The heavy oaken doors of Lord Morov’s hall burst open with a crack that echoed across the chamber. Firelight flickered on stone walls as startled nobles turned, their conversations falling silent. The figure of a girl stumbled into view—mud-streaked and breathless, clutching her side, her once noble cloak now torn and ragged.

  A guard stepped in her path with a hand moving to his sword. “State your business!” When he took a closer look, he quickly retreated. “Lady Mira? M-my apologies, I—”

  The girl didn’t stop. With her scarlet hair waving in tangled locks, she staggered past him, all the way to the end of the hall where the lord was seated. “It’s gone,” she gasped, her voice hoarse and trembling. “The vilge, it’s…”

  Lord Morov’s sharp eyes narrowed down at the girl. “Foolish daughter of mine, you dare to show your face here? After what you did? And covered in mud?”

  Mira dropped to a knee, still trying to catch her breath. “Lord father, please hear me! Deep in the southern forests, the newest vilge that you charted yesteryear… The vilge is…” She stopped, desperately searching for a word that did not exist. “There is no vilge.”

  The hall began to buzz with a chorus of whispers, instantly hushed by one gesture from the lord. “What madness crosses your lips? Speak clearly.”

  She looked up to face him directly. “I was there. I rode all the way back without stopping to rest because it’s gone. I watched a terrible flood crash down upon them. It was a storm of water and broken trees unlike anything I have ever witnessed. It tore through the valley and swallowed it all whole! There was nothing natural about it! The flood began to carry away my horse, and we very nearly… I-I speak the truth—the vilge is gone!”

  The lord’s mouth fell open. “Ja Pierdol?…”

  No one tried to hide their voice any longer. A loud rush of frantic chattering flooded the chamber.

  “What fiend could have unleashed this camity?”

  “This must be the disaster that was foretold by the seers, I know it!”

  “And so soon after the demon sightings to the south! It cannot be mere coincidence.”

  “I warned you all that it was a mistake, but no one listened! The Far Wilds do not belong to us! Now it is coming. The demon lord is coming for us all!”

  “Storm God have mercy…”

  “Enough!” Lord Morov’s shout seized the attention of every pair of fearful eyes. He rose from his seat to address the entire hall. “We can say nothing for certain, except this: it is time for the great hunt to begin once again. It should stoke the fire in your heart that you may witness it in your lifetime! This is how history is made! This is how the bards immortalize you in their songs and the tales of legend forevermore! No, our people will not wait for the kingdom to choose its next hero. We will send word to the guild and prepare the bounties. House Morov will end the monster responsible for this, or we will cleanse this nd of every st wretched demon until we do!”

  ***

  A new monster had been unleashed upon the world. It roared over and over as if demanding that the whole forest acknowledge its presence.

  “Beaver, your stomach is growling again!” Frie said.

  “Yes, thanks for reminding me…”

  We had been traveling deeper through the woods since sunrise, and I still hadn’t eaten much of anything since before I evolved—or turned into—a giant yesterday. I couldn’t chew wood the way I used to, and eating leaves just wasn’t satisfying anymore.

  I sighed. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to this.”

  “I know what you mean,” Frie said. “When I first got here, I was scared out of my mind. I didn’t have a freaking clue what to do as an otter… Then somehow it worked out, and I got used to it! Turns out there are lots of perks to this life. Plus, I had a little help. Oh! Beaver, I got an idea!”

  Oh, dear. “Another one?”

  “Hey, this one is totally legit! So maybe you can’t eat the same beaver stuff as before, but you should be able to eat a lot of other human food now. Like this!” She pointed ahead with her front paw. Clusters of smooth, shiny red berries filled a thick bush not far from us. “They look like little round rubies in the sunlight! Now I wanna try some. Please?”

  Something about them gave me an unsettling feeling, but my stomach had a different opinion. “Alright,” I said, reaching out to grab a few berries. “Maybe it is time to try something new.” When I popped them in my mouth, an unfamiliar burst of sweetness took over.

  These… these are actually pretty good! Is this delicious sweet sensation what berries have always tasted like? I need more! I wish I had tried these sooner!

  And yet, there’s something else that doesn’t seem right… a kind of bitter taste, too? Like it’s not so good? It’s starting to feel a bit—

  [Poison Resistance advanced to Rank 2.]

  Oh, right. It all makes sense now…

  “Beaver, what’s wrong?!” Frie gasped.

  I winced, rubbing my stomach. “That made me feel less hungry, in a way, so I guess it worked. Just don’t eat those.”

  She looked from me back to the berries. “Oh no. Um, you know… These things happen!”

  …

  “I’m sorry, okay!? We’ll find some normal berries soon! And I’ll help you feel better. Pick me up!”

  With some guidance from Frie, I knelt down and carefully lifted the otter off the ground in my arms.

  “Ahh, that’s more like it!” she said. “Aren’t I fluffy~?”

  Her fur feels so soft, and dense, and warm… Is this what ‘fluffy’ feels like to my furless skin? I could get used to this. Wait, what exactly are we doing?

  “And now you can carry me like this!” Frie ughed. “This is what I call a transportation upgrade. All that walking was killing my feet! Beaver, you’re my hero! I mean… You know what I mean. Forward, march!”

  So that was her pn. Well, I’ve never seen her otter tail wagging this fast before. And this ‘fluffy’ is kind of nice, too. “It sounds like you’re having fun.”

  “This is all about utility now!” she insisted. “I forgot how useful it is being able to look around up at human height. I’ll spot every berry bush we come across! By the way… where exactly are we going?”

  “I’m taking us to see my sister, Piotra,” I said. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen her. But if she’s still living at her dam where I remember, we’ll find her.”

  “Oh, good idea! Or is it? If your sister is a beaver, she definitely won’t recognize you. And I think you told me how she feels about otters. Are you sure about this?”

  “Not really. She might know something that can help us, though. Maybe she’s seen other giants in a different part of the forest. It’s worth a try; I don’t know where else we would go right now.”

  Frie went quiet in my arms for a while. “You know, I’ve been thinking… Just because you haven’t seen any demons, it doesn’t mean there aren’t scary monsters out here that won’t try to kill us! Or more humans, for that matter. What if we bump into that hungry pack of wolves that found us before?”

  “Then we run to the river, jump in and swim as fast as we can.”

  “You’re not wrong, I guess, but there’s got to be a better way! The safety of our castle is long gone, and you’re not exactly beaver-sized anymore. As a hero, I would do whatever it takes to get stronger, protect the innocent and make enemies flee from me!”

  “That sounds convenient. What are you thinking?”

  Frie nodded with a sly grin. “I knew you would come around! You see, with a system like yours, it’s almost always about getting experience points. It’s simple: kill stuff, get EXP and level up. Then do it again! The more the better.”

  I stopped. “You would be a better hero by killing everything you ran into?”

  “W-well, uh… Maybe? At least in the wilderness? Whatever. You’re the demon lord—you’re not supposed to worry about this stuff! Just think about protecting me and your sister!”

  “Is that really how it works?” I thought she wanted to be a hero, but she came up with a surprisingly murderous pn. Frie’s sense of morality seems… complicated.

  “Beaver, hang on! I have an idea.”

  “I’m not mentally prepared for any more ideas right now.”

  “Hey! This is about powering up for our survival out here. Look!”

  Ahead of us, the forest opened up to a grassy clearing. A small brown rabbit, fur brushed with hints of gray and cream, nibbled on a tender patch of clover leaves. Its nose twitched up and down as the soft ball of fur enjoyed its breakfast.

  “Put me down,” Frie whispered. “It’s sword time!”

  At the otter’s suggestion, earlier I had wrapped a vine around the wooden ‘sword’ I made. That way I could carry it at my side instead of having to hold it all the time. With Frie back on the ground and my hands freed, I grabbed the sword by the hilt.

  “Are you serious about this?” I asked her.

  “Think of it like practice! You gotta start somewhere. All you have to do is sneak up to it and stick ‘em with the pointy end. Easy. I’m really hungry too, you know! I’ll teach you how to make a fire, and then we can eat roasted rabbit like we’re camping!”

  “It looks really fluffy though,” I whispered.

  “You’re right! I wonder how it would feel to… No! Don’t get tempted by the fluff, Beaver. Stay focused!”

  The rabbit twitched an ear in our direction, yet it continued its leafy meal without any sign of fleeing.

  “It might look like a bunny,” Frie went on, “but imagine it’s an EXP balloon. It only needs a little poke. Then you get stronger!”

  “I don’t think that’s helping.”

  “Okay, maybe this is the wrong way to practice…” Frie seemed to let out a sigh of relief. “I’m sort of gd. I don’t know if I’d have the heart to do it, either. That innocent bunny is just too darn cute! Not as cute as me, of course.”

  The rabbit’s ears perked up as it turned to look at Frie. “You, cute?” it asked with a ugh. “River rats aren’t cute.”

  “W-what was that?!” Frie shouted. “You little…! Beaver, kill it! The EXP is hopping away! Hurry and kill it!”

  So much for being a hero… Well, I suppose an otter needs to eat some kind of meat. Maybe we’ll catch some fish ter.

  [Your power increased to Level 3.]

  Malonymous