🟠 Chapter 20 :
We'd ventured deeper into the forest.
There's no way I'd be doing this alone, but since that guy, Haizen, cut down a monster as if it were paper, I figured things wouldn't be that bad.
"Alright then, let's split up here. You go that way and I'll take this direction. We'll meet back at this point later."
Eh?! What did he just say? He's got to be joking.
"Wait a second—why do we have to split up? Didn't you see how weak I am? I'll die if I'm left alone!"
"You'll never know if you're a real hunter while you're hesitating. You need to face the beasts yourself."
This guy doesn't even realize I'm only here out of greed. I have no love for hunting whatsoever.
"Fine then. See you later. Don't follow me, or I'll cut you down."
"Wait—hold on! I'm not—"
But he'd already run off.
This is seriously bad. I don't even have the sword I made anymore.
[ You didn't know how to use it anyway. ]
Yeah, but it's still a sword. Even if I can't wield it properly, it's a dangerous weapon.
It's not like I'll end up fighting some swordsman or something.
The best thing I can do now is stay put. I don't want to go any deeper into this forest.
[ Monsters are everywhere. Depth doesn't matter. ]
"Really?"
[ No. Just an opinion. ]
"Maybe I'll just sit here and wait for the bald guy."
I sat beside a tree, staring at the others around me.
I couldn't do anything. I'd become completely useless.
I hadn't learned a thing about the powers in this world. Most people in Valoris were ordinary, yet I'd always heard whispers about crazy abilities existing somewhere out there.
Valoris might have been a rotten city because of what happened to me there, but at least it was safe.
While those thoughts circled in my head, I caught a strange smell. Mint? Or something like it.
The scent grew stronger and stronger. A wave of drowsiness hit me.
I couldn't fight it, and at last I collapsed, losing consciousness.
"Ughhh… Where am I…?"
When I opened my eyes, I was completely bound with ropes made of some black material I didn't recognize.
"So, you're awake."
That voice wasn't human. It was rough—too rough to come from a human mouth.
When I turned my head, a massive creature loomed before me.
It wasn't just a raging beast—it could talk?!
There are talking monsters here?
It was even bigger than the ones I'd seen before.
Its eyes glowed yellow. Its body was green and covered in scales.
It had to be at least fifteen meters tall. Its mouth was wide enough to swallow five people at once.
Overall it looked like a lizard, but with ten legs, and its tail stretched over six meters long.
"What's wrong? Surprised to see a monster talk, little one? Must be a shock.
Someone like you, sitting in this forest—did you come to hunt, or to take a nap?"
This is worse than I imagined. I thought maybe I had a chance, but who am I to kill this thing?
Fear began to creep over me.
Where's that bald guy when you need him? Maybe he could cut this creature down too.
"Look at that face. Full of fear. Beautiful.
I love it when my prey gets scared—it makes killing them feel worthwhile.
Come on, why don't you cry for me?"
A talking monster that enjoys scaring its prey.
It moved its massive head closer until its hot breath hit my face, its long tongue flicking as it spoke.
"You know what? I was thinking of swallowing you whole right now…
But you're too weak. Even your fear feels flimsy.
Maybe… I'll let you ripen a little first."
Just then, I heard footsteps approaching.
"Ooooh, you hear that? New prey coming.
Well then, let's not waste them."
The creature opened its mouth and released a strange scent—green in color.
Wait. That's the smell that knocked me out.
Its disgusting breath really does smell like mint.
Though it said the area around me was no longer laced with the sleeping scent, I could still smell it.
"Since you're awake and caught, I've made the air around you non-drowsy," it said.
So that's it… Well, whatever. I can still smell it anyway.
The beast left to hunt down the source of the footsteps and soon returned, dragging two more people bound with the same black ropes as me.
Seriously, what's with these ropes? Are they some kind of secret power?
It dropped them in front of me: a man and a woman, both looking around thirty.
"Hey, lizard, what's your deal, gathering us like this? Are you going to eat us or what?"
"Don't call me 'lizard,' you fool. I have a name. I am Savra.
And I already told you—I will kill you for sure.
Of course I want you to die afraid.
Now, let's wake the new prey."
The lizard drew close to the newcomers and released its scent again.
But this time the smell wasn't minty—it was worse than the toilets in Valoris.
"Oh gross, what is this disgusting smell? I didn't know I had that!"
This lizard is dumber than I thought.
The stench faded quickly and the two people woke up.
The moment they saw the creature, terror spread across their faces.
"Are you awake? What's wrong, surprised by a talking monster, you—"
"Do you repeat the same line for every new victim?"
It was the exact line she'd said to me earlier, so I couldn't help interrupting.
She roared at me in response.
"Shut up, stupid prey! Ugh, fine, let's skip to the good part.
You must be afraid of me already, but that's not enough.
So let me show you proof of my terror."
Savra pulled bones out of her mouth—skeletons, or what was left of them.
I think I know who they belonged to.
This lizard may be dumb, but that doesn't improve my chances of survival.
The sight was horrifying; even the other two captives were trembling.
"Excellent, excellent. That's the look I love to see on your faces.
As you can see, these skeletons are from previous participants.
They wore the same expression you do now, and that only excited me more.
And now, with these faces, I can eat you all satisfied."
She aimed her tail at the male captive. Suddenly it became spiked and pierced his stomach.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
This stopped being ridiculous—everything flipped 180 degrees.
Watching the lizard revel in the man's blood while he collapsed filled us with sheer terror.
"Arthur, no! Please, monster, spare him! Take me instead!"
Watching someone you care about die in front of you, powerless to help—it's agony.
Even though she was terrified, the woman could only cry out those words, desperate to do something.
The lizard was clearly enjoying herself: on one side, the man's collapse as she drank his blood; on the other, the woman screaming for him.
She'd reached a state of ecstasy.
Maybe this was my chance.
She wasn't paying much attention to anything else.
Even if I couldn't walk, if I could just crawl, I'd try.
I had to take the chance. I had to survive.
I began to crawl.
The lizard didn't seem to notice.
Slow as I was, I made some progress, edging away from her reach.
I spotted a bush ahead. Only a meter left.
"Where do you think you're going, my first prey?
Do you really think crawling like a worm will save you?
Don't be stupid. You're slow, and you're easy to notice even if I'm busy with another victim."
Looks like, no matter what I do, I never had a chance.
Then I felt a stabbing pain in my back—an intense agony that made me scream.
What pierced me came out of my stomach—it was her tail.
Blood started pouring out fast.
"Hahaha! Little one, watching you try to escape amused me, honestly.
I threw the other one aside just to savor you.
You look so much better when you're running.
Now, show me that shocked face while I drink your blood."
The pain… I never imagined it could hurt this much.
I could barely speak.
Is this the end?
It wasn't much of a life anyway.
In the end, I wasn't cut out for this world.