After a few more hours of striding through this forest, I found a poorly paved road.
I also thought about the forest itself and my whereabouts...
[Ashtelle Woods]
LV.1~LV.10 Monsters
LV.1~LV.3 Ingredients and Materials
...and that was what I got.
I thought about the road, but nothing came.
Really, what a weird system...
Since I wasn't particularly heading anywhere, I strode down the road I just found.
The scene was rather refreshing.
The leaves all looked strange and twisted.
Is this a dying forest?
[Ashtelle Woods]
Condition: 43% Health
Yeah, it's not in good health.
I wonder why...
I stopped here and there to "harvest" some fruits.
All of them were recovery fruits.
But the most they would give was 5 HP.
I gulped down one like that.
The wound from the earlier fight half-healed.
Hmm?
What's the meaning of this?
My HP was still 0 and yet my not-even-painful wound healed?
What a weird body...
I ate a few more and let the wound completely healed.
Even more surprisingly, my jersey also returned to its original state before the slash.
Everything about this situation is strange...
I encountered a abnormally big black rabbit on my way.
It was way faster than the Goblin in attacking me.
Demon Hare LV.7
HP: 48/50
[Poisonous Fangs]
I just stared at it while it charged forward and bit the purple teeth into my neck.
Normally, even if I knew I'm OK, I won't be this indifferent about getting bitten with poisonous teeth.
It's just...everything about me now isn't normal in anyway...
I want to know even more about myself...
Ichijou Haru
True Name: Diablo
LV.1 [Demigod of Undead]
HP: 0/0
Charge: DMG[100], Poison[52]
[Harbinger of Karma]
Unique Title LV.1
More detailed information about me popped up in my mind.
Demigod huh...
Not bad at all.
I probably thought so because I was so calm about the situation.
It's "Demigod of Undead" after all...
Well...
That explains my strange behavior.
Undead don't have brains and emotions.
Oh yeah, the black rabbit...
I removed it from my neck then checked my Charge again.
Charge: DMG[100], Poison[86]
It was 52 just now, seems like this will be enough anyway...
I put my finger into its mouth.
After 1 minute the thing twitched a few times and became completely loose and defenseless.
[Poison -84 HP]
Charge: DMG[100]; Poison[84]
Could I save a bit of poison?
I should research more about how to hold back...
But then again, will it be effective to others if I hold back a part of Karma from something else?
Given that the owner of that Karma is dead, can I still use the unused portion to dump it on someone else?
I should experiment.
After having another bite on a fruit to heal the bite's marks, I continued my little trip.
"Hmm? What is that?"
Something was sitting right in the middle of the road.
It was quite big with only 2 back wheels...
"Ah...a carriage is it?"
The horse was dead on the spot.
I came closer to have a clearer look on it.
A group of 3 people were standing in front of the wreckage.
Before them was a blue bear, standing gloriously on two legs.
Ashtelle Bear LV.12
[Sharp Claws]
[Sharp Teeth]
[Greater-Strength]
[Blue Breath]
This thing is special.
Compared to the rabbit and the goblin, it's in a league of its own.
A field boss or something like that?
I used to play MMORPGs a lot back in my high school and college days so I can recognize these things.
Mostly thanks to this Undead body.
Had it been the other "me", I would've run like an idiot while apologizing to the people over there in coward tears...
There was one woman in that group of three.
And she was being...hmm?
Offered to the bear?
I am confused.
I got even closer to listen to their conversation.
"******! **********!!!"
"***********!!!!"
Can't understand.
No idea what the hell are they saying...
Hmm...
Can I charge this?
Charge: DMG[100], Language[Human]
Nice.
This system is convenient.
"Just kill it, you whore!!!"
"I-I-I can't...You saw my magic not being able t-t-to pierce it!"
The girl was beautiful, but so timid.
With that kind of beauty, she should've been a Miss or a popular figure...
"Hmm? That thing..."
Yep.
A black collar.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
In other words, a slave.
But...
Myella LV.325
Succubus Princess
[Natural Charm]
[Seduction]
[Brainwash]
So that how it is...
She technically lost herself.
Brainwash...so she's not really a slave, but a remodeled tool...
That explained why she's scared of these two men.
Compared to her...
Franc LV.21
[Adventurer]
[Iron Sword +2]
[Breast Plate +3]
Bont LV.22
[Adventurer]
[Apprentice Staff +1]
[Robe +3]
...these two are only fries...
The plus things must be enchantment.
Why are they acting so high and almighty?
+1 +2 +3 aren't that great...
And compared to the one you're bullying...
Damn, I have nothing more to comment.
I calmly watched over the situation.
I had no obligation to interfere.
But if possible, I want to free that girl.
Affecting the world?
Please...what does that have anything to do with me...
Even if the world crumbles, it's not like I care, nor can I die from that.
And if I actually die, then so be it, I'm technically not living either...
Back to the group.
Kicking the girl to one side, literally, the two men charged forward.
With their heroic aura, sword slashes and magic hit the monster.
And as expected, they both became its lunch.
RIP.
I clasped my hands for a quick prayer and started to move out of the bush.
The bear closed its distance to the girl by slowly walking on 4 limbs.
It was playing around with the prey.
Yes, the girl was strong, but when you're brainwashed, you don't know you're strong.
Without knowing of you own powers, you can't use it...
Thus, she's helpless against that thing.
"Yo, you seem to like women...we can be friends..."
I stood in the middle of the girl and the bear.
I greeted the bear with a friendly tone.
It felt weird talking without moving your lips.
Actually, I felt like I was moving my lips.
But on my skull face nothing happened.
The bear seemed to tilt its head staring at me.
After a few seconds it raised an arm and attacked me.
***
After who-knows-how-much time has passed.
The bear ran out of stamina and stopped tearing my flesh while panting.
The girl named Myella was still dead frozen on the spot with terrors in her eyes.
"Alright, you done now?"
I just leisurely got up and looked at myself.
Bones were visible everywhere.
Flesh was literally ragged...
But there were no blood.
On top of that, neither fear nor threat was available in my mind.
"Ah...so this is why I was given this body..."
Unable to feel fear - the only way to make me fully utilize this goddamn title.
"Alright, let's test this out..."
Charge: DMG[100], Ashtell-Bear[2,489]
Nice.
"Rapid Attack!"
I jumped onto the exhausted bear and released a series of stupid attacks like kids fighting.
Kicks, punches, scratches, headbutts...everything.
Until...
Charge: DMG[100], Ashtelle-Bear[0]
...the bear collapsed right on the spot with blood gushing out from its mouth.
Its eyes rolled back into the skull, several spots on the body was twisted pretty strangely...
[Achievement Unlocked]
Defeat first Mini-boss
Charge: DMG[100]; Heal[100]
Good.
I gained something useful.
Now back on the girl.
I crouched down and looked into her eyes.
She...fainted.
Ahh...the skull face and the injuries with no blood...
Damn, am I the dense type?
I went around to eat fruit.
Really want to save the Healing charge, so...
After recovering my body to its finest form, I woke the girl up.
"HIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!! Please don't kill me!!!"
"Oi...you're hurting my self-esteem..."
Of course that was a lie, I felt nothing at all.
Charge: DMG[100]; Heal[100]; Myella[Fear]
...what the hell?
Why did you charge that one, idiot...
"E-Eh? Y-You don't seem to be scary..."
"Um...'cause I'm not...I kicked that bear's ass, you're free to go..."
"I...technically don't know where to go...the people transporting me to a certain place were dead..."
According to her, she was recently captured.
She has zero memory about who she was.
Myella only knows her name and has been being moved around quite a lot.
She doesn't know the way, in terms of streets and roads, either...
Ehh...did I raise a flag?
Anyway, we should do something about her memories.
I really don't want her to stick with someone like me and take trouble in for herself.
People with strange powers always carry with them a bunch of hassles...
I put a hand on her forehead and began thinking...
Hmm...[Brainwash] huh...
I can't charge it if it wasn't pointed at me...
Can I break it?
Can I use the stray DMG without any Karma to destroy it?
Let's try then...
I was really calm, so it was easy to focus.
I imagined releasing a part of that charge into the [Brainwash] thing.
Charge: DMG[80]→[Brainwash]
Nice.
I successfully spent 20 DMG on that spell and broke it.
Was it an overkill? I have no way to know that...
"Eh?...HEH? EH?..!!!"
"Remember everything now?"
"Y-Yeah...my realm was attacked...and destroyed..."
Great...now she's a homeless...
"Um...then...where are you going to go now?"
"No idea~"
Why are you smiling playfully?
Does my skull have a weird feature?
"Well then, good luck"
I got up and started walking away like no one cares.
But...
"Why are you following me?"
"I have nowhere to go and I happened to see you upon getting my memories back~"
"Why are you clinging to my arm?"
"Succusbus' instinct~"
"Again, why are you following me, seriously"
"You're so mean, I already said it was something like imprinting..."
"Sighhh..."
Of course that sigh was just a lie, a gesture.
I didn't feel any discomfort having her following me.
Nor did I get excited having a woman holding my arm...
Well...I don't care.
Don't blame me if you run into troubles following me.
Charge: DMG[80]; Myella[L**e]
Hmm?