Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Freely Given
I was able to imitate some of the abilities of humans I consumed.
Because I read their memories and inherited them intact in the process of eating them.
For example, if I devoured a swordsman, I could obtain the path of the sword they had walked. If I devoured a mage, I could take in their method of mana circulation.
Among the things I needed most while living as a monster in the back alleys, there was one ability I desperately lacked.
Stealth.
Even though my position required me to operate quietly without being noticed, I was not good at hiding myself.
I did alter the memories of everyone who saw me, but the fact that rumors about me still leaked out proved how insufficient that was.
Tampering with other people’s minds was more mentally exhausting and dangerous than it looked.
That was why I needed a way to conceal my own body more easily.
I couldn’t rely on memory manipulation forever.
“…!”
Beorn had what I wanted. That meant Beorn had to die for my survival.
I did not hold any personal grudge against him, but the world was, by nature, governed by survival of the fittest.
Had he not tried to sell me or kill me for profit? This was self-defense in its purest form.
After exchanging blows with him, he disappeared again.
It wasn’t just that he was out of sight. Even his footsteps, even his presence, had vanished.
Unless he got very close, even I couldn’t precisely locate him.
But it didn’t matter.
Most sword attacks carried intent without the wielder even realizing it.
And I was extremely sensitive to killing intent, so defending against his attacks wasn’t particularly difficult.
And then.
Bang!
Whenever we made physical contact, the concealment magic would scatter and break.
The same happened when our blades clashed. It seemed to disappear when it absorbed a certain level of impact.
Beorn, who had once again appeared in front of me as our swords met, looked genuinely surprised.
It made sense. Until the moment of impact, my attacks were invisible. No one until now had been able to properly defend against them.
“You… what the hell are you?”
Beorn stepped back, frowning.
What I was.
That was a difficult question to answer.
So instead of answering, I released a faint trace of my inner mana.
Black mist spread out, thick and heavy. It was an indirect way of showing that I was not human.
“…A monster?”
I did not deny it. I simply raised my blade and waited for him to act.
This was not a conversation.
It was a slaughter.
We both existed to kill each other for our own reasons. There was no good or evil in it.
Only the desire to live a little more comfortably.
I understood that.
So did Beorn.
Survival was instinct.
Nothing about it was wrong.
“Hm.”
I adjusted my stance.
At first I planned to subdue him with illusion, but he refused to look me in the eye.
Good instincts.
Whenever I tried to meet his gaze, he would avert it. Whenever I tried to trap him, he would increase distance.
At this range, illusion wouldn’t reach him.
So it had likely been exposed.
Or maybe it was simply because I had caused too much chaos in the underground prison.
Either way, it didn’t matter.
Sometimes, fighting with blades was more straightforward.
And conveniently, I had eaten a knight just yesterday.
I gripped my knife with both hands and prepared to move.
Then.
Bang!
We both leapt at the same time.
I kicked off the ground repeatedly to accelerate. He vanished from sight.
I swung at the likely positions where he might be, but nothing connected.
Even focusing my senses, I couldn’t feel him. I chased him through the narrow corridor, but I still couldn’t find him.
So I thought.
The decision came quickly.
Even if I couldn’t see him, he must still be nearby.
I changed my blade’s direction.
I pointed it not at him, but at myself.
Then I stabbed my left hand with my right-hand blade.
A wet impact echoed as blood burst out.
I swung my injured hand outward, scattering blood into the air.
The droplets spread widely, and eventually some of them struck Beorn, revealing him.
So that was it.
Smell of blood could not be erased.
And because it was my own blood, I could track him precisely.
“There you are.”
I kicked off the ground.
Holding my knife in both hands, I activated a sword technique engraved into my body.
One large slash, followed by two trailing strikes.
It looked like a single strike splitting into three.
Imperial Sword Style Form 3.
A technique originally designed to defeat monsters.
In my hands, it became something else entirely.
The main strike was no longer deception. It was meant to break the opponent’s guard entirely.
The two follow-up strikes were meant to kill.
A technique created to hunt monsters, used by a monster.
Its nature changed.
A sharp, crude sound of cutting filled the air.
Beorn’s body was torn apart.
“AAAAAARGH!!”
One of his arms was severed instantly, and he screamed in agony.
His defensive blade shattered mid-air. He was left completely exposed.
Beorn’s concealment broke, and he appeared fully.
Clutching his severed arm, he staggered in pain.
I looked at him.
Now he seemed somewhat pitiful.
But only for a moment.
I walked forward, holding my bloodied knife.
As I approached, he backed away in panic.
“D-don’t come closer!! You bitch!! Don’t come any closer!!”
Bitch.
That stung a little.
I stepped forward again.
“Wait!! I was wrong!! Please!!”
First it was anger.
Now it was fear.
Neither mattered.
I kept walking.
“Damn it—”
A cornered rat bites a cat.
He drew a hidden dagger and swung it at me.
But his movements were already broken.
Fear made his hands sloppy.
I deflected it and cut again.
“AAAAAAGH!! My arm!! AAAAAH!!”
Since he was still moving, I made sure he couldn’t anymore.
Finally, Beorn collapsed to his knees.
Now he truly could not move.
I stood in front of him.
His vision was blurred. His face twisted in pain.
I had no hobby of torturing living humans.
So I decided to end it quickly.
I crouched down and met his eyes.
“Sleep well.”
I cupped his cheeks with both hands and whispered softly.
Before his final moment, what did he see?
I read his memories.
The first thing I saw was a winter scene soaked in pain.
Then I realized.
Even in his final moment, he was trapped in a nightmare.
The incident at the slave market ended there.
After consuming Beorn, I tested my new ability.
“….”
It worked.
At least, I assumed it did.
From my perspective, nothing looked different.
It wasn’t invisibility. It was closer to a perception interference field.
I could still see myself. But I did not appear in mirrors.
Maintaining it consumed stamina, so there were limits.
Even so…
This was a lot of money.
A hundred gold coins.
Why would someone carry this much cash?
I quietly took the pouch.
It was delicious.
Feeling better, I walked upstairs.
A man I had never seen before was there. From his memories, he was the owner of this slave market.
The moment our eyes met, his face turned pale.
“You… you…!”
What is this.
I hit him on the head and knocked him unconscious.
In his hand was another money pouch.
Also containing a hundred gold coins.
…What.
Was this for me?
I took it as well.
Becoming rich was easier than expected.