Parita could sense it. After her fitness attribute improved, she felt her body lighter. Her previously stiff joints and tendons became loose enough for her to feel as if she could perform a split. Thus, Parita picked up the pace, jogging and leaving the city behind. Moreover, Parita found the world slower than usual.
Although multiple strange things happened, she shrugged and zoomed along the street. In minutes, she reached the south gate.
The town guards at the south gate noticed her leaving. They tried to stop her, but she dashed away.
"WAIT!"
The men attempted to stop Parita. However, they couldn't catch up with her speed. She disappeared before they could take a few steps.
Meanwhile, Parita didn't realize how fast she was zooming. She still felt like she was jogging at a slow pace. Getting addicted to the light workout, she didn't pay attention to the directions.
An hour later, she stopped. Parita looked around, finding the scenery unfamiliar. She searched for the rotten swamp, but she came across a herb farm without realizing it.
The herb field stretched to the horizon. Apart from the neat red plants, nothing stood out other than a distant, shadowy figure. It was difficult to get a clear view of the individual.
Parita snorted and perceived it as a farmer at work. She turned to the system screen, asking for help.
'Where am I, my dear manager?'
[You have run past the swamp. Turn around and head northwest for three kilometers.]
'At what degree angle are we heading northwest?'
The system took control, forcing her head to rotate 100 degrees to the right. Her neck bones and muscles lightly cracked.
Parita yelped and moved her shoulders, adjusting her neck. Because of the pain, she crouched and then rubbed the sides of her neck.
"Hey! Take it easy!" She complained.
The system refused to listen. The system adjusted her posture and moved her neck again. This time, she was ready. Parita oriented herself towards the mansion. After securing the clue, Parita resumed her jog.
In front of her, there was an oak tree. Its giant trunk stood in the way.
Parita snorted and prepared to detour around it. However, the system took control of her body once more, fixing her path straight toward the tree.
"Aw, shit."
She gave in to her fate and closed her eyes. In a split second, her face and body collided with the tree.
Loud cracks echoed, followed by a strange explosion. The silhouette of an elf in an idol costume emerged and continued running.
Parita opened her eyes and blinked several times. She felt just a gentle tap on her face, and she wasn't injured.
"???"
Although confused, Parita shrugged and kept running. She removed wooden chips, leaves, and branches from her body as she jogged. Her speed was consistently 50 km/h, yet she perceived the speed to be 10 km/h.
That was not the only first collision. She crashed through more trees, tearing through a forest as she sprinted.
A minute later, Parita got used to it. While her body was in autopilot mode, she reviewed the Isekai Rules that she had written on Earth to kill time.
"Step #1: Inspect my body - checked."
"Step #2: Identify my spawn location - checked."
"Step #3: Communication test - checked."
"Step #4: Water and food - checked."
"Step #5: Shelter - secured, and I'm on my way home."
"Step #6: System skills and cheat abilities - I guess I'm an Isekai protagonist now. Checked."
Parita scoffed and grinned proudly. At least she hit the isekai jackpot, obtaining a questionable skinwalking system as a cheating ability. She ignored the fact that her whole physique was tougher than the giant trees of this world.
Not long after, Parita arrived at the swamp. She turned around and looked at the trail of carnage she had caused. A new animal trail had been created. At a glance, it seemed like a wild elephant had had a wild party there.
"Hmm?"
At a distance, something moved. Parita rubbed her eyes and checked the wrecked forest again.
A dark silhouette stood in the distance, and it was coming closer. Based on Parita's perception, it was 500 meters away.
"What's that?" Parita pointed at the thing and asked the system.
[Free food.]
"Food?"
[To be precise, a game.]
"Oh! So, can we catch it?"
[Of course. Bend your knees and face it. Firmly plant your feet.]
"…Okay?"
Parita bent her knees and faced the incoming silhouette. Her core weight lowered as though she were squatting.
Seconds passed. The object got closer.
Parita raised an eyebrow. It seemed bigger than she had imagined. Thunderous footsteps boomed, and the ground shook. However, Parita didn't move.
She was frozen in shock.
The thing was similar to a giant wild boar. However, aside from its boar physique, it had a human-like face, mouth, teeth, and expression. The creature bared its enormous teeth and sneered at Parita while rushing towards her.
Following a breath, its jaw separated, presenting its enormous mouth and tongue with barbs. The beast sprang at her.
The mocap suit took over Parita's body once again. She kicked up, connecting with the creature's jaw and closing its mouth. The kick's power sent the monster 50 meters into the sky.
The beast dropped to the earth, making a crater. The movement ceased after the impact.
Parita regained control of her body. She puckered her lips and asked.
"So, what the hell is this?"
[Food.]
Parita's pupils shrank. She stared at the monster's face in disgust. "Yeah, no. I ain't eating that."
[Consuming this creature will boost your magical attributes. You will also be able to use a new magic spell.]
"You should have said that earlier. Where are the cleaver and the butcher knife? Let's chop up the steak!"
[The knives are in the kitchen.]
"On it!"
Parita dashed into the mansion and grabbed some knives. She revisited the crash location and descended into the crater. The system cooperated, taking control of her body and dissecting the carcass.
* * *
At 5 PM on the same day, Parrot, Sparrow, and three of their party members rushed home after they canceled the initial plans. Because of the commotion in town and the widespread rumor, they rushed home before nightfall. Still, they managed to harvest some mushrooms and wild fruits for dinner.
Everyone stopped moving when they arrived at the northwest corner of Heni Farm, where the shortcut forest to their house began. They found a trail of devastation. The trees were knocked down by an unknown force or a giant beast.
They turned white with fear, horrified by the thought that the rumor of 'The Hungers' might be true. Sparrow asked her comrades to make sure.
"Is there any 'HUNGER' that can tear down a forest like this?"
Parrot gulped and replied. "A boar type or a bear type, maybe."
"What about a centaur?"
"Centaur-type 'Hungers' don't slice off people's limbs. They impale victims and eat with their butts."
"…A bear doesn't leave behind wrecked trees or sever people's legs either. They just rip them apart and eat everything."
"A boar, it is. Should we rush home or flee to the nearest town?"
Everybody looked at each other. They all thought of Parita, whom they had left behind.
"We can't leave that dork alone. Let's go bail her out before that monster finds her."
"…Might be too late, though."
"We have to try!"
"Fine! Let's go."
Although they hesitated, they rushed home. Everybody prayed that the illusion domain would repel the monster.
Two hours later, the sky turned dark. The team arrived at the swamp. However, in front of them, there was a crater.
In the center of the crater, the human-like head of a giant boar monster, along with its bones, innards, skin, and blood, formed a pile. Its meat, liver, and heart, however, were missing.
The Hungers, aka the man-face monster, was eaten?
By whom?
Parita? A fellow elf?
"Say..." Parrot smiled wryly.
"What?" Sparrow could already guess what her friend would ask.
"Is the pink-haired tribe carnivorous?"
"...Don't know. Go ask her yourself."
"..."