“How do you know?” Yolin tilted her head in confusion and her white eyebrows scrunched up.

“Is it a threat?” Alyssa wrapped her tail around her staff and held it up.

I stared at her appendage in amazement. That tail never ceases to surprise.

“Not a threat,” I shook my head, “But very dangerous.”

The sense of urgency accentuated and I turned to the group in the clearing, then made my way to the front of the Watchers with quick steps.

They got into formation behind me and my group joined them. Yolin stood next to me and gave me a broad smile.

That got me chuckling. Then, I glanced back and saw three Watchers stayed with the bound people.

The thump grew closer and louder to the point it sounded like a small earthquake.

I lifted my spear in a reverse grip and covered my front with the shield, then took a stance from Overhelming Violence. After that I focused on my instincts as we waited for whatever was approaching.

The feeling was... odd. Much like the feeling someone would get when staring at a coming truck while walking the street. Imminent danger, but avoidable with appropriate action. I hadn't felt that with Elena, then arrived at the conclusion the woman was running away with no intention to harm people. She had killed two Watchers not in spite nor ill intent, but as a response to being chased. A reaction that could be judged with the flimsy and decrepit lenses of morality and law, but ultimately a natural response free of evil.

I myself do not strive for justice or righteousness. Only to remove dangers that could mean the end of large groups of people if left unchecked or given free reign.

In a way, it's more arbitrary than morality and law. And I'm absolutely fine with that.

As the stomping of something very big started to shake the trees in front of me, I allowed myself to get angry. It's not that I'm always angry, unlike the green man. But I easily get angry no matter the circumstance. That is something I always thought of as a flaw of mine. One of the many, at least.

My lovers were with me. I would not allow a lower life form to endanger their lives. At any and all costs.

I started humming as anger turned into excitement, and clutched my weapon tighter.

Time to get rid of this boredom.

“Grrroooooorrr!” a deep rumble came from behind the trees.

The next instant, a massive creature tore the trees aside and continued its charge towards us.

It was at least twenty meters tall, a little shorter than the trees themselves. Halven figure, bluish green skin, one red eye, bald, pointy teeth inside a roaring maw, and positively naked. Also, It was built like a brick shithouse.

[Giganto Cyclops, Lvl 932]

“Va te faire enculer!” a Watcher behind me cursed, their voice was thick with apprehension.

“C’est des conneries!” another one added.

“Nom de dieu de merde!”

I heard a slap after the last swear.

YES! I screamed in my mind and leaped at the monster spear first.

It swung at me with a boulder-sized fist but missed due to my speed.

“NATASHAAaa...!” I heard Alyssa's scream but it soon was too far behind me.

I collided into its form, halting its advance and launching us a few hundred meters into the forest. I embedded myself into its chest on impact, the flesh and bones turning into a ground mess all over my armored body. The sound of cracking trees and bones filled our surroundings as we tumbled through the environment, creating a path different from the one it took to reach us.

We stopped moving and silence met me. Clicking my tongue, I looked out of the hole I made on its torso and grabbed a rib, then pushed it aside to make room and exit the meat tomb.

Once out, I stood on its stomach and glared down at it. The heavy iron smell of blood was a bit off-putting.

“That's it?” I wondered out loud. I was completely disappointed “Blin!”

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, ready to scream my frustration.

Right then, however, a huge something impacted my right side with the force of a bullet train, sending my body flying to the left.

Though incredibly strong, I'm also very light. At least compared to a twenty meter tall cyclops.

“HAHAHAHA!!!! YES!” I screamed, breaking trees along my forced flight. The impact of the trees felt a little nice, like a massage at a Thai parlor.

I stored my weapon and shield, then spread all my limbs to stop myself. After breaking countless trees, the momentum wore out. If momentum can wear out, anyway.

I stood facing the trail of broken vegetation and pushed E'er into Prevention, Monster Hunter, and Dragoon Might like a toggle skill instead of thinking of a set time. Then ran in the direction of the monster.

All is good as long as... I stopped thinking, and saw the world go a little red. Alyssa! Lapia! Yolin! If anything happens to them... I'll eat every Cyclops in the world! ALIVE!

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I ran even faster as adrenaline, rage, and the overpowering instinct to protect pushed my body to action. I didn't use Charge, as that would make me go too fast and probably miss if I didn't stop in time.

The Cyclops came to view almost instantly, and I laughed like a maniac at seeing that the hole I made had closed up. It hadn't moved from the spot it was at previously, too.

“ПУСТЬ ЯРОСТЬ БЛАГОРÓДНАЯ!!” I activated Intimidate prey, screaming at the top of my lungs and leaping at it again with arms wide.

That time, however, I was running pretty fucking fast so my leap resulted in me going through its body like a hot knife through butter.

I came out the other way and landed after a couple of seconds. I was so angry I didn't pay attention to the fact I was suspended in the air for a good ten seconds. Anger is a powerful tool, indeed.

I turned to it with heavy breathing. The excitement was incredible. Nothing so far had lived through a serious injury like that.

A lot of blood came out of the Natasha-sized hole, and it flopped to the ground. Its spine was severed and a few organs were completely fucked.

I walked to it and observed for a few seconds.

Its spine wiggled like a worm and reatached itself while the flesh and organs regenerated and closed the wound.

I giggled like a madwoman. Then approached its head and ripped the eyelid off. With lightning fast movements I plunged my arms into its eye.

“GRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!” it roared in pain, probably.

A shiver of ecstacy went up my spine.

Its right arm slowly, very slowly moved towards me with its four fingers stretched to grab me.

I was seeing the effects of the arrest addition to the Prevention skill. The monster was 418 levels below me, and it wasn't technically arrested but greatly slowed. I guessed the closer in level to me, the weaker the slow effect, and those too far below me would be 'frozen' if I was right. I coulnd't imagine what the skill would do to monsters my own level or those above me.

I slapped the approaching hand away with all my strength, splitting the thing in half. Two fingers flew away and a lot of blood came out.

'Natasha!' Lapia's voice entered my mind. She sounded anxious and worried.

I smiled and my heart fluttered. Even if my purpose is to fight to protect, them worrying warms my heart to no end.

'Alive' I sent back in a relaxed tone.

I thought of ways to kill the monster in front of me, but wanted to experiment a little even if it sounded horrible.

I checked my status, considering the skills were up for thirty or so seconds up to that point.

Natasha Novak

Forest Halve

Status

-STR: 5400(x2) (+3100)

-CON: 2700 (+750)

-INT: 675 (+250)

-WIS: 675 (+250)

-DEX: 4050 (+1358)

Health: 54000/54000

Stamina: 13390/13500

E’er: 13440/13500

Hmm. Let's see... I put my brain and Lapia's teachings to work. My gear gives me 750 to three stats, and 250 to the other two. So the rest are from the skills. Battle Trance increases my STR and DEX by... 0.2% per second, apparently. This shit makes no sense... Lapia said CON should be half of STR. But... I'm not made of flesh. Now that's got to be the lamest explanation I've come up with. Still, not even I know what exactly I'm made of... besides E'er. Alyssa hasn't seen a breakthrough yet.

I didn't even receive damage... what gives? I'm not exactly a tank.

I used a bit of strength to remove the Cyclops eye from its socket, and watched as it regenerated.

It made pained noises, but I payed no attention to those. Its movements were incredibly slow, and the hand healed pretty fast for my taste.

Will it grow another head if I decapitate it? I wondered. My spear would be useless with the relative size, and the curse is not preventing regeneration. Well, let's see.

I took a few steps away from the monster and retrieved my spear. Then put all the strength that my legs and back could give into a throw at its head.

The weapon plunged into the Cyclops and came out the other side, going deep into the ground. I went too hard.

Seven seconds later a trembling underneath was followed by the spear materialized back into my right hand.

[Giganto Cyclops, Lvl 932]

Hmm... still alive.

Next, I used less force into the throw. The thing got stuck inside the monster's head and I smiled.

The shockwave ripped the head open like a ripe tomato shot with a shotgun at pointblack. Bits and pieces of bone, skin, brain matter, and blood rained on me.

“FU!” I shook my head, disgusted with the smell. Then appraised the monster.

[Giganto Cyclops, Lvl 932]

STILL ALIVE?! I bit my lips under my helmet. Herakles defeated the Hydra with fire...I remembered. Sucks that my best weapon can't kill this little shit.

I sighed and stored the pike, then retrieved a very long and thick sword from my storage. Its blade was two meters long, thirty centimeters wide, and five centimeters thick. The blade was black, the guard was royal blue, and the grip was white. More importantly, it was covered in yellowish white fire. I had used this weapon to burn the toilet paper back when I took dumps in the forest. I felt a little nostalgia even though it was less than two months ago.

[+100 Dyrnwyn (Legendary) {Ascension Lvl 10}]

(Sharpness S)(Durability S+)(Blaze SSS+)

-Sharpness + 100% ({Lvl 10 Emerald}x10)

-Flame Temperature (Blaze) + 20% (Enchantment)

-Blazes with Yiama's Fire.

*The Worthy shall receive the Miracle of The Flame.

*The Unworthy shall Burn before It.

-STR + 200

-CON + 200

-DEX + 150

-Holy Fire: Increases Blaze by 1% for every Enhancement level. (+100%)

-Worthy Wielder: Grants Immunity to Fires below 4000°Y to the Worthy.

*(Currently burns at 3500°Y)

-STR + 250 (Transmutation)

-CON + 250 (Transmutation)

-DEX + 250 (Transmutation)

I cringed pretty hard at the flavor text, then turned to the more important matter.

The... 'stump' above its shoulders slowly regenerated. Slower than its hand, at least. The hand itself, on the other hand, wasn't regenerating even though it was still missing a finger.

I walked to it and raised the sword overhead with a single hand. Then brought it down with all my strength and cut its left arm off. I repeated the process with the other three limbs, then stepped back to watch how it dealt with that.

The wounds were seared and the edges were burnt.

Minutes passed as the head regenerated, and I busied myself with checking if the grass and trees around me caught on fire. All was fine, fortunately. The blade had made deep cuts on the soil under the Cyclops as I used too much force again.

It can never be too much with regenerating monsters, I concluded with a satisfied nod.