an: New cover. Eh, I think it's good enough. For the time being-
And I shall continue the characters' portrait drawing. But this time, it's half-assed. Not mere sketches. Sorry newcomers, but you've got nothing on this, aren't you?
An Oddity
The forest was supposed to be a creepy, dark place with evil monsters lurking in every corner of the objects within. But why does it feel so natural for him to voyage through this... "dark" forest?
Kazuma blankly looked up, staring at the blue cloud by the gaps between the leaves of trees. Laboriously cutting through the bushes with his sword while undergoing tormenting boredom within. Kazuma, the Prideful Crimson Demon was used to doing such a laborious act but Kazuma Satou demands more than this.
Monsters? What monsters?
And even if there was-
"NGHNGHGGH-!"
Slash!
It would be dead before it even knew its "victim". Unknown to the fact that the role has been reversed by the time he realized its existence. Not it knowing his existence.
Hyoizaburoo is a smart man, but he's not really good at judging his younger relatives by their strengths. In the end, he was just a father, who was as soft as cotton when he was with his daughters. And acknowledging Kazuma as his son-in-law, ain't no way he would accept the fact that he hurts him. In fear of unintentionally hurting his daughters' feelings.
Kazuma sighed. Who knows, maybe that was actually the case.
"Why does this damned forest has to be so crowded with bushes anyway? Where's the path?"
Now that he thinks about it, he didn't really enter the forest in an actual way. No, he was forcefully breaking through the forest by making a path of his own with his sword. Why didn't Hyoizaburoo tell him the real path?
Kazuma's eyes twitched. Indeed, there's no such a thing as a no-cunning middle-aged man. A former commander of the Main Clan, especially. And a husband to such a scary woman, in particular.
He shivered involuntarily.
'Too scary.'
Kazuma, the Prideful Crimson Demon would rather deal with hundreds of monsters rather than face such a woman. And don't even mention Kazuma Satou, he learnt enough things about women from Earth. It's quite mean but it is a bad remembrance to recall.
In the end, Kazuma just groaned.
'How long do I have to do this?!'
To fulfil his precious time with better things, he takes out the rectangle object from his pocket. He inspects it momentarily and raised an eyebrow.
[Level 9] 9st Degree Skin Absorption
[Level 51] 31st Degree Intermediate Warrior
[Name: Kazuma]
[Affiliation: Crimson Village of Crimson Magic Clan]
[Age: 12]
"I wonder what's the usefulness of Skin Absorption?"
While a little bit greedy to expect anything out of a small improvement, as even a normal Crimson Demon would have to activate their brain circuit first before they could cast any spells, Kazuma still wanted to find any differences. Being quite experimental, he grazed his skin a little bit with the razor blade of his sword.
Amazingly, nothing changes. A graze, to say the least.
"...Well, maybe it is a little bit too early to notice any changes."
He let out yet another sigh.
A prideful, level-headed person he might be, but he, in the end, was a mere 12 years old boy. And even counting in the experiences he accumulated on Earth, it'd be a little too early to call him a mature person, as he was a mere 16 years old back then. And considering that he shut himself in for 5 years, his true experience could be evaluated as an 11 years old boy.
Perhaps those five years were spent on video games, animations, and many, many more. But in the end, they are nothing compared to real-life experiences.
He still wanted some interesting stuff to happen. This instinctual desire of a boy would possess. A desire to not be bored.
Another half an hour passed by, yet he merely encountered a bunch of weird creatures. Monsters, that's what they called them.
"Hm?"
Perhaps the Goddess of Luck was watching over him.
Finally, after endless voyaging, which in reality was just less than an hour, he finally caught some rays coming through the gaps between leaves. It means he will witness a land without any of these annoying trees and bushes! A spacious land!
Pacing up his speed, he swiped off the bushes that blocked off his view of the undisturbed land with his sword. His eyes squinted at the contrasting changes of light as he went out of the forest and he halted. Then, he observed silently.
"..."
In this open field, perhaps hundreds of miles in radius, he spotted a strange thing.
'...What's a cat doing here?'
No, it's not right either. This... creature, who was being chased by a swarm of monsters, was definitely not a cat. It possessed a red cross-shaped mark on its forehead and a pair of bat wings coming out of its back. With a comically large head and quite small body size, pitch black and a weird ability to breathe out fire. Well, at least it tried to use that to fend off the monsters. Which, unfortunately, did not affect them in the slightest.
Yeah, because they are lizard-shaped monstrosities covered in what Kazuma speculated, hard scales. As big as a bull, the difference is that they are fast. Ridiculously, fast.
Meow!
Kazuma silently stood still as the cat ran furiously with its little legs, repeatedly making cat noises to show its urgency in its safety. Puts him to wonder how could such a little thing outrun these agile monstrosities. Then, it noticed him. Kazuma blinked, noticing something with his abnormally sharp eyes as it ran to him.
'This cat has... thick eyelashes?'
Is that an indication that it's a female?
Without realizing it, it- she, had already arrived before him, jumping onto his robe and clawing it with her paws, hanging off of the robe. Kazuma's eyes twitched but noticing the primary issue currently, he brushes it off as he brings out his sword. It is the creature's fault that he got into this trouble, but it's his fault too to stand on such an open field, as if asking to be noticed. But hey, he didn't really mind it.
No, in fact, he is actually glad.
Clank!
The sword was actually obstructed by their scales! Kazuma took a moment to process before jumping into the air, observing the swarm from there with precision and haste. The monstrosities, noticing their prey has been "snatched", snarled ragingly. Changing their main target to him.
As instinctual creatures, eliminating disturbances to their peace is certainly the best option.
As Kazuma landed on the ground behind the swarm, it actually turned around with utmost efficiency. Considering its numbers, speed, and other aspects, such a drastic turn is quite amazing to see. Well, not for Kazuma, who started to sweat at the current problem.
'My sword couldn't penetrate them!'
A situation he never experienced with.
"Damn it!"
Kazuma took a second to look back before running rapidly, with a cat, an odd cat, stuck in the space between his collars and his neck. Relaxedly enjoying the warmth he radiated. If Kazuma knew, he would throw it with all of his strength.
After it turned around, the swarm started to chase him. And what makes it worse is the fact that its speed started to accelerate, closing the distance between them. Kazuma tried to find weaknesses, an idea from Kazuma Satou, but their scales were truly troubling because they literally covered their entire bodies, even their damned eyes! With its scale-covered eyelids.
'What the hell were these?!'
Several other ideas came to mind but they are too unrealistic. He thought of stabbing their nose holes but it would only make things worse. Anuses? No, this is a swarm, not a creature. What makes it harder to solve is the uncertainty of their species. Kazuma and Kazuma Satou both truly know nothing of them. They have zero knowledge of these... creatures.
'Why don't I enter the forest?'
Kazuma's eyes lit up.
Sometimes, the solution wasn't so far. In his panic, Kazuma did not realize that.
Certainly, the trees would obstruct them in their group manoeuvres and they'd given up-
"How strong are these damnations?!"
Trees meant nothing to them! Their bodies destroyed them as if they were twigs!
'I'm glad?! Glad my throat!'
It would be his life that has to be exchanged for his gladness!
"Meow~"
The conspicuous red light from below caught his attention. In stress and anxiety, Kazuma looked down and saw the glowing red cross-shaped mark on the forehead of the cat. The cat's eyes blinked and looked up at him, indicating something with the vigorous movements of its comically large head. Before he could respond, a bite catches his ankle.
He grunted, and with his superior physic, he forced the ankle to let go. A quite amount of his flesh has to be sacrificed for that escape. And perhaps more for the future escapes from the deep trouble he just got into.
It's painful. Truly, painful.
Kazuma Satou couldn't hold on yet Kazuma hard-headedly overlooked it, treating it as nothing more than a pinch. An immense pain he has to suffer, yet he gotta run. Kazuma came to a realization.
Perhaps that wasn't the area he was supposed to enter.
'I've been too conceited.'
Blood rapidly flows out of his wounds, leaving a trail of red. Kazuma's breaths started to rag. He tried multiple attempts to momentarily blocked off the path but they were all in vain. Trees were like twigs for them, so what's the point?
"Meow!"
A pitch meow interrupted his thought. He looked down and saw a paw, swinging rather furiously. Kazuma furrowed his eyebrows as sweats vigorously streamed down through them, trying to correctly perceive the gesture the cat showed. Unfortunately, another bite caught him, but this time, it bites his plantaris. Located between calves and the thighs. Specifically behind the knees.
A choke was let out but he preserves, forcefully removing the bite with his nerve as a sacrifice. It is truly the first time he experiences something akin to hell in this world. The pain is immense.
Kazuma has no idea how he could still run with all of these... torn fleshes. A rough way to put it. His gaze started to turn blurry but Kazuma, the Prideful Crimson Demon, refuses to give in.
If he has no other choices, he will show his front as he dies.
"Meow!'
"Cat, if you want to do something, then please do it. Now-!"
Before he could react, the cat jumped out of his collars, bumping its forehead onto his own. A brilliant red light glowed on their foreheads and Kazuma feels his eyes turn blurry. But he didn't turn around and fought with his sword like he said, because he could feel it.
His body isn't in his control anymore. It was by a force, something that he did not know of. His view turns to the swarm as it started to blacken.
He did hear something in his voice though.
"Eradicate for me, Quietus!"
