Scott tilted his head back, blinking multiple times as he read the system's message. His tense brows relaxed, and his lips parted in a slight giggle. However, the drunk gruffpaw remained oblivious to his presence.

Never in a million years would I have thought a creature like this existed, and it's intelligent, too, Scott mused as the endearing creature staggered from side to side, struggling to make sense of its surroundings.

Should I reveal myself? Scott pondered for a moment. He didn't know how the creature would react to his sudden appearance, especially in its drunken state. However, the fact that it had no combat-oriented abilities made him less cautious.

The gruffpaw took another swig from its flagon, laughing as it leaned against a tree. “The night is still young,” it said in a slurred voice, gazing at the full moon. It pushed itself off the tree with its chubby legs, laughing as it staggered forward.

The creature's tiny ears twitched. Despite the absence of wind, it could hear rustling leaves. The gruffpaw paused in its steps. A larger shadow, one it couldn't make sense of, cast over it.

The short gruffpaw turned, and its googly eyes widened even further as it dropped the wine flagon. It fell on its behind, clawing at the ground while trying to scramble away.

Scott observed as two reddish pills appeared in the little creature's hand. That should be hangover pills, right?

The gruffpaw swallowed both pills at once, and the confusion in its eyes cleared. The creature prostrated on the ground, flapping both arms like a bird. “Please have mercy. Please don't eat me. I don't taste good.”

It flapped its arms even harder while crying. But only silence met its words. “Please,” it begged again. “I really am not tasty. I accidentally stumbled here because I was drunk. Please forgive me!” It said, flapping even harder than before.

Scott regarded the terrified creature. What the hell is it trying to do? Can it fly?

After reviewing the gruffpaw's stats, he knew it didn't have any abilities related to flight, but he couldn't understand the creature's intentions.

“What are you doing?” Scott asked, unable to quell his curiosity.

The gruffpaw winced, intensifying the arm-flapping. “I'm begging for mercy, great one.”

“I can see that. I'm asking why you're moving your arms,” Scott simplified his question. The gruffpaw winced again, this time ceasing its actions. “T-That's how we beg for mercy in my tribe,” it said.

Scott chuckled while shaking his head. And here I thought it had some hidden skills the system didn't reveal.

He gently nudged the flagon toward the prostrating creature. “All right, get up. I have no intention of eating you or harming you, for that matter. That is, as long as you don't do anything stupid.”

The gruffpaw responded promptly, shaking its massive head vigorously. “I wouldn't dare.”

“I have a few questions for you, and then you can be on your way. Do you have a name?” Scott asked, observing the trembling creature. He took no pleasure in intimidating the little guy, but he couldn't let it go until he satisfied his curiosity.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

“T-They call me Milos,” the gruffpaw replied, avoiding Scott's gaze as it stood up.

Milos, huh? It's a more normal name than I expected. But why is this guy so scared of me? There's no attribute related to cowardice in his stats.

A certain thought occupied Scott's mind, and he decided to ask, “Has your species been attacked by humans recently?”

Milos instinctively raised his head but quickly dropped it the moment he met Scott's eyes. “N-N-No, no. No human has visited our village, let alone attacked us. The ones I met were also friendly. Dare I say they mostly love us.”

Scott interjected, “Then why are you so frightened by my presence?”

Milos opened his mouth, but quickly closed it. The gruffpaw silently debated whether to voice its thoughts.

“Well? Why aren't you saying anything?” Scott inquired.

“F-Forgive me, I don't know how to say it without being disrespectful, but... but your appearance fills my heart with dread.”

“What?” Scott blurted out. “Am I that ugly?” Although he looked like a random hobo holding a sword, that shouldn't mean he should be called ugly.

“N-N-No. That's not what I meant. It's just that... it's just that you're a great being without form,” Milos whispered.

“What?” Scott frowned. “What the hell are you talking about? I'm a human. A. Human. Like the ones you've met,” Scott said, unable to hide his annoyance.

Meanwhile, Milos raised his head, his shock evident in his widened eyes and opened mouth. If you want to lie, at least make it believable. What part of you resembles a human? He thought. However, he didn't dare to reveal his inner thoughts.

Sensing the creature's shock, another thought filled Scott's mind. “Describe what you see.”

Milos swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Is he testing me? He took deep breaths to calm his tensed heart.

“Be honest. I already said I won't harm you. I'm simply curious to know how I appear to you.” Scott reassured the creature with a smile. However, Milos fell to his knees, tears streaking down its woolly face.

“Please don't eat me,” the creature pleaded while prostrating on the ground. How was he supposed to explain that instead of seeing the usually attractive humans, he saw a figure clouded in misty darkness? What terrified the winemaker the most was Scott's otherworldly yellow eyes, the only features he could see behind his yellow cloak. He believed Scott only said those words to find an excuse to eat him, after all, it was common knowledge the current part of the forest was a forbidden area.

Scott sighed. It seems my shapeshifting ability is distorting what he's seeing. I can only imagine what sort of abomination he sees me as.

Scott took a step closer to the trembling gruffpaw, reaching for the wine flagon. He uncorked it, and a sweet but strong fragrance filled his nose. Holy shit. This stuff is stronger than anything I have ever drunk, and it smells nice too. A simple whiff of the alcohol was enough to make someone feel a little lightheaded. He couldn't imagine how drunk they would become after taking a sip.

“Forget I said anything. Tell me where I can find the humans,” Scott asked.

“Great one—”

Scott interjected, “Call me Scott. That's my name.”

Milos nodded while pointing toward the towering snow peaks in the distance. “The human cities are beyond the Ravnar Mountains. You will need to cross the forest, the ravine, and the burning river before you can attempt to cross the mountain peaks. Unfortunately, only the village head has a detailed map of the area. Embarking on the journey without one would be suicidal because of the numerous dangers lurking around these parts. That's not to say I believe they can best you.”

Scott gazed into the distance, ignoring the terrified gruffpaw. I don't know how or why I ended up in a place like this, but I have no plans of remaining here any longer. He turned his attention to Milos again. “Lead me to your village. I need to borrow that map.”

You have a new Quest! Side Quest: Retrieve the map of the Nameless Forest from the Gruffpaw chief – Not Started!

“I'm going there, too. I'll take you there,” Milos said as he picked himself up from the ground. He smiled and gestured for Scott to follow him. Scott nodded, walking quietly behind the endearing creature. He glanced at the towering Nameless Tower in the distance, an indiscernible gleam covering his eyes. Like that, the duo journeyed deeper into the forest.