by Virlyce
Stab more eyes. Deflect more claws. Breaking Blade sideways to cut off all escapes. Chase after the beast core that was sent flying. Inscribe a rune of speed on the tail. Consume the bone of speed. Dismantle all the corpses gathered so far. Inscribe runes of focus. Lie down and contemplate life for three seconds. Back to work.
“Gah! I want to bathe!” Of course, no one heard my shout. Probably. I’ve gotten extremely good at inscribing runes, and I can do it quickly and efficiently nonstop by consuming bones of strength and speed. A side effect of the bones of strength was decreased exhaustion and decreased hunger and a little recovery of qi. Bones of speed have to be taken with bones of perception or else my mind won’t keep up with my body. Bones of focus can be stacked to extend the time limit, so I’ll never be distracted like I would be if there was a small window between one effect and the other.
And thus, I haven’t eaten, slept, or bathed in half a year. Gross, right? I smell worse than the morning breath of a vulture. I always thought vultures were desert creatures, but apparently they’re like upgraded forms of scavenger crows. There’s a lot of them in the southern pass, and you can always tell when something’s on the verge of death because they gather in the sky like a really loud cloud.
“Help! Save me!”
Speaking of death. It’s time to kill some more scavenger crows now that I’m done strapping bones to myself. You can barely see the dress that I took from Snow underneath all my consumable bones. Not like anyone would want to. It used to be white—it’s dark red now. Scavenger crow, scavenger crow, here to give me his skull.
“P-please! I have money!”
There it is…? The heck? An actual person? …I wonder how many runes I can inscribe on his bones. How many ribs does a human have? I know there’s at least three. Ah, he’s being chased by a bear. Bears are great materials for bones of strength. Let’s kill it. “Flying Qi Blade!”
The man’s eyes widened as the bear stopped moving and split apart in front of him. “S-saved…” He turned around. “Thank—”
Rummage through the brain. Whistle a tune for good luck. Eh? No beast core. What a rip off! Kick its head off, Lucia! Wait, don’t. Then you’ll have to chase the skull. Haaah. Why are bears so large? They’re too bulky to transport around. Dismantle it here then, but first, shoot the vultures out of the sky. Stupid birds. I’m not jealous of your intelligence anymore, not with these focus bones!
“D-demon…”
Oh, right. There was a person, wasn’t there?
“Gah! Please don’t kill me!”
How rude! I just saved your ass. “Shut up.”
“Y-yes!”
What was he? Only mercenaries would go this deep into the southern pass. Why was he dressed like a pansy? “What are you?”
“What am I? A, a human…?”
“Stupid! What do you do for a living!?” Did I mention irritability was a side effect of bones of strength? Maybe it’s a side effect of the side effect of not sleeping or eating for half a year.
“I’m, I’m a merchant!”
Gross. Don’t pee yourself. …Am I as imposing as Durandal? That’s amazing! Fuck. Why was I reminded of Durandal? Stupid, Snow. I’ll kill you. Thankfully, these bones of focus let me dismantle a bear, hold a pleasant conversation with a merchant, and think peaceful thoughts about my once-companion all at the same time. I wonder if I’m becoming too reliant on them. …Nah. “Merchant?”
“I … sell things?”
“Idiot! I know what a merchant is! Why are you in the southern pass?” Halfway done with the bear.
“I heard there was a gold mine discovered here…, so I hired a convoy and searched for it. Everyone died except for me.”
“…How did the weakest person survive?” That doesn’t make any sense.
“We were ambushed by a giant snake. After it ate everyone but me, it laughed at me before curling up and going to sleep…. I still can’t believe it.”
“It’s because you’re not worth spending time on digesting.” Just a few more runes to carve. Why do bears have so many bones? Have less bones in your next life, please and thank you, bear.
“T-the bear meat. Are you just going to leave it there? Don’t you know how expensive their bodies are? You can easily sell a bear penis for ten gold!”
“…The penis?” I’m not going to collect animal penises!
“Nobles eat them for invigoration! Ah, of course, the organs can also be sold. A heart for five gold, liver for three, kidneys for three each, lungs for two.” The merchant’s eyes sparkled. They were awfully shiny for someone who almost died a few minutes ago. “The bones are worth even more, but I see you can already use them. H-how about this? Escort me back, and I’ll help you sell everything! You don’t have an interspacial ring, right? That’s why you’re carrying the bag around?”
There was a plain-looking ring on the merchant’s finger. Interspacial ring? “You have one?”
“No! But you can buy a lot if you sell all those bones you’re carrying around! What do you say? Help me out of the forest, and I’ll help you make gold. I even have connections with the types of people who sell interspacial rings.”
“Not interested.” I have to get stronger to wake Durandal up! I don’t have time to spend on shopping!
“Please! Don’t go! I have a wife and child waiting for me to return home!”
Scavenger crow? Oh, no. Just the same merchant. Tsk. Maybe he’s a scavenger crow morphed into a human? I should check his brain for a beast core….
“Hiih! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please don’t kill me!”
Well, if he were a crow, he would’ve tried to fly away. I totally didn’t try to kill him or anything just now. It was only a test. Mhm. Back to hunting! I’ve already consumed enough scavenger crow, shadow panther, and moonlight wolf beast cores, so they don’t increase my attributes anymore, but I can move on to fat bears, hard crocodiles, and ugly vultures! Those aren’t their actual names by the way. Snow’s not around anymore to be my encyclopedia, so I named them myself.
Ah, the grind really never ends.
***
Despite my best efforts to stay on track killing monsters and consuming beast cores to become stronger, I somehow ended up at a town. No. Why the heck is there a town in the middle of the southern pass!?
“H-hey. Are you a mercenary or a new breed of monster?”
The two people at the gate didn’t seem very comfortable with my appearance. How rude. “Do I look like a monster?”
“Yes…”
Oh. Right, I probably do. No one else wears skulls and bones around their body all the time like this. And every inch of me is caked with dried blood except for my eyes. My hair feels all gross too, and my tail can’t even be seen underneath all these rib bones. “I’m a mercenary….”
“…Right. The entry fee is ten gold.”
“Ten gold!? …Can I give you this bear penis instead?” Don’t ask me why I collected them! I totally didn’t! This was on the floor beside the guard. Mhm. It was just lying there; I can’t believe they didn’t see it earlier.
The two people exchanged glances. Were they going to deny it? “Two bear penises.”
Oh, look. There’s a second one lying around, what a coincidence. “Here, two of them.”
The two people grinned at each other and stored the parts away before opening the gate. “Welcome to Wilderness Town.”
Wilderness Town. For a town that’s in the middle of the wilderness, it reminds me a lot of the Ravenwood Empire’s capital city. The buildings are pretty much designed the same way, but there’s some moss and decay showing. The roads are a bit broken but still made of brick and stone. And there’s lots of people here too, surprisingly. The only difference is everyone is staring at me instead of ignoring me.
“Monster?”
“No!” I really need a bath. And an interspacial ring to hide all these bones. Maybe I should’ve accepted that merchant’s offer.
“Whoa, those are some finely car
ved engravings on those bones. Are you selling? I’ll pay ten silver per bone.” An old man with a bald head slowly walked around me while hunched over. How the heck does an old man survive out in the wilderness? I shouldn’t trust him. I’m never going to trust anyone ever again except for Durandal. I won’t even trust the people he trusts. Stupid Snow.
“Not selling.” Let’s find an inn to bathe in. Then I can walk around without all these stares.
The old man’s eye twitched. “Do you know whom you just denied?” His body bulged as his back straightened. His muscles grew like water balloons until he was over two heads taller than me. “You should feel honored I even offered to pay for your crappy bones!”
“I don’t get it. Are you actually old or just pretending to be old?”
“I’m young!” The hideous, beefy man swung his fist at me. Be skinnier like Durandal, please. Even Snow looked more pleasing.
“Breaking Blade!” It’s important to respect your elders. But if they’re only pretending to be old, it’s okay to beat them up. …Or send them flying. Wow, why was he so weak? I thought he’d be as strong as a bear at least. He looked as big as one. Then again, I did finish consuming bear, crocodile, and vulture beast cores. Don’t ask me how much time has passed. It feels like a single day since I haven’t slept yet, but the changing of the sun and moon tells me otherwise.
“Strong…”
“He didn’t even use any spells.”
I’m a she! I need to take a bath to clear up this misunderstanding. “You there, where can I bathe?”
A well-dressed girl stiffened when I pointed mini-DalDal at her. “T-there’s an inn down the street. That way.”
People tremble in my presence. I feel so much like Durandal—I bet he’d be proud. The inn looked like a standard one from the Ravenwood Empire’s capital as well. I can’t actually be in the capital, can I? “Innkeeper! I need a bath.”
“Yes, you do.”
Don’t agree with me! “How much?”
“Five gold.”
“…If I gave you a bear penis, would you serve me food too?” Wow, there sure are a lot of bear penises lying around, huh? I wonder how much a crocodile’s would sell for. Twenty gold? There’s two of them from one crocodile after all.
“Yes. I’ll have a meal prepared for when you’re done.”
Thanks, faceless innkeeper who I didn’t bother describing. The bath was a simple room with a bucket and a hot-water-generating magic array. …That’s not fair. I always had to use cold water arrays in the army. Well, it’s a good thing I became a deserter….
Three usages of haste and a bone of speed later, I stepped out of the red bath. It looked like someone had slaughtered an animal in there. Thankfully, there was a drain in the floor of the room that led somewhere. I even managed to wash my dress and bracelet and bones. I feel like a girl again! Now that I think about it, I’m glad I don’t menstruate like human women. Perks of being a beastkin!
“Hey, innkeeper, where’s the food?” Yes, bones of strength solve my hunger, but I want to taste something! I wonder if my tongue still works. I haven’t used it in a long time.
“Here you are.”
Wow. Fine. Don’t comment on my new appearance. Well, at least the food looks appetizing. …But I shouldn’t eat it. Damnit, Snow! All my trust in food is gone now! I’ll kill you! Painful death to all bunnykin! It looks like I wasted half a bear penis. Good bye, appetizing meal. You and I weren’t meant to be.
“Finished already?”
No need to rub it in! “I eat with my eyes.”
“I understand.”
Why are you so accommodating!? Question things people tell you! Ah, well, it’s not like it’s any of my business. I wonder if I can find any stores that sell interspacial rings here. The instant I stepped out of the inn, I sensed a lot of eyes staring at me.
“It’s a girl?”
“I wonder where she’s from.”
“Are beastkin even allowed here? How come I haven’t seen any?”
It seems like I don’t belong? What kind of place did I step into? Why was I even tempted to enter this town…? Right. Interspacial rings. I need one of those.
“Hey, beastkin. Where’s your master?”
So this place is a lot more like the Ravenwood Empire’s capital than I thought. “It’s her.” I pointed at the same trembling girl who I asked for directions to the bath. “Right?”
The girl stiffened. “R-right. She’s mine.”
Wow. This is fun. No wonder why Durandal likes flaunting his bloodlust. Wait! Does this mean I’ve finally attained the same level of bloodlust as him!? I’ve killed over thousands of beasts…. And these bones are pretty intimidating if I may say so myself. Happy days. I looped my arm around the trembling girl’s shoulder. “Alright, master! Let’s go!”
And I whisked her away.
***
“U-um, can you let me go now?”
I arrived at the edge of the town with my new ‘master’ held over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. It seems safe enough to drop her here. “Yup.”
“W-why did you claim me as your master?” the girl asked, biting her lower lip.
Why was someone so weak-hearted staying in the middle of the southern pass? “I needed a scapegoat. Anyways, you’re going to help me now. I have three goals: sell stuff, visit a magic tool shop, buy an interspacial ring.” Obviously I need to sell stuff to make money to buy stuff from a magic tool shop which I can then store into an interspacial ring.
“I-I understand.”
She’s really obedient too. Why? Was she trying to screw me over like Snow? “And I need you to tell me about this town while we go accomplish my goals, starting now. Lead the way!” I’m a very busy person. Busy, busy, busy. I still have over seven hundred hours of focus bones’ effects leftover to spend. All those little bones that I couldn’t carry on my body were converted into focus. I think I solved the weakness of all squirrelkin.
“Y-yes! This town is Wilderness Town.” The girl walked through the alleyways, heading towards a loud source of noise. “It was founded by the Ravenwood Empire, and its design is similar to the capital as well. Its original purpose was to train the army while harvesting materials from the ferocious beasts nearby, but too many army members died during the training exercises. The empire abandoned the town, and it was slowly taken over by merchants, mercenaries, and, most importantly, promising sect members who’re seeking ways to train themselves. Like me.”
“Sect members? Like those people who constantly go around preaching in the streets of the capital?” I’ve seen a lot of them. But they always ignored me. Beastkin aren’t allowed to join sects, at least, not in the human capital. I’ve heard rumors about them, but the army always talked shit about sect members. Apparently, they aren’t very good people. Neither are magic clansmen.
“…You could call it preaching, yes.” The girl sighed. “Sects need money to run. All members pay monthly fees, and all kinds of training techniques are available. But the sects are hemorrhaging members which is why there’s such a huge abundance of ferocious beasts around. Everyone wants to learn magic instead.”
“You don’t want to learn magic?” Follow the crowd! If people are bailing from sects, why are you staying?
“I took an aptitude test.” The girl bit her lower lip. We were getting closer to the source of the noise. “I’ll never exceed the second circle if I become a mage. But if I work hard enough in the sect, I might become a high-ranked warrior. There’s a better future for me here even if martial techniques are declining. If only the Godking were still around…”
“Why don’t magic clansmen have a presence here?”
“…They have their own town. There’s a rivalry between the two factions even though the Godking practically created both of them. Silly, isn’t it? He united the three races and blended magic with martial techniques, yet 80 years after his death, there’s extreme civil unrest between the three races, and magic and martial techniques have g
one their own paths.”
“A little.” Is that all a legend can do? If I become a legend, will all my work be unraveled in 80 years after my death? Well, that doesn’t matter to me because I’ll be dead, but still. It’s sad to think about. I guess that’s what legacies are for, huh?
“We’re here.” The girl stopped in front of the alley’s exit. A sprawling field of black tents and stalls lay before us. “You can sell stuff, and lots of magic tools are sold here as well. There isn’t really a standard magic tool shop because Wilderness Town is a bit of a lawless place. There’s no one to complain to if your items are stolen. Only really powerful or confident people are willing to open a permanent shop here.”
The innkeeper was powerful? I should pay more attention to his face next time. “When you say lawless place, I can also steal stuff from people, right?”
“…Are you that strong? Most people here are mid-ranked warriors.”
I have no idea what rank I am. “Compare them to ferocious beasts, please.”
“A group of ten mid-ranked warriors can kill a fat bear with a few injuries but no deaths.”
No way. The name of the bears I was hunting was actually fat bear? Who’s the lazy person who named them!? “What about a high-ranked warrior? Can they kill a fat bear in a single hit?”
“Maybe at the peak of high-ranked. No one here is capable of doing that.”
…I think I figured out why bear penises sell for so much. It’s amazing how they’re just lying around town and totally not in my bag, right? What a coincidence. “Really? No one? Why’s everyone so weak?”
“That’s simple. This town is where the failures gather. And there’s no mages.” The girl looked at my bag. “So what are you selling? Do you need help with pricing too? You look like you have the face of someone who’s easily tricked.”
…She just called me stupid, didn’t she? She’s lucky she’s right. I have no idea how to price these beast cores and bones. If I took my anger out on her now, then I wouldn’t have anyone left to help me. “How much do beast cores sell for?”
