I decided to put my scent-tracking abilities to use. I may not know her scent, but I figure a human scent - which I have memorized from the Keyuu's memories - going out into the forest would stick out. Not to mention all of the beasts that would be attracted to her according to her father.
So, I circle the village out of sight. I use my serpent's tongue to gather up scents to the roof of my mouth - which is a very weird feeling. I avoid taking to the air as even I can't catch scents that quickly, sticking low to the ground as I hunt. Though I do scent a couple of human trails - and even some accompanying beasts - it's not a high enough number of scent trails that would point to Alexie.
I pass over the large path through the village via the trees, hoping that Alexie didn't go down that path where her scent would be impossible to distinguish.
After slithering a little farther, I finally catch her scent. Well, I catch the scent of such a large amount of beasts that I can't distinguish a human scent amongst them all. Though I can't smell human, I assume this anomaly is her doing and decide that this is the best lead I have.
I'll have to tred carefully, as her absence from the village could mean that her ability will affect me and I'm just out of range. It's not like I could rush this anyway, following a scent trail takes a lot of slow precision lest you lose it. So, I continue forward on the ground.
From my memories, there's two ways I can slither; low to the ground with my arms clasped behind my back like I've been doing, or with my upper body upright and tall. The first is for stealth, while the second is just for casual travel. Neither is more or less comfortable than the other, though my arms can get a bit sore clasped behind my back. I stick low to the ground, both for stealth and to better catch the scents.
As I track the scent trail, I notice more and more scents joining the group. She just casually attracts every beast in the area- that's dangerous as hell! She could amass a whole army just by walking by! No wonder she ended up recruited by the King in 'canon. If he hadn't tied her down, who knows what she could've done.
This revelation causes me to move forward with more caution than before, paying close attention for the pull the Keyuu felt.
And eventually, I feel it.
I pause to study the feeling immediately. It's different feeling the pull myself - or perhaps I'm affected differently? Either way, it feels more like something inside me is tugging away, and trying to tug me with it. Something physical rather than a mental sensation like the Keyuu had. Though the Keyuu had felt this same sensation, she also felt a mental nudging... The closest thing I can think to describe it as is pleasure, though it was very faint- possibly due to the distance. The fact that I can't feel that part is quite reassuring.
Ah, it's getting closer.
Quickly, I take to the trees; hiding in them is easy considering the density of the forest. If I wait and let her come to me, I can observe the effects without having to focus on moving. The less I'm distracted, the better chance I have at throwing off whatever affect her ability may have on me.
She moves slowly, the feeling of something within me trying to escape getting stronger as she comes into view. I deem the pull a non-threat as I wait, as I narrow down the feeling to the magic core in my chest and decide that the feeling isn't painful or dangerous. I begin to feel something similar to the pleasure the Keyuu felt, though it manifests as the magic within my core feeling warm and pleasant. I suspect the feeling would be much stronger if I were still a regular Keyuu. I feel no mental change in my feelings toward the girl even as I look at her.
It's immediately obvious to me that she's young. Like, barely in the double digits young. And , of course, she has a huge hoard of beasts following her- I count at least thirty larger ones. There are many more small insect, bird, rodent, and other such beasts following her. The ones closest to her are acting very friendly to her, but fighting other beasts to keep their spot next to her.
Yeah, this girl could be dangerous in the future. Not that I'm allowing her a future, of course.
It could be seen as callous, ruthless even- but I have my own goals to complete. And Kurotto has theirs, which I must complete if I want to continue my dream afterlife. I won't let some rando get in the way of that.
I study the beasts around her as she slowly makes her way through the trees, happy with the beasts' attention. Could I take them? Parsing through my memories results in a resounding, confident yes.
There may be thirty large beasts here, but this body has taken on the same amount of monsters and lived with barely a scratch. From my memories, I know that a beast can't so much as dent my [Defensive Scales]. And that's before I add magic to the equation- if I can enhance my eyesight and hearing with magic, then I surely can enhance my scales.
So, when the girl passes beneath me, I pounce without hesitation.
With a quick chomp, her head is swallowed and her body is limp.
Huh. I didn't mean to her her head... Oh well, muscle memory I guess.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
I accomplished my goal; all I needed was her dead so that she couldn't compromise my quest. No need for unnecessary suffering, so a quick death it was.
Looking up, I see that a few beasts had attempted to jump forward and protect her- but once she was dead that all froze. When I make eye contact with a bear beast made of stone, it immediately bolts- causing a cascading reaction as every beast's fight or flight kicks in. They all choose flight.
After a moment, the wilderness is quiet once again.
Hmm.. Oh, right. The presence of a monster's magical core scares off beasts and animals alike. Though the animals can't sense it, they know to run if a beast runs. So that's why the forest is always quiet.
《CONGRATULATIONS! MAIN MISSION COMPLETED.》
|+125 Tokens|
|+2 Skill Points|
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|Destroy the Plot|
(Main Quest)
Sow chaos so that the original plot of the world is different from what it once was.
Rewards: +50 Tokens, +1 Skill Point
Failure Penalty: -100 Tokens, -5 Skill Points, ???
Hidden Rewards Unlocked!
Completed Within A Week: +25 Tokens
Completed Within A Day: +50 Tokens, +1 Skill Point
--------------
Wait wait, hold up. There's penalties for failing Quests? Why wasn't I told this? Kurotto??
《 You would have seen the penalties if you had looked at the quest. I did not hide it from you. Not all Quests have penalties. 》
Well yeah, fair, but... I mean this wouldn't bother me so much if not for the question marks. That could be permanent death for all I know! Come on, what'd I say about information?
《 You completed the quest, did you not? 》
Goddamnit Kurotto stop being so dodgy... You're gunna give me a heart attack. Ugh, I guess there's no use worrying about it now.
...Wait.
The quest apparently completes when the plot is disrupted. So if I had actually just done nothing as you suggested, it wouldn't have worked. What the fuck?
《 It was a test of your mental capability to plan and think separately from me. You passed. Would you like to move onto the next world? 》
Why would you need to- you know what, nevermind. Jesus christ. I'm going to move on from this topic before I get a fucking aneurysm. Main quest, done. Everything else is optional and I WILL be on the look out for mystery penalties and avoid them like the damned plague. I'm going to have fun in this world until I get bored or it kills me, thank you.
《Understood. You can move on any time you wish. I look forward to watching your adventures.》
... Thank you? I guess. You're so monotone that I can't tell if you're joking or not.
Well, anyway, I suppose I should find something interesting to do in the meantime. I need a goal. It's like Minecraft now! Sandbox world, baby!
Simply terrorizing the humans would be fun, for a short while. I'd get bored of that quick, and then the humans would be so hostile toward me I wouldn't be able to do anything with them. I could explore more, but my previous self had already explored the whole island, and I'm not determined enough to fly off to sea for months just to find something new. Sure, I can fly fast, but once I get tired enough to land in water I'd be stuck swimming at a much slower pace due to the water weighing me down. The Keyuu couldn't fly in those conditions, so I can't either.
Hmm... Maybe bonding would be interesting? With me being a strong monster, I hardly think anyone would decline me. No one would be able to kill me to get to the person I bond with. I'd have someone to do shit with, which always makes things more entertaining.
Though, my species isn't very big on magic. Most of my traits are biological, including the fire breathing. And I don't know if my physical traits could transfer to the human. Though, my magic core is a decent size despite the Keyuu hardly ever using it. I would also have to be very picky on who I choose, since I'd be stuck with them. So I'd have to find a way to sift through candidates and choose.
Well, all of that I can figure out along the way. Right now, let's just say I've found a short-term goal!
《QUEST CREATED!》
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|Bonding|
(Side Quest)
Find someone worthy to bond with.
Rewards: +150 Tokens, +2 Skill Points
Failure Penalty: N/A
--------------
《DO YOU ACCEPT?》
Now this is better! Something I was gunna do anyway, but I get rewarded for it? Sign me up!
《QUEST 'BONDING' ACCEPTED.》
Hell yeah. Now I've gotta do this! Actually... These rewards are better than the main quest. Why is that?
《Due to being a tutorial world, the main quest is simple to complete. The difficulty of the world determines the reward of the quests.》
Alright, that's fair I suppose. I completed the main quest before I even got any side quests, which is very abnormal for anything with difficulty.
Well. Time to make a plan!
...After I stop standing over the dead body of a little girl.