Murderous, vile, evil... Those are the words that describe what monsters are. All men agree—I agree, you agree. They want to eat, to feed, to consume your flesh, your existence, your very being. And so, as necessity dictates, we must exterminate these pests.

  The decree of adventurers: Slay all fucking monsters! Goblins! Minotaurs! Sirens! Dragons! Kill them all! Use their bones as your sword and push forward! Humanity shall stand atop a mountain of corpses!

  And as the law of man commands, we killed them... we killed them all. I grabbed my sword and slashed the throat of a green-skinned creature. These fucking goblins... these vile creatures that defile women and devour children—they must be eradicated, they must be annihilated!

  Blood. Blood splattered onto my hands, mingling with the screeches of the dying. I stabbed, I sliced, I beheaded these pitiful beings. They screamed and begged, tears streaming from their eyes. But I could not falter in the face of their deception. They are monsters! Monsters have no concept of mercy—therefore, I shall show none!

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  For a moment, I hesitated.

  I saw them—a group of baby goblins huddled in a hole in the ground. An adult female goblin shielded them with her body the moment I laid eyes on them. Wake up, fool! I told myself. These disgusting creatures are monsters! And so, as she screamed, I grabbed her head and smashed it to pieces. The baby goblins cried. Another moment of hesitation. Another moment silenced by my bloodied blade.

  Our party razed their village, burning their huts of nipa and wood. We laughed as we slaughtered them, hacking off their limbs and mocking them as they crawled, desperate to escape. I chuckled. This was too much fun. Seeing them at their weakest satiated my justice.

  I am a hero. A hero to be celebrated.

  The heat and ashes of my fury consumed all in sight. Children of monsters burned, their mothers choking as they wept and perished in the flames.

  I am a hero. I chanted. I am a hero. I swore.

  But as I stood amidst the carnage—surrounded by death, drenched in the scent of iron and guts, hearing the laughter of my comrades and feeling the heat of the inferno—I was struck by a terrifying thought, one that slithered from the deepest pit of my mind.

  Who is the real monster here?

  I shook my head.

  Hail the weakest monster of all—humans.