Table of Contents

Color Inserts

Title Page

Characters

Table of Contents Page

The Story So Far

Copyrights and Credits

Chapter 1: Meeting the Ballrabbit

Chapter 2: Hunting in the Desert

Chapter 3: The Carriage and the Dragon

Interlude: The Hero’s Epic Tale

Chapter 4: Thorny Spawn

Chapter 5: Master of the Oasis

Chapter 6: The Assassin from Harunae

Chapter 7: The Nightmare Returns

Interlude: The Hero’s Epic Tale Act 2

Bonus Story 1: The Girl’s Faraway Journey

Bonus Story 2: The Slime’s Tale

Afterword

Newsletter

Chapter 1:
Meeting the Ballrabbit

 

Part 1

……

………………….

MY CONSCIOUSNESS returned slowly. I was aware of time passing, but my brain felt foggy. I remembered defeating the Little Rock Dragon and then plunging into the river with that slime thing…before blacking out. I had no idea what happened after that.

My eyelids felt too heavy to lift. I heard a rushing noise, like waves crashing on a shore. My lower body was uncomfortably chilly; I had to be submerged in water.

I tried to sit up, but my joints were stiff and painful. I couldn’t move my arms or legs. I pushed harder and heard a horrible snapping noise.

That isn’t good. I need a special dragon doctor or something. Judging by how stiff I felt, I must’ve been out for days, not just hours. Years…? Probably not. Or at least…I hoped not.

Even the muscles controlling my eyelids felt too tight to work, but I somehow managed to force them open. Blue filled my vision. In the distance, sunlight reflected off the water.

Is that the ocean? Am I on a beach? Guess the river washed me all the way out to the shore. Which means I have no idea where I am in relation to my forest. Though I don’t plan to go back there until I can do something about that disastrous Dragon Scale Powder skill.

I was just happy that I survived.

I moved my shoulders and legs to loosen them up. Doing that for a while got the blood flowing back to my brain, all my senses sharpening. My mind was clear; I could check my status. That slime had attached itself to me, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it had mooched some of my skills. It had swiped the black lizard’s Neutralize Poison ability, after all.

 

Illusia

Species: Plague Dragon

Status: Normal

Lv: 20/75

HP: 249/249

MP: 192/192

Attack: 239

Defense: 178

Magic: 164

Agility: 161

Rank: B-

Special Skills:

Dragon Scale: Lv 5

Divine Voice: Lv 4

Grecian Language: Lv 3

Fly: Lv 5

Dragon Scale Powder: Lv 4

Dark Type: Lv —

Wicked Dragon: Lv —

Automatic HP Recovery: Lv 3

Psychic Sense: Lv 2

Resistance Skills:

Physical Resistance: Lv 4

Falling Resistance: Lv 5

Hunger Resistance: Lv 4

Poison Resistance: Lv 5

Loneliness Resistance: Lv 5

Magic Resistance: Lv 3

Dark Resistance: Lv 3

Light Resistance: Lv 2

Fear Resistance: Lv 2

Asphyxiation Resistance: Lv 3

Paralysis Resistance: Lv 2

Normal Skills:

Roll: Lv 6

View Status: Lv 5

Scorching Breath: Lv 5

Whistle: Lv 1

Dragon Punch: Lv 3

Disease Breath: Lv 3

Venom Fangs: Lv 3

Paralyzing Venom Claws: Lv 3

Dragon Tail: Lv 1

Bellow: Lv 1

Meteorite: Lv 2

Nutcracker: Lv 3

Human Transformation: Lv 3

Whirlwind Slash: Lv 1

Neckbreaker: Lv 2

Title Skills:

Dragon King’s Son: Lv —

Walking Egg: Lv —

Klutz: Lv 4

Just an Idiot: Lv 1

Infighter: Lv 4

Pest Killer: Lv 3

Safety First: Lv 1

Liar: Lv 2

King of Evasion: Lv 1

Protective Spirit: Lv 5

Itty-Bitty Hero: Lv 5

Wrongdoer: Lv 6

Calamity: Lv 5

Chicken Runner: Lv 2

Mr. Chef: Lv 3

Dastardly King: Lv 4

Stalwart: Lv 2

Giant Killer: Lv 1

Ceramic Artisan: Lv 4

Clan Boss: Lv 1

Laplace Interference Authority: Lv 1

 

I’d really powered up a lot. I didn’t particularly want this evolution, but I still got a huge boost going from a D-rank monster to a lower-level rank B. My attack power especially—it was over 200. If I wanted to, I could crush a Little Rock Dragon to bits.

Did I lose any stats or skills? Hm, not that I can tell. I’m glad. Losing Roll would break my heart. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call Mr. Roll my partner in crime. That skill meant a lot to me. If I raced the black lizard again, I could smash right through the trees blocking my path, clearing the quickest route and claiming an overwhelming victory. Not to be cocky or anything.

It didn’t look like I lost any skills at all. In fact, a bunch of them went up. My Normal Skill Nutcracker was at level 3, and my Title Skill Itty-Bitty Hero was at level 5. My overall level had gone up by one too.

Wow, shouldn’t that slime have been worth way more experience points that that? It was so stubborn and nasty, but I guess its rank and stats were pretty low. Seriously, though. That thing was so creepy.

Thinking back on the encounter, more memories returned to me. I hadn’t had time to analyze it during the heat of battle, but the slime had a lot of strange properties. It knew I understood human language, and it mentioned things like “skill,” “level,” and “gaining resistance”—almost as if it knew about the Divine Voice.

But one thing stuck out most: it clocked how dangerous the black lizard was. The moment I poisoned it, the slime immediately knew to absorb Neutralize Poison. It had to have View Status among all the skills it took from other monsters. And I hadn’t really been listening, but I could’ve sworn it mentioned the Divine Voice at some point.

Would something with that slime’s attitude follow that crappy excuse for a god? I couldn’t say, but I had a feeling the slime knew something I didn’t. Maybe it had even been reincarnated like me.

I was pretty sure that when I’d seen it slinking around my cave a while back it didn’t have View Status, which meant it either stole it or gained it some other way. That was a while ago, though, and I’d barely even checked. I could be wrong.

If it really did have View Status, it had to have known I had Divine Voice. So why hadn’t it been curious? Maybe it was closer to the Divine Voice than I was and had access to information I didn’t.

At any rate, the thing was dead, and my theories would never be more than that. Theories. Just a bunch of grasping at thin air.

I still had no idea how it controlled Doz and the mahawolves or why I couldn’t view its status clearly. Between the evolution and the slime and everything else, I’d suffered enough catastrophes that I would love to give the Divine Voice a piece of my mind. Trouble was, I didn’t even know what to get angry about.

The Divine Voice’s motives were a mystery, and I didn’t know how much influence it actually had. Did it cause the things that happened to me, or was it all just a coincidence? Some of its communications seemed very self-aware, but I didn’t know if it was even a sentient being.

What the heck are you, anyway?

Special Skill “Divine Voice” Lv 4 is unable to provide that explanation.

And here we go with the canned phrases again. I always got that response for everything that wasn’t a direct question about the system, and when it did feel like talking, it was always a one-sided stream of consciousness. A lousy communicator in general.

Well, no use tiring myself out thinking about it. I would just have to hope that another monster like the slime would show up—one that was willing to stop and chat.

Right now, exploration was my priority. I had to establish a home base and find something to eat.

My new post-evolution body most likely required way more food than I was used to. And after being asleep for so long, not to mention hurtling down a chasm into a river, I was starving. Here’s hoping some weak, tasty monsters live around here.

Chapter 2:
Hunting in the Desert

 

Part 1

 

AS I WOKE, I felt a strange tickling sensation around my belly. What was that? Was I having some kind of delayed reaction to the scorpion venom?

“Bpfeff! Bpfeff!”

Hey, that’s the noise the ballrabbit makes! It sounded so pitiful, like it was calling out for help. Was a monster attacking it? Where? I could hear it, but I couldn’t see it.

I used Psychic Sense and immediately felt a ping below me. I stood up swiftly, watching as the ballrabbit crawled out of the sand dune, its breathing ragged. It gulped air frantically. I must have changed positions while I slept and flopped down across the dune. My weight impacted the sand, blocking the rabbit from coming to the surface.

“Pfeff…” It finally caught its breath, shaking clumps of sand from its fur. It glared at me.

Hey, I’m sorry! I’m really sorry. I did it to protect you, but I guess it backfired. We came out okay though, right? Please forgive me.

The ballrabbit was cranky, but it went back to its old self when I fed it some cactus. This guy was so basic. All it ever thought about was food.

When it was finished, I put it on my head and continued on our way. Time to focus on leveling the ballrabbit and my next evolution. And tracking down some meat. If we found a D-rank monster, the rabbit might evolve in one go.

I walked for a while before coming upon a sleeping creature. It looked like the same species as the thing the giant centipede had been chasing. It probably wasn’t expecting to be disturbed first thing in the morning by something like me.

Its eyes weren’t quite closed; if I got too close it would wake up. Could I use View Status from this far away? I’d leveled that skill a lot.

 

Species: Garpanther

Status: Sleeping (Slight)

Lv: 27/48

HP: 123/123

MP: 98/98

Attack: 95

Defense: 84

Magic: 99

Agility: 164

Rank: D+

Special Skills:

Animal Instinct: Lv 1

Scent: Lv 2

Stealth: Lv 2

Psychic Sense: Lv 1

Crisis Sense: Lv 1

Resistance Skills:

Magical Resistance: Lv 3

Poison Resistance: Lv 1

Normal Skills:

Bellow: Lv 2

Bite: Lv 3

Mirage: Lv 2

Beast Tackle: Lv 1

Quick: Lv 3

Title Skills:

Feline Pride: Lv 3

Chaser: Lv 2

Swift Wind: Lv 2

 

Normal Skill “View Status” Lv 5 has become Lv 6.

Hey, I leveled it up! It was the skill I relied on the most. Without View Status and Roll I would have died a hundred times over.

This looked a little tough for the ballrabbit. The panther’s stats were exponentially higher. It wouldn’t make a dent no matter how hard it tried. Would it still get experience points if it just attacked a little? I might as well find out and get some meat in the process.

This thing’s got some guts calling itself “Swift Wind” when I’m around. My Agility is lower, but once I use Roll, I’ll smoke it. I’m taking that title from you, buddy!

Now…how to approach it? If it ran, I couldn’t catch it with the ballrabbit along for the ride. I needed to hit it hard and fast and let the rabbit get a hit in. Best option was to weaken it with the first blow.

Maybe it would be better if I gave up on sneaking and just slammed into it at full force with Roll? But I’d have to put the ballrabbit down for that.

Hey, do you think you could dig yourself a hole and hide for a little bit?

Oh, I know! Maybe I could hold the rabbit in my mouth? Then I could use Roll and not have to worry about leaving it behind. That’s the perfect solution! I’m a genius. That’ll make traveling way easier from now on too.

I put the ballrabbit on the ground and leaned in close. It began to tremble.

“Pfeff! Pfeff! Pfeff!”

It shook its head—well, body—back and forth, frantically trying to resist me. Did it know what I was trying to do? Maybe it was saying, “Don’t eat me, I promise I don’t taste good!”

Don’t worry, I’m just gonna put you in my mouth for a little while. It’s for your own safety. Promise!

“Pfeff! Pfeff!”

The closer I got, the more it cried. It whirled to run away, but I snapped forward and caught it in my mouth.

“Pfeff! Pfeff!!”

It sounded mad, but there was no going back now. Time to use Roll and attack the panther while it was still asleep.

I curled up my body and shot in a straight line toward the monster. Before I got there, its eyes opened and it stood up. An unobstructed landscape like this one was the ideal condition for Roll, and I was hitting my top speed.

“Pfeff! Pfeff!!” The ballrabbit flailed inside my mouth, but I couldn’t worry about it right now. No time to stop. The panther broke into a run. It could escape a giant centipede with that speed, but it wouldn’t escape me!

The distance between us grew smaller and smaller, but it didn’t give up. Credit where credit was due—this was harder than I expected.

Still, it was already running at top speed, but I could still accelerate. Only a matter of time before it exhausted itself. What now, Mr. Swift Wind?

“Pfeeeeeeffff!”

The ballrabbit was freaking out inside of my mouth. Just wait a little longer. Stay still or I’ll accidentally swallow you!

Chapter 3:
The Carriage and the Dragon

 

Part 1

 

THE NEXT MORNING, I woke up in the sand. It was only my third day here, but I was already beginning to get used to sleeping out in the open. I checked the ballrabbit’s sand dune, relieved that I hadn’t smothered it again. I could use more rest, but I felt a strong presence drawing nearer, pinging my Psychic Sense. No sleeping in today.

Out in the open, it was easy for the enemy to spot me, but the reverse was also true. I sat up and scanned the area, immediately spotting the source of my Psychic Sense’s alert. It was one of those giant sand-colored centipedes, kicking up a cloud of dust as it barreled toward me.

Crap, this was the exact thing I didn’t want! We needed to get out of here.

My best option was just to put the ballrabbit in my mouth, though what a way to wake up in the morning. If I wasted time, the centipede would catch up easily. Although, now that I was looking at it, it didn’t seem to be headed directly for us… But there was nothing else out here. What was it doing?

Wait—there is something there!

A carriage raced just ahead of the centipede, pulled by two huge horses, no match for the monster’s speed. At this rate, that carriage was going to get demolished. What the heck were they thinking, driving a carriage in a place like this?

I glanced swiftly at the ballrabbit’s dune before springing after the giant centipede. I couldn’t win in a fair fight, but I could distract the monster long enough for the carriage to escape. Worst case scenario, I could always escape via the air. I’d just threaten it, then bounce. Once the commotion died down, I could come back for the rabbit. It survived out here alone before it met me—it would be all right on its own for a few minutes.

Leaving it still made me anxious, and I briefly wished I’d put it in my mouth and Rolled. But that had its own dangers. This enemy wasn’t like the panther or the camel; it wouldn’t be an easy fight. I’d need to use my Breath and Bite attacks, and I didn’t want to accidentally swallow the rabbit in the process.

I Rolled at the giant centipede, ruefully thinking that this was one enemy I never thought I would be dashing toward.

The beast ignored me and continued its pursuit of the carriage, even though I was purposefully making as much noise as possible. Come on, you’re not even gonna look my way? I guess you desert monsters would rather eat horses and humans than a dragon. I was considered a delicacy when I was a baby, you know!

The horses pulling the carriage looked my way. I couldn’t read equine expressions, but I had a feeling they were freaked out. Listen, I’m here to help!

I understood, of course. You’re racing through the desert chased by a giant centipede and all of a sudden a big scaly ball comes rolling in—talk about going from bad to worse. I’m an unlikely savior, I know.

I expended more energy to roll faster, using my speed to launch myself into the air. The plan was to use my body weight to crush the giant centipede’s tail, but it was way tougher than I imagined. I couldn’t even make a dent in it.

I dashed to the right, but the centipede still didn’t change its trajectory. It was the sort of monster that didn’t give up once it had a target in its sights. If I did manage to successfully draw its attention, escaping might not be so easy after all.

The centipede had slowed down when I dove at its tail, but it had nearly regained its original speed and was swiftly making up the distance it had lost on the carriage.

I’d figured attacking once with Roll would be enough, but I’d just have to keep trying.

By now I was close enough to use View Status. I needed to get a feel for its stats before I made any more decisions.

 

Species: Giant Sand Centipede

Status: Normal

Lv: 62/80

HP: 448/448

MP: 236/236

Attack: 324

Defense: 297

Magic: 194

Agility: 234

Rank: B

Special Skills:

Myriapod: Lv —

Bug King’s Chitin: Lv 6

Earth Type: Lv —

Automatic HP Recovery: Lv 5

Psychic Sense: Lv 4

Resistance Skills:

Physical Resistance: Lv 5

Magic Resistance: Lv 2

Falling Resistance: Lv 4

Poison Resistance: Lv 6

Paralysis Resistance: Lv 2

Confusion Resistance: Lv 2

Sleep Resistance: Lv 3

Normal Skills:

Double Poison: Lv 5

Burrow: Lv 6

Sand Breath: Lv 4

Clay Wall: Lv 3

Paralyzing Bite: Lv 2

Acid Drool: Lv 4

Heat Beam: Lv 3

Title Skills:

Hundred-Legged King: Lv —

Desert Master: Lv 6

Unyielding: Lv 4

Tenacious: Lv 6

Chaser: Lv 5

Final Evolution: Lv —

 

Ugh. As expected, pretty gnarly. A level 62 B-rank monster absolutely freaked me out. With an attack level of 324, one direct hit would be enough to kill me. And I thought I was sitting pretty at 200 a little while ago!

Also, what the heck is Heat Beam? Is that a ranged attack?

Interlude:
The Hero’s Epic Tale

 

“SMOKED MOTARICAMEL MEAT! I’m packing it in early today, so I’ll sell it at a discount!” A cheerful voice rang out across the marketplace. I followed the sound to a stall hung with meat and locked eyes with the merchant. He flushed, scratching bashfully at his head.

“Y-you’re the hero Illusia! I didn’t know you were here!” A few other people stopped in their tracks, turning to look at me.

I smiled and waved at the merchant. His face lit up and he bowed his head respectfully, again and again. Turning aside, I continued down the road. My smile slid off my face, and I cracked my neck. I knew I was in public, but I really wished merchants would stop doing that. I glanced over my shoulder. He was back at it, trying to get people to buy his meat. Several shoppers were gathered around the stall. Guess it was working.

I snorted. Was it just me, or were there more people in this country than there used to be? Returning to your hometown after time away really gave you a new perspective. There were so many things I could comment on…but most of all, the greedy parasites.

This was the desert Harunae, chock-full of predators and low on resources. A crappy place to live, at least until powerful magicians constructed the magical barrier to ward off the monsters. That, combined with resources received from neighboring countries, made this a viable city. And the only reason they went to all that trouble was due to the legend that this land was a place where heroes were born.

Heroes like me.

Eighteen years ago, I was born in this city as a hero and brought to the temple. They raised me, never telling me the names of my parents; I was too young to even remember them. The bishop was the one to call me Illusia.

In all honesty, my hidden past didn’t bother me much. The bishop let it slip once that I had been the oldest son born to a very poor family. I was lucky to be a hero.

Here in Harunae, the difference between the rich and poor was stark. The bishops took the temple donations for themselves and then created reasons to distribute them to their own families, pocketing the money meant for the church. The underclass remained that way because mobility was nonexistent—the city was surrounded by a desert filled with dangerous monsters. The rich took advantage of that. Since there was no way for the poor to escape, they could use them however they wanted.

No, I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to grow up in a poor family. What would be the point of even living?

I was probably the only person who could walk freely through the desert, since I had the protection of the gods. Just the other day, I met an idiotic slave trader who whined about all his merchandise getting eaten by a monster. He had a pair of good horses, but they were no match for the desert.

There were safer routes, but they required passage through a country that forbade the enslavement of demi-humans. Obviously, he couldn’t take his slaves that way.

When I was fourteen, I’d followed tradition and set out to explore the world. I’d seen countless terrible things across many kingdoms, but when it came to rotten rich people, nowhere held a candle to Harunae. Still, whenever I was nearby, I always came back for a visit.

“Illusia! I heard rumors you were back in town!”

“Look, the hero!”

Envious stares followed me even as I walked around town. Inwardly, I sneered. I wondered how their tune might change if they ever discovered I’d been born in poverty.

Regardless, today I was here for a reason.

I plastered on a smile and waved at the greedy fools. That was all it took for them to start screeching like a bunch of monkeys. As tiresome as this place was, at least they knew how to appreciate me. My name wasn’t widely known elsewhere. At least, not yet.

“U-um, excuse me. I’ve always wanted to talk to a hero…!” A little girl scampered over from the side of the road. I stopped to look at her. A woman—her mother, I assumed—appeared behind her, offering me a wry smile.

“I’m so sorry.” She grabbed the girl’s hand, trying to pull her away. The little girl wouldn’t budge.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. I touched the woman’s arm, urging her to let the girl go. She grinned brightly up at me. I kicked her in her stomach.

“Oof!” She landed on her side, coughing. The crowd went deathly silent. Their faces grew troubled as they stared at me.

Whoops, my leg slipped. It’s a bad habit of mine.

There were two things I really hated. Stupid kids, and someone getting in my way.

A potentially reputation-destroying action, but I wasn’t worried. I was the symbol of our country; speaking badly of me was blasphemy against the church. No story would get very far.

Luckily, fewer people were milling around than before. I needed to be on my way.

The detention camp was right next to the temple. The church ran it to maintain law and order in Harunae, and I had business there.

Ordinary citizens were not allowed to enter, and even those permitted had to fill out extensive paperwork. Mostly it was only jailers inside. I was, of course, the only exception.

When the jailers saw me, they hastily bowed their heads. I strode down the hallway and stopped before a cell.

“Been awhile, Knight Commander Adoff. Or should I say, former Knight Commander.” I grinned at the large, muscular man behind the bars. He glared at me. “You’re having a pretty rough time, aren’t you? Accused of killing both your fiancée and your younger brother.”

Adoff’s title of Knight Commander had been stripped from him when he was arrested and thrown in jail. They’d barely investigated, since the case also concerned misappropriated funds from the church. The bishop just locked him up and threw away the key—he was that sort of guy.

“Are you just here to laugh at me?” Adoff asked in a low, harsh voice.

In the past I’d known him to be someone who chose his words carefully, but the time for delicacy had passed. Anyone would be angry over the deaths of their loved ones, let alone someone bringing it up so flippantly. No wonder he was furious.

“Don’t be ridiculous, not even I would do that. All that stuff in the past…I know now that it was all my fault. I feel terrible about how conceited I was. I’m ashamed I never apologized before today, Knight Comm—Sir Adoff.”

His expression turned pained. I liked it.

“I truly believe that you were falsely accused, Sir Adoff. I can tell good people from bad people.” Well, if they were incredibly obvious about it, that is. But I’d invented this special power for myself a while ago. A convenient skill.

“Stop calling me Sir.”

“Hm? Come on, don’t put yourself down. I know they took your title, but…”

“It means nothing to me coming from your lips. The only thing different from four years ago is your appearance.”

I felt a scowl forming between my eyebrows. I reached up to touch it, hiding it under a smile. “You’ve become awfully short-tempered, haven’t you? So be it. As much as it pains me, I’ll just call you Adoff from now on.” I feigned distress, letting it bleed into my voice. “I told the bishop that you couldn’t possibly be capable of killing your fiancée and brother. And I asked him to release you.”

“As if he would! He’s the one who framed me in the first place!” Adoff aimed a punch at the cell wall. The theatrics made me want to laugh, but I bit the inside of my cheek.

“You’re understandably suspicious, I get that. I assure you that the bishop would never do such a thing. As a matter of fact, he agreed to let me chaperone you around for the day. Of course…you’d have to be cursed to restrict the freedom of your own actions.”

“R-really? But what could I do in just one day…?”

“Why, you could perform meritorious deeds to regain everyone’s trust! Then we’ll get the bishop to offer you more time, and we’ll catch the real killer. Let me help you. Please.”

“What…what sort of deeds could I perform…?”

I lifted my hand to cover my smile. He’d always been such a simple man. I wasn’t the only one who hadn’t changed in four years.

“Come to think of it, I heard a rumor that a merchant’s carriage was attacked by a Dark Dragon. People are even saying that it’s a Plague Dragon. If that’s true, it could lay waste to Harunae if nothing is done. The church’s scouting regiment is looking into it, but who knows how long that will take. Think about it…if you slew the Plague Dragon, that would change everything. I’ve heard you’ve been pleading with the jailers to let you investigate your family’s deaths. If you killed a dragon, maybe they’d listen.”

Adoff stood up and swallowed hard. I turned my back to the cell.

“I’m going to a lot of trouble for you. I’ll speak to the bishop and bring you news.”

“I-Illusia!” He yelled my name. “I’m…sorry I doubted you. I’m very, very grateful for this.”

“Of course, but I’m only doing the right thing. I’m a hero, after all.” With those final words, I turned and left him in his cell, more quickly than was dignified. I had to. I couldn’t stop the laughter.

Chapter 4:
Thorny Spawn

 

Part 1

 

NIGHT HAD FALLEN by the time I woke up. The ballrabbit was intent on me and Nina. It should have been in its burrow by now, but its ears were pricked up, alert, scanning our surroundings.

When it saw me, it let out a relieved, “Pfeff!” Then it promptly dug a hole and climbed inside. It sounded so proud of itself that I smiled. It must have pushed itself past exhaustion to keep us safe.

On a normal day, a monster’s approach would wake me, but my drained MP left me comatose. I was ashamed for assuming the ballrabbit only cared about food. I’d get it something tasty as an apology.

After all, we wouldn’t be able to stay together forever.

Alert from my long rest, I stayed up and kept watch. Nina groaned in her sleep; she must be dehydrated. I rummaged through the remnants of the cactuses, but most of the flesh had been completely devoured or gone dry from the hot desert sun. I finally found one bit that still had some juice, buried beneath a bunch of other pieces, sparing it from the heat.

I held the cactus over Nina’s face and squeezed a drop of water into her mouth. I gave her just a little bit at a time, not wanting to choke her. I only stopped when her groans faded away.

I felt bad that she was sleeping on the rough sand, so I gathered up a bunch of the cactus skins and tucked them underneath her. It was a little sticky but way better than the ground. Maybe.

Morning came at last, and the ballrabbit emerged from its burrow, shaking the sand off its head. Nina was still asleep. She was breathing, but she wasn’t in great shape. Hunger and the heat were taking a toll on her body.

She’d probably never been healthy, and the dry desert air wasn’t helping. She needed food and water, but all we had were the leftover cactuses. I’d already squeezed out all the moisture that I could. If I’d known this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have eaten so much.

Manipulative or not, Nina would trust me more if I fed her. The ballrabbit had warmed up to me right away. Though it really was all about food.

I’d leave the rabbit to look after Nina while I was gone. It could scare off an F- or E-rank monster by itself, though D-rank or above would mean trouble. I decided to keep an eye out, and if I saw any large monsters going their way, I’d turn back immediately. That left me with a limited range.

Leaving them behind, I loped through the desert. I was hoping for something nearby, but I doubted I’d be that lucky. Maybe I could get moisture from a camel? I remembered reading somewhere they stored water and fat in their humps.

Fluids were my first priority. If I didn’t get some into Nina fast, she would die. The rabbit’s Rest spell could buy her more time, but it couldn’t keep her alive forever.

I wished I could turn seawater into water suitable for drinking. I knew, distantly, that there were ways to do that.

I could boil the water and collect the steam in containers, then allow it to cool, letting it condense back into water—a process called distillation. Unrealistic at the moment. I had the tools to heat up the water and turn it into steam, but nothing to help me catch and return that steam to water. Maybe I could do it with an animal skin and a deep pit, but Nina was human, and, though this world was plenty unhygienic, she wouldn’t have the natural resistance to bacteria that a monster would. As a demi-human, she was probably tougher than average, but I didn’t want to risk it.

That left two choices, a camel or a cactus, but as I ran through the desert, I couldn’t find either. Strange. I’d seen a ton yesterday.

Had being inside my mouth contributed to her injuries? She would have gotten jostled on my back too. She might have even fallen off.

My plan was to bring food back to her until she was well enough to balance and then put her on my back. Leaving her alone now made me anxious. Maybe I should have cradled her between my wings as she slept, bringing her along. Fighting with her asleep on my back would be difficult, but I could forage for cactuses just fine.

Jostling her around would exacerbate her condition, though, and there was the Dragon Scale Powder to think about…

Still, I worried about leaving her in the ballrabbit’s care. I knew there were strong, small, and fast monsters out there…

The ballrabbit wouldn’t…eat Nina, would it? I didn’t want to add that to my list of worries. I glanced behind as I ran.

The two of them were only dots in the distance now. Without any grass or trees to break the sight line, I could check on them from far away, but that wouldn’t help if I couldn’t get back in time.

This is as far as I should go.

The ballrabbit shook sand off its ears and looked my way. Maybe it could tell what I was nervous about.

You’re right, Ballrabbit. I need to get Nina food and water as quickly as possible. This was no time to agonize over what-ifs. I’d just dash out and dash back. Please protect Nina, Ballrabbit.

I used Roll and raced away from the two of them. I hated it, but I forced myself to focus. Cactuses and camels.

Come on, cactuses and camels, come on, cactuses and camels! But not centipedes, for real though. If I never see one of those again, it will be too soon.

After Rolling for a while, I came across something green and lumpy. It had to be a cactus—they were the only things that grew here. I was relieved to have found some so quickly.

I wanted to move fast, and that limited how much I could carry, but I needed a few each for Nina and Ballrabbit, though the rabbit always wanted way more than just a few. Eh, whatever. It always ate so much; it had enough calories saved up. You could stand to lose a little weight, Desert Darling! Even if you never seem to gain anything no matter how much you eat.

I made a beeline for the green lump, wondering if my sense of distance was off. Using Roll sometimes left me disoriented, but I thought I’d gotten used to it. I guessed it could still happen. The cactus probably just looked closer than it was because I had no landmarks to gauge distance with.

But as I drew nearer, I realized that the cactus was close to four meters long, lying on its side like a caterpillar. The damn thing was only slightly smaller than I was. This cactus was, like, record-breaking huge. I could only carry a fraction of it.

I had to bring Nina and the ballrabbit back here sometime. This was like winning the cactus lottery.

As I got closer and started to slow down…the cactus began swaying and slowly rose from the ground.

Chapter 5:
Master of the Oasis

 

Part 1

 

A MYSTERIOUS LITTLE LAKE right in the middle of the desert, big enough for two dragons to bathe in. Not that I would—I didn’t want my Dragon Scale Powder to contaminate it.

Can’t let my filthy body dirty that perfect, beautiful water. You know. Since I’m so unclean.

Vibrantly colored plants and flowers grew around the edges of the water, and just looking at them made me feel more cheerful. A true oasis. A spring must feed it from underground. Though it wouldn’t surprise me if the source was some magical water crystal embedded deep in the lake, or something. I knew next to nothing about how this world worked.

As I grew closer, my Psychic Sense went off. Someone had arrived ahead of us; I hoped it wasn’t anyone dangerous. Something appeared to be sitting in the center of the field of flowers. What the heck was that? I hadn’t noticed it at first, since it was the exact color of a mossy rock. Was it a giant slug? Its body looked all slimy, a green so dark it was almost black. Whatever it was, it was creepy. It didn’t look like it belonged in a tranquil oasis.

It was chomping its way through the flowers, eating stems and weeds and roots. Did it just get a mouthful of dirt? Even my little ballrabbit here wouldn’t stoop that low.

Nothing pinged on my Psychic Sense besides the nasty slug, so if there was anything else here it was so small and weak I didn’t have to worry about it. A giant slug didn’t rouse my appetite, but I had to get rid of it anyway if I wanted to make this place my base.

I was still too far away to use View Status, so I couldn’t gauge its strength, but it was just as large as the giant cactus. If it had the power to match, fighting would be difficult with Nina and Ballrabbit in tow. I should deal with it alone.

I crouched down and let them off my back. I need you to be Nina’s bodyguard for a little while, Ballrabbit.

The giant slug must have heard me, because its two feelers were suddenly twitching in my direction. I took my place between the flowers and the desert, facing the monster. Now I was close enough for that status check.

 

Species: Amagarashi

Status: Normal

Lv: 26/50

HP: 207/207

MP: 94/94

Attack: 190

Defense: 188

Magic: 138

Agility: 163

Rank: C

Special Skills:

Mollusk: Lv —

Slimy Body: Lv —

Water Absorption: Lv 3

Automatic MP Recovery: Lv 5

Resistance Skills:

Paralysis Resistance: Lv 2

Poison Resistance: Lv 4

Magic Resistance: Lv 4

Confusion Resistance: Lv 5

Normal Skills:

Mirage: Lv 5

Rain Dance: Lv 3

Burrow: Lv 3

Water Gun: Lv 5

Lay Egg: Lv 4

Bloodsuck: Lv 2

Sandstorm: Lv 2

Elasticity: Lv 3

Regenerate: Lv 3

Title Skills:

Master of the Oasis: Lv —

Conjuror: Lv 3

 

Huh?! This thing is a rank C monster? It was way faster than it looked and had frickin’ Mirage all the way up to level 5. Its stats were on par with the Little Rock Dragon, but I’d defeated one of those, not to mention leveled up since then. I could drop this slug in a couple hits.

Once I beat this thing, the oasis was mine. I had to do it for Ballrabbit and Nina. I’d made the right decision leaving them behind—Ballrabbit wasn’t ready for a monster of this caliber.

Time to focus. My Psychic Sense was on high alert. The worst-case scenario would be falling for Mirage and dragging out the battle too long. Our stats were lopsided, but this would likely come down to a battle of speed.

I stepped into the flowers, moving closer to the giant slug. The front of its body rose, trying to intimidate me.

“Shaaaaa!”

It split into two. Buddy, I know you don’t have a duplication skill. The slug on the right was fake, and the one on the left was a little off from its true position. A trick.

Psychic Sense was working—I wasn’t gonna fall for it. Tough luck, giant slug. I moved my attention from the illusion and focused on the place my Psychic Sense was telling me to look. My vision wavered, and the giant slug on the right disappeared.

Gained Resistance Skill “Illusion Resistance” Lv 1.

Hell yeah, a new Resistance Skill!

I’m gonna punch its lights out and get rid of it in one blow. I focused my energy into my legs and kicked off the ground, staying low in the sky. I whapped the giant slug across the head with my claws. I put all my momentum into the blow, tearing through skin. I dug deep, scooping out its flesh.

“Gssshaaa!” Bodily fluids splattered as the slug screamed. I kept going, flying past, pieces of its flesh stuck in my claws. I shook my hands vigorously, sending bits of slug flying. I spun and landed, turning back to the monster. Blood oozed from its side.

Damn, I missed. I thought I got a direct hit on him, but Mirage knocked me off target. Even though I could sense where it was, I couldn’t help using my eyes to aim.

Should I close my eyes and fight? No, that would cause more problems than it solved. The slug had high Defense but not a ton of HP—one good hit should take it out. Its wound was already starting to repair itself. That was Regenerate. Its Automatic MP Recovery skill was high as well. If I let it, this fight would never end.

It pointed its feelers straight at me. Honestly, I would have been fine never seeing a giant slug in my life. Or a small one either.

Now that it knew my attack power was high, it was being a little more careful. It didn’t have any super dangerous skills, but it was fast. I had to stay vigilant and use Psychic Sense to see through Mirage.

I wasn’t sure whether my Breath skills could break through its defense, but at the very least it could keep it busy. The fight with the camel had depleted my MP, though. A distraction might not be viable.

I had to defeat it with my next hit. I took flight just as the slug began shooting liquid from its mouth, sticky and translucent. It didn’t hit me but rather wrapped all around the slug itself. Wh-what the heck was it doing?!

In no time at all, the giant slug was surrounded by the sticky liquid. If it was an attack, shouldn’t it have directed it at me? Maybe it was a trap. I flew right at it before; it could be trying to catch me and attack once I was stuck. I could probably break free using Scorching Breath, frying it all in an instant.

I stuck with my original plan and dove in, just as it pointed itself at the ground and began to dig. Ah, that’s right. I forgot it had Burrow. It’s fine if you’re gonna run away, but I doubt a slimy thing like you can survive in this desert.

The likelihood of surrender was low. It was just trying to give itself some space. I could just use my Breath attack and make that burrow its grave. I drew nearer to the hole but saw no sign of the monster. Psychic Sense began to go crazy. And it didn’t just ping once or twice. It kept going. That had never happened to me before.

Special Skill “Psychic Sense” Lv 2 has become Lv 3.

I was suddenly able to feel things with a lot more detail. I focused on the sticky liquid. My vision wavered and revealed a bunch of round objects scattered inside. They looked like little spheres, about the size of a softball. Like Ballrabbit when I first met it.

It must have used Mirage to camouflage these round things. It knew I was using Psychic Sense, so it had taken great pains.

Still, what were those things? There were at least thirty of them in there, the same dirty green color as the slug. Hmm…I feel like I’ve seen something like this before.

Oh! They look like frog eggs!

I wasted no time shooting out Scorching Breath, burning up the sticky substance with the slug eggs inside.

Gained 12 Experience Points.

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

Wow, such a small amount of experience points meant our ranks were vastly different. When I was born, I was rank F. But they weren’t born yet. They were eggs.

Upon looking closer, I realized I’d only burned about a third of the eggs. The ones outside of Scorching Breath’s range started trembling. The shells broke and out popped one baby slug after the other.

 

Species: Baby Amagarashi

Status: Normal

Lv: 1/25

HP: 12/12

MP: 8/8

 

They were rank D-. At such a low rank, one rake of my claws would end them. But there were so many…

“Jhh…”

“Jhaa…”

“Jaa…”

“Jshh…”

“Jii, jii…”

“Jiii!”

The herd of baby slugs groaned, crawling toward me. They were fast. Really fast. They didn’t hesitate for a second. The grass and flowers made them hard to see, but Psychic Sense told me their locations. Perhaps it was a blessing I couldn’t see them well. I might have turned tail and run.

Salt. Salt. Somebody bring me some salt! I need something to shrivel them all up at once! I swung my tail, connecting with a couple that got too close. They splattered on the ground, sticking to my tail. Uggh, this is disgusting.

Apparently each one of these baby slugs was worth 1 experience point. An efficient but gross way to level.

The next baby slug must have known I was going to crush its friend, because it darted out of range of my tail and spat a muddy liquid. Ow! It probably didn’t do much damage, but it stung. Knock it off! I don’t need to be any dirtier, thank you very much!

I wanted to get rid of all of them with my Breath, but I’d already used it on full blast. I didn’t have much MP left. There were so many eggs.

I could use Roll to crush them, but they barely had any Attack or Defense. Using a skill would be a waste. And I didn’t want those things sticking to my back.

They were fast for slugs, but very slow compared to me. I backed up a little, mindful of the weird liquid, going to town with my tail and claws.

Ahh! Slug skin is getting caught in between my claws! This is gross! This is so freaking gross! I can’t take it! I wanna run away! I glanced behind me. Nina watched me anxiously as she held Ballrabbit tight in her arms. The rabbit wore its usual expression, swinging its ears around in a baseless holler of encouragement.

Is Ballrabbit…drooling? Wait, does it wanna eat the slugs? I guess they were technically mollusks, but I definitely didn’t want to try them. Come on, switch out with me. I’ll protect Nina, you scarf down all the babies!

All joking aside, I turned my sights back on the little slugs. Our stats were so unbalanced that this was just a slaughter. I made my way through them amidst a stream of the green liquid.

Plague Dragon Lv 29 has become Lv 30.

Recently, leveling didn’t make me happy at all. I was in such an emotionless state over it that I had to be reaching enlightenment.

Finally, I crushed the last baby slug with my tail. Walking over to the giant slug’s hole, I looked down. Damn you and your sneaky tactics! Come on out! Let’s finish this!

“Jshhhh!”

“Jssshh!”

“Jsssh!”

Several separate voices came from inside the hole. I backed away just in time to avoid a stream of babies pouring out.

You’ve gotta be kidding me. More Baby Slug leveling?!

This was useless… There was no end to them! I’d just have to ignore the small fry and blow Scorching Breath directly into the burrow.

The babies didn’t do much damage, so I wouldn’t have to worry about that. The only problem was that I didn’t know how deep the giant slug had gone.

I hoped the flames would reach it; it would be incredibly annoying if I had to go in after it. The sand was too thick for Psychic Sense to pick anything up. Should I pour ocean water down there? Salt it out?

So many babies—that thing sure was fertile. But why was there only one adult? If they pumped out eggs at this rate, shouldn’t the whole desert be filled with giant slugs? Maybe they curbed their own numbers to prevent food shortages.

I approached the burrow again, sweeping away the babies with my tail as I went. My Psychic Sense pinged directly beneath me. It was trying to use the little ones to throw me off its trail. No luck, buddy. Not only do I have Psychic Sense, but I’m ready for you!

I flapped my wings, taking myself high before spinning quickly and heading back down. And just as I expected, the giant slug popped its head out from its burrow. Target acquired!

I know you were trying to catch me off guard. Sorry your brilliant plan didn’t work! This time I sliced directly through its neck, using the momentum from my nosedive to decapitate it. It sailed through the air, splitting off into four parts. Its body cracked open, flesh sloughing off.

Huh? This isn’t ordinary flesh…

It was all baby slugs!

Damn it! I fell for it! That wasn’t the giant slug at all! It used Mirage to make a fake giant slug out of a bunch of baby slugs! It was so big it even fooled Psychic Sense. The real giant slug was still burrowed deep in the earth.

The baby slugs crawled all over my body.

Eww! They’re so slimy! Stop, please just stop! I’m sorry, please stop! You aren’t causing physical damage, but I’m going to need years of therapy!

W-wait, are they trying to suck my blood? C’mon, scales! Do your job! Bloodsucking slugs are hell on earth!

I smashed them with my claws, but there was just no end to it. Should I just use Roll and fling them all off?

No, not yet. This sucked, but it was just annoying. I wasn’t in real danger. The giant slug must know these babies were only buying it time. The question was—buying time to escape or time to plan an attack?

I just had to stand my ground and lure the damn thing out. No matter how slimy or bloodsucking these things were, I could put up with it.

I crouched down a little, gasping, feigning weakness. Yeah, get a good taste, slugs. It’s not every day that a slug gets to suck a dragon’s blood. Psychic Sense pinged below my tail. This time it really was the giant slug.

Come at me. I’ll kill you the moment I see you!

“Shhhhaaaaa!”

I heard the giant slug’s cry and felt something sucking on my tail. Now’s my chance! I scooped the giant slug into the air, using my tail to toss it into the sky. I curled up my arms and legs and activated Roll, tackling it.

“Shaaaaaaaaa!!”

Chapter 6:
The Assassin from Harunae

 

Part 1

 

A GROUP OF MONSTERS was headed our way. I wanted to shove the ballrabbit and Nina into my mouth and use Roll, but I needed to check my enemy’s stats. Fleeing now didn’t mean I could flee forever. If they could move this quickly, the chances of running into them again were high. I needed as much information as possible.

But…what if this wasn’t even their max speed? Maybe I should run while I still had the chance?

Please, please, please do not be as nasty as the giant centipede. Please only have high speed and low power.

I focused on Psychic Sense. Individually, the creatures weren’t huge; surely they couldn’t be that strong. They were rank C at the very most. Regardless, I needed to let the ballrabbit and Nina know my plans.

“Graah!” They both jumped in surprise. I should put them both into my mouth, just to be safe. Chances were the monster would target Nina, whether I decided to fight or run, and I couldn’t discount the possibility of a long-range attack like Heat Beam. I couldn’t run with them on my back.

I opened my mouth wide and stuck out my tongue. Come on, get in.

Nina’s own mouth fell open, and she looked at the ballrabbit. Oh, that’s right. The only time she’s been inside of my mouth was when she was unconscious. You jump in first, Ballrabbit. Show her how it’s done.

“Pfeff! Pfeff!” The ballrabbit resisted, shaking its head.

This is no time to be difficult! Our lives are on the line here! C’mon, you can just wash off later in the ocean!

(“No! No!”)

It was using Telepathy just to say no!

Listen, if the enemies are that fast, the only way we’ll outrun them is with Roll! Don’t you understand? I’m not doing this to annoy you! What? Is my mouth really that dirty? Well…I guess you still wouldn’t wanna ride in it even if it were clean.

The ballrabbit expertly used its ears to dig a hole and burrowed inside, covering itself up.

Hey, come out of there! This is no time for jokes!

Damn it. Psychic Sense told me the enemies would be here any minute. I looked toward the top of the hill. Straining my ears, I heard faint footsteps on the wind. There they were—horses. But no ordinary horses. They were huge, with uncomfortably long legs, like the sort that had pulled the carriage Nina was in.

There were humans riding the horses, with heads wrapped in turbans and cloaks streaming out behind them. They carried weapons on their hips.

One, two, three…about eight men on horseback appeared over the crest of the hill. They didn’t slow down when they saw me.

The second man from the front held a golden instrument that looked like a telescope. I got the feeling they’d known I was here from the start. They weren’t after water—they were after me.

This did seem to be their maximum speed, though. I could outrun them.

“The rumors are true! It’s really here! It’s huge!”

“Don’t get too close! Stay back and shoot it with arrows!”

“Hey, there’s a person with it!”

“No, look closer. It’s just a demi-human. Don’t pay it any heed. If it gets in the way, kill it!”

Nina drew closer to me. I could feel her trembling through my scales.

Were they soldiers from the walled city? I wanted to ask a human for advice on Nina, but these guys were clearly not worth talking to. They were my enemies. There would be no negotiating with them; they were out for blood.

Their intentions were so obvious that I didn’t even need to use Human Transformation to get a read on them. No point.

“Raaar!” C’mon, Ballrabbit! Come out! We gotta use Roll to run away! These guys aren’t anything to sneeze at! The sand dune swayed slightly in response. An image of the rabbit inside the burrow was projected straight into my brain, shaking its head back and forth vehemently.

Are you really that scared? I’m gonna leave you behind, then!

“A-are we really going to do this, Commander? I’ve never heard of such a small group taking on even a juvenile dragon! Maybe we should return home and report—”

“If we go home now, the hero will take all our glory!” one of them yelled.

The man in front flashed the others a grin. “Don’t be afraid. I’ve been in a hunting party that killed a dragon at least this size! Let me take the lead. You just watch and make sure the dragon doesn’t escape. And make sure to aim your arrows at its eyes and mouth!”

Chapter 7:
The Nightmare Returns

 

Part 1

 

NINA PICKED UP the ballrabbit and climbed onto my back. I started off in the opposite direction from the retreating soldiers. No point risking running into more humans. Seeing how the soldiers treated Nina made me want to bring her to the walled city even less. But I had no idea what to do.

She kept saying she had nowhere to go. But just wandering aimlessly through the desert looking for the perfect place wasn’t productive.

Should I search for the river that brought me here in the first place and go home to the forest? Leave her in the care of the orangurangs? Well, if I was going that far I might as well take her to the village and give her to Myria. They would treat her well, but I’d have to drop her off on the outskirts. I couldn’t go back to a village I attacked.

That might be the most realistic, but I just couldn’t gauge distances. How far down the river did I come? How long even was the river? Traveling too fast would be hard on Nina, compromising her immune system and leaving her even more susceptible to the Dragon Scale Powder.

I was stuck. I should’ve gone through the humans’ things before scaring them off and checked if they had a map, or captured one to interrogate. I was so concerned with not hurting them too badly that I lost perspective. Still—they came hunting for me in the first place—they already saw me as a terrifying monster. They would never cooperate. I needed to find a more accommodating sort of human.

If I walked for long enough, I’d find someone. But not fast enough. God, I really didn’t want to take her to that walled city. I just wish I could find someone I trusted to take care of her.

The next time we rested and the ballrabbit was back up to full MP, I’d have another talk with her.

As we walked, I caught sight of a black horse in the distance. Hey, isn’t that Hagen’s horse, Maria? She must have missed her master. I hoped that giant centipede hadn’t found him before he could reach safety.

Maria noticed me and broke into a run. She was heading away from the city, though. Guess she didn’t want to go home. I felt bad for scaring her. Maybe I should turn her around?

No matter how far I walked, everything looked the same. Does this ever end? Why the heck did they go to the trouble of making a magic circle out here in the middle of nowhere? Not to mention the city. What was the point of building here? Did they strike oil or something?

I felt the tingling of an unfriendly presence—Psychic Sense was alerting me to danger nearby. I stopped. I could hear something thumping ominously along, but I didn’t see anything. I was about to check the sky, when the earth in front of me exploded, raining down sand and dirt. The giant face I saw was familiar.

“Gggtchhhh!” Its creepy, rasping voice echoed across the sand.

 

Species: Giant Sand Centipede

Status: Normal

Lv: 62/80

HP: 448/448

MP: 236/236

 

Ahhhhh! It’s back! This is the one thing I didn’t want to happen! Why? Why did you come all the way out here? Do you have a crush on me?

Oh God…what if there were a ton of Giant Sand Centipedes in this desert? You’re the same one I saw before, right? Please tell me you are! Also, your burrowing skills are amazing, could you dig me a nest?

No time for jokes. I needed an escape plan. I could fly…wait. No, I couldn’t. I got away before because I wasn’t its primary target. Dodging the Centipede Beam would use up a bunch of stamina, and I wouldn’t have enough left to run away.

My best bet was Roll. I jumped up and down, rattling Nina and the ballrabbit around.

“Pfeff?!”

“Nyaah?!”

I caught them both in my mouth, spun in the air, and moved into Roll mode.

The ballrabbit was yelling in disgust, but this was an emergency. Come on, you could use another bath.

The area around us was flat desert—the perfect environment for Roll.

“Gggggtttchcchhhhh!”

Or it would be perfect, if I didn’t have a giant bug chasing me. I was slightly faster and I stayed ahead, but the visibility here went on for miles. Could I go far enough to lose it? I needed to level up, to get stronger. I didn’t need to be powerful enough to beat the centipede, I just didn’t want to be such an easy target.

Its sudden appearance freaked me out so much I could barely think, but now that I remembered its long-range beam attacks…yeah, this thing was truly a nightmare. That tubby slave trader was insane for thinking he could make it across the desert in that carriage. Why didn’t someone stop him? It was a suicide mission.

I stole a glance behind. The centipede raced after me, kicking up sand in all directions, drool trailing from its mouth. Where the drool hit the ground, the sand sizzled and sank into little holes. Wow, I really don’t want to get hit by that stuff. Is that a biological weapon?

I couldn’t let this last too long—I was worried about Nina. Even slugs were stronger than humans, and the giant centipede was a hundred times stronger than slugs. I hate this desert. I hate it!

Interlude:
The Hero’s Epic Tale Act 2

 

Part 1

 

“ITS INSTINCTS were so sharp for a wild animal. It charged right at me.” I shook the blood off my sword and sheathed it. Letting out a sigh, I sat down on a nearby boulder and shot a glance at the garpanther I’d just slain.

It did have the skill Animal Instinct. I really wanted to test out my new cursed sword, Vampire Princess, but it would’ve been overkill on such a low-level monster. No sense in dragging the battle out. Watching animals suffer bored me.

Why was I still waiting for those idiots, anyway? I was beginning to think the rumor of an encroaching Plague Dragon was just that—a rumor. Chances were the men would return to tell me that big, evil, rank-C dragon

was just some giant lizard. In that case, I would no longer have a viable excuse to take poor former Knight Commander Adoff out of jail. When I’d asked the bishop for permission, he kicked me out, saying he wouldn’t release a prisoner just for some idiot merchant’s delusions.

He’d always been a thorn in my side, but recently he’d begun to actively undermine me. Didn’t he realize who he had to thank for the sweet life he enjoyed?

I’d managed to convince him to send a scouting party, and if there was a Plague Dragon, then and only then would he allow me to take the former Knight Commander on a field trip. The bishop had probably only agreed because he knew there was nothing to the rumor after all.

As I stared at the horizon, I saw movement. Finally, the scouting regiment was back.

Five, six…seven of them? Eight had set out. Probably couldn’t fill out the party with experienced soldiers. Some rookie must have gotten his head crunched off by a Giant Sand Centipede. Hang on a second…the commander isn’t here. Hagen’s gone.

I fully expected glowing looks of triumph, but instead I was met with tears and straining horseflesh. There wasn’t anything chasing them, but whatever was out there must have frightened them so badly it didn’t matter. But a Plague Dragon wouldn’t leave seven survivors. There were a few injuries, but nothing serious.

Maybe after they realized there was no Plague Dragon, they simply refused to come back empty-handed and picked a fight with another monster.

I stood up and called out to them. “Hey, what happened? Where’s Hagen?” The scouting regiment rode in close, and the soldier in front dismounted.

“I-Illusia! What are you doing here?!”

“My curiosity got the best of me. I wanted to know if the merchant made a mistake. I thought Hagen would keep you all safe.”

Two men toward the back were practically crying. “Illusia, it’s terrible! There really is a Plague Dragon out there!”

“It ate Hagen!”

“H-his horse threw him and he ran away, but then…”

Huh. There really was a Plague Dragon? Wild. And in the Harunae Desert too. I’d only seen them in books. And it ate Hagen? Well, he always had been impulsive. He claimed to have fought a dragon before, but those subpar skills of his made me doubtful.

“Hmm…how did so many of you get away alive? Pretty generous of the Plague Dragon.” Was it just low level? It was entirely possible that these idiots just didn’t know what they were looking at. The church might not even believe them. This wasn’t enough evidence for the bishop to let Adoff go. I needed Harunae’s gentry far more terrified than one devoured captain could make them.

“It was definitely a Plague Dragon. It defeated Hagen as easy as breathing!”

Well, I’d never found Hagen particularly impressive—I could defeat him in the span of a breath or two myself. A Plague Dragon was more than a match for him. Those who went into battle without the View Status ability were just…tragically amusing. They had no concept of their own powers or the power of the enemy. It was almost sad. To me, this group of soldiers was about as useful as a pile of rocks.

“That wasn’t what I was asking, was it?”

The men stared at me. “Huh?”

“The more believable scenario would be…hmm…the dragon killing seven of you, with only one left to stumble back to me. Trembling and flailing and gasping out your story. That I could believe. But now you’re saying it ate Hagen, but it left the rest of you with only sprains and scratches? Don’t make me laugh.”

“I-I’m sorry, Illusia! We…we didn’t mean to let you down—”

I drew my sword and sliced him across the chest before he could even get the words out. He collapsed silently. Whoops. I’d only wanted to test the cursed sword—I didn’t expect just a scratch to kill him. Pathetic. With soldiers like these, Harunae would be in dire straits if a monster ever made it past those magic circles. What was the point of a standing army if they went down like punks?

I felt the cursed sword pulsing in my hand, absorbing the blood of the fallen soldier. I could regain HP this way if I had to, but I rarely incurred damage. I just wanted to see its status effect.

Gained 76 Experience Points.

Heh. I’d have a better time hunting ants. Besides, killing people made it harder to level up Title Skills.

“I-Illusia?”

“Wh-what just happened?”

“Wh-why did he…?”

Six left. Too many to let them scamper away unscathed.

“Like I said, not enough casualties. I’ve explained it several times now.”

I swung my sword with a grin. The color drained from six faces. They screamed, all of them racing off toward the city.

“I-It’s a monster!” one of them called as they ran.

Well, that’s not very nice. I’m the monster slayer. But I understand the confusion. It happens a lot. Once I finished off these fools, I would return to the bishop and secure Adoff’s release. Then I’d humiliate him. Being falsely imprisoned for murdering his fiancée wasn’t remotely good enough.

“Quick.” I intoned the magic spell and swung my cursed sword. “Should I give you a thirty-second head start?” I said. No response, of course. And when I’d offered to go easy on them. Idiots. No reason to wait, I supposed. I didn’t need them anymore.

Bonus Story:
The Girl’s Faraway Journey

 

Part 1
Myria

 

DEEP IN NOAH’S FOREST, far from the village, an apprentice mage and a swordswoman were hunting. The apprentice mage was a young girl named Myria, and the swordswoman was called Meltia. They weren’t out hunting for food, though. Myria had asked Meltia to train her.

That training was why Myria had made up her mind to leave the village and journey far from home. But Meltia seemed to have a special interest in Noah’s Forest, so they elected to make the village their home base and make frequent trips into the woods. Myria wanted to grow stronger, following the river and traversing deep into the forest. Meltia was only too happy to come along.

In Myria’s village, travel into the depths of the forest had traditionally been forbidden, eroding gradually to a formality: it was simply not done. Meltia had been asked to investigate strange happenings by the mayor herself, allowing her special dispensation.

In this world, only the victorious grew strong and leveled up. Only a handful of creatures were able to use View Status, yet the concept of levels and leveling was general knowledge. And the only way to level up was to fight and kill your enemy.

“Myria! You can still use magic, can’t you? I’ll chase it over to the left—target there. Use your magic!”

“O-okay!”

Currently, the women were engaged in battle with a giant red spider called a taranturouge. Its purplish, poisonous tongue dangled out of its mouth as it faced down Meltia. Myria followed Meltia’s instructions and readied her staff, channeling magic through it. The taranturouge’s eyes locked on Myria, legs bending like it was poised to strike. It seemed to realize instinctually that she was about to use magic, ready to cut her off before she could.

Meltia waited for the right moment and swung her sword toward its head. “Haah!”

But the taranturouge was fast and quickly skittered backward. Meltia predicted the maneuver, charging forward, swinging her sword once, twice, three times. The taranturouge’s body veered aside. It dodged the first two hits, but the third one struck it on the head. “Eeughh!”

Fluids spattered everywhere. It backed up, head turned upward. Meltia knew what it was about to do. This was her fourth battle against a taranturouge. The spider’s mouth was filling up with poison; it kept its head pointed skyward so it wouldn’t overflow. The poison’s range was wide.

Meltia had two choices: circle around the taranturouge’s back, or take the risk and try to kill it from the front before it could use the attack.

It lowered its head and stretched out its tongue, opening its mouth wide.

“Gotcha!” Meltia thrust her sword right into the taranturouge’s open mouth, stabbing the base of its tongue. The strength left its legs and they buckled, engorged stomach hitting the ground.

“E-Eeugh…” Purple, foamy liquid gushed from its mouth. The light faded from its eyes.

“I got a little poison on me, but that shouldn’t be a problem.” Meltia pulled her sword out and shook it off. Blood and venom sprayed through the air. “It’s done.” She turned to find Myria standing there, still holding her staff. A ball of magical light bloomed from the tip.

“U-um…”

“Sorry, I forgot.”

The whole point of being out here was Myria’s training. It was pointless if Meltia killed the enemy all by herself. And now Myria had wasted her magic for nothing.

“Water Magic! Aqua Ball!” Myria shook her staff. A ball of water formed in the air, then dropped to the ground, bursting and splashing onto the earth. She didn’t want to waste her magic, but she needed to practice her spells.

Meltia knew that. She felt awful. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t—”

“I-It’s okay! I’m grateful you even agreed to help me in the first place!”

“All I did was force you to waste your magic.”

“N-no, you didn’t! Um, um…!”

Meltia looked down silently for a while. Myria waited for her to gather herself and decide what they would do next. “Should we go a little deeper into the forest today?”

“No,” Meltia said after a moment. “We’re already beyond the chasm. Not even people in Ruija go this deep. There are rumors of dark dreams and even carbuncles. Some people even say this forest stretches all the way to the Harunae Desert, where a very cruel tribe of people live.” Meltia squinted into the forest.

“D-dark dreams? Carbuncles? The Harunae Desert?” Myria repeated all these words she’d never even heard before.

“Dark dreams are sort of…black monkey monsters. They’re rank C. They’re very intelligent and move in groups of eight. When they fight together, they have the strength of a B-rank monster, or even higher. There’s no way we could take them on.”

“R-rank B?! That’s strong…” Myria’s shoulders slumped.

“Myria…you seem so anxious to follow the river. Are you searching for something in particular?”

“U-um, it’s kind of hard to explain…”

Myria was searching for a black dragon. A Plague Dragon. This dragon carried Myria to safety after she was attacked by a Little Rock Dragon, then saved her from a pack of wolves, and had even helped her look for Doz when he went missing.

She had taught the dragon human language and even given him a name. Not one person in the village paid attention to her, but the dragon listened to every word she said almost as if he were human.

The last time she’d seen the dragon, he defeated the Little Rock Dragon terrorizing the village, raised his claws to Myria, and left. But she just knew that there had to be some misunderstanding.

She hadn’t seen the dragon since. But her mentor, Marielle, told her that she saw him fall into the chasm. Myria was sure that if she followed the river, she would find him. She doubted Meltia would believe her if she told her this story. Everyone was afraid of Plague Dragons because they were known to be evil creatures who ate humans. People in the village would call her crazy.

“I won’t force you to tell me if you don’t want to. But if you want to keep going deeper into the forest, you need to gain more experience. Few people from your village have ever ventured into the eastern part of Noah’s Forest, and very little information is known about what lies there. And I haven’t been there much either, but I’ve heard the Lithovar Tribe lives to the north. No one willingly travels in that direction. There could be totally unknown species of monsters.”

“The Lithovar Tribe? Is that the one you mentioned before?”

“Yes, they’re a tribe of barbarians. They worship monsters as gods and kidnap travelers to use as sacrifices. The people of the tribe are so strong, every one of them can fight against rank-C monsters.”

“E-every one of them?!”

Only a handful of adventurers were strong enough to take on rank-C monsters. Even Meltia would need to do a ton of research and preparation beforehand and embark with a party of four. And honestly, she would still only have about a 50 percent chance of victory.

“It’s that dangerous?” Myria whispered sadly as she looked toward the river. Perhaps she’d never be able to see that dragon again without some help. She wasn’t even positive he was still alive. She could search for him her whole life, only to find he’d been dead the whole time. More likely she would just never find any sign of him at all.

If he was alive, he could have just decided to leave the forest. He might attack her the moment he saw her and kill her horribly. It wasn’t out of the question. After all, he did swipe at her before he left.

“Do you have a specific place you’d like to get to?”

Myria shook her head.

“All right.” That was all Meltia said.

Myria hung her head; she must’ve thought Meltia was upset with her. The swordswoman reached over and placed her hand on Myria’s shoulder. “Let’s go a little deeper.”

“What? But you said I needed more experience before we went any further!”

“To get stronger, sometimes you must walk a dangerous path. All the strongest people I know were thrown into a place of certain death and fought for their lives, and they emerged victorious. I’m not saying to always choose the path of danger, but if you’re afraid to take risks, you’ll never grow as an adventurer.”

She dropped her hand and headed off into the forest, calling back over her shoulder, “You want to go deeper, don’t you? So do I.”

“Y-yes, I do!” Myria answered, and quickly followed.

Bonus Story 2:
The Slime’s Tale

 

Slime: Rank F+. A dark green monster with no fixed shape. Can survive for a week on just water and weeds. Has the ability to shapeshift into the form of other monsters, but since it can’t change color or texture, this ability is basically worthless.

A rare, spontaneous mutation can cause the birth of a blue slime with special skills. But since these rare slimes are helpless right after birth, most are abandoned by their parents and eaten by other monsters.

 

Part 1

 

DEEP IN THE FOREST, there lay a pack of dark green, sticky puddles. These were monsters called slimes. They were very weak, and they only survived by eating grass and fleeing from stronger monsters. When they were lucky, they would stumble upon dead creatures and feast on their blood. That was how they survived.

They could change their forms to make themselves bigger—a larger threat to predators—but most of the time, they failed. Slimes had countless evolution options, but most died before they could reach that point.

Slimes were capable of asexual reproduction—they could split themselves in two. Each slime contained a huge amount of genetic information, and they always tried to produce better versions of themselves with each replication.

Groups were made up of parents and children. The parents taught the children how to gather food and avoid enemy attacks. Often, they would use the children as sacrifices to distract those enemies and run.

Very rarely, beautiful, blue-colored slimes were born. They were spontaneous mutations containing the most favorable and unique characteristics of slimes. They had very rare skills, but most of them were abandoned by their parent at birth. It was believed this was due to their strange coloring, which would stand out too much from the group. Perhaps it was a natural instinct to reject children who were different from them. Therefore, most of these slimes only lived to be a few days old, eaten before they could defend themselves.

Back in the forest, the biggest slime in the group began to reproduce. After the child split from the parent, it became its own conscious being and gradually began to turn blue. The group of young slimes shook. They were laughing that this slime was a different color from everyone else.

The parent slime was disgusted and cringed away from its blue child. It had wasted a lot of valuable nutrients and time to reproduce and create that slime. Its failure hit it hard. It didn’t find the situation funny at all.

The newborn blue slime didn’t know any better and tried to follow its parent slime. The others threw rocks at it. The young slimes changed shape to tease it. The rocks passed through the blue slime’s body, pummeling the surface of it. The blue slime stopped moving and began to spasm and tremble.

The slimes were made of sticky goo, but they still felt pain. Attacks would still cause damage.

The green slimes left the blue slime when it was just holding on by a thread. Perhaps they were sick of throwing rocks, or thought it was already dead, or perhaps they just didn’t care either way.

The blue slime had only just entered this world, and yet it already knew the pain of mockery, rejection, and abandonment.

Afterword

 

NICE TO SEE YOU, I’m Necoco!

Thank you so much for picking up Volume 3 of Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling! This volume is the first part of the Harunae Desert arc, and the next volume will wrap up that story.

What will happen to the catgirl slave Nina, and will the protagonist evolve? And what about that mysterious hero who shares the same name as our dragon? The next volume contains the first- and second-most-intense scenes in the entire series in my opinion, so look forward to that!

The dragon Illusia is a monster with a human heart, and the other Illusia is a human with a monster’s heart. But in some ways, the two of them are very similar, although I doubt they will ever become friends.

In an unusual move, I’m actually talking about the plot in my afterword! I know there are some people who read the afterword first; I won’t discuss any more details so I don’t spoil them.

I realized something about the status screens during this volume; the dragon’s stats didn’t change much this time. Even my editor said, “Hm, it didn’t get much bigger than last time,” when they were looking at the layout. I’m pretty sure I heard a sigh of relief. But just so you know, Illusia’s status screens get way bigger in the next volume, so be ready for it!

Maybe in the fourth volume the dragon’s status screen will have to be written in super tiny script and you’ll need a magnifying glass to read it? If that happens, you’ll know we had no other choice. I’m only joking…maybe. I have a feeling if we did that we’d end up in the Guinness Book of World Records. Tiniest print in the world, or something like that. Hopefully that won’t give us a bad reputation…

Oh, that reminds me—I have an announcement to make! I’ve mentioned my avocado tree here briefly before, but it’s really grown since last time. Now that I think about it, six months have passed since the second volume went on sale. No wonder the avocado tree has grown so much.

It was just a little bud on the verge of death when the first one came out, but now it has lots of big leaves and is very healthy. I guess I can’t say that it’s because of me, though.

I didn’t do very much. I put some water in a glass and stuck a toothpick in an avocado pit, then put it over the glass. Apparently when an avocado is small, you don’t have to put it in soil. I don’t know the details, but you can look it up if you want to grow avocados yourself.

At first you have to change the water every day for a few months, but after the bottle tipped over and it spilled water all over my room, I put it out on the balcony where I couldn’t see it. After a few days I forgot about it and more days passed without me changing the water.

Then one day I realized that I hadn’t changed the water for a week. So I went out in a panic to check on the avocado, and it was surprisingly healthy and looking strong, even though you’re supposed to change the water every day. I was so relieved when I saw it and thought, “Hm, I guess avocados don’t need their water changed at all.” But I wouldn’t have thought that if the avocado had been a little weaker. I guess there’s no sense in thinking about the what-ifs.

I decided to take a hands-off approach with the avocado, and then we got into monsoon season, then July and the hot months of summer. I thought the hot weather and sunshine were perfect conditions to make the avocado grow nice and strong. I thought how nice it would be to be reincarnated as an avocado and enjoy the summer weather. I watched it grow for about a month out on the balcony like that.

Then one day I noticed it had withered.

I ran out in a panic and saw that there was no water inside. It was really hot in the beginning of summer, so of course, since I had just left it on its own, the avocado was parched.

Please make sure to be careful if you try to grow avocados. It’s pretty easy when you don’t have to pay attention to it, but that can lead to other problems…

Gazing at my withered avocado out on the balcony,

 

—NECOCO