“Aria, having boobs on your level is truly a glorious sight.” Keni and Marietta enter the tub next and emit cries of shock…and wonder. Aria’s melons are floating in the tub, right next to Tama—strictly from the pressure they’re exerting on the water. “There’s nothing really that great about them, ya know? My back is always hurting…” “Damn, back pain, eh…? Well then, maybe you need a rub!” “Yeah, let’s do it!” “Yeah, I always wanted to feel Aria’s monstrous titties, too!” “H-hey—wha…? You guys?? Ooh…ahhh…” Hearing Aria’s complaint, Keni, Marietta, and Vulcan all open their hands and fly toward her. Of course, they’re all going for her melons. As Aria’s soft, voluptuous breasts are rubbed and kneaded by the tiger-eared-clan girl and female knights, Aria can’t help but cry out in ecstasy. “Ooh…ohhh… No! Tama, help!” “Meow!” Just wait, master, I’ll help—Hmm? As Aria calls on him for help, Tama rushes to stop the three girls. But something’s not right. Something about him is…just wrong… “Wow!! I can hear the most erotic conversation happening on the ladies’ bath side!” “Calm yourself, Danny. Don’t get so riled up just from coquettish voices.” “What’s with the poker face, Howard? Even though you’re in such a slump?” “What’s with you guys? I simply fail to understand what’s so great about women.” The men’s bath lies just across the wall from the women’s. Hearing Aria’s gasps while her breaths come hard and rough, Danny and Howard are aroused, and Cedric—with zero interest in women—looks positively disgusted. “At this point, we totally have to go over there.” “Go over there? Wha—? You can’t be serious, you filthy cretin.” “It’s just like you’re imagining, Howard. This area is separated into men’s and women’s sides by a wall, but there’s only bushes around the sides. Let me make it easy for you—if we go around the side, we’ll be able to spy on them all we want! Come on, Howard—I know you’re up for it.” “Hmph. I guess I can’t refuse a fellow knight’s request.” Howard is quick to jump on board with Danny’s plan, despite his grumbling. The pair sets out on tiptoe… They quickly disappear into the bushes, hoping to get a glimpse of Aria and company’s baby-smooth skin…but… “Meow—!” ““Wagyahhhhhhhh!!”” Danny and Howard erupt in a bloodcurdling scream in response to the cute little mew. Stepping into the bushes, they were mere moments from seeing into the women’s bath, but just then, a powerful gale blasts them back. They’re rocked into rough brambles and tumble in a scraped-up heap. The source of the gale may not need explanation—it came from Tama’s Aether Howl. Tama sensed Danny’s and Howard’s agitating presence creeping over from the men’s side with his feral instincts and anticipated their arrival. Now, Keni and all the girls rush over to see just what’s happened and find Danny and Howard, with Tama standing watch. Aria surmises the situation, explaining it to the others. Although they’re already bruised from Tama’s attack, Danny and Howard face the additional punishment of Keni and Marietta bashing them over the head. Sweet Jesus— “I can sense them.” “Yes. It’s about six in total. And they’re hobgoblins, out of nowhere… Just what’s going on inside, I wonder?” The next morning—Danny and Howard are whispering to each other as they hide under cover. As they’ve planned, Aria and company have arrived at the ruins in question. They’ve confirmed that hobgoblins—higher-level goblin monsters—are patrolling the entrance. They’re about as tall as grown human men, and as opposed to regular goblins, they possess intelligence and are therefore quite troublesome monsters. “Okay—this is our turn to shine!” “That’s right! Leave the sneak attacks to us.” Keni and Marietta are trying to sell the men on an ambush. Cedric nods faintly in agreement, and the pair rushes out. Incredible speed—not as fast as Aria when she activates Acceleration, but they’re fast enough. And they’re not only fast—they’re silent. Because they’re both equipped with bikini armor, their plating doesn’t clank against itself. Their timing is also immaculate—rushing out during the split second the hobgoblins have diverted their vision. Crack! Marietta bashes one of the goblins on the back of the head with her metal bo. The hobgoblin is battered to death before it even knows what’s happened. On Keni’s side, a similar scene has developed. She attacks with her battle-ax and splits a hobgoblin’s head from the cranium down to its spinal cord—she’s put it down with a single come-from-behind sneak attack. “Gu-gyah—!!” Now realizing they’re being ambushed, all the hobgoblins stampede toward Keni and Marietta. Hobgoblins wield stone axes, and the one leading their charge swings its down toward Keni. “I’ve never seen such a slow attack! Eat this, you scum!” Keni avoids the strike with ease, stepping in closer to kick the hobgoblin in the crotch. The powerful attack from her steel leggings causes the goblin to erupt in a bloodcurdling scream. “Ga-gyah—!!” “Nice try, buddy!” As the hobgoblin writhes in agony, Keni brings up her battle-ax and sends its head flying in one fell swoop. “Ah yes, an honorable death, no doubt.” Behind Keni, Marietta is repeating a similar attack. She’s aiming for the same spot, too—a hobgoblin’s crotch. This time, it faces a direct bash from her bo. Just as the name implies, this death took balls. “Gu-gyah—!” “Gu-gigi—!” Seeing the power of the two bikini armor–clad knights and their heartless nature, the last two hobgoblins run for the hills. But they’re too slow. The second they try to run, fresh blood gushes from both their chests. “Well done, Keni, Marietta.” “Indeed—I knew it would be, but that was a perfect ambush.” It’s Danny and Howard—Danny with his longsword and Howard with his short sword, which have pierced the hobgoblins through the back. “Okay, according to the map, there is only one exit, so this means the rest of the monsters have no escape route. Let’s rush in and assault them before they have a chance to position themselves.” ““““Yes, sir!”””” Everyone sounds off in unison at Cedric’s call to arms. Aria and company take up the rear so as not to cause any delay. “Are these…invaders? From what I can see, it’s adventurers and knights… That means they’ve discovered I’m ensconced here. I told you to be extra careful when abducting any humans from the town…” In the deep reaches of the ruins— —a young demon is muttering in annoyance. His skin is reddish bronze and eyes bright violet, with a venomous tint to his green hair… He belongs to the race of demons, the scourge of humanity, that lives off devouring their flesh. This young beast is the specific cause of the recent spate of abductions, and the object of Aria and company’s quest is to defeat him. The demon’s violet eyes are fixed on a crystal on the ground. Staring into it, the creature watches Aria and company moving through the interior of the ruins. This crystal is a magic item. Imbuing it with magic allows the user to see what’s happening in a predetermined area in real time. “Shit, just when I was about to launch the plan… Was abducting humans a mistake after all? But it was necessary to continue sustaining the monsters. There was no other way.” The young demon puts his hand to his chin and continues to grumble. “No, it’s too late for recriminations. In reality, I wanted to increase our forces…increase our battle strength…but now all we can do is act.” After pondering for some time, the young demon makes a decision. Then he closes his eyes and focuses his synapses. By manipulating mana, demons can make monsters act according to their desires. To that end, it’s going to set the monsters prowling throughout the ruins on Aria and company. “Let’s go for a trial run. I’ll make you regret ever intruding on my plan, you peasant humans!” “Gru-ruuu—guuu—” Aria and company have entered the inner ruins, coming face-to-face with some grotesque beings that have come out to greet them with deep growling. “This is rare—those must be war wolves.” “And this many of them guarantees that demons are lurking around here.” Seeing the war wolves, Howard and Danny chatter among themselves. War wolves are wolf monsters with humanoid bodies. However, their characteristics are different from both humans and wolves—they prefer isolation and almost always act alone. Yet, despite this, the war wolves inside the ruins have gathered into a massive pack. From this, it can be deduced that they are being corralled by demons. “Okay, everyone, let’s proceed as usual!” ““““Yes, sir!”””” “Aria, Vulcan, and Tama—look for openings and then attack!” “““Yes, sir!””” “Meow!” Cedric rattles off orders, and as his crew follows them, the battle begins. “You foul beasts! Over here!” Howard leaps out first. He stomps on the ground and bashes his gauntlets loudly against his great shield. “““Rowrrr—!!””” The war wolves erupt in a roar and rush toward Howard. The blood surges in their eyes. Ohhh—he’s activating the skill “Provocation.” A true tank that survived Ragnarok, no doubt—he has such valuable skills. Tama is impressed. The war wolves didn’t fall on Howard simply because he made a clamorous racket with his gauntlets and shield. He activated the skill Provocation, which fans the flames of monsters’ internal battle instincts, drawing their attention to himself. A tank’s role is to draw as much enemy attention to themselves as possible to ensure that their compatriots are not injured—that is all. The leading three war wolves descend on Howard and attack him with kicks, punches, and claw scratches in succession. “Bwa-ha-ha!! Did you think that would possibly affect me?!” Howard laughs heartily and blocks every one of their attacks with sublime shield deflections. Their blows rock off his shield loudly, but Howard doesn’t even flinch. The lizard man’s body is rugged and heavy. Attacks a normal person wouldn’t be able to endure would never be decisive against him. “Here we come!” “In for the kill!” It’s Keni and Marietta’s turn to attack the wolves bringing up the rear. However, the war wolves are still fixated on Howard thanks to his use of the Provocation skill, and they don’t notice the two girls. They relieve the remaining war wolves of their lives in no time. “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! I love hearing you cry in agony!” “Ah, Captain, we’re crushing it already!” From the opposite side, Cedric rains down slashes on the war wolves, his voice and expression completely on fire. Danny looks at him in astonishment and joins the battle. It would seem the rumors that Cedric is an aberration who derives pleasure from killing are true. “Meow! Cedric, such incredible swordsmanship!” “I c-can barely see the path of his slashes…! So this is the power of a hero who survived Ragnarok… Tama, we can’t afford to face defeat, not one bit!” “Meow!” Of course, my master! Aria and company provide support from the outside, and they can’t look away from Cedric’s swordsmanship, either. For starters, he doesn’t waste a single movement. He wields his blade with the least effort required and aims directly for weak spots—he kills every beast with a single blow. “““Rowrrr—!!””” “Huh? Captain! They’re sending reinforcements!” “It would seem so. But this time around, our enemies are wielding weapons. Aim for their vitals—!” “Cedric! Okay, leave it to us. Tama!!” “Meow!” You got it, master! A new wave of war wolves, this time armed, floods out from the rear of the ruins. Cedric has called for vital point-attacks, but Aria forestalls his command and calls to Tama, who rushes to the front and inhales deeply. Aether Howl…might be useful, but it will only buy us time. Instead, let’s use this as a chance to show master my power anew! “Meowrn!” Aqua Howl! Tama lets loose one of his Elemental Howls, Aqua Howl. His breath, now filled with highly pressurized water, rips into the chests of the approaching war wolves. That’s not all! Tama isn’t finished. As he blasts them with Aqua Howl, he turns his neck from side to side. The blast of water breath rips into the chests of the war wolves, mowing them down. …… Silence falls upon Tama and his companions. The war wolves lie prone on the ground, water dripping from their wounds. It’s clear that every one of them has perished from Tama’s single attack. ““““What the—?!!”””” At this incredible spectacle, gasps of surprise escape the knights and Vulcan. “T-Tama…? Were you hiding such incredible power from us?” Aria is slack-jawed, looking at him. Tama replies with the cutest mew he can muster. “I-imbeciles! What the hell was that insane attack? Wait a second, look at its fur… A cat that can use skills? It must be an elemental cat…! Argh, I can’t believe such a burdensome creature slipped in with those knights…!!” In the deep reaches of the ruins, the young demon is rife with indignation. He never imagined that the war wolves he gathered over such a long period—as a part of his plan—would be obliterated in a single attack. And there’s more. He’s taken Tama, who unleashed the powerful skill, for an elemental cat. “No—the identity of the cat doesn’t matter. All that matters is how we exterminate it. In this case, we may have to let them loose, and I might need to make an appearance myself…” The young demon begins walking, manipulating mana at the same time. He’s calling on a certain group of monsters, sleeping deep within the ruins, to awaken— “Meow! That was such a shock!” “Yeah it was! I can’t believe Tama has such an incredible skill.” “The elemental cat… I’m again deeply impressed by this creature.” Vulcan, Marietta, and Cedric can’t help sharing their impressions, alongside the other knights. Tama is squeezed in between Aria’s breasts, a self-satisfied look on his face. “I am equally surprised. I didn’t know Tama has other innate skills…” As Aria cuddles Tama, she feels pride in the pet she loves so much, but she is also perplexed by his unexpected level of strength—or rather, her cheeks quickly flush red and her breath becomes ragged as she quickly whispers to herself excitedly, “I can’t believe my knight is so strong…” and “If he’s this strong now, once he’s grown up, he can throw me down with that power and overtake me, doing whatever he wants, for as long as he wants…!” Tama sighs at Aria, realizing that her erotic switch has definitely been flipped. “Okay, it’s time that we delve deeper. We now know Tama’s power, but remain on your gua—!” Remain on your guard. Cedric was about to say as much but stops mid-sentence, eyes wide as saucers. “Hmm? What is this pressure…?” “Oh no, something terrifying is approaching…!” Danny nods in answer to Howard. The other knights, alongside Aria and Vulcan, all have stern looks on their faces. An extreme, palpable level of oppression is emanating from the depths of the ruins. “Well done—you have defeated my war-wolf corps. But you shall go no farther, humans.” A piercing, cold voice erupts simultaneous to the appearance of the young demon… He has reddish-bronze skin, green hair, and violet pupils oozing an irrefutable desire to kill. “Well, well, the boss has made an appearance. Just what are you planning, demon filth?” As the demon steps forward, Cedric addresses him, his expression shifting from his normal sweet disposition to the emotionless stare of a Noh mask. Demons construct societies and have personal lives, just like human beings. A young demon controlling monsters and acting of his own volition is very unnatural. Cedric needs to know his intentions. “Sure, why not—I’ll tell you. My name is Beryl Astaroth. My objective is…revenge.” The young demon—named Beryl—answers in a low voice conveying his abhorrence. In response, Keni and Marietta recall something. “What? You said Astaroth? I remember that name…” “Yeah, that’s the name of the original demon colony that Renald was founded on!” They both recently learned from the town headman and Howard that Renald was built on an old demon colony. This demon, Beryl, bears the same clan name as that colony. He said revenge. In other words, what Beryl intends to do… “Mwa-ha-ha… That’s right, humans. I am the living heir to the Astaroth clan, which was destroyed some years ago. And now I will exact my revenge by wiping Renald off the face of this planet…!” “I see how it is. So you weren’t planning on simply abducting the townspeople.” “Yes, they were merely a convenient food supply for the monsters under his control.” As Beryl loudly announces his motivations, Cedric and Howard recap what they now know. Beryl is the only remaining survivor of the demon colony. Now, to exact revenge, he’s waited many months and years, growing in size and accumulating war potential. “My demonic brethren! Annihilate these intruders and raze the town to the ground!” Beryl’s voice explodes, and from the darkness behind him…a number of abominable war cries ring out. “Grrra-brawww—!” “Wha—? Those voices…they can’t be…” “Yes, there’s no mistaking them…trolls!” As soon as the words have left Danny’s and Howard’s mouths, they appear—giants over nine feet tall with earthen skin. Trolls are monsters with contorted, hideous faces and giant tree trunks for arms and legs. They are A-ranked monsters and extremely dangerous. “T-trolls—?!” “Meow! And there’s six of them! They could easily destroy the whole town!” Aria’s and Vulcan’s eyes are wide with shock. They can’t believe that Beryl could be in control of this many monsters of such superior strength. Cedric lets orders fly. “Spread out!! Don’t even think of sticking together!” Trolls have superhuman strength and reach. Grouping together to attack them only increases the party’s chances of being felled together. That’s why they have to spread out and attack in a hit-and-run pattern. “Heh-heh-heh! Here they are! Multi-Protect Barrier!” The moment the party fans out—Beryl opens his eyes wide and laughs as he activates a skill. “Damn—what is this?” “Shit, that’s bad news.” Cedric and Danny expound on the unfavorable situation. Everyone is snared in groups behind opaque barriers. Multi-Protect Barrier is Beryl’s innate skill that can extend multiple fortified barriers at once. The barriers he’s created are square, and they’ve trapped the party in with the trolls. The knights are trapped in with two trolls, Tama is trapped with four trolls, and Aria and Vulcan are with Beryl. “Heh-heh…your elemental cat is in the greatest predicament. He’s circled in there nice and cuddly.” “You bastard! Tama!!” Aria screams out in anguish seeing Tama trapped inside the barrier with four trolls. Crap!! I left her side and circled around to protect my master, but the tables have turned on me! Seeing the trolls lumbering toward them, Tama jumped out from between Aria’s breasts and distanced himself from her. Tama is infinitely more worried about Aria than his own dire situation. “Yes! Your pitiful deaths will signal the epoch of my revenge!” “Grrra-brawwwww—!” The four trolls trapped with Tama lunge toward him. They’re all equipped with massive axes and hatchets. “Meow!” Aqua Howl! Tama activates Aqua Howl, his Elemental Howl skill. Just as earlier with the war wolves, he aims it from side to side. Rrr-ppplashhh—! The trolls’ torsos all turn concave from the howl. Yet, unlike the war wolves, their torsos are not severed by the blast. Crap! A-ranked monsters are much more resilient…! Trolls have thick, tough skin, and their muscle fibers are infinitely more developed than the average monster. For this reason, Tama’s Aqua Howl doesn’t come close to taking them down in one shot. The troll erupts. “Gra-braw—!” In that moment, the wounds on their chests begin healing before Tama’s very eyes. Self-regeneration capability… I’ve heard the rumors, but I’ve never seen it before. Tama recalls information he’s picked up along his exploits—trolls not only boast superhuman strength but also the capacity to self-regenerate. Trolls have the power to convert the mana in their bodies to flesh and heal their wounds. They’re immortal for as long as their mana lasts… It’s one of the primary reasons they’re classified as A-ranked monsters. “Grrra-bra-bra-brawww—!” The troll that finishes regenerating first swings its hatchet down toward Tama. Such an attack would never fell me! Tama lunges in a side step and avoids the blow. Missing its target, the hatchet rips forcefully into the earth and leaves a deep impression. This will not be enough. I need to unleash more power. Tama looks cornered at first glance, but he’s not flustered. He gathers air in his lungs and activates a different skill. “Meowrn!” Rock Howl!! Tama’s howl gathers mass and rips deep into the trolls’ tough skin. “Meow!” Okay, once more!! This time, Tama uses Flame Howl, and before the wounds caused from Rock Howl can heal, the trolls’ skin is directly scorched. “Gra-brawww—?!” Self-regeneration or not, the trolls can’t block out pain. Now, it reaches peak threshold, and the trolls thrash around violently, their burned skin exposed. Flame Howl—!! Flame Howl—!! Flame Howl—!! Tama does not cease howling. He completely boxes in the trolls and burns them to a crisp, until the mana fueling their self-regeneration is fully drained. Ultimately, the very same Multi-Protect Barrier that Beryl had cast was the cause of the trolls’ defeat. Had they been in a wide-open area, they would have had a number of routes of escape and a certain path to victory… “Come now, Captain.” “Leave it to us already.” “Oy what sort of treatment is that from my underlings?” Cedric responds incredulously to Danny and Howard. “What are you talking about? This sort of enemy is right up the captain’s alley!” “Yep! Let him unleash his power and obliterate them!” Keni and Marietta get right on Danny and Howard. Laughing wryly at his subordinates, the leader draws his sword, as if to say, Yeah, I get it. And then… Cedric quietly chants, “Unleash the power of the dark—” His longsword glints as black as the abyss. An ominous enchanted power emanates from his blade. “Now, let’s go.” Holding his sword at mid-level, Cedric rushes forward. He slips quickly in between two trolls and slashes into their torsos. Both trolls cry out in agony. “Graw-brawwwww—!!” The searing pain of being slashed open…or really, the absolute agony of their entire situation. “Ba-ha-ha—how is it? The feeling of having your very life taken from you.” Cedric speaks with a smile. The pitch-black shimmering presence swallowing his blade…it is a magical energy of the dark elemental type—what’s called the power of the dark. The dark elements can only be used as an inherent element by the Grand Wizard, who saved the world from extinction during Ragnarok. Its effects allow the user’s attack to drain the life energy from the target, ignoring all defenses. The Grand Wizard is Cedric’s brother-in-law, and he imbued the knight Cedric’s sword with this dark elemental power—thinking of him as a brother himself. “We’re going to have a great time—at least one of us is…right?” Cedric laughs sadistically. Impossible! There’s no way…?! Watching his precious trolls be obliterated inside both barriers, Beryl becomes irate. “Should you really be taking your eyes off me-ow??” “Shi—!” Vulcan flies at Beryl with her battle hammer raised. Beryl leaps far to the side and just barely evades her attack. “Now!” Aria leaps forward. She’s already activated Acceleration, and her speed has reached apex levels. “Back I say, you shrimp!” Beryl removes his sword from his waist and deflects Aria’s knife. Demons have a vastly superior muscle structure compared to humans. Going pound for pound, there’s no way Aria can win. That’s why she needs— “Whirlwind Slash!” Aria activates Whirlwind Slash, and her body is covered in a storm of blades. Just as Beryl steps back, she succeeds in cutting his skin. “You filthy human scum!” Beryl curses, highly provoked. Beryl had assumed that the trolls would have cleaned up Tama and the knights without issue by now—and that he would have easily defeated Aria and Vulcan. Yet the second the curtain went up, Tama and the knights were vastly stronger than expected, and neither Aria nor Vulcan is a threat alone, but as a cutthroat team, they have him cornered. It’s not my time yet! If I can just defeat these two, I will prevail!! Beryl’s Multi-Protection Barrier is a powerful innate skill. Its effects last until the party that activates it cancels it or becomes incapacitated. Beryl will cancel the barriers after he defeats Aria and Vulcan. Then he will activate them again immediately and trap in Tama and the knights, intending to flee. He has no other choice at present. Giving up on his revenge, Beryl now turns his focus to simply surviving. I’ll have all the chances in the world for revenge if I can just get out of here alive. I have to get rid of these scum, no matter what!! Beryl has made up his mind. He removes two daggers from inside his cloak and dual wields them. Whoosh—!! Beryl stretches out his blades from both sides and rushes forward. He’s on a one-way track. “Vulcan! I’ll do you-know-what!” “Got it, meow!” As Aria and Vulcan converse, Vulcan raises her battle hammer high in the air. Imbeciles! How do you expect to hit me with that?! Seeing Vulcan lifting her hammer high, Beryl snickers at her and slightly modifies his approach to avoid the path of her attack, evading the battle hammer entirely. Do-gwoh—!! Vulcan’s battle hammer misses the mark and thuds into the earth, sending up clouds of dust. Shit! I can’t see a thing! Beryl’s vision is obstructed by the dust storm. This was Aria and her companion’s intent all along. Zoom—!! A single flash rushes through the dust cloud on a straight line. The gleam hones in on Beryl, burying itself in his chest with a hiss—one of Aria’s knives. “Gu-gyahhh—you vile…scum…!!” Beryl lashes out with his daggers in desperation. He comes dangerously close to Aria’s upper arm but then collapses in a heap. “Meow!!” My master! “Tama!!” As Beryl has been rendered incapacitated, the barriers fall. Tama races toward Aria, who he’d been watching with much trepidation from behind the barrier. But wait— The moment Aria stoops to scoop up Tama in her arms, her entire body shudders, and she slumps to the ground. M-my master! What’s happened?! Tama is confounded by Aria’s sudden fainting spell. “Meowr?! This is—!!” Vulcan is staring at Aria’s upper arm. “What the hell?! Aria has what looks like a small bruise on her arm…!” The knights all surround Aria. Looking closely, they can see a tiny purple bruise rising from her skin. “G-gah…m-my…blade…was covered in dragon poison… You will be joining me on this path, girl…” With a great deal of effort, Beryl manages to string these words together. Having spat this last curse, his eyes open wide, and the breath leaves his body entirely. “Dragon poison?!” “We need an antidote right meow!!” Aria is in pure anguish and loses consciousness. Cedric and Vulcan hold her in their arms, debating their options. “But how? Dragon poison antidote requires the eye of an earth dragon, right?! Where in the hell are we going to get it?” “For starters, we have to get Aria back to Renald right away!” “Okay, I got it. I will take her.” Howard responds to Keni and Marietta by taking Aria in his arms and racing out of the ruins. Tama is left alone in that place, absolutely stricken with grief. An earth dragon… There’s no way I can obtain the eye of an S-ranked monster… Just as Keni said, in order to cure dragon poison, an antidote must be infused with the eyeball of an earth dragon and given to the infected party. The situation is dire. Earth dragon… Wait, an earth dragon?! Tama stops in his tracks. I can’t just wait here! Tama activates his Flight skill and takes to the sky. An earth dragon— Tama rushes for the deep recesses of the labyrinth to find the monster that once pushed him to the brink of his own existence. Through fields, across rivers, flying through the sky—Tama travels for hours before finally arriving at the labyrinth. “Gi-giii—!” “Gu-gyahhh—!” Seeing Tama, a group of goblins raises shrill voices and rushes at him. “Meowwwrrrn!!” Get out of my wayyyyy!! Tama roars and launches himself through the air, activating Aether Edge and slicing through his foes like butter, leaving them where they fall. Finally, Tama reaches the deepest recesses of the upper level and finds the opening that leads to the lowest level. Just wait, my master. I promise to save you! Tama flies downward with unwavering resolve. “Just what am I sensing?” On the lowest level of the labyrinth— The most fearsome being in the entire labyrinth, the S-ranked monster earth dragon, can feel something approaching its head. Blood rushes to its discerning eye. And then— Whoosh—!! Tama swoops down in front of the dragon’s eye and flutters in midair. His eyes, which normally make him cute as a button, are tense and penetrating. “Just what do you think you’re doing, feeble one? Even though you successfully escaped me once, you now dance back—and for what?” “Meow!” This is what! As the earth dragon addresses the behemoth silently—though with grave seriousness—Tama puts up zero argument and instead unleashes a Flame Howl directly in the dragon’s face. “Bwa-ha-ha-ha!! What fun!! I will take you on again, yes. And as far as what you did to my eye—I will make you wish you were never born!” Tama has no idea what the dragon is planning, but it bares its fangs at the sworn enemy that robbed it of sight in one eye. That’s all the motivation the earth dragon needs to eviscerate Tama. It laughs sharply and brings its front claws down on the Flame Howl erupting in its face. Gwohhh—!! The dragon’s claws break through the Flame Howl and rush toward Tama. The dragon’s front legs are lightly singed from the blast, but it’s not seriously damaged. Shit! Even Flame Howl only does that much damage? In that case—!! Tama flies hard to the right to evade the earth dragon’s claws. “Gwa-ha-ha… Dodged my attack, did you?” Previously, Tama was rendered incapable of battle in one fell swoop, but things are different now. Sure, it’s just one attack, but Tama has studied the earth dragon’s movements, and he is fully attuned to his behemoth body. He knows he will be seized upon immediately if he fights the dragon on the ground. Tama intends to continue activating Flight and fighting the dragon at high speed in midair. “Meow!” Rock Edge! Just as he avoids the dragon’s attack, Tama activates his earth Elemental Tail Blade skill, Rock Edge. Distancing himself from the earth dragon, Tama aims his powerful attack at its front legs. “Argh—?! You dare to injure me! Then what of this?!” Through his earth elemental attack, Tama has succeeded in damaging the earth dragon. In that moment, the beast does a 180-degree turn and lashes out with a blunt tail bash. Ugh! I can’t escape this! In that case—!! Endeavoring to escape the tail bash, Tama determines that he cannot avoid it entirely. The earth dragon has incredible power—being grazed would not be getting off scot-free. Tama activates one of his absorbed skills, Iron Body. The second the earth dragon’s tail is about to swipe him, his body becomes hard as iron and the damage is voided. Now it’s Tama’s turn—he chooses another Elemental Tail Blade skill, Aether Edge, and aims for the earth dragon’s eye, just like before. “You fool! I have already seen through your attack!!” There is no arrogance in the earth dragon this time around. He feels the current of mana emanating from Tama’s tail and turns his face away immediately. This is going to be a long, bitter battle… In one corner, the immensely powerful and ultra-resilient S-ranked monster, earth dragon. In the other corner, with experience as a knight in his previous life, the highly skilled yet adolescent S-ranked monster, behemoth. Tama estimates it will be a long and fearsome conflict, with incessant exchanges of offense and defense and a thin line of ebb and flow, life and death. Just as Tama expects, the fight becomes mind-numbingly intense and has already stretched for almost thirty minutes. However, something has changed. “Huff…phew…” “Gwa-ha-ha… What’s the matter, small fry? Out of breath, are we?” The earth dragon must recognize Tama’s capabilities—it’s started calling him small fry instead of weakling. The earth dragon’s body is now entirely covered in wounds. In comparison, because Tama was able to keep distance using airborne combat and defend against any chip damage by using Iron Body, he’s largely unscathed. Yet, just as the earth dragon said, Tama is breathing hard compared to the start of the engagement, and he feels lackluster. “Just give up. You cannot defeat me. Give in to a quiet death.” He’s not wrong… I have a good variety of different moves, but my stamina is waning. And my mana is nearly depleted. At this rate, I will be defeated. At this rate—that is!! Tama can’t win, not like this. That’s why he’s made a decision—he repeats in his heart of hearts… Good-bye, my master…!! Then Tama pictures something in his mind. The words evolution possible that appeared in his status a while back. Flash—!! Tama’s body suddenly erupts in a flash of light. It burns brightly and floods the entire room. “Gwa—?! What is this infernal light—?!” The earth dragon unconsciously turns its face away from the blast. The light converges, and what the earth dragon sees standing in front of it is— A massive body covered in jet-black fur. Two demon-esque horns protrude from its head, and razor-sharp fangs jut from its jaw. It has wings, which are covered in blue-black armor, alongside its torso and legs. Put simply, it’s a lion with the features of a dragon—the four-legged beast stands, imposing an aura of great majesty. “What the—?! What the hell are you??” A four-legged beast has emerged from the ball of light, and the earth dragon is rocked into a panic from the sudden turn of events. “Wrrroooarrrhhh!!!” The four-legged beast roars. The atmosphere ripples from the incredible volume, and the beast speaks. “My name is Tama—!! I am the knight of the adventurer Aria and an S-ranked monster, behemoth! In order to save my master’s life, I will be taking yours!!” The jet-black, four-legged beast is Tama—having evolved to the behemoth’s second stage. To save his beloved master, Aria…Tama has made the decision to ascend to the next stage of his life cycle—a behemoth’s true form. I’m sorry—time is running short. Let me make this easy on you. “Wrrroooarrrhhh!!!” Tama roars again, but this isn’t just his voice—this roar bears the burning death of hellfire. Tama has unleashed Flame Howl. “Gwaaahhh—!! What is this power? I may be finished—!!” Tama’s Elemental Howl skills have greatly enhanced due to his evolution. The earth dragon’s skin blisters and peels away before his very eyes. At this rate, it will burn to ashes and perish. The earth dragon retreats far to the rear, attempting to escape the hellfire, but then— “You’re finished.” The words echo from the other side of the blaze. “Bwohhh—!!” Rushing through the flames, Tama leaps and lands directly in front of the earth dragon. A massive blade of fire—Flame Edge—has appeared on the tip of his tail. “Nooo—!!” The fiery greatsword slices through the air. Realizing it doesn’t have time to evade, the earth dragon attempts to mount a counterattack, flailing its claws in a sideswipe. Slash—!! Tama’s Flame Edge and the earth dragon’s claws intersect. The earth dragon’s attack lands, gouging Tama from face to chest, leaving a large wound. However, Tama deftly dodges in the final second to avoid sustaining any fatal damage. In the next instant, Tama’s Flame Edge rips into the earth dragon’s head from the side, cleaving it wide open. Victory has been secured. In the battle between S-ranked monsters, the champion is Tama. I’m not done yet. I have to bring this beast’s eyeball to Aria as quickly as possible. It’s true—Tama’s duty doesn’t end after slaying the earth dragon. He still has to deliver the monster’s eyeball to Aria before she takes a turn for the worse. Tama is on the brink of collapsing due to his injuries. He tries to collect the earth dragon’s corpse using his Storage skill before rising up to fly away…but… “Guh—what is this?!” Suddenly, Tama feels like the mana inside his body is heaving in every direction. His body refuses to obey him, rendering him unable to move. In that moment— Flash—!! For a brief instant, Tama’s body is again bathed in light, which quickly fades. And when the light completely vanishes… “Meow!” My body is becoming small again! Yes—Tama’s body has returned to…its small kitten form. But why? Does the evolution have a time limit? Or maybe… No, forget it—I have to return to my master, now! Tama doesn’t understand why his body reverted to its previous incarnation, but he is grateful nonetheless. He promptly secures the earth dragon’s corpse with Storage, then takes to the air with his injuries to return to Renald as quickly as he can. “Unghhh…ohhh…Tama…Tama…” At the inn in Renald, Aria is caught in a terrible nightmare due to the dragon poison. She calls out Tama’s name repeatedly, clinging to his comforting existence. Vulcan squeezes Aria’s hand, her face stricken with grief. “Damn! We have no antidote.” Cedric bitterly spits out the words. Returning to Renald, they asked the doctor and pharmacist for an antidote for the poison, but their replies were exactly as expected. Neither had any stock of the necessary ingredient for the antivenom—an earth dragon’s eye. In this far-flung rural corner of the world, that is a given. Betting on a sliver of hope, they searched Beryl’s corpse and combed through the ruins he called home, to no avail. “If only we were of more use…” “Aria…” Keni and Marietta whisper to themselves a short distance from Aria’s bed. Because they had accompanied Aria when she was laid low, they feel a great sense of responsibility as knights for allowing this tragedy to come to pass. Danny and Howard can only bring themselves to stare silently at Aria. But in that exact moment— “Meow—meow!!” They hear a cry from outside the window. “Tama! I was wondering where you were—what are you doing out there?! You’re covered in gashes!” Cedric rushes to open the window and lets Tama in. However, Tama ignores his outstretched hand and jumps onto the floor. “Meow!” Activate Storage! “What the—? An earth dragon?!” “Say what—?!” Hearing Cedric, Vulcan and the other knights poke their heads in to find out what’s happening. Tama’s Storage skill has produced the broken skull of the earth dragon and its corpse in the middle of the room at the inn. “Tama is heavily wounded…and here’s the corpse of an earth dragon… There’s no way…” “That is beside the point! Pluck out its eye and synthesize an antidote for Aria!!” “I’ll call the doctor and the pharmacist right meow!” Danny’s eyes open wide in shock for a moment before Howard reprimands him, demanding the antidote immediately. Vulcan rushes out of the inn to find help. This is good. This way, my master will be saved… Thanks to Marietta and the others still in the inn, Tama receives a potion, and his wounds begin to heal. Now certain that Aria will soon be right as rain, Tama is relieved and quickly falls unconscious. “Heh-heh, good morning, Tama…” “Meowr—!!” Tama awakens between Aria’s breasts at the inn in Labyrinthos. Several days have passed. Thanks to the earth dragon’s eyeball, Aria’s life was saved. Of course, the defeat of Beryl was deemed a grand success, and now she’s just waiting for her payment to come through. But she’s still concerned about one thing. Certainly, her life has been saved, but the virulent toxin that afflicted her had extreme effects, chipping away at her constitution and sapping much of her physical strength. Due to this, Aria has become very weak, and even now, days later, she is still undergoing medical treatment. “But really, that earth dragon corpse… Tama, did you…?” “Meowr?” And there’s one more thing she’s worried about—did Tama really defeat an earth dragon and bring its entire corpse back with him? According to Cedric, the earth dragon corpse appeared at the same time Tama returned—she has good reason to be concerned. Aria questions Tama multiple times…but Tama simply cocks his head to the side and mews, as if saying, What are you talking about? “Meowrrr—” “Ohhh, Tama, you are such a baby.” Tama rubs his head against Aria’s cheek, ignoring her attempts to uncover the truth. At this point, her worries are a small matter—because she loves Tama with all her heart, and he has pledged his undying loyalty to her until the end of his days.
Chapter 7
35 min read