“Dumb Lancelots. Who wants to be part of you muscleheads anyway?” I grumbled under my breath.

I fumed, still boiling with anger. I wanted to stomp and shout, but I could not express it. I was still in the Wilds. And though I was angry, I was not suicidal.

Silently, I tiptoed down the broken roads. Overwhelming wild vegetation and trees grew out of the cracks of the upturned road. I tried to keep close to the cover of the overgrowth, but far enough in case something also lurked inside.

Still, the majestic greenery and hidden dangers could not deter my annoying experience with the Lancelots.

“Screw those Lancelots. Who’d want to be part of a group with such a cringy name anyways.” I fumed over and over in my head.

I wanted to complain more, especially since all I got out of this mess was a puny black bead and a beating from that bastard Ian. However, I did not have the luxury of wallowing and complaining anymore.

Turning the corner of the ruined street, I immediately stopped dead in my tracks. My anger blew over. But now creeping anxiety filled its place.

“Maybe it would have been better to forgo my pride and follow after those bastards?” I whispered out loud.

A large pair of dark eyes on a humongous creature stared me down from a bit further ahead. It stood in the center of the road, taking up more than half of the street.

I slowly sidestepped closer to the vegetation and backed away to show no transgression. However, the monstrous brown boar, almost the height of the boss ogre, snorted and stomped its foot.

It gave me no time and immediately charged at me. The earth trembled and shook. Countless leaves rained down as even the overgrowth of wild trees rattled from the shaking.

“Oh shit!” I cursed and turned tail to run away. “Just my luck. Ever since joining those bastards seemed to have led me to a path of misfortune.”

I blamed that group of bullies. Well, not all of them were, but I digress.

The boar was deceptively fast for its large size. It quickly closed in behind me. Its loud squeals came ever closer. I could almost feel the loud panting from its breathing. It was that close.

I scrambled for my life but knew I had a good chance of survival. Because I stuck close to the overgrowth, I quickly zigzagged into the brush between the trees.

However, the boar was monstrous. It squealed in pain, but it charged straight through, knocking down trees in its path. The boar screamed in added fury as it madly chased me down. It was relentless, as if blaming me for its self-inflicted injuries from chasing me.

“Stupid boar! You're just like that pig bastard Ian! Maybe the two of you are related!” I shouted as I ran.

The boar squealed out louder with a furious bellow.

“The feeling is mutual, damn pigs!”

Seemed like I would never get along with pigs. The angry boar chased me down with renewed fervor.

Feeling the disgusting warm and nauseating breath on my neck, my eyes widened, and I took a quick look behind me.

Fear flooded my body.

The boar was too close for comfort. It ran, flailing its head wildly in an attempt to impale me with its giant tusks.

I had no time to gulp. I madly dashed away like I had never before.

It almost got me, but I was almost safe.

My goal was in sight. The overgrowth was never my end all in case something like this happened anyway.

I needed to get inside those ancient tower-like buildings that pierced into the clouds. Albeit, they were just skeletons of metal from their once former glory. However, it would be enough to be my refuge away from this ancient relative of that pig, Ian.

Running out of the overgrowth, I lunged with a mad dash into the metal structure. For some reason, the boar knew better than to ram head onto the metal building. It rushed angrily around, trying to find a way in.

I smirked at the boar in victory.

“Musclehead.” I quipped.

A dangerous glint flared in the boar’s eyes. It would seem I am talented at angering pigs and boars. A creepy tingling sensation shot through my spine, and instinctively I jumped back.

However, it was not enough. The boar charged with all its might as if furious for being called names.

Time appeared to slow down. Adrenaline pumped into my veins. I noticed the metal post bending out of shape from taking the boar’s charge. The entire building shook from the impact. However, although the metal post stopped the boar’s from entering, it did not stop its tusks. The boar jerked its head, launching its tusk at my stomach.

I made a mental note to stop calling pigs and boars muscleheads in the future.

I lifted my hand to block the tusk, but realized it was still clenched around that dull black bead, my severance pay from the Lancelots, this whole time.

The tusk impaled my hand as I let go of the bead to block the tusk with an open palm. Flesh and bone were crushed and ripped apart as the tusk pierced through my hand.

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The bead dropped to the ground as blood splattered all around. Time returned to normal as a searing pain gripped my body. The boar jerked its head back and ripped its tusk from my hand. Blood gushed out, and I screamed out from the rippling pain.

The boar charged again, trying to impale me for good. But I was not going to let myself die. I rushed backward and cast a spell.

“Heal more.”

My eyes glowed gold, and the wide-open wound on my hand rapidly closed.

I reached into my bag of holding and pulled out my special weapon for stress relief, a thick metal staff from a monster drop that I used on special occasions to relieve my anger.

“Healers aren’t useless, pig bastards!” I roared, letting out my pent-up anger and frustrations.

The boar slammed into the post again, and the entire broken building shook violently. Luckily my fear of the structure collapsing did not occur. His tusk could not reach me, but the second Headbutt on the warped metal post sent the boar into a dizzy spiral.

Taking advantage of the boar’s momentary frazzle, I charged forward. Holding the end of my metal staff, I slid to a halt in front of the boar from my sudden dash.

Redirecting the momentum of my halted dash, I channeled it through the twisting of my lower body, sending the force to my arms and into my staff as I swung out at the side of the boar’s head.

The impact landed with a loud “bam!” I felt the bones of the skull slightly break. The hole in my hand burned with pain, and I groaned. The boar squealed out a blood-curdling scream and collapsed onto its knees.

By no means was I finsihed. That boar bastard left a hole in my hand. I needed to return the favor.

I paid back favors. Always.

A nonmoving target was easy to hit. The boar was still twitching from being knocked down. I needed to be quick.

I gripped my staff and bolted to its side. Breaking into another dash, I charged again at the fallen boar. The boar heard me coming and attempted to stab its tusk at me, but in its half-dazed state, it was too slow.

Running full speed, I slipped past the slow-moving tusk and lunged my staff forward, impaling the boar’s eye. Another blood-curdling squeal screeched out from the boar. The scream was deafening, but revenge was music to my ears.

I drove my staff deeper into its eyeball. Blood and flesh burst out. There was a ‘gushy’ resistance against my staff as it stabbed and embedded itself deep into the soft squishy flesh of the boar’s skull.

A screaming squeal like no other cried out of the boar. It rampaged and jerked its head all around. Quickly grabbing the staff, I used it to launch myself up from being flailed around and flipped onto the boar’s back.

Quickly kicking off the boar, I rolled to the side and away from the powerful tusks and kicking feet.

I dashed back into the building and let the boar go berserk. Not too long after its death struggle, it fell over with an earth-rumbling crash.

Collapsing onto my butt, I breathed out a sigh of relief. The rush of adrenaline cooled, and I finally let out an exasperated laugh.

“It’s been a while since I had some pork. This should last me a while.”

I glanced at my future meals with saliva starting to ooze in my mouth.

A glow of shimmering light appeared near the carcass.

I suddenly remembered the best part: the loot! Rushing forward, I grew excited about what I could get. The light was rather bright, but I didn’t expect much. However, I was flabbergasted by the sight before me.

“It’s a skill book! Holy hell! What the heck?! Even with boss monsters, these don’t usually drop!”

But that was not all.

“No way! What?! A silver treasure chest?!” I jumped for joy, fist-bumping the air multiple times. The sound of birds flying away quickly reminded me of the dangers, and I regained my composure.

The thought that the boar was a boss monster crossed my mind. It was large enough. However, I put those possibilities away for now.

“Ahem. Better put the loot away. I’ll check it under better conditions. Or when I get home.”

My face was plastered with a smile reaching from ear to ear as I stuffed away my spoils into my bag of holding. But that was not all of my spoils. I looked down at the dead boar and grinned.

Taking out some special blades from my bag, I disassembled the precious food that would last me quite a while. Besides the soon-to-be scrumptious meat, I kept the tusks, feet, and skin as those would fetch a decent price back in the kingdom.

“Pity. The ogre blood, phallus, and gonads would have sold for a hefty price. Dumb Lancelots. Probably followers of Sanshal. With such a large party that doesn’t strip monsters, what do you all eat? Mana from the air?”

However, my face didn’t show any pity. Happiness radiated from my entire being. I haven’t felt this content for a while. Then again, it’s not just every day you hit the lottery. I couldn’t be bothered by the Lancelots anymore.

My spoils stuffed away, I was reminded of something that slipped my mind.

My severance payment.

Although puny, I could probably get something out of it by selling it. The small black bead should be worth something. It was a boss drop, afterall.

I reentered the building, searching for my lost treasure.

“Hmmm. It should be around here,” I said to myself.

I recalled dropping it when my hand was impaled. Not a pleasant memory, but the silver treasure chest and skill book instantly made me feel better.

Finding something small and dark inside a broken building was not easy. It could have bounced away when I dropped it. I looked around for the areas with blood. But there it was, simply sitting in my dried-up pool of blood.

Bending over, I reached down and grabbed the bead, now covered by my coagulated blood.

Standing up, I lifted the bead above my head, wondering what it could be worth.

“All monster drops should be items that don’t exist in this world. So it should have some sort of use. What are you, little black bead? Maybe I should sell it?”

“No! You can’t sell me, master!” A young man’s voice spoke into my head.

“Who are you!? Where are you!?” I jerked my head around, apprehensively looking for the sudden intruder. But no one was in sight.

“I’m not a bead. That is for sure, master. I find it rather offensive to be called as such. No wonder you got impaled. You shouldn’t be calling others names. If you must call my shell something, you should call it a black pearl at the very least.”

I glanced back at the little black bead in my hand with a suspicious look. “No way.” I stammered and lifted the bead away from me.

“Yes, master! It is I! The great Tensel!” The bead looked unchanged, but somehow I felt it seemed to gloat?

I shook my head at my laughable actions.

“That pig bastard Ian must have hit me in the head too hard.” There was no way I believed that I was talking with a bead.

“Anyway. I wonder how much I could sell this for?” I thought again to myself.

“Master! You can’t!” The voice shouted with anxiety in my head.

I couldn’t believe it. The voice was really inside my head, and it seemed to be from the bead. But there have been stranger things.

“Is that you speaking in my head, little black bead?”

“I said, at the very least, you should call my shell a black pearl! It is significantly better than a bead.”

“Oh! So I can sell you for a good amount!”

“Master!” The voice screamed.

“I kid. I kid. Why would I sell a talking bead-“ I felt a glare from the bead for some reason. “I mean pearl?”

Was the pearl now smiling? I looked at the bead. The bead itself was unchanged. I felt the feelings from inside somehow.

“Why does it seem like you're happy?”

“Because I am, master! You said you’re keeping me! I’ve waited for eons for another master!”

“Huh? Eons? Another master? Wait. How do I know what you’re feeling?”

“Duh, we’re connected, master! Of course, you and I would know and feel everything about each other. It’s been forever since my last master. Much of my power has faded away. I might have disappeared had Master not contracted me this time.”

I was lost and, honestly, a bit weirded out.

“Feel and know everything…”

“That’s right, master! I know your dirty secrets now! You should hide some of those naughty books in less conspicuous places. But don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. Master is my top priority!”

For sure, I was most weirded out now.

“I will hide those, ahem, books. But it’s rude to look at my memories. I don’t even see yours.”

A flurry of worry and fear flooded out from the pearl.

“Sorry, master! Please don’t punish me! I don’t want to sleep anymore! I didn’t look at everything. Just a select few.”

A sinking feeling passed through my mind.

“Select few? What did- Wait.” I rubbed my forehead, feeling slightly embarrassed. “Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”

Glancing at the pearl, I continued. “Anyway, how did this happen? How do I stop this?”

I felt a pang in my heart. Heartbroken? Is this what that feels like? Ouch.

“Please don’t sell me, master! I’ll be forced asleep again! Please! I can do many things for you, master! Like that bag on your waist! I can do that for you! No, wait! I can do even more than that! Even more when my abilities return!”