Departure was the same as usual.

The sky was dark. The blue moon had risen up to the sky.

The monster silkworms, number 1 and number 2, are asleep, snoring soundlessly in their wooden cage.

Sara, trembling under the weight of a treehouse a few times its original size, with extra rooms and thicker walls, waved goodbye with one of its unoccupied branches.

With that stronger variety of grass in one hand tentacle, and my bamboo blowgun in another, I ventured past the recently built fence and off toward the ape village.

Journeying through the night forest, I run into more monsters than during the day. Some just ignored me and did their own things, while others went hostile on sight and attacked me, prompting me to shoot a poison dart and escape when I could.

I had walked this path repeatedly for over a week. And I didn't run into anything I couldn't handle.

I arrived at the ape village and entered in camouflage.

As usual, I didn't see anyone outside their houses or awake and on guard.

Thinking things will go as usual, I sought a house still in the process of being built or a house inhabited by a single ape and more distant from other houses.

No incomplete houses tonight...

That house looks more isolated...

I go over and extend my tentacles, reaching up to touch the window's edge.

Suddenly,

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!

a loud blaring noise screeched through the village, hurting my hearing organs as the source came from right above me, from a small circle that lit up out of nowhere.

I was stunned, so much so that I lost focus and my camouflage turned off.

By reflex, I quickly moved my tentacles to cover the areas behind my eyes and under my horns, where my hearing organs are. But that did little to lessen the noise.

Right after, shouts came from all around, as apes woke up and came running out of their houses.

BAM! BAM!

"Ooo!" "Ooo!" "Ooo!"

Their eyes were alert, their stone swords, clubs, axes, and a book? in hand, as the looked left and right, until they spotted the source of the noise, and the monster visible under it.

"Ooo! "Ooo!" They pointed fingers in their excitement, their expressions growing more furious the moment they noticed what I am.

The noise lasted for seconds.

When I recovered and looked around, I realized that I was surrounded and being glared at from all directions.

"Meow! (An ambush!)"

Knowing that they wouldn't be able to understand me like I don't understand them, I didn't bother trying to make excuses. I immediately tried to run!

"Ooo!" One of the apes shouted something behind my back. Perhaps it was a command, but I don't have time to care.

I dash at the direction closest to the forest, my tentacles stretching to make longer strides.

The ape in that direction looked startled for a moment, but then quickly raised his ax and swung it at me.

I dodge it with a duck and then go past him, only to find more ape villagers coming around to form a second encirclement.

They swung their swords, clubs, and axes.

Their weapons came down in quick succession, such that I could barely dodge each blow.

Although I hadn't been hit yet, each dodge, each obstacle took up a second of my time, allowing more of these apes to come surround me, narrowing my visualized path and chances of escape.

One of the apes suddenly launched themselves at me barehanded, using their whole body to try and catch me.

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And catch me they did.

"Meow! (Get off me!)" It felt creepy and distancing to be hugged by a big ape. I wiggle and pull my tentacles to try and get free.

"Ooo! Ooo!" The ape desperately shouted.

Other apes held back their weapons and instead lifted their foots.

They came near me and started stomping at my flexible titanium shell-covered head, furious expressions on their faces and bloodshot eyes. Pounding pain echoed through my brain. I wince my eyes. The stomps even miss me sometimes and hit arms and head of the ape clutching me tight. Yet, the ape persists in clutching me in place.

Why?

Why the heck do they seem so desperate, so hateful, so mad?

What did I do to them to deserve this? To turn them into this?

All I did was tear apart some of their primitive houses. Do their houses, houses they can rebuild in a matter of days, matter to them so much?

I feel something is wrong here, but the pain in my head is making it harder for me to think.

"MeowwW!" I cried.

Fuck morals! I don't care anymore!

Splat!

Killed stage 2 level 5 ko-o warrior. Gain 188 exp. Level +1

My drill tongue came out and shot through the neck of an unsuspecting ape, immerse in kicking me. Past its fur and hide, its raw bloody meat taste more delicious than expected. I didn't eat the previous two apes that I killed before, so I didn't know.

My level, which was close to reaching the next before, went up.

"OOo!" "Ooo!"

The apes went into a ruckus and became more madden than before.

They stopped using their feet and raised their weapons.

A stone ax was raised and chopped at my head.

As I quickly retracted my tongue, instead of trying to wiggle out, I wave my tentacles below and roll my captor up and over me. The blade of the axe fell down on his head.

Chop!

"OOooo!!"

The ape died. I slip out from under the corpse and run past the feet of the surrounding apes. The apes swung their weapons, even at close proximity to each other, often cutting or bashing each other.

I avoided most direct hits but took quite a few scratches. Sparks flew off my titanium shell as stone blades cut and nick it.

Finally, there was one strike I couldn't manage to dodge.

"Meow!" A swing of a club pounded my back, sending me flying through the air while feeling a back-breaking pain.

By luck or coincidence, that strike sent me out of the encirclement. Though luck came up short, as it didn't knock me out of the village.

I rolled on the ground. The apes chased after me.

As soon as I came to a halt, a sword came down at me.

I swung and extended my tentacle, somehow managing to parry the sword and slash my foe at the same time, clawing out a blackened wound on the ape's face with my claws that I covered in poison ink sometime while I was rolling.

"Ooooo~!" The ape fell back, clutching his face and screaming.

Other apes ran up to replace him.

I reach for my blowgun but felt nothing. I quickly realize that I must have dropped it during the previous grapple. It wouldn't matter much. At most, I would have been able to fire one shot before they catch up to me, and the shot wouldn't immediately kill.

It's at a moment like this that I realize how unreliable external weapons can be. At the very least, a blowgun isn't good enough, unable to be used in diverse situations.

I once again turn and run.

The apes chased, the weaker ones lagging behind, while the stronger ones getting ahead.

A lack of eyes at the back of my head prevented me from seeing, one of the apes threw his ax.

The ax spun in the air and then collided with the back of my head, luckily not blade first. It was the handle that hit me, pushing me into a roll forth.

Fallen upside down, I watch as another ape comes over and swings his club down at me.

Crack!

My drill tongue breaks through his abdomen, clashing against something hard that I presumed to be a spine.

The ape froze from the hit and then fell over.

Killed stage 2 level 12 ko-o warrior. Gain 451 exp.

Exerting strength into my tongue muscles, I threw the corpse over at the apes still chasing, slowing them down as they trip over it, before I went back to running.

I can see the edge of the village.

The forest is not far away.

Once I arrive there, I should be safer.

Under the trees, the moonlight weakens. It is darker. Unless the apes also night vision, they should not be stupid enough to chase into there.

Suddenly, a shiver runs up my shell. My 3 hearts beat rapidly, even more than they already were during the rapid dash.

By instinct, I quickly turn around. By battle experience, I strongly swing my tentacle, claws outstretched, to clash with whatever is coming at me.

In the hands of a muscular ape wearing a primitive woven crown, a blade glinting in the moonlight slashed down leaving a light-blue afterimage.

"Meow!" It cut into my tentacle, causing me a sharp pain.

Before I knew it, I was watching as a segment of one of my tentacles spun through the air.

Ah... so my blood is blue.

Such a thought came to my head as my blood sprayed out from the cut section and rained down on the ground.

I knew that my flexible titanium shell becomes weaker that more it is stretched. Law of biology and physics guarantee that.

My tentacles are the part of my body that I stretch most often, since they are the parts I usually use for movement and for battle. So, I know that they are more vulnerable.

But up till now, no monster has ever been able to rip right through my flexible titanium shell in one go.

What no monster had managed to do, a barely sentient ape managed it, cutting off a segment of mine equivalent to a hand or a foot if I were still human.

The sword this ape is using... is made of steel, right? Why does a primitive tribe of apes have a steel sword? It's impossible that they made it on their own. In their village, I saw no stoves, not to mention a furnace. Did they get it from outside? From who?

I grit my nonexistent teeth and spit out ink.

The crowned ape raises his sword and arms to block the poison ink. It splashed on him but didn't seem to reach his eyes or mouth. And he has no open wounds to speak of. Unable to enter his bloodstream, it unfortunately won't kill him.

I quickly run.

It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. I'm going to kill him. One day, I'll definitely kill him.

Such vicious thoughts running through my head, I push my 4 tentacles, even including the one that was cut, blue blood still dripping, to rush into the darkness of the forest.

Now, I'm safe...

Or so I thought.

"Ooo!" "Ooo!" "Ooo!"

The apes ran in, chasing after me, stumbling over roots and uneven ground in the dark.

It's clear they are barely able to see.

Are they crazy?

...Very well, if you want a fight in the darkness, come and get it!