I''ve been reborn! However, what is this? I''m having a strange feeling again¡­ Was my mouth supposed to be like this? My drinking posture is also abnormal. While I was pondering about, it seems that the sun has started to rise outside of the cave. The morning light goes through the cave''s entrance, hitting the water surface, and reflects my figure.... my... eh? What the hell is this!? Reflected on the water surface is a figure I know very well. Two big, muddy, oval eyeballs with no eyelid to cover them. On the forehead there''re 6 smaller dark eyes that have the same shape. There''s no nose, in the place where my mouth would be now has sharp jaws just like that of an ant''s. It''s exactly like the face of the monster that ate me. No¡­ or should I say it''s the face of the previous owner of this body? As soon as I vaguely understood what happened, it''s as if a hazy veil was lifted from my mind. A sense of dread pierced at my lungs, making it hard to breathe. I wanted to cry. I wanted to grab my shaking shoulders and wail myself to sleep. Strangely, the fleeting sensation of terror was being overwhelmed by something else. Something that has been lurking at the back of my mind, something violent. Violent and vicious. Yet, so comfortable. So free. . . . _________________________________________________________________________________________________ It''s not like I was attached to my previous face. It was girly, it was problematic, it was un-cool, and it was girly. Incidentally, my first love was my own face that was reflected inside the mirror.... keep this a secret kay''? Anyway, as a man, I wanted a cooler looking face. But this¡­ isn''t this totally different? It''s not even a human face anymore! Aahh...How did it become like this? No, I get it, I really get it. It''s all because of my stupid. [Arte] __________________________________________________________________________ In the first place, I did not know if I had one or not. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Class-rep seemed to have a rare one. Considering we''re all in the same situation. As in we¡¯re all resident from another world who aren¡¯t supposed to be here. It¡¯s normal to suspect that our abnormal circumstances might have a link with [Arte] somehow. There was a chance I would have one too. It was all just possibilities though. Of course, we did not know anything about our own [Arte], only class-rep who had her skill activated was able to know the identity of her skill. In fact, even if we were awakened to our [Arte] it¡¯s not like we can use them. Class-rep¡¯s [Arte] displayed the effect through simple conversation. Therefore she was able to use it without having prior knowledge. All she needed to do was talk with people using an unknown language and her [Arte] would naturally do its job. Other [Arte] might not be so simple. Even if we had one, we didn¡¯t know what it was or how to use it. However, when I died. My own [Arte] activated, and I came to understand the true nature of it. [Iron Will: The owner of this Arte is able to come back from the dead no matter what kind of condition his body is in at the time of death. One time effective] Um.... How do I say this, is this ability amazing, or is it not? No, if you think about how you are able to cheat death once, even if your body turns into ashes, it is certainly an amazing power. However, you can only use this once. Eh? So if the monster did not eat me, and left my body as is, wouldn''t it just kill me again when I revive? What if I died of starvation in some valley, wouldn''t I just die to hunger again after I was revived? Not to mention the skill becomes useless after it''s used once? I have to question why did I awaken to this [Arte] to begin with¡­ Does the type of [Arte] have something to do with each person¡¯s unique character?¡­ I¡¯m aware that I¡¯m a stubborn person¡­ but still¡­ Rather, I''d very much prefer an offensive ability instead, if I can defeat the opponent before it gets to me I wouldn''t die in the first place. Eh? Then what''s with this half-assed ability!? It''s a miracle I actually survived. My digested flesh actually fused with the monster''s own body and my soul won the tug of war. I wonder if this was an intended effect, or an unprecedented accident? Not that there''s any one here to answer me¡­ ________________________________________________________________________ Since my head became such a state, what about my body? While I was crawling I certainly felt the limbs were similar to a human''s. I remember the majority of the monster''s body rejected me and the rejected flesh tore itself apart from the main body. I have cold sweat thinking about how my body might be a grotesque unrecognizable mess of flesh if anything went wrong during the transformation process. Turning my body around sluggishly and lay my back down the ground, I take a look below. Un, I can''t see it. I can''t see my lower half. Something is blocking my view. Something that I have always treated as an object of worship. As a man, it''s the symbol of hopes and dreams. But never do I want one of them actually attached to my own body, much less two¡­ Yea, two of them. I move my hands and squeeze one out. ~purunn ~ Soft. It can¡¯t be¡­ This, there''s no doubt about it¡­ Then, what about down below there? I silently pray inside my head. Please not let my worst dream comes true. I was never a believer but only this once I pray to you, God, Devil, or whoever is out there. Slowly, I move my hand to check my most important place. My heart is weighed down by a heavy feeling as if I''m walking along a dark corridor, reaching for the door to my execution site by myself. And when I finally arrived¡­ Ah... My son is gone... Chapter 7: Meal Today is another good day. The sky is without a cloud in sight and the sunlight warmly shines down upon this vast land called The Ciallmhar Forest, making the greenery brim with vigor. Looking at the clear blue horizon that spreads as far as your eyes can see, a man would instinctively nod at the notion that if he were to die any day, today would be a good one. Whether it was a joke or not, that tragedy befell a certain man. Inside a cave located deep in the forest, on top of the rocky ground next to the river which flows into the cave, there lay a single corpse. My corpse. No¡­ even if there''s no strength, my body is clearly alive. But my heart is already dead. I might have come off as heartless, but I''ve always been a compassionate person. After all, I treasure my family before anything else. My family, my son. We''ve been through thick and thin together, in health or sickness. I wanted to make you into a fine adult myself, why is it that you passed away before that even happened? Even though I still haven''t been able to repay you for all the joy you''ve brought me just by being by my side. ........... (-sob-) I no longer have any will to continue living... . . . . -gurugurguru- And so, while I was mourning for my son, an inelegant sound breaks the silence. I guess whether I''ve given up on life or not, my stomach will rings when it''s hungry¡­ Really¡­ even though I''m filled with this much sorrow, my belly still can''t read the mood at all. A human''s body is as honest as ever. Un....? Rather, I''m not really human anymore am I? Why is this happening? Even though the head turned into a monster''s, the body is human-like? Much less a female one¡­ Is it because the insect was a female? Then I guess it''s understandable but¡­ Sad things are sad. Ah¡­ Now that i say it, while the body does look human from the outside, the inside does not feel human at all. It seems like compared to the time when I was human, my monster self has a much better understanding of its own flesh. Each throbbing muscle, every vein that my blood flows through, I can sense the inhuman structure of my muscles, bones, and the strange arrangements of my organs. Even this human-like skin, while it is soft, it''s very resilient, it feels like it won''t bleed even if I got cut by a sword.... -gururururu- My stomach rang again. Really, this guy here can''t read the mood at all. To my right, there''s the leftover pile of carnage that was once part of the monster''s body. When my body was rebuilding itself, a big part of the monster''s massive body fell off and left me with this human-sized body. Maybe I could try and eat that? It''s not going to be a delicacy, but beggars can''t be choosers. Strangely enough I actually don''t even feel too repulsed when thinking about eating that monster corpse. If it was the me before, I''d probably hesitate a lot more, is this an influence from the monster''s psyche? Let''s give it a try. I reach my hand out, grab a fist sized piece with rubbery texture and put it in my mouth. -mogu mogu- "Blergh" Nope, Impossible. Can''t eat this. Putting aside the terrible taste that''s like eating dirty cloth, there''s a worse issue here. Even though it was definitely meat once, there''s no longer any nutrient inside. Did I absorb all the elements inside before it fell off to supply the energy needed to rebuild my body? This is now just a dried up piece of wood, I can''t even call it meat anymore. It was depleted of everything and what was left are just inedible tissues¡­ I tried the other parts but every single one of them were the same. The shells might have some calcium to it? They are too hard for me to chew through though. I have no motivation to live on. But if I were to die then I''d like to die in a way other than starvation. So hungry. Isn''t there a hamburger tree somewhere? _____________________________________________________________________________________ From then on it has already been 5 days. I still haven''t been able to secure any food. After all, my body doesn''t even have the strength to move outside of this cave. The only reason why I could tell how many days it has been is because the cave entrance is right around the corner and I could see sunlight seeping inside. Luckily there''s a source of water right next to me, but there are no fishes to be found. Even if there is, I wouldn''t be able to catch them. My body has no strength. Even If I drink water, it''s not as if water can provide my body with energy. The best I can do right now is slowly crawl on the ground, with this, I don''t think I can even catch a mouse if one happens to run by, not to mention monsters. If a monster finds me here, I''m as good as dead. I''ve thought of catching bugs or small lizard that passes by but there were none of those as well. Uuuuu... So hungry. Actually even though I''ve only been drinking water for days now, it''s strange that I''m still alive. I''ve heard that human can only go on without anything to eat for 20 days. Considering that my body had no energy reserves after the transformation, I was already in a starved state to begin with. It wouldn''t be strange if I were to pass on to the next world any moment now. Yet, my body shows no intention of giving out still. As expected the body of a monster is resilient after all? ___________________________________________________________________________________ 2 more days passed. Even though my body looks like it can still hang on for a while longer, my mentality isn''t so sturdy. I might just crunch on these rocks beside me in desperation. Is this how my life is going to end? _____________________________________________________________________________________________ On the next day''s morning, a change happened. With the arrival of the sunlight, the sound of footsteps resound from beyond the caves entrance. It did not sound like human feet at all. There seemed to be only one individual, but the sounds that entered my ear were from at least 4 to 6 legs hitting the ground. Ahh wait¡­I have no ears. But I could pick up precisely the vibrations that carry through the air. It seems like the tiny hairs on my body are acting as a sound sensor, and the vibrations they pick up are transmitted to the hearing membranes under my skin. I wonder if it¡¯s similar to the membrane under the abdomen of grasshoppers and cicadas which they use to sense sound. I¡¯m reminded once again I¡¯m no longer human. Not that it matters anymore¡­ my life will be finished once that monster finds me. If you were going to kill me then I''d like you to do it a bit earlier, what were my days of sufferings for? What appeared before me eventually, was a gigantic ant. It''s at least 1 meter long, even though the outward appearance is no different from Earth''s ant. It stops before me, tilts its head to one side and stares at me curiously. To see that gesture as kind of cute¡­ Has the hunger driven me mad? Still, the instinct of the monster inside me isn''t sounding any danger alarm. We stared at each other for a couple minutes then the giant ant turned around and left without any further action. Huh? eh? Wait, don''t leave! If you were not going to kill me, then at least leave one of your legs here! If you spare someone just to let him die soon after, you might as well finish him off. Half-assed charity is just another form of evil you know! Ahhh... It''s gone¡­ . . . Betraying my expectations, however. The ant comes back when it''s past noon, carrying something between its jaws. A red ball, dripping with thick crimson juices¡­ The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. My eyes are glued to that particular object. If only I could see my face right now, I must be making a very scary expression. I don''t know if a monster''s face can make an expression or not though. But that thing, there''s no doubt about it. It''s meat. Fresh, red meat. The giant ant drops the ball of meat in front of me. Is this for me? Is this okay if I eat this? It''s okay if I eat this right? I''m going eat this for real you know? Even if you want to take it back I won''t let you! My mouth was already gnawing on the piece of meat before I realized it. Ahhh¡­ bliss¡­ This manner of eating. Not even thanking my benefactor before the meal surely isn''t suited for a gentleman, but this is no time to worry about that. Delicious. Even though this meat was not cooked or processed in anyway, it was amazingly tasty. This isn''t something like "Anything would taste good when you''re hungry" I''m sure that this would be delicious even if I was not starving. The meat is soft and juicy. With every bite, red blood flows out and fills my mouth with sweetness. The fat is tickling my tongue, mixing with the meat and making the taste even deeper. The aroma of fresh blood is filling my nose with ecstasy. It''s a whole world of new flavors. Surely this deliciousness is something that my former self as a human wouldn''t be able to comprehend. Ahh¡­ I get it. I really get it. I know too well what''s the real identity of this meat. But I''m not too bothered by it. If I''m hungry, then I''ll eat. It''s not because I''m a monster, though I don''t deny being one changed my perspective a little bit. Even if I was a human, I would not deny this meat. Now that I think of it, there was that kind of story even back in my world. ¡°On 13 October 1972, an Uruguayan plane crashed on to the Andes, longest continental mountain range in the world. More than a quarter died in the crash, followed by many deaths due to injury, cold and avalanche. The last 16 survivors were rescued 2 months later and this incident is famously known as the ¡°Andes flight disaster¡±. The reason is as expected, with the minimal food supplies it was impossible for them to survive until they¡¯re rescued, result in the surviving passengers lived on the flesh of the deceased that were preserved by the snow. There was a lot of controversy surrounding this incident since all the passengers were Roman Catholic. And many refused to eat human flesh at first due to their religious convictions¡± Human have a strong will to live after all. While we¡¯re all immersed in modern society¡¯s ethics and values since we were born, if you¡¯re lost in the wilderness with nothing but your hunger and the prey in front. There isn¡¯t a big enough room in our heart to fit in vain ideals. ¡°That said, there were cultures that willingly practice cannibalism as well. One would be the Aztec people that lived during the 14th -16th century. Studies indicate that they ate human because of their eating habits as well as religious practice. Considering the food situation in their society at that time, human flesh was a precious source of protein.¡± It makes me wonder if their religious practice of human sacrifice and cannibalism also were simply a byproduct of the circumstances, a way to justify their method of survival? After all, people will believe in whatever is most convenient for them. As for me, I¡¯m someone who put myself as the priority. Ethics? Morals? I guess it¡¯d be nice if they¡¯re upheld. But they aren¡¯t worth anything when compared to my life. It¡¯s not as if I¡¯m trying to make excuses¡­ Or maybe I am. When all is said and done, my mind is still that of a human, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to eat this meat without a shred of guilt. The proof is that while my stomach is feeling very happy, I can¡¯t stop the shaking of my shoulders, or the feeling of something gripping my chest tight. I won¡¯t say what I¡¯m doing is just. I won¡¯t say that it¡¯s forgivable just because of the circumstances. But if doing this is evil, then I am fine with being evil. That¡¯s right. My own morality that I follow is simple: Delicious things are delicious. __________________________________________________________________________________ It''s been many days since I finally crossed the line. The giant ant comes to my place once every few days, bringing me similar balls of meat. The little hesitation from the first couple of meals is no longer to be found. It¡¯s not as if I¡¯ve discarded the part of me that was human. I just came to accept the part of me that¡¯s a monster. I wonder how would I describe myself right now? A human that regards other human as food? Or a monster that thinks like a human?... Disrupting my chain of thought, the usual ant shows itself in front of me again, holding a meat ball in its jaws. It has been over a month since I was stuck in this cave, and this marks the 9th time the ant has delivered meat to me. I don¡¯t know why it has taken a liking to me, but I¡¯m thankful. There''s nothing I can do to pay it back though. For the time being, I pat and gently rubs it''s head and chin. Trembling slightly, it shakes it''s head and rubs on my palm in response, letting out a satisfied " kiiriii ~~" sound. Damn it! This cute fellow! I never thought that I would find a giant ant cute, but I''ve grown very attached to this guy. Rather than an ant, aren''t you more like a dog? Anyway, thanks to my new friend, I was saved. But my situation didn''t improve too much. Hunting seems to be hard work, it only brings me food once every few days. It''s enough for me to move around the cave, but I''m in no position to fight yet. Since I have free time, I''ve been thinking about what to do. I''m slowly recovering thanks to the meat, If I don''t needlessly waste my energy, I would be able to help Ari-chan hunt in about 1 week or 2. Right, I went ahead and named it Ari. I don¡¯t really know if that¡¯s even naming, since ¡°Ari¡± just means ¡°Ant¡± in Japanese¡­ Leaving my terrible naming sense aside, once my strength fully recovers and we''re able to secure a good amount of meat, it will be time to think about my next steps. First of all, about my classmates¡­ To be honest, I never really wanted to mingle in with those guys too much. They''re responsible for their own fate. For the time being, I have no intention to look for them. I could just live my life quietly, simply securing enough food and water to pass the days. It doesn''t sound like a bad proposal. I would like to refrain myself from troublesome things so a lazy lifestyle suits me just fine. In fact, just living lazily is a kind of bliss in itself. However, since I''m actually in a different world, I would like to at least go and see the world at least once. Unknown land, unknown creatures, unknown cultures, not to mention a fantasy land much like ones that only appear in stories. I''ve thought of finding ways to return but it would be such a waste if I don''t at least see what this world has to offer. So that comes first. After facing death so many times and suffered in many ways in such a short while. I''ve decided it, I''m not going to surrender to this unfair world. The more this world tries to put me down, the more I want to retaliate back. I''m going to live defiantly and brilliantly, for no one but my own sake! So with that, I''ve drawn up my first priorities in this world: - Learn the language. - Go on a sightseeing trip. - Revive my son. With the most important priority being the recovery of my son of course. This is a fantasy world, so I''m sure there''s a way to do that somewhere. .... there is, right? O¡­Oohhh! I''m getting fired up! Chapter 8: The hunt I was content. For the first time since I¡¯ve been stranded in this unfamiliar world, I felt calm and reassured. Even though there are a lot of unknowns, I¡¯m no longer feeling confused and lost since I¡¯ve managed to draw up my objective and the direction I¡¯ll take from now on. All I have to do now is to rest and slowly recover my body until a point where I can move around without trouble. Then what¡¯s left is to leave this forest and take a look at this world from my own eyes. When things are finally looking up for once, I briefly forgot. About just how unforgiving and unreasonable the world can be. Today marks a month and a half since I¡¯ve been stuck in this world. My body is steadily gaining its vigor, but a meat ball every couple of days isn¡¯t nearly enough to satisfy my immediate hunger, much less to completely recover my strength. I¡¯m constantly in a state of starvation, but since food is delivered at my feet literally, there was no need for me to exert my energy needlessly. Since I¡¯m conserving my energy by being a NEET that leeches off my pet, even things are progressing slowly, I should be able to take some action soon. Nevertheless, sitting around all day doing nothing is truly boring, though it really can¡¯t be helped since I don¡¯t want to waste my strength. To distract myself, I¡¯ve been trying to get used to my new body. Moving rigorously around is out of the question, so I checked out my senses instead. As for the hearing functions on this body, it¡¯s not all too impressive. No¡­ If I compare this to a human¡¯s hearing then certainly it¡¯s at least three times more sensitive. But it¡¯s pale in comparison to the olfactory organs. An insect¡¯s sense of smell is truly marvelous, it¡¯s not an exaggeration to call it a miracle of nature. I have a pair of antennae on my head that look like that of a moth. And I can say that their function is also similar to one. A moth antennae is so sensitive to smell it¡¯s borderline supernatural. They can detect as little as a single molecule of scent floating in one cubic yard of air. With a single smell molecule, they can sense a mate from three kilometers away, or as far as eleven kilometers away in some cases. Even though it¡¯s not omnipotent since they aren¡¯t sensitive to all kind of smell and detection from large distance mostly only applies to the hormone a female uses to summon males. However still, if it¡¯s within 500 meters then no living being will be able to escape my radar. As such, surprise attack against me is almost impossible. No matter how skilled one is at camouflage and stealth, I can sense every chemical substance produced in their body. If it¡¯s a smell that I¡¯ve marked, such as Ari-chan¡¯s then I¡¯ll even be able to sense it from two kilometer away. Talk about Ari-chan, I¡¯m starting to pick up its smell, it¡¯s heading toward my place. But something¡¯s wrong. As it gets closer, I notice there¡¯s the smell of human blood as usual, but it¡¯s very weak. On the other hand, the smell of Ari-chan¡¯s bodily fluids are exceptionally strong. Even the chemical substances inside the body that are hard to detect normally, I could sense them from a kilometer away. It¡¯s as if the chemical substances are baring themselves out in the open. A bad premonition looms its shadow over me as I drag my still heavy body to the cave¡¯s entrance. After shutting myself in the cave for a long time, though there were still light seeping in, the interior of the cave were only dimly lit to the point of being able to make out what¡¯s right in front of you. The bright light outside appeared to be just a bit too intense for me as I instinctively move my arm to block the sun. Even then it was only a moment, while my eyes adapt to the brightness I searched around with my antennae and found Ari-chan collapsed a few dozen meters away from the cave. Ari-chan does not seem to be moving, one of its left leg is missing, there are various cracks on its shell and from there gooey liquids drip down the ground. The only saving grace is that Ari-chan is still hanging on to life. ¡°Hey, hang in there, what in the world happened?¡± ¡­and so I tried to scream, but all that left my mouth were just some ¡°giiguuiiiiii¡± incomprehensible sounds. It looks like a monster throat is different from a human¡¯s after all. I also don¡¯t have tongue or teeth. Forgetting this world¡¯s language, I can¡¯t even speak Japanese now even if I wanted to. Still, way to pick a time to act like an idiot, me. It¡¯s not like it can answer even if it understands what I¡¯m saying. Though there isn¡¯t a need to since the situation is made clear just from a single glance. There are human blood splattered on its body, and various places on its shell look as if they were pierced by a stake. With a body full of holes like this, how is it staying alive? The life force of monsters is something else. But I see¡­ a failed hunt huh. How could I forget, even though I should be the one who understand the most how much of a threat human can be. I don¡¯t know how to judge a monster¡¯s strength, but if my hunch is correct, Ari-chan isn¡¯t very strong. If it fight 1v1 with the panther from before, there¡¯s a good chance it will lose. In the first place ants are creatures that pride on their numbers and co-operation, for one to act solo like this guy is surely strange. Or is it simply the difference between this world and mine? Or Ari-chan could also be one that strayed away or had its colony destroyed. ¡°Kiiuuuu¡­.¡± Ari-chan groans weakly and try to pass me something from its jaws. A bitten off part of a male¡¯s palm¡­ What are you¡­even in this kind of situation, are you some kind of loyal dog? Really¡­. You idiot, if you¡¯re an ant then act like one. Giving out a heavy sigh while mumbling a couple of complaints in my mind, I start to perform a more detailed check on its body to make sure there weren¡¯t any fatal wound. Though I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s safe to move Ari-chan body or not, I have no choice. Leaving it out in the open forest like this is too dangerous. Mustering all the strength I can, I put Ari-chan on my back and slowly head to the cave. It was lighter than expected. I had imagined it to weight at least 60-80kg. Or is it because of my monster body¡¯s strength? After we arrived at my usual spot inside the cave, I let Ari-chan¡¯s body rests next to me and we shared the small piece of meat it brought back together that evening. I have no idea how to nurse a monster back to health, but since it¡¯s a monster in a fantasy world, maybe it can regenerate back if it has enough rest? Even if that¡¯s a long shot, I have no other hope to cling to. Morning comes next day. And then the next morning after that. Ari-chan shows no signs of recovering. In fact, its condition is getting worse. I can feel its life force slowly washes away as it lay unmoving. What should I do? Maybe just like what it did to me, I could try to provide nutrient while it rests? Though I can move around now, my body still feel very heavy. I¡¯m permanently in a state that feels like I¡¯ve just finished a long distance marathon. Honestly, I have no confidence that I can hunt food. These two days while Ari-chan was resting inside the cave, I tried to look around for edible fruits but I couldn¡¯t find any. There were no animals nearby either. At best, a couple of rabbits passed by once in a while. But those wild rabbits was incredibly fast, even more so than the panthers. My weakened body could not chase after them. As for birds.... I can''t fly. There are a couple of monster panthers to the north and some more unidentified monsters in the other directions but fighting them was too risky. If it¡¯s like this, then there¡¯s only one option left. When banded together, human are strong. But if they¡¯re alone, they should be easier to kill compare to monsters, and they aren''t as speedy as wild animals. I suspect Ari-chan has been hunting them by targeting lone humans as well. Since I¡¯m human myself, or at least I used to be, I should be able to find an opportunity to attack easier than Ari-chan, since I have a better understanding of human¡¯s behavior. I could sneak in and steal some food. But if it proves to be impossible.... I will have the human themselves become our food. What if even then Ari-chan won¡¯t recover? Well, if it happens then it happens. I¡¯ll probably cry. But there¡¯s nothing I can do about it other than trying what I can. I will just die of hunger if I sit around doing nothing anyway. Sooner or later I¡¯d have to find food by myself. Though I¡¯d prefer to be more combat ready before I hunt, the world isn¡¯t so kind as to wait until I¡¯m at my best condition. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Leaving Ari-chan in the cave, I trace the trail it left behind by using my sense of smell. Since it already brought me food many times with 3 to 6 days intervals, it¡¯s hard to believe that level of consistency was from hunting random travelers that pass by the forest, instead there¡¯s a good chance of human settlements being somewhere nearby. Even though 2 days have passed, my antennae can still detect the scent Ari-chan left on its way, it¡¯s truly is nothing short of amazing. Guided by the smell, I follow the 5 meters wide river that I fell in which extends a long way to the west. On one side of the river is a great mountain range. The cave that the river carried me in was a cavity at the foot of this mountain. After walking for about 15 kilometers, I recognize a familiar scenery. This place¡­ it¡¯s the valley where we encountered and fought the monster for the first time. Walking west about 5 more kilometers there¡¯s a mountain path that seems to go all the way to the other side of the mountain. I probably fell from up there when we were chased by those obstinate panthers. I wonder what happened to those guys? Did they manage to escape the monsters? Or did they fell prey to those unpleasant jaws. Not that I have the luxury to go and confirm it, there¡¯s neither time nor energy to spare. It has already been almost 2 months, I doubt there¡¯s anything left for me to find anyway. A life of slavery awaits them even if they survived, but it¡¯s still better than dying. That Teru bastard could use magic, so it¡¯s highly likely that they managed to get away, or at least avoided a wipe-out. Continue a little bit further, the river divided into 2 parts. One to the west and one heads down south west. Tracing the smell I followed the south west part, leaving the north mountain range further behind me. Come to think of it, That guy said he lived in an elf village near the edge of the forest. Since he followed the mountain path to the north west, going over the mountain itself, I guess I can safely assume that the settlement Ari-chan hunted human from weren¡¯t that elf village? I wouldn¡¯t want to face a bunch of angry Elves shooting magic at me. That¡¯d be dangerous. No, seriously, I¡¯d die. There¡¯s always a chance that he was lying though. Kidnapping and selling slaves hardly fit the image of Elves in my mind. Though since this is a different world, I can¡¯t really use my old values to judge it. After heading south west for about 5 kilometers, I detached from the river and head further south up a hill, while the river continues trailing south west. If there¡¯s a human settlement, I should see it soon since they wouldn¡¯t want to be too far from the water source. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. As expected, the trees start to thin out and I sense human smell from around 500 meters away. As I approach carefully while hiding myself behind trees, a couple of wooden houses and some human silhouettes enter my vision. All the houses were open air basements, about 1.5 meters above the ground with only 1 floor. The 3 biggest ones are about as big as one 2LDK, while the 10 smaller ones are a bit smaller than 1LDK. These houses are concentrated around a clearing with only a few trees in-betweens. Next to a couple of houses, there are small patches of plants with vines clinging on wooden stakes. A bit further away from the dwellings are terraced platforms spreading down the hill¡¯s slope. I see, so there¡¯s terraced farming in this world too. The slope has been cut into platforms that look like a set of stairs. These terraced fields reduce erosion and surface runoff, on top of providing the needed area to grow crops. I don¡¯t really know much else about farming though. Is this a self-sufficient village? I don¡¯t see any kind of man-made road leading out of the settlement. At best there are some animal trails that lead into the forest. No¡­ to call this a village might be an exaggeration, using my antennae I tried to search around for the presence of people but there¡¯s only around 50 people here. 8 elders around late forties early fifties tending to the tomato look-alike vines, they looks much older than what a 50 years old man would look on Earth, perhaps it¡¯s due to the difference in environment and food situation. About 5 children that are still in their teenage years or younger, and 40 grown man and women. It¡¯s a couple of hours past noon, would there be some more off hunting in the forest? Putting the small number of people aside, isn¡¯t there too few children? Considering this is a farming village of sort, I¡¯d imagine there are more children to help with labors. There¡¯s quite a gap between the children and adults too, perhaps most of the young adult left to find a better life in the city. Now then, looking around the village there isn¡¯t any worth mentioning when it comes to fighting potential. At best there are some worn out knives, a couple of wooden bows. The thing that most resemble a weapon would be a dozen wooden spears, each attached with a bronze spearhead. Are they handmade? The finishing on the wooden pole is rough and the spearheads are uneven. Were the large cracks on Ari-chan¡¯s shell because of those? While they¡¯re crude, I guess they did serve their purpose. My antennae tried to search for the scent of livestocks.... but the only living thing other than human was a small number of newborn chicks. The best thing that resembled meat was some slices of dried jerky in a couple of houses. It''s not enough The vegetables are not yet ripe... I have no idea whether Ari-chan can eat grains or not. I cannot wait any longer. Ari-chan could die any moment now while I''m idling in this place. I need to obtain food fast. Even when I want to think it''s because I have no choice, a faint sense of joy stirred up inside me. Did I want this kind of development to happen? Must be my imagination. I shook off the uncomfortable notion and focused on the target at hand. It¡¯s not a good idea to stir up the whole group, I cannot take on the whole village. Since there¡¯s almost a kilometer distance between the dwelling and the river, someone has to fetch water sometimes. I keep a distance of 300 meters from the village and observe them while waiting for my chance. Stalking innocence people and waiting for a chance to murder them. Aren¡¯t I a bonafide villain right now? When I think of my future there¡¯s nothing for me other than being subjugated like a vermin. Can I cry? _____________________________________________________________________________________ Before long, I spot a woman holding a wooden barrel at the edge of the village. She looks like she was about to head to the direction of the river. However, a middle aged man about 40 years old stopped her and then they start to argue. ¡°---- --- --------!! -------------!!¡± ¨Cman ¡°----- -- ---------------------- -- ---------------¡° ¨Cwoman The man seems to be frantically shouting something at her. He looks more worried than angry. The woman is about 30 years old? Or maybe younger, she isn¡¯t at all beautiful but her face is gentle and easy to look at. Her skin is a bit tanned, as expected of a woman living in a farming village I guess? I¡¯m not too sure whether she¡¯s the daughter or wife of the middle aged man. I have no knowledge of the customs of this world after all. If they marry at a young age it¡¯s not too strange even if you have a daughter that¡¯s only around 15 years old younger than you. At the man¡¯s persistent pestering, the woman has a face that looks to be fed up with him. She tries to brush him off, pointing at the field. At times like this, I really wish I could understand what they are talking about. Not knowing the language is very inconvenient. My best guess is that it¡¯s about Ari-chan¡¯s recent attacks on this village. After all it must¡¯ve killed off a couple of villagers already. It¡¯d be strange if they weren¡¯t the least cautious. But since they drove off Ari-chan in a half dead state the other day, does the woman thinks that there¡¯s no need to worry about it anymore? It seemed that the man finally gave up and turned toward the field while grumbling something. The woman ignored him and starts to walk toward the river. I follow her while trying to not make any sound. It¡¯s best to kill her as far away from the village as possible in case anything goes wrong. I decided to commit the act when she reaches the riverside. As for the road leading up to there, I couldn¡¯t tell whether it was long or short. My mind was devoid of any thought, I didn¡¯t want to have any unnecessary questions like ¡°does she have a family?¡± or ¡°would anyone be sad when she¡¯s gone?¡± interfere with my actions. In the end I even became unaware of how much time has passed or how long have we walked. The forest today is strangely silent, any small rustling of the leaves has already been drowned out by the sound of my own heart beating loudly, so much that I was worried if she¡¯d hear it and my presence would became exposed. Finally she reached the river bank. I wonder if there was a small part of me that hoped she wouldn¡¯t arrive. But that doesn¡¯t matter now. Carefully, I sneak up from behind her in silent. From before, while I was waiting for someone to leave the village, I chose a sturdy tree branch and broke it off. The dead and dried tree branch snapped and left sharp and uneven protruding points on one end. It¡¯s not qualified as a weapon, but if I stab hard enough it should be able to pierce a person¡¯s neck. She still hasn¡¯t realized me yet even though I¡¯m only 2 steps behind her. Gripping the branch tightly on my right hand, I leap at her and cover her mouth with my left¡­ ¡°MMmm!!!¡± ¨Cwoman The woman left out a muffled scream as her body fell back due to the force of my grab. Her wooden barrel dropped with a ¡°thud¡± on the river bank and water splashed on the ground and on to our feet. With a face stiffed with fear, she desperately tries to peel off my hand to no avail. Yes, just like this, now all I have to do is to thrust the pointed end of this branch in her throat and finish her off as fast as I can. It¡¯s all going according to plan. Except for the fact that my right arm isn¡¯t moving. Is it really okay? Is it really okay to kill this person? A dead person won¡¯t come back to life. Once I kill her, that¡¯s it, I won¡¯t be able to take it back anymore. Even though I¡¯ve already gone past the point of regrets and return. I know. I know, but still¡­ Out of all the possible timings, in this situation, all the ¡°what if?¡± start to spin around my head. ¡°MmmMMmmmmmmm!!¡± ¨CWoman Unaware of the confusion inside my head, the woman struggles even harder. Damn it! Quiet down for a moment! Feeling annoyed as her struggles adds even more confusion to me, I strengthen my grip. Crack. An unpleasant sound enters my ear. It was such an unpleasant sound, my body is raising goosebumps all over. Not just the sound, but the feeling of something snaps into two was transmitted directly through the bag of meat that my hand is gripping. The woman twitches shortly, then her body became limp and fell down. Looking at the unmoving woman next to my feet, I forget to breathe. This is a lie right? Just a moment before, I clearly felt her ragged breath and the warmth of a living person on my palm. And then the feeling of gripping live flesh and breaking the bone underneath that meat was so nauseating I wanted to throw up. Was human always this fragile? Unable to bear the urge to vomit that¡¯s rising from my abdomen, I fell down to my knees with both hands on the ground and start to gasp heavily. Even though I had no problem eating¡­ what is the difference between now and then? Is it like the feeling of a human who has no problem eating chicken but cannot bear to watch one slaughtered first hand? If I had tear glands like a human, would I be crying right now? Even if I had, I would not allow myself to cry. Or to regret. Isn¡¯t this what I planned to do from the start? I would not forgive myself if I were to do something so spoiled like crying. That¡¯s right, laugh. Laugh. What else to do but to laugh. ¡°A..Agiaha¡­.gihagiagigihahagigigigi¡± What came out of my mouth, however, was not a laugh. Only the grotesque sneer of a monster. _____________________________________________________________________________ From that point on, I don¡¯t remember much. As if I was running inside a dream, I traced my way back to the cave, piggyback the woman¡¯s corpse on my back¡­ No¡­ not a woman Just a sack of meat. Carrying food on my back. I ran and ran. I did not look back, nor slowed down. Even though my legs felt like logs. Tension filled my head, blocking out any unnecessary thought. The only thing in my mind was ordering my feet to move. Chapter 9: Good and Evil I arrived at my cave just after sunset. The return trip took only half the time I used to get to the village, even though I had a heavy baggage with me. Despite simply just moving around would be strenuous I still managed to run all the way back. Should I give the credit to the sturdy monster body that can do the job when it really counts? Though it seems like I¡¯ve spent the last ounce of energy in this body. As soon as I reached the cave, it only took me a couple more steps to finally flop down on the cave floor like a marionette that had its strings cut. I have no time to be resting now however. While still out of breath I try to wake up the sleeping Ari-chan by shaking its body and then urge it to eat the fresh meat. ¡°Kiuuu¡­.¡± ¨CAri While groaning weekly, Ari-chan musters its strength to move closer to the corpse and start gnawing on a leg. Though it¡¯s hard to tell since it has no expression, for now at least it seems to have more vigor compare to the last two days. With this, I¡¯ve done all that I can, all I¡¯m able to do now is to hope that this will have some positive effect on its recovery. -gururururuu- Now that I¡¯m finally able to catch a breath, my stomach is back to its job of ringing alarm ever diligently. Since Ari-chan was like that I haven¡¯t had anything to eat in a week after all. Not to mention I just literally exhausted all my energy reserves today as well. I look at the corpse reluctantly. I really killed someone didn¡¯t I. This corpse is still pretty much in tact with no visible wounds even. Shit. Are you telling me to eat this raw just like this? Back then probably because Ant-chan could not drag the whole corpse around easily, it tore apart the body and roll into balls of meat. As expected, to eat directly from a fresh body like this is a different thing all together. It¡¯s like the difference between biting on a burger and biting on a live cow. Yet, no matter how hesitant I am, all my senses are focusing on that body. The smell of fresh blood and meat that was warm just a little while ago is making all the sensors I possess shake in excitement. Shit. My stomach is crying out to the flesh laid immobile on the ground. My vision turns hazy. The craving for the taste that has long enraptured my appetite is increasingly becoming harder to bear. Something inside me has already started to crumble since the time I first felt a human neck breaking on my palm. Or was it even earlier... Not that it matters anymore. I¡¯m hungry. Gritting my teeth, I reached for her arm and tried to break it off, but it was harder than I thought. The strength I had back then when I snapped her neck felt like a lie. Or is it because the method is wrong? If I remember right when pulling the bone off chicken wings you have to first break the joints¡­ right, I see, how about this then? Holding her arm on one hand and pin her body down on the other, I tried to twist her arm in an impossible direction to break the shoulder joint. And then surely, a snapping sound much, much louder than when her neck break echoed inside the cave dimly lit in moonlight. ¡°--!¡± Hearing that sudden sound made my body jerks up in surprise and I became frozen for a moment. Uuuu¡­ So pathetic¡­ what am I doing getting scared by a bone breaking? Shit. Shit. Shit. I''m so frustrated. Frustrated at this unreasonable situation. Frustrated at having no one to rely on. No one to tell me it''s wrong, no one to tell me it''s right. No one to support me, no one to condemn me. And most of all, frustrated at myself. I have always thought I was a normal person who can be found anywhere. But when I¡¯m put in this kind of position. The layers of reasoning I used to wear crumbles away. Revealing something beneath. Something different. More so than anything, I¡¯m so hopelessly stubborn. Even if what I¡¯m doing is a mistake, I will follow through until the end. I killed someone, and now I¡¯m going to eat them. It¡¯s that simple. In the future too, I will surely kill a lot more, and eat a lot more. I won¡¯t try to justify myself with boorish excuses like it¡¯s for my survival. I will face the consequences of my actions. I won''t blame anyone if I was ever to be purged like the vile creature I am. But even then, I will resist with all I''ve got. Taking a deep breath, I rid myself of reasons. I will only become more confused, the more I think. Leaving it to my body, I strengthen my grip and pull the arm off the broken shoulder. This time, the skin and meat get torn off easily followed by the unpleasant sounds of flesh tearing that would make anyone¡¯s hair stand on ends. After breathing in deeply, I open my mouth wide and take a big bite off the broken arm. Instantly my mouth is filled with a deliciousness I¡¯ve never experienced before. The flavor of newly obtained meat is much more vivid than the meat balls Ari-chant brought me back then. The fresh smell of meat and blood, the elastic and soft sensations when I sink my fang in, the taste of animal fat that spreads out in every corners of my throat. Delicious! As I greedily chomp down on the arm, Ari-chan finished with the leg and now starting to cut open the corpse from the front with its knife like jaws. Uuuu¡­ the sight of bloodstained ribs together with a human¡¯s organs spilling out is truly so grotesque. So nauseating... Shaking my head, I try to throw off my disgust. Keep it together, me. Haven¡¯t I already resolved myself that this is my way of life? I can¡¯t back down now. I won¡¯t. Much more importantly......... aren¡¯t those organs looking really appetizing right now? Bracing myself, my hand reaches for the forbidden fruits¡­ Ahhh¡­wa..what is this? The heart is so crunchy, this texture that bounces happily on your fangs can¡¯t be replicated by simple meat tissue. And this liver¡­ no way! This density and softness that makes one unable to stop biting. The taste is a tad thick but it smoothly flows down my throat¡­ The innards too, such a taste you won¡¯t be able to forget your whole life if you were to taste it once. Can so many different kind of deliciousness come from a single creature? What have I been eating my whole life before this? Ahh..So delicious.. ¡­but so gross. The squelching sounds I make when I move my hand inside the mass of organs and the thick liquid that is a mix of bodily fluid and blood wetting my body is truly a repulsive sight. Gross. Gross. Gross. . Delicious. . Gross. . . . Delicious. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Morning comes and I wake up feeling refreshed. It¡¯s as if I¡¯ve shed away a burden that was weighing on my shoulders. On the cave floor there is the aftermath of last night¡¯s feast. Stained and torn up rags that were once human clothing scatter around together with bones that still smell fresh of blood. After pulling out all stops and let myself completely immersed in mutilating and eating raw prey last night, I feel like I¡¯ve made some kind of breakthrough. Aren¡¯t I accepting this situation too easily? Normally a person from peaceful Japan would not so readily accept eating human flesh as a natural thing. Though my circumstances are rather extreme, the problem is rather than reluctantly accepting it I feel like I¡¯m going to regard eating human as something enjoyable. When putting it that way, it looks like I¡¯m a twisted person to begin with. Am I?... No, wait a moment, that can¡¯t be it can it? Even if I¡¯m saying it myself I have always been an upstanding citizen! I don¡¯t have any yearning toward murder or torture for fun either! Though, if I were to be honest I¡¯m a self-absorbed person, I¡¯ve never put a high value on moral and common sense. Hypothetically if I can get away with it then there might be a lot of moral and ethics regulations back on earth I would disregard. That¡¯s right. From the start, there was something off about me. Something that sets me apart from others. But I only shrugged it off. Because it never interfered with my supposedly normal life. Except¡­ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5 years ago ¡°Kagami-chan¡­. -Sob-¡­. It¡¯s dead¡­.¡± A girl in elementary-school uniform was sobbing next to me. She was my classmate, and our houses were close so we would often play together. The reason for the girl¡¯s tears¡­ would be the corpse of a cat that was ran over on the ground. The stray cat we would often stop by to feed on our way home. ¡°Yea¡­it¡¯s sad¡­¡± I also shed a tear. I liked that cat. ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ make a grave for it¡± ¡°Why? There¡¯s a crow nest near our school you know? Let¡¯s feed it to them¡± Because it¡¯s such a waste, I thought, while still grieving for the cat. The girl opened her eyes widely, she looked at me in disbelief. As for what happened after that, all I could remember was the sound of her crying even louder. We never talked to each other since then. It was also around the time when I started to avoid talking with other people. ____________________________________________________________________________________ For some time after that, I learned that what I said was considered heartless. If that story was spread, people might have thought of me as a psycho. But I don¡¯t think that I¡¯m crazy. Just¡­ ¡°different¡±. Just a little. Arrggg! Time out! Stop! Nothing will come out of it even if I think about such things. I am me. That¡¯s all. A perfect answer, that answers absolutely nothing but can get away with anything. I probably still have some reservations when it comes to murdering innocents. I may come off as cynical, but I don''t condemn society. There''re up sides and down sides, I think humans are just being themselves, and it''s fine that way. They aren¡¯t hateful, in fact I like them. Even now I feel like I can get along with them depends on circumstances. But they are on my menu. Somehow, it sounded like most natural thing in the world. We left nothing go to waste and consumed all that were edible. I wonder how did a 165cm man and a monster the size of a dog pack 40kg worth of food in their stomach. Is it because the metabolism of a monster is on a different level? How mysterious¡­ Checking up on Ari-chan who is still sleeping soundly, it seems that there are some kind of soft tissues covering the holes in its body. Could it be that the wounds are finally getting repaired after gaining enough nutrient? It¡¯s a welcoming result. There doesn¡¯t seem to be any changes to the broken leg though, I wonder if it¡¯s not possible to grow that back. But as long as its life is no longer in danger then it¡¯s a great success to me. As for my own body, I don¡¯t feel the kind of fatigue I had yesterday anymore, though still far from a completely recovery. Even after I had at least 20kg of meat it¡¯s still not enough to gain back all the energy? Just how high maintenance is this body? There¡¯s still the matter of Ari-chan as well since it¡¯s still recuperating and I don¡¯t know how far can yesterday¡¯s meal aid in its recovery. As expected, I should hunt some more prey... I need to get some more food and have both of us back to full health. Ari-chan only managed to hunt one human in about one week. Because of such low efficiency both of us were always hungry and it even took me one and a half month to be able to move around. However yesterday I obtained some good information. It seems that the strength of my new body is out of standard. I was in a much worse state of fatigue yesterday and yet I had so much strength I snapped a person neck by accident. Now that my strength has recovered somewhat, I have confidence that hunting won¡¯t be so hard after all. I should be able to bring back 2, no¡­ 3 human every day. The wild animals that I detected in this forest are all too vigilant and fast at escaping. I have inhuman strength, but my speed isn''t anything special. In short, except for muscle strength I''m no different from the high school kid I was back on Earth. I have no idea how to make traps either... And I cannot wait... I want Ari-chan to recover quickly... Not to mention my own body is still not yet fully recovered. We need a large amount of food. It¡¯s regrettable but I shall have that nameless village become our nutrient. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Once again I find myself treading along the route to yesterday¡¯s village. How would I commit the act today? As expected I don¡¯t think nagging 3 people stealthily is possible. Not to mention one more just had been added to the list of missing people yesterday. They thought that they took care of the ant monster that was the culprit but soon after there was another victim, probably they would have their guard up again. I wonder if it¡¯s best to wait until nightfall to infiltrate the settlement. On the way I start to realize something. Isn¡¯t there an awfully small amount of monster around here? The closer I get to the village, the less monsters I sense. In a three kilometers radius around the village there¡¯s almost no sign of monster. Could it be that the monster¡¯s area of activity does not reach here? If so then that does explain why the villagers are rather careless and poorly armed. Still, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d have the guts to live next to a danger area such as this forest. Humans are amazing aren¡¯t they. Alone they might be fragile but as a species they might just be the most resilient living beings in the world. Hmm? A few hundred meters away from the village, I notice unusual movements. It looks like the village is in an uproar. About 40 adults are gathered in front of one of the bigger house, standing on that house¡¯s veranda is a man who is in his forties with a sturdy and muscular build that seems to hold far more vigor compare to other middle-aged elders in the village. Hm? This old man looks familiar, isn¡¯t he the guy that was arguing with the woman who became my prey yesterday? The old man seems to be shouting something with a face filled with anger. ¡°--------- --- ----------------- ----------- ---------------!!!¡± ¨Cold man ¡°¡°----------- ----------------- --!!¡±¡± ¨Cother people Yep, I¡¯m in trouble. This guy definitely has some connection to yesterday¡¯s woman, most likely a family member. I had briefly forgotten about him because of all the happenings yesterday. Really, what a blunder, it¡¯s obvious he¡¯d lose his mind if a family member goes missing. Not to mention he also seems to hold a high position within the village, is he perhaps the chief? Though¡­ even if I call it a blunder it¡¯s not like I could¡¯ve done something about it. After all, I have already marked this village as my hunting ground. Still, this is not a favorable situation, from where this is leading to it could pose great danger to both me and Ari-chan. ¡°--- --------!!!¡± ¨Cold man Apparently having finished his speech, the old man raises his fist into the sky and the gallery responded with a loud ¡°Uuooooooo!!¡± then they spread out into the woods, spears and knives in hand. Are they going to try and look for the missing woman? It¡¯d be bad if they actually find the cave I was living in. I nervously follow the group that went toward the cave¡¯s direction and monitor them from a distance. They didn¡¯t go alone but in groups of three, it was quite a good strategy, clearly they have their guard up. I probably could take down all three of them, however I didn¡¯t want them to scream for help. Not to mention if the group that came this way was killed then next time they¡¯d focus on this route. Finally they finished their search in the afternoon and returned to their house before sunset. I breathe a sigh of relief. It¡¯s a good thing my cave is around 25 kilometers away from the village. Counting the fact that they have to walk while searching around and looking out for monsters, they couldn¡¯t have made it as far as the cave. Even then, if this continues then it¡¯s just a matter of time before we¡¯re discovered. What if they become desperate and try to request help from other places? We¡¯d be finished if some professional warriors come here from the city. Nipping the bud of crisis here is the safest choice. It is the best choice. Or is it? Is there really no better way out of this? As expected, killing so many is just a little bit¡­ No, does it really matter? Whether I kill three or thirty. If they ever do a raid on my cave. My heart shudders when thinking about how me and Ari-chan would be butchered on the ground, like the pests we are. ... It''s a terrifying thought. Even if there were a better way, I¡¯m not smart enough to figure it out. I¡¯m just an average person. I¡¯ll just do this in my own way. It¡¯s either hunt or to be hunted. And I¡¯ve already decided on which side I will be. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Shortly after sunset, people settle down inside their home and go to sleep. It should only be around 8.pm right now, isn¡¯t that a bit too early? In the midst of the night there¡¯s only the moon as the sole source of light in the forest. I guess without electricity people would not know what to do during the night because they have no light. Oil to burn lamps might be a luxury item as well. There¡¯s no one guarding the village either, could it be that night is also the rest time for most monsters so they aren¡¯t vigilance about it? Trotting on my toes, I slowly approach the house where the middle aged man who led the search today was sleeping. This is to make sure that even if something goes wrong, there are openings I could take advantage of if their leader was to be killed. Contrary to my expectation however, it doesn¡¯t seem that he was sleeping like other people. He¡¯s sitting on his veranda while drinking wine. There¡¯s no one in the house but him, could it be that he¡¯s the only one left of this family? Even though the house is one of the biggest. If so then I guess it can¡¯t be helped that he is drinking in self-abandon. What is an old man to do when he couldn¡¯t protect the young ones? But this is no time for sentiments, tonight I¡¯ll send everyone in this village to the next world. Sneaking up behind a drunk man was easy as taking candy from a child, reaching my hand out under his chin while grabbing the top of his head with the other, in a swift motion the man neck is twisted in an impossible angle and an unpleasant sound rang out in to the darkness of the night. In the middle of the silent night the sound was clear, but not loud enough to stir up the surroundings and the silence returned to the night again as abrupt as it was broken. This is the second person that I kill... There''s a slight sense of discomfort lingering on my hands. My throat feels a little dry, but what little tremors in my mind were easily washed away together with the saliva I gulped down my windpipe. How anti climatic¡­ He who lost his village¡¯s people and then even his own family member now lose his life so easily just like this. Even though he has a vendetta that he was supposed to full fill, even though he should¡¯ve been someone who lead the people to take revenge for the fallen. I once again was reminded that this is just that kind of world. You lose everything if you die. Putting the dead body down gently trying not to make much noise, I continue to circle around the houses and break the sleeping people¡¯s necks as I just did. Some are in deep sleep and died without ever opening their eyes again. Some were woken up by the snapping sound right next to them but I slashed their throat with a knife I picked up from one of the houses. I prefer neck snapping since they die faster that way but if they woke up then there¡¯s no helping it. The stream of blood flow out from their open wound and wet the floor. Without even being able to let out a scream their bodies twitch and then they die shortly after. With every man slain, a faint tremor vibrates through my chest. A tremor that grows weaker as the number of dead bodies rises. Soon after, I could no longer feel anything. Only a small impatience, wanting to dine on the meat I obtained. When I finished with about half of the village, suddenly a scream echoed from the outside. ¡°--- ----------- --------------!!¡± ¨Cman The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Someone woke up?!! _______________________________________________________________________________ [Uidar POV] How unfortunate. Truly, how unfortunate. Why did I have to be born in such a backwater village in the middle of a dangerous frontier forest? There¡¯s nothing here but vast wilderness and man-eating monsters. Well, at least there¡¯s enough space for farming so we don¡¯t die of starvation but none of us have enough to fill our stomach because we have to save up food supplies for winter. Why did we build a village here in the first place anyway? If I remember right then a couple of generations ago, the 5th son of a lowly knight in Reynes city who had no chance of inheriting the family¡¯s title came up here wanting to build a village. Was he looking to become a feudal lord by developing new lands? What was that idiot thinking. Becoming a worker in the city had got to be better than this. How unfortunate. I missed my chance of leaving this god-forsaken village when I was younger. That stupid old man of mine tricked me with marrying a good looking girl from the village and inheriting his share of the field. What inheritance? It¡¯s more of a burden he pushed on me. Who would want to take over that infertile patch of land. I want to go back and punch the young me in the face because I was too eager to know what¡¯s laying with a woman was like. It was nice and my wife was behaving at first but then she keeps acting more and more brazen, then it comes to a point where she would never shut up and keep nagging me about work. What do you mean by lazy? I¡¯m not meant to be plowing the field. I¡¯m a much bigger man than this. What would a woman know? Even if it¡¯s just in the village I¡¯m far more intelligence than anyone around here. Those guys who could never raise their head above this piece of dirt and think of nothing but the food they grow tomorrow can¡¯t be compared to me. Even if I say it myself I¡¯m good looking too. I won¡¯t lose to the younger guys who always wear a stupid look on their faces. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a better life waiting for me in the city, I could even marry a more beautiful woman too. That¡¯s why, this situation is nothing but unfortunate. Since 2 months ago, several people in our village have gone missing. They were the hunters that came into the forest to hunt for animals. For some reason monster does not get close to our village. It seemed that long time ago a Sage blessed this land and monster could not approach it? What bullshit I say. Because there¡¯s no entertainment around here those drunk old men like to make up stories and scare children. But the fact that monster does not approach this village is real. However, not just monster but animals too do not go near this land. That¡¯s why in order to hunt we have to go deep inside the forest. It¡¯s a dangerous job so everyone expected casualties. Maybe that¡¯s why everyone accepted the death of the hunters easily. However when the death count rises above five in a short one month time then even those slow witted bumpkins would realize something is wrong. They went in groups of three into the forest and found a giant ant monster that has never been seen around this part. It seemed like they managed to inflict mortal wounds on it and chased it away. We thought that the incident would end there. But a couple of days later the chief¡¯s eldest daughter went missing. What a bummer, since her husband was one of the hunters who died, I was planning to use my manly appeal to comfort her. What¡¯s done is done, I thought, but the chief threw a fit and ordered everyone to go search for the culprit. That asshole. We were lucky to defeat the ant from the other day, but what if something stronger comes out? His daughter was one of the more decent looking women in this village so it was a shame but I have no intention to die just yet. How detestable, this life of mine. Nothing really good would come out of living in this village. I was nervous the whole time today while searching around the forest that I rarely venture in. Just how long is this going to continue? Just thinking about it makes me frustrated. Maybe I¡¯ll have Nardale-san comfort me tonight. Her husband is old and isn¡¯t that good at taking care of the field anymore, all 3 of her sons also left the village to find work in Reynes city. She must have been lonely and stressed out. There¡¯s a good mood going on between us these last few days. Really, when people are under fear and stress all you need to do is to be a little kind and they becomes as docile as little chicks. Or so that was what I was going to do but. What the heck is this? Why is the chief sleeping out on the veranda? With alcohol too, damn it, where was he hiding those. Alcohol is a luxury thing to have in this backwater village. Coming up near him I tried to wake him up and make him share the wine but for some reason no matter how much I shake he was not waking up. And then perhaps due to the cloud parting, moon light shone on his face and I realized his head was in a strange direction. Immediately I fell on my bottom. Shit. Shit. Shit. What the fuck is going on. Assassin? Who would even bother to assassinate people in this poor village anyway? It can¡¯t be a monster can it? Shit. I think I leaked my pants a little bit. What to do? What to do? What to do? Should I run away? Where would I run to in the middle of the forest? T..that¡¯s right, I have to wake everyone up. Then they can band together and kill the monster. Or be a meat shield. Or do whatever I don¡¯t care anymore. I don¡¯t want to be sitting here alone with a dangerous monster lurking around in the dark. First of all, that¡¯s right, old man Turkgan, has to wake him up first. That old timer is the strongest in our village, possibly even stronger than the chief. No one has managed to win against him in arm wrestling. Hastily kicking the door in his house open, there¡¯s him, his two sons and their wives sleeping on the floor. Normally he¡¯d sleep alone in a smaller one but it seems that he was worried about them so today he¡¯s in the big house his two sons share. Getting closer, I was about to wake him up then my feet step on something sticky. Did someone drop water on the floor? But soon enough, I realized that it was not really water, because old man Turkgan¡¯s body is emitting a nauseating smell like those animals do when we prepared them for dinner, the smell of blood. ¡°Hiiiiiiiiiii--!¡± I let out a scream and fell on the floor. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. It got him already? How many did that monster kill? His sons and daughter-in-laws had their necks twisting in strange directions too. If it¡¯s like this then I can¡¯t afford to loiter around anymore, I have to wake whoever is alive up as soon as possible. I need them to protect me. Snatching a bronze pot and a knife from Turkgan¡¯s kitchen, I run out of his house while shaking my hips and smack the knife and the pot together trying to make a sound as loud as possible. ¡°Wake up!! Wake upppp you idiottttssss!!¡± I frantically try to stir up a commotion in the middle of the village. Just hurry up and wake up already. Someone. Anyone. The first to respond was Calem, he peeked out from his window and call out to me with a half angry, half sleepy voice. ¡°Da hek¡¯ ya doing ya bastard, d¡¯ ya know what time is it huh? Ya¡¯gonna wake up my kids, idiot¡± ¨CCalem ¡°Fuck off!! It¡¯s a monster attack!! You hear me?! Monster is coming!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¨CCalem Hearing the word ¡°monster¡± Calem raised his eyebrows questioningly. ¡°Are you deaf?! I said monster is coming! They already got the chief and old man Turkgan¡¯s family¡± ¡°What!? Is tha¡¯ true?¡± ¨CCalem Seemingly realized the grave situation, Calem hurried back into the house, probably to wake up his wife and children. Soon after, with his help we woke up everyone that were sleeping. Though many of them won¡¯t ever wake up again. ¡°To think that it already got over 20 of us¡± ¨Cman ¡°Fuck, I won¡¯t forgive that monster, Rasgen was a good guy!¡± ¨Cman ¡°Lindia¡­.¡± ¨Cwoman ¡°How is tis¡¯ happening? Why did it kill so many but not eatin¡¯ them?¡± ¨CCalem ¡°The fuck would I know? They were all dead when I found them¡± ¡°Could it be it came for revenge?¡± ¨Cman ¡°So many were killed, just how many monster are there?¡± ¨Cwoman And so on and on everybody was panicking selfishly and asking questions they know would not be answered. If my wife was here she¡¯d be the loudest one too, it¡¯s good that she was already done in by the monster. Really, how useless, that¡¯s why you lot will never break out of this shitty village. While I was lamenting how stupid these people are, suddenly something heavy latched on my back. ¡°Hiiiiiiiiiii----!!!¡± ¡°Wat!?¡± ¨CCalem ¡°What is going on Uidar?¡± ¨Cman My body jerked up and I hastily pushed the thing that was pressing on my back away then fell down on the ground. Shit. I leaked again. However, it turned out that the culprit was someone I know well. ¡°What the fuck!? Gaigan is that you? You fucking bastard were trying to scare me? I will fucking kill you! Hey! Gaigan! Are you listening to me?... Gaigan!?¡± Angrily I shouted at the idiot but there was no respond from him. At a more careful look there¡¯s something stuck on his head¡­ Is that ¡­ a stone? Half of the stone buried deep inside his head, it stuck so tightly blood isn¡¯t even streaming out. No way¡­this¡­ ¡°Guaaaa!!¡± ¨Cman Before I even had the time to feel scared, a scream rang out from the gathered people. Then one by one they fell down holding their head. One guy even got part of his face blown up, then next to him a woman holding a broken arm that¡¯s bleeding profusely. Are you telling me just throwing some stone can break off a human arm?! Just what kind of monster are you! ¡°Uuoooooo take this!!¡± ¨C Calem Courageously Calem raises his wood chopping axe and leap toward the place where the rocks were being thrown from in a corner behind a house. Good! Calem! Get him! I always knew you were a guy who can do it! However before he managed to swing down his axe, he abruptly stopped on his track. Something pointy is protruding itself out of Calem¡¯s neck. Then Calem¡¯s body suddenly was blown back as if he was kicked with tremendous strength and fell flat on the ground. Something walked out from the shadows of the corner, holding in its hand one of our village¡¯s spear. It was something out of this world. A monster who¡¯s body is like that of a naked woman, but it¡¯s skin were green and shiny like an insect¡¯s husk. The fact that its body was so much like human while at the same time is anything but human was incredibly eerie. The head looks like that of a spider, with round black eyes staring blankly at us without any expression. It was a bizarre creature that makes one feel like it¡¯s something that must not be born in this world. An abomination that¡¯s repulsive to look at even when it comes to monster. It¡¯s truly is unfortunate. Why did this happen? I¡¯m not the kind of man who was supposed to die in a place like this. But right now there¡¯s no other road in front of me other than one that leads to hell. Don¡¯t come here. Don¡¯t come here. All I was able to do was to shake my head while repeating that single prayer in my mind. [MC POV] I had worried what would happen when I was discovered but it wasn¡¯t much of an issue after all. How would I say this, this is the first time I¡¯m fighting a human head on ever since I came to this world but aren¡¯t they too slow? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve suddenly gained dynamic vision or anything but compared to the swift movements of the panther monsters these guys are moving too clumsily. I guess being a farmer did not require them to be a fast fighter at all, despite having well-toned bodies they¡¯re better suited for strength and endurance instead of speed. Their endurance didn¡¯t matter in the end however since my spear tip easily sink into one man¡¯s neck and pierced all the way through the other side with a light push, leaving the man¡¯s eyes wide open and his mouth was gasping like a fish out of water. I won¡¯t let you complain you know? That¡¯s what happens when you foolishly run head straight into an unknown enemy in the midst of the night. Since he¡¯s stuck on my spear I gave him a kick to the stomach, the man¡¯s body made a wonderful V shape while flying back a few meters then crashed into the ground in front of the gathered people. Seeing their friend with a gaping hole on his neck, there were various reactions from the gallery. Some screamed and ran away, some fell flat on the ground unable to move, some endured their fear and band close together holding make-shift weapons. It was probably a good thing I killed that chief first of all, they¡¯re nothing more than a rag tag group of scared farmers now. I will be troubled if they run away though, in the first place I¡¯m killing them all is because I didn¡¯t want them to make contact with other human settlements. I won¡¯t let even one escape. Well then, first will be the guys who can still resist. The first to move take the win! Kicking the ground I bring my spear to the chest of the nearest man. It was so sudden he was completely unable to react. ¡°Guha!¡± ¨Cman 1 The spear sink deep into his chest and the impact from the lunge that I put a good amount of power in ended up sending his whole body flying backward. The people nearby similarly stiffens due to the unannounced attack. ¡°AAAaaaaaa ---- ---------- ---!¡± ¨Cman 2 However, it seemed that someone regained his mind shortly. No¡­ from that scream I guess it¡¯s more like he just lost it? A chopping knife comes at me from my left. I don¡¯t have enough time to pull out my spear. Letting go of my spear as the first man fall down while being impaled, I jumped to one side to dodge to incoming knife and immediately followed up with a hook to the 2nd man¡¯s chest. ¡°Guaaaaa¡± ¨Cman 2 A sound of something breaking as my fist sink into his side, I must have broken 2 or 3 of his ribs. The man fell down on his knee, mouth foaming. Seeing that, whether it was because of fear or courage, finally other people started to take action. They have the advantage in numbers however the odds were greatly against them. In the middle of the night with no source of light other than the pale moon and a couple of flickering torches, a group of non-combatants has little chance against a monster with superior strength and isn¡¯t at all hindered by the lack of vision. My antennae precisely pinpoints the movement of every single person around me. From my back a man and a woman tried to pierce me with spears but I nimbly jumped back to evade the incoming spears and delivered a kick to the woman¡¯s head. Together with a loud sound and the feeling of smashing a clay pot, pieces of flesh burst out from her face. The man once again tried to hit me but before he was able to change the spear¡¯s direction I jumped next to him in one single step, grabbing the wrist on his arm that was holding the spear, I thrust my other arm near his face and pierced his eyes with my fingers. As he screamed I gave him a kick to the abdomen and snatched the spear from him. I would have finished him off but other people are attacking and he¡¯s already rolling on the ground. Just like that I continue to deal with them one by one, crushing a man¡¯s shoulder with a punch, then pierce the next one with a spear, break the other woman¡¯s leg, snatch her knife then slash open the chest of one man nearby. After just a couple of minutes, there were already no moving creatures around me. Just corpses of men and women with their bones broken and blood flooding out of fatal wounds. There are several wounds on my body as well. As expected, even though my detection ability is high, it¡¯s not as if I¡¯m a fighter myself. There was no way I could¡¯ve completely dodged their attacks while being surrounded, since even if I saw an attack coming I did not have the ability to evade it easily. It¡¯s good that there were no significant wounds. The best they could inflict on me were some scratches. With those kind of worn down, make shift weapons and the strength of a normal human they did not manage to cut deeply into my skin even if their attack hit. After I killed all those that were able to resist, I took no time at all to end the life of those that gave up on fighting and were just crying miserably. Some managed to run away but only a couple of minutes have passed. I have already marked the smell of human, they won¡¯t be able to get away if they are within a two kilometers radius of me. Chasing after the runaways, I close the distance of a few hundred meters in less than a minute. Despite this being uneven mountain terrains, isn¡¯t this speed on the level of world record sprinting? There weren¡¯t many that escaped so it was easy to chase them down and finish them. I¡¯ll recover their bodies later. Because there¡¯s still one last thing I have to do. Going back to the village, there¡¯re still a couple of humans hiding in a house and they haven¡¯t moved since. I already have an idea of who they are, so I¡¯d like to finish this final task soon before I change my mind. With heavy steps, I approach a small house and open the door. ¡°Hiiiii----!!¡± ¨Cboy1 ¡°Kyaaaaa! Monster!¡± ¨Cgirl1 ¡°Ueeee¡­.hic¡­sob¡­..uuuu¡­..¡± ¨Cboy2 ¡°Nooo¡­..don¡¯t come closer!!¡± ¨Cgirl2 ¡°Sob¡­mommy¡­.daddy¡­.sob¡± ¨Cboy3 It was a group of 5 children, the youngest ones in the village. The eldest seems to be a girl around 13 years old. Snuggling close to her were 2 boys and 1 girl around 8 to 10 years old and the youngest boy seems to be only 4 years old. Half of them wet their self the moment they see my figure. Urg¡­ is this really impossible to spare them after all? As expected even if it¡¯s me killing children is a little too much¡­ But If I leave them alive then who will take care of them? I can¡¯t set them free since I don¡¯t want them to seek help from other humans, if they¡¯re this young it¡¯ll be hard to care for them without their parents. No, putting caring for them aside, in the first place I¡¯m the monster who killed their family and massacred their whole village. There¡¯s no way we can come to an understanding. I don¡¯t have the luxury to keep them like pets and monitor them so that they don¡¯t escape either. I can¡¯t keep them, I can¡¯t let them run freely. I¡¯m also not the type who will raise someone who will grow up to be my potential danger while spouting cool lines like ¡°kill me if you can¡±. No, really, I¡¯d like to live, thank you very much. So¡­ I guess there¡¯s no other way after all? I wonder why is it, that I¡¯m able to even considering killing children in the first place? Has eating human flesh driven me mad? Or living in the wilderness with my life hangs on a thin thread everyday has reduced me to a wild beast that can only see others as either prey or enemy? No. My mind is perfectly clear, my thoughts are perfectly rational. By all means I should not be murdering people so easily. Had I been driven insane by my monster''s instinct, then it would''ve been understandable. Yet, I am here, in full control of myself. I¡¯m once again reminded of how I was ¡°different¡± But that was not all. Butterfly Dream "Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man" Zhuangzi Am I really Kawagami Kagami? Or am I the monster that only dreamed of the human named Kagami? Maybe. It was as simple as a change in perspective. Even among humans, when a person changes their perspective, their values and reasons will change. Even if it''s the same thing, depends on the point of view, two people can see two different things. When you are a butterfly, you see the world as a butterfly. When you are a human, you see the world as a human. The place I''m looking from is no longer the same place I was in back then. Even though it''s the same scenery, what reflected in my eyes was something different. When I woke up this morning, I was taken aback by a world that was unlike what I previously experienced. The sound of morning dews falling on top of fresh leaves together with the sound of insects singing was like music to my ear. The grassy, earthly smell that used to make me feel uncomfortable was strangely pleasant. As if I was rid of the human constraints after experiencing my first hunt. To me, the word "human" no longer holds the same meaning. Slowly, but surely, I became aware of myself as a different species. However, it was not a repulsing thought. On the contrary I feel a sense of comfort. A sense of freedom. I would not label it as a ¡°change¡±, per se. Maybe from the start, I was the kind of person who would feel more at home in a monster body compared to a human body. Inhumane is humane. Abnormal is normal. Maybe there was a different option. But it didn''t matter to me. Because humans are "food". I look at the group of children before me. I recognize them as sentient beings, as the ones who belong to the intelligent race named human. But at the same time, they are no different from the baby chicks in the village. Just another prey. Gritting my teeth, I move toward the shivering children and aim my spear at their heads. At the very least I will make sure you die painlessly. . . . . _______________________________________________________________________________________ And so the village falls completely silent. In the middle of the night there were not even the echoes of singing insects or the breathing sound of sleeping human. All that¡¯s left were the sound of rapid heartbeats from a single living being. I raise my head and look at the night sky decorated by a pale crescent moon and countless stars, a tranquil beauty that is unaffected by the atrocity that just befell this land. Letting out a sigh, I think to myself. It seems that I¡¯m splendidly walking on the path of becoming an enemy of humanity. ¡°There is nothing either good or bad, only thinking make it so¡± -(Shakespeare¡¯s Hamlet ¨C act II scene II) Chapter 10: A day in the village Even after the massacre of the villager, I didn¡¯t have time to rest. I collected all the bodies around the village and the bodies of the escapees and stripped them bare. Using ropes I found in the village their bodies are hung from the tree branches nearby. I beheaded those bodies and let the blood drains. I don¡¯t think I did a good job since it¡¯s not possible for an amateur to drain blood perfectly after all. But I have to do what I can, these bodies are my precious food. I don¡¯t want to let them go to waste. Their meat would go bad if I let blood remains in the bodies since blood rot a lot faster than meat. It was a lot of work to drain the blood from a little over 50 people. When I stopped to take a break the sun has already started rising. I took one body with me and walked back to the cave then eat together with Ari-chan. It clearly showed more vigor than before so I probably can safely assume that the recuperation is going well. To recover such mortal wounds with just food¡­ I have to praise a monster¡¯s vitality. The soft tissue that covered the cracks on its shell are starting to thicken. They¡¯ll probably harden into new shell given time. Ari-chan is still fatigued and not yet able to move long distance so I piggy backed it and returned to the village. I think I will live in that village for a while, there¡¯re no more human after all. I won¡¯t be able to live there forever probably. Even though it¡¯s a remote village in the middle of nowhere, there¡¯s no way they can support all of the village¡¯s livelihood by themselves. They have to have some kind of contact with other human settlements, no matter how rare is such occasion. Either a merchant from the city comes here once in a while or a person in the village goes into town for supplies. Whichever it is one day the world will learn of this village¡¯s tragedy. Though I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll happen very soon I have to be prepared to move out at any time. For now however, I have a lot of things I need to take care of in the village so hopefully no one will comes anytime soon. Putting Ari-chan down to rest in one of the houses, I went to the nearby trees to take down the hung bodies. Next up, I start to take apart the body, separate them into smaller pieces . As I work my way to mutilate the bodies diligently, I grimace inside my mind. Ewww... This is really gross after all. The biggest house in the village has been turned into a slaughter house and on the floor is a sloppy mess of countless limbs, organs and body parts. Gross. Gross. Gross. What is this, this is like the scene from a low budget horror movie that should never be seen by healthy people. Even after I¡¯ve turned into a monster, what¡¯s unpleasant is unpleasant. (calm down, these are just gummy bears, that¡¯s right, they¡¯re just gummy bears) I mumble in my mind while continue on with my work. Urg¡­ Gross. Still, this is truly some heavy labor. If I were a human there¡¯s no way I could process the meat by myself. Thankfully my monster body possesses great power and endurance. Not to mention I have finally recovered my strength completely because of the mountain of all-you-can-eat food. I feel like a new person. If it¡¯s the me currently then even if I were to be put in the same situation as last night I wouldn¡¯t receive any wounds. I found a big meat smoker in the village which can be said to be a stroke of luck. It was as big as a wardrobe and made of iron, on the lowest level was a place to put in charcoal, there are many iron sheets for grilling on the upper levels and finally a chimney on top. Probably it was used to preserve meat they got from hunting. Without it I would truly have no idea how to preserve the bodies. I honestly don¡¯t want to attack new human settlements any time soon. Or risking myself against monsters. 50 bodies are really too many for the smoker to keep up with even if it¡¯s huge so I tried my best to pull out the bone and skins, only leaving the meat in the smoker. The hearts and livers I will try to eat them all tonight with Ari-chan. As for the intestines and other organs I¡¯ll have to discard them sadly, I don¡¯t even know how to make sausages. I have the feeling that even if I¡¯m full I can still digest more and store them as reserve energy in my body. There are many cases of insects that survive for a long time without food, such as the cockroaches that can survive for one week without water and one month without food. Though I¡¯m probably not that efficient. After I rubbed salts onto the meat, I left them in the smoker. While waiting for the meat to finish smoking, I walk around the village to find out if there¡¯re anything that¡¯s useful. There weren¡¯t too many interesting finds. A couple of pots with some strange spice made from some kind of dried fruits, or maybe vegetable. I can¡¯t identify what they are, they might even be some sort of local medicine, and they tasted horrible. Some pepper pots¡­ these are useful. The salt has already been used up on the smoked meat. A poor village like this probably doesn¡¯t have the ability to afford a good amount of spices. Though I don¡¯t know the level of civilization here, spices may be an expensive thing considering they¡¯re transporting by horse carriage. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. I tried to look for books or any sort of literature too, maybe I could learn something about the language but there were nothing. I wonder how far does paper technology in this world goes, or was it even invented at all? There weren¡¯t many clothes, each person seems to only possess a few sets and they all look pretty much the same. I collected a couple of man¡¯s tunic of suitable size and put one on. These simple clothes are pretty much a baggy shirt that¡¯s tied up with a string at the waist. After all it¡¯s not as if I¡¯ve lost my sense of shame after becoming a monster. I just didn¡¯t have the luxury of worrying about it till now. The men didn¡¯t seem to have any underwear so I took some pumpkin pants from the women as my underwear. There are no bras¡­ well that can¡¯t be helped. The body of a woman is so troublesome, can I please get back my old body already? I didn¡¯t wear a skirt or trousers, since the lower part of the tunic also acts as a skirt. Long trousers or skirt is only good at collecting dirt and be obstructive when I move around in the forest. In one house I found a pot with rather interesting things inside it. Stuffed inside are numerous articles about the size of a finger, all are in a golden brown color. This¡­ could it be grilled grasshoppers? Well well¡­ what a rare find. I¡¯ve always wanted to try these at least once when I saw them on television. They¡¯re quite an exotic delicacy in Mexico and Uganda. Maybe a normal person would be repulsed by the thought but I¡¯ve always found insects interesting. I owned a lot of books about insect too, they were a fun read. Wouldn¡¯t it be interesting to try eating them at least once? I then put the grasshopper into my mouth. Crunchy! The taste is quite rich too, this is similar to deep fried baby crabs? This is quite amazing as a snack. To think that a treasure was found in this backwater village! I continue to check around the village as I snack on the grasshoppers happily. I want to save it but it¡¯s so hard to stop, this is like that feeling when you have to reach out for the next piece of potato chip. Ari-chan won¡¯t get mad if I eat all of them, right? There are some plants that are being grown on the ground right next to some houses. These are tomato and eggplants right? They all aren¡¯t yet ripe though. The fields too are in the middle of growing, so there¡¯s nothing I can do about them. There are some rice pots left in the village so maybe I can try to cook them later. I found some money too, 60 silver coins and 230 copper coins in total. I have no idea whether this is a lot or little. Regardless I don¡¯t have any chance of using money in the first place, since I¡¯m a monster. Once the smoked meats are done, I warp them in cloths and leather sheets I found then tie them up tight with ropes. This amount should be enough to last us 1 month, or maybe 2 if we ration our meal. A lot of the meat were burned but it¡¯s within expectations, smoking food too need some experience and skill. In this situation I can¡¯t be too picky about food anyway, I¡¯m satisfied just having something to put in my stomach. ¡­ I won¡¯t get cancer from eating this right? What should I do for my next step? For the time being I will stay in this village but I will move out sooner or later. Where should I go then? Human settlements are no good, what about demi human? From my experience with the elf bastard from before though, I doubt there¡¯d be much difference. Since I¡¯m a monster now, how about making some monster friend? But it¡¯s doubtful whether there are any intelligence monster or not . Ant-chan is at best just a pet, I won¡¯t be able to learn anything about this world from it. That¡¯s right, I needed to know more about this world don¡¯t I? I would like to secure a good life, and find some way to get back my male body after all. So the most important thing for me is information. In order to collect information, I need to learn the language somehow. It seems that it¡¯s one impossible obstacle after another¡­haaahhh¡­ . Well, I¡¯ll try to learn the language later, maybe I can infiltrate a town and search for relevant books. For now, I¡¯ll use the weapons in this village and try to get used to hunting monster. I can¡¯t always hunt humans, those guys are like a hornet nest. If I stir them up unskillfully I¡¯ll get bitten to death. There¡¯ll be a lot of hardships in the future so it¡¯s a good idea to get used to fighting as well. Chapter 11: To live another day ¡°UUuu¡­stop it¡­ Shion-nee¡± ¨CSouta In a certain waste land there gathered a group of out-of-place looking teenage boys. No matter where you look, there¡¯s only the rocky ground and some dried up vegetation that spreads out thinly over the horizon. Yet in the middle of this wilderness is 4 well dressed, clean looking boys, making the whole scene an unseemly picture. ¡°Look at him, smiling idiotically¡± ¨CHideo ¡°Really, he¡¯s so carefree even in this kind of situation¡± ¨CAkira ¡°Even though he¡¯s always complaining about how meddlesome Shinmei-senpai is, now he¡¯s dreaming about her? Can I hit him? It¡¯s ok if I hit him right?¡± ¨CHideo ¡°Um¡­l-let¡¯s just wake him up¡± ¨CDaiki It seems that for some reason one of them is in deep sleep, which results in one other making a fed up face. Both of them were average looking boys you can find anywhere, though the one that¡¯s making no effort to hide his displeasure is wearing glasses unlike the other three. Another boy seemed not to care and just looks at the scenery curiously, he had red hair and ear piercing, giving off a fierce image when compared to the black haired docile looking boys around him. The last one has a big body that stands out, but contrary to his size he has a gentle atmosphere. They tried to shake the sleeping boy¡¯s shoulder while shouting ¡°wake up¡± but he brushed their hands away and mumbled like a spoiled child. ¡°So annoying every day, 5 more minutes Shion-nee~¡± ¨CSouta -piku- The sound of glasses-boy¡¯s vein popping on his head. ¡°Oh? Is that so? Every day isn¡¯t it? I guess I¡¯ll have to hit you after all?¡± ¨CHideo However, before glasses boy was about to slap his friend awake, the red haired boy whispered something into the sleepyhead¡¯s ears while wearing the usual bored expression on his face. ¡°Sonohara, if you don¡¯t wake up I¡¯m going to kiss you¡± ¨CAkira ¡°UUUUAAaaaaaaaaa! I¡¯m awake, I¡¯m awake!¡± ¨CSouta [Souta POV] With a jolt my body jumped up, there¡¯re cold sweats on my back. What happened? A nightmare? I dreamed that our classroom suddenly became black and white while Shion-nee was nagging me and then¡­ and then¡­ what happened next? I don¡¯t remember but¡­ I felt like I almost lost something important as a man. Uuu¡­ there¡¯s a chill down my spine. ¡°Rise and shine, sleeping beauty¡± ¨CAkira ¡°Hahaha, if only you can see your own face right now¡± ¨CHideo ¡°Pfft¡­um..ahem¡­morning, Souta¡± ¨CDaiki What greeted me were familiar faces, my childhood friend Daiki and my two classmates. They¡¯re laughing for some reason, how annoying. What is wrong with my face? I know I¡¯m just average appearance wise but I¡¯m not too ugly either. What the hell are they laughing at? I wanted to ask, but something is telling me it¡¯s better not to pry. For my own sake. Still¡­ what¡¯s really bothering me is, just where is this? A waste land? The red soil seems to expand far over the yonder without end. Did these guys pull a prank and carried the sleeping me out of school? But surely I don¡¯t remember Tokyo having this kind of scenery. Am I still half-asleep? ¡°Everyone¡­just what is going on?¡± Giving up on trying to speculate things on my own, I asked nervously. ¡°¡­..¡± ¨CAkira Akagi Akira closed his eyes without answering. His gesture seems to be in deep thought, implying that he might have a lot he wanted to say but at the same time can¡¯t say anything. I¡¯ve never talked to Akagi but right now he¡¯s somewhat different from my image of him. He dyes his hair red, wears earrings, never talks to anyone and always has an unsociable look on his face. Appearance wise he¡¯s the very picture of a delinquent but strangely he wasn¡¯t loud or aggressive, or at least I haven¡¯t seen him causing trouble yet. There were a lot of rumors around him though, like how he is connected to yakuza or he¡¯s secretly a leader of a biker gang. Since his appearance is scary everyone avoided him, including me. I¡¯m just not good with those types. ¡°U..Umm¡­ I¡¯m not sure what to say, we¡¯re clueless ourselves¡± ¨CDaiki And so Daiki nervously answer back. This guy has been my friend since elementary school and our house were close. Our parents got along great too. I usually had to lend him a hand when he was bullied in elementary school because of his size. Even though he looks like a bear, he¡¯s has a timid personality and likes to cook. Really, sometimes I think the girls in our grade can use some of his qualities. Even though he has ¡°Date¡± for a surname this guy¡¯s character doesn¡¯t suit it at all. ¡°Haah? What are you talking about, isn¡¯t this obvious. It¡¯s a different world. Different world you hear me?¡± ¨CHideo Himura Hideo said while fixing his glasses, looking important. He¡¯s one of my friends in class, an otaku just like me. We had a lot of fun discussing anime and manga. I mostly watch fantasy, romance and comedy while he would watch anything. Thanks to his passion I was introduced to a lot of good series. I know he always talk about fantasy with great vigor but no matter how much he likes it isn¡¯t he being a little strange in the head? Or rather seeing him being so excited like that scares me a little¡­ ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with that kind of look? Eh? Wait, don¡¯t try to avoid me! Listen to me! Hey! Souta?!¡± ¨CHideo ¡°Well¡­even if you tell me that¡± I averted my eyes and send a glance to Daiki seeking his help. ¡°R..right¡­It¡¯s a bit unbelievable¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°You¡¯re still saying that? No matter how you look at it we¡¯ve been transported to another world, Akagi say something to, we¡¯ve talked this over this haven¡¯t we¡± ¨CHideo Everyone turn their heads to Akagi¡¯s direction. Did they have a discussion when I was sleeping? ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¨CAkio Akagi ignored our stares while keeping his eyes closed, but then started to talk shortly after. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a different world or not, but this is surely not Japan, the season and atmosphere is too different¡± ¨CAkio ¡°Y, yea, that! There¡¯s no way this is Tokyo, or even anywhere in Japan. We were just in our class a moment ago, then bam! And here we are in an unknown land. No matter how you think about it this is a world travelling incident!¡± ¨CHideo ¡°No way¡­¡± I muttered in disbelief. Is it really possible we¡¯re in another world? Though this situation is unexplainable by common sense¡­ there¡¯s no way something like world travelling can happen¡­right? If theoretically we were summoned like in a story, then where is the summoner? There¡¯s no one around here but us¡­ even worse, this is just a wasteland. It was not by summoning then? If so then how did we¡­ Suddenly I remembered something right before I blacked out. ¡°The class was¡­ black and white?¡± ¡°Yes! That! You finally noticed?¡± ¨CHideo Hideo joyfully answered. ¡°I don¡¯t know what was the cause, but space were breaking apart right? I¡¯m not sure what was the theory behinds it, but that phenomenon might be the reason why we¡¯re here. Was it the work of a god? Hito*mi? Or maybe this is a game world like Sword***Online¡± ¨CHideo What is it I wonder, when Hideo says it it¡¯s strangely convincing. Maybe it¡¯s because of his positivity, or maybe it was how he seems to be full of conviction. If this is a fantasy world just like he said then there¡¯s no one more reliable than him and his knowledge. I send an inquiring glance over to Akagi but he became silent again and didn¡¯t seem to be willing to talk. ¡°Wait, if what happened in our classroom was the cause, what about everybody else?!¡± ¡°When I opened my eyes there were only the four of us in this place¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Yea, I don¡¯t know why but there¡¯s no one else here. Either they¡¯re in a different location, or they did not fall into this world¡± ¨CHideo An uneasy feeling fills my chest. No way, are you telling me Shion-nee might now be alone somewhere in this world? What if something happens to her!? Just the thought of Shion-nee being in danger makes my stomach churns. ¡°Souta¡­don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure if it¡¯s senpai she¡¯ll be able to deal with it somehow¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Well, it¡¯s THAT Shion-senpai we¡¯re talking about¡± ¨CHideo As expected of Daiki, he saw straight through me right away. Was I making a horrible face? I feel bad making them worried about me. Shaking my head, I try to regain my composure. If nothing happened to Shion-nee, then that¡¯d be for the best. If she is indeed in this world, I¡¯ll definitely find her and comes to her rescue later. I have to be strong now, for Shion-nee¡¯s sake too. ¡°Did you find out anything else while I was sleeping?¡± ¡°No¡­well, I tried various way to look at my status and menu to see if there was one but nothing came up¡± ¨CHideo ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we have gained some kind of power if this is a different world?¡± ¡°OOooh, now we¡¯re talking, you finally get it don¡¯t you Souta¡± ¨CHideo ¡°I don¡¯t feel anything different though¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Maybe we¡¯re overlooking something or there¡¯s a special method required¡± ¨CHideo ¡°Special method?¡± ¡°Well, you know, maybe a spell, or a magic item-¡° ¨CHideo Just when the theories started to heat up, our discussion was cut short by the expressionless voice of Akagi. ¡°Something is coming¡± ¨CAkira From the direction where Akagi is looking at, three small figures are approaching us. They look as short as primary school kids but as our distance shortens I realized they were anything but human. ¡°This is a lie isn¡¯t it¡­¡± ¡°Those are goblins!¡± ¨CHideo It¡¯s just like Hideo said, the things approaching us are short, stout green skinned creatures that can¡¯t be said to be anything else but goblins. However, those monsters are much different from the goblins I normally see in manga and games. Whether it be the saggy, muddy green skin or the hideous face with yellow saliva dripping down their uneven teeth. Their appearances can only be described as repulsive. If children saw this I¡¯m sure they would cry. I was unable to hide my grimace. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­this is a real different world¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Souta, don¡¯t make that face, this is a chance¡± ¨CHideo Daiki¡¯s eyes widen in disbelief while looking at the goblins. Then Hideo talks to me with confidence in his voice. ¡°Chance?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, are you still half asleep? Goblins are low ranked monsters that even beginner could beat. If we kill these then we¡¯ll surely level up. Then we might find out if we got a special power or not¡± ¨CHideo ¡°Wait, can we really beat them?¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°We out number them here, what are you worrying about?¡± ¨CHideo ¡°How do you suppose to kill them then? With your fist?¡± ¨CAkira Akagi finally opened his mouth but this time he¡¯s putting Hideo down. Hideo was going to talk back but then he stopped. Due to Akagi¡¯s remark we all realized something. In games even though goblins were low ranked monsters meant for beginners, we all had some kind of weapons or skills. We were playing by a system¡¯s rules and mechanics. But how would one go about killing something in the real world? We have no weapons, not even a knife. Or rather, even if I had one, could I kill a living creature as big as that? I couldn¡¯t even kill a mouse back home. No, forget about killing, I don¡¯t even want to get close to those hideous things. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. When we were still lost at what to do, the goblins started to make some noise among each other then they sprinted toward us. Fast! Even though their legs are short¡­ why are they so fast!? The distance between us is over 100 meters but they closed it in matter of seconds. Daiki is scared stiff, while Akagi takes a stance. Hideo seemed to panic, he picked up a stone and threw it at them with all his strength. ¡°Wa-wait! Don¡¯t come here!¡± ¨CHideo But the goblin he was aiming at easily dodged the stone and in no time, it has already reached Hideo. ¡°Damn it! Take this!¡± ¨CHideo Hideo¡¯s face is filled with fear as he hastily tries to kick the approaching goblin, but once again the goblin nimbly dodges to his side and latches on his left arm with a powerful jump. The goblin then opens his mouth wide, showing it¡¯s disgusting yellow teeth. Everything happened in an instant, we were confused and unable to react. Before we knew it, Hideo was screaming in agony while blood spurting out profusely from his arm that was bitten off by the goblin. ¡°GUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!¡± ¨CHideo His painful shout resounded in my ears, as if shattering away the illusions I just had. We were fools. Even though there was nothing to back us up, we believed that everything will be fine. We believed that we would prevail, like the heroes in bed time stories. This world is not a game. Only now do I realize the painful reality of it. I wonder if it was because it still didn¡¯t feel real when suddenly we found ourselves in another world. It was unbelievable, as if we were walking inside a dream. It finally sunk into me, that the monsters in front of us aren¡¯t cell shaded drawings, nor are they just coded numbers in a program. They are flesh and blood living creatures. They are ferocious animals with jaws powerful enough to crush a man¡¯s bone with ease. I could feel the blood draining out of my face watching the goblin shreds Hideo¡¯s arm inside its mouth, fresh blood seeps out through the teeth and paints its lips red. As it grits its teeth on the tattered arm while letting out a gleeful sneer, there¡¯s an increasing sense of madness in its two dirty grey-colored eyes. Looking at their blood thirsty figures, I¡¯m feeling as if we¡¯re being surrounded by a pack of mad dogs, hungry for slaughter. No way. No way. No way. There¡¯s no way we can win. We¡¯re just high school students without even so much as a stick in our hands. How are we even supposed to defend against these things that are as nimble as rabbits and can crush bones easily? As soon as we get close to them we¡¯ll be ripped to shreds. My throat is dry and even just breathing feels painful. Is this the feeling when you¡¯re about to die? Watching Hideo groveling and screaming on the ground I can¡¯t help but imagine that¡¯s what going to happen to me as well. I¡¯ve already lost the feeling in my legs. Like this, I can¡¯t even run even if I wanted to. My legs wouldn¡¯t move no matter how much I beg in my mind. Then, as if throwing a float to a drown man, I was pulled back from the depth of my despair by a resolute voice resounded from my back. ¡°You two, snap out of it¡± ¨CAkira Turning back, I see Akagi grimacing behind me, but there was no sign of giving up in his eyes. On my right is Daiki, I didn¡¯t notice because I was too absorbed in my fear but he too has a deadly pale face and even though his tears are running he¡¯s not making a sound. Akagi continues to speak without waiting for us to answer. ¡°Look at them carefully, they¡¯re focusing on Himura instead of trying to attack us¡± ¨CAkio ¡°Eh?¡± Letting out a stupid sound, I looked at the group of goblins. He¡¯s right, the goblins are¡­ surrounding Hideo, but they¡¯re not coming over here. With how fast they attacked us normally by now we¡¯d be rolling on the ground already. Yet they¡¯re only baring their teeth our way and monitoring us and Hideo. What are they doing? ¡°It seems that they are satisfied with a single prey, I suggest we run before they change their mind¡± ¨CAkira Akagi blurted out something heartless as if it were a matter of course, his gaze unwavering. Abandoning Hideo? There¡¯s no way I can do that. He was a bit annoying and persistent when it comes to his hobbies but he was a good guy. Even if there¡¯s nothing I can do telling me to leave my friend to death while running away is just¡­ ¡°There¡¯s no way I ca-¡° ¡°If you don¡¯t want to do it then I¡¯m not forcing you to. It¡¯s already hopeless to save him already. I¡¯ve already said my piece so you make your own decision. Well then, I¡¯m going¡± ¨CAkira Cutting me off before I finish my sentence, Akagi wastes no time and started running. Wait. Wait. Wait I tell you! Don¡¯t leave me here! Are you just going to run like that? What about us? Shit! We have to run after all!? But what about Hideo. I can¡¯t jus- ¡°Let¡¯s run! Souta!¡± ¨CDaiki Daiki grabbed my arms and pulled me along. His face was tearful but there were determination in his eyes. Gritting his teeth he dragged me by hand as we chase after Akagi. ¡°Wait Daiki! Hideo is still! He¡¯s-¡° Daiki ignored my petition and urged me to run faster. It seemed that he would not change his mind no matter what. He has always been a guy with a lot of strength, even though his personality is like that, if it¡¯s just physical power then he wouldn¡¯t lose to anyone. I could not break through his grip at all. No, that was a lie. I didn¡¯t even try to break free. In fact, I felt relieved when he would not accept any idea that¡¯s against running away. I was just so scared. I didn¡¯t want to die. Even though I keep trying to act like a good person, in truth all I wanted was to get away from that place as soon as possible. I didn¡¯t even look back once. I ran with all my might while trying to mentally block out Hideo¡¯s painful screams from behind. I don¡¯t want to imagine what is happening to him right now. I don¡¯t even want to think about it. I just ran. ________________________________________________________________________________________ The goblins didn¡¯t chase after us but we did not stop. We ran until our legs couldn¡¯t move any more. After a while, we laid our back on the cold and hard ground, breathing heavily. ¡°Huff¡­huff¡­.I guess, we got away¡± ¨CAkira ¡°Huff¡­Y¡­yea¡­Haa..haa¡­Thank you, Akagi-kun¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Haa¡­Haa¡± I¡¯ve never ran as desperate as that in my entire life. I¡¯m a member of the soccer team so I¡¯m fairy fit physically but after that kind of running as expected anyone would collapse in exhaustion. My throat is burning and my chest hurt. I can hear my heart beats so loudly it seemed to leap out at any moment. Before we knew it the sky started turning dark and the sun was nowhere to be seen. On Akagi¡¯s suggestion we decided to sleep while taking shifts. Today has been a tiring day both physically and mentally, it¡¯s best if we rest while we can. As for me, I¡¯m not sure if I could sleep on top of this uncomfortable ground. I haven¡¯t eaten anything since morning so my stomach is being noisy and not letting me fall asleep. Above all¡­ It¡¯s what happened with Hideo¡­ I can¡¯t believe it¡­ did I just¡­ abandoned my friend? His pained face and voice are still fresh on my mind. I don¡¯t think this will ever stop to go back and haunt me. Why? Why must we go through this, I never asked for this. What different world? What power? This is just a nightmare. For the whole time I did not say anything to the other two because I was afraid that Hideo¡¯s topic would come up. How are we going to live from now on? We have no food or shelter. There might be other monsters lurking around too. We might not be able to get away like today. I weep as I lament my own powerlessness. Then I hear footsteps and then someone sit next to me. It was Daiki. But He only sits nearby without saying anything. Unable to bear the awkward silence, I tried to break out a sentence. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to sleep? it¡¯s my shift now¡± ¡°I can¡¯t sleep¡­ can you?¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°No¡­¡± And then once again we became silent. I wonder if it¡¯s his way of worrying about me. He has always been like that, always was concerned about other people. To be honest, knowing that someone is taking my side, I can¡¯t be thankful enough. After a while, he said. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault you know¡± ¨CDaiki As expected, I was seen through. I have never been able to hide anything from him. ¡°Was it that obvious?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because Souta¡¯s emotions show on your face¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Haha¡­.. ¡­..ha¡­ is that so?¡± I couldn¡¯t say anything other than a dry laugh. ¡°That is so¡± ¨CDaiki Unaffected by my sour mood, Daiki kept going at his own pace. ¡°¡­. ¡­.hey Daiki¡­ do you think Hideo resents us?¡± ¡°Even if he was able to run away with us, with that kind of wound he¡¯d die soon. We have no first aid tools here. There was nothing we can do¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°But still¡­¡± . . . ¡°¡­¡­.. ..Souta, dead people can¡¯t hold grudges¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Eh?¡± I was surprised at a line that didn¡¯t seem to fit Daiki¡¯s character. I turned to look at his face nervously trying to figure out what was going on. But he replied back with a gentle smile that seemed to be troubled. ¡°Are you thinking that it doesn¡¯t suit me? ¡­.but that is what I think, Souta. I don¡¯t really believe in the after world, or something beyond. Maybe there is, but even then it doesn¡¯t matter. Dead people are dead, and the living has to go on living¡± ¨CDaiki Said Daiki while gazing absentmindedly into the night sky. Come to think of it, Daiki lost his parents at a young age, him and his siblings was taken in by their uncle after that. Daiki seemed to want to work right away after high school to support his younger brothers. He never showed any sign of depression but he must¡¯ve gone through a lot. Even though I never thought deeply about it¡­ ¡­To think that I call myself his childhood friend, how embarrassing. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you to not mind it. After all Souta is Souta, you have never been able to leave a troubled person alone. But don¡¯t let yourself held back by things that couldn¡¯t be helped. What we can do right now is continue on living. ¡­That¡¯s why, Souta, we must survive this and return home¡± ¨CDaiki Stop¡­I¡¯m not that¡­ I¡¯m not the kind of nice person you think I am. But I wasn¡¯t able to say it to Daiki. I would break down in tears if I were to talk right now. While thanking him in my mind. I silently nodded to his words. *Note: Date Masamune, a famous general in the sengoku period. Daiki has the same surname. Chapter 12: Reynes city ¡°Souta, you¡¯re up?¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Hnnnn~~Morn¡¯¡­¡± Sluggishly pulling my sleepy body up, I stretch my arms over my head while yawning. Day has come once again and the sun is high up in the sky, though it¡¯s not noon yet it should be around 9 to 10 am. It makes me wonder how did I sleep so well on this cold and hard ground. My back feels painful and there¡¯s a numbness in my neck and shoulder. Yesterday¡¯s incident still weighs heavily on my mind but my chest felt a bit lighter after crying. More over the new day¡¯s bright sky paints a little hope on my heart, as we continue to live long enough to see ¡°tomorrows¡±, then maybe we will have a future. Briefly the words Daiki said to me last night resounded in my mind. Words cannot describe how glad I am to have him as a friend. ¡°You two, you might want to see this¡± ¨CAkira Said Akagi from a little distance away. He seems to be standing on a raised ground that ends abruptly. Is there a cliff below? Far beyond is the silhouette of a ragged mountain range. Thinking about it maybe I should¡¯ve thanked him, if not for him we wouldn¡¯t be able to escape yesterday¡¯s crisis. But how do I say this¡­ he has that unapproachable aura, and it¡¯s also a hard topic to bring up. I secretly sigh a little and move toward Akagi¡¯s spot with Daiki. ¡°This¡­ this is¡± Below the place we¡¯re standing is a short cliff that¡¯s only about 3 meters, this cliff extends to the west connecting to a big mountain range. What¡¯s the most important is the ravine below the cliff however. It¡¯s an enormous ravine that¡¯s about 200 meters wide, with two steep mountain slopes on either side. And if you follow the ravine then there¡¯s a silhouette of something blocking the way far over the yonder. ¡°Souta!¡± ¨CDaiki Daiki¡¯s voice couldn¡¯t contain his excitement. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a wall? It¡¯s a wall right? A human built one?¡± Being thrown in an unknown land without warning, getting attacked by monsters, losing a friend. Even though no one said it out loud we all feared that our only paths were to either get killed by monster or die of hunger. Just knowing that there are humans in this world is enough to make me feel like my heart is about to jump out of my chest in joy. If there is a human settlement we might be able to find food, shelter. And there is no danger of monsters. We might even find someone who knows what¡¯s going on. ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out¡± ¨CAkira Without waiting for our answers, Akagi slid down the cliff and started to walk toward the wall. ____________________________________________________________________________ After walking for about two kilometers, we finally reached the wall. The closer we get the more amazing a spectacle that huge wall becomes. The stone wall must be at least 20 meters high, connecting the mountains on two sides. The imposing wall seemed to look down on us, implying that it would never let intruders go past. Under the wall is a huge iron gate about four meters high. Guarding the open gate are two big men about 180cm tall, wearing iron plate mail and holding spears, a sword hang on their waist belt. They¡¯re humans. No matter how you look at it they¡¯re humans! Their clothing are a tad strange¡­ but it doesn¡¯t feel out of place considering the monster from before and this wall that seems to belong to an era that has long passed in our world. But more importantly, they¡¯re humans. I hurried my feet to the gate and raise my voice nervously. ¡°E..Excuse me!!¡± The 2 guards fixed their glances on us. They knit their eyebrows and have an inquiring look on their face. One of them called out. ¡°------ ---------------- ----- --------------¡° ¨CGuard1 My feet froze on their track. How could I forget. For some reason I held vain hopes that we¡¯d understand each other but as expected, the language is different after all? Isn¡¯t this too unfair!? If we are dumped into this world without a reason then at least give us the language knowledge! ¡°He¡­hello? Gudmorning~ ¡­ eh¡­ Bonjour?... Ciao?¡± ¡°Haaah? ------- --- ---- Oi! ------------ -----------------¡° ¨CGuard 1 While I don¡¯t understand what he is saying, apparently he doesn¡¯t seem to be amused. I panicked and become lost at what to do. But as for Akagi, he brazenly ignored the guard and headed straight to the gate. Eh? Can you do that? Is it ok to do that? ¡°Oi! ----- ------------- ------------------¡° ¨CGuard 2 ¡°Heh¡­so I guess this way is no good huh? Well, doesn¡¯t hurt to try¡± ¨CAkira One of the guards puts his spear in front of Akagi and obstructed him. He didn¡¯t seem to be surprised however, perhaps he already expected it. Really, if you knew then why did you do it in the first place? Does this guy have liver of steel? Without a change in expression, Akagi started to point at himself, then points at the gate trying to imply that he wanted to go through. ¡°Me. There. Go. Understood?¡± ¨CAkira I see, if talking doesn¡¯t work then body language isn¡¯t it. That¡¯s certainly a good way to do it. But the guard shook his head and opened his palm. ¡°-------- ------------ ------------- ---------¡° ¨CGuard 2 That gesture¡­ does that means he wants money? ¡°So entry fee is it? Or maybe identification paper?...This is quite troubling¡± ¨CAkira Seemingly lost his patience, the guards pointed their spears at us and shouts. Damn it! Even though a human city is right in front of us, are you telling me that we can¡¯t get in? If we are chased away here then we¡¯ll surely die in the wilderness. There¡¯s no way I can let that happen. Daiki also seemed to be desperate about the situation, he gripped the spear trying to push it away while petitioning to the guard. ¡°W¡­wait, please! We have nowhere to go, please let us in! You may not understand us but you can¡¯t abandon us out here for the monster right?!¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°----- ----------- !!¡±¨CGuard 1 The guard angrily shouted something and kicked Daiki¡¯s stomach. He fell flat on the ground and holds his stomach while making a painful face after being kicked by an iron boot. ¡°Daiki!¡± ¡°Urgg¡­Uuuu¡­I¡­.I¡¯m okay¡± ¨CDaiki Damn it, at least looks like there¡¯s no heavy wound but Daiki is breathing heavily. We are already exhausted without having any food or water since yesterday, even the usually robust Daiki couldn¡¯t get up easily after being kicked. Just what are we supposed to do? While negative thoughts were swirling inside my mind, a carefree voice rang out from behind. ¡°Hey hey hey ------------- ------------- --------------------------------------¡° -??? _____________________________________________________________________________________ [Aldwin POV] ¡°Hey hey hey, are Reynes¡¯ guards bullying children for kicks nowadays?¡± I spoke out to the guards who seem to be in the middle of a commotion with some strangely dressed children. In this era where people clashing against each other in violence is an everyday occurrence, but there¡¯s something about these kids that interest me. I traveled through many places in the continent but I have never seen any clothes like these. Well-dressed teenage boys, yet covered in dirt and sweats looking exhausted in front of the city gate. It¡¯s a scene that perks one¡¯s curiosity. ¡°Hnn? Oh, is that you Aldwin, are you back from your job already?¡± ¨CGuard 1 ¡°Yea, it was an easy one, so what¡¯s up with those kids?¡± ¡°Looks like they want to go inside but have no identification paper or money¡± ¨CGuard 2 ¡°Or at least that¡¯s what they ¡°look like¡±. Since these guys can¡¯t speak Danaan¡± ¨CGuard 1 ¡°Can¡¯t speak Danaan? That¡¯s quite rare. Even then there was no need to be violent with them wasn¡¯t it¡± ¡°Well, that kid suddenly gripped my spear and tried to push his way through so I lightly kicked him. He looks like a fat kid but his grip strength was something else¡± ¨CGuard 1 ¡°What are you doing getting startled by a kid?¡± ¡°N..No¡­well¡­¡± ¨CGuard 1 Haah..really now, I guess this is what happens when what you do all day is to guard a peaceful city gate. While I was thinking that, Beck came from behind me also looking curious. Beck Coleman, the eldest son of the Coleman baron family. He didn¡¯t inherit the title but instead pushed it to his younger brother and turned to a life of adventuring. He has always been one curious guy and there were many times we were put in danger because of his whims, but there was never a dull day when we traveled together. ¡°Those kids don¡¯t look like elves. Are they some merchant¡¯s kids from the continent across the sea? I¡¯m quite interested in which country those clothes are from¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Stop it Beck, you¡¯re going to scare them¡± ¡°Shut up, the only thing scary here is your unshaved mug¡± ¨CBeck This guy, saying whatever he pleases¡­. Ignoring Beck, I put on my most hospitable smile and asked the kids. ¡°Sooo, you guys don¡¯t know our language I heard? Or are you hiding something? I promise I won¡¯t hurt you so if you can speak won¡¯t you tell me what¡¯s your situation?¡± The fat kid that collapsed on the ground is just holding his stomach while his friend next to him is looking at us cautiously. It doesn¡¯t seem like they want to speak? Just when I thought the situation isn¡¯t progressing like this, the red haired kid comes closer to us, pointing at him and his friends then make a gesture imitating walking toward the gate¡¯s direction. ¡°------- ---------- --------¡° ¨CRed head ¡°Hnnnn¡­.. yep, I have no idea what this language is after all¡± ¡°What do you think, Cara?¡± ¨CBeck ¡°I don¡¯t know, but at least it¡¯s not elf¡¯s language¡± ¨CCara Cara Fionnlas, the last member of our party. Even though elves are conservative and doesn¡¯t have much contact with other races, Cara is quite an oddball among her peers. She¡¯s an Elf but she doesn¡¯t have an aptitude at magic. She left her tribe complaining it was too suffocating and used her skill with sword and bow to climb her way up as an adventurer. With golden hair that reaches down to her waist, a sensual body and an elegant face that can make even princesses green with envy, she draws quite a lot of eyes during our travels. To be honest, it¡¯s hard for me as a man to be in the same party with her. But since I¡¯m the leader I can¡¯t have any behavior that would jeopardize the trust between us. After all, our job is one that treads the line between life and death. In battle we only have our weapons for the enemy in front and our comrades to defend our back. ¡°There are a lot I¡¯d like to ask them but doesn¡¯t seem that¡¯s possible eh¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Putting that aside, old man, them sheltered looking kids is going to die out here if you don¡¯t let them in you know?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make it hard for me, I have a job to do too¡± ¨CGuard 1 ¡°If anyone can enter freely like that there¡¯s no need to have a gate in the first place¡± ¨CGuard 2 Well, They¡¯re kind of right. ¡°If I pay for them it should be fine, no?¡± ¡°Huh? you¡¯re going to do that? I¡¯ve never heard of adventurers being lads with a sense of charity¡± ¨CGuard 1 ¡°It¡¯s only 10 coppers anyway, nothing we can¡¯t spare¡± ¡°Normally I guess we wouldn¡¯t but since we are already kind of involved already, leaving them out here to die would hurt our conscience¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Conscience? You have some?¡± ¨CCara ¡°That¡¯s cruel, nee-san, I¡¯m quite the compassionate man even if I do say so myself~¡± ¨CBeck By the way, Beck calling her nee-san is just him messing around, they aren¡¯t related in anyway. After paying 30 copper coins to the guard, I beckoned the kids to follow me with a wave. As for us, since we have guild¡¯s identification papers there was no need to pay. The boys widen their eyes in surprise and seemed to be lost about what should they do. Seeing that, Cara pulls the black haired kid by hand gently while giving a warm smile. Ooh, it¡¯s super effective, the 2 boys¡¯ cheeks are tinted red and they obediently follow her. The persuasive power of a beautiful woman is truly a wonder to be hold. The red head on the other hand, seemed to catch on quickly and has already been following behind me after a light bow. I¡¯ve been feeling this from the start but there¡¯s something different about this kid compared to the other two. Maybe it¡¯s just the way he carries himself seems to indicates that he¡¯s always ready to take on whatever comes his way? Quite a good spirit I must say. I¡¯m interested in what he¡¯ll become in the future. After we passed the gate, the boys bowed to us and said something. It felt like there were some tears in their voices and they almost choked. I guess they were pretty desperate. It doesn¡¯t feel bad to be thanked. Though I don¡¯t understand what they are saying. They seemed to want to follow me but I hold my hand out and stop them. ¡°Let¡¯s just say me lending you a hand today was your good fortune. We have no intention to involve ourselves in a stranger¡¯s circumstances any further¡± After all, it is our way of life. We aren¡¯t a charity group who concern their selves with other people¡¯s well-beings. Helping the kids today was really nothing more than a whim. Taking care of them is a burden we never even gave any thought to. ¡°Even if you say that, it¡¯s not like they would understand?¡± ¨CBeck ¡°I think the intents were transmitted well enough though¡± ¨CCara ¡°Doesn¡¯t Aldwin just wanted to act cool?¡± ¨CBeck You really say whatever you wanted to don¡¯t you. [Souta POV] ¡°They¡¯re gone¡­¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°¡­¡± ¨CAkio We gazed at the group of three until their figures disappear into the crowd. They were people that would leave a strong impression on anyone they meet. The person who talked to us was a 180cm tall, muscular man who seems to be in his late twenties. His face has manly features and was a bit unshaven, which gave the feeling of being easy going but at the same time he exerts the aura of a reliable man. The nee-san who led us in was so strikingly beautiful it felt unreal, she looked like the fairies and princesses celebrated actors would play on the big screen. Is this what they call an adult¡¯s appeal? She wore leather armor, short sword on her waist and a bow on her back, giving off the feeling of a female warrior. A beautiful female warrior is truly an iconic image of a fantasy isn¡¯t it? The other man was a bit shorter than the muscular nii-san, but he¡¯s still around 175cm which is taller than the average Japanese man. He had an attractive face that would probably make the girls go ¡°kyaa!¡± if he were to dress up in a suit. ¡°Are..are you sure we shouldn¡¯t follow them?¡± ¡°U..umm¡­but they clearly didn¡¯t want us too¡­.¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°One shouldn¡¯t over stay their welcome, let¡¯s just be thankful they helped us in¡± ¨CAkira I guess he¡¯s right, they might get angry if we were persistent about it, we¡¯re strangers after all. ¡°Still¡­those people were amazing huh¡± ¡°Long ears¡­¡± ¨CAkira At Akagi¡¯s remark, I gasped. Now that I think about it certainly the nee-san¡¯s ears looked very different. I was too overwhelmed by her beauty I didn¡¯t realize the peculiar feature. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­an elf? Is that why she¡¯s so beautiful?¡± ¡°Y..yea, that onee-san was pretty¡± ¨CDaiki Said Daiki with his cheek flushed. So even Daiki who normally doesn¡¯t show much interest in love is charmed by her. As I think about it, I realized my face has been feeling hot for a while now. Uuu¡­embarrassing. Calm down, me. ¡°R..right, they all had armors and weapons with them, it really feels like we¡¯re in a different world isn¡¯t it¡± I panicked a little and tried to change the topic. ¡°Are they soldiers? If this was modern Japan then they¡¯d be arrested due to Swords and Firearms Possession Laws¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Well, with monsters loitering around outside of the city, it¡¯s understandable¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.¡°This world seems to have a low level of technology development? I mean, they are carrying swords and bows after all¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Swords and bows isn¡¯t it¡­it¡¯s hard to explain but there¡¯s an amazing aura around those people, like they are some kind of veteran soldiers or mercenaries¡­ Wait. Or maybe adventurers?¡± ¡°Adventurers? Like those in manga?¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Yea, yea¡± Adventurers, a word that¡¯d lit up the fire in any man¡¯s heart. For some reason I¡¯m getting excited. ¡°Um¡­but that person didn¡¯t seem to be very strong though¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°You mean the ikemen? Yea he looked a little thin¡± ¡°Nah, that guy looked thin but under his clothes were well-trained muscles¡± ¨CAkira Unexpectedly Akagi cut in between our heated conversation. His remark however, was oddly convincing when it comes from him. . . . Then we fell silent for a while having run out of things to talk about. ¡°U..ummm¡­. What are we supposed to do now then?¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Eh?...well, I don¡¯t know¡­¡± I mean¡­ we need food and shelter, right? But how are we going to get them? We can¡¯t even talk to other people¡­ ¡°Wait, Akagi-kun, where are you going?¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Wherever, It¡¯s not like something will happen if you sit around¡± ¨CAkira ¡°Hold on! At least let¡¯s go together¡± As usual, Akagi is going at his own pace. ________________________________________________________________________________ We walked the street paved with stones while looking around to find any useful information. The city seems to be bustling with people, though compare to Tokyo the amount of people walking about isn¡¯t even enough to label as a ¡°crowd¡±. We passed through a lane of houses into a big square that seemed to be an open market. There are many stalls with fruit and vegetable inside what looked like hand-crafted wooden boxes. Fresh meats seems to be butchered and sold on top of a wooden table, some pig legs and rabbits whole are being hooked on a wooden hangar that¡¯s a bit taller than the seller¡¯s head. It looks a bit unsanitary. Shopkeepers are raising their voices in the usual impossible to understand language to the passing onlooker. Are they promoting their goods? My eyes are glued to a stall that¡¯s grilling some kind of meat on a skewer. The meat skewers are grilled brown showing an appetizing color. The shopkeeper ossan is taking a spoon full of some muddy yellow liquid and pour it on the meat. The moment the liquid touch the meat they sizzle and bubble up, making a nice sound, are those animal fat? I gulp loudly to the sweet smell of meat that has reached all the way over here. ¡°Ya ya ----------- -------------- ------------------------¡± ¨CMeat stall ossan The shopkeeper seems to be saying something to us, but it¡¯s not like we can understand what he is saying. ¡°----------- ---------- ------!!¡± ¨CMeat stall ossan After staring at each other for a while, or more precisely me staring at his food without being able to say anything. The ossan knit his eyebrows a little and shouted at us in an annoyed tone. ¡°Uuu¡­ is he angry at us for just looking without buying?¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°I¡¯m so hungry¡± ¡°Me too¡­¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°How long are you guys going to stay there and stare?¡± ¨CAkira Akagi talked to us over his shoulder, then continues to walk forward without a care. ¡°Ah¡­Wait for us¡± We hastily followed Akagi and come up on a street that¡¯s several times larger than the paths just now. The buildings also become increasingly luxurious as we continue further along the road. There are no street lanes that separate pedestrians from carriages and people would just move out of the way every time there¡¯s a horse rider walks by. The clothes people wear on this part of the city seems to be more brightly colored compare to the area before, the design are still fairly simple however. The men are wearing tunics and trousers, some don a leather vest or an expensive looking cloak. There are armors of all kinds too, from light weight to full plate. The women all wear dresses that fall past their knees. Even though their skirts are so long¡­ why are their tops so revealing? Almost every woman we come past are showing off her shoulders and cleavage. They all had white skin and fairly large burst too, it¡¯s hard not to stare. For some reason everyone is giving us unpleasant looks however. I wonder what is going on? It¡¯s true that our clothes are strange compared to them but I feel like there¡¯s more to that. While I was wondering, some guards who wore the same fashion of armors and weapons as the gate guard before came blocking our way. ¡°Oi ----------- ------------------ ----¡° ¨CGuard 1 ¡°------------------ -----¡° ¨CGuard 2 ¡°Oi --- ----------- ---------------------¡° ¨CGuard 3 Um, what is it I wonder? We haven¡¯t done anything you know? Why are we being apprehended by guards? Their tones and gazes are anything but friendly. ¡°Guys, we¡¯re going to run¡± ¨CAkira ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¨CDaiki ______________________________________________________________________________________ ¡°Huff¡­huff¡­did¡­did we lose them?¡± ¡°Haa..Huff¡­Uuuu¡­.my stomach ¡­is hurting again¡± ¨CDaiki We slowed down after the angry shouts of the guards were no longer heard. I try to catch my breath by leaning on the wall while Daiki is sitting on the ground holding his stomach. Is his stomach not yet recovered from getting kicked before? ¡°Haa¡­Haa¡­.so, what was that about, Akagi?¡± ¡°Huff¡­what, can¡¯t you understand from how people were looking at us?¡± ¨CAkira ¡°Um..Akagi-kun, if you don¡¯t explain then we won¡¯t understand¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Sigh, alright. The people around that area were wearing more luxurious clothes, right?¡± ¨CAkira ¡°Y..yea, the houses were bigger too¡± ¡°Since this is fairly similar to medieval Europe, I just made a conjecture that it was the housing area for nobles and rich people¡± ¨CAkira ¡°Nobles?....¡± ¡°I assumed they weren¡¯t very happy that three dirty kids wandered around sightseeing in the noble district¡± ¨CAkira ¡°W..wait, Akagi-kun, there were some other poor looking people around weren¡¯t there, though only a few¡± ¡°They might¡¯ve been noble¡¯s slaves, there were collars on their neck or feet, but there were none on us, and we were not together with anyone that looks like a master. There¡¯s a chance they mistook us for runaway slaves. Or just suspicious on general consider our out-of-place clothing¡± ¨CAkira ¡°N..no way, what will happen to us if we¡¯re caught then?¡± ¡°How¡¯d I know, probably be sold somewhere? Thinking about our situation though it might not be too bad since they won¡¯t let us die of starvation¡± ¨CAkira ¡°Still ¡­ to be a slave..¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Yea¡­ that¡¯s a little¡­¡± ¡°Well, I guess there¡¯s no guarantee that they won¡¯t kill you or hit your do death once you become a slave either¡± ¨CAkira I shudder when imagine such a future. How does Akagi saying these things so easily as if he doesn¡¯t care? ¡°Still, look around¡± ¨CAkira At Akagi¡¯s words, we took a glance at our surroundings. It seems that we¡¯ve arrived at a rather run-down area. The roads are dirty and unpaved. The houses¡­ it¡¯s hard to call them houses. They¡¯re just made shift shelters that held together using scrap woods and straws. There¡¯s a couple of people sitting lifeless on the street, they¡¯re covered in rags and tattered clothes, looking extremely malnourished. Now that I¡¯ve managed to catch my breath there¡¯s a stinky sewer smell floats around too. The smell is nauseating, it¡¯s like a mix of piss, sewer waste and rotten eggs. I cover my nose while making an unpleasant expression. This can¡¯t be a place for human to live, isn¡¯t it just a garbage dump? If you live in this place then you¡¯d be no better than sewer rats. It¡¯s the kind of place that makes one forget their humanity. ¡°Is this perhaps the slums¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Looks like it¡± We spotted a man grilling a small piece of meat nearby, it looks like a 4 legged creature that resembles a rabbit but much smaller. ¡°That¡­is that a mouse?¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°UUuueee¡­I want to throw up¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s like that, either you die of hunger or eat that and die of disease¡± ¨CAkira The sight of the dirty man with only skins and bones vigorously bite into the grilled mouse is like the future vision of our selves. Will be become like that too? Will we also crawl around this garbage dump, scavenging for lizards and mice while we wait for death to come and release us? Thinking about such a future I tears up a little. ¡°Well then, I¡¯m going¡± ¨CAkira Akagi said nonchalantly, he didn¡¯t even seem to be fazed by the scene. ¡°Go¡­ go where?¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Just continuing on my walk¡± ¨CAkira ¡°Wh¡­what about us?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t push it, you guys can¡¯t walk anymore right?¡± ¨CAkira ¡°B..but!¡± ¨CDaiki It¡¯s true, Daiki still seems to be hurt. I can¡¯t just leave him alone here. More over¡­ My legs feel so heavy I can¡¯t get them up. They¡¯re being weighted down by the fatigue in both my body and mind. What good is it to walk around anyway? We¡¯re just wasting our energy uselessly. No one will come for us. And if they come we can¡¯t ask for help even if we wanted to. What did I ever do? I¡¯ve been in a fight a few times but they were just children squabbles. I¡¯ve never committed any crimes. I¡¯ve never hurt anyone. Why do I have to suffer like this? It¡¯s too unreasonable! ¡°He¡¯s gone¡­¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­yea¡± ______________________________________________________________________________ Akagi didn¡¯t even come back when evening comes. I wonder what happened to him? Did he run into some trouble? Was he caught by the guards? Or by some miracle he was saved by a nice person? Whichever it is, he probably won¡¯t come back. I have never been able to understand him before, and I understand him even less after being acquainted for a few days. There¡¯re no artificial lights at night, and there¡¯s nothing to do, we decided to go to sleep so we can forget about our stomachs grumbling. If it¡¯s like this then maybe I don¡¯t mind eating mice and die. Or maybe we could try to steal some food¡­ we were able to get away from the guards today after all. I have an unpleasant premonition that soon enough I probably won¡¯t care about what¡¯s right and what¡¯s wrong anymore. . . . . . . . ________________________________________________________________________________________ ¡°Wake up already¡± ¨CAkira ¡°BUHaA!!??¡± I rolled on the ground as my body was kicked by someone. Uuu¡­it¡¯s¡­ morning? My back hurts. Who wakes people up by kicking them anyway? I don¡¯t remember waking up while rolling on the ground being part of commonsense! ¡°Morning¡± ¨CAkira ¡°Eh?...Akagi? Y-you¡¯re back?¡± Looking down on me rubbing my back was Akagi, behaving as if everything is normal. ¡°Souta! Look, there¡¯s bread¡± ¨CDaiki Daiki passes me something, it¡¯s a cold piece of golden brown bun. Swallowing my saliva, I receive the bread with my shaky hands. I was not able to control my grip well and ended up grabbing it too tightly. The crispy outer crust broke and a little bit of golden dust fell down the ground. This¡­ there¡¯s no doubt about it¡­ it¡¯s bread! I devoured my first meal in 2 days greedily while choking with tears. ¡°UUuu¡­delivbous..uuu¡­del.c.ous ¡­-cough- -cough-¡± ¡°Slow down Souta, here, have some water¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Gulp..gulp¡­thanks, Daiki¡± The bread was a bit salty because of my tears, but it was delicious. More than any meat or sweet I¡¯ve eaten in my life. It was not filling enough to sate my hunger but it¡¯s the first thing I get to put in my stomach in 2 days. Feeling a bit regrettable that the bread disappeared too quickly, I lick the crust that stuck on my hand after drinking water from the wooden cup Daiki passed me. ¡°The one you should be thanking is Akagi-kun, it¡¯s him who brought back the bread¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Eh?...A..Akagi did?¡± I send Akagi a dumbfounded look. ¡°Hmm? There¡¯s no more you know, I only got 3 pieces¡± ¨CAkira ¡°No¡­that¡¯s not it. ¡­I mean, thank you¡­ but how?¡± ¡°Part-time job¡± ¨CAkira Akagi curtly gave an answer. This time not just me but Daiki also tilted his head in wonder. Did he not yet ask Akagi about it? ¡°So you worked for it right? But we don¡¯t know the language...so¡­¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Physical labor doesn¡¯t really involve much talking. I followed the guys from the slum and found a construction site that¡¯s doing some maintenance on the city walls. They distribute bread during meal time and midnight, one per person so I got 3 pieces from yesterday¡¯s dinner, midnight and today¡¯s breakfast¡± ¡°You worked all night!? Ever since we parted until now!?¡± ¨CDaiki Something is prickling my chest. Even though I thought he didn¡¯t care what happens to us. Even though he could just keep all the food to himself¡­ He worked continuously for such a long time when he should¡¯ve been as exhausted as we. Then what about me? What did I do? All I did was lament about my misfortune and sleep all night¡­ I¡¯m pathetic. Why am I such an useless person? To think I always went on and on about how I¡¯m a grown up, about how I can take care of myself to Shion-nee¡­ Even though we¡¯re in this kind of situation, even though one of us already died, why can¡¯t I even stand up on my own feet and kept relying on the people around me? I should¡¯ve already realized it when I noticed how ignorant I was to my own childhood friend¡¯s problems¡­ yet still all I think about is myself¡­ No. Now is not the time. If I keep acting on my self-pity like this then it¡¯s no different from before. I turn toward Akagi and bow deeply. ¡°Thank you! Akagi.. ¡­and¡­ I¡¯m SORRY!¡± ¡°Hah? What are you apologizing for¡± ¨CAkira ¡°Haha, leave him be, Akagi-kun, it¡¯s his own way of expressing gratitude¡± ¨CDaiki As expected, Daiki saw through me again. If Akagi insist on asking I wouldn¡¯t know how to answer. I¡¯m already so embarrassed about myself I could die. I wouldn¡¯t want him to look down on me too. For some reason, already Akagi is someone whom I don¡¯t want to be thinking badly of me. ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand now, I only saved your portions because you won¡¯t be able to work being worn down like that. Obviously, you¡¯re going to work too.¡± ¨CAkira ¡°Yea but still, thank you, Akagi-kun¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Yes! Please let us help you!¡± And so we start to follow Akagi to the construction site. ¡°Akagi-kun, even though you said it¡¯s just physical labor, how were you able to even register anyway? Don¡¯t they give instructions while you work too?¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Hmm? Well, all I did was to squeeze myself in the line of laborers that go to the site, there was no registering. There were instructions once in a while but I just paid attention to the other workers and followed them.¡± ¨CAkira ¡°That¡¯s..amazing¡± On the way, conversations somehow happened by their selves. It seems that we¡¯re feeling much more comfortable talking to Akagi now. He might look hard to approach at first but once you talk to him he doesn¡¯t feel like a bad guy. He doesn¡¯t speak when unnecessary but he properly answers our question. ¡°Yea, you¡¯re amazing Akagi-kun, we almost gave up hope of surviving¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°Well, not really, I was pretty desperate myself. I thought if I can¡¯t find anything good then I¡¯d have to risk my body stealing food.¡± ¨CAkira ¡°Risk your body¡­?¡± ¡°Hnn¡­you see, this is like medieval Europe right? Of course this world custom might differ, but in the old times, stealing an apple is enough to get your hands chopped off. There was that French story where a guy went to prison for 5 years for stealing a piece of bread too.¡± ¨CAkira ¡°Hands chopped off¡­¡± ¨CDaiki ¡°¡­for stealing an apple?¡± No way right? No matter how you think about it that¡¯s too unreasonable. For the first time in my life I find the fantasy world a detestable place. *Note: ikemen = handsome guy Chapter 13: Little birds in a bar In the commoner district of Reynes city, there¡¯s a certain tavern located on an alley a little away from the main street. Usually taverns are set up on the main streets or near a commercial place such as the south market square or the west port of Reynes. This tavern however, is doing its business in the housing area where not many people pass through and no other shops are close by. Yet against all odds, today it¡¯s bustling with people in the middle of the day as usual even though now is supposed to be the time when everyone are busy with their work. Taking a closer look one can notice that the guests belong to a rather peculiar troupe. Though there seems to be all kinds of people, the one common thing is that they all carry weapons. From the standard swords, shields, daggers, bows to more exotic kinds like flails, hammers and maces. If one walked in unknowingly then by no doubt they¡¯d have to wonder whether this was a hideout of bandits or not. The Toothless Sparrows, a tavern that outsiders would hardly ever hear of due to its location but is well known amongst local adventurers. According to the owner, the rowdy adventurers that gather in here look like a flock of sparrows to him, and if you¡¯re going into a tavern for adventurers then you should be prepared to lose at least a tooth or two because of the frequent brawls that happen in this kind of place. Apparently he thought that it was funny because sparrows don¡¯t have teeth to begin with. Though many would knit their eyebrows and question this man¡¯s sense of humor, nobody said it out loud. ¡°This place is as lively as ever¡± ¨CCara ¡°I¡¯m amazed at how these people drink throughout the day, don¡¯t they have work to do?¡± ¡°What are you saying after all this time? The jobs that come to adventurers are irregular so we don¡¯t have anything like a work schedule to begin with. We work when there¡¯s work to do, and drink when we¡¯re free enough to drink¡± ¨CCara ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Don¡¯t drink too much okay?¡± ¡°Wa¡­What are you talking about? Don¡¯t look at me like I¡¯m some kind of alcoholic old man!¡± ¨CCara Should I press on with this topic here? I mean, what¡¯s the point of defending yourself when you¡¯re clearly a heavy drinker. And a bad drunk at that. We¡¯ve been together long enough that I¡¯ve lost count of how many times we¡¯ve gotten into a bar fight because of your drinking. Are you really an elf? Aren¡¯t elves supposed to be all elegant and divine? It¡¯s such a waste of a good face, you know? When the outer appearance and the inside are this different, it¡¯s fraud. Fraud you hear? ¡°If it isn¡¯t members of Triblades, welcome¡± -??? As we walked into the tavern while arguing, familiar voice greeted us from behind the bar. ¡°Bridget-san, please don¡¯t call us by our party name if you can, it¡¯s embarrassing¡± ¡°Ufufu, now that won¡¯t do, you three became B ranked recently right? Be proud of your fame and achievements¡± ¨CBridget ¡°Even if you say it like that, we¡¯re still just freshmen among the B ranks¡± ¡°It¡¯s all because you chose such a name¡­¡± ¨CCara ¡°Don¡¯t blame me! It¡¯s not like you two had any better ideas didn¡¯t you¡± ¡°Buuuttt~¡± ¨CCara Cara stuck out her rosy lips and pouts cutely. Damn it! Why are you acting so cute all of a sudden!? That¡¯s foul play! ¡°A..Ahem! Is the boss in, Bridget-san?¡± ¡°Father is working in the kitchen, today¡¯s special is boar stew, would you like to order it?¡± ¨CBridget ¡°Oooh? The boss¡¯s boar stew? Then by all means, two servings please¡± ¡°Only two? Is Beck-san not with you?¡± ¨CBridget ¡°He said he had some matters that he needed to tend to first, he¡¯ll order his share when he comes¡± ¡°Very well then, take a seat wherever you like¡± ¨CBridget We helped ourselves to a table in the corner. As usual, there are many stares being sent toward us. Or to be precise, toward Cara. Even though this is why I usually choose a seat in the corner, some guys are going as far as stretching out his neck to get a better look. Well, what do I expect? Adventurers are creatures that are honest to their desire. It¡¯s quite unreasonable to demand manners from these rowdy hoodlums. Not to mention, there¡¯s a beautiful elven woman right in front of their eyes. To us adventurers, the beauty of elves are one of our greatest hopes and dreams. If you ask any adventurer what are the things he want to do at least once before he dies. By no doubt laying with an elven woman is on the list. The only reason why no one is starting any trouble is because we¡¯re already quite well known in this city. Cara on the other hand is splendidly ignoring the perverted gazes from the surrounding and stuffing her cheeks with stew and alcohol. ¡°It¡¯s quite amazing how you are able to eat being bathed in unpleasant stares like that¡± ¡°Well, I used to cause a ruckus in the past but in the end I was driven out of every bar I go to. If I let myself be bothered by this kind of things every time I won¡¯t even be able to eat properly. At the end of the day they¡¯re just stares, a girl¡¯s got to eat when she¡¯s hungry. You lose if you care. So in other words, drink up! Drink up!¡± ¨CCara ¡°What do you mean by ¡°in other words¡±? How does that even relate to dri¡­ahh forget it, I¡¯m not one to refuse alcohol either, cheers¡± ¡°Now we¡¯re talking, lad, nishishi¡± ¨CCara Raising her cup against mine cheerfully, Cara let out a blossoming smile, one that would melt any man should he be fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of it. It¡¯s really is foul play. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ We finished our lunch and engaged in pointless chatter for a while, then the familiar figure of a handsome man in his twenties approach our table. ¡°Yo, sorry for the wait. Ah, Bridget-san, one serving of stew please¡± ¨CBeck ¡°One boar stew, coming up¡± ¨CBridget Beck sits down on our table, seemingly in a good mood. He has a look on his face that clearly wants us to ask him what¡¯s going on. ¡°Stop that creep grin already, so what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Is it related to the matter you mentioned in the morning?¡± ¨CCara ¡°Kukuku, exactly, my lady. Now you guys take a look at this¡± ¨CBeck Beck carefully takes out a scroll from under his cloak and spread it out on the table. At first glance it looks like some kind of maps. But on the side there¡¯s a section written in some unknown letters. Is this some kind of treasure maps? To be honest, even you put one on my hand I wouldn¡¯t believe it. Treasure maps are just something in fairy tales, there¡¯s no way something convenient as that exist. If one were to exist people would be all over it and the treasure will become empty in no time already. However, putting aside the true nature of this map, there¡¯s one particular point of note that I can¡¯t overlook. ¡°This mark¡­ Is this the real thing?¡± ¡°Hmm? What is this, is there something about this crest?¡± ¨CCara ¡°Ahh, I guess Cara doesn¡¯t know huh? But this crest is pretty famous among human you know. Even though it¡¯s just the stuff of myth and legend¡± ¨CBeck A five petals flower within a five petals flower. The mark of the High Priest of Dagda, commonly referred to nowadays as the Sage. He was a legendary figure in the era of the Giants 700 years ago. Back when the giant clans were still roaming this continent. Legends told that the Sage formed an alliance with the giant Balor, they then led a human army together with Balor¡¯s group of follower into war and ended the tyranny of Balor¡¯s father, the chief of the iron blooded giants. Balor united the scattering clans afterward and became the first king of the giants, then he signed a treaty with the human as a gift of gratitude for aiding him in battle. Freed from threats, humans started to build a kingdom on this continent and that is how Brettania came to be. The Sage was hailed as a hero and was the only one in history to receive the title High Priest of Dagda, the all-knowing father and chief god of the faith of Tuath De Danaan. However the Sage soon became mad with his power and committed various atrocities on the human race. He was then to be secretly removed by the kingdom, but fled south and never to be heard of again. What¡¯s left was a blank period in history and the giants also disappeared during that time. Nowadays it¡¯s hard to believe whether giants and dragons really exist or not. They are figures that only appear in story books. ¡°Well, I was going to call bullshit on this but I guess you aren¡¯t the type to make this kind of boring joke. Still, if you show me something that appears right out of a children¡¯s bed time story, you don¡¯t expect me to believe it right?¡± ¡°What are you saying, nii-san, aren¡¯t we sworn brothers? Of course I believed that you would trust me!¡± ¨CBeck What the hell is this guy saying? ¡°Putting your family relations aside, Beck, if there exist a map like this then why did nobody go for it? You won¡¯t say that it appeared out of nowhere at this time and then fell into your hands will you?¡± ¨CCara ¡°As expected of nee-san, you¡¯re meticulous as always huh¡± ¨CBeck Beck put his two hands in the air, making an ¡°I give up¡± gesture. ¡°I got it from my ¡®special contacts¡¯, this morning I went to receive it¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Special contacts you say¡­ don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re still keeping in touch with house Coleman¡¯s network of acquaintances?¡± ¡°Bingo¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Didn¡¯t you resign your right to the inheritance?¡± ¡°That¡¯s that, and this is this. In our line of work information is the most important thing next to our lives right? I¡¯m not going to give up such a convenient source of information like the noble¡¯s network. Thankfully my little brother is always eager to help, I gave him the inheritance rights after all¡± ¨CBeck Beck¡¯s family, the Coleman baron household owns a big trading company in Reynes¡¯ west port. There¡¯s a saying that words travel the fastest among merchants. Compare to other nobles certainly his house has a much bigger network of information. ¡°Certainly, this leather scroll and this ink¡­ both the material and the condition suggest that it¡¯s age is no less than hundreds years old¡± ¡°Ooh, you get it don¡¯t you nii-san? Not to mention the technique that was used to make this scroll is said to be a lost technology that dated back to the founding era of the kingdom¡± ¨CBeck ¡°So, what¡¯s the story?¡± ¨CCara ¡°Wait, Cara. Beck, you sure it¡¯s okay to talk about it in this kind of place?¡± ¡°No worries, I have already put up a sound isolation barrier around us the moment I sat down. Nee-san already noticed it too, only you were oblivious¡± ¨CBeck You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Well, it can¡¯t be helped that I have no talent in anything magic related. ¡°Any way, back to the story, nee-san was pretty much spot-on with her observation. It is certainly strange that such a map appeared out of nowhere. However, there was a good reason why this map has not been sought after. Look at this part that¡¯s like a written letter¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Hmm¡­certainly this doesn¡¯t look like any language I¡¯ve seen. So because no one could decipher this that this map was useless?¡± ¡°Is it some kind of spell? I have never seen these insignia before¡­ the letter strokes are pretty though¡± ¨CCara ¡°You¡¯re half-wrong and half-correct. Apparently the map never looked like this before, originally only the writings were visible. So rather than the map being useless, there was no map in the first place. Just an empty scroll with writings no one understands. There have been stories that suggest it¡¯s a special spell of the Sage, and only by understanding it you can make the rest of the map shows itself. But it¡¯s been hundreds of years, see, and nobody could make head or tails of this letter, so it was thought of as a prank. Nowadays it became just a novelty item with historical and artistic value¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Then you¡¯re telling us someone managed to decipher it?¡± ¡°I confirmed it with my network of merchants, there¡¯s no mistaking. This scroll was originally in the possession of a merchant affiliated with house Coleman. One month ago, a strange kid he took in for some reason managed to decipher it. That guy then sent his eldest son to the capital city in hopes of presenting the scroll to the king and receiving a peerage. However his son and the group accompanied him met with ¡°accident¡± and the scroll went to the underground market. I went through great pain to acquire it before other hyenas got wind of this¡± ¨CBeck ¡°What¡¯s that, that¡¯s quite an outrageous story you know¡± ¡°A strange kid deciphered it? Isn¡¯t that too convenient? If someone were to make up something then he should¡¯ve tried harder¡± ¨CCara ¡°I was quite doubtful about it too. To be honest, even if this turned out to be false, I can just sell it to some nobles and get my money back, so I spared no expenses. But guess what, after I received it, on the way here I was attacked by a group from ¡°Ivory¡± ¡° ¨CBeck Both me and Cara widened our eyes in surprise, when you talk about ¡°Ivory¡±, then there¡¯s only one we can think of. ¡°You mean THAT Ivory?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no other group with that name isn¡¯t there. If there is then they weren¡¯t worth mentioning¡± ¨CBeck Ivory is a large underground organization that has made quite a name for itself. They specialize in information collecting and trading. Words over the grapevine that Ivory has not only grasped the majority of the market in the underworld but they have connections on the surface market as well. If those guys started to move then this means that the authenticity of this map is high. Even adventurers and nobles sometimes rely on the information they sell. ¡°Ivory isn¡¯t it¡­ we knew nothing of them other than their fame but how was it, was they strong?¡± ¨CCara ¡°No, they were rather disappointing, they are definitely stronger than your usual group of thugs but aren¡¯t that dangerous, at most each of them equal a mid-tier C rank adventurer. I guess their main occupation is that of cut throat merchants and shady businessmen after all, either that or they weren¡¯t too serious about the map¡± ¨CBeck ¡°How many were there?¡± ¡°Three, they probably thought that they could take a magician on easily so they didn¡¯t have their guard up. Well, even if they did it¡¯d only make the fight a bit longer¡± ¨CBeck When one think of magicians, they often appear to looks like a physically weak scholar or researcher whose only good point is to chant spell. But that only applies to beginner and third rate magicians. In a battle where there¡¯s a thin line between life and death, unable to guard yourself and have to rely on your comrade¡¯s protection will just make one a liability and endanger the party as a whole. In children¡¯s picture books magicians always wear a big hat and baggy clothes but realistically speaking a hat isn¡¯t going to be useful in a fight and neither will clothes that hinder your movements. That¡¯s why magicians that carry their lives through the battle field always wear armors and knows how to use a weapon just like anyone else. Beck is one such magician. His skill with a sword though isn¡¯t as good as me or Cara, but if we¡¯re talking about bare handed combat then he might just be the strongest among us. ¡°So that¡¯s why you were late. Isn¡¯t this too dangerous? You shouldn¡¯t underestimate the power of wealth, maybe this time you got off easily but what if they hire stronger assassin then? You do know that no amount of reward is worth your life right?¡± ¡°I know that more than anyone, being the former heir of house Coleman. That¡¯s why I¡¯m thinking we should hurry and get out of this city then take the treasure before it becomes too much to handle¡± ¨CBeck ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of this much, Beck. Are you sure you¡¯re not biting off more than you can chew? Even if we manage to obtain the treasure wouldn¡¯t that just motivate them in attacking us?¡± ¨CCara ¡°I have already made arrangements for that. The moment we get the treasure, we will offer them to the kingdom and get only a portion of it as our share. Once they¡¯re determined as state¡¯s property even those guys from Ivory won¡¯t be able to move freely¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Well, that does sound like a plan. But I don¡¯t want to make our party take unnecessary risks. Money has no meaning if we lose our life because of it¡± The life of an adventurer is one that always has a step on the other side of the world. But by no means we entertain the thought of intentionally putting ourselves in the line of danger. In fact, due to the harsh nature of our lifestyle, we adventurers are more careful than anyone else. If you die, then you lose everything. But if you live, then there¡¯s always tomorrow. ¡°Think about it, Leader. If we managed to get the treasure of the Sage, then we could reach A rank you know? It¡¯s something that we won¡¯t be able to get even if we continue on taking the usual jobs for another 10 years. More importantly, we could even receive a peerage from the kingdom, and with a good amount of cash to go with it. We won¡¯t be adventurers for forever right? Don¡¯t you want to have at least some insurance for your retirement? We can even leave behind some prestige and wealth for our kids¡±¨CBeck Adventurers are ranked from F to B. The very first time you register as an adventurer your rank will be F, it¡¯s for the snot nosed beginners. Then slowly as you complete your job and gain achievements, you will raise your ranks and fame. You¡¯re considered a regular if you reach rank D, and a veteran if you reach rank B. It¡¯s very important for adventurer as higher rank will net them more job offers. The ranking goes above B rank, however I only consider adventurer to be from F to B is because there¡¯s a large difference between a B rank and an A rank. The A ranks are made of different stuffs, it¡¯s hard to put them in the same lot with us. You may slowly climb your way in ranking normally but once you reach B then it¡¯s impossible to raise your rank further unless your party is incredibly talented. They say if you don¡¯t reach A rank in 10 years then you might as well give up. Even though it¡¯s only one rank above, the A ranks are regarded to as masters and there¡¯s an insurmountable wall between them and the ranks below. Which is why A ranks receive a lot of preferential treatments from both the guild and the kingdom. As for S rank¡­ let¡¯s just not talk about it. Beck¡¯s story makes sense. We won¡¯t be adventurer forever, this is a job that require us to be in top conditions as we rely on our strength to keep our life. Most people retire after they¡¯ve gone past their prime. To make a living in this world isn¡¯t easy. Even if you¡¯re B rank it doesn¡¯t mean you will be able to save up enough for your retirement. After the retirement one would normally settle down as well, money will be required then. It might not be an exaggeration to say that retirement savings is one of adventurer¡¯s ultimate goal, no matter how dreamless it may sound. I took a glance at Cara¡­ Yea¡­I¡¯d like to settle down when I retire after all. Marry a woman and create a family. If I have something to pass down to my kids then there¡¯s nothing would make me more happy. Cara too is having a serious expression on her face. She¡¯s pondering about the risks and rewards of this endeavor. It¡¯s rare to see her makes that kind of expression after she had something to drink. As expected, it wouldn¡¯t be funny if we were to let someone else take away such a juicy opportunity from us. As for Beck¡­ I doubt he¡¯s doing this for money and peerage. After all he gave them up for the free life of an adventurer. The reason he¡¯s being so enthusiastic about it may just be the romance of discovering the legendary treasures. He has always been the type of man who chases after dreams and ideals. ¡°Beck, what if this turned out to be all nonsense?¡± ¡°In that case then it¡¯s just our luck. It¡¯s not as if this is our first time chasing goose. I¡¯ll have you two keep quiet about the failure though so I can at least sell this map somewhere else¡± ¨CBeck ¡°You have a nice personality as always¡± ¨CCara ¡°I¡¯m grateful for your praise, nee-san¡± ¨CBeck Beck said so jokingly while making an exaggerated bow. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the place where the Sage supposedly hid his treasures a dangerous area?¡± ¡°Well, about that, take a closer look. Don¡¯t you see this location is familiar?¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Hmm¡­can¡¯t really say¡­ Wait¡­ this is the Sierra pass? Then that¡¯s the wall of Balor isn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t tell me this is Reynes city?¡± ¡°The size looks different though, and there¡¯s supposed to be Catona village in the east?¡± ¨CCara ¡°It¡¯s a map from 700 years ago what do you expect? The city was different and there was no Catona village. But that¡¯s definitely Reynes city¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Then this big mark is in Ciallmhar Forest? The shape is a bit different from what I remember though, is this also because of the passage of time?¡± ¡°That¡¯s also part of it. But another reason is that this map has drawn up the complete area of Ciallmhar Forest. Our current map only has part of it, the rest are unexplored¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Ciallmhar is known for having no real resources or specialties to harvest from. Even the monsters there are so weak and worthless nobody bothered to explore it¡± ¨CCara If the Sage took that into account when he chose a place to hide his treasures then he¡¯s quite the cunning bastard. ¡°Well then, though undoubtedly if this operation is a success then we might have hit a golden jackpot that probably won¡¯t happen a second time in our life. But I prioritize the safety of our party above all else. So keep that in mind, and as always we¡¯ll vote to determine our course of action¡± ¡°Got it, I was expecting this anyway¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Understood¡± ¨CCara ¡°Alright, the people who are against this time¡¯s job, please raise your hand¡± No one did. Chapter 14: Journey to the man-eating village In southern Brettania, the most notable location is Reynes city, also known as the old capital. Legends told that 700 hundred years ago when the kingdom was founded, people first settled on the plains between the west sea and the Sierra mountain range, soon it was developed into what¡¯s now known as Reynes city. Due to the threat of monsters from the direction of the mountain range, A wall that blocks the great ravine of Sierra was built by Balor the king of the giants as a sign of friendship. It was dubbed the Wall of Balor to honor his deed. 500 years ago the royal family moved to a city in the north and has stayed there since. While no longer being the royal capital, Reynes is still the kingdom¡¯s important stronghold in the south and one of the ports that connects to Alba Loga continent. From Reynes city is a 7 days in horse carriage to Catona village in the east. This village is a frontier village that¡¯s still in the middle of development, though there has been no visible progress in the past 100 years. It¡¯s has been 2 weeks since the conversation at The Toothless Sparrows, Aldwin¡¯s group finally reached Catona after catching the periodic caravan that go to the village once every 2 months. Their destination is in the depth of Ciallmhar forest that¡¯s further east. ¡°Waahh, lookie lookie! It¡¯s knight-sama!¡± ¨CChild 1 ¡°It¡¯s not knight-sama, it¡¯s adventurer-san!¡± ¨CChild 2 ¡°Is that a real sword? Amazing amazing!¡± ¨CChild 3 Our surrounding started to become noisy with the chirping of little children. They stare at us from a small distance away with their eyes glittering. I guess this place doesn¡¯t receive adventurers often? There¡¯s nothing around here that would attract our kind usually. Catona is actually a gathering of several farming villages that were built right next to each other, they used to have different names but they all merged into one now. The overall population is around 1000, it¡¯s almost on the scale of a small town but it didn¡¯t manage to expand even after 100 years. Perhaps due to the area around here not being very fertile. Either way, an adventurer doesn¡¯t have much reasons to visit such a place. ¡°That onee-san is so pretty!¡± ¨CChild 4 ¡°Princess? Princess?¡± ¨CChild 5 ¡°I will be an adventurer when I grow older too!¡± ¨CChild 6 ¡°Ahahaha, I touched his sword!¡± ¨CChild 7 It seems that the peanut gallery is getting bigger. ¡°They¡¯re multiplying¡­¡± ¡°Urg¡­I¡¯m not good with children¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Ufufu, they¡¯re all so cute¡± ¨CCara ¡°Let¡¯s just hurry to an inn before it becomes too crowded to move¡± ¡°Let¡¯s ask them to guide us¡± ¨CCara Cara asked the tallest girl of the bunch to show us the way to an inn. It looks like there¡¯s no inn in this village, but there¡¯s a spare house for peddlers who came by to temporary stay in. And so we were guided to the village chief to get permission to use it for a day. While we¡¯re walking the, the tall girl walk in front, with Cara holding hands with two young girls right behind, and there is a trail of children following behind her. It¡¯s like a teacher taking a bunch of children on a trip. Consider how wild Cara normally acts, it¡¯s quite surprising that she¡¯s good with children. For some reason I can¡¯t take my eyes off her. Since I was able to see a rare side of Cara let¡¯s consider this a good day. Also let¡¯s ignore Beck grinning mischievously next to me. Ignore him, ignore him. . . . ¡°Welcome to Catona adventurer-dono, what brings you here in this remote village?¡± ¨CChief We are greeted by a middle-aged man who seems to be in his late forties. Did he just return from the field? He¡¯s holding a straw bag full of freshly picked vegetables and holding a smoking pipe on the other hand. ¡°Are you the village chief? My name¡¯s Aldwin. We¡¯re on our way to Ciallmhar forest for an investigation. Is it possible to use the temporary house for guest in this village to stay the night?¡± ¡°Hohoho, quite a polite lad for an adventurer aren¡¯t you. There¡¯s no problem but it¡¯s unusual to see someone who¡¯s interested in that forest, did something happen?¡± ¨CChief ¡°It¡¯s nothing dangerous, there¡¯s a rumor that some rare herb grow in there, so we¡¯re just trying to make sure¡± ¡°Rare herb isn¡¯t it? I have never heard of something like that, are you sure you¡¯re not getting tricked?¡± ¨CChief ¡°We¡¯ll just blame our bad luck then¡± ¡°Hohoho, well whatever, you adventurers have your own circumstances. It¡¯s nothing that¡¯s related to us village folks. Stay as long as you like, have the children guide you to the place. You¡¯re just in time for harvest season so make sure to buy some fresh vegetables okay?¡± ¨CChief ¡°We¡¯ll do just that, thank you¡± _______________________________________________________________________________________________ ¡°Adventurer-dono, leaving already?¡± ¨CChief When morning arrived, we came to bid farewell to the Chief and thanked him again for lending us the house. ¡°Yea, we¡¯d like to finish this job as soon as possible¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mean to pry but, exactly how far are you going into the forest?¡± ¨CChief ¡°We plans to go into the deepest section, the unmapped area¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite a long trip isn¡¯t it, just reaching the forest on foot will take at least 10 days¡± ¨CChief From Catona village, walk south through an area of rocky hills and shallow swamps, only then you¡¯ll reach Ciallmhar forest. It¡¯s impossible for carriage or horse to reach since the rocky hills make horses trip quite often, most of the time ends up in the horse dying a useless death. And even if they make it through the hills, there¡¯s the famous poison swamp after. There¡¯s no other choice but to travel by foot. ¡°Do you know how long does it take to reach the unmapped area?¡± ¨CBeck ¡°That¡¯s hard to say, we never went there after all, since there¡¯re monsters. If I were to make a guess then it¡¯ll probably take double that if you want to reach the deepest part¡± ¨CChief So 20 days trip to the depth of the forest? That¡¯s quite troubling, the amount of supplies we have to carry to last 20 days will be a burden. ¡°Right, right, maybe you should stop by Cial village and rest up there. It¡¯ll lighten the burden of the journey¡± ¨CChief ¡°Cial village?¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Was there such a village?¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually an unnamed village, but since it¡¯s in Ciallmhar forest we just call it Cial. Sometime ago a guy from some noble family in Reynes wanted to develop that place in hope of becoming a feudal lord. He said he it¡¯d be okay if he were to use terrace farming on the hills. He did success in making a farming village but nobody bothered going there since the route was too long and harsh. In the end it became a mountain village that¡¯s forgotten by the kingdom¡± ¨CChief ¡°Hoh¡­ to think someone actually went and made a village in that godforsaken forest. But that¡¯s good news for us¡± ¡°Once in a while some villagers from there come over here to buy necessities like spices and tools. Hasn¡¯t seen them since 2 months ago though¡± ¨CChief We asked the village chief for directions, prepared supplies for 10 days then head toward Ciallmhar forest. The next stop will be the small village there. If by some chance we can¡¯t find the village or gets delayed on the way then we¡¯ll rely on the forest¡¯s blessings and hunt monsters and animals for food. Though unlikely, if we¡¯re unable to support ourselves in the forest then we¡¯ll use the back-up supplies which are worth 5 days carefully and return to Catona, then rethink our strategy. After having our lunch in the village, we parted ways and resumed our journey. The children were crying and waving to Cara. I felt a little bad and almost stayed for a few more days but Beck reminded me that we should finish this as soon as possible, before Ivory can raise some troubles. ¡°Aww, they were so cute~¡± ¨CCara ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you like children so much¡± ¡°About as much as anyone. Our line of work has little to do with children though so I guess I don¡¯t come into contact with them too often¡± ¨CCara At Cara¡¯s remark, Beck winked to me. This rascal¡­ I know too well what he¡¯s trying to make me do. I¡¯m not going to say some cheeky pick-up lines like ¡°How about we make one then?¡±. She¡¯ll seriously cut me up. If she cuts me at a bad spot I won¡¯t even be able to have children then. So definitely I¡¯m not saying it. I¡¯m not saying it so stop kicking me! ¡°Talk about children, I wonder how those brats are doing¡± ¨CBeck Seems to be tired of trying to rile me up, Beck changed subject. ¡°You mean the strange brats that didn¡¯t know Danaan language?¡± ¡°Oh right, hasn¡¯t it been a month and a half already? I think I saw some kids that resemble them once doing some day labor jobs on the walls¡± ¨CCara ¡°I see, seems like they¡¯re doing what they have to. If the people we helped actually dropped dead starving in the slum I¡¯d feel pretty bad¡± ¡°What are you saying now, wasn¡¯t you the one who wanted them to figure their own life out?¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Shut up, I was just being a good role model¡± ¡°Still, it¡¯s pretty strange to not know Danaan language, with them being in the middle of Brettania and all, even I had to learn it in order to travel around when I left the elven city¡± ¨CCara ¡°Strange isn¡¯t it? Come to think of it the previous owner of the Sage¡¯s map had a strange servant kid and he deciphered the letters didn¡¯t he¡± ¨CBeck ¡°I wonder if by some chance those three kids back then also know something about the language written on the scroll?¡± ¨CCara ¡°Hahaha, no way something that convenient is going to happens¡± ¡°Well, I guess you¡¯re right¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Still, it¡¯s pretty wasteful for them to just commit their selves to labor jobs. Those kids had potential, especially the red head¡± ¡°What is this all of a sudden?¡± ¨CCara ¡°Feeling like leaving your skills behind for the younger generations already? You¡¯re getting old¡± ¨CBeck ¡°I¡¯m not even 30 yet!¡± But¡­ teaching the younglings my skills huh? That doesn¡¯t sound like a bad idea. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°A lot of highly skilled adventurers take in apprentices too, being called sensei might be nice. We could even create a clan¡± ¨CCara ¡°I¡¯m not too good at being in such a big group¡± ¨CBeck A clan is a group of many parties, usually having a couple dozens of members, some big clans even have thousands. They¡¯re created to support each other and working toward the same goal, most often to raise rank or to target specific areas of operation. The ones that reach over a thousand are considered to be pretty much a mercenary organization and often take part in wars. ¡°That¡¯s right, we¡¯re used to travelling with just the three of us. But being in a clan doesn¡¯t mean you always have to follow the clan¡¯s directions. In long journeys like this I actually want a bigger group that we can count on for supports¡± ¡°Hmm that¡¯s true¡­ Having to eat nothing but dried meat jerky and stone-hard bread for at least a month is pretty depressing¡± ¨CBeck So it¡¯s about food in the end? I¡¯m not sure if we¡¯ll ever create a clan, but if we create one then I¡¯d probably invite those kids back then, they can take their time to learn both the language and the skills. Thinking about what kind of adventurer they¡¯ll become I feels a little excitement rising in my chest. The training will be harsh, I¡¯ll make sure to beat all the techniques into them. [MC POV] Nin nin Ninja Shoujo Kagami makes an appearance! After a long period of training in the mountains I¡¯ve reached enlightenment in the way of the shinobi. Just kidding. Hopping from tree to tree like a ninja, I swiftly make my way through the forest. The area around the village is already like my own backyard. After having recovered my strength I took the weapons the villagers left behind and went hunting. It¡¯s not like I have become a weapon master overnight, but at least I was able to hold them properly. It¡¯s still only at the level of being able to judge the distance and range of the spear and keeping a decent grip on it though. As for the bow, it¡¯s completely no good, I can¡¯t ever get a proper aim on that thing. The best thing I¡¯ve learned from my one week of hunting was that this body isn¡¯t just stronger than your average human, it¡¯s also incredibly nimble. I can even jump between tree branches without making a sound. There¡¯s also an additional bonus of being able to grab on all kinds of surface easily. Hardening the tiny hairs on my leg and arm to tighten the grip, I can walk leisurely up on a tree, though I won¡¯t say it¡¯s as easy as walking on land since there¡¯s gravity in the equation as well¡­ Enough about that, I detected some human scent over on this part so I went to take a look but¡­ What¡¯s up with these people!? The plated armor nii-san just sliced a panther monster in half with a one-handed swing. Is this even humanly possible? What¡¯s with his arm strength? Though his technique was splendid, it¡¯s hard to imagine a swing without even taking a stance could effortlessly cut that big panther into two separate pieces. During this one week of hunting, I have found the panther to be of no threat to me and I can dispose of them quite easily. But that nii-san is on a completely different level. Even if it¡¯s the me right now, if the panthers come in packs then I would have to be vigilant about it and play dirty, jumping between trees and throw spear at them from a higher ground. His 2 party members are also no pushover either. The pretty onee-san accurately nails her arrows through the panther¡¯s heartwhile both she and the monster are moving. She¡¯s carrying a sword but it doesn¡¯t seem to be necessary since the armored nii-san is making a guro movie off any panther that approaches. The other guy who¡¯s dressed in light armor, he¡¯s also slicing monsters too, but from a distance. Taking a closer look there¡¯s some green flash shooting out of his hand¡­ magic? Awesome, it¡¯s the first magic I see since that time with the exploding arrow that elf guy shot. But this is much cooler, he waved his hand and both the tree and the monster were made into slices nicely. The distance is¡­ about 30 meters? That¡¯s pretty useful. Though why is he dressed like a warrior? There¡¯s even a sword hanging at his waist. I guess wearing a big wizard hat won¡¯t make your magic stronger¡­ still that¡¯s pretty disappointing. On to the topic at hand, aren¡¯t I like, in a super pinch right now? Aren¡¯t these guys way too strong? That direction they¡¯re taking will lead straight into the village. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s a coincidence or intentional, but this is bad on many levels. It¡¯s been only one week since the massacre, the blood is all dried up but there was no way to clean the stain off the wooden floor. If they realize what were the events that transpired this village¡­ They would probably seek me out and kill me right? They don¡¯t seem to have any reservation in cutting down monsters. There¡¯s no reason to. Even if they can¡¯t find me, they would probably report this matter and come back with more people, it¡¯s checkmate then. Well, it¡¯s checkmate even if they don¡¯t go back, since people will probably send a search group. The villagers might have little relation with the outside, but since these people came from far away, there¡¯s a chance others will come looking for them if they don¡¯t return. Maybe I should just pack my stuff and run away¡­ But where to? It wouldn¡¯t be funny if the area I escape to has even more dangerous creatures. I do plan to leave one of these days anyway, since the matter of the village will be discovered sooner or later, but at least not right now. Ari-chan is taking it¡¯s time to recover, it¡¯ll probably need another week to fully heal. And I also need my food, there¡¯s no way I can evacuate them now that these people are almost at the village¡¯s door step. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ [Aldwin POV] ¡°Oh, I see it, I see it¡± We were attacked by a few monsters on the way here, but they were weak as expected. And so without any major delays, the village started to show itself from the top of a hill as we pushed our way through the forest. It seems like a fairly desolate village, there¡¯re at most over 10 houses. The hill slope has been turned into a giant stair of earth for terrace farming. It¡¯s quite a spectacle. ¡°Finally I can eat proper food, these last 10 days were painful¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Don¡¯t expect too much though, they seems like a poor village¡± ¡°One bowl of porridge will do, at least it¡¯s better than these rock hard bread that can probably be used as weapons¡± ¨CBeck Following the animal trail that leads to the village, we found our self at the destination shortly, but there seems to be no one around. ¡°Excuse me~! Anyone here?¡± ¡°Strange, where have they gone?¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Farming maybe?¡± ¨CCara ¡°I was watching the field while we were walking but there were no sign of human over there either, this is strange¡± ¡°Maybe this village is already abandoned? I mean from what Catona¡¯s chief said, they seems to be isolated and have little contact with the outside, no one would notice even if they moved¡± ¨CBeck ¡°That can¡¯t be, look at the tomatoes and eggplants, it¡¯s obvious that people were tending to them recently¡± ¡°I have a bad feeling about it¡­ ¡­There¡¯s a scent of death lingering around this place¡± ¨CCara Cara¡¯s intuition is quite reliable usually. Even though she¡¯s no good at magic she¡¯s still an elf. It seems that she¡¯s sensitive to the movement of spirits, that which exists in the surrounding as a part of nature. So it¡¯s probably more of a detection ability rather than intuition. ¡°Let¡¯s split up and look around the village, if anything happens then shout out¡± ¡°Roger~¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Understood¡± ¨CCara The more I searched, the more I realize how grim the situation is. There are dried blood stains in many houses, the floor in the biggest house is especially gruesome, it was painted black with human juices. Don¡¯t tell me the whole village has been wiped out? This can¡¯t be the work of bandits, the chief told me there¡¯re no bandits around here, after all there¡¯s nothing to steal. Not to mention, there¡¯s not a single corpse around. So it¡¯s the work of a pack of monsters then? But the Catona chief told me that this area is outside of the monster¡¯s turf. After we finished searching, everybody gathered in the middle of the village and discuss their findings. Both of them have an unpleasant look on their faces as they knit their eyebrows. ¡°¡­So every other houses are the same then?¡± ¡°Regrettably, I think it¡¯s as we feared¡± ¨CCara ¡°What should we do, leader?¡± ¨CBeck ¡°We have our own job to do, but it¡¯s hard to ignore this kind of incident. Not to mention the things that attacked this village might cause troubles for us on our way to the Sage¡¯s hideout too. It¡¯s probably best to stay here for a couple of days, then search out and eliminate the cause. If it proves too much for us to handle then we¡¯ll go back and ask for reinforcements¡± ¡°Fine by me, I¡¯d prefer it if we do that after getting the Sage¡¯s treasures though¡± ¨CBeck ¡°Well, I¡¯d like that too but¡­. We¡¯re facing an unknown enemy here¡± ¡°Beck, what¡¯s that on your hand?¡± ¨CCara ¡°Hmm? Oh this? I thought we could use it for dinner¡± ¨CBeck Beck was holding a cloth wrapped object about the size of a buckler. He hummed while opening it, showing a big piece of ¡­ smoked meat? ¡°!!!!! BECK!! Throw that away!¡± ¨CCara ¡°Eh? Huh? What¡¯s with you nee-san?¡± ¨CBeck Cara suddenly shouts in a desperate voice that is rarely heard from her. Exactly when was the last time she became so flustered? Beck was startled by the unexpected behavior from Cara and became lost at what to do. ¡°UEUuuEEEeu¡­..GUeeuuuUuUeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE¡± ¨CCara Cara hunched down as she vomits on the ground, streams of tears running down her cheek. Chapter 15: Because theres a value in our struggles Rubbing Cara¡¯s back I try to calm her down as she continues to vomit. Next to us is Beck who has already tossed the pack of meat on the ground after realizing the cause for Cara¡¯s reaction, his face is blue as if he has seen a ghost. Beck is also a veteran adventurer and usually wouldn¡¯t react just because he touched human¡¯s carcass but maybe the thought of almost eating it has given him an uncomfortable notion. ¡°UUuu¡­. Uuuu¡­¡­th..thanks, I¡¯m alright now¡± ¨CCara Said Cara with tears in her eyes. ¡°I couldn¡¯t keep a straight face as well. Still, for Cara to react this strongly was unexpected. You¡¯ve seen your share of human remains after a monster¡¯s meal haven¡¯t you?¡± Being an adventurer, most of our work involves dealing with monsters, getting rid of bandits, explore dangerous area. One could say it¡¯s a job that reeks of blood and iron. In the five years I¡¯ve been an adventurer, I¡¯ve seen enough deaths for a life time. From a certain bandit¡¯s collection of decapitated heads to the human corpses that were half-eaten by a beast. Though it isn¡¯t necessarily a good thing, I was fairly confident that couple of dead people wouldn¡¯t even faze us. ¡°UUuu¡­just thinking about it makes me feel sick¡­ Look. It¡¯s true that¡¯s it¡¯s not even bloody, but this isn¡¯t a monster¡¯s leftovers. It was carefully processed and packed. What¡¯s really disturbing about this is the fact that such a human way of doing things was done for something so inhuman! I don¡¯t know how to describe it, it¡¯s this feeling like human was casually treated as some kind of cattle, you know? To make it worse, by another human. If a person was treating others as pigs and cows, raising them in the ranch then slaughter and process meat as if it was something natural. Would you be able to keep calm? Would you!? ¡­Haah¡­Huff¡­¡­.Haaaaa¡­¡­.¡± ¨CCara At Cara¡¯s barrage of words as if she has lost it, I grimaced. I finally came to understand the nauseating feelings that¡¯s churning inside my stomach. It¡¯s truly is a vomit inducing scenario. If a human was the cause of this¡­ If a human was¡­. I could not imagine what kind of deviant he would be. But there¡¯s only one thing that I needs to know. I can¡¯t let someone like that roams free. ¡°Cara¡­get a hold of yourse- -Cara!?¡± ¡°-cough-¡° ¨CCara Having resolved myself, I was about to consult everyone about my decision, but the moment my gaze fell on Cara she let out a muffled cough as weak as a whisper. On her chest there was a spearhead sticking out defiantly. Her eyes widen in disbelief as if she herself does not understand what¡¯s happening. And then she fell down, having lost the strength in her knees. ¡°Cara! Hey! CARA!¡± ¡°Nee-san!?¡± ¨CBeck I hurried to hold Cara¡¯s body, keeping her from falling to the ground. Beck also noticed the situation and ran over as I try to gently let Cara squat down on her knees. ¡°Beck! I¡¯ll pull out the spear! You push down her wound to keep blood from flowing and use mana assimilation right away!¡± ¡°Got it! Shit! How did this happen¡± ¨CBeck Mana assimilation is a technique to meld one¡¯s own mana into the body of another person. Using that mana to stimulate and increase the body¡¯s regeneration speed in a specific area. This technique could connect blood vessels and restore damaged body parts on the spot so it¡¯s an invaluable asset. The number of people who can use this technique is very few however, due to the incredibly precise and delicate controls required. Beck is one of those rare people who can perform this procedure. The spear punctured Cara¡¯s lungs and that technique is the only thing that can save her now, medicine would never make it in time. Beck needs to concentrate while using it so I¡¯ll leave Cara to him. I will take on the role of protecting both of them while they¡¯re busy with the treatment. What a perilous situation. Even if me and Beck failed to notice an enemy despite our battle hardened senses, usually Cara would fill in the hole in defense since her detection ability is much more advanced than ours. She can detect hostility from 70 meters away. Theoretically one can be attacked outside of that distance since it¡¯s not rare for a warrior to be able to throw a spear over the distance of 100 meters, but it¡¯s impossible for them to hit the target accurately from such a distance. Even for archers, the upper limit for an average bowman to accurately pinpoint a human sized target is at most 50 meters away, if he¡¯s using a standard 100lbs-pull bow. Could it be a monster? But for a monster to use human tools¡­ Either way, we¡¯re at a great disadvantage. The enemy is completely outside of our range of perception, and we¡¯re sitting ducks to him. To be able to throw a spear with such force and accuracy, we¡¯re already check mated from the first move. Closing my eyes, I push my senses to the limit. I only get one chance, if I fail to defend the next shot, at the very least one of us will definitely die. Immersing myself in the world of darkness where there¡¯s no visible light, only the sound of grass rustling softly, the ragged breath of Cara behind my back, and my own heartbeat¡­ Suddenly from my right, something tears apart the air and breaks the tranquil darkness while approaching with a terrifying speed. ¡°THERE!!¡± The moment I noticed the sound of death flying toward Beck and Cara, I swung my sword to meet it while putting my body in front blocking the spear¡¯s path. The speed is outside of my wildest imagination, if I ever fail to cut it down then at least my body can become a shield for them. All maneuvers were completed in a fraction of a second, since such movements had already become a part of my nature. -Clank- With a dry sound the spear was successfully repelled and fell on the ground with a -thud-. Without even taking time to blink I immediately rush to the direction where the spear was coming from. There¡¯s a reason I left behind those I was supposed to guard. First of all there¡¯s a low chance that there¡¯re more than one attacker. Since if that¡¯s the case they would have grouped up on us in the first surprise attack to ensure victory. Secondly the longer I wait the more disadvantageous it becomes for us since I don¡¯t know if I can repel the next shot or not. Even if I do, the enemy can just shoot again. We will not be able to win in a war of attrition. So the best course of action was to pursue and strike him down before he changes location again. Cutting through the forest I make a beeline to the place where that bastard is. [MC POV] Geh! That armored nii-san is heading toward me with remarkable speed. In the first place how do you even strike down a flying spear!? Isn¡¯t that foul play!? This game is way too unbalanced! I had thought that if I strike down the woman first, they¡¯d lose their ability to think rationally. A woman¡¯s death just has that much impact, especially when she¡¯s a beauty on that level in a party of guys. I may be generalizing things a bit but that¡¯s a basic of the basics when trying to do mental warfare. It seemed that it didn¡¯t work on these guys though. Geez¡­ they¡¯re really an unnecessarily excellent bunch. The distance is about 200 meters. I deemed it a safe strategy since even from 100 meters away a human figure is reduced to nothing but a small black dot, there was no way I would be detected. On the other hand I could accurately pin point my target using an insect¡¯s sense of smell. Human¡¯s world javelin throwing record barely reached 100 meters back on earth, but with my monster like abilities I could even skewer an enemy from 200 meters away. It was a dirty advantage. Still, even with my specs, there¡¯s no way I could win against those guys if this turns into a melee. It¡¯s only my estimation but as far as physical strength go they¡¯re on the same level at me. That¡¯s largely stronger than your average human. Thinking about how I easily crushed bones and tore apart the villagers even without any special training, it¡¯s easy to imagine how non-standard those three are. One can¡¯t make full efficient use of their body strength unless they receive proper training, no matter how strong their muscles are. Even with the same physical strength, depends on the technique utilized one can produce twice as much power compare to the other. Thinking about it this way, they¡¯re way more of a monster than I am. It¡¯s hopeless, anyone can see that they¡¯re warriors of many battles seeing how their techniques were flawlessly executed. He¡¯s closing the distance with an explosive speed. How do you move that fast while wearing heavy armor? His expression also seems to be very un-amused. What should I do? If I grovel and beg will he forgive me? [Aldwin POV] Using a special breathing technique together with my clumsy mana manipulation techniques, I gave my muscles temporary explosive power. It¡¯s a situational method that should be avoided usually because after the surge of power ran out my muscles will become tired and possibly even damaged. But I have no choice here, I have to reach the attacker as soon as possible. Letting him go into hiding will be detrimental to the outcome of this fight. Hurling my body forward like a flying arrow, I covered the distance of almost 200 meters in mere 10 seconds. There¡¯s silhouette of a human about 165 cm tall ahead, so it''s a human opponent after all? However, the next instant when the distance shortens I realized that it was a mistake. Rather than a human it was a hair-raising monster with a female body and a spider head. The fact that it¡¯s wearing human clothes makes it¡¯s even more eerie. What in the world is this thing? I have never heard, much less seen any monster that resemble it. That monster is holding a wood chopping knife in front while standing with its back straight, right foot in front. Don¡¯t tell me it can use sword techniques? What is that strange stance though, the feet are too close to each other, it¡¯s not of any school I know of. Without any warning, the monster made a preemptive strike. It took a large step forward and unleashed a downward slash at me. Hmp, it¡¯s a monster after all, doesn¡¯t it understand the difference in our weapon¡¯s reach? Using the momentum from my charge I raise my sword overhead and use my own downward swing to counter. The monster¡¯s blade tip clashes with the middle part of my long sword and is unable to reach me, while the tip of my sword makes its way to the monster¡¯s head. If this goes on, the monster¡¯s blade will continue to be blocked while my own blade will slice it¡¯s face open, due to the superior length of my weapon. To my surprise, however, the moment our blades touched, that monster stepped back in a swift motion and its blade guided my sword, which was still riding on the momentum of the swing downward toward the ground. I put a great amount of power into my swing in order to counter its attack and slash its head in one stroke so I could not change my sword¡¯s trajectory momentarily¡­ [MC POV] Okuri-ashi. The basic and also the most important foot work in kendo. The idea is to stand straight with your right foot in front of your left. When move forward the front right foot will move first, and when move back ward the left foot in the back will move first, this allows instantaneous stepping to the front or the back using the least necessary movements needed. At the same time the back is kept straight so the stance is sturdy, making it hard to break the balance of gravity of the user. Most stances in fencing are similar like this, however the user¡¯s two feet are further away from each other usually, especially for western fencing. The stance I¡¯m using has my left foot almost touching the right foot¡¯s heel if seen from the side. When my two legs are close together like this, I¡¯m able to take a larger distance just on the first step forward then back. Normal Okuri-ashi doesn¡¯t take such a large distance when stepping, but I wanted that steep change in distance to confuse my opponent easier. I was shown this back at the kendo club introduction when I entered high school. I didn¡¯t know that it would come handy at a time like this. Maybe it was worth it to practice last week when I was feeling bored. When I saw his weapon I knew I was at a disadvantage when it comes to reach, which is why I must attack first in order to seize the initiative and control the fight. The slash was to fool him into thinking he can counter it easily by parrying and reach me with his sword while he¡¯s still out of my range. Then the moment blades clashed, I instantly stepped back out of his sword¡¯s reach. But dodging his attack wasn¡¯t all there is to this maneuver. Both of us were swinging downward, because of the gravity and the power one puts into a swing there was a lot of momentum so he could not change the direction easily. My knife was short and much lighter so I was faster. As I jump backward with the second step of Okuri-ashi, I moved my knife slightly to change its position and lock it on top of the sword. Immediately I put all the force I can into my knife, pushing down to make sure that his sword continues its way toward the ground, making it hard for him to change the sword¡¯s path. As a result his movements was momentarily sealed. All for this! [Aldwin POV] It was only an instant. However, in battle if you blink then when you open your eyes, your head might¡¯ve already been separated from your neck. Due to the unexpected trick, I was unable to do a follow up strike. And in that small margin of errors, the monster kicked the ground. No¡­ it kicked ¡°something¡± that was on the ground. Something hidden in the bushes. Shit! ¡°Kuh!¡± Breaking my posture, I leaned my body to the left, evading the incoming knife that was kicked flying by the monster. The kick was so powerful, the knife traveled in such a speed that made it a blurred image. At this close of a distance, dodging completely was next to impossible. It wouldn¡¯t be strange even if a veteran was to have that knife lodged into his skull by now. However, even if I¡¯m like this I¡¯m a swordman that went through countless lives and deaths experiences. Being in-adept at mana manipulation, I made my way through the battle field with just my martial skills. Don¡¯t look down on human!! That moment, as if all the nerves in my body had their tension pushed past the limit, I abandoned my stance and committed all my being into shifting my head to the side¡­ The knife flew past my cheek and left a deep cut, however it was only on the level of a bad scratch. Had I been even a fraction of a second slower, it would have found its way up inside my brain. Though I¡¯ve managed to dodge the projectile, my posture was broken in exchange, and the monster did not miss that. This time however, maybe because it was flustered that I managed to evade the trap, it rushed toward me without using proper stepping technique, trying to catch me before I recovered. I had no time to fix my posture and guarding here will just give the enemy a chance to throw me off balance even more, consider its strength that can skewer a person by throwing a spear from 200 meters away. The monster closed the distance and take a swing at my neck from the right side. I intentionally fell down on my knee on the ground to dodge the incoming horizontal slash, then kicked the ground on a crouching position. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Even A ranked masters will most likely fall once I perform this technique successfully. Take this! ¡°GUUuoooOOOOOOOO!!¡± ¨CMonster With a shout, The monster¡¯s legs were blown off by the powerful swing. Dive Lunge This is one of the advanced techniques that was beaten into my body until it became a natural reaction by my old master. The first step is to crouch down in a position that¡¯s almost like you¡¯re falling forward, this shift the gravity center from the abdomen to further downward and to the front. At the same time kicking the ground to propel your body forward, making use of both the jumping force and gravity pull to accelerate your body and leap forward a short distance. Basically it¡¯s a technique that combines the falling speed and the jumping speed into one. Though the technique only covers a short distance, the speed is unimaginable. It does have a weakness of leaving your body vulnerable, especially if you fail to hit the target and end up falling down the ground, but offensive wise it¡¯s one of the most fearsome techniques. The unparalleled speed one gets from this will becomes the factor that decides the fight in an instant. Especially when this technique aim at a target¡¯s lower body, the legs in particular, due to the user being in a crouching position and will even dive lower as a result of the fall. A person¡¯s legs are outside of their eyes¡¯ perception so attacks that target the lower body are usually the trickiest to deal with. One bad thing about short weapon is that they leave the lower body even more unprotected, making it even harder to parry strikes that comes at the area below one¡¯s waist. Once a fighter¡¯s legs are damaged it¡¯ll be fatal to his fighting strength or even completely seals the match. It moved back in a panic but maybe because it was not using proper stance and step it didn¡¯t manage to avoid my sword. No¡­ if you take away the surprise element from the strange technique just now, the monster¡¯s movements are very amateurish. Without dropping my guard, I hold my sword over my shoulder in a stance, ready to cut down any time, and carefully get closer to the monster. It already fell flat on its back, from the severed legs some kind of gooey yellow and green liquids oozing out. It seems to be shrieking in a painful voice while watching me vigilantly. But there¡¯s no hope left for it. The legs have already been chopped off, it can¡¯t even fight like this. Though I have to praise this thing¡¯s obstinacy since it doesn¡¯t seem to lose spirit even in this kind of situation. This thing is too dangerous to be left alive even a second longer. I raised my sword and slash down aiming at its head. ¡°Ugii!¡± ¨CMonster ¡°What!?¡± -Crack- -Smash- My sword made contact and chopped off a part of it¡¯s body¡­ ¡­however it was not the head. It raised its left arm to guard? Seriously, how stubborn are you? Just die quickly already! I was about to slash again when the monster shot something at me from its mouth. Crap! Is it poison!? I raised my sword and use the flat side to guard my face from the incoming liquid. It lands on the blade but nothing happened. So it¡¯s not acid or dissolving liquid? Was it poison after all? Wait¡­ if it had poison then it would¡¯ve used that in the first place when it had the advantage earlier¡­ This bastard, was I tricked!? As if confirming my speculation, the monster kicked the ground and took a distance away from me. That¡¯s impossible, it already regenerated the legs? It¡¯s not like such a story is unheard of when it comes to monsters¡­ but still. To think it jumped back from that kind of position where it was laying its back on the ground, this monster is full of surprises. The legs seem a bit different from before however¡­ it¡¯s fairly thin compared to the old legs¡­ so was the regeneration not complete? Ah! It¡¯s getting away! Damn it! I won¡¯t let you! If that thing gets away then it can just come back and use spear throwing to silently kill us at night. No matter what I won¡¯t let it escape. [MC POV] ¡°GUH!!?¡± ¨CArmored man The armored nii-san who was aggressively chasing after me suddenly stopped and let out a painful cry. Kukuku, you fell for it. Seriously, I thought I was dead for a moment there. This nii-san is way too absurd. Normally there¡¯s no way you would be able to dodge a knife flying at such speed from just 1 meter distance away you know! It basically takes one tenth of a second for it to reach the target that close! That¡¯s already the very upper limit of a human¡¯s reaction speed! Did he evade my dirty trap with just pure experience and skills? I never expected him to intentionally fall down and target my legs too¡­ the difference in fighting experience is too large. The only reason I fought because I thought there was a good chance of success. If I knew it¡¯d come to this I would have led him to the second trap earlier. Yes, there is a second trap. I didn¡¯t just slack off while they were searching the village. I came back before them and got a couple of things I was playing with before. Those were the panther monster¡¯s teeth I pulled out from those guys that became my prey. While I hunted in this forest in the past week, I realized something interesting with these panthers. Though sometimes they separate and hunt alone they do belong in packs. The pack leader is male while all other members are female. What¡¯s with that? Harem? Even though you¡¯re just beginner monsters on the level of slimes and goblins, you have a harem? I totally did not feel envious or anything. Anyway, the male panther seems to carry poison in his fangs. What a surprise. For some reason it didn¡¯t affect me much though, maybe I¡¯m resistant to poison? If I wasn¡¯t it¡¯d have been quite bad back then when I was facing their pack. I pulled those fangs off thinking I might make them into arrow or spearheads, but didn¡¯t have the time or technique to. This was my fail safe plan number two. I planted those fangs in this area. In case something goes wrong, I can trap those guys here. Ahh¡­ seriously, it was seriously bad. My life flashed when he brought down that sword and almost chopped my head off. It¡¯s good that in my desperation I used all the energy I saved up in my body to restore the lost legs. To be honest I didn¡¯t even know my body had that kind of function, it all just kind of happened. These new legs are kind of thin though, and they feel a bit funny¡­ But most importantly, I have to finish him off. I guess on we¡¯re on the same frequency for the fact that both of us want to kill the other as fast as possible. He¡¯s paralyzed from the poison now, I can¡¯t ask for a better chance. I jump at the armored nii-san who¡¯s making a pained face and slash his neck. -Clang- Nope. That¡¯s not the sound of my knife cutting his neck. It¡¯s the sound of metal hitting metal. What the heck!? You can still move after being paralyzed by poison? Please just die obediently already! However, the next instant, the scenery around me changes¡­ [Aldwin POV] What a blunder. Not in my wildest dreams do I expect a monster to plant a trap like this. But maybe I should have considered the possibility looking at how intelligence it seems to be. This can be said as nothing other than a failure due to my inexperience¡­ But not all is lost yet. I have a final card to play. And that is my [Arte] [Teleporter] The effect of this ability is self-explanatory. It¡¯s a fantastic ability I was lucky to be born with, if there¡¯s a problem about this¡­ it¡¯s not the ability, but rather myself is the problem. I¡¯m terribly untalented at manipulating mana, even the mana capacity in my body is lacking. My teacher often said it¡¯s such a waste, if I could use mana better then with this ability I could easily rise up to top ranks in the military or at least become an A rank adventurer. Because I can¡¯t have what I can¡¯t have, I didn¡¯t really lament much about it. Due to my own in-adept, I can only use this ability once every day. However even that one time can be a difference between life and death, so I keep this as my trump card and only use it when I have no other choice. Locking my sword with the monster¡¯s knife, I activate my ability. I can¡¯t let it go, but at the same time no longer can I take it down by myself, having subjected to poison. I teleported both myself and the monster back to the village, at Beck and Cara location. Beck should¡¯ve finished his treatment already. Mana assimilation takes a huge amount of mana so he won¡¯t be able to use spells too freely but he can still use the sword. And since it¡¯s Beck he could probably whip up one or two more wind blades. Together we can bring down this abomination once and for all. Instantly we found ourselves back in the old place. The monster was frozen in surprise, not understanding what¡¯s happening. ¡°Beck! Cara! Do it now!¡± [MC POV] The space wraps and then in an instant, I found myself back in the village. Right at the spot those three were staying in. What just happened? Did we teleported back in the village? Is it some kind of spell? If he could use such a powerful spell then why didn¡¯t he use it before? Wait, now is not the time. That ikemen is pointing his hand toward me, while the pretty nee-san has recovered from her wound and is readying her bow as if they were waiting for this moment. Damn it! This party is way too organized, did they already expect something like this might happen and have their weapons ready? Crap. Crap. Crap. I can¡¯t dodge this pincer attack. It¡¯s almost impossible to dodge the wind magic that was both nearly invisible and was too fast for a human¡¯s reflex to deal with. Moreover, an arrow shining in a blue light is also well on its way to my skull. It was shot in in such a timely manner and precision that even if I manage to avoid a fatal wound from the wind blade, my head will surely be skewered by the arrow. And if I get out of the arrow¡¯s trajectory then the wind blade will cut me into two. I¡¯m going to die. ¡­ In the end, after all the struggles I went though. I¡¯m just going to become another lifeless corpse in this forest? I did whatever it took for me to survive. I employed whatever dirty tricks needed to win. In the end, does it really just amounts to nothing? Fine then. If I¡¯m going to die then I¡¯ll at least take one of you with me! [Aldwin POV] At that moment when we were sure of our victory. The earth exploded. No, to be more precise¡­ the earth below that monster exploded. And its figure disappeared into a blur. It happened too fast, I was unable to even react. What is happening? Even before I managed to pose such question in my mind. ¡°Guha!¡± ¨CCara A dull groan came from Cara. Please don¡¯t make that kind of sound. I turned my eye to Cara and found that thing pinning its body against her in a shoulder tackle. Please don¡¯t make that kind of crude sound. It¡¯s such a waste of your pretty face, you know? The crash was so powerful, we could hear the bones breaking and organs turning into mush. Please don¡¯t make that kind of sound. Groaning in such an unladylike way¡­ haven¡¯t you been acting like a tomboy for long enough? Cara¡¯s body was blown back and crashed against the house behind. She coughed up blood together with small pieces of her innards. Please don¡¯t make that kind of sound. I¡¯ll do anything so¡­ I¡¯ll even drink with you as much as you like. This time, I won¡¯t hide it anymore. I¡¯ll tell you all about my feelings. You can even laugh at me if you want. So please. Please. Cara fell down on the ground like a marionette with its strings cut. She lays there. Unmoving. Her eyes that has always carried a gaze that was both gentle and mischievous¡­ there¡¯s no longer any light within. Her lips that were of a rosy shade even without make-up¡­ now are stained in a deeper red. A dark, hateful color. ¡°CARAAAAA!!!!!¡± ¡°NEESAN !¡± ¨CBeck This is no time for grief, I know. We¡¯ll withdraw temporarily and regroup later. Facing this opponent with many unknown abilities is far too dangerous. Yea, that¡¯s probably the best course of action. As a leader, who is responsible for the life and death of his party, it¡¯s obvious what choice I should make. But before I knew it, my body moved on its own. With a speed unlike anything I¡¯ve ever reached before, I rush at the monster holding my sword. There was no other thing on my head other than Cara¡¯s lifeless eyes. Something exploded inside me. Cara¡¯s dead. She¡¯s dead. She won¡¯t be able to smile anymore. She won¡¯t be able to drink anymore, or to get into fights, or to play with children, or¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Beck. For someone who shoulders the fate of the party, this behavior is unacceptable. But in the end I am just a small man after all. Just a foolish man who loses his head once the woman he loves gets hurt. I¡¯m sorry that you both had to put up with this kind of leader. I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t able to protect anyone. I¡¯m sorry. ¡°Leader! Get a hold of yourself!¡± ¨CBeck Beck¡¯s voice returned me back to reality. He was running to the opposite site, sword in hand. Is he planning to join me in a pincer attack? Really¡­ you¡¯re not that kind of person are you? I thought you were more rational than this. Aren¡¯t you going to stop me? Aren¡¯t you going to talk me back to my senses? However, looking at Beck¡¯s resolute eyes, I realized there¡¯s no more need for words. At times like these, I think I am a blessed person. Neither questions nor logic is necessary. We¡¯re going to strike at our friend¡¯s enemy. That¡¯s all there is to it. And the ground exploding again was the last thing we see. Chapter 16: The first ¡°Urrgg¡­. Giiugii (That hurts)¡± Groaning unpleasantly, I stretch my arms and pick myself up as I push aside the rubbles¡­ No, it would be more appropriate to call these scrap woods? Currently I¡¯m in the middle of the remains of a wooden house in the village. Apparently I crashed into a house unintentionally and ended up demolishing it. It was an unpleasant experience, I felt like I was driving truck at full speed with all brakes broken. Only that I myself was the truck. Looking around, there¡¯re three dead bodies lying on the village¡¯s ground. Though they appeared to have been vomiting blood profusely at the time of their deaths, there were no immediate visible wounds. However, various bones in their bodies were broken, or even smashed into pieces. The organs inside were also turned into a minced mess of flesh. It was as if they had been hit by a massive impact. After confirming that there¡¯s indeed no longer any life lurking inside those bodies, I dropped to the ground and let out an exhausted sigh. ¡°Haaahhh¡­..¡± I escaped inevitable death, once again. Should I call this lucky or unlucky? Why is it that I always find myself in these kinds of situations? It has gotten to the point that I don¡¯t even want to waste my time complaining anymore¡­ Even though I should¡¯ve been lazing around in peaceful japan playing games, watching movies, sleep and study, now I have to constantly push myself to the limit just to stay alive. I¡¯ve already ran out of jokes to make about this absurd situation. Talk about pushing the limit, I have gone and done a ridiculous thing again. Looking at my new legs that showed its potential in the face of adversary, I can¡¯t help but feel amazed. Just what is this body of mine made of? Are all monsters like this? It would be good if I can find out more about monster physiology somehow¡­ ... I wonder if these will take a while to heal? Even though I have won the battle, I didn¡¯t manage to come out unscathed. My left hand was cut a little above the wrist by the armored nii-san sword then it was sliced up to my shoulder by the ikemen¡¯s wind blade. And there¡¯s an arrow lodged into my right shoulder. It was truly mortal combat. At that time I had already been convinced that I¡¯d die. At least I wanted to take one of them with me or I couldn¡¯t accept it. I decided to sacrifice my left arm to the wind magic, since the spell has much more power, and mustered all my strength to rush at the elven girl, taking her arrow to my shoulder in the process. I had wanted to bite her neck off when I got close but something unexpected happened. The moment I kicked the ground with all my power, that spot on the ground exploded as if it was hit by an explosion and my body flew forward like a bullet. It was too sudden and too fast I could not even comprehend where I was heading, I ended up crashing into her with a tackle instead of biting her neck. The momentum generated from the speed was too tremendous it ended up as if she was hit by a truck at full speed¡­ or maybe bullet train? The other two also ended up in similar fate. My skin wasn¡¯t as hard as plate armor, but much tougher and less brittle. Combined with the fact that my insides are also much more resilient than a human¡¯s innards, though I received significant damages myself, I did not end up in the same state as them. Even though I was saved, this power is really dangerous. If I were to collide with a stone wall then my body would pretty much gets splattered and I¡¯ll become a decoration on the wall like a smashed mosquito. I have to find ways to control the speed somehow, going at full speed is not something I can get used to. It¡¯s outside of the ability of human¡¯s reflexes to maneuver, not even my monster body with better specs can adapt to it. There are in fact cases where a grasshopper end up killing itself due to repeated collision on obstacles while jumping. I have to be careful to not end up like that. Let¡¯s seal most of the speed away for the time being. Talk about grasshoppers, it¡¯s probably the reason for my new legs. It¡¯s an unbelievable story, but I have no other explanation. While my new legs doesn¡¯t look exactly the same, but it has a lot of similarity to a grasshopper¡¯s leg. As for why it became like that, could those things I ate awhile back the cause? When I discovered the pot of grilled grasshoppers in this village I thoroughly enjoyed eating those. Did those grasshoppers not just became calories but also mixed some of their traits with my body? Even if it sounds farfetched, my human body did assimilate with the monster body before. This could be a residue effect¡­or maybe it¡¯s the unique property of the original monster body. I¡¯m not too sure about the cause, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not a new [Arte] since I didn¡¯t feel the same sensation like that time when my [Arte] brought me back from the dead. If I can prove this theory to be true, this body might hold some unimaginable potential. Well, that¡¯s something to find out later. For now, I must first eat something to recover my strength, I¡¯m already on the verge of collapsing. Simply growing new legs cost me almost all the energy I saved up in a week, I¡¯m completely dried up. Normally this kind of wound would take no less than a month to recover, yet I pushed myself to recover instantly. Since there¡¯re three fresh bodies here, let¡¯s just eat those instead of my stack of smoked meat. I don¡¯t have the strength to process these bodies for now, and since I¡¯m starving I could probably finish them all together with Ari-chan. Talk about Ari-chan, I moved it to a place a few kilometers away from this place since it was still recuperating. I¡¯ll call it later, now I need to fill my stomach first. The armored nii-san¡¯s armors are way too complex to take off, I¡¯ll save him for last. I strip the other two¡¯s clothes and belongings while snacking on their limbs that I tore up¡­ Hnn¡­munch¡­munch ¡­.much¡­ ¡­¡­¡­.. ¡­. !!! What is this!? It¡¯s delicious!!!!! This Elf nee-san meat is so delicious I can¡¯t find words to describe it. I¡¯ve tasted all kind of human from the village, the old people meat were smelly and tough, so I didn¡¯t like them very much, but it¡¯s my policy to not waste food, so I ate them either way. The males¡¯ meat had a lot of muscles, they were pretty tough to bite, but there were a lot of meat on their body so they¡¯re fulfilling, and if you slice the muscles into thin slices then they¡¯re crunchy. The women were soft, sweet and easy to eat, they were one of my favorite, though there¡¯s a fair amount of muscle as well, it¡¯s something to be expected considering they live in a farming village in the mountain. There were not a lot of meat on the children, but they were really soft, their meat melts in your mouth and flow smoothly down your throat, they were very delicious. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because of a monster¡¯s palate or not, but I enjoy human meat more than any kind of meat I¡¯ve eaten back when I was still a human on Earth. Still, they were nothing compared to an elf¡¯s meat. It¡¯s like comparing cheap beef to kobe beef. There¡¯s a sweetness that fills up your mouth the moment you bite in, but it was not too sweet like sugar, more like the sweet and sourness of a ripe fruit. The flavor was not too heavy, but there¡¯s still the deep taste of quality meat. And despite being meat, there¡¯s a fresh and light aroma that refresh your body, like some kind of gentle herbal spice. To have this kind of phantasmal flavor even though I¡¯m only eating it raw¡­ Amazing! Elves are amazing! I was a little excited when I stripped the elf nee-san because of how beautiful she was but now I¡¯ve already completely forgotten about her body and dine on her flesh joyfully. I saved a leg for Ant-chan later, of course. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Next day morning came. I woke up to the chirping of birds and insects outside, still feeling sluggish from yesterday¡¯s battle. My body hurts all over, I¡¯m amazed at how well it held up despite the beatings it took. My arm doesn¡¯t seem to be generating, though the wounds are closed up. I wonder if the nutrients aren¡¯t enough. Either way, it¡¯ll take time to heal. Ari-chan sleeping next to me peacefully, let¡¯s not wake it up. Yesterday we had a feast with the meat from those three bodies. Ari-chan seemed to be extremely pleased with the elf¡¯s meat too. It¡¯s great we are similar in taste. As for their belongings, I decided to check those later as I was too tired yesterday and went to sleep right away after I finished eating. I leave Ari-chan sleeping in the house and go out in the village. Yesterday I left all of their belongings outside on the village¡¯s ground, partly because there was no need to be worried about thieves in this kind of place. There¡¯re two sets of leather armors from the ikemen and the elf nee-san, both seems to be in good quality. Two men¡¯s tunic and a plate mail from the big nii-san. The mail was dented due to impact yesterday so it¡¯s scrap irons now¡­ well, if you take it to a blacksmith then he can probably restore it. Even if you don¡¯t, if you aren¡¯t the type to mind the details then it can still be used somewhat. The nee-san was wearing something similar to a man¡¯s tunic but with more feminine designs under her armor. She also had a few pairs of high quality silk underwear¡­ it¡¯s a bit painful to admit but I¡¯m grateful for these, whether I like it or not I¡¯ve been turned into a female, even if it¡¯s a female monster. I won¡¯t say no to the quality and comfort of these underwear¡­ That¡¯s why I¡¯m definitely not a pervert! I said no so I¡¯m not! Um..Ahem! Other than those there are gloves, shoes, belts and some miscellaneous clothing as well. There are no accessories even though there¡¯s a woman in the party, I guess these people are a group of warrior after all. One item particular of note is a beautiful chain mail vest in elf nee-san possession. I¡¯m not sure what kind of material it was made from, it doesn¡¯t seem to be silver or iron¡­ but it¡¯s shining in a silver glitter under the sun light, it¡¯s pretty. The sturdiness of this vest is also amazing as well, I don¡¯t think I can slice through it even with my strength. This is quite an amazing find. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Among their supplies there are dried meat jerkies, rock hard breads, salt, some small vials with various kind of powders inside. Are these vials medicine? I don¡¯t know how to use the medicine and both the meat and bread are terrible so I don¡¯t think I can make use of these. The foods taste horrible¡­ more like they hardly taste like anything, but since I don¡¯t want to waste food let¡¯s eat them all anyway. There¡¯s some money on them as well. In total 3 gold coins, 47 silver coins, 85 copper coins. Oooh, finally a gold coin came out, I wonder how much is this worth if I bring it back to Japan? Only the money from 3 people and yet they greatly outweigh the money I collected from the whole village since this place didn¡¯t even have a single gold coin. I¡¯m not sure how great is a gold coin in this world though¡­ they should be fairly valuable right? Either that those three were living a good life or this village is just dirt poor. One of the most valuable things is the weapons. Two one-handed swords and a long sword. All of them seem to be in great condition with no rust spots, though there¡¯re some small chips on the edges they¡¯re barely noticeable. I thought swords were heavy but they turned out to be quite light. Only a little over 1kg, the long sword isn¡¯t much heavier than the short sword, only about 200 grams more at most. I guess it makes sense? Waving around some heavy sword like in battle mangas would just hinder your mobility and reaction speed. The center of balance is at a position a little further away from the handle, the swings feel swift and fluid as if they were flowing from the blade. Somehow, holding one feels like an extended part of your body. I have never held a sword in my hand before, but these are quite the exquisite articles. Even from an amateur like me, holding the sword and swinging it around, I could feel the enormous amount of thoughts and effort put into forging these while keeping in mind the shape, the sharpness, stability and balance, despite their design being fairly simple. There¡¯s a leather scroll which seems to be a map, this is useful, I would appreciate finding out about the geometry of this world or even just this region I¡¯m in¡­ ¡­eh? ¡­eh?................eh? This is¡­ Japanese!? Moreover¡­ that¡¯s the crest of the Oda family isn¡¯t it!!! (Oda Nobunaga¡¯s family crest, a five petals flower within a five petals flower) ______________________________________________________________________________________________ With much surprise, the scroll I found in those people¡¯s belongings is a map of this continent¡¯s southern area that was written in Japanese. I can¡¯t find any reason why those three is in possession of this item. They¡¯re clearly not Japanese, the language they were speaking was definitely different as well. Let¡¯s assume this was written by a Japanese, then why would they have it, can they read the language? Does Japanese also exist as a language in this world? Wait¡­ in the first place why did they even venture in this forest? There¡¯re too many questions. Let¡¯s put my conjectures aside for now¡­ I won¡¯t find out anything even if I ask questions by myself. First I want to read what¡¯s written on this map, there¡¯s a section with something like a long note, perhaps by the author. ¡°Dear my fellow countrymen. Whoever is reading this, I would like to express my utmost condolences for your unfortunate circumstances. If you can read this letter then you¡¯re no doubt a Japanese who has also been stranded on this strange world. I would also like to offer my highest praise for being able to survive up until now, and even found the scroll I left behind. My name is Oda Nobumasa, an illegitimate son of my lord and my father, Oda Nobunaga-sama. On the day after I performed many deeds of valor at the siege of Kannonji battle, something strange happened inside my room. Suddenly I could not move at all and everything inside my room lost its color. That black and white world I was being trapped in shattered into pieces shortly after, and when I woke up I found myself in an unfamiliar place. This is a world where strange youkais roam free, where human are weak and feeble targets to prey on. I didn¡¯t even know the language or custom here, but I never lost hope. Even though I¡¯m no longer in my home land, I can proudly declare that I have not once abandoned the spirit of a samurai. I¡¯ve lived my life so that I would not shame me and my fellow countrymen as a Japanese. I would like to speak in length about the friends I made, the battles I fought, my adversaries and my romances. Regretfully, I am unable to do so on a single leather scroll. In this world I am known by the name Nobumasa, the High Priest of Dagda, or also known as the Sage. You may find out more about me in my personal journal. During my time in this world, I have never found sign of any Japanese or any record otherworlders, so I assumed there was no precedence to this strange occurrence. However, such a thing could happen again in the future, so I write this as my gift, guidance, and loyalty to my country and my people. In the last years of my life, I confined myself in a secret hideout. All my research and findings about this world are hidden and protected in that place. If you desire them, seek them out, follow the directions drawn on the map. May fortune be with you. Oda Nobumasa¡± So it was really a person from the Oda family¡­ What is going on, this has turned into something really bizarre¡­ Well¡­ it¡¯s not like it¡¯s not already queer enough in the first place. So, if what he¡¯s saying is correct, then Nobumasa was the first otherwolder to be stranded on this world? The phenomenon leading to it was also similar¡­ a distortion in space isn¡¯t it¡­ By the look of it, he lived quite the colorful life in this world, his researches and stories would be a great source of information to get a hold of. More importantly, judging by how he had ¡°friends¡± and ¡°romances¡±, he must have learned the language somehow right? If that¡¯s the case then there must be some documents on languages in his hideout. According to this map, his hideout is right here in the middle of this Ciallmhar forest. So am I to assume those people came here in hope of finding what Nobumasa¡­ the Sage left behind? Nobumasa left a spell¡­ or rather, a key word in Japanese that you must speak in order for the supposedly hidden map to show itself. Since this map is already visible, does that mean those three knew Japanese after all? Or did they receive help from a Japanese? Maybe they stole or bought it? Since all of my class probably became caught up in that spatial phenomenon and ended up in this world, the chance of them being the ones who unlocked the map is very likely. Though I do wonder why weren¡¯t they going with this group then. If they were the ones who unlocked the map, probably these people would¡¯ve wanted to take them together to the hideout as well, since the documents the Sage left behind is supposedly in Japanese. Since none of my classmates came, maybe it¡¯s safe to assume that either those three knew Japanese language their selves, or they somehow managed to obtain this map without being in contact with the interpreter. Since the Sage used Japanese to pass on his message to Japanese otherworlder¡­ that means he did not teach Japanese to the people of this world, or else there would be no point. I can rule out the possibility of the three from yesterday knowing Japanese. Then the only possible solution I can think of, is that most likely one of my classmate unlocked the map, seeing how it suddenly appeared shortly after we came to this world. Those people from yesterday obtained it but did not meet with my classmate. And so they came here on their own looking for the Sage¡¯s hideout. But then their hopes were cut short because of me. Though in the end, it doesn¡¯t really matter¡­ They were my enemies, and I was theirs, we played our part and received our ends of the deal. That¡¯s all there is to it. If I find out more later on then I¡¯ll think about it then. But honestly speaking, I¡¯m very thrilled. This is a god-sent. I was quite lost at what to do. I was aware of my goals but I didn¡¯t have any method to achieve them. Honestly I completely ran out of hands to play. Not that I have any to begin with, since I don¡¯t know the language and is a monster that can¡¯t even speak human words. Finally I¡¯ll be able to obtain information about this world, and possibly learning the language as well. This will be one valuable step to get closer to my goals. I definitely cannot overlook this opportunity. In fact, I just want to leap off right this moment! All the hardships I endured due to not knowing anything or not understanding even single greeting. All the painful experiences I went through due to being unable to even comprehend what¡¯s going on with this world. Unless one is put in my own shoes they would not understand, the fear and confusion of facing dangers one after another, then going on a killing spree, all the while not having the slightest knowledge of who I am, who my prey are, what are they talking about or even what I¡¯m supposed to do. To me, this leather scroll has such significance that I would even put it on an altar and worship it! (this is not the Sage¡¯s map, it¡¯s a regular map) Chapter 17: This face is really hard And so another day came. Putting on the leather vest and the new clothes I obtained yesterday, I prepare to set out to the Sage¡¯s hideout. According to the map he left behind, it won¡¯t even take me one day walk from the village, if it were humans though they might have taken more time, perhaps three to five days. But since I¡¯m not walking and hopping through trees instead, the speed is vastly superior. It¡¯s even faster now that I¡¯ve obtained a grasshopper¡¯s jumping power. Perhaps I should¡¯ve rested for a few more days, but I can¡¯t delay this any longer. I¡¯ve been walking in the dark for too long. Now that I finally possess something that could possibly shed some light on my path, I want to get those information the Sage left behind even just one moment sooner. My preparations are finished with the sound of the long sword sliding in the scabbard hanging by the leather belt on my waist. It feels amazing, swords are a man¡¯s romance after all. With this, I¡¯ve changed job from a ninja to a knight! Pulling the sword out and then sheath it back in, I continue to make various poses. Is this okay? Is it okay for me to look this cool?! _______________________________________________________________________________________________ After a few hours of tree hopping, I arrived at the spot marked on the map. It¡¯s about 40km from the village, the density and size of the trees get thicker the deeper I go. Currently in front of me is a gigantic tree that looks to be about as big as a house. What is this weird tree... based on the shape it¡¯s similar to the Baobab trees in Africa, but not quite. This is just my estimation but to make a closed circle around the tree¡¯s trunk we¡¯d probably need around 20-30 people holding hands. If the inside is hollow you could even live in it. I get closer to the tree and try to knock at it¡¯s body. Hard. This feeling is more like knocking on a rock rather than a tree. According to the Sage I just need to speak the keyword here, and if I can¡¯t speak the word, then carve the phrase on the tree¡¯s bark is fine as well. With how hard this damn tree is though¡­this is going to take a while. And so after one hour of laboring, I finished carving the words. (If the cuckoo does not sing, kill it) As soon as I finished carving, there¡¯s a rumbling sound comes from within the tree. One spot on the tree starts to distort and form a human looking face that resembles an old man. How fantasy-like¡­ ¡°The trial shall commence¡± ¨CFace And so the face speaks in Japanese, then completely falls silent again. Eh? Just now, it said something really disturbing didn¡¯t it. I detect a presence from a kilometer away, something is rushing here with terrifying speed. Wait, wait, wait. Wait I say. The thing that¡¯s heading here is very, very bad. Even though I don¡¯t know what that thing is, my instinct is telling me that I need to get away from here as soon as possible. No¡­ even if I run now it might be too late, that thing has already locked on to me. Hey! Face! Don¡¯t just speak whatever you like then go silence when you please! I pinched and kicked the rock-hard face but it didn¡¯t faze at all, it¡¯s even harder than the tree. I wasn¡¯t told about this! Say something! Face! With a ¡°Bamm!!¡±, something fell on the ground nearby, making a small crater on the ground and behind the curtain of dust the figure of a three meter tall monster starts to show itself. FAAAACCCCEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE----------!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The monster that appeared before me was a giant mass of bulging muscles. Even though I call them muscles¡­there¡¯s a strange metal shine on them as if they were coated in steel. It has a body that¡¯s fairly humanoid, though with a more ape-like proportions, with the arms being longer than the legs. Its body is covered in several plates of hard shell, with the majority of them on its back. From the back shell there¡¯s a horn protruding upward. There¡¯re 4 jet black eyes on its head. And finally on its forehead grows a menacing horn that¡¯s about as big as an elephant tusk. The horn shape greatly resembles a rhinoceros beetle horn. No.No.No No matter how you look at it that¡¯s impossible to beat. It¡¯s so dangerous, it¡¯s as if that thing is wearing some kind of ominous black aura around itself. The pressure this monster is giving out is unlike anything I¡¯ve experienced. Putting those puny panthers aside, not even the big monster that killed me, or the skilled warriors I fought gave me this kind of hair raising chill. Wasn¡¯t this forest a place that only had weak monsters? What is something like that doing here? Wait¡­ perhaps the reason there are no monsters around the village¡¯s vicinity is because that place is close to this thing¡¯s turf? So that¡¯s why no monsters went close to the village? To think that village was being protected from monsters by being on a monster¡¯s turf¡­how ironic. What about Ari-chan then? Maybe it¡¯s a monster that came from somewhere outside of the forest, or perhaps it was just an idiot. If this monster was planted here as a guardian by the Sage then it must have lived for 700 years already. I¡¯m quite amazed how nobody encountered it here. Or maybe they just didn¡¯t live to tell the tale. What¡¯s up with that Nobumasa-san anyway, what kind of Sage are you? You¡¯re just putting something so dangerous here as a ¡°trial¡±? Who the hell do you think you are? I bet you just wanted to act cool didn¡¯t you. ¡°O hero who comes seek my treasures, prove thyself worthy¡± or some kind of dramatic theatrics like that. Please give me a break already. What gift? What loyalty? If I die and meet you on the other side of the world I¡¯ll make sure to punch you in the face. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Without minding my circumstances, the monster kicked the ground and closed the distance between us in an instant. Despite having such a massive body it¡¯s incredibly agile, I was taken by surprise and barely managed to dodge its strike. The fist collided with the ground where I was a moment ago and made a small crater. Using my improved speed I took a 30 meters distance in a single step but I could feel the wind pressure from its punch even from this far away. That¡¯s an absurd power it¡¯s packing¡­ if I was close then perhaps I would have been blown away by the blast of pressure. Every single cell in my body is screaming at me warning me to run away. But even though I don¡¯t want to take risks, I cannot afford to fall back here. I have to get to that hideout at all cost. Only now that I¡¯m pitted against such obstacle do I realize how desperate I really was. I was blinded to the ways of the world, I was muted unable to speak human words, I was deaf to any form of conversations. Even though I always joke around lightly, perhaps deep inside I was being truly cornered. That¡¯s why, only this I won¡¯t give up on. The monster kicked the ground again and covered the 30 meter distance in one step just as I did. This time it didn¡¯t puts all power into one punch but instead throw out a flurry of punches and side sweeps using the spikes on its arms. One really has to be amazed at how this supposedly big and heavy thing can dish out attacks that are even faster than the armored nii-san¡¯s slashes. Normally the me who would have a hard time dodging that nii-san¡¯s swings have no chance of matching this thing¡¯s speed. However, the me right now is different. Since I suspected that the current state of my legs was caused by the grasshoppers I ate, I had been experimenting with other insects I caught. And as it turned out, my theory was right. It was not an enjoyable experience having to catch various insect and eating them however. Even as a monster I don¡¯t enjoy eating those critters¡­unless they¡¯re grilled grasshoppers. Anyway, when I consume an insect¡¯s carcass, it¡¯s structure and traits are analyzed inside my body. I didn¡¯t notice it before but after I managed to pull out the traits of grasshoppers, it¡¯s like a lid has been lifted and I was able to understand the physiology of the insects I ate on an instinct level. Rather than the information being processed by my brain, it¡¯s more like the information ingrained itself in my flesh. The process itself is more of an analysis and reproduction rather than assimilation, in simpler words I didn¡¯t merge with the insect, I just copied it. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. There wasn¡¯t many useful traits among the insects I managed to catch however, but there¡¯re two major features that I found incredibly useful. The first is the eye. Compound Eyes One of the major traits that all insects have. The compound eye is made from hundreds to thousands of facets combined into something that looks like a beehive. In simple term it¡¯s an eye that was constructed from thousands of smaller eyes, these small ¡°eyes¡± are actually just cornea lens called the ommatidium. A human eye, each one only has a single focal point. However, because the insect eye is comprised of thousands of eyes they respectively have thousands of focal points. While there¡¯s a negative effect of the whole picture they see being blurry and not as detailed as a human eye, the insect eye is much more sensitive to movements. In other words compound eyes are much better at recognizing moving patterns. To make it easy to imagine, does the term ¡°went out of my sight¡± sounds familiar to you? For example your eyes were following a flying mosquito but it suddenly disappeared? It¡¯s because the mosquito flew out of your eye¡¯s focal point. With the insects however as long as something is within their sight, it won¡¯t go out of focal points since it¡¯ll just enter another focal point due to insects having thousands of small eyes. This is how insect manage the impressive feat of catching a prey or another insect mid-fly. Thanks to these compound eyes now I¡¯m able to dodge the deadly strikes from the beetle monster. As for why I didn¡¯t have them before despite grasshoppers also have compound eyes as an insect. It seems that eating them alive or fresh will give much better analyzing results compared to something that has been cooked, deformed or left for a long time. The monster seemed to be frustrated at its attacks that are only hitting thin air. But to be honest I¡¯m also treading on thin rope here. Even though I have the vision, it¡¯s taking everything I have in this body just to dodge attacks coming with such speed. However Beetle-kun finally lost its patience and did a powerful horizontal swing hoping to throw me off with the wind pressure. But, this is my chance. I dodge the incoming swing by ducking low and tighten my grip on the ground to withstand the wind pressure. Then as I make a falling forward posture, my leg kicks the ground and I dive at the beetle¡¯s vulnerable legs. The technique the armored nii-san used against me. Though my performance is not even close to that nii-san in term of technique perfection, it¡¯s great to catch Beetle-kun off guard. I draw my sword from my waist and swing at the monster¡¯s knee with all my power. If your leg is chopped off then it doesn¡¯t matter how much strength you have! -Clang- There was a loud sound of metal against metal. Hmm¡­ Wait, isn¡¯t that weird? Metal against metal? I was supposed to cut flesh using metal wasn¡¯t I? Taking a look at my sword¡­.the blade part that made contact had a big part of the edge chipped off, while the blade itself is bending back, making a hook shape. Even your flesh is hard too!!? Not overlooking the opening in my guard after I attacked, Beetle-kun kicks me with its other leg. ¡°GuGIH!¡± A groan escaped my mouth as all the air in my lungs and stomach get pushed out. At the same time, my body flew back 50 meters and bounced on the ground a couple of times before I crashed into a tree. There¡¯s a crack on my stomach skin¡­or rather stomach shell, since it¡¯s more similar to insect husk than human skin. Some gooey liquid is oozing out from the crack, it feels really disgusting. Pain is permeating through my body¡­there must¡¯ve been several ruptured organs¡­ Enduring the pain, I pick myself up by slowly rising while resting my back against the tree I crashed into. Looks like another one of those Baobab-like trees, had it been a normal tree it would probably break from the impact. What absurd physical strength¡­ I had smeared a mixture of male panther¡¯s paralysis poison and some other insect poison I found on my blade. Though it failed to cut through Beetle-kun properly there was a small chip on Beetle-kun skin and the poison should have taken effect in about now. But that thing is still as vigorous as ever¡­ Does it have some resistance against poison? That¡¯s too much of a cheat! Seemingly a bit pissed off about the skin on its knee getting scratched, the monster stomped the ground angrily¡­ UUUuuuu¡­ So it¡¯s the kind that has a short fuse? That¡¯s quite dangerous in its own way. The fact that I evoked the wrath of something that can smash me into bits easily is making my hips wanting to give out. Scary. Don¡¯t come over here. However, as expected, Beetle-kun is not paying any mind to my hopes. It¡¯s looking full of killing intent, the muscle on its legs bulges and packs up power and is about to take a giant leap toward me¡­ ¡­But it was abruptly stopped. Beetle-kun seems to be tangled in countless white threads. Darwin¡¯s Bark Spider A spider¡¯s silk, when compare using a weight to strength basis is 5 times stronger than steel and as strong as Kevlar, the toughest man-made polymer which is used to make bullet proof vest. However even within the spider family, the Darwin¡¯s Bark Spider¡¯s thread is special as it is 10 times stronger than Kevlar. Yesterday I was able to find one spider with thread that has similar properties, though not exactly as strong. I¡¯m glad that my knowledge of animals and insects can be put to use even in this world. While there¡¯re incomprehensible things like magic and monsters, a large part of nature is similar to Earth. Considering how there¡¯re tomatoes and eggplants, plus grasshoppers that are no different from my world. I was surprised when I managed to reproduce Darwin¡¯s Bark Spider traits though. Since Spiders actually aren¡¯t insects. They belong to the Arachnid family. Arachnids have 8 legs and no wings or antennae while insects have 6 legs and usually have wings. I wonder if it¡¯s okay as long as it¡¯s an Arthropod? If there¡¯s one thing I¡¯m sure of it¡¯s that neither other mammal monsters nor humans would work. This was the second card I was hiding. I didn¡¯t just evade his attacks by jumping around, I was planting my webs around. Though even these webs won¡¯t be able to hold it for long, looking at how much of a powerhouse this guy is. But trapping him for a moment was enough. I shake off the feeling of pain in my mind and gather up the power in my legs. Though full speed isn¡¯t something that I can control freely, thanks to the compound eyes I¡¯m now able to barely avoid crashing accidents at least. This will be an all-out attack. If slashes don¡¯t work, then I¡¯ll just to have to hit him with a blunt impact. Generally when you¡¯re fighting an enemy donning full armor then one should avoid slashing and resort to either pierce through the gap or try to cause a concussion with a blunt attack. Because I had internal injury it took a bit longer to gather my strength, but normally if I was a human then I¡¯d be dead by this point already so I can¡¯t complain. I kick the ground and raise a cloud of dust behind me as my body shoots toward the monster, tearing the air apart. Beetle-kun seems to be flustered the first time since it appeared and struggles harder to break free from the web but he could not make it in time. The moment my feet lands on his chest, a thunderous sound as if the air exploded break out from the impact and shake Beetle-kun body violently. His massive body of muscles is sent sliding backward making tire tracks on the ground as he coughs up some muddy liquids. And the next moment Once again, my body flew. ¡°Guh!¡± I fell on the ground and rolled a couple of times before stopping. The damaged organs inside me have received even more damage. A pain so intense it numbs my mind, threatening to have my body falls apart. While trying to regulate my ragged breaths, I recall what just happened¡­ I.. got hit by an arm sweep?... My leather vest has been torn up, perhaps it was due to the sharp spikes on the monster¡¯s arm. If I didn¡¯t have elf nee-san¡¯s chainmail vest with me my chest would have been opened right now. The impact was not as strong as when it kicked me¡­ looking at Beetle-kun he seems to be staggering a bit. Did my kick have some effect after all? Still¡­ to be so lively even after he received an attack with my full power that I didn¡¯t even have a good control of¡­ Just what the hell is he made of anyway!? Beetle-kun recovered shortly, shook his head and looked my way menacingly. White foams bubble on the side of his mouth as he grits his teeth in anger. Scary! I¡¯ve used up all my cards already! Don¡¯t be so unreasonable! Even though I¡¯ve executed all my plans perfectly with my life on the line you still barely took any damage? Hey Nobumasa-san just what was going on in your brain when you made this thing? This isn¡¯t a trial anymore you know. It¡¯s just mean! This is flat out bully! Chapter 18: Wars arent won in a day ¡°Haa¡­¡­.Haaa¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Running while breathing heavily, I managed to put a distance of two kilometers between me and Beetle-kun. It couldn¡¯t be helped, there is currently no chance of me winning, none of my tricks proved effective on him. Not to mention, I have already received significant damage. If I stayed there for even one minute longer I would surely die this time. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve decided to retreat and ran away. However I cannot withdraw back to the village. Ari-chan is still resting in there. Though we can¡¯t communicate, I own it my life so there¡¯s no way I can let this guy go on a rampage in the village. It¡¯s a good thing my legs are superior so I could out-run him even while being injured, but Beetle-kun is persistently trailing me so I can¡¯t shake him off. If I go back then he would surely follows me to the village. Then¡­ what am I supposed to do? For the time being, let¡¯s keep on running and maintain a good distance between us. My antennae can sense him from two kilometers away so I¡¯ll just pay attention so that he doesn¡¯t close the gap. I can slowly think of a solution¡­ before I die to exhaustion. ¡­. Can I cry now? Sob. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Night came but Beetle-kun isn¡¯t stopping¡­ he¡¯s still diligently chasing after me without taking a rest. Stop chasing after me already! Could it be my current insect face is unexpectedly charming to monsters!? I could only get a short nap of about 15 minutes once in a while, then wake up and widen the distance between us again so that he would not catch up. Beetle-kun is way too stubborn. How long is he going to keep this up? ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Morning came, and our game of cat and mouse continues. On the way I quickly kill small birds or moths I find and use them as emergency ration. As for water there¡¯s no source around so there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. Should I go to the direction of the river? I¡¯ll make do with animal¡¯s blood for now. Late afternoon, I reached an area that is within the panther monsters range of activity, but even after searching around for a while I couldn¡¯t detect any. Did they notice Beetle-kun¡¯s presence and ran? Saving yourself like that¡­ if you were running away then take me with you too! Well, it¡¯s fine either way, those guys¡¯ meat are hard and stinky so it¡¯s not like I really wanted to eat them. I wonder if all monsters taste bad? ______________________________________________________________________________________________ The second night of this chase falls it¡¯s curtain on the forest. Beetle-kun is not stopping. Go to sleep! Or rather, just stumble on some rock and die already! UUuuu¡­.I¡¯m at my limit. I don¡¯t have enough nutrients¡­and my wound isn¡¯t healing at all. If this situation keeps up I¡¯ll run out of energy soon. It¡¯ll be game over then. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Morning light greets me again as the sun slowly rises from beyond the horizon. My body is feeling heavier and heavier. I don¡¯t think I can hang on anymore. Even as I run, my brain is working at full speed to draw up some kind of strategy to overcome this predicament. But nothing good came up. After all this time¡¯s opponent doesn¡¯t have any fatal weak point that I can take advantage of. He¡¯s just simply strong. -grumbles- I¡¯m so hungry. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ The third night comes. I¡¯m being attacked with not just the permanent pain inside my body, but also severe fatigue. I want to sleep so badly. I haven¡¯t gotten any sleep in three nights already. An urge to just throw myself down the ground and fall prey to the sleepiness is nagging at me. If I can get a good sleep, maybe I¡¯ll just let Beetle-kun catch up and smash my head in while I¡¯m sleeping¡­ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Once again, morning came. I could feel my body shivering from fatigue. My muscles are also screaming in protest. I stop walking and wait for Beetle-kun to come here. Yes, I stopped. I¡¯m going to face him again. While he¡¯s catching up, I¡¯ll take that time to let my body take a breather. Any amount of rest is crucial for me right now. Since I¡¯m going to make a final gamble. __________________________________________________________________________________________ The moment Beetle-kun sees my figure, he kicks the ground with great force and rushes at me. Truly, looking at his massive body, his strength and speed, it¡¯s as if I¡¯m facing a bullet train that¡¯s accelerating toward me. How is he still so full of vigor despite having to chase after me without taking a break, I really have no idea. But it doesn¡¯t matter anymore. This ends now. It¡¯s either me or him. By a hair breath, I dodged his greeting punch and take a distance with the biggest jump I can manage right now. However, this time, I didn¡¯t only keep on running. Before he was able to make a move as follow up, I instantly leap toward him. It seems like Beetle-kun was taken aback to the fact that I actually came straight at him instead of running like I¡¯ve been doing. He did not instantly react to the unexpected change of event. I put all of the remaining power into my grasshopper¡¯s legs and kicked up a great amount of dust as I aim at his chest. Beetle-kun realized my aim quickly however, it seems that he still remember the one time where I inflicted notable impact on his body. He swings one arm toward me attempting to strike me down on my path, while his other arm is covering the chest area. Seriously, you only saw it once and was able to adapt to it already? The more I fight this guy the more of a monster he proves himself to be. Even though I thought he was just fighting using his instinct he¡¯s actually making some sensible movement right now. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. My attack this time unfortunately, isn¡¯t a straight kick. Just right before his arm reached me, I side stepped to evade his swing and get into range at his side. Beetle-kun, are you surprised? You are surprised aren¡¯t you? How someone who¡¯s in such a terrible condition can evade your speedy swing and even reached your side. But it was all planned. What is the best way for someone to ¡°go out of sight¡±? The answer is a sudden change in trajectory. When one¡¯s eyes is focused on something traveling on a path, if that thing abruptly changes the flow and moves out of the path then it will go out of the eye¡¯s focal point. That is the reason why it¡¯s really hard to catch insects like flies or mosquitos and easy to lose sight of them, it¡¯s because they have the ability to change their flight path in an instant. Such a trick won¡¯t work against compound eyes. However, the beetles despite being insects actually have many species in their family that doesn¡¯t possess compound eyes. Those species has Oceli or also known as eye spots. They¡¯re singular, simple eyes just like those of a spider. Their eyesight is bad and instead they rely on smell, sound and air vibration to communicate. Beetle-kun here seems to have that kind of eye. Using this opportunity that I¡¯ve finally penetrated through his guard, one of my fingers instantly grows out to 20 cm in length and I stabbed it in Beetle-kun¡¯s eye. ¡°GRUUUAAAaaaAAAAAAAA¡± ¨CBeetle As expected, no matter how hard your body is, your eyes will always be a weak spot. Beetle-kun screamed in pain and tried to kick me away. I jumped back to take a distance as soon as I successfully pierced his eye but because I have expended almost every ounce of strength in my body I was too slow to dodge it. His kick connected with my leg, swept me off the ground and sent me flying back. ¡°Guh!¡± A sharp pain burst out from my leg as I fall flat on the ground. Did he smash my leg with his kick? His strength is as absurd as ever. It didn¡¯t take long for Beetle-kun to stop screaming and now he¡¯s looking at me in absolute fury. One of his eye punctured, bubbles foaming on his mouth as yellow saliva dripping down from those vicious jaws. It¡¯s as if he would bite my head off at any moment. Obviously, just by stabbing one of his eyes, it isn¡¯t going to stop him from trampling me. Especially now that one of my leg is broken. However. ¡°Giiguiiiii (Come out)!¡± ¡°RGUAR!?¡± ¨CBeetle At my word, Beetle-kun suddenly holds his head and then groans in agony. ¡°RUUUUUGUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRR~~~~~~!!!!!!!!¡± And now he¡¯s screaming more loudly than ever, he rolls on the ground and started punching it, making small craters and raising up storms of dust, then run head straight into a tree and head-smash it into pieces of lumber. Beetle-kun seems to be in great confusion and pain. As for me, I breathe a sigh of relief. So it worked, my final gambit. It¡¯s not as if I have only been running away from him mindlessly. I have been looking around for something that could overturn the outcome. Specifically, a certain creature. I have seen them in this forest before however I didn¡¯t manage to get them during the quick experiments I did with my power. Parasitic Wasp It¡¯s a wasp that lays its eggs inside the body of its prey. When the eggs hatch, the larvae inside will eat the host from the inside. It¡¯s a nasty creature when one thinks about it. However, this wasp is a helpful insect looking from the perspective of human. The reason being, beetles are included in its menu. Japanese beetles are pests that ravage a farmer¡¯s crop. When a field is afflicted with them, there are various options of removal. One of them is buying Parasitic Wasps and set them free in the field. The wasp will then prey on and get rid of the harmful beetles. Even if Beetle-kun is sturdy on the outside, it can¡¯t be said the same for its organs. Sadly my poisons don¡¯t work on him, so the best option I can think of was to damage him from the inside somehow. My finger that grew out actually was the stinger that sent my eggs inside through the wound on his eye. I don¡¯t really want to admit it, but this time I¡¯m grateful that I¡¯m trapped in this female body. This strategy wouldn¡¯t have been possible if I was a male. It was great that I managed to catch a wasp this morning as well. I was almost at the end of my endurance. Beetle-kun is now in so much pain he doesn¡¯t even notice me anymore. While paying mind to not be in the line of his blinded rampage, I wait patiently for the inevitable conclusion. After going berserk and rampage for many hours, making the area around looks like it had been ran over by a violent storm, Beetle-kun finally stopped moving. The forest that has been filled with violent and agonizing roars since the morning now has become dead silent in the afternoon. At last, I can rest assured. My antenna isn¡¯t picking up any sign of life from Beetle-kun anymore. As I relax the tension in my mind, I became assaulted with all the accumulating pain, stress and fatigue. Beetle-kun¡­ you were really formidable. If possible I don¡¯t want to have to fight anything like that ever again. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.. ¡­Let¡¯s not keep my hopes up. Now then, I want to just drop down on the ground and sleep but I might just die in my sleep when I¡¯m in this condition, so first of all let¡¯s have Beetle-kun become my meal today. I earned this after all. Coming closer to the corpse, the larvae I sent inside started to crawl out of his body through his mouth. They¡¯re like an army of squirming little worms covered in slime and bodily fluids. Each one is only about half a little finger but there¡¯re as much as millions of them climbing on top of each other as they wriggling their way out of Beetle-kun mouth. Uge¡­. I¡¯ve seen a lot of gory things ever since I came to this world. But this is really disturbing in a different way. Even though they can be said to be my babies. They are seriously gross. Gross. Gross. Gross. I reflexively grimace inside my mind. I can¡¯t help it okay? What¡¯s gross is gross! Chapter 19: A piece of history Evening is coming as the sun slowly sinks below the horizon. Looking at the wasp larvae squirming around making sticky sounds disgustingly, I think about what to do. There¡¯re about 400 babies, and they all stored enough energy from eating Beetle-kun insides. From now on they¡¯ll enter pupa stage and hatch into adult wasps later. As for what they¡¯ll hatch into, they won¡¯t be full blown monster like Ari-chan or Beetle-kun but more of a hybrid between an insect and a monster? To be precise, a normal parasitic wasp with the increased vitality and strength inherited from a monster¡¯s lineage. I¡¯m a bit glad that I didn¡¯t give birth to 400 complete monsters to infest this forest, the eco system will be damaged. As for what to do with them, I¡¯ll issue orders for 300 to migrate somewhere far away in different directions so that there won¡¯t be an outbreak of evolved wasp. 100 I¡¯ll keep with me and employ as personal spy network. Now then, there¡¯s still a lot of Beetle-kun¡¯s carcass left. He was huge after all, and my babies were tiny even though there are hundreds of them. The shell obviously I can¡¯t eat, but even his muscles are as tough as steel too. My jaws probably will break if I try to bite his muscles. There¡¯s the opening from his mouth, so I stick my hand through there and scratch out his meat and organs from the inside. The insides are actually also fairly resilient for internal organs, but they¡¯re still organs after all, I have no trouble tearing them apart and pull them out through his throat. -munch- -munch- Hmnnn¡­ It¡¯s not very tasty. It¡¯s not as bad as the other monsters I ate, but still the meat can¡¯t be said to be tasty. It has a strange flavor that doesn¡¯t even resemble meat actually¡­ A strong grassy smell and a bit oily as well. The taste was heavy so it was fairly hard to swallow but I can¡¯t be picky now. There¡¯s one amazing thing about this meat however. The energy and nutrient packed into them were on a different level. With every bite I can feel the energy spreads out inside my body, seeping into my muscles and revitalizing them. After eating a few kilograms my broken leg is already starting to recover. Amazing, Beetle-kun, so this is why you didn¡¯t even need to rest when you were chasing me. The muscles under his skin are also a little bit easier to chew through, perhaps I was under the impression that they were steel-like because they were protected by the outer skin. Still they¡¯re very tough, it¡¯s taking all of my strength just to tear them apart, I¡¯m afraid my jaws might fall off if I¡¯m not careful. After eating a full stomach, I lie down on the ground taking a short rest while analyzing the muscles and body structures. This is delicate work since unlike that time with the grasshopper leg I want to carefully reform every muscle in my body with the information acquired. After I finished with body remodeling, I tried to test the new power by punching the ground but it resulted in me injuring my own arm¡­ The strength was a bit too high. I took a break again and ended up changing it so that there is less power and more softness and flexibility by mixing the traits I gained from various insects to complete the balance. Finally, I¡¯m able to chew through his skin, though it feels like human chewing through thick processed leather so it wasn¡¯t at all enjoyable. As for the shell, I can¡¯t eat those after all, but I took some effort in breaking off a small piece and swallowed it. After experimenting with various combination and ratio, my new body is complete. Though it doesn¡¯t look any different, the performance has gone up considerably. I think I can muster up at least twice the physical strength I had before, the body is also more resilient. There¡¯s no improvement in speed but the rest of my body have closed the gap somewhat with my grasshopper legs, there was such a big disparity between my leg and my body but now it finally feels like they¡¯re on the same level. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ I come back to the tree with the face, but didn¡¯t go near right away and carefully observe it from a distance. If something even stronger comes out then I don¡¯t think I can win this time. Though the newly gained strength that is boiling inside my body give me some sense of confidence, I can¡¯t be careless. As I approach closer while being vigilant, the face suddenly sink back inside the body and with a rumble the tree¡¯s body open up like a door when I¡¯m 100 meters away. This damn face, it just pops out and causes me trouble then now it sink back in without a care in the world? Next time I see it I¡¯ll kick it so hard it¡¯ll fly all the way through the other side of this tree! There¡¯s a cavity inside the tree and looking through the door, I can see some furniture arranged inside¡­ almost like someone lived there. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Inside the tree there seems to be 2 floors, both are fairly bright even though it¡¯s the evening, the walls seem to be illuminating by their selves. The first one is the living area with a single bed room, a room with a table and chair and a washing basin. There¡¯re various spices and eating tool in here as well¡­is it a dining room? There¡¯s no toilet or kitchen, but I guess you can just do that outside¡­ cooking inside a tree doesn¡¯t seem to be a good idea. The washing basin pumps water from underground and pump the waste out into the forest, that¡¯s pretty amazing. There¡¯re some strange inscriptions and intertwining symbols drawn inside¡­ is it supported by magic? I have no idea how it works. What really interests me is the second floor. This here seems to be the study room. A modest wooden chair and table and many shelves are placed here. On the shelves and the table are various books of all sizes. Some shelves also has things that look like dried up plant samples, various kinds of liquid and powder inside glass bottles. There are also a couple of transparent boxes with things that look like monster specimens floating inside. It looks like the secret room of someone with dangerous fetish, or perhaps a mad doctor¡¯s laboratory. It¡¯s great that all the books here are written in Japanese, it¡¯s really is a place intended to pass down to people that came from Japan after all? I choose a couple of books, arrange them on the table and sit down to examine them. They¡¯re the Sage¡¯s Journal, Danaan Language and Elf Language, Ability Theory and Magic Theory. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ I skimped through Nobumasa the Sage¡¯s journal and biography first of all. Since this guy seems to be the kind that likes longwinded talks I just skip through the pages quickly and note down the main points. He arrived in this world 700 years ago in a fishing village to the west of the continent. Even though he didn¡¯t know the language he used his skills and knowledge to catch fish and animals to get by. He built a shed a little distance away from the village at first but after bringing his catches to the village to trade many times they got closer, and after a few times he saved them from monster attacks he started to live in the village. From then on he would be taught the language by the villagers and take on the job of guarding the village. ¡°It was a time of turbulence. Even more so than the never-ending battles of warlords in Japan. In this place human don¡¯t wage war against each other but embrace our kin to endure the abuse of forces far greater than our own. This continent is controlled by various giant clans. They stand at the pinnacle of nature, they flatten the land in their wake and raise up storm by swinging their arms. Monsters and humans alike are just their prey. Having no one to threaten them they wage wars among their selves and bring forth even more destructions to the land. I didn¡¯t mind at first since this world has no relation to begin with, but my friend from the fishing village, Alfred would always talk about how he¡¯s going to make a peaceful haven for mankind¡± Apparently he finally gave in and followed Alfred in a journey to the kingdom of the elves to learn magic and went through countless trials. From then on it¡¯s a rather long story so let¡¯s skip this part. He really likes to ramble on too much! Especially when it comes to how lovely the elves were. I don¡¯t want to hear your stories of love and conquests of romance! It¡¯s not that I¡¯m jealous or anything! I¡¯m not! Okay? ¡° I was surprised when I first met Balor. My impression was that the giants were generally a blood thirsty and war-mongering race. But when I actually talks to them they unexpectedly have reasons, codes, laws and even a rich culture of their own. Though undoubtedly they are battle-thirsty, they aren¡¯t the mindless beasts the humans made them out to be. Especially Balor, he has high pride, but at the same time a man of honor. His way of life is somewhat reminiscence of our own way of the samurai. I was deeply impressed¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Giants is it¡­ that sounds pretty amazing. From what written in the book though, I don¡¯t know how accurate it is but those guys seem to be complete monsters. Even Beetle-kun would probably be flattened by them easily. I don¡¯t want to meet them, ever. After many times of confrontation, finally Nobumasa-san and Alfred-san joined hands together with Balor and together they defeated Balor¡¯s father. Afterward Balor conquered other giant clans and created a kingdom in the north of the continent. That Balor-san sounds a lot like the Nobunaga of this world huh? The south was given to the human and they built Brettania, which seems to be the country I¡¯m currently in. ¡°The kingdom prospered, I used what little knowledge I have of farming and magic to contribute to the country and improve people¡¯s livelihood. I left all the politics and military matters to Alfred since he¡¯s after all the founding king of this country. There wasn¡¯t a day to rest, but our lives were fulfilling. It was then that the situation turns sour. The brighter the light, the bigger of a shadow it casts. The more the kingdom grows the deeper it rots inside. As Brettania continue to expands, so does the number of nobles, politicians and religious factions. Repugnant vultures and swine that eat away at this country¡¯s very life¡± Well, what do you expect? The bigger an organization is the more corrupts it becomes. It¡¯s inevitable. ¡°Jealous of my achievements and afraid of my power. Those greedy hounds try whatever they could to reduce my influence, even going as far as sending assassins after me. But something of that level is of no threat to me. I have long pasted my prime but I didn¡¯t live through the great war of the giants based on my luck. Even as a magic user, few in the elf kingdom could match me¡± There might be a few exaggerations but he sure seems like quite a monster in his own right. He was the one who made that Beetle-kun after all. I¡¯d prefer it if he put his talent into something else other than harassing his own countrymen though. ¡°However, I was na?ve. I believed in my power, in my peerless magical might. I underestimated it. The depth of the malice of human. One by one, my friends and family fall prey to that limitless, petty and foul malice. Even if I can protect myself I could not extend my hand to perfectly guard all those who are close to me. Moreover, despite calling myself the strongest magician, I am still a human in the end. The long period of fighting and stress, not knowing when I will be assassinated has taken a toll on my body and mind. As the game of deception and back-stabbing prolongs without end, I slowly lose my grip on those I hold dear and I became afraid that soon enough I¡¯ll lose the grip on my own life. Alfred has also gotten old. He no longer holds the same radiance he once had when he led humanity to battle. With a weak body comes a weak mind. Being fed by lies everyday by his advisors and subjects, he also started to suspect and fear me¡± No matter how strong you are I guess there¡¯s nothing you can do when you are constantly threatened to be stabbed from the back. Geez¡­ living like that days and nights, a normal person would probably go crazy. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can blame Alfred, since I¡¯ve also gotten old and weak. I decided to abandon everything. My country, my enemies, my friends and my family. It¡¯s not a behavior fitting of a samurai. But the country I serve no longer exists. I¡¯ve gotten tired of everything, of both fighting and protecting. If they want me gone so much then I¡¯ll be gone from their sight. Let those hounds fight against each other over what¡¯s left of this country by their selves¡± And so he secretly came to this place, created a modest house and lived the rest of his life while researching monsters and magic as a hobby. Although things became rather unpleasant in the middle, it¡¯s a fairly good end for such a twisted story. Even in the end he didn¡¯t seem to have much regrets. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Anyway, I got the general idea about this world now. About 3000 years ago this continent seems to have been first populated by an ancient giant race called the Tuatha De Danaan, also sometimes known as Sons of the Earth. Despite being giants they seemed to be a bit different from the giant races in the Sage¡¯s story as the Tuatha De Danaan are much more proficient at magic and is considered a mythical race. The various giant clans the Sage met 700 years ago are supposedly descendants of that ancient race. The giants worshipped their ancestors, and due to the good relation with humans after Balor became king, that faith also found itself into Brettania. In fact, even before the founding of Brettania, the Danaan language was already the main language in this world. It was supposedly a language passed down by that ancient giant race. Therefore it was easy for people to accept the faith of the Tuatha De Danaan. Brettania is in the south west while there¡¯s an elven kingdom in the north east. Elves rarely concern their selves with the outside world and speak their own language. As for the general level of civilization¡­is probably around the middle-ages? Though there are some differences as magic is available in this world so they¡¯re more advanced at certain things and at the same time some technology aren¡¯t as developed as Europe in the middle-ages. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ There¡¯re some interesting information about the life forms in this world as well. Normal animals such as pigs and chickens are the same as Earth. Also they are considered animals because they don¡¯t carry mana in their bodies. Monsters are technically species of animals, however they have mana in their bodies and therefore much more dangerous. Monsters are also the natural enemy of humanity. However, on the other hand demi-humans aren¡¯t. Beastmen, elf, dwarf and various other races also have mana in their bodies but they¡¯re considered demi-human, not monsters. Then, how would one separate demi-human from monster? One simple answer would be that they have reasons and intelligence, as opposed to monsters that only has animal level of intelligence. What about dragons then? They are said to be intelligence but they are monsters and not demi-human. The line that draws these two categories became rather dubious at this point. Beastmen, dwarf and many other races have actually been considered monsters before. Then at some point in history they became regarded as demi-humans. I think this is the key to the answer. When the beastmen were considered monsters, they and human waged war against each other, however the losses from both side were simply too great. They had to go on a temporary truce. During that truce, the most important thing for them was to recover their nation strength and economy. At this point, they realized. Humans have technology more advanced than beastmen, but at the same time beastmen also have produces that human cannot match. At some point they started trading and over time little by little the temporary truce became permanent non-agression policies. Simply put, it was much more beneficial for both sides to engage in trade compared to war. In the end to justify their doctrine human declared the beastmen as demi-human not monsters, telling the public that there¡¯s no problem with forging a friendly relationship since they¡¯re half ¡°human¡±. It was not just the beastmen, the same repeated for many other races, including the dwarf. What to make from this, is very simple. The line to draw between a monster and a demi-human is based on how beneficial they are to mankind. If they¡¯re too dangerous and better off exterminated, they¡¯re monsters. If a peaceful relationship is beneficial, then they¡¯re demi-human. If they¡¯re too strong to beat, then they¡¯re also demi-human. Take the goblins for example, they¡¯re monsters now. But if they create a country and become a potential trade partner that bear benefit to human countries then they might very well be regarded as demi-human at that point. That same goblin country, however, if they attack human then they will be counted as monsters. If they are too strong and cannot be defeated no matter what, at that time the human might take a few steps back, negotiate a few policies that¡¯ll benefit both and call them demi-human. In the end, it¡¯s whatever gives the human advantage. Quite a selfish way of doing things to make it convenience to one¡¯s self. But it kind of works, so I guess it¡¯s fine either way. Chapter 20: Kaleidoscope Next up is the book about language. I have been waiting for this! First of all, the Danaan language is comprised of an alphabet with 30 different characters. This system is similar to the English alphabet. Which is actually a life-saver. Learning Kanji and Jukugo would take too much time. As for the grammar and pronunciation, they¡¯re actually astoundingly similar to Japanese. The grammar structure is almost the exact same replica. The vocabulary¡­ is different, of course, but the way to pronounce the words seems to be almost the same as Japanese. For example, Kajitsu(Fruit) in Japanese is called Kazumu in Danaan. While the words are different the pronunciation for Kazumu is exactly the same as how they¡¯re pronounced in Japanese. This might go more smoothly than I thought. Even though I cannot speak, knowing what other people are saying is already helpful enough. Also, even if I can¡¯t speak I can just write. Communication should be well within possibility. Except for the fact that I¡¯m a monster, and they taste good. Well, if they feed me something nice I might not eat them. Maybe. Elf language seems complicated, I¡¯ll look into that later if I have time to spare. For now, I¡¯ll take my time study Danaan language, it should be helpful later on. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Putting the language book aside, I open another book that covers a subject I¡¯ve always been curious about. [Arte] ¡°What is an Arte exactly? Ever since I¡¯ve arrived in this world that question has always been on my mind. Looking at it simply it seems to be the super natural powers people in this world possess. Some said it was a gift from god, some said it¡¯s the true identity of mankind. Whichever the case, it seems like it¡¯s something limited to the resident of this world, there were no such powers back in Japan. However, when I traveled to the kingdom of the elves, out of curiosity I checked myself using the magic tool called the ¡°Monolith of Tuatha¡±, and to my surprise I found out I also possess an Arte. Moreover, it was an unique in-born Arte called the [Magic King]. Owner of this ability will have increased magic power, easily absorb any magic knowledge and techniques. Finally an unparalleled insight into the depth of magic. Using this ability I spent many years investigating the true nature of that which we call an [Arte]¡± -A mutation of the soul- Apparently that is the answer the Sage arrived at. In order to understand [Arte] one must first take a look at the composition of the life forms in this world. Save for the animals which don¡¯t have any mana, humans, demi-humans and monsters are made of three major parts. The physical body, the soul and the force that flows in-between called mana. Mana is stored inside the body but at the same timed it is connected to the soul. The human in this world are actually not too different from the humans on Earth. An average untrained man will have about the same strength as an average untrained man on Earth. However, because they possess mana in their body the potential in their body is higher. There¡¯s such a thing called ¡°limit of humanity¡±. Basically no matter how much you train there¡¯s a wall you cannot surpass because of the limitation of your body. In the case of the human in this world, they have a higher limit than an Earthling due to the mana reinforcing their body. With that being said, having a higher limit doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re automatically stronger. If one is untrained they¡¯re no difference from Earthlings. With proper effort however, they can reach heights Earthlings would never be able to reach. Using an unit called power level to compare, the average untrained human here would be 50 points and the same go for earthlings. A physical laborer would be at 100 points. A trained soldier or regular adventurer would be at 200 points and a veteran adventurer or elite soldier is 300->400 points. Hmnn¡­ if I¡¯m not wrong a trained weight lifter on earth would be twice as strong as an untrained person and an elite would be three times as strong. So they¡¯d be about 100 and 150 points? There¡¯re world records of athletes being able to lift an object three times their weight. But a trained soldier here is even stronger than that? And what¡¯s with veteran adventurer being at 300 points, that¡¯s like twice as strong as the world record on earth isn¡¯t it! I guess that makes sense now how the armored nii-san was strong enough to slice a panther into two and he was so fast despite wearing heavy armor. He must¡¯ve been at least 300 points. What an absurd world. The properties of the physical body and mana are made clear, but what about the soul? The answer isn¡¯t much different from earth¡¯s concept. A spiritual body that is the core of the physical body¡¯s life. However, the soul itself is also an enormous power source like mana. It is much more complex and mysterious however, not much is understood about the soul. What is understood, however, is that [Arte] is something that directly sprouts from the soul. Whether it be in-born or acquired through hard work, an [Arte] is something that belongs to the realm of the soul alone. What the Sage suspected was that the reason for this mutation is because of mana. There is no difference between earthlings and the human of this world, yet they have powers we don¡¯t. On top of that, an earthling gained an [Arte] when traveled into this world. The theory in this book states that when an earthling comes here, the mana that fills this world seeps into their body, comes into contact with the soul and causes a mutation the same way it does to this world¡¯s residents. However, that is not limited to humans alone, but even monsters can acquire Arte, as long as they have mana there¡¯s a possibility. Conversely, just because one has mana doesn¡¯t mean an Arte will manifest. Take the Medusa Spider for example, some specimen manifest an ability to petrify the prey just by looking, however some doesn¡¯t. What is interesting is that their other features such as thread weaving and poison does not count as [Arte], which is obvious because those skills belongs to the physical body of the spider. In the same way, one might have talents at fighting, a body suitable for martial art, a mind that excels at politics and strategy, but at the same time they can also be reinforced by an [Arte] from the soul such as [Sword Talent]. In this case just because one doesn¡¯t have the Arte doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re not talented. They might have the aptitude for the job normally. An Arte just adds on to that. Heeh¡­Artes are really amazing huh¡­ Mine was super weird though¡­ Since it¡¯s not definite that an Arte can manifest so maybe I should just be happy that I had one at all? Now that I think about it I really want to investigate mine again. Who knows, I might have more Arte hidden? That¡¯d be really cool! According to the information though, the ¡°Monolith of Tuatha¡± are rare magic tools and at the same time big and heavy. They only exist in big cities so not even towns and villages will have them. That¡¯s quite troubling¡­ I can¡¯t just waltz in the middle of a crowded city now can I? ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Since I¡¯ve gotten most of the info I wanted, I can just take it easy with the other books. There¡¯re magic books here but I think I¡¯ll leave them for another time. Magicians seem to be rare because aptitude and talent are very important for a magician, even more so than martial art. Putting that aside, there was another thing I¡¯m interested in. I wanted to search for it as soon as possible. That is the method to revive my son! ¡­which I didn¡¯t find. No spell, no drug or method was mentioned. And you call yourself a Sage!? Apologize! Say sorry to your title right now! ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Ahem! So, while I¡¯m feeling very sad and frustrated, I found a different thing of interest. So let¡¯s take a look at that now. The Dragonfly Fairy. Fairies exist in this world, they¡¯re tiny humanoid creatures with wings that is very adept at using illusions and magic. They¡¯re illusive and rarely show their selves to human, at the same time they¡¯re mischievous and often play tricks on not just humans but any creatures that stumble upon their turf. They actually share the same origin as elf and dwarf and even in some studies considered to be the ancestor race for those two. There are various fairy tribes, however, the most unique one among them is the Dragonfly Fairy. This particular species has an unparalleled pair of eyes. Their eyes can actually peek into many different dimensions. Some says that they can see mana, life force, spirits and even the soul. The Sage believed that these fairies can see through a person¡¯s [Arte] and the [Monolith of Tuatha] was actually a magic tool made by the ancient giants to reproduce part of the power of the Dragonfly Fairy¡¯s eye. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. He tried to catch these fairies, but because their eyes were able to see through anything, no one has ever managed to catch them. They could see how strong a person is or any danger that approaches them and flee before the danger even managed to get close. The Sage tried to use magic traps but they were able to see through hidden magic formations too. ¡°If there¡¯s no way to catch them off guard, then make it so that they would willingly get caught¡± Or so the Sage thought, and he made Wagashi (Japanese confectionary) and put them in the middle of the magic trap. He continued to do so for 2 years and finally one Dragonfly Fairy couldn¡¯t take it anymore and decided to eat it at the cost of its life¡­ Um¡­ how do I say this¡­ that¡¯s quite a bizarre way to die. What were those fairies thinking anyway. That Sage too, to continue doing such a stupid trap for 2 years. And it actually worked. I have no words¡­ Err¡­ anyway, since it¡¯s going to benefit me, I won¡¯t say anything bad about it. On one of the shelves, there¡¯s a transparent container with something like a clear green liquid inside, and in that liquid is a specimen that looks like a humanoid that can fit into your palm. The head looks like an insect head, and there¡¯re wings that¡¯s like a dragonfly wings. So is this that fairy specimen he caught? Looking at it this way it really looks like an insect¡­ I wonder if I eat this I¡¯ll be able to analyze it like other insects? It was named Dragonfly Fairy right? Maybe it¡¯s related to arthropods in some way? Either way there¡¯s no loss for me, I¡¯m not interested in researching so even if I fail this thing holds no value for me. That¡¯s why, sorry, Nobumasa-san, you caught it with great pain but allow me to have it as my meal. Since you¡¯re dead you can¡¯t complain right? This is my revenge for pitting that Beetle-kun against me. I break the container and put the fairy inside my mouth. Hmmnnn¡­ it¡¯s quite soft and crunchy. Tastes a little bit like elf actually. It¡¯s fairly delicious. Maybe thanks to the preservation liquid it didn¡¯t go bad. It has been 700 years though, just what the heck is in that liquid. My stomach won¡¯t go bad because of this right? Good news is that I seem to be able to analyze this thing¡¯s structure normally. The body isn¡¯t at all strong and there¡¯re no notable features either. If these wings are the same as a dragonfly then it would be quite amazing actually, however I¡¯m unable to fly in the first place. Even though so far I can use the traits of most insects, only flying was different. There¡¯re certain limitations to this body. Though I don¡¯t understand it very well, perhaps something coded into the genes, so that instead of flying away this insect will settle down and build a nest on the ground. To put it simply even if you attach wings on my back I won¡¯t be able to fly. The eyes on the other hand, is ridiculously complex. Is this even biologically possible in the first place? Usually insect compound eyes are made from around 6000 facets (small eyes), but a dragonfly eye has 30 000 facets (small eyes). And it seems that the Dragonfly Fairy is the same in this aspect. However, within each facet is a massive network of microscopic nerves with a bio-structure unlike anything on earth. No¡­ even the material is completely alien. This will take sometimes to analyze¡­ I decided to call it a day and go to sleep. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ The next day I returned to the village in the morning, Ari-chan jumps at me in a flying tackle to welcome me back while rubbing it¡¯s jaws on my cheek. What a cute fellow. Even though it¡¯s just an ant, I¡¯m glad to have someone attached to me. If I was a human I¡¯d have died from that tackle though. Ari-chan has made a complete recovery as well, so we¡¯re well set. It¡¯s about time to leave this village. I never planned to stay here forever in the first place. The slaughtering that I did here will become exposed one of these days. Not to mention the troublesome group of people that came here before. All I know is that they were looking to find Sage¡¯s hideout, I have no idea whether they were acting on the order of someone else, are they knights employed by a kingdom or just some vagabond looking for riches. Either way, it¡¯s getting increasingly dangerous to stay in this place. There¡¯s the Sage¡¯s room as well, so I¡¯ll migrate there. It¡¯s deep in the forest where traveling takes a lot of effort. One can¡¯t easily bring a horse inside and walking on foot will take many days of supplies. People will probably not venture in that place. In the event that those three were acting under someone¡¯s order and they have a spare map then they might find me there but I¡¯ll deal with them then. I already had my wasp babies circling around the forest as scouts so if it gets too dangerous I¡¯ll just pack my stuff and run before they reach me. After gathering clothes, equipments and food that I need to bring with me I call Ari-chan and we head toward the Sage¡¯s hideout. Since Ari-chan cannot go as fast as me it might take about 2 days to reach there. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ On the morning of the third day, we reached the place. This will be our new home for the time being. Just after I finished placing my stuff inside the house, my body finished analyzing the fairy eye and successfully reproduced it¡¯s structure. Amazing, me. Now then, to test that ou¡ª ¡°GIIDUHUUUUUGUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU~~~~!!!!¡± It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts. What the heck is this! My head is spinning!! Every fiber in my brain is screaming in pain as if they¡¯re delicate strings that would snap at any moment. Countless images and information from many layers of space and parallel dimensions assault my mind violently. The shock was so strong even my body is shaking and my mouth is foaming bubbles. ¡°GuHaah¡­.haaaaa¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± I let out some painful sighs as I turn off the functions of the new eyes. D¡­Dangerous. I think I came the closest to death just now, even when taking into account the many dangers I¡¯ve faced before. Just what was those Dragonfly Fairies made of to be able to handle this kind of impossibly massive amount of information? Since there was nothing irregular in their bodies, maybe it was the soul? Let¡¯s seal most of this eye¡¯s functions away. For now, all I need to do is to be able to see a life form¡¯s physical body, mana and soul¡¯s [Arte] Calming myself down, I restructured my eyes again, making sure again and again that the functions were properly toned down to a reasonable degree. With this¡­ at least I won¡¯t die right? I¡¯m so scared to look. ¡­¡­¡­¡­. Ok, let¡¯s try again¡­ And as I look at myself¡­ [Arte] None Um¡­ There¡¯s really nothing. My soul is empty, there''s nothing attached to it, no mutation, no tumor, no abnormality. That Arte of mine was something that can only be used once¡­so I guess it just disappeared once it¡¯s done the job? I¡¯m alive thanks to it, so I¡¯m not going to complain. I had thought to push my luck a little bit and see if I had another, but reality isn¡¯t so sweet. People with more than one Arte seemed to be incredibly rare too. The thing that was available to my eyes weren¡¯t only the Arte though. There¡¯s a blue aura flowing around my body through veins much like blood veins¡­ is it mana? I can also see a colorless energy seeping out from my muscles. Every time I move, a little of it is used up and dispersed into the air. Is that my physical strength? According to the Sage¡¯s notes, the physical strength an untrained male adult is around 50 points, so those villagers from before should be around 80 to 100 points because they do heavy labor daily. Compared to those villagers, the armored nii-san from before should be around 300 points and my own strength back then was around 350. If I compare my strength right now to before¡­ I should be at an estimate of 800 points? The amount of mana is low compared to that though. I have no one to compare to, but it just seem to be low. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s higher than 100. It¡¯s a little bit disappointing. Chapter 21: Because were free ¡°Phweefftttttttttt¡± ¨CTatsuya Angrily spitting out some minced up green chunks, my classmate Tatsumi-kun twists his face unpleasantly. I felt a little bit disappointed inside as well. If he didn¡¯t go first and testify that those wild fruits were inedible I might¡¯ve tried it myself. We haven¡¯t had anything to eat since yesterday. ¡°What were you going to do if they were poisoned¡­¡± ¨CYuuki ¡°Haah? Are you okay with starving to death then? If you¡¯re so smart then find something edible for us to eat, mr.genius¡± ¨CTatsuya ¡°That¡¯s so unreasonable¡­¡± ¨CYuuki ¡°Shut up! What¡¯s unreasonable is your blabbering! Are you looking down on me just because you¡¯re smart?!¡± ¨CTatsuya ¡°Wa..L-let me go!¡± ¨CYuuki Tatsumi-kun grab Yuuma-kun shirt collar and jerk his body up. Tatsumi-kun is 175cm tall while Yuuma-kun is only 165cm, and the way Yuuma-kun is shrinking back makes him looks even smaller. Why is this happening to us? We were all supposed to be taking our class normally, how do we end up in this place? It¡¯s all too incomprehensible. It¡¯s not as if I don¡¯t understand Tatsumi-kun¡¯s frustration. This is the second day and we haven¡¯t had anything in our stomach ever since we woke up on this unfamiliar plain. Even worse than the hunger is the thirst. There¡¯s no vending machine nearby, not even a river or lake, our throats are all parched dry. If I were shouting like Tatsumi-kun I would¡¯ve hurt my own throat. How did this happen? Where are we? What should we do? The more questions we ask the more confused we became. Why? Why is no one coming to help us? If we¡¯ve gone missing shouldn¡¯t they have informed the school and the police? My chest tightens a little thinking about how worried my parents must be right now. Even so, please don¡¯t fight. I¡¯m not good with violence at all. Even if it doesn¡¯t concern me, when I see two people fighting in front of me I can¡¯t help but become afraid. Why are boys so quick to resort to their fists? Looking at the atmosphere between those two that¡¯s about to explode, I feel so scared as if I¡¯m the one on the receiving end of it. Gripping the hem on my skirt, I meekly speak. ¡°T..Tatsumi-kun, p-pwease stop¡± I stuttered. Both of them turned their heads to me, and after a moment of silence Tatsumi-kun released Yuuma-kun¡¯s collar while letting out a snort. ¡°Hmmpf¡± ¨CTatsuya P..pheeewwww. That was scary. I was wondering what would happen if they really fight but it¡¯s great that they actually stopped. I guess Tatsumi-kun isn¡¯t such a bad person after all. He¡¯s tall and big compare to the guys in our grade and he¡¯s loud in class too so I¡¯m not good with his type and never really talked to him. But he was something like the leader of the boys and the class is always lively with him around. He would always make jokes in the class and other boys seem to trust him as well. The girls think he¡¯s a bit childish though, but it wouldn¡¯t be strange if at least one of them had a crush on Tatsumi-kun. ¡°What? Maekawa, are you on this guy¡¯s side as well? You¡¯re not going to say we¡¯re in another world are you?¡± ¨CTatsuya Another world. It¡¯s such an unbelievable theory but for some reason Yuuma-kun was very convinced that we¡¯re no longer on Earth. He said something about the climate being too different from Japan and there¡¯s no way we could be abducted to another country in such a short span of time. I¡¯m not too smart though so I don¡¯t know what to make of it, but what he said seems to holds some validity. Or rather, I don¡¯t know what else to describe our current situation. I¡¯ve read my fair share of shoujo manga and novels, there were quite a few with other world setting as well. But this is nothing like what happened in those stories. There is no summoning¡­ no heroes¡­ not even special powers. We¡¯re still the same old helpless school kids we are yesterday. Forget about finding food we don¡¯t even know which direction should we go. That¡¯s why even if you say it¡¯s another world it¡¯s hard to accept. Currently we¡¯re just wandering aimlessly on this plain hoping to find a sign of human. My feet are wanting to give out since I¡¯m still feeling the muscle pains from walking yesterday. Yuuma-kun also doesn¡¯t seem to be in good conditions either, he¡¯s breathing heavily. Only Tatsumi-kun is still somewhat energetic but he¡¯s sweating considerably. Evening comes and we are still in the middle of the vast plains. Since it¡¯s hard to walk around at night when there¡¯s only the moonlight to depend on, we take a rest under a tree just like yesterday and go to sleep. It¡¯s warm during the day but night is quite chilly and we¡¯re wearing summer clothes so we sleep while hugging out body tight. The grassy ground isn¡¯t that bad to lay our bodies on but they¡¯re still uncomfortable. Especially the smell of grass and earth and the feeling of your skin touching the ground. Even if it¡¯s through a layer of clothes it still feels somewhat dirty. I wonder what is my father and mother doing right now, are they searching for me all night? What about my little sister¡­ is she feeling lonely? She would always drag me in her room and make me watch magical girl anime with her around this hour. I hope she isn¡¯t crying¡­ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Today marks the third day that we¡¯re in this world. We still haven¡¯t come into contact with any human. No matter where we look there¡¯s only grass and trees. Sometimes a small animal would pass by quickly, rustling the grass on its path. Maybe it¡¯s a good thing that there¡¯s nothing such as a lions or tigers around here¡­ but if this continue then we¡¯ll probably die either way. I¡¯m so hungry I feel like the skin on my aching stomach is sticking down all the way to my back. I haven¡¯t had anything to drink either, my mouth feels so dry and my lips are cracking. ¡°-hic-¡­..-sob¡­uuuu¡­uu..sob¡± I can¡¯t believe that there¡¯d be a day when I cry because I don¡¯t have anything to eat. Only in times like these do I realize how blessed my environment was. Even though I thought that I¡¯ve always been a good girl, maybe I just didn¡¯t realize that I was being spoiled. I¡¯m sorry, father, mother. I won¡¯t waste food any more, I¡¯ll eat whatever you cook for me and I won¡¯t leave behind any leftovers. If this is a trial that was given to me, then I¡¯m reflecting already... I¡¯m regretting¡­. So please¡­ just forgive me already... ¡°Tch, crying already? Girls are so annoying¡± ¨CTatsuya Yes, I¡¯m sorry for being annoying. It¡¯s not like I want you to see me crying either you know. I want to stop, I want to stop crying. But the tears keep coming out uncontrollably. ¡°Maekawa-san, d-don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to get through this¡± ¨CYuuki Yuuma-kun tries to comfort me while making an awkward smile. He seems to be flustered, not knowing what to do. Yuuma-kun has one of the best grades in my class but it looks like he¡¯s not very good with women. He¡¯s raising his hands up and then put them down again, as if he wants to cheer me up somehow but doesn¡¯t dare to get close. Even if it¡¯s a bit presumptuous I think such a modest Yuuma-kun is kind of cute. ¡°Ahaha¡­I¡¯m.. okay already¡­-hic-¡­. Thank you Yuuma-kun¡± Forcing myself to put on a smile, I answered Yuuma-kun while still sobbing a little. ¡°N-no! It¡¯s fine if you¡¯re okay¡± ¨CYuuki Yuuma-kun doesn¡¯t have a very good reputation among the girls. He¡¯s good at studying but he barely talks to anyone. My friends said things like he¡¯s boring and looks like an otaku and so on¡­ But as for me, I think I¡¯d rather befriend with someone who¡¯s kind and calm. I think the popular and outgoing princes in manga are nice and I¡¯m actually quite charmed by those characters, but in real life I just can¡¯t handle those over-bearing type. When my friends introduced to me some ikemen from another school the impression I had of them was that they¡¯re from another world. I don¡¯t really understand their jokes and they¡¯re kind of overly friendly. Even if I try I can¡¯t get used to strange men casually wrapping their arms around my shoulder or holding hands in our first meeting, maybe I¡¯m just a dull and boring girl like my friends said. I¡¯m not pretty and not smart either, my athletic ability is below average as well. It¡¯s not like I think anyone would be interested in me, but I¡¯d be lying if I say that I¡¯m not interested in love. If by some chance, I were to have a boyfriend, then I don¡¯t need him to be attractive or popular. If we can share our hobbies, talk with each other a lot and never get bored. If he¡¯d treat me like a girl, offering gentlemanly gestures once in a while. Lending me his shoulder when I¡¯m sad, holding the umbrella when it rains. Then, I think I¡¯d be very happy¡­ What am I saying. Not like I¡¯ll be concerned with that kind of thing anytime soon anyway. I just think it¡¯d be kind of nice, doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m specifically looking for love or anything. There¡¯s nothing good about me even if I do say so myself. In fact, I¡¯d feel sorry for someone who¡¯s stuck with me as his girlfriend! _____________________________________________________________________________________________ As I try to distract my grumbling stomach with useless thinking, we stopped by under the shade of a big tree to take a quick rest. It feels like we haven¡¯t managed to walk much today at all. The distance we¡¯re able to cover gets shorter and shorter every day. Even Tatsumi-kun is looking exhausted. Yuuma-kun is gasping for breath, he looks like a fish out of water. ¡°Haaa¡­ Shit. Fuck this place. Where the hell is everyone?¡± ¨CTatsuya ¡°Water¡­.haaa¡­.isn¡¯t there water somewhere?¡± ¨CYuuki ¡°Curry bread, hamburger¡­even just instant noodle is fine too¡± ¨CTatsuya ¡°Are we¡­going to die here?¡± ¨CYuuki ¡°Fuck that, four-eyes, you say that again and I¡¯ll hit you!¡± ¨CTatsuya It looked as if they were going to fight, but unlike yesterday Tatsumi-kun only shouts without moving away from his spot. Maybe he¡¯s already too tired to even pick a fight right now. Even if they were, I don¡¯t think I want to stop them either. I¡¯m too exhausted both physically and mentally, I can¡¯t be bothered anymore. I don¡¯t even want to think about anything. There¡¯s something like a water drop on my face. Tears¡­? Wait¡­no¡­ This isn¡¯t my tears. ¡°Rain!¡± Even though my hoarse throat would hurt just by speaking, I could not contain the shout that escaped my lungs. ¡°Wa!!? O¡­OooHHHH¡­.it¡¯s raining!! IT¡¯S RAINNING!!¡± ¨CTatsuya ¡°Gulp..Hm¡­Gulp¡­Delicous!!¡± ¨CYuuki ¡°Haa¡­Haa¡­More¡­.Gulp gulp¡± ¨CTatsuya The moment I noticed the rain, our silent surrounding vibrated with the sound of water falling. The grasses on the ground bend over as they are showered in heavy torrents of water. Even our bodies that couldn¡¯t move due to exhaustion before, sprang up with vigor as we open our mouth wide and try to drink the nectar that¡¯s falling from the sky. Back in Japan, rain was just an annoying occurrence. Yet, in this situation I learned to appreciate how a single rainfall could be so life-saving. Feeling the water entering my mouth makes me so happy that my feelings are about to burst out of my chest. My vision is getting blurry, I wonder if it¡¯s because the rain is getting into my eyes or am I crying tears of joy? ¡°YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO¡± ¨CTatsuya ¡°Wa?! Kyaaaaaaaaaaaa¡± Tatsumi-kun takes off his shirt and swings it around as he jumps in delight. What the heck is he thinking?! There¡¯s a limit to how high-strung you can be. ¡°Y..Yuuma-kun, saying something to him won¡¯t you¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¨CYuuki Yuuma-kun isn¡¯t reacting to my question. It¡¯s like he¡¯s in a daze and didn¡¯t hear my voice. ¡°Yuuma-kun?... ¡­Wait! Where are you looking!?¡± ¡°Huh!? Ah!! Wait!! No! You¡¯re mistaken!¡± ¨CYuuki Yuuma-kun¡¯s gaze was sticking to my chest. Looking down I realized that the rain has made my shirt transparent and my bra is showing through. I hurriedly cover my chest and threw him an angry glare. Seeing that Yuuma-kun became flustered and turned his face away. Well¡­it¡¯s not that I¡¯m really angry or anything. Yuuma-kun is a guy too¡­ But it¡¯s embarrassing. So¡­um¡­ Please stop trying to sneak a glance over here from time to time... ______________________________________________________________________________________________ The rain clears up after a few hours. We¡¯re all drenched, but it¡¯s not like I can take off my clothes and hang them up to dry in front of two boys. Or rather, there¡¯s nothing here to hang them up in the first place. Yuuma-kun suggested that he and Tatsumi-kun will go to the opposite side of the tree so that I can dry my clothes. The tree is fairly big so I can hide my body completely, but as expected, being naked while boys are just on the other side is impossible for me. Just wearing drenched clothes like this is unpleasant however, so I take off my uniform and wring the water out quickly, then put them back right away. Uuu¡­ the wet underwear feels so disgusting. The guys are drying their clothes off on the other side so I guess we won¡¯t be moving today. Night will come soon, I¡¯m afraid that I might catch a cold like this. But there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. As if having twi guys nearby isn¡¯t enough we¡¯re also outdoor in the open. Let¡¯s just hope that I won¡¯t get sick. At least I was able to satisfy my thirst. Even though I¡¯m still hungry I feel somewhat better now that I filled my stomach with water. Maybe tonight I can have a better sleep. Really¡­ I hope someone comes rescue us soon. At this rate I won¡¯t be able to endure anymore. Please let us at least find a human settlement tomorrow. . . . ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ¡°Hmnnnpfff!!!!¡± I was suddenly woken up, feeling something heavy on top on my body. The sky is still black with a full moon brightly illuminating the night. I was still a bit half-asleep at first but my head instantly cleared up the moment I realize my mouth is being covered by someone arm and there¡¯s a man figure straddling on top of me. ¡°Shhhh, be quiet will you? Maekawa¡± ¨CTatsuya ¡°Hmmnff¡­¡­Tatsumi¡­kun?¡± ¡°Yea..Haa¡­..it¡¯s me..hahh¡­ ¡° ¨CTatsuya A feeling of dread looms itself over me. For some reason Tatsumi-kun voice sounds really dangerous right now, his breath is also a little ragged as he¡¯s excited about something. ¡°Maekawa¡± ¨CTatsuya Suddenly Tatsumi-kun slid his hand underneath my shirt and squeezed my chest strongly. ¡°HMMPPPPPPF¡­.It..hurtss¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Shut up! Haa¡­haa¡­.you¡¯re so soft Maekawa¡± ¨CTatsuya ¡°NOOooo¡­.Let me go, let me¡­.GO¡­.!¡± It hurts¡­. It hurts. He¡¯s squeezing them too strongly. I can¡¯t move my body well since he¡¯s pinning my body down with his body on top. Why are boys so strong? Even as I kick my legs and twist and turns my body I can¡¯t break free from his grip. Tears are forming in the corner of my eyes as I struggle in vain. I¡¯m scared. It¡¯s so scary. Save me. Someone. Anyone. ¡°Stop resisting already. Hey, it¡¯s fine isn¡¯t it? Let¡¯s just have some fun okay? It¡¯ll feel good¡± ¨CTatsuya ¡°HMMnnnnnnn¡­¡­¡­..no¡­¡­¡­..NO!¡± Tatsumi-kun whispers hot breath into my ears as he uses all of his body to pin me down. He tightens his grip on my mouth as he breathes heavily. From the pale moonlight I could see his face that¡¯s showing a scary expression, a maddened look as if he would not listen to anything I say. His eyes are staring at me intensely as if looking at an object to infringe his desire up on. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. No.No.No. The breath in my ear feels so disgusting. The weight on top of me is also disgusting. The smell of sweats and the heat from his body transferring to mine is also disgusting. Please stop it already. I don¡¯t want this. I don¡¯t want this anymore¡­ ¡°I said stop!¡± ¨CTatsuya ¡°Kyaaa!!!¡± With a loud smacking sound, my face flipped to one side due to being hit by a guy¡¯s robust arm. There¡¯s a little sting inside of my mouth and a salty taste as if the inside of my cheek was scratched and bleeding. ¡°Uuu¡­hic¡­hic..sob¡­.uwaaa¡­.sob¡± I couldn¡¯t keep a brave face anymore, and tears flowed down wetting my cheek. Why are you doing this to me? What did I ever do to you? It hurts so much¡­. I¡¯m scared. Something tells me that I must resist now, I have to resist, or it¡¯ll become something I can never take back. If I let him do it to me I¡¯ll never be able to stand it. But I¡¯m so scared... If I resist again will he hit me? He¡¯s going to hurt me more isn¡¯t he? Getting hurt is so scary. Please don¡¯t hit me¡­ Please don¡¯t hit me¡­ I don¡¯t want to get hurt. So please don¡¯t be violent with me. [Tatsuya POV] Huff¡­huff¡­ Finally that fucking bitch calmed down. Don¡¯t blame me, you know? As if I can sleep next to a girl day after day without doing anything. My reasons were already breaking when I heard your clothes rustling behind the tree this afternoon. It¡¯s all your fault for showing me that wet, transparent shirt sticking to your skin like a slut. There¡¯s no way you can expect me to hold back after showing me something like that right? That¡¯s right, it¡¯s not my fault. It¡¯s this world¡¯s fault. We were just in our class, we were not supposed to be in this place. Why? Why do we have to wander around this stupid grassland without having anything to eat or drink? Making students sleeping on the dirty ground and starving to death is much too unreasonable! Too unacceptable! No matter how long we walked there were not any one around. Why is no one coming to save us? If you want to blame someone then blame the police for not coming to save us. That¡¯s right¡­ we¡¯re all alone here, with no one to save us. Even though there¡¯s a girl right next to me, am I going to die without doing anything? If I¡¯m abandoned here then I can do whatever I want can¡¯t I? No, I¡¯m going to do whatever I want. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s anyone here to judge me. It¡¯s not me who¡¯s in the wrong here, it¡¯s the world. Blame this fucking world for abandoning us. Huff¡­huff¡­¡­ It¡¯s so soft¡­ it¡¯s amazing¡­ It¡¯s much softer than I¡¯ve ever imagined. I never thought I¡¯d feel this way about Maekawa. She never really stood out in our class. It¡¯s not that she¡¯s ugly or anything, she¡¯s just plain. Especially when compare to other girls in our class like Chiba or Harusaki. There¡¯re a lot of cute girls in our grade and there was nothing special about Maekawa. Neither her face nor her body was impressive in anyway. To think that plain, unattractive Maekawa¡¯s breasts were this soft¡­ Haa¡­Haaa¡­.. It¡¯s not just her breasts, every part of her body is soft. So this is what a girl feels like? For some reason she¡¯s making me feel so excited I can¡¯t stop running my hand all over her body. It¡¯s as if I¡¯m becoming aware that she¡¯s a ¡°woman¡±. Now that I¡¯m taking a closer look, her face is not too bad either. She can¡¯t be said to be a beauty, but she¡¯s quite cute. ¡°UUu¡­sob¡­please let me go¡­uuu¡± ¨CMao She¡¯s facing to the side, not wanting to meet my gaze. For some reason her crying face is really irresistible. Is she avoiding looking at me because she¡¯s scared of me, or because she hates me? Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. I already can¡¯t take it anymore. I want to lick all over her body. I want to stick it into her and feel her insides. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± ¨CYuuki [Yuuki POV] I have never liked Tatsumi. He was a moron who always makes stupid jokes in the class, thinking that acting like a total idiot is funny. His voice was also loud it¡¯s honestly disturbing, I can¡¯t even study or read books properly when he¡¯s around. Can¡¯t he speak without shouting? Does he think that talking loudly makes him a better human being or something? He also has a tendency to solve his problems using his body size and intimidate others with his strength. Who does he think he is? If all you can do is flaunting your muscles then maybe it¡¯s better to go back to a cave instead of being in the school you know? Does he even have any idea what it¡¯s like being in a society? Nevertheless, the other dumbasses in the class liked him and they would always flock together like a pack of monkeys. It was repulsive. I guess it was suitable that muscle-headed shits gather together with other muscle-headed shits. I even had to hide the fact that I like anime and manga so that they would not make me a bully target. Yet once in a while they¡¯d surround and tease me with crap like ¡°bookworm¡± or ¡°four eyes¡± and make me let them copy my homework. Don¡¯t you brainless monkeys know the proper manner to ask a favor of someone? And don¡¯t put your arm around me like we¡¯re friends, it¡¯s truly revolting. That¡¯s why, it¡¯s not like what he¡¯s doing is that unexpected. Suitable actions for a monkey. ¡°HHMNn..Yuuma-kun!..Help!¡± ¨CMao ¡°Tch. Woke up didn¡¯t you, four-eyes¡± ¨CTatsuya Tatsumi is mounting on top of Maekawa-san, covering her mouth with one hand. For him to even lay his hands on Maekawa-san, does he not care who he rapes? As long as they¡¯re women then it¡¯s okay? Though I guess Maekawa does have some cute sides too¡­ ¡­the sight of her transparent shirt sprung up in my mind. ¡°What¡¯s that look? You wanna fight?¡± ¨CTatsumi ¡°L..let her go¡± Fucking monkey. The moment his mouth opens it¡¯s fight, fight, fight. Is there nothing else inside your brain other than fighting and fucking? Shit. What do I do¡­ there¡¯s no way I can win against him. But¡­maybe at least I can help Maekawa-san escape. Yea. That¡¯s what I have to do. I have to help her. ¡°Well, are you sure about that?¡± ¨CTatsuya Suddenly Tatsumi pull Maekawa-san body up and hold her from behind her back. One of his arm warps around her neck and the other lifted her shirt and bra up, revealing two modest mounds on her chest. ¡°KYAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaa¡± ¨CMao ¡°Hahaha, how about it, four-eyes, not too bad isn¡¯t it¡± ¨CTatsuya ¡°NOOOO, Yuuma-kun, don¡¯t look!¡± ¨CMao ¡°Even though they¡¯re not that big, they¡¯re plenty soft you know?¡± ¨CTatsuya Tatsumi say that as he squeezes and gropes Maekawa-san¡¯s breasts. Maekawa-san groans in pain as her soft meat getting their beautiful shape distorted by Tatsumi¡¯s brutish hand. My eyes could not look away from the spectacle as I unintentionally gulp down my saliva. ¡°Hey, just don¡¯t interfere, and both of us can have fun you know?¡± ¨CTatsuya ¡°Wha¡­What are you saying, there¡¯s no way I¡­.¡± ¡°Come now, don¡¯t be stupid. Or do you really want to die a virgin? We¡¯re going to die sooner or later on this grassland anyway. There¡¯s no one around here but us, don¡¯t you want to at least have sex before you die?¡± ¨CTatsuya What the hell is this guy saying? Does he think that anyone would be the same as him? There¡¯s no way I can do that to Maekawa-san. Maekawa-san is looking at me leadingly with tears in her eyes. ¡°Save me! Yuuma-kun! ¡­hic¡­-sob-¡­¡­Please¡­. save me¡­¡± ¨CMao Tatsumi seems to have lost his patience and threw Maekawa-san down. ¡°Shut up already!....haa..Haa.. ¡­Stop squirming around or I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¨CTatsuya ¡°NOOOOOOO! NOOOOoooooo!! Yuuma-kun! Yuumaa-kuuunnnn!!!!!¡± ¨CMao Save her. I have to save her now! But even though I¡¯m screaming it in my mind, my body isn¡¯t moving. Why? Why aren¡¯t my legs moving? Am I that scared to get in a fight? Shit. Shit. This can¡¯t be happening. Wait, wait just a moment! I haven¡¯t readied myself yet. I said wait! Why are you already stripping off her clothes?! If I don¡¯t save her now, she¡¯s going to be raped by that shitty monkey! Raped¡­¡­ Rape? Is this really happening in front of me right now? The kind of story that I have only seen on newspaper and movies, that kind of ¡°rape¡±. Someone is really going to be raped right here¡­.for real¡­¡­? Somehow that kind of thought has got my breathing ragged as I gasp for air. The sight of a barbaric shithead mounting on a helpless girl¡­ the look of ecstasy on his face as he continues to molest her body even when the girl cried and begged¡­ Her white and smooth skin seems to be glittering under the moonlight. I never knew Maekawa-san had such a slim body. Even if her chest wasn¡¯t very big her body was definitely that of a woman, even more so when her body twists and turns, showing off her elegant, feminine curves. Her legs were especially beautiful¡­ how would it feel like if I were to touch those long and slender legs?... ¡­Wa! WAIT! What am I thinking ?! Now is not the time for this. I have to save her. I have to sa- And just when I broke out of my delusions, I realized. For a while now Tatsumi has already been pumping his waist against Maekawa-san. Grabbing Maekawa-san¡¯s body, who now has already lost all her strength to resist and could only keep on crying. The savage monkey is grinding his lower body against her in such vulgar, repulsive movements. As if grinding against a meat doll only to satisfy his own selfish needs. Looking at Maekawa-san naked body that¡¯s weakly enduring the monkey¡¯s assaults, I swallowed a big gulp. How could this have happened? It wasn¡¯t meant to go like this. Maekawa-san wasn¡¯t exactly a pretty girl, but she was easy on the eye. One could say that she was fairly cute. Even though I didn¡¯t have any interest in her before, these three days that we¡¯re together there was a good atmosphere between us. She was much easier to talk to compared to other girls. Unlike them, she even smiled at me. It must have been fate that we were stranded together in a different world. She could¡¯ve been my oasis. She could¡¯ve been one of my heroines. Even if I didn¡¯t want to think about it, deep inside me I had hoped that I would save her then something will develops between us. There surely was a possibility for it. She must¡¯ve liked me as well, since she smiled at me after all, right? That was definitely it, that must¡¯ve been what was supposed to happen. Then why is it I¡¯m standing here unmoving while watching her getting raped? It¡¯s not as if I want to stay still. I want to move too¡­ I want to move closer and run my tongue all over her body too¡­ There¡¯s a lump in my throat as I lick her with my eyes. Together with my increasingly out of order breath is the feeling in my crotch that¡¯s getting hotter and harder to bear. [Mao POV] With a flop, My legs fell on the ground as Tatsumi-kun released me. Ahhh¡­.I can¡¯t think of anything anymore. If I think right now¡­ It¡¯ll be too hard¡­ it¡¯ll be too painful to bear. I¡¯d want to kill myself. Mother¡­father¡­Yuna¡­.. I¡¯m already¡­. I¡¯m already¡­. I can¡¯t take this anymore¡­. Please, someone save me¡­. Take me far away from this place. Why did you have to do something so inhuman? Why did you have to be so cruel? My lower body feels as if it¡¯s been torn up. My whole body aches, as if I am a dirty rag that was trampled on mercilessly by a man''s barbarous strength. There¡¯s still the feeling of something stuck inside me, it''s so disgusting. My mind is constantly assaulted by the nauseating smell of sweat and bodily fluids mixed together. It was so disgusting, so disgusting, so disgusting, so disgusting. ¡°UEEee¡­.hic¡­sob¡­UU¡­UUUUEEEEEEEEEEEE¡± An uncontrollable urge rose up from my stomach as I vomit on the ground. But because there was nothing inside my stomach, the only thing I vomited was my saliva and stomach juices. Even then, I could not stop vomiting with tears in my eyes. ¡°Geh, she¡¯s vomiting. Well, whatever, hey, Yuuma, are you going to do it or not?¡± ¨CTatsuya !? N¡­No way, are you still not done? In front of me is Yuuma-kun, looking like a totally different person. He¡¯s breathing heavily, his eyes are bloodshot and he has a madden look on his face just like Tatsumi-kun. ¡°W..wait¡­no..-hic-¡­. Please¡­.I can¡¯t do it anymore¡­sob..please stop it¡­Yuuma-kun!¡± But my words didn¡¯t at all enter his ears. Yuuma-kun pushes me down again violently and frantically rubs and licks all the corners on my body. ¡°Maekawa¡­Haa¡­haaa¡­.Maekawa¡± ¨CYuuki ¡°NOOOOO!...NOOOOO!¡± ¡°Maekawa¡­haa¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­Maekawa¡­¡± ¨CYuuki If you¡¯re sorry then stop doing it. Stop it please, I can¡¯t endure this kind of thing anymore¡­. ¡°You¡¯re cute¡­.You¡¯re so cute¡­¡­.. Mao-chan¡­..Haa¡­Haa¡­..Mao-chan¡­¡­¡­¡± ¨CYuuki Chapter 22: The Dove of Camelot Brettania was founded 700 years ago, comparatively young when compared to the kingdom of the elves, dwarves and other demi-humans in the continent. However, the unimaginable strength and perseverance mankind shown when they join hands together is truly a wonder to behold. Brettania quickly became a major power in the continent, boasting military and commercial strength that surpass its neighboring elders in the span of just a few hundred years. And at the heart of the prospering kingdom is its capital city and pride, Camelot. Behind the imposing wall has been protecting the city for many hundreds years, house 250.000 citizens, more than double the population of Reynes city. Here one can find the finest artisans, the wealthiest merchants, the wisest scholars and the strongest knights in Brettania. If a poet were to write about this city, then by no doubt he would compare it with a beautiful gem that represents the prosperity and prestige of mankind. The four main gates from city leads to every major city in the kingdom and also constantly welcome merchants from foreign lands, making Camelot a melting pot of talents and cultures from various corners on the continent. The human kingdom however stay faithful to its two main religions. The now diminished faith of Tuatha De Danaan and the much wider spread faith of the Holy Spirits. Few kilometers away from the royal castle is a large ground that stood a humongous white temple. This here is the head temple of the Holy Spirits where believers come to worship, as well as being the primary building reserved for high ranked priests, the Bishop and the Dove. In the deepest chamber of the temple, where no man, not even the Bishop are allowed to set foot in. A certain girl emerges from a massive spring while being surrounded by maidens in white. ¡°With this, the cleansing ceremony is finished¡± ¨CLydia ¡°Yes, congratulation on becoming a Dove, Lydia-sama¡± ¨CMaid 1 ¡°Lydia-sama, you¡¯re beautiful¡­¡± ¨CMaid 2 The girl that is being dried and dressed up by the women around her looks to be a young girl that¡¯s still in the middle of her teens. There¡¯s however a certain air of elegance and dignity around her that doesn¡¯t suit her age. It¡¯s not something that can simply be learned through education or putting in effort. It¡¯s the kind of atmosphere that shows the prestige of in-bred nobility, which is to say much weight about her true lineage. She has hair that seems like fine threads of gold that extend down he waist, emerald eyes that shines as if crafted from the finest jewels, ample bosoms brimming with femininity and fair, smooth skin as if they were silk. Leaving aside the men, even the female attendants around her would gasps in admiration for her beauty. ¡°Lydia-sama, will you be okay?¡± ¨CMaid 3 ¡°Because it has been a long time, you might experience some unpleasant feelings, but please stand tall and be brave¡± ¨CMaid 4 ¡°Yes, we¡¯re always behind supporting you, Lydia-sama¡± ¨CMaid 1 ¡°Thank you every one, I¡¯ll be alright¡± ¨CLydia Once in a few decades, there are human born with extreme sensitivity to the spirits that flows around the world, much like that of an elf. Sometimes, such talent even has higher sensitivity compared to the normal elf. If they¡¯re boys, then they might become scholars or priests. If they¡¯re girls, then from a young age they might be taken in by the temple and study in the deepest chamber, avoiding contact with the outside world in order to raise their power, since female has much higher potential than male. Lydia herself has been taken in at the age of 7 and just now has finished the ceremony to become a full-fledged Dove. The title given to a priestess with such high connection to the spirits that she sometimes is able to glance at the spirit world and hear their voices. During the course of history many times the kingdom was saved by what the Dove hears from the spirits. ¡°Lydia-sama, this way please. Bishop-sama and SwordSaint-sama is waiting in the outer chapel¡± ¨CMaid 2 ¡°Yes, please lead the way¡± ¨CLydia ________________________________________________________________________________________ In the outer most layer of the ground floor, there is the chapel that opens to public. The floors and walls inside are layered in beautiful white stones, as divine as they¡¯re modest. To each side of a five meter carpet lies neatly arranged wooden chairs. The furniture aren¡¯t showy, nor do they have any decoration, but one can tell that they¡¯ve been crafted with care, by masterful hands. The interior is wide and can easily host hundreds of people, but currently all of the seats are empty. At the entrance there¡¯s a platoon of 16 armored knights, who aren¡¯t wearing the temple¡¯s sigil standing guard.Nearby are two middle-aged men sitting opposite of each other, between them lies a simple wooden chessboard. ¡°Check-mate, SwordSaint-dono¡± ¨CBishop Said the man wearing a white robe and a blue decorated scarf hanging from his shoulders. He seems to be around 50 years old and has gentle features, but at the same time he carries a dignified atmosphere of authority. ¡°¡­ That was quite a move, Bishop-dono¡­¡± ¨CCallaghan The other man who¡¯s scratching his head in frustration is in his early forties. He has a stern looking face and wearing a set of plate armor. Looking at his bulging steel-like muscles one can hardly believe that he¡¯s already past his prime. ¡°Well then, do you give up, SwordSaint-dono?¡± ¨CBishop ¡°Wa¡­Wait a minute, I¡¯ve not lost yet¡± ¨CCallaghan ¡°I¡¯m fine with waiting, but lady Dove should be arriving at any moment now¡± ¨CBishop At the mention of the ¡°Dove¡±, the man in armor wears a difficult look on his eyes, but his expression unchanging. ¡°I can never understand you priests. Is being a Dove so important you have to lock up a young girl for 9 long years? Just by being a Dove doesn¡¯t mean one will hear a ¡°message¡± in their life time. And even if they do, not like a single whisper from the spirits is going to change anything¡± ¨CCallaghan ¡°Fumu¡­ SwordSaint-dono doesn¡¯t believe in the significance of a ¡°message¡±?¡± ¨CBishop ¡°If anything has a significance, it¡¯s our own hands¡± ¨CCallaghan Calmly brushing his hand on his white beard, the Bishop asked in a calm voice. ¡°Well then, may I ask, what is it you believe in the most?¡± ¨CBishop ¡°That¡¯s a hard question¡­ But if I have to answer, then it¡¯d be the man standing next to me in battle¡± ¨CCallaghan ¡°Oh? I had thought you would surely say it¡¯s your own sword¡± ¨CBishop ¡°Kahaha, certainly I believe in my sword. But in the end it¡¯s just a weapon. There¡¯s only so much one person can do, even if he¡¯s the SwordSaint. It¡¯s always the man who stands next to me that I give my greatest trust to¡± ¨CCallaghan ¡°Fumu, then SwordSaint-dono, you are also no different from us¡± ¨CBishop ¡°Oh? How is that so?¡± ¨CCallaghan ¡°It¡¯s in human nature, we always find it easier to trust something other than our selves¡± ¨CBishop ¡°Hoh¡­¡± ¨CCallaghan ¡°And if it¡¯s something that¡¯s outside of our comprehension, then all the better. Therefore, here I am, and so is lady Dove¡± ¨CBishop ¡°Kahaha, is that okay Bishop-dono? Someone of your position really shouldn¡¯t say that about your own religion?¡± ¨CCallaghan ¡°I don¡¯t mind, SwordSaint-dono. I choose my words depend on who is hearing. Surely you aren¡¯t someone whose mouth loosen with just a few drop of wine?¡± ¨CBishop ¡°Well now, I¡¯m flattered by your praise. Then may I ask a question as well?¡± ¨CCallaghan Even though there¡¯s no change in Callaghan¡¯s atmosphere, the Bishop was on the receiving end of a piercing sharp glance like that of a hawk. Yet he was not even a little fazed. ¡°Surely, if it¡¯s within my ability to answer¡± ¨CBishop . . . ¡°What do you want, Bishop-dono?¡± ¨CCallaghan A strange question. Simple and straight forward. But still strange either way. Whether it be the location, the person asking, the person answering. Those were words that seemed unlikely to come out considering the circumstances. From a clergyman, a normal answer would usually be something about honoring the gods, or maybe saving the poor. One may ask back why is Callaghan asking such an obvious question? Or even becomes offended because the asking party is implying something rude. However, the Bishop only answers back as if it was the most natural thing in the world. ¡°The only thing I want is peace¡± ¨CBishop __________________________________________________________________________________________ ¡°I¡¯ve kept you waiting, Bishop-sama, SwordSaint-sama¡± ¨CLydia A bell-like voice cuts the two men¡¯s conversation short and a beautiful girl dressed in white elegantly enters the chapel. ¡°It is of no importance, it¡¯s we who should apologize for making you handle this task right away after your ceremony¡± ¨CBishop ¡°Ooh, so you¡¯re Lydia? You¡¯ve grown into a beautiful woman since the last time I saw you¡± ¨CCallaghan ¡°Thank you for your compliments, SwordSaint-sama¡± ¨CLydia ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s so stiff! Just call me Gray-jiichan like you used to!¡± ¨CGray ¡°N¡­no, that¡¯s abit¡­¡± ¨CLydia ¡°Callaghan-dono, please leave the teasing till later. It¡¯s her first time outside in 9 years so go easy on her, can¡¯t you see that she¡¯s troubled?¡± ¨CBishop The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Ayaya, my bad, my bad. But I¡¯m really glad to see you again Lydia. Really, those inflexible priests just had to lock such a good kid in for 9 whole years. Do those senile old fools not understand how precious youth is?¡±¨CGray ¡°T..thank you for your concern.. Umm.. Gray-sama¡± ¨CLydia ¡°Yes yes, we¡¯re sorry for being senile oldmen. The carriage is ready, Callaghan-dono and the royal knights will escort you to the castle. There¡¯s nothing to worry as long as you keep calm and conduct your behavior according to the Temple¡¯s teachings¡± ¨CBishop ¡°Yes, Bishop-sama. I won¡¯t shame myself as a Dove¡± ¨CLydia [Lydia POV] The carriage shakes lightly as it carries us through the paved road of the capital. It¡¯s been years since I¡¯ve been on a carriage so even though the road in the capital is as comfortable as a travel road can be, I still can¡¯t get used to the vibration and the cramped space. This time I was called to the royal palace to have an audience with his majesty as soon as I finished my ceremony is because of a certain whisper I received from the spirits a few weeks ago. The king wants to hear it directly from me and it¡¯s also a custom that the Dove reports ¡°messages¡± with their own mouth. ¡°Still, to think that the tomboy princess from 9 years ago has turn into such a lady¡± ¨CGray ¡°Swor...Gray-sama, I¡¯m not a tomboy¡± ¡°Hoh? Then what do you call an ojousama sneaking out of the castle every day and come back covered in mud? Or picking a fight with a boy older than you and then make him cry?¡± ¨CGray ¡°That¡¯s a story from years ago! Also, if he didn¡¯t want to cry then don¡¯t be so weak¡­ ¡­Ah!¡± Realized what I¡¯ve just done, I hurriedly cover my mouth. ¡°Kahahahahaha Looks like the inside hasn¡¯t changed that much I see¡± ¨CGray ¡°Uuu¡­ bringing up the past like that is unfair¡­¡± To be honest, I was glad that the person they sent to escort me is Gray-sama. He is my father¡¯s friend and when I was a child he would often visit and bring me toys from the places he traveled. He also taught me a little in the sword as well, hidden from my father of course. I didn¡¯t have much interaction with my father so Gray-sama was more of a father figure to me. Thanks to him I could calm down and prepare myself a little for what is to come. Frankly, even now my legs are shaking slightly but I¡¯m trying my best to not let it shown. I doubt it¡¯d be able to fool Gray-sama eyes though. He¡¯s after all the Sword Saint even at this age. The title is only rewarded for the strongest swordman in the country and at any time one can lose that title to another. Yet he has been undefeated for 20 years, even when he¡¯s past his prime. It speaks of how abnormal an existence Gray-sama is. Rather than a swordman he¡¯s more like a hero from legends of old. The carriage stopped in front of the main gate and we¡¯re greeted with lines of maids and knights standing in orderly fashion. The castle servants wear a dark brown corset and light yellow skirt. They¡¯re of simple design and subdued colors but all are clean and neatly worn. The knights wear plate armors bearing the proud lion crest of Brettania. They arranged their selves in parallel lines, making a path from the main gate to the castle¡¯s inner gate while holding their sword in front to honor the castle¡¯s important guests. Looking at them one can see just how well disciplined the servants of the most prestigious location in Brettania are. A group of maids guides us through the majestic walls of the castle. Far away to the left there is a large practice ground with what looks like the royal guards and knights doing training drills. The warrior¡¯s spirited shouts, the clashing of metal and the sound of company of soldiers stomping the ground can be heard even from here. The stone paved corridor that we follow continues and leads us through various buildings which I assume to be the chamber of high ranking nobles. Flowers of the season were grown and arranged neatly along the corridor, and on the other side of the buildings is a beautiful garden with a huge grass maze in the middle that adds a feeling of tranquil and luxury. Before long, we arrived at a three meter tall iron gate, adorned with various carving of dragons and heroes in Brettania history. A work from the most skilled of artisans. It doesn¡¯t just look majestic but also tells weight of the history of this country. In front of the gate are two royal knights in armor standing tall. Somehow the atmosphere has really changed as I feel myself becoming smaller in front of this spectacle. Behind this door is the king of Brettania and just the thought of having an audience with the highest authority in the kingdom makes my legs want to give out. ¡°The Dove from the temple of the Holy Spirits and the Sword Saint seek an audience with his majesty¡± ¨CGuard 1 One of the guards that came with us loudly declare in front of the gate with a clear and powerful voice. ¡°Audience granted¡± -??? A voice came from behind the door and the two guards open it slowly. With a creaking sound the door starts to move and from beyond there appeared a great wide hall with roof as tall as 20 meters. There¡¯s a red carpet in the middle leading to the throne and standing to the sides are various nobles factions, dressed in luxurious garments and accessories. Behind them are royal knights standing in wait. ¡°Lydia¡± ¨CGray ¡°Ah..y..yes¡± The pressure was overwhelming as even though I¡¯m the daughter of a Duke I haven¡¯t been in contact with the nobles for much of my life. Even as a child I never went to the royal capital and only time I left my house in the Duchy was to be taken to the temple as a priestess in training. Bracing myself I remember the teachings of the temple, how to act and how to carry oneself in front of nobles and royalty. I cannot fail here and bring shame to the temple name and also to my house name. Walking on the carpet slowly, I was bathed in inquiring gazes from the gallery. It¡¯s unpleasant. Has other people gazes always been this unpleasant? When I was a child I never really noticed such a thing but right now it¡¯s like I can feel that their gazes are either filled with contempt or physically licking all over me¡­ It¡¯s as if I¡¯m being undressed by their stares¡­ Is it only because I¡¯m not used to be in the center of attention, or lacking contact with the world for many long years? I¡¯m not so sure¡­ ¡°Welcome, our beloved Dove, what message do you bring us today?¡± ¨CArthur XIV From the throne situated higher than anyone, a man in his forties speaks out with a dignified voice. Even though he¡¯s a monarch he looks like warrior that wouldn¡¯t even lose to Gray-sama in term of physical strength. No, compare to Gray-sama gentle demeanor there¡¯s an aura of overpowering coming from him. What is it I wonder? Though a little different from the nobles, the way he¡¯s looking at me makes me feel uncomfortable. It¡¯s as if a lion is staring down on a prey it knows that has no chance to resist. This feeling¡­ could it be fear? I feel like I could be crushed under the pressure he¡¯s exerting. ¡°Lydia, His majesty has asked you a question¡± ¨CGray Gray-sama voice pulled me back to reality. That was close¡­ I almost showed disrespect by spacing out in the middle of an audience. Knowing that Gray-sama right next to me is reassuring, even though I¡¯m still sweating behind my back and my knees are feeling weak. I mustered all the courage in my body and put on a pretentious mask like I was taught to. ¡°I am honored to be granted an audience, my king. Though as inexperienced as I am, I bring news that was whispered among the spirits. Months ago, there was a sudden change in the stars. Many new lights appeared, shining brightly. That which was not supposed to be has now been¡± ¡°Hmm... And what exactly does that means?¡± ¨CArthur XIV ¡°What referred to as star lights in the sky are not actual stars. They are the spirits and souls that flow around this world. Throughout history, whenever a star light that would be talked among spirits, there would appear someone of unparalleled talent who would leave their mark in history¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying an amazing individual has been born in Brettania?¡± ¨CArthur XIV ¡°It is not one, but in fact, several of them. To make it worse, it seems that these lights were not meant to exist. They appeared out of nowhere and greatly disrupted the flow of the world¡¯s mana¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard of heroes in history being referred to as star lights in the faith of the Holy Spirits. Are you saying that several people like the dragon slaying heroes and the magicians that can move mountains have appeared all at once?¡± ¨CArthur XIV ¡°I do not know of their nature, whether they are heroes or devils, or can they move mountains and slay dragons. But no doubt there¡¯ll be a great storm in the future¡± ¡°Interesting, so what do you suggest? If such individual exist we should find them and deal with them accordingly, yes?¡± ¡°It is not my place to say, your majesty. I am but a messenger, I dare not to voice my uneducated opinions on state matters¡± Regardless of what action we take, a storm will brew when it does. I can only hope that humanity will persevere through it all. Volume 1 Extra illustrations + Info + Afterword Contain Spoilers for Volume 1 (Chapter 0 ->22) While RRL is for web novels that go chapter by chapter. Insectum Chronica is separated into volumes as well, similar to a LN. With chapter 22 finished, we bring Volume 1 to an end. Volume 2 will begin shortly... But first, there are a couple of illustrations that didn''t make it into the main chapters, mainly because I didn''t find the time to properly draw them, so they''re mostly sketches. The MC''s appearance at the end of volume 1: Obviously, Grasshopper''s legs look nothing like that, but it was modified for aesthetic purpose, and also to be able to adapt to a 2-pedal creature''s needs. The Dove (Lydia Ivywood): The trio in Reynes: About names: The group of high school students are Japanese, and as per the peculiar way Japanese call each other. Depends on how close your relationship are you will either call the other person by their name or surname. For example, Souta calls Akagi Akira by his surname, "Akagi", but he calls Date Daiki by his given name, "Daiki" Which can be a little confusing, so I made their given and family name ryhme to make it easier to see who''s who. This rule also applies to non-Japanese character, because it also exist in earlier eras in the west. Except for the rhyme. (The name at the end of a dialogue will almost always be given name, however, to keep it consistent) About the timeline: Day 1 : -MC found himself in the forest, met with Haru, Takashi, Class-rep, Teruel. -Souta group met with goblins, Hideo died. -Mao, Yuuki, Tatsuya on a grassland. Day 2: -MC and co betrayed by teru, MC fell down a river. -Souta group found Reynes, met with Aldwin group. -Beginning of chapter 21. Day 3: -MC stranded on a cave, met with the monster, Iron Will activated. -Souta group ate their first meal in this world, went with Akira to do labor work. -End of chapter 21 (rape). Day 4: -Kagami woke up, transformed. Day 12: -MC met Ari, ate human for the first time. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Day 36: -Aldwin group met up at the tavern, decided to look for the Sage''s treasure. Day 43: -Aldwin set out for Catona. Day 47: -MC found Ari wounded. Day 49: -MC killed his first human. Day 50: -Cial village massacre. -Aldwin group arrived at Catona. Day 60: -Aldwin arrived at Ciallmhar. -MC vs Aldwin. Day 61: -MC found out about the map. Munched on several insects for experiment. Day 62: -MC vs Beetle. Day 61 -> Day 63: -Mc on the run. Day 64: -Parasitic wasp obtained. Beetle-kun lost. About the novel: The way this novel is done, it''s not a linear story. There are several plot lines going on at the same time, at some points they converge. If you are wondering what''s happening to the characters introduced before but has not yet made an appearance, they will in due time. Every character in this novel hold certain significance. They''re the mc of their own story. Some might feel a little dissatisfied at how I put great weight in side stories, but it''s the flavor of those stories that add something extra to the MC''s own story itself. Or at least that''s what I think. The Chapters: Chapter 5: Insect monster It was supposed to connect to the beginning of the prologue. I was wondering if it was a little too hard to understand for readers, when suddenly the POV was switched to the narrator and the monster that was eating the MC. Chapter 21: Now I''m wondering how people react to this. As far as i know, there''s a certain rule when making a story: " write about gore and murder, no one bats an eye. write about rape, everybody loses their mind" As for this particular chapter, it is the hardest that I''ve to write yet. Simply because the story is told in first-person perspective, and I had to flip through 3 characters with very different personalities and inner conflict. It didn''t turn out as good as I wanted, but I''d like to think that I did a decent job on it. Subjectivity..... ahem! The Volume Extra: Also serve as a place for me to connect with my readers. So I''d appreciate your impressions, thoughts, and reviews on this novel. As the review feature doesn''t allow one to comment on it, I thought that this might be a good thread to talk about what happened in the volume. Of course, I encourage all readers to leave a review and ranking if you can, they help a lot. Any comment, good or bad, is welcome. As long as it doesn''t go beyond the scope of what''s covered in the volume. I know you don''t want to read blurb, or filler chapters. But I hope you''d forgive me for this small indulgence. Chapter 23: Ivory On the hills leading to Ciallmhar forest, a dozen of rowdy looking men are gathered around a small campfire. Above said fire is a dirty pot, bubbling with what looks like an assortment of tree roots, beans and wild herbs. If one squint their eyes in an effort to search out for something that at least resemble human food a little better, a few thin slices of ham can be spotted within the thin layer of rising smoke and the unappetizing mixture. ¡°So how about it, brother? Care to join us for a bite?¡± -??? Questioning in a low pitched, hoarse voice is the biggest man among the group. He appears to be in his late thirties, with a body that makes one want to compare him to a monstrous bull. He wears no armor, but it might as well be unnecessary since it¡¯s not too farfetched a story if he were to say that his tanned, steel like muscles can repel tempered blades. The numerous scars that he takes no effort to hide and his wild, unkempt beard only add to the already vicious image. Yet, the one he¡¯s talking to did not miss that sharp, cunning glint at the corner of his eyes. His opponent understood that under the imposing exterior of a wild beast is a sneaky, calculating sewer rat. ¡°As soon as I¡¯m done with my business here I¡¯ll be leaving. I¡¯m a busy man¡± ¨CMerchant ¡°You lot in Ivory are always the same ey? Err¡­.. what¡¯s your name again?¡± ¨CDeon ¡°I have no name, call me Thirty-one¡± ¨CThirty-one ¡°Whatever suits you then, Thirty-one. So the fact that you are here means that we¡¯re finally moving out?¡± ¨CDeon ¡°It has been one month since that B ranked adventurer group enters Ciallmhar, it is safe to assume that they have already perished in the forest¡± ¨CThirty-one ¡°Are B-rankers so useless these days? Had they succeeded it would¡¯ve been a lot more simple to kill them and take the loot¡± ¨CDeon ¡°It¡¯s hard to think that the Sage did not set any trap to protect his legacy. Such result is only to be expected¡± ¨CThirty-one. The mysterious man who named himself Thirty-one was different from the hoodlums surrounding him. His clothes are clean and neat, the dark blue cloak he wears is not luxuriously decorated but at the same time doesn¡¯t give the impression of being a cheaply made product. His face has gentle features, his body is feeble and slim. Looking at his calm demeanor, he appears to be an amicable man, one who is easy to start a conversation with. If asked for an impression, most would agree that he looks like a normal, harmless man past his prime you could find anywhere. ¡°Now then, that¡¯s the problem, brother¡± ¨CDeon Thirty-one did not show any visible reaction to Deon¡¯s sudden change of topic, but if one were to be very observant, there was a slight twitch at the corner of his eyebrows. ¡°Are you breaking off the deal?¡± ¨CThirty-one ¡°The deal was to take care of the B-rankers and take the treasure, there was nothing about fending off whatever [thing] that made short work of a B-ranked party¡± ¨CDeon ¡°I can¡¯t have that, [Shorthorn] Deon. Obtaining the Sage¡¯s legacy was the target, regardless of the obstacle. Whether it be the B-rankers or something else¡± ¨CThirty-one ¡°As a businessman surely you must be aware? When stating the reward for a request, the risks must be made clear. If the danger level is more than expected, it¡¯s only a matter of course to increase the payment. Or else how many fools would lose their lives pointlessly like the pieces of dirt they are?¡± ¨CDeon ¡°Not as many as the fools who would break a contract with Ivory¡± ¨CThirty-one ¡°Say what you will, Thirty-one. I may be a fool. But I surely don¡¯t want to die like one¡± ¨CDeon While the contents of the conversation is becoming increasingly strained, the tone of these two men did not waver even if so slightly. Contrary to the threatening words, they speak lightly as if conversing over a casual drink. Either they are incapable of sensing danger, or both are highly self-assured about their own superiority and dominance. If anyone knows how to read the mood even a little, they would surely bet on the later. In a battle of words, it is not about who can give a more convincing excuse. It is about who can control the flow of the conversation. If you have doubt about your own self, then you¡¯d have lost the battle before it even started. After a short period of silence, as if swatting away the cold tension spreading through the surrounding, Thirty-one was the first to take a step back. ¡°Very well, Deon-dono. We always pay what is due. Your demand for further reward isn¡¯t without basis. How about an increase of ten gold coins in the final payment, after the job is done?¡± ¨CThirty-one ¡°Five gold coins now, and then five gold coins after the job is done¡± ¨CDeon ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same? Unless you¡¯re trying to run off with the money¡± ¨CThirty-one ¡°What was that about [only fools would break contract with Ivory]? It¡¯s only for insurance, this is a high risk job after all¡± ¨CDeon ¡°Hmm¡­. So be it¡± ¨CThirty-one Albeit a little reluctant, Thirty-one did not show any visible resistance and swiftly took out five gold coins. Devon received them then called a young boy over. ¡°Don¡¯t you lose them, each of these worth more than your own life¡± ¨CDeon ¡°Y¡­Yes, Boss¡± ¨CBoy Looking at the timid boy that seems to be out of place among these barbarians, Thirty-one knit his eyebrows lightly and throw Deon a suspicious look. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of that?¡± ¨CThirty-one ¡°You mean this kid? He¡¯s a slave we bought to carry luggage and take care of chores, what of it?¡± ¨CDeon ¡°Are you taking me lightly? If it¡¯s about people, my eyes have seen all kinds during my time as a merchant¡± ¨CThirty-one ¡°The eyes aren¡¯t really one¡¯s undoing, it is often the mouth¡± ¨CDeon Thirty-one quickly noticed that there is a silent bloodlust brewing not just from Deon, but from the whole gang surrounding him. ¡°Hmp¡­ not that it concerns me. Just handle your job properly¡± ¨CThirty-one ¡°But of course. ¡­ Still, before you go, let me ask something. Why is it you¡¯re chasing after such a baseless fairytale anyway? Not like you at Ivory are lacking in gold, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¨CDeon To Devon question, Thirty-one briefly stopped and muttered something softly before taking off. Not wanting to exchange another word with the people behind him. ¡°Mankind tends to forget easily. It is our greatest strength, and worst weakness¡± ____________________________________________________________________________________________ After Thirty-one went out of sight, a young man from Deon group spat on the ground and spoke in an irritated tone. ¡°That sly cur. Speaking in riddles then waltz off without a care. Who the hell does he think he is?¡± ¨CMan 1 ¡°Don¡¯t get riled up over every little thing, you¡¯ll grow old faster¡± ¨CDeon Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Boss, so that guy was from Ivory? He didn¡¯t look anything special¡± ¨CMan 2 ¡°Gyahaha, of course he didn¡¯t, that¡¯s what those at Ivory are like¡± ¨CDeon ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¨CMan 2 ¡°Ivory is primarily a merchant group. In other word, their main activity centers around trading and negotiating. Having an imposing appearance may be able to scare one person or two, but in the long term it is not good for business¡± ¨CDeon ¡°Ohhh, Boss would make a shitty merchant then¡± ¨CMan 3 ¡°Even looking like this, I was quite the lady killer back in the days ya¡¯ know? From the high class whores in north street to the alluring dancers in south market, they would pay me to bed them for just a night¡± -Deon Everyone send doubtful looks at Deon, but he splendidly ignored them. ¡°Sooo¡­.. what¡¯s with his name anyway?¡± ¨CMan 2 ¡°Hm? Ah¡­ Do you know why they are called ¡°Ivory¡± in the first place?¡± ¨CDeon ¡°¡­not really¡± ¨CMan 2 ¡°Not much is known about that group¡± ¨CMan 3 ¡°When you join Ivory, you abandon your old name, your old family, your old aspirations and grudges. They will first cut off a part of your body, usually the tip of your left pinky. Then they will carve a number on the bone that they cut off. That number will become the member¡¯s new name, and he will wear a necklace adorned with that piece of bone around his neck. Hence [Ivory]¡± ¨CDeon ¡°Ugee¡­.. that¡¯s a pretty disgusting custom¡± ¨CMan 4 ¡°Who would want to join that group of sickos?¡± ¨CMan 2 ¡°Hmmnnn, it is indeed a hair-raising practice, but can¡¯t say it¡¯s not for good reason. When doing business, especially when it comes to shady deals, the thing that matters the most is trust. After all there¡¯s nothing else one can rely on. Contracts and letters are just papers in the end. And Ivory commands a great degree of [trust]. Even more so than legal traders. That piece of bone carved with a number is like a signature for Ivory. It shows the member¡¯s devotion, and Ivory¡¯s seriousness when it comes to upholding their part of the deal¡± ¨CDeon . . . . . ________________________________________________________________________________________________ [MC POV] It has been one month since I started to stay in the Sage¡¯s secret cottage. It is technically inside the trunk of a tree, but all of life basic necessities are met, there¡¯s a bed, a study table, and even a washing basin. Cooking is done outside. The toilet is¡­ well, this whole forest. I don¡¯t really have a demand for luxury, so all is fine. During this past month, I tried my best to digest the information in the books he left behind. Sadly, his information is from 700 years ago, so I still don¡¯t really know what is going on with the current era. There were many useful things however, one being the records of life forms around the continent, including Ciallmhar forest. As far as monster meat goes, they all taste bad, so I just ignored them. But I was able to locate various animal habitats thanks to those information. Makes me wonder why most of those habitat has not changed since 700 years ago... perhaps because this forest is untouched by human? Save for that village from before. For the time being, my supply of human meat ran out but I don¡¯t really have to find another village to massacre. Peace is good. I still miss human meat from time to time though. Especially Elves. . . . Ahem! I tried my hand at magic a little, but it seemed like I don¡¯t have the aptitudes for it. Generally speaking, my magic power is around 100, which is at the level of a beginner mage. It doesn¡¯t sound too bad for someone who has no experience at conjuring spell yet. But it is not just about the amount of mana. Conjuring magic, just like martial-arts, require a certain amount of effort and talent. It is not as if my talent is completely zero, but it was very hard to successfully cast a spell, and my magic power didn¡¯t go up much after practicing this past month. To put it in another way, it is not impossible for me to become a mage, but it is not worth the effort. So I¡¯ve decided to use my limited time for activities that are more productive. Language was the one I studied the hardest. Thankfully Danaan language itself isn¡¯t too complex and shares many similarities with both Japanese and English so it was a fairly smooth ride. The study has been going well. But it has only been one month so I¡¯ve only barely passed the starting point. I can write and read some simple sentences, greetings and daily conversations to a certain extend. Speaking however, is no good. My throat works differently from a human¡¯s, not the mention the structure of my teeth is different too. I also don¡¯t have a tongue, so there¡¯s no way I can speak properly. I doubt I can make out what other people say either. But for now, I¡¯ll be happy with just being able to read and write. . . . Since I¡¯ve been studying like a good child, I don¡¯t go out much these days, unless I¡¯m out of food. The inside of the tree is cool and comfortable. I only need to get food when I¡¯m hungry. There¡¯s no deadline to be made, no pressure from society. There¡¯s no need to deal with people I don¡¯t want to deal with. I think this kind of simple life is also a type of happiness. Even though I¡¯m aware that I won¡¯t continue like this forever, since I do have goals of my own. For a little while longer... I want to continue enjoying this NEET life for just a little while longer. Talk about this house, there¡¯s a big mirror here too. It was a pleasant surprise. I hated my body at first, but I¡¯m steadily getting used to it. It has the kind of charm that grows on you. Or rather¡­ This emerald colored skin, as if I¡¯m crafted from the highest grade of jewel. These round, big, black eyes, as if one would drown inside if stare at them for too long. This pair of elegant antennae, with feathery hairs so fine they flutter at the slightest of vibration in the air. . . . Wait. Aren¡¯t I super cute? . . . Disrupting me posing in front of the mirror, a wasp flies inside my bedroom and lands on my shoulder. Wasps cannot speak, but they can communicate using chemical substances produced from within their bodies and visual signals(also known as body language in human term). Natural wasps can only communicate simple messages such as ¡°danger¡± or ¡°direction of a prey¡±. But using a combination of both chemicals and visual signals, I taught these wasps to project more complicated messages. And the message that they brought me. A group of human is heading for this location. Chapter 24: Hunters ¡°Boss, there¡¯s nothing in the houses but some poor bastards¡¯ dried up blood¡± ¡°Not even a copper left in the village either¡± ¡°Were they raided by bandits?¡± Several men reported to Deon, wearing a fed up look on their faces as their search turned out to be a fruitless detour. ¡°Why would bandits even bother to set their foot anywhere near this backwater village anyway, blockheads¡± With a scoff, Deon casually brushed away the unlikely speculation. ¡°Aren¡¯t we here though?¡± ¡°Haah? Who are you calling bandits?¡± Raising his voice in irritation, Deon gives a heavy smack to the head of the unfortunate fool. The 190cm tall man with a robust build falls flat on the ground while holding the back of his head, groaning in pain. ¡°Listen up you blockheads. We¡¯re hunters. Hunters that have to do a couple of dirty jobs due to unfortunate circumstances. Desperate times call for desperate means. Take a couple of heads, grab a couple of items. We¡¯re definitely not bandits¡± (Isn¡¯t that what a bandit is?) Such words were already riding on the tip of everyone¡¯s tongues, but never left their mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange? There are two completely demolished houses, as if they were hit by a storm, yet the rest of the village suffered almost no damage¡± ¡°Now that you said it, boss¡­¡± ¡°Those ruined houses look like they were ran into by a giant¡± ¡°Then, monsters?¡± At Deon¡¯s observation, the surrounding men started to ponder about the true nature of the culprit. Deon curiously rubs his chin and throw another sharp glance at the now abandoned village, while trying to link the pieces of information together. ¡°Putting the wrecked parts aside, the rest of the village is impeccable, it doesn¡¯t add up. There are dried blood stains in many houses, yet there is no sign of breaking in. Either the villagers invited some monsters in, or the monsters themselves are intelligent and sneaked in carefully¡± ¡°Monsters can be smart?¡± ¡°More than you they can. You lot still have much to learn, greenhorns¡± Deon signed a certain man to come close with his chin. ¡°Igor, can you find it?¡± A rather skinny man in his forties responded with a silent nod and crouched down. He wears the same fashion of clothing as everyone else in the group, tightly fitted leather armor on top of a worn out tunic and a couple of strapped-on iron plates that protects his vitals. However, there are certain features on his face that suggests he¡¯s from a different origin. The man named Igor takes out a flask made of bamboo and opens the small lid on one end. From within the tube a small lizard crawls out and starts to slither on the ground, its long tongue licks the earth repeatedly as if searching for something. ¡°The scent of blood continues down south of the forest. There¡¯s also a faint smell of insects coming from that part¡± ¡°This is a forest, aren¡¯t there insects everywhere?¡± ¡°The strange thing is that there is almost no smell other than insect¡¯s in that direction. It¡¯s like the forest¡¯s animals and monsters are avoiding that place¡± Deon nods in acknowledgement and raises his voice. ¡°You heard that, ladies. Seem like our friend is further south of the forest. Get yourselves into formation¡± Heeding Deon¡¯s orders, the men gather in groups of three and draw their weapons. Their movements are swift and organized, contrary to the rowdy looking exterior of common ruffians. ¡°Man, I still don¡¯t understand Igor¡¯s magic. Is he a summoner? Isn¡¯t it better to use a dog than a lizard if you want to sniff out someone?¡± While preparing to leave the village, they start to chat idly among themselves. It seems that while their actions are orderly, the same thing can¡¯t be said for their mouths. ¡°Igor is an earth mage. If I remember right you¡¯re from beyond the east sea aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yea, been trying to make a living on this continent since ten years ago¡± Igor answers while checking his equipments, the lizard is now grabbing on his ankle motionlessly like a piece of ornament. Its snake-like tongue would flicks around once in a while, making a faint hissing sound. ¡°Earth mage? I heard about that, but what about the lizard?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a technique from my old clan. Even though I said [smell], it was actually something different. The lizard is a medium for me to connect with the earth spirits that dwell underground. My information comes from what the land itself tells me. I cannot fight with my magic, unfortunately. Every mage is different¡± ¡°¡­ I kind of get it, I kind of don¡¯t¡± ¡°¡­Why don¡¯t you just be honest and says you totally don¡¯t get it?¡± Igor sighed a little as his explanations fell on deaf ears. Though it¡¯s not like he didn¡¯t expect it. ¡°Enough yapping around ya bastards!! We¡¯re not here on a honeymoon, hurry your feet if you want to eat something other than dirty wild grass soup with salt tonight¡± At Deon¡¯s shout, the group starts to move out of the village toward the place where the Sage¡¯s legacy is supposed to be. Their hearts beat in anticipation for the battle to come. The legendary Sage¡¯s guard dog. Even though it¡¯s a silly tale unsuitable for men who make their living by treading through mud and blood, what warrior doesn¡¯t dream of facing such a novel adversary at least once in their life? However, such notion was only a brief, fleeting idea in their minds. No one truly wants to lose their life chasing dreams. Moreover, they don¡¯t dream of slaying dragons, they don¡¯t dream of defeating giants. They only dream of living to see tomorrow, dream of their next meal being a little more extravagant than the last. And so, they march, for the sake of putting an extra slice of meat in their bowl. And for the sake of their mission. _____________________________________________________________________________________ [MC POV] It has been only one month after my battle with the Beetle. I thought that I could finally enjoy a break that I so deserve, but once again trouble had come knocking on my door. These men that are heading toward the Sage¡¯s hideout are fully armed and moving cautiously in a linear formation. Judging from the way they spread themselves out in that kind of formation¡­ it¡¯s as if they are trying to broaden their range of perception, looking for something. This can¡¯t be simple coincidence. They¡¯re here for a purpose. What is it with the people of this world? Can¡¯t you just chill? ¡­ Not that I¡¯m in a position to complain. I did slaughter a whole village at the slightest hint of threat. Their number is four times greater than the last group of warriors that I fought, but each individual¡¯s strength isn¡¯t too outstanding. They average about 200 points in physical strength and 40-50 points in magic. There¡¯s one person with 180 points in magic though, I should be especially cautious of him. The ikemen mage that I fought before was incredibly dangerous with his wind magic, it¡¯s not something that one can deal with just by using brute force. There¡¯s one man who¡¯s a cut above the rest as well. His magical power isn¡¯t anything special, just the untrained, average 50 points. However his physical strength is at least 550 points. According the notes that the Sage left behind, 500 points is already on the level of A rank adventurers, mankind¡¯s finest warriors. It¡¯s good that I¡¯m able to analyze the enemy¡¯s strength beforehand. The eyesight of the Dragonfly Fairy is truly a dirty advantage. That aside, even if it were not for the eyes, that man is already exerting a menacing pressure just by being there. He¡¯s like a moving mountain, or perhaps a raging bull that wears human skin. Looking at all those muscles on his body that seems to be able to crush rocks just by flexing, perhaps no one would be able to shake off the notion that they would be squashed like a fly if they challenge such a monster. Should I just run away? There¡¯s still much to learn from what the Sage left behind. It¡¯s also a comfortable place to live. If I abandon it I will have to make do with the dirty ground or rocky caves as my bed. It¡¯s has already become my home, my oasis, my sole comfort in this primitive land. I won¡¯t give it up to anyone. Moreover, there¡¯s nothing to fear. The only one who poses a threat is that gigantic old man, but even then my strength is significantly higher. As long as they¡¯re human, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone that can defeat me? That¡¯s right, I¡¯m strong. Being strong feels good. I was never in this kind of position before, but it feels nice to hold power in my hands. It feels nice to be assured of my superiority. It feels nice when there¡¯s no need for me to fear anyone. It feels nice when there¡¯s no persecution even when I commit all kinds of atrocity. A¡­.ahhh? What¡¯s this? Isn¡¯t being a monster the best? Alright! Let¡¯s make them all into my dinner. But first, I¡¯ll have to remove the guy who has a high amount of magic power. I only brought a spear with me and nothing else, but I have already done this before. Putting strength into my arm, I aim at my target who is now at 200 meters away. The moment I let go of my spear, the space in front of me explodes and the weapon tears through the air with such force it creates a small tornado around itself. The murderous spear strikes through a man¡¯s chest without much resistance and his body is blown backward several meters. Unlike the time when I pierced the elf woman with a similar spear, this time it was not a simple stab wound, as the organs inside his body also received great damage from the impact. It was instant death. The only problem is that. He was not the mage I was aiming at. I missed. That¡¯s strange. I¡¯m untrained, but I was able to easily pinpoint my target from 200 meters away accurately before, relying solely on my sense of smell and this body¡¯s natural reflexes. Just now I missed by fairly a large margin. Could it be that I put too much power into it? Or maybe I¡¯m not used to my new strength yet. Come to think about it, I¡¯ve never fought seriously after my battle with Beetle-kun. I picked up a rock on the ground and aimed it at the mage once more, this time with less power. I felt like I had a little more control, but still the piece of rock did not go where I wanted it to. It flew straight at the old man. ____________________________________________________________________________________ [Short-horn Deon POV] -Smash- Sensing something soaring at me with ferocious speed, I tighten my fist and smash the incoming rock into bits. The rock the size of a grown man¡¯s fist bursts into small pieces of debris and raises up a thin layer of dust. What an impressive throw, judging from the sound it must¡¯ve come from over 100 meters away, yet the power packed behind the rock was deadly. However, if that is all you have, then you¡¯ll never be able to touch me. ¡°Boss! Carl is¡­ Carl is!!¡± ¡°Damn it¡­. Damn ittttttttt!!!!¡± These men, despite having experienced countless live and death situation, are now thrown into dismay. Perhaps if that poor bastard Carl died in mortal combat like a man then they wouldn¡¯t have been so shaken up. Instead he got a hole opened in his chest and died just like that, without even being able to scream. It was a joke. An insult. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Their faces are as pale as ghost, eyes squirming around looking for the enemy. Even without the nose of a dog, I can already imagine how their hands are sweating profusely while trying to keep a tight grip on their weapons. Hmp, even though they¡¯re just greenhorns, good job still for not breaking formation even when experiencing such terrors. Carl, you¡¯ve done well. Yerdeath won¡¯t be in vain. ¡°Don¡¯t freak out like little girls, moronssssssss!!!!!!!¡± Gathering air inside my stomach, I burst out a shout that vibrates through the forest, shaking the surroundings. The scared fools are given a shock even bigger than the time when they received that sneak attack. ¡°Luke, replace Carl¡¯s spot in his group. Everyone, take thecircle formation¡± Receiving my orders, they shake off their fears and swiftly change formation just as trained. We''re now facing our backs to each other in a circle. I¡¯ll make tonight¡¯s dinner a lil¡¯ more luxurious for you lot, so hang in there. Those projectiles were indeed lethal, but now that I know they¡¯re coming, they won¡¯t work anymore. Unless he can throw twice that speed, but just now the rock¡¯s speed and power was weaker than the spear. Maybe it was his limit. Throwing from that kind of distance will weaken the force, if he really want to finish this then he¡¯ll have to come close. And so just as I¡¯ve predicted, something leaped toward us with incredible speed, and landed in front of me arrogantly. What is this thing? In my long years of hunting monsters, I¡¯ve seen all sorts, even more so than your average A rankers. There have been several humanoid monsters, some that could even speak a small amount of words. But this thing¡­ behind its eyes lays a strange intelligence unlike any monsters I¡¯ve seen. Moreover, it¡¯s wearing human clothes. The tunic and leather armor on top of its shining emerald insect skin paint a picture that seems so out of place. It¡¯s incredibly disturbing. Something tugs at my stomach, warning me that this thing is not supposed to exist. And the fact that it is, right in front of me, can only be a mistake of nature. I hear the sound of my men gulping loudly behind. But they aren¡¯t speaking a word, nor raising up a fuss. They must be confused out of their pants right now, but at the same time that terror is keeping them focused. They grudgingly wait for my orders. For they know that it¡¯s the only thing that will let them walk out of this alive. ___________________________________________________________________________________ [MC POV] That old man is too strong, throwing rocks from a safe place won¡¯t get me anywhere. If it¡¯s like this I¡¯ll just have to personally get close and deal with them. I only have to be cautious of the old man, but considering I¡¯m 1.5 times stronger than he is there shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem. The other people aren¡¯t even worth mentioning. I¡¯m still worried about the caster though, he has high magic power so he¡¯s a mage¡­ right? Either way when I come close enough I¡¯ll kill him first. The moment they caught sight of me running toward them, the old man shouted something, and they started tospread out. When I landed near them, their movements suddenly changed. At first the formation looked haphazardbut in an instant it became aclosed circle and had me surrounded. Not a bad idea, but thatisn¡¯t going to work, the difference in strength is too great. Even if they all come at the same time there¡¯s no way they would be able to hold me down. Just when I was about to rush for the mage before he tries something with his magic, one of them break formation and leap at me, shouting something. Is he out of his mind? I smashed his head into pieces with a light swing of my arm. It was too easy. I won¡¯t complain if you just want to hand your life over to me. But then. Something happened. The man who leaped at me was holding something in his hand. Now that I think about it, why didn¡¯t I realize something strange was going on? Even though one of them broke formation no one displayed any changes in their expression. They all watched in silent, they didn¡¯t even flinch when he died. It¡¯s as if they knew it was going to happen. No, they were waiting for it. In his hand is a wooden ball, shining in a pale blue light. Could it be a bomb? There was no gun powder smell, so I didn¡¯t notice it, maybe it works differently from Earth¡¯s bomb. The small ball exploded, and a white mass splashed on my body, then rapidly hardened. This¡­ Darwin¡¯s Bark Spider¡¯s Threads!!? It was too late, the man¡¯s headless body was already right next to me when I killed him. Even with the dynamic vision of the Compound Eyes, I could not react in time. While my movement was being temporarily sealed, the men who were waiting for this moment threw chain sickles on me. I became wrapped in iron chains and tied up. Guh¡­ Even though each one is only 200¡­. The strength of 8 people combined is more than enough to make me unable to move freely, especially when combined with Darwin¡¯s Bark Spider Thread. Even when compared to the current me Beetle-kun was still stronger, and this special thread was able to hold him for a short while. However, that¡¯s the extend of it. Don¡¯t think you¡¯ve won yet. Even if you can make me stop temporarily, I have more than enough strength to break this net. Not to mention this net is not exactly as powerful as the net I can make. Hearing the sound of the net and chains breaking, it seems that their confident faces are slowly turning into fear. Or so they should have, but they didn¡¯t. Suddenly the scenery in my vision changes and I find myself lying flat on ground, the old man is on top of my back, holding my arm in a joint lock. It was a spectacular display of a pinning technique that resembles a Judo¡¯s hold, performed so swiftly I didn¡¯t even realized it until my face touched the ground. Guhh¡­ this kind of thing. With only 550 strength you won¡¯t be able to stop me. I grit my teeth trying to break off his hold, but I¡¯m unable to muster any strength, he has me perfectly in a lock. Even with my superior physical ability I could not break free, unless I break off my own arm. Is this the true power of an expert? ¡°--------- ------------------------- ---------------!¡° The old man shouted something, and the mage took out a small vial. Inside there¡¯s some strange green powder. I could not sense any smell on it. It¡¯s not simply because it is closed tight, usually I would be able to smell it no matter how firmly sealed is the lid¡­ perhaps there¡¯s some kind of magic seal on that vial. Then the mage breaks the lid and sprays the contents on my face. ¡®GURIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII~~~~~~~~~!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± It burns. It burns. IT BURNSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS What Is tHIS? WhAtt Isssss THissssSSSSS????????? A repulsive smell that is a mix of cedar, chalk, cinnamon, rosemary, basil¡­ just like the insect repelling herbal mix my mom used to make. There¡¯re also various scents from strange herbs mixed in that I don¡¯t at all recognize. It hurts, it hurts. My eye sockets are burning. Inside my brain it¡¯s like someone is repeatedly stabbing me with needles. A sense of crisis fills my chest. Once again, I¡¯m reminded of the various times before when I was almost killed. Am I going to die? They will kill me? Why? Why? Why? Weren¡¯t they supposed to be weaker? Ahh¡­. but then I realized. I was also weaker than my defeated enemies. Yet I won, and earned my right to live in their places. How could I forget? About how dangerous human can be. About how strength can be unlimited if people work together. I was arrogant. I was drunk with power. And now I¡¯m going to pay the price, just like the ones I killed. I don¡¯t want to accept it. In an act of desperation, I stab a finger nail on the arm of the old man who¡¯s locking me down in a hold and send in my eggs. He¡¯s the strongest of the bunch. My head is being assaulted with intense pain right now, but as long as I kill him. Then there¡¯s a chance. My babies will devour him from the inside. However, the old man was different from the Beetle I fought. The moment my babies started to hatch inside his arm, he quickly took a distance from me. . . . And chopped off his own arm in one slash. . . . Impossible. Normally people wouldn¡¯t just cut off their arm so easily wouldn¡¯t they? Do you want to die?! Fine! Then bleed! Bleed and die! However, there was neither fear nor confusion in the old man¡¯s eyes, only an unyielding resolution. He screams out an earth shattering shout and his body is warped in a presencethat is even more overwhelming than before. His muscles bulges then contracts, and blood stopped flowing out of his severed arm. Did he just use his muscles to block his blood veins? What an outrageous man. No. What a monster. The larvae were my last hope. My head hurts so much I feel like my skull is splitting right now. Mucus starts to overflow from my eye sockets, making my vision blurry. My whole body is shaking. From the poison that is spreading through my body and tormenting my nerves. From the fear that is gripping at my heart. ________________________________________________________________________________________ [Short-horn Deon POV] ¡°Boss, what do we do next?¡± The men around me all seem eager to kill the monster that took away the lives of two of our members, but they did not even mutter a single complaint. They are faithfully waiting for my decision. Greenhorns, but well trained greenhorns. In our line of work, we never know if we would live to see tomorrow. Inexperienced as they are, every single one of them is prepared to lose his life any day. ¡°This rare monster might be worth a fortune. However the poison cannot hold this thing down forever¡± Igor walked forward and briefly informed me. He¡¯s trying to be rational, but there¡¯s a slight hint of anger in his voice. It¡¯s natural to be enraged, but we have been risking our lives for money from the start. This wasn¡¯t the first time we lose someone, and certainly it won¡¯t be the last. Even if we grieve for our companions, we cannot lose sight of our objective. This is just our way of life. And Igor understands it very well. I don¡¯t want those poor bastards¡¯ deaths to be in vain. But if this recovers, we will all be massacred. Then there is only answer left. ¡°Kill it¡± Chapter 25: Crack in the armor Through my hazy vision, the earth, the trees, the forest itself are spinning around me as I slowly lose grip on my balance. My brain feels as if it¡¯s being put inside a meat grinder. Sight, Scent, Sound are mixed together into an illegible, chaotic mess. They are whirling around like a storm, tearing at every fiber in my body. My nerves feel like thin threads being shredded in a violent vortex. Yet, strangely enough, at the center of that storm, there was something calm. Like the tranquility at the bottom of a lake. And beneath that tranquility¡­ Something tugs at the back of my mind¡­ A small, flickering light. An ember so minute, so fickle that I couldn¡¯t really put my fingers on. But my instincts tell me that maybe¡­ maybe if I could catch that light¡­ then something would change. My thoughts start to spin around. The pain gnawing at my senses due to the poison, incidentally acted as a stimulator at the same time. With the pain ironically being used as a propelling force at the back of my mind, I push my brain cells to the limit, pushing it so hard I could hear a phantom revving of an engine being accelerated to the point of breaking. ¡­All so that I could catch that small light, so I could reach the answer. In the face of death, my thoughts were racing so fast, it¡¯s as if time has stopped. ..And then I noticed it. Strange. That¡¯s right, there was something strange about their actions from the start. Think! Kagami! Think. What was off about their behavior? They were a total of 13 men. At first, they spread into 4 groups, 3 men each, in a linear formation. So 3-3-3-3 With the old man standing in front by himself, not being in any group. My spear killed one man in sneak attack. Their groups became 3-3-3-2 And then¡­ ____________________________________________________ Deon: ¡°Luke, replace Carl¡¯s spot in his group¡± * --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I didn¡¯t understand what they said, but from the look of it, that old man ordered one guy from another group to replace the dead guy. Why? Replace a hole in the formation is a normal course of action, but that also means the replacement person left his old group, and his old group became 2 instead. Leaving the solo old man aside, from 3-3-3-2 the whole formation became 3-3-2-3. It¡¯s the exact same thing then? Why did he make such a redundant decision? ¡­Is there something special about the group that was supplemented with a new member? Something that makes him prioritize that group? That he would prefer another group to have fewer members, but not that particular one? ¡­Now that I think about it, there was someone strange in that group. I only took notice of the strong people who could pose a threat, I completely overlooked him¡­ What a blunder. What is special about this person is not that he¡¯s strong. It¡¯s that he¡¯s weak. He¡¯s so weak he should not be among them to begin with. His strength was estimated to be weaker than an untrained adult man. He seemed to be very young as well, only about 13 to 15 years old. His dirty and unkempt attire suggested that he was in a lower position than his allies. While they maybe a group of unruly and wild warriors, every single member had proper equipment and armors. The young thing on the other hand, only wrapped himself in some ragged cloths. He was not a threat so I ignored him. Perhaps he¡¯s an apprentice, or just an extra, a slave for chores, I don¡¯t know. But if that was the case then there would be no reason to be so protective of him, to take away a member from another group for the sake of that boy¡¯s group. Now that I think about it, they took care to not let it show, but their movements seemed like they were covering for the young boy¡¯s group all along. Even when they surrounded me that particular group was staying at the furthest distance away. There must be something about that boy. I don¡¯t know what that is, but he¡¯s that important to these people. Which mean that he¡¯s a weak link. A crack in the armor. I could be wrong, but no matter. If there¡¯s a chance, then I¡¯ll take that chance. Right now, I¡¯m being backed in a corner, but the enemies have also exhausted their resources. Because of my earlier desperation attack on the old man, he lost an arm and I was freed from his restraint. Even if he successfully dealt with my parasites, he must have suffered great damage. Being able to block his blood veins just by using his muscles was certainly an inhuman feat. But in the end, he¡¯s a man, flesh and blood. His severed arm was a fatal injury, even if it does not show on his face. The net has already been weakened from my continued struggles, if I muster what¡¯s left of my strength I will be able to break through any time now. I take a deep breath and relax my muscles. Then in an instant, I gather up all my remaining power while gritting my teeth to bear the pain of the poison and tear off the steel-like threads covering my body.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Without giving them a moment to react, I leap straight at the young boy¡­ ___________________________________________________________________ [Deon POV] The monster net that was our secret weapon, exclusively used for the most dangerous of demon beasts didn¡¯t manage to hold on for long. In front of my eyes, the restraint that surpasses the toughness of iron chains was torn off with only sheer strength. Such a feat is impressive, even among monsters. Despite being weakened, it¡¯s still stronger than all of us combined¡­ My mind shudders at the very thought. Just where did this outrageous creature come from? The poison was a concoction of powerful insecticides, magical herbs and even had a little curse attached to the mix. It¡¯s a specialized tool to deal with insect type monsters. Once they come in contact with the powder, they will be attacked with intense pain and confusion, the detection senses they are so proud of are effectively neutralized as a result. This poison doesn¡¯t deal direct damage to the flesh but their nerves will be paralyzed so they won¡¯t be able to control their bodies. How can it still be moving? Was the poison not working? The possibility is there but that was definitely not the case this time. The mixture and the curse certainly took effect when it was groveling on the ground in agony. Only that it didn¡¯t stay down obediently. ¡­Could it be¡­? This thing endured the pain with pure will power? I did not consider the fact that a simple beast was capable of such resolution. But now that I think about it, I should have expected the possibility when it showed up wearing human clothes. No¡­even then, endurance has limits. If we keep our distance and play the cards right, this monster has no chance in a war of attrition. At least that¡¯s how things were supposed to be. Yet, right before the insect monster tore off the net, in an instant I felt like the atmosphere surrounds its body has suddenly changed. The previous confusion seemed to no longer haunt its mind. It¡¯s as if the creature has dawned up on something. My instincts tell me that it was not the barking of a cornered beast¡­ The enemy before me has surely reached some kind of ¡°answer¡±. And then, not giving the chill in my spine a chance to settle down, it charged straight at us. The men on its path were blown off to the side, like dead leaves against a storm. I was taken aback, even while enduring the poison, it still hold this much power? It was a leap more powerful than anything it has shown thus far. No. There¡¯s no time to think! It¡¯s heading for ¡°that person¡±! No one will be able to make it! ¡°UUUuuuuuuuuuooooooooo!!!!!!!!!¡± Before my mind fully grasped the situation, the power in my muscles exploded. Because I was not allowed any opening to even think, it was not a conscious action but something akin to an instinctual reflex. Just like how a man unconsciously covers himself against an incoming attack, my body moved all by itself in respond to the threat targeting something more important than my own life. There was no consideration for tactics or techniques, the only thing that mattered was to go faster¡­ Faster¡­ Faster and use my body to shield that person from harm.. ¡­But I can¡¯t make it. I¡¯m not going to make it. The creature¡¯s speed was abnormal, its body sprung forth like a loosened arrow. Even when I¡¯m throwing myself against the wind with all I have, I cannot make it in time. I can¡¯t¡­ -Splosh- As despair started to cloud my vision in darkness, before I knew it, a strange sound entered my ear. An unpleasant sound of piercing flesh. And then comes the feelings of a hot stake driving into my body. In front of me is the menacing creature standing with one arm piercing my stomach all the way up to it¡¯s elbow. The reinforced skin that could stop even the finest blades was torn up like an old sheet of cloth. As I endure the excruciating pain that seems to send hot steams to my eyes, I harden my muscles and use my only remaining arm to grab the monster¡¯s other arm that aimed for my neck. It feels like a thousand mice are gnawing at my flesh, grinding their teeth down my organs. My throat is dry and my insides feels like it¡¯s being dipped in hot oil. ¡°Bossssss!!!!!!!¡± ¡°Deonnnnnnnn¡± The blood loss is making my vision go hazy and my ears are ringing but I could still somehow makes out the desperate shouts of my men and that person. ¡°Stay where you are!¡± It¡¯s hopeless¡­ How could this have happened? ¡°Guhoo..!!¡± I vomited blood together with bits of my flesh. It seems that several organs have already ruptured¡­ My intestines, liver, they¡¯re all no good now. Thankfully my lungs are still working, I would not be standing otherwise. ¡°How¡­ did you know¡­?¡± I could not stop the bewilderment that left my mouth, even though I know that it won¡¯t answer back. Clearly just before, I had no doubt that I would not be able to make it in time to shield that person from the enemy. Yet, here I am, standing in between them with a hole in stomach. There could be no other explanation, this creature purposely slowed down so that its claws could reach me instead of the person behind me. In other word¡­ ¡°You¡­ was you ¡­ aiming for this¡­ from the start¡­.¡± I look down at the emerald colored arm that is still lodged in my stomach. Aside from the pain of the flesh, there¡¯s another piercing sensation spreading out from the wound. It seems that this thing¡¯s claw is coated in poison, something often seen in insect type monsters. Not that it matters now since even if the poison doesn¡¯t kill me, I still don¡¯t have much time left in this world. I have already lost too much blood and my internal organs are in pieces, even now the only thing that keeps me standing is sheer will power. And even that will power too is like a flickering candle in the wind. Even the smallest of movement seems like it would be enough to knock me unconscious. The pain in my stomach is getting more unbearable every second, and my body is screaming to be released from this agony. But I know that the moment I succumb to the pain and the sweet temptation of resting, I won¡¯t ever wake up again. If I die then nothing will be able to stop this monster anymore. Our best shot would be to kill it right now, but that¡¯s no longer possible. Arrows won¡¯t be able to pierce the creature¡¯s skin and if my men were to surround it in melee combat, even with its arms being restrained by me the monster can easily makes short work of any human that manages to get close. A flick of its toe would be able to snap their bones easily. ¡°Igor, throw me another poison bottle¡± ¡°That was the only one we had!¡± Curses, is there truly no option left? Bow doesn¡¯t work, poison is out, the only mage we have cannot use offensive magic. ¡°Boss! We¡¯re coming to save you now!¡± ¡°Draw your weapons!¡± ¡°Make it into pig feed while Boss is holding it!¡± The ones who will be pig feed are you fools! ¡°Don¡¯t come close!¡± ¡°But Boss!!!¡± ¡°Even now I can still snap your puny necks like snapping a twig! Do you think this thing is any weaker than me!?¡± Damned idiots, don¡¯t pick the worst time to show your loyalty now. I¡¯m already too weakened to deal a finishing blow, and the monster is still packing great strength. The best thing I can manage right now is hold it for a little while longer. And I soon would die, this thing will be unstoppable then. How frustrating. Truly, how frustrating. The monster was supposed to be in a hopeless pit, the only road ahead was one that leads to death. Yet, in an instant.. Just an instant¡­ A single strike to our greatest weak point¡­ Not even in my wildest dream did I expect the wild creature in an area filled with low class monsters to be able to devise precise tactics while under the intense effect of poison. We had all the advantages, we had all the cards, the superiority¡­ Alas. With just one move. One move that turned the table upside down. One single move that decided the checkmate. It¡¯s so unreasonable, so infuriating that if only my life was at stake here, I would have forsaken everything and rampaged until my last breath. However, I shall not allow myself such indulgence. There is something much more important that needs to be done¡­ I gave an order to my men. ¡°While I¡¯m holding it here, you lot take the princess and run!¡± There¡¯s already no hope for me. But at least they can fill the mission in my place. Our true mission. ¡°Boss! What are you saying?! Let¡¯s take it on together¡± ¡°Yea! It already poisoned¡± Greenhorns. ¡°ARE YOU DISOBEYING ME MORONSSSS???!!!¡± My shout, with all the strength and bloodlust I could muster swept away their zeal and made them shrink back. It was an effort in desperation, but there was enough effect. Looks like this old man has not yet rusted still. ¡°The only reason you lotare alive right now is because I¡¯m holding it back!¡± If I didn¡¯t have a gaping hole in my stomach then we could still have a chance. But now we no longer have any feasible offensive option. The match has been decided, and the longer we wait, the more hopeless our fate will be. ¡°If you don¡¯t listen, then even if this monster doesn¡¯t kill you, I will!¡± With the last of my strength, I shouted in a violent voice that does not allow them to refute. They look at me with grimace and frustration on their faces. Are they able to realize how grave the situation is at last? Except for one¡­ ¡°Nooo, nooooooo, Deon, you can¡¯t die!!¡± The princess¡¯s despairing scream cuts through my bloodlust, as if they weren¡¯t even there to begin with. Her cries stab at me more painful than this monster would ever be able to. I don¡¯t look back, I¡¯m afraid. I¡¯m afraid that those tears would weaken my resolve. I¡¯m afraid to see her pretty face ruined by the tears I caused. Gritting my teeth so hard I could crush my own mouth, I vomit wordswithout turning around. ¡°Have you forgotten? How your mother and father was slaughtered like pigs!¡± ¡°Hiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!¡± The moment I mentioned her late parents, she let out a fearful screech. A sound so tragic it could break the heart of the worst of villains. My resolution was greatly shaken with just hearing her voice, if only I could ignore everything and shower her with comfort. Stupid old man. This is not the time to drown in sentiments. ¡°Remember, remember the sight of their bodies being put on a stake like cattle!¡± I¡¯m sorry ¡°No! No! No!¡± The princess holds her head, crying, begging me to stop. ¡°Remember the smell of their burning meat!¡± I¡¯m sorry. ¡°Nooooo! NOOOOOO! Stop it! Stop ITTTTTTTT!¡± With every word I spout, I feel like wanting to bite my own tongue into pieces. ¡°Erika Raingarden! Do you want to die a dog¡¯s death like your parents?¡± ¡°NO NO¡± ¡°Do you want this monster here to pierce your stomach like it¡¯s doing to mine?!¡± ¡°No¡­ Noo¡­.. NOOOOOO¡­..!!!¡± ¡°Then run, I said. RUN!¡± ¡°AAAAAAaaaaaaaaa¡± Finally the princess broke into tears, and the sound of her steps and screams gets weaker and weaker into the distance. Princess, you¡¯re strong. Stronger than you believe yourself to be. ¡°You lot, follow the princess and take care of her for me will ya¡± ¡°What are you saying, Boss¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be able to hold on much longer right?¡± ¡°Even if this thing only takes a second to kill one of us, that¡¯s 8 seconds more for the princess to run¡± ¡°Good enough for me¡± ¡°Plenty!¡± Damned greenhorns, what are you saying? Even though you guys are shaking in your boots. It¡¯s not a greenhorn¡¯s place to act tough. ¡°Is that so, then let¡¯s give this beast the hardest fight it¡¯ll ever has¡± ¡°Let¡¯s engrave our faces as the weak who gave it a beating!¡±