Chương 23: Wild Beast Of Steel

"Is that thing gone?"

"It might be in the moat still! But we can barely see or hear anything!" The rain had reached critical strength, the wind was rising, and claps of thunder rolled over the city more and more frequently. Even with lanterns, the guards could barely see a few meters in front of them.

"How could it have gotten out of the moat so quickly?! I just heard a big splash!" The guards yelled at one another to be heard, but it was no use. Even after thirty abject minutes trying to search for a trace of the monster, they found nothing. The heavy downpour had probably washed away all tracks the creature could have left behind. They could do nothing but grit their teeth whilst thinking about their colleagues who had been mangled.

There was no other choice for them but to return inside the city and hope that the monster would be unable to find its way inside again.

Fools. I waited an hour and a half before emerging from the moat, my weight dragged at the bottom of the overflowing water, and from the moment my feet had landed on the ground, I had begun walking. Moving well away from where the guards would think I was, and only after being very careful, did I climb my way out of here, with much difficulty, as the dirt I was grasping upon was soaked and muddy. But eventually, I emerged under the still torrential rain. Strong gusts blew my torn mantle around.

I turned around to look at the city, but only saw darkness. With a raspy, unnatural sigh, I started walking forward, away from the place I had stayed in my whole life. It wasn't nerve-racking for long. I guess it had to do with the fact that I could not experience cold and discomfort like a human anymore. In place of the cold, I felt pain. In place of the discomfort of being drenched, I felt pain.

It was a bit monotonous for everything to be melded into a single sensation, but I was used to it by now, and in turn, it became an advantage. I couldn't get sick or be exhausted with fatigue, so I just walked through dark plains, scaled dark hills, and eventually, reached woods shrouded in darkness. The sound of rain was even more deafening here than elsewhere. I walked for a long time, only stopping once I noticed sunlight peering past the trees. I settled down upon a withered tree trunk lying upon the ground.

The scene was quite idyllic, only the singing of some birds and perhaps a squirrel were missing to complete the image of natural peacefulness. But it would seem that the fauna was afraid of me, as only silence surrounded me. The sounds of the natural world that reached me only came from further away, where I could not reach quickly. Shame, I was hoping to test how animal and beast meat compared against sapient flesh. Unfortunately, they weren't dumb enough to approach my bizarre self.

Mara, one of the guards that you mortally wounded, has passed away from his injuries just now. You have acquired enough experience to select a new upgrade Oh… I guess I still get the experience even if they die much later. With an ear-grating sound, I rub my palms together. Alright, show me the goods. The options are as follows: Flame Resistance (General II) - Your body becomes more resistant to burning, heat, and melting, et cetera…

Overall, all types of damage that fire can inflict will be reduced Voice Box Recorder - Your body forms a voice box capable of recording and repeating sounds that you hear Purple Flash - Your eyes grow exceptionally bright for a moment, emitting a blinding light Physical Resilience (Slashing) - Your body becomes more resistant to slashing-type physical damage, in particular Serrated Maw - Your bite becomes especially effective at inflicting bleeding Ah, I get five choices this time? This is quite nice…

I tap my lower jaw in thought since I don't have any chin to speak of. I can see the II next to 'Flame Resistance', so although the description is the exact same as it was previously, there is an acknowledgement that it wouldn't be the first time that I got the occasion to pick this particular upgrade. The slashing resistance one is the same deal as before, one of that sort of upgrade isn't enough to make a big difference, which only leaves the other three options. Love this story?

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'Serrated Maw' sounds good on paper, but whatever I manage to bite usually ends up dead, or with a large chunk of them missing, so they are typically left bleeding heavily anyway, and since it was made to make the target bleed, it meant that it was meant to be used against people that would be able to resist the tyrannical might of my jaw. Which was already capable of crushing steel and biting through limbs like celery sticks…

Yep, if someone whose bare flesh can resist that decides to fight me, I am getting vaporised, so pass on that for now…

'Voice Box Recorder' and 'Purple Flash' are quite interesting, much like my lovely music box, they are additions to what I could do, rather than pure improvements or an added effect. The ability to blind whatever is in front of me sounds quite tempting, at least, it would definitely be useful as a distraction tactic, and I suppose that I could use it in place of 'Forward Shine' that I hadn't taken previously, and use the flash to see in the dark. But the other option intrigues me.

To me, the word 'recording' means putting stuff in some old library for future viewing, but here, it seems to be telling me that I can just have this box repeat whatever I heard? This was giving me ideas… Since I know that… Wait, did you pick yourself a name already or not? I was thinking of 'Nara" That's adorable! Very well then…

Since I know that Nara can't just explain the future potential of upgrades to me, I have to make my pick by considering how much use I can see for each of them in the future, be it near or distant. In the end, I picked the voice box. It's just that more ideas come to my mind as to how I can use it compared to the flash upgrade. Immediately after choosing the option, agony erupts within me, but thankfully, I was prepared for it and managed not to react strongly to the sudden burst of pain.

By the way, Nara, how close am I to evolving? You're still a fair distance away, unfortunately Well then, I just need to keep on finding experience bags then… Maybe going to the countryside will allow me to score more kills. After all, the countryside was where the farmers, peasants and serfs lived for the most part. As long as I didn't get close to obviously more luxurious homes and manors, I should be able to avoid getting into trouble with more than I can chew.

Rising to my feet, I continue to walk in the same direction as before. The sun is still slowly rising, and the rain has stopped, but with the ground still being wet, the moment I step out from the woods, I am met with a luminous landscape as light reflects off the drops sticking to the plants and blades of grass. But what greets me first is a large field, or rather, several fields side by side, some are filled with pumpkins, others with watermelons, some with cucumbers and even white pattypans.

The day has barely risen, but I can already see farmers walking around in the fields, looking for ripe vegetables to harvest and sell. I step back behind the line of trees as I observe these people hard at work. I can tell that they aren't serfs because they don't look abundantly malnourished and actually wear proper clothing, so these people are working for themselves and presumably own the land they cultivate. In terms of the lower class, farmers are among the most valued.

They are the ones producing the food, after all, and since Rootriska is full of fertile lands, the export of food is also a big money earner for the kingdom. As such, it isn't uncommon for successful farmers to get to own their own land as a reward, and to encourage them to work harder… In comparison, serfs usually toil on lands that are of poor quality.

But actually, for me, targeting serfs would be a worse idea since they were basically the property of the lord who owned the land, and that lord would certainly be displeased if his free workers started getting slaughtered. After all, who would be working if all the serfs were gone? So paradoxically, the more highly considered farmers were easier prey. They didn't have nobles watching over their shoulders constantly.

I could move in, do my thing and erase all evidence before anyone could even start to wonder if something was wrong. I just need to wait until it gets dark. Farmers work all day, they'll fall asleep within moments once they hit their beds. My plan is so simple, yet so flawless–That it seems like I am not the only one who thought about it.

I hid in a bush the entire day, not moving a single bit, and once night began to fall, before I could stand up, there was shuffling to my left, and three figures stepped out of the wood, somehow, I and them never noticed one another at any other point previously, I assume that arrived later than me, but still, they walked right past a literal murder machine and don't have a clue about it. Are they… Are they trying to steal my experience? Trying to rob me of what I am owed?

I'll make you regret not having died at birth… I wait a little while. Their dark silhouettes are hard to see in the night, but since I already know that they are here, I can see them just fine. When I rise, I make sure to pull my hood as much as I can to conceal my glowing eyes. I quietly followed after them, and once they arrived in front of the farm, I lay flat on the ground, surrounded by pumpkins on both sides.

I listened to them attentively as they whispered in a tone that betrayed that they weren't professionals. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to hear them so clearly. And as it turns out…

"Alright, you two, go get that box and the horse. I'll ride the horse when the box has already been moved under her window, and I'll get her attention by throwing some pebbles at the wall. Then, I get off the horse–With class, obviously–And I'll help her get down, and we can ride together into the night! Does… Does it sound good? Do you think she'll like it?"

"Of course!"

"If I were her, I would be head over heels for you, let me tell you-""That's a weird thing to say, don't say that""Oh…" They were actually staging some sort of planned fake abduction? Did she not have the means to pay the dowry that his family would demand, so they are planning on setting off secretly? How romantic… I hate it. The hapless romantic and one of his friends go to fetch what I presume is the so-called box, whilst the third clearly heads toward a nearby stable.

I had noticed it during the day, that's where they keep the animals that they use to plough the fields. Naturally, I arch around to end up in the stables at the same time as the solitary member of the trio would get here. The place isn't very secure, and the animals, whilst some seem to notice me, don't make any noise… Seems like animals are just frozen stiff in my presence for some reason. In any case, I have spotted my prey…