The morning fog rolled in thick, muffling the sounds of the ruined city. My boots crunched over broken glass as I stepped out of Ironwood Apartments, pipe in hand, my goblin and bat trailing behind me.
We weren't just scouting today.
We were hunting.
The goal? Enough crystals to start upgrading my building.
The method? Anything that bleeds.
---
Our first target was a hulking, four-legged lizard with jagged spines. My goblin crept forward, dagger raised. The bat swooped in from above, clawing at its eyes.
I didn't hesitate. I dashed in and slammed the pipe against its knee joint — a sickening crack echoed. The lizard screamed and collapsed.
> [Monster Killed]
[Crystals +3]
I grinned, picking up the shards, the warm glow pulsing in my palm.
"Next," I said. My voice was calm, but my eyes were locked ahead, already searching for more prey.
---
By midday, we'd taken down a pack of hairless wolves, a bloated crow with six wings, and a shambling humanoid made entirely of vines.
Every fight was the same — my summons would attack first, but I'd always move in for the kill. My bat shredded eyes and throats, my goblin stabbed at legs and bellies, but it was my pipe crushing skulls that ended every fight.
And every time, I smiled.
Not a polite smile. Not a relieved smile.
A hungry smile.
---
The goblin started glancing at me between kills, its earlier cocky grin replaced by something… warier.
The bat, usually fearless, would flutter back a little after delivering a hit, almost as if to avoid being too close when I swung my pipe.
At one point, after I bashed in the skull of a spider the size of a horse, I caught them both staring.
"What?" I asked, wiping monster blood off my cheek.
The goblin and bat exchanged a look.
I could practically hear their thoughts: …Aren't we supposed to be the monsters here?
---
By sunset, my pouch was heavy with crystals — more than I'd dared hope for. My clothes were streaked with black gore, my hair stuck to my face with sweat, but I couldn't stop grinning.
We walked back to Ironwood Apartments in silence. My goblin kept glancing over its shoulder, my bat clinging to a broken streetlight before finally following.
They were my minions. My tools. My "monsters."
But as we stepped inside, I realized something.
In their eyes…
I was the real predator.