Table of Contents

Color Inserts

Table of Contents Page

Title Page

Copyrights and Credits

Chapter 1: A Walking Egg

Chapter 2: The Girl and the Dragon

Interlude: The Girl’s Story

Chapter 3: The Venomous Spider Taranturouge

Chapter 4: Iron-Walled Potortoise

Interlude: The Girl’s Adventure

Chapter 5: Claybear

Chapter 6: Venom Princess Lacerta

Chapter 7: The Double-Headed Monster Twinheads

Bonus Story 1: A Day with the Black Lizard

Bonus Story 2: A Day in the Life of the Girl

Afterword

Newsletter

Chapter 1:
A Walking Egg

PART 1

I WOKE UP IN THE DARK, feeling dazed and hot like my head was on fire. I couldn’t think straight. I felt trapped and lonely. Despite those awful feelings, an inexplicable sense of relief washed over me.

Then something split with a crack. A single beam of light entered my stuffy, pitch-black world. I peered through to take a look outside.

Seeing through the narrow hole was difficult, but I could faintly make out sunlight filtering through tree branches.

So…I guess I’m in a forest or something?

I tried to stand up, but another cracking sound came from beneath my feet. At first I thought I’d stepped on something. Then I realized I’d actually stepped through something.

I tried to look down at my feet to check, but for some reason my neck was stuck. I couldn’t budge it at all.

What the heck happened to me?

As soon as I wondered that, a display that reminded me of a video game screen popped into my head.

Species: Dragon Egg

Status: Normal

Lv: 1/5

HP: 5/5

MP: 1/1

Attack: 1

Defense: 3

Magic: 1

Agility: 10

Rank: F

Special Skills:

Eggshell: Lv —

Divine Voice: Lv 1

Resistance Skills:

Physical Resistance: Lv 1

Normal Skills:

Roll: Lv 1

View Status: Lv 1

Title Skills:

Dragon King’s Son: Lv —

Walking Egg: Lv —

Um…isn’t this just like that thing that always pops up in RPGs?

Next, a line of text appeared inside my head.

Status Screen has been opened.

Huh? A status screen? What’s going on? What does this mean?

Status Screen displays the numerical value of ***’s abilities in a simplified text box.

Wait, did you just answer me?

Special Skill “Divine Voice” Lv 1 is an ability which explains status attributes and items. It can also provide information regarding changes in status.

What? I really have no idea what’s going on. Hang on—is this a game or something?

Special Skill “Divine Voice” Lv 1 is unable to provide that explanation.

Huh? You keep saying “Lv 1.” Does that mean you can provide the explanation if I level up this “Divine Voice” thing or whatever? Also, who’s speaking to me right now?

Special Skill “Divine Voice” Lv 1 is unable to provide that explanation.

Who are you? And more importantly, where am I?

Special Skill “Divine Voice” Lv 1 is unable to provide that explanation.

This conversation was beginning to feel pointless, like trying to play catch with yourself by throwing a baseball against the wall. The voice kept evading the important questions with canned phrases. I doubted that I was talking to an actual person—it seemed more like a machine. I decided to give up on getting answers from the weird voice inside my head and instead look for someone I could actually understand.

I peered through the crack again.

It’s so hard to see, though. Can’t I do something about this? Not being able to see my feet is especially dangerous—Whoa, I lost my footing! Ouch! I definitely fell from something tall just now!

Apparently I’d been nestled up in a tree. I somehow survived the fall, even though it felt like I fell from pretty high up.

Gained Resistance Skill “Fall Resistance” Lv 1.

Resistance skill… Does that mean surviving the fall powered me up? Oh! My HP decreased from 5 to 3 on the Status Screen! If it gets to zero, do I die? Oh no! This is a dream, right? This has to be a dream!

Gained Special Skill “Klutz” Lv 1.

Now that’s just rude! What’s your problem, Divine Voice? What gives you the right to spy on me and make fun of me in the first place, huh?! Why even bother to call it a special skill when it’s literally just an insult?

Special Skill “Divine Voice” Lv 1 is unable to provide that explanation.

You irritating little… You’re doing this on purpose just to aggravate me, aren’t you? Whatever. I’ll just get stressed out if I let this stupid voice get to me.

I wanted to check out the tree I just fell out of, but I couldn’t look that far up. The crack was too small for me to see much through it and, more importantly, I still couldn’t move my neck.

What the heck is wrong with it, anyway? Oh, hey! There’s a pool of water over there. I’ll go look at my reflection to see what’s up.

I somehow managed to waddle over to the water and look down.

Instead of my reflection, I saw a big egg. It had two small holes for the eyes and two more for the stubby feet. The shell was covered in hairline cracks. By any standards, this was just an incredibly peculiar egg.

Huh? What is that? I was expecting my reflection, not some monster in the water waiting to attack me! Scared the shell outta me… Is this a joke or something? Wait…it’s still there. And when I shift to look, it moves. Is that…me? That’s really me? I’m an egg?! No way! What the heck is going on here?! Answer me, Divine Voice!

Dragon Egg: F Rank Monster. A baby dragon that is sentient even in its unhatched state. Since it is not yet fully developed, it will die if the egg breaks.

This has gotta be some kinda weird yolk…I mean joke. I can’t believe that’s me. This is about as bad as letting a little fetus walk around and think on its own!

It is alert but powerless. Its brain is underdeveloped, and its only ability is rolling.

Hey! Whose brain is underdeveloped? I’m thinking all kinds of things right now, in case you weren’t aware!!

Although quite dangerous when grown, the developing embryo is prized as a delicacy due to its rarity and delicious flavor.

Now you’re calling me delicious? You’re the absolute worst, Divine Voice!

Therefore, it is common practice among adventurers to kill it on sight and take the egg. This is not advised, however, because the parent dragon may be nearby and can follow the egg’s scent.

No! What?! You’re kidding, right? Kill it on sight? I’m an egg, not a cockroach!! And what do you mean, adventurers and dragons? What is going on?!

Chapter 2:
The Girl and the Dragon

PART 1

“KYAAAAOOOOH!”

The graywolf howled as I sent it flying through the air with a Dragon Punch. It slammed against a tree and slumped to the ground.

This creature was, as its name suggested, a gray wolf. It was nearly twice my size, and a formidable opponent.

The sun had almost set, so I decided this would be my last conquest for the day.

Gained 24 Experience Points.

Title Skill “Walking Egg” Lv — activated: gained 24 Experience Points.

Since defeating that big group of darkwyrms, I was able to attack other monsters much more aggressively, but my level wasn’t really going up that much. Possibly it was due to only choosing battles I was sure I could win; I was always sure to check a monster’s stats before engaging. This got me a Title Skill called Safety First: Lv 1. I was pretty sure Divine Voice was trying to call me a wuss.

My Loneliness Resistance and View Status had also gone up. It made sense, since all I’d been doing was going around checking out statuses, and I was alone all the damn time. The Loneliness Resistance didn’t really seem good for much, though, since I still felt pretty lonely.

Feel free to talk to me more, Divine Voice.

Three days had passed, but I was still only at level 15. I needed five more additional levels before I could evolve again, at level 20.

I’d spent a lot of time searching out and defeating lower-level graywolves. I could take out up to about a Lv 6 with no problems. The one I just defeated was a Lv 6 graywolf who had strayed from his pack.

Maybe I should explore more? The only way to level up was to get more experience, after all. I wouldn’t get very far if I kept hunting with Safety First.

New experiences and tougher battles had to be the key to growth. That was true back in Japan, so I was sure things couldn’t be all that different here.

But what exactly was my goal? I was surviving just fine, but occasionally the Divine Voice would pop into my head and start pressuring me with the same line, over and over. Grow stronger. I knew I shouldn’t put blind faith in it to the point of endangering myself, but it was definitely egging me on. Even though I wasn’t an egg anymore.

I used Baby’s Breath to roast the graywolf. It was a bit gamey, but still exponentially better than giant caterpillars. I just wished I had some salt and pepper.

“Κάνω εγείρουν μου-όπως το όνομα. Και είναι σε θέση να εργαστεί σταθερά!”

I was tearing into my dinner when I suddenly heard voices. I didn’t recognize the language, but the voices were definitely human.

“Εγώ, τρομακτικό.”

“Και επειδή αναγνωρίζω μόνο το χέρι της μαγείας, Διαβάστε σωστά.”

I strained to hear as I ate. There were three distinct voices, two men—one young and one old—and a young girl. The younger man sounded casual, while the old man’s voice carried a hint of sterness. The girl sounded frightened.

Whoa, there are other people here?

All the Loneliness Resistance in the world couldn’t make up for spending so long only interacting with monsters. I couldn’t express how much I’d been craving human contact.

Their words were strange to me, but I could make it work. Half of communication was nonverbal, right? I wolfed down the rest of my dinner, eager to finish and find the humans. I swallowed my last mouthful, tossed the bones aside, and rushed off in the direction of the voices. I caught glimpses of a large, intimidatingly built man through the trees. The other two must be nearby.

“Raaar!”

I tried to call out to them, but the only thing that came out of my mouth was a dragon’s roar. Oh, dammit. I tried to wave my hands reassuringly. I was probably going to level up “Just an Idiot” any time now.

The man looked over at me and froze. Then he grinned. The two other humans stepped into view, both of them focused on me as well. A big tough guy, an old man, and a girl, just as their voices had suggested. Their clothes were strange—armor and robes, like they’d just stepped out of a fantasy story.

Well, I probably shouldn’t be surprised considering the monsters and everything, but was this whole world like that? Eh, I could deal with that later. First I had to win their hearts with my charming growls.

The big guy, who had to be the leader, was looking at me with such a pleased grin on his face. And he continued grinning the whole time as he drew his sword and brandished it at me.

Interlude:
The Girl’s Story

WHEN I WOKE, I found I was no longer in the forest, but in a soft bed.

I was wearing different clothes from before, and for a moment I thought it was all a dream. But no, my arm was bandaged. I suffered that injury when the Little Rock Dragon hit me with its Breath attack.

“You awake?”

I searched for the source of the voice and saw a pretty orange braid. Marielle stood beside my bed. She was the only proper White Mage we had in the village, and my mentor. She was quite old, but looked even younger than I did. I’d been told it was due to her having Elven blood, which slowed down the aging process.

Marielle fidgeted with her braid and gave me a quick, relieved smile, before her mouth tightened and she glared. Her expressions were so much like a child’s that I sometimes doubted she was really as old as she said she was.

“Honestly, what were you thinking? How many times have I told you not to let Doz egg you on?”

Marielle’s scolding reminded me, and I tried to sit up.

“Wh-what happened to Doz and Grantz?!”

Marielle poked me in the forehead with her index finger, trying to settle me down.

“Grantz…is dead. They found his body in the forest. I can’t believe you idiots, trying to take on a Rock Dragon!”

“Grantz is…! But what about Doz?”

“They haven’t found his body yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the dragon ate him whole.”

I was the only one who survived.

I should have tried harder to stop them. Everyone in the village knew that the Rock Dragon was the strongest monster in the forest.

A sigh escaped Marielle’s lips as she watched me cry. Then she placed a hand on my shoulder.

“I’m glad that you survived, Myria.”

I held my head in my hands and slowly told her everything that happened.

Doz was the most powerful warrior in the village. He could be frightening and quick to anger, but he was the one people relied on to chase off the monsters that stalked the edge of town. So even if he wasn’t liked, he was trusted.

Then, a few years back, he set his sights on a Rock Dragon. He didn’t stand a chance. He abandoned his comrades and fled. He lost the fight, and with it his good standing with the people.

His abrasive personality had already made him unpopular, but after his failure, the ill will only grew stronger. Still, his strength and combat contributions to the village were such that few people had the courage to actually speak out against him.

Then, just the other day, a traveler had arrived in the village calling himself a swordsman. “I am penniless,” he’d said. “But I have the meat and hides from monsters I’ve hunted in the forest. I will trade them in exchange for food and a warm bed.”

Among his spoils was Rock Dragon meat. We figured that meant this stranger had defeated the beast on his own. Whispers spread of the traveler’s success until Doz picked a fight with the man at the local tavern.

Doz boasted to everyone within earshot, saying, “I’m strong enough to defeat it now!” He tried to recruit Marielle, who could use recovery magic, and Grantz, a drifter, to accompany him on his quest of revenge. Marielle refused, so Doz set his sights on her apprentice. Me.

I didn’t want to go, but he said, “I’m going whether you come or not. And if Grantz and I go alone, we could die.” It was as good as blackmail. I could tell that Grantz didn’t want to go either, but he hid it. He was an outsider, and I imagine it was hard to say no to Doz, who had influence, even if he wasn’t liked. Doz was adept at using a person’s weaknesses against them.

So we set off into the forest and found ourselves a fairly small Rock Dragon. But we still didn’t stand a chance. And now only I was alive. Had it let me go? No, that wasn’t right. Someone saved me, I remembered faintly.

“Marielle, who saved me?”

“Saved you? You mean Aurus? He saw the monster dragging you through the village and got his bow—”

“No, no. I mean the person who carried me out of the forest.”

“No one else went into the forest that night. And I doubt a passerby would have brought you all the way into the village and left without so much as a word. Are you sure you didn’t run away on your own?”

Marielle didn’t seem to think it was possible I’d been saved. I mean, it didn’t sound possible. But I definitely remembered someone carrying me on their back, frantically running away from a pack of monsters…

But was it really a person at all?

“You sure it wasn’t just a dream?” Marielle asked.

“I’m sure! There’s no way I could’ve gotten back here all by myself.”

“I think you’re still confused, Myria. Just wait a minute and I’ll go warm up some chicken soup I made this morning. Once you have some food in your belly, we can talk.”

“But I’m certain…”

I tried to focus on the memory of someone carrying me, of them using recovery magic on me. It was weak, barely at a beginner’s level, but I remembered how warm it felt. Then the faint memories of my savior’s hands, legs, and body came back to me…

“What if it was that dragon…?” I murmured to myself as I looked out the window. But of course, that little dragon was nowhere to be found.

Chapter 3:
The Venomous Spider Taranturouge

PART 1

I AWOKE IN A damp, earthen space.

Yesterday, I returned to the forest after fleeing the village and took refuge in the trunk of a hollow tree, curling up to recover. The sunlight shone bright through the hole. I sat up, smacking my shoulder.

Oof, it’s really cramped in here.

I made the attempt more slowly, trying to avoid knocking my head. I pushed my way out through the hollow, pulling myself along the ground. I stretched out my limbs, my foggy mind gradually becoming clearer.

After a good yawn, I checked my status, which had become something of a daily ritual in the morning. Taking care of one’s health was very important. Best to check first thing for anything strange.

Species: Baby Dragon

Status: Normal

Lv: 23/25

HP: 41/78

MP: 40/72

Hmm, so I wasn’t fully healed yet. Only about halfway there. I still felt sluggish, but if I wanted to eat, I had to hunt.

My HP was more important than my MP at the moment. I didn’t need battle skills to fill my belly; if I spotted anything too dangerous, I’d just run. But I should raise my HP a bit in case of emergencies.

Rest!

I mentally shouted the spell name that hadn’t even showed up on my status screen yet. A faint light surrounded me and my MP dropped 8 points. I only regained 2 HP. Pathetic, but better than nothing. Maybe it would finally get recognized as a skill if I kept practicing. I repeated the Rest spell five more times.

Species: Baby Dragon

Status: Normal

Lv: 23/25

HP: 53/78

MP: 0/72

I gained 3 HP two out of the five times I cast the spell. That wasn’t terrible, and if I practiced I’d surely get better. If I started when my MP was full, I could recover about 20 HP before my MP was totally drained. It wasn’t efficient, but it wasn’t entirely useless. My body no longer felt so sluggish.

Next order of business: find lunch.

I was so close to another evolution—I really wanted to max out my level today. I’d keep evolving until I got strong enough to snap that Little Rock Dragon’s neck. After that, I’d be golden. It was the strongest monster I’d seen so far. Once I didn’t have to worry about survival, I could go back to that village.

What if I only terrified them again? If I kept helping stray humans who came to the forest, maybe word would spread. And then maybe…

I walked along, completely lost in thought until I spotted a darkwyrm trundling by. It spotted me, too. Took one glance, and ran like hell. Ah, the memories. Back in the day, I was the one running for my life.

Still, this was slightly weird. This was the first darkwyrm I’d seen since the day I fought that big group. I figured I’d killed them all, so I didn’t expect to see one again. I must have covered more ground when I was searching for the village than I realized.

I leapt into the air, cutting off the darkwyrm’s escape. Then I punched it right in the face.

“Ssshhk!”

Gained 12 Experience Points.

Title Skill “Walking Egg” Lv — activated: gained 12 Experience Points.

The video game message window popped up in my head to let me know the monster was dead. I put my hands together in silent thanks and then got down to it. I tore into its spine, scarfing down the meat.

Crruunch, crruunch.

I chuckled wryly to myself as I listened to the disgusting chewing sounds, thinking that I’d gotten pretty used to this life. Now that I was full, it was time to concentrate on leveling up. I needed to max out my level quickly so that I could evolve. I remembered the Divine Voice saying Baby Dragons had lots of evolution paths to choose from.

Chapter 4:
Iron-Walled Potortoise

PART 1

I OPENED MY EYES. The cave was dark, and I didn’t know how long I’d been asleep. Light pooled by the entrance, but I wasn’t sure if it was morning or afternoon. Cave life kind of made you lose all track of time.

Not that I had any reason to keep to a regular schedule, since all I did was eat and sleep. When I was full I went to sleep, and when I was hungry I got back up again. Dragons had a pretty easy life.

I brought up my stats to check the recovery situation. I’d rested for a really long time, so I expected to be near full health.

View Status.

Species: Young Plague Dragon

Status: Normal

Lv: 14/40

HP: 92/92

MP: 95/95

My HP and MP were both full. Heck yes! I wasn’t going to drop dead in this forest. If I saw any monsters stronger than me, I’d run away, and if my HP dropped, I’d just come back to my cave to recover.

So what should I do today? Probably just level up and gather food. I can get more of those red peppercorn things, and any other fruit or berries that look tempting. I also want a blanket; I should add hunting graywolves to the day’s activities. Maybe I could try making some clothes or something for when I finally transform into a human?

I wasn’t counting on it at this point, but you never know—I might still find a way to learn that skill.

Divine Voice had always been pretty shady, and I was beginning to suspect it of blatant deception. Maybe just some Plague Dragons got the Human Transformation skill. Still, I wanted to be prepared, just in case. Chances weren’t good, but they weren’t zero, either.

And even if I did get Human Transformation, it wasn’t like it would come with clothes. If I went traipsing into the village nude, they’d think I was some kind of freak. Even if I couldn’t make legit clothes, I could at least make a cloak or something to cover myself.

But I knew I should prepare myself for disappointment; I wouldn’t be at all surprised if I never got Human Transformation at all. If I did, great. But for now, I wasn’t going to get my hopes up. If it did happen…I hoped the human version of me was at least good-looking. What did I look like, anyway, back when I was human? Before I got into that egg? I couldn’t remember anything at all.

Back when I was human… I guess that meant my past life. A dragon lived a long time, and this was clearly a different world, so I was starting to accept that was just what happened. Reincarnation. At the start of this I kept expecting to wake up and have things go back to normal, or to discover that I was part of some kind of evil experiment, shoved into an egg-shaped capsule or something. Or maybe I had been sent away to some foreign country as part of a prank TV show. I had imagined all kinds of scenarios.

I wondered if maybe once I turned into a human, I’d see my face and all the memories of my past life would come flooding back. Maybe my appearance would be based on the me from before.

I was incredibly curious, but it didn’t actually matter that much. If anything, remembering might just make this more painful. Maybe it was better that I’d forgotten after all.

So the plan was, I’d turn into a super good-looking human, meet up with Myria again and become friends with her, then reveal my true form. “Hey, I’m the dragon who saved you that time.” Like that old folktale, Crane’s Return of a Favor. Maybe I could make clothes out of my scales. Nah, probably not. That wouldn’t work. Scraping my skin like that would probably hurt a ton.

Wasn’t that kind of romantic, though? Not the scraping my skin part, just the hopes and dreams part…

Okay, I should stop there.

I must really be a mess if I was having all these weird fantasies. I smacked myself in the face to try to snap out of it. This was not the time for daydreaming, it was time to leave this cave and do some leveling. Some nice monsters about half my level should do the trick. Something I could knock out with one good Dragon Punch.

I poked around and found a shallow pool of bright blue water. Or maybe that was talking it up a bit much. Wait, was it…wriggling? Was that a monster? It didn’t look that strong, and so possibly good for gaining experience. Didn’t seem like I could eat it, though. If I forced myself I bet I’d just get a stomachache.

Might as well use “View Status” on it to be sure.

Normal Skill “View Status” Lv 3 is unable to retrieve that information.

ϔ#Ǣ: S**me

&MΔЀ(: N*

NƸ^: 6/15

ZЯӘ~: 17/19

ӤᾸ¥«: */5

¿Á£J°ĈȢ: 7

ʘF$\ƎΒL: 4

ΞP)Ϟ%Q: *

@£IĈΔU: *

ΦG▪˂ꓭ6¢: F+

*****:

*Ǝ*: Lv —

*****:

**§**R: Lv —

*****:

Ð**!*: Lv —

*****:

**: Lv –

ɤ±***ɰX: Lv —

**ΨY*: Lv —

ƵO&***: Lv — ***: Lv —

***ß*: Lv —

*****:

¿***Ö**: Lv —

Gaah! I think my brain’s melting!

Normal Skill “View Status” Lv 3 has become Lv 4.

Wait, huh? Um…uh… What?! Okay, this is creepy! There’s no way I should go anywhere near that guy!

Good thing I had View Status, or else I might’ve gotten close to the…whatever it was. I used the skill every day, but it had never been such a lifesaver before. If I hadn’t decided to check it, I might be dead right now. The stats that I could see weren’t that high, but there was a deep creepiness to all of it. It wasn’t even that far away from the cave I’d settled down in.

Should I even be in this forest? Should that village even be in this forest, for that matter? I mean, there were some crazy monsters out here. I guessed that “S**me” meant “Slime”? If so, the slimes of this world were incredibly sinister. This was some Cthulhu-type stuff here!

At first I wondered if that weird View Status reaction happened because it was such a high level, or because it was much stronger than me, but this slime was only a Rank F+. So what was going on here?

Whatever the case, I needed to get the heck out of here before it noticed me. I had a feeling I’d regret it for the rest of my life if I got involved with it, which might not be very much longer. Because it could kill me on the spot. I kept my eye on the mysterious creature and backed away from it. Very, very slowly. I just really did not feel good about this slime!

Please don’t notice me. Please don’t notice me—whoa! I was walking backwards, and my foot got caught, knocking me off balance. The slime surged closer, most likely reacting to the noise. It wasn’t fast, but it was definitely moving towards me, sliding across the ground without hesitation.

“Raaaaaaaaar!”

I impulsively let out a roar and used Roll, retreating from the slime.

Gained Resistance Skill “Fear Resistance” Lv 1.

Gained Normal Skill “Bellow” Lv 1.

Title Skill “Chicken Runner” Lv 1 has become Lv 2.

Interlude:
The Girl’s Adventure

I WALKED THROUGH the woods alone.

The forest near the village crawled with monsters. I often ventured a short way into the trees to gather mushrooms or medicinal herbs, but I’d never gone this deep before on my own. Marielle would be furious if she knew. No matter—I had no choice but to go.

I probably should have brought backup, but Doz was missing and poor Grantz had just been killed. Rumors about a dragon sighting were circulating—a big one, seen flying deep into the forest. It looked injured, but no one wanted to risk an encounter.

I knew it was dangerous, so I didn’t pester them. Besides, if I asked around too much, word would get back to Marielle and she’d put a stop to my adventure before it began.

So, alone it was.

A long time ago, it was forbidden to venture deep into the forest. People thought it would anger the gods who protected the village, but by the time I was born that was considered more of a superstition by most people, though some of the elders still believed it. Marielle was one of the believers, so she didn’t look kindly on forest explorers. She was old enough that she took the village’s customs very seriously, despite how little and cute she was. Ha, she’d make such a grumpy face if she heard me say that.

I kept my ears open, listening closely to my surroundings as I made my careful way through the forest. It would be okay. After all, I could use magic. I could fight off weak monsters by myself.

From behind me came a rustling in the brush. I whipped around to find an enormous caterpillar—a darkwyrm. It was almost as large as I was, and its black squirming body wriggled across the ground towards me.

I was startled, but at the same time I felt relieved. Even I could beat a darkwyrm.

“Fireball!”

Flames shot from my staff, blazing toward the darkwyrm. It turned tail and ran.

“Phew…”

I let out a sigh of relief as it disappeared from view. Marielle said darkwyrms were F Rank monsters and therefore weren’t very dangerous; even regular people could deal with them. I was more than capable of defeating a monster like that.

The most I could do to an E Rank monster was incapacitate it. Doz could take one on his own, though. But the danger level really jumped with D Rank monsters. Everything below that had about as much power as the average adventurer. But D Rank and higher were as strong as at least three humans.

Four skilled adventurers could defeat a C Rank monster, but only if they planned very carefully beforehand. Our village sometimes had to go to the bigger city and ask for help defeating tougher monsters.

If I came across anything higher than a D Rank, I had to take care not to provoke it and run away. If it chased me, my only recourse was to use fire magic and hope that scared it off. But even coming across one was putting my life in danger, and in the forest the odds weren’t exactly low.

So why come to the forest in the first place?

Because when Bälz returned from a fishing trip, he said he’d seen Doz. Doz, who was still missing. Bälz was out by the lake, which was right between the town and the forest, when he felt someone watching him from the woods. He looked up and saw Doz looking out at him from among the trees.

Doz was acting strangely, mumbling to himself. Bälz called out to him and Doz smiled, but then he ran off into the trees like he’d seen something scary. One of his legs dragged behind him. His clothes were in tatters, his face gaunt. The edges of his mouth were tinged blue. He looked very unwell.

Unsurprising, considering how dangerous the forest was for a lone adventurer. And it was very strange to hear that he’d reached the edge of the forest only to turn back.

The rest of the village dismissed Bälz’s story as the ramblings of a drunk. They said he probably had one too many while he was out fishing. Bälz did like his liquor. Other than that, all his story accomplished so far was adding to the rumors that there were ghosts in the forest. It was easy to explain his story away as a tipsy fisherman who probably just saw a ghost.

Bälz swore he had nothing to drink that day, but no one believed him. A few people even said they’d seen him going into the forest with a bottle. One person said, “He’s probably just too embarrassed to admit it was because of his bad habits.”

Under normal circumstances, if Doz was known to be alive and wandering the forest, all the young men in the village would form a search party. The people chosen for the search would know they were risking their lives, but our village’s motto was “no one left behind.” Abandoning someone like this was expressly forbidden.

I’d heard people talk about past search parties many times, the stories repeated like old heroic tales. But now, because of all the rumors floating around, everyone was too afraid to venture into the forest. Doz wasn’t popular to begin with either, hence why no one had come forward to suggest forming a search party.

The eyewitness who claimed he’d seen Doz acting strangely, added to the sightings of the giant dragon, meant that no one really knew what was going on in the forest, or what unknown risks they’d be facing. That was the excuse. But I think deep down it left a bitter taste in the villager’s mouths to dismiss the whole ordeal.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure I believed the people who said they’d seen Bälz leave with alcohol anyway.

I thought he might be telling the truth.

I wasn’t sure what had happened to Doz, but Bälz might be right. So that was why I’d decided to go deep into the forest, because if I had just been able to stop Doz that day, none of this would have happened. If I had talked to Marielle, or tried to convince Grantz not to go, I could’ve prevented the reckless provocation of the Rock Dragon. I was the only one who had a chance to stop it.

I wanted to believe that Doz wasn’t that deep in the forest. He’d been seen close to the village after all, if only briefly. I’d go just a short way in. There weren’t any monsters around here too strong for me to handle. Or at least…there shouldn’t be.

Chapter 5:
Claybear

PART 1

THREE DAYS HAD PASSED since my battle to the death with the potortoises. I spent most of my time quite peacefully, drying piperis, seasoning the jerky, and torching carnivorous flowers for salt.

The jerky was coming along well, but yesterday a group of orangurangs—monsters that looked like red monkeys—came along and stole the entire batch. I woke up early in the morning to a commotion. Stepping outside, I found the evil monkey gang laughing and chittering as they devoured my jerky. I hadn’t felt such rage in a long time.

I chased after them, but they were ridiculously fast and I lost them in seconds. After I’d calmed down and was able to think clearly, I realized that a big group like that could definitely kill me. Orangurangs’ stats were pretty high. I could take them one-on-one, but fighting that many at once would be suicide.

So I let them have the jerky, and hunted a bunch of graywolves to make another batch. It wasn’t so much that I was dying for jerky, more just stubbornness on my part. Still, I was nervous that those darn orangurangs would come back and steal it again. And if they came while I was asleep, there was nothing I could do.

So I got some poisonous plants, boiled them in my tortoiseshell pot, and brewed up a nice, strong poison. Then I dipped each piece of jerky in the concoction. Just imagining those red monkeys writhing in pain filled me with satisfaction. This was the best way to make sure they never came back.

The pelts were done disinfecting and drying out, so I took them down to the lake to wash the salt off. I used Baby’s Breath on a tree to burn off the little branches and leaves, making myself a laundry pole. I slung the pelts over it and let them dry. Now I had a perfect rug for my cave house.

I wasn’t sure I’d preserved it properly, but it would do for now. I lay down on top of the soft, comfortable pelt. I was working on building up a solid supply of salt and other spices while hunting low-level monsters like graywolves and horned rabbits, which provided me with food for the day. Lately I only challenged E Rank monsters.

There was no harm in taking it easy, but it meant I hadn’t gained a single level in three whole days. My only skill that had improved was Mr. Chef, to Lv 3. Maybe I’d venture out farther than usual today. I wanted a few more pots to store my ingredients—one for meat, one for salt, and one for spices. I needed a new cooking pot as well. I had been so consumed with my desire to avenge my lost jerky that I didn’t think things through before using my one and only pot to cook up a batch of poison.

If only getting new pots was simple. I found it was nearly impossible to defeat a potortoise without breaking its shell. Out of the ten I’d killed, only one of the shells had been usable, and even that one was pretty beat up.

I used Roll to explore a part of the forest I’d never been to before, searching for new food sources and anything else I could use as a pot. I ran into a horned rabbit on the way there, but after a little game of tag I managed to take it down.

That bought me a bit of experience. It would be too much of a pain to carry it with me, so I left it and planned to pick it up on my way home.

Is it just me, or was that horned rabbit really fast? True, I hadn’t seen much action lately, so my senses were probably a little dulled. I really needed to get my edge back with more challenging battles, something with a little tension—nothing too far above my own rank, though. After the Little Rock Dragon and the Giant Potortoise, I’d had enough of C Rank monsters. Even nine lives wouldn’t be enough to keep fighting those guys.

I pondered this as I rolled around, until I heard a strange noise. Suspicious, I paused.

Thump, squish. Thump, squish.

Thump, squish. Thump, squish.

What in the world was that? I mean, it sounded like footsteps but…odd. It must be a monster I’d never come across before, but I couldn’t glean anything more than that.

I held my breath and hid myself behind the trees. Then I slowly, slowly made my way towards the sound. And there it was…some kind of huge bear.

Well, it looked like a bear, but it wasn’t a bear. I wasn’t actually sure what it was. It was hard to explain, but it almost looked like a model of a bear…like a lump of mud made to look like one.

Uh…at any rate, time to check View Status.

Normal Skill “View Status” Lv 5 cannot provide that information. Target is out of range.

Guess I was a smidge too far out. But it looked dangerous, so I didn’t want to get any closer.

“View Status” cannot retrieve target’s status; however, it is able to provide information regarding Species.

Hey, I didn’t know View Status had such a convenient function. I think I’ll go ahead and use it.

“Claybear” Rank D+ Monster. A monster born from the earth. Very powerful with high regenerative abilities.

A D+ Rank monster, huh? So it was the same rank as me. I could definitely take it on, and I bet it’d give me a lot of experience, too. The only downside was that I doubted any amount of grilling or boiling would make it appetizing.

But maybe if I beat it, I can melt it back down to clay and form some pots out of it? Okay, it’s decided. I’ll destroy it, reshape it, and use it to decorate my home.

Chapter 6:
Venom Princess Lacerta

PART 1

MY HOME RENOVATIONS were finally almost complete. I spent three days tidying up, preparing the walls and floor, and sweeping out all the dust. I piled claybear bricks against the wall and lay graywolf fur carpeting on the floor. I put my handcrafted cooking pots and containers in the corner.

I set stone sculptures on either side of the cave entrance. The clumsiness of my first attempts was long gone; during those three days of crafting, my Ceramic Artisan skill jumped to Lv 4.

Now I was totally prepared for a human caller. Won’t someone show up soon? Once they see such a perfect abode, there’s no way they’ll think I’m some violent dragon.

But in the meantime, I had to get more food. I’d eaten all the jerky I had stored up, and even all the meat that hadn’t dried all the way yet.

If I spent another day working, I’d be left with just the poisoned jerky I made for the orangurangs. They showed up again briefly, but once they saw nothing was left on the trees, they left disappointed. Sorry, losers, I ate it all myself.

It was a good thing I hadn’t left the poisoned jerky out yet. It was hard to tell apart from the good stuff, and I could have easily eaten it accidentally if it had gotten mixed in. Luckily, the color was slightly different, so I could tell if I looked closely.

So after three days inside my cave, I set out on a hunt again. I was really letting my battle practice slide, in favor of renovating. I guess I tend to hyperfixate.

I had no reason to push myself this time. I’d just take it easy and hunt some graywolves. I was craving more jerky.

I was Lv 33 and evolution was drawing nearer, but I still hadn’t racked up any good deeds. I needed to get on that before my next transformation. Laying waste to that narcotic mushroom didn’t really count. For now, though, there was no need to do anything but hunt easy monsters.

And who knew? Maybe the Mr. Chef and Ceramic Artisan skills would be enough to get me off the Evil Dragon path. I could turn myself into a human and live out the rest of my days as an artist. Ha! I bet that would annoy the Divine Voice. It always came off as pretty chill; part of me wanted to see it completely lose its cool and start flooding me with bright red warning text or something. The rest of me was still kind of scared of it.

I was glad I’d gathered so much salt and piperis. I had one pot full of each, which would probably last me at least a year. I was set for seasonings, at least!

My plan was to try to raise my title skills a little each day, and also look for chances to do good, until I gained enough levels to evolve. I’d hunt just as many monsters as I needed to eat. If I got the next evolution wrong, there would be no going back, so I had to be very careful. The Divine Voice had proved itself a manipulator and a liar. I wasn’t going to be deceived by its sweet words again.

As I walked, I used View Status on the forest vegetation. I found nothing but F Value plants, none of them particularly interesting. It was kind of disappointing, really. I’d wanted to try making a potion or something.

Then I spotted some beautiful bright red flowers. I could pull them up by the roots and plant them around the entrance of my cave. Yeah, my next goal could be gardening!

I reached out my hand to use View Status, but some kind of black lump jumped out at me from the brush, sharp fangs aimed right for my undefended arm.

I knocked it aside reflexively, putting some distance between us and dropping into a fighting stance. The thing was a black lizard about two feet long. It must have been hiding in the grass watching me, waiting for a chance to strike.

Species: Venom Princess Lacerta

Status: Normal

Lv: 19/35

HP: 86/108

MP: 117/127

Attack: 52

Defense: 58

Magic: 75

Agility: 128

Rank: D-

Special Skills:

Special Venom: Lv —

Poison Belt: Lv 6

Scale: Lv 1

Undercover: Lv 2

Dark Type: Lv —

Resistance Skills:

Poison Immunity: Lv —

Paralysis Immunity: Lv —

Normal Skills:

Venom Fangs: Lv 3

Venom Claws: Lv 2

Paralyzing Venom Tongue: Lv 3

Double Poison: Lv 2

Roll: Lv 3

Clay Gun: Lv 4

Cure Poison: Lv 1

Surprise Attack: Lv 2

Title Skills:

Bizarre Gastronomist: Lv 5

Poison Master: Lv 4

Cunning: Lv 3

Chicken Runner: Lv 4

What the heck? It’s so fast, and those poison skills seem like bad news! This thing’s beyond my level!

Nah, hang on, maybe it’s closer to an equal match up. It might just look stronger than it is. Its other stats are low, and even though it has a ton of skills, almost all of them are poison-based. There are probably lots of circumstances where it doesn’t have the right skills for the job.

Having dodged my counterattack, the black lizard darted back into the grass and vanished.

Did it run away? No, it’s too soon for that.

I strained my ears. It was probably hiding—it did have the title skill Cunning, after all.

A suspicious rustle in the grass came from my blind spot. I turned toward the sound, braced for it to come jumping out at me. Something did, hitting me with a little tap.

What was that? A pellet of dirt?

Suddenly I remembered the skill Clay Gun. It got me. That was definitely a trap to lure my attention.

I felt an intense heat from my shoulder; it had circled around behind me and latched on. I’m an idiot. Standing around here following the sound of pellets was exactly what it wanted!

I didn’t have time to think. I slammed my shoulder into the tree.

“Giiii!”

The black lizard let out a scream as it was shaken loose and hit the ground. I tried to follow it, but I was distracted by the heat in my shoulder.

“Gssh, gshh, giiiiiiiiish!”

It laughed at me and fled at a frightening speed.

What, it’s just running away? Or is it gonna hide somewhere? And why does my shoulder hurt so much? I have Poison Resistance Lv 3! The wound felt horrible, and it was radiating through my body like something was spreading.

Resistance Skill “Poison Resistance” Lv 3 has become Lv 4.

Oh, it went up! That’s good, at least.

Still, I might be in trouble. The Venom Princess Lacerta had that odd skill—what was it? Special Venom? My shoulder had gone completely numb.

Chapter 7:
The Double-Headed Monster Twinheads

PART 1

“GSSH, gssh…”

The sound of light snoring drew me out of a hazy sleep.

“Gssh…”

The black lizard dozed right by my nose. Its tail gently petted me in its sleep.

Wow, this lizard has terrible sleeping habits. It was the day after it followed me home, and the little creature had been clingy the whole time. I’d tried to move away from it since one lazy nip could kill me, but it insisted on sleeping like this.

I was pretty sure it had fallen asleep on the opposite side of the cave. How in the world had it survived out in the wild? Did it try to snuggle up to other monsters

in their caves? I wonder if it dug a hole in the ground and slept there. Maybe I should dig one in here?

I didn’t want it to knock over my pots in its sleep. I worked so hard gathering and drying and crushing all that piperis, I couldn’t risk it getting mixed in with the poison. I’d pretty much gathered the carnivorous flowers to the point of extinction by now, so I didn’t want all that salt to go to waste, either.

Maybe I needed to make something for the black lizard to sleep on, too. A bed with a fence around it or something. A baby’s crib.

I looked at its sleeping face. It was practically clinging to the carpet, drifting deeply and peacefully. No wonder it was so comfy, if it had been sleeping on bare earth this whole time. Its scales weren’t as thick as mine.

After the lizard woke up, we went down to a nearby lake to drink. I checked both of our statuses to see how we were, health-wise.

Species: Young Plague Dragon

Status: Normal

Lv: 33/40

HP: 149/149

MP: 143/143

Species: Venom Princess Lacerta

Status: Normal

Lv: 20/35

HP: 110/110

MP: 131/131

No negative status conditions, and our HP and MP were full. The black lizard had even gained a level, probably from when we fought the graywolf pack yesterday.

The Little Rock Dragon had a title skill called Final Evolution, but there was no sign of anything similar on my lizard friend’s skill list. It could still evolve.

I really needed to get moving on that, too, so I could be done with this Plague Dragon form for good. If the lizard and I worked together like we had yesterday, I’d level up in no time.

Unfortunately, neither of us had recovery magic. That would open up so many more possibilities as we fought together and act as insurance in a worst-case scenario. If only I hadn’t chosen this evolution path, I might have finally learned Rest.

Every time I went through the forest and found a new plant, I’d used View Status. Today I located a patch of some colorful grass. I ran over and picked some.

Rainbow Clover: Value F-. Clover with rainbow colored leaves. Used to transfer MP to a member of the same species.

Hmm, this would really brighten up the space around my home and give me something nice to wake up to every morning. When I have more free time, I should come back, dig up a bunch and transplant them.

A favorite food of darkwyrms, who will often completely devour an entire patch.

Huh, in that case, I’ll need to figure out a pesticide first. I could work with the black lizard to develop a poison that only kills bugs. I glanced over at my new friend, who blinked at me curiously in response. Despite our language barrier, it seemed to sense my high hopes and gave me an enthusiastic “Gssh!”

Oh, a four-leaf clover!

I wasn’t going to do anything with it, but I went ahead and picked it out of habit from my previous life. I wasn’t even sure if it was considered good luck in this world.

Blue, red, yellow, white, and a shiny gray. If I transplant all of these, I can make a colorful garden of rainbow clovers! Then I bet I’d get a whole swarm of darkwyrms to happily visit my house. I have a feeling they’d really have a blast.

I put the four-leaf clover down on the pile. Then I saw one with five leaves. I wondered if, true to their name, they went all the way up to seven leaves for the seven colors of the rainbow. But my excitement from finding a four-leaf clover was starting to fade, so I decided to come back to them later.

“Gssh?”

The black lizard looked up at me as if to say, “Are you finished?”

I nodded and we kept walking.

Smelling a sweet and tempting fragrance, I picked a nearby flower, only to check its status and realize it was poisonous. I passed it to the black lizard. I found a pretty red flower and checked its status: A flower that blooms on top of human corpses. Often grows around battlefields and cemeteries. I immediately jumped away. The rest of the walk was a bust.

“Gssh, gssh!”

The lizard came to an abrupt stop and turned towards me, making an angry noise. I sensed caution in its voice, which put me on edge.

Hm? What’s going on? Did I accidentally step on your tail?

“Gssh, gshh!”

I didn’t know what it was trying to tell me so I just stood there as its cries grew higher and higher pitched.

Is it mad because I tossed that poisonous flower over to it or something? Nah, it looked like it really enjoyed it. Maybe assuming it would eat it was insulting somehow?

“Gssh!”

Suddenly a light enveloped the black lizard and several yellow clay lumps shot out. It was using its Clay Gun skill.

That was when I finally realized that something was very wrong. I jumped aside and hit the ground, rolling and leaping to my feet to get out of the way of the gun’s path. Several clay bullets blasted through the spot where I had just been standing.

A bizarre creature leapt out from the brush where the lizard had aimed the Clay Gun bullets.

“Ga-woof, ga-woof!”

It was a huge two-headed dog.

The faces had creepy, squashed-in noses. Not only were the two heads totally freaky, I could feel an intense mental pressure as it squared off against me. But the scariest part by far was the contrasting expressions on the two faces.

The left one had an intimidatingly angry face, and the other one had such a sad crying face that it almost made me feel sorry for it. Both were so expressive that it was hard to believe it was a monster. The dichotomy threw me off balance and, frankly, scared the crap out of me.

I didn’t even have to check its status to know that this guy was bad news.

Bonus Story 1:
A Day with the Black Lizard

PART 1

THE DAY AFTER I met the black lizard, we decided to take a stroll through the woods around my cave. As the two of us made our way through the forest, it rubbed up against me. I patted it gently with my tail.

Having a friend with me was a truly different experience; I’d been alone for so long that I’d forgotten just how different it was. Around lunchtime, I found the perfect stump to take a rest on. I sat down, and the black lizard climbed into my lap.

I was just thinking how hungry I was when a pack of graywolves crept up and attacked.

The head graywolf struck first. I used my wings to deflect its tackle and pushed it back, throwing it off balance. I used the opening to slash its throat open. Witnessing their leader’s defeat, the other graywolves turned and fled. Normally I would go after them, but today I decided to let them be.

I used my claws to clean and gut the graywolf’s carcass, discarding the entrails and skinning off the fur. I grilled up the meat with Baby’s Breath and shared it with the black lizard.

Since I didn’t carry piperis around with me, the meal was very plain. And of course, I didn’t have any poison for the lizard’s portion, either. I briefly considered jogging back to the cave to get some, but decided having simple meat for a change was fine.

After lunch, I dozed off for a bit. The sun filtering through the trees was just warm enough; I was very comfortable.

The black lizard climbed up on me again and licked my face.

Hm? Neutralize Poison? But I’m not poisoned right now. Hey, that tickles!

Suddenly, I sensed a presence behind us. I turned and found myself looking at a monstrous bear with four arms peeking through the trees. It was a quadursa, a D Rank monster.

I’d never fought one before, but I’d seen one a really long time ago and had checked its status. It was pretty strong and a worthy opponent. The Divine Voice told me it had a large body and used its four arms as well as you’d expect, pulling off multiple attacks in succession.

Its eyes were focused right on me and the black lizard like it was waiting for the perfect chance to strike. It had probably been watching us for a while now. We had to decide whether to run or to fight.

The black lizard still hadn’t noticed the quadursa. I wanted to let it know right away, but if I made one wrong move I had a feeling the bear would attack immediately. Somehow, I needed to alert the lizard to the presence of this dangerous creature without provoking it.

I gently tapped the black lizard on the shoulder.

“Gsh!”

It didn’t understand my warning, instead licking my cheek again. Okay, well, that didn’t work. Looked like I had to be a bit more direct, and risk provoking this thing.

We were far enough away from it that we could escape without too much trouble. I just had to make sure the black lizard knew what I was doing. I glanced over at the bear. Our eyes met and it moved one of its four arms.

Wait, did it have a long-range attack?

I picked the black lizard up and spread my wings around us, forming a protective cocoon between us and the bear. I waited about five seconds, but nothing happened.

“Gssh?”

The lizard gave me a puzzled look. I peeked out from between my wings at the quadursa. It was giving us a thumbs up with all four hands. Then it gave a wry chuckle as if to say, “Sorry to interrupt you.” It lowered its hands and left.

What the heck was up with that bear? What did it think the lizard and I were doing, exactly?

Bonus Story 2:
A Day in the Life of the Girl

THAT DAY, I’d gone out into the forest to gather medicinal herbs at Marielle’s request. She had gone to the city to buy some medicine at her friend’s shop, but she wanted to stockpile some ingredients of her own.

I wished she’d take me with her to the city, but lately she always went alone. I was dying to sample all the delicious food in town and window shop, too. But even more than that, it made me anxious to think about Marielle going off by herself.

I was sure that if I told her that, she’d just scowl like she always did. Maybe it was because she looked so young, but I always worried that she’d get kidnapped, or lost, or attacked by wild dogs or something. Even though deep down I knew she was more mature than I was, and capable of fighting off a pack of wolves, much less dogs.

Even if I hated it, I knew why she left me behind.

I went with her to the city a short time ago, and she’d said, “All right, I’m going to visit with a friend. She doesn’t much like strangers, so I want you to wait here.” Then she left me and went into the shop.

I heard cheerful voices in the distance, and I was so curious that I disobeyed Marielle and began to wander on my own.

A cat on the street corner was performing tricks and charging people money to watch. It was a creature called a cat-sìth—rare, extremely intelligent felines that could use magic.

The crowd was large, and I had to stand on my tiptoes to catch a glimpse of the cat’s performance. It balanced on two legs on top of a ball, balanced a smaller ball on the tip of its nose, and danced. Halfway through, a kind person noticed how interested I was in the performance and let me stand in the front.

It was so fascinating that I lost all track of time and watched until the very end. I splurged a little and paid a fee so I could shake the cat’s paw.

When it was all over, I snapped back to reality and rushed to the door of the shop, but Marielle wasn’t there. I went inside and asked the proprietor, but she said Marielle had left a long time ago.

I ran through the streets asking everyone, “Have you seen a little girl? She’s about this tall!” No one had. I couldn’t find her.

I stopped to catch my breath, leaning my hands against a wall and panting. “I’m going to get in so much trouble,” I muttered to myself. Just then, I looked up and saw Marielle flanked by two city guards.

Apparently, much to her dismay, they’d mistaken her for a lost child. She was desperately trying to explain the situation to them.

“As I said, due to my ancestry I appear young, but I’m not!”

“Yes, yes, we heard you the first time. Someone’s been looking around for a lost kid. Maybe your mom or your older brother is out searching for you?”

“I-I I told you!”

The guards clearly didn’t believe Marielle and chuckled at her story. I tried to intervene, but I just ended up making it worse.

“Excuse me! I’m the girl’s mother! I’m so sorry about this!” I ran over and dipped my head to the guards. Marielle bit her lip and stared coldly at me. Meanwhile, the guards grinned hugely. I could still see it vividly in my mind.

Marielle hadn’t taken me with her to the city ever since then.

I stopped as the forest shrine came into view. Everyone in town said it acted as a boundary, marking where the deep forest began. Beyond the shrine was where the monsters appeared.

I checked the medicinal herbs in my basket. I knew I should probably turn back soon. I had enough. I’d mainly gathered Sawtooth Grass, good for absorbing blood and the main ingredient in Sawtooth spirits, a cure-all draft. The Sawtooth spirits didn’t actually do anything, but for some reason they fetched a high price in the city.

Well, the mind was a powerful thing, so as long as the people who bought it were satisfied, I supposed it was harmless. I just hoped no one ever tried to start something over its lack of effect.

I headed back to town and headed for Marielle’s house. She was due back from the city, and I hoped she’d brought me back a souvenir in exchange for gathering the herbs. The thought of that put a little skip in my step.

I rapped on her door. No answer.

“Marielle!” I called out as I eased the door open. I always checked on her medicines and took care of her plants when she was away, so I was allowed to come and go as I pleased. I had a spare key and a room made up for me, too.

I looked around inside, but Marielle was nowhere to be found.

“Marielle?” I called out again. I wondered if she could be cooped up in her room, working on something.

I went upstairs and knocked lightly on the door. Normally I would wait until I heard her voice from inside, but visions of souvenirs danced in my mind. I was impatient.

I opened the door and peeked into the room. Marielle was inside, standing in front of the mirror with her head bent. She was looking at the reflection of her feet.

Suddenly, she whipped her head up and blinked at me, eyes wild. She grabbed the mirror and quickly flipped it down to the floor with a thud and a cloud of dust.

“Hrm… Looks like this place could stand to be aired out.” She was trying to sound nonchalant, but the expression on her face gave everything away. Her eyes darted around awkwardly, and the corners of her mouth were tense. “C-can’t you wait to be allowed inside? That wasn’t very ladylike of you.”

“I’m sorry. Um, I did call your name several times, so I thought you would’ve heard me if you were in here.”

“O-oh, did you? Sorry, then.” Marielle finally met my gaze.

Odd. Normally, we couldn’t make eye contact unless she looked up at me, but for some reason we were currently at the exact same height.

I looked down at her feet.

The soles of her shoes looked awfully thick. Was she planning on climbing a mountain of needles or something? She realized where I was looking and met my eyes with panic.

“Well, I’m very busy!” I said. “I-I’ll just put the herbs next to the fireplace!”

“H-hang on a minute. Wait, Myria! It’s not what you think!” She tried to stop me but I ignored her, shutting the door behind me and racing down the stairs.

I set the basket down and left her house. I thought back to what I’d seen. Was she wearing those shoes to make herself look taller? Did she go all the way to the city just to buy them? I guess her height really did bother her.

She must have felt self-conscious about it. That was why she was staring at her reflection. I’m sorry, Marielle. But it feels really weird for you to be tall!

Afterword

HELLO, it’s nice to meet you! I’m the author, Necoco. I originally submitted this story to a certain website that features novels, but then I was contacted by Earth Star Novels, who asked if I wanted to publish. After editing and rewriting, it was turned into a book.

When I first received the message through the site asking if I would consider publication, my heart pounded like crazy. I wouldn’t say it felt like it would explode or anything, but I definitely felt like I’d lost at least three days off of my lifespan. Because my heart raced like that for literally three whole days.

It was only the second time in my life that my heart had ever raced like that. The first was when a car plowed through a guardrail right in front of me.

Please drive safely to avoid accidents, everyone. You never know when something dangerous can happen. And sometimes it happens when you least expect it. I still have dreams about that and think “I would’ve been crushed as flat as a newspaper.” Just so you know, there were apparently no serious injuries or fatalities, so please don’t worry.

Sorry, I went off on a tangent there. I was using up space. I’ll get back to the point.

I thought things would go smoothly with the publishing process, but there were tough obstacles standing in my way and one storm after another.

I went back and forth about how I wanted the Status Screen to be displayed. I asked my parents for advice but then they told my entire family about the novel. I was so embarrassed, I got into a huge fight with them for the first time in years. Then, I forgot the password to my email account and couldn’t get in contact with my editor. Looking back on it I can say I totally self-destructed.

But it was all worth it in the end, because the status screen turned out wonderfully. I made several suggestions and someone worked very hard on the layout for me.

To my editor, I’m so sorry I was so demanding even though we were so short on time. I’d like to take this moment to apologize. Even though I don’t actually feel bad about it.

Supposedly it’s getting more and more rare to see status screens in stories published on the web; most of them are written out vertically.

But why? They look so much better when they’re written out the other way! Or at least that’s what I thought, so I decided to do it horizontally. But as the manuscript went on, I realized that writing them out horizontally was so restrictive. I got so frustrated I even cried about it.

After going back and forth on it several times, I finally agreed to do it vertically.

I’m very relieved that it looks like this now. I have plans for even more parts about the main character’s status in the story, so I hope you don’t mind. There might be a ton of status screens in the second volume. Sorry if the book ends up being so thick you can’t even fit it on your shelf. I guess you’ll have to stack it on its side.

I’d like to end this by saying thank you to Earth Star Novels for publishing the book, NAJI Yanagida for the beautiful, realistic illustrations, everyone who supported me since my days on the website, and of course my readers who purchased this book. Thank you all so very much.

I hope we meet each other again very soon.

Writing this as I look out at the wilting avocado tree beside my window.

—NECOCO