episode_0019

Shoo~

A cool breeze blows.

Tinia, with her eyes wide open.

Women struggling to stand up.

Thud.

Simultaneously, the lower body of someone collapsed.

The upper body cleanly disappeared, leaving only the pelvis and legs of the body on the ground.

What did I just witness?

That’s the only thought in my mind.

I just stared blankly at the protagonist of the incident.

Sha-ah~

Short silver hair fluttering in the wind.

Shaela, who killed the slave hunter with a single blow and allowed him to see the sunlight for a moment.

It was just a simple punch.

Not a loud bang, just a soft thud.

But with that, the upper body of the slave hunter disappeared.

At that moment, I realized.

I had resurrected a monster.

Not just overwhelming, but a transcendent monster.

I didn’t know because I acted so gently, but Shaela was originally a goddess.

Maybe her personality was also unpredictable.

On the other hand, I realized one more thing.

The reason for the slow recovery was this.

How could I recover that crazy power quickly?

And…

Was it that damaged to that extent?

Is it still in the process of regaining its original power?

It must have been tough.

Swoosh~

I approached Shaela.

So what if she’s a monster?

I’m a monster too.

“Shaela.”

“Si, Sire!!….”

Tinia approached worriedly.

She must have sensed the danger of Shaela.

Even I, who knew her true form, must have been shocked to see Shaela’s different side, acting like a gentle puppy.

“It’s okay.”

I smoothly intervened and stood in front of Shaela.

Thump thump thump.

She looked anxious.

It’s hard to believe that she’s afraid even with such strong power, but Shaela seemed to be focusing on her senses as if she wouldn’t miss anything.

She must have been anxious because she didn’t know the situation.

“Shaela.”

Swoosh.

Surprisingly, when I called her name from up close, she turned her head towards me.

“…Can you hear me?”

Anxiety.

Danger.

Unknown situation.

Several psychological factors seemed to heighten her senses.

“Mu…chan?”

She mumbled slowly.

It seemed like she was asking if I was right.

Even if she recognized the sound, she seemed insufficient to discern the meaning.

But still, it was a significant improvement.

Tap.

Tap tap.

Shaela’s hand touched my chest.

She identified my position and tapped.

I should refrain from changing my physical form as much as possible.

I don’t want my upper body to be separated like the slave hunter.

Swoosh swoosh.

The trembling disappeared as if it had never been there, and she touched her chest with a surprised expression.

It seemed like she was checking if she was hurt.

Is she worried about me?

Swoosh~

I put my hand on her head.

Flinch.

Perhaps because of the hunter’s touch earlier, Shaela hesitated for a moment.

Swipe~

I petted her head as usual.

She seemed relieved as her mouth curled up.

However, this time, her behavior was different. She suddenly lifted her foot.

Swoosh~ Swipe swoosh.

I petted her head in the same way.

The gentle touch scattered her hair.

It seemed like she was saying it’s okay, be relieved, as if comforting me.

However.

“…Right…eous.”

Is this… encouragement?

Or admiration?

She must have roughly understood the situation.

The enemy appeared, and I tried to protect her. Maybe it was an intention to praise that.

But visually, it’s strange.

Why is the much smaller you petting me?

Are you treating me like a child?

Hehe.

Shaela’s mouth curled up again, as if she had read my thoughts.

Let’s stop here.

I was the one who treated her like a child first.

I will take care of the injured child, even if it means boosting my ego.

Thunk!-

“……!!?”

I lifted Shaela onto my shoulder.

If I carry him, we can return faster without slowing down to take care of him.

His small body made it easy to lift.

“…!!!”

Was he startled?

Tap.

Thud thud thud!!!!

I quickly pounded his back.

I won’t kill him like a slave hunter.

Ignoring him, I turned around.

Squelch~

In the meantime, I swallowed the body of the slave hunter that protruded from the ankle of my pants.

The stem will absorb and return on its own.

Now it’s time to return.

“Lord Shin. What should we do with these people?”

Before that, Tinea pointed to the women behind her.

Six women who had been captured by the slave hunters were trembling and looking towards us.

Facing death by a monster.

Becoming a slave.

They had met a miserable end.

They seemed to know their situation and couldn’t do anything about it.

I don’t even know if they are enemies or allies.

I can’t be bothered to care.

I even ignore the villagers.

“Tinea. Do as you wish. I need to rest first.”

“Oh, yes! Then I will lead them.”

Thud~

I returned to the village with a seemingly submissive Shaela surrounded by me. Tinea brought the women who expressed their willingness to join, and in the meantime, Shaela, looking proud, yawned silently and fell asleep on the bed.

Foggy Forest, 44th day.

I realized through this incident.

The outside presence is very strong.

And they can attack this place at any time from anywhere.

I need to become stronger.

I must be able to protect this place.

At least until Shaela is fully recovered.

Slurp~

So I absorbed the half-dead body of the slave hunter that Shaela had dealt with.

Abundant nutrients.

And… should I call it genetic information?

Or should I call it a broader term, the essence of life?

Distinct physical characteristics of other organisms were stored in the main body, and just with that, the main body grew about the size of two beans more than before.

But this is not enough.

I need to grow more.

So I ordered the elves to start expanding the territory in earnest.

With the expansion of the territory, the nutrients increase.

The main body can grow faster.

Thanks to that, the territory is expanding in real-time.

More than twenty elves, including High Elves, have planted stems all over the forest, and the amount of nutrients collected has increased accordingly.

The main body is already the size of 25 beans.

Unlike before, nutrients overflow.

Now, I can easily produce dozens of concentrated fruits.

So I sprinkled some on Floren, and he was pleased to have leveled up by tens.

But there was one problem.

As the nutrients increased, the growth rate began to decrease slightly at some point.

What could be the problem?

Do I need other elements for growth?

I already know the answer.

I need the information of the organisms I absorb while absorbing the slave hunters. The more diverse and unique species I absorb, the faster I grow.

Maybe it’s better to start hunting in earnest when the growth rate decreases later.

[Lord Shin! We have found humans.]

[A new human. We will rescue them first.]

While I was lost in thought, an elf’s telepathy came through.

An elf who was expanding the territory had discovered a human and reported that they would rescue them.

As you can see, since the village’s open policy, more than 20 humans have joined the village, and it is still ongoing.

As the territory expands.

As the elves venture outside.

As the exploration range expands.

More humans are being discovered.

Thanks to that, the population has been greatly reversed. It is becoming a human village, not an elf village.

At this point, I thought.

The tower is a truly filthy place.

Only a small part of the Misty Forest had been occupied, yet already so many people had gathered.

How many individuals were discarded each day?

How many were ravaged in the Tower, discarded like trash, losing their lives?

Levels.

Skills.

What are they? It seems like someone made them just for fun.

[Illian.]

Sending my will, I called out for the first time.

The response came immediately.

[Yes.]

[Have you investigated humans?]

[I have a certain level of understanding.]

[Have you also looked into what the Tower is?]

[Yes. The Tower is composed of at least hundreds of floors, absorbing worlds that cannot withstand invasion, and it is said to be constantly increasing in floors.]

[What kind of individuals are primarily discarded humans?]

[Well-]

I roughly listened to the explanation.

Discarded humans were all Tower climbers.

To save their own worlds.

To obtain items.

To become wealthy.

To become stronger.

They seemed to each have their own goals.

The reasons for being discarded were generally similar.

Failing the Administrator’s quest.

Displeasing the Administrator.

Defying the Administrator.

Being too weak or useless.

Not being entertaining to watch.

It was all for trivial reasons.

In short, it was the whims of the Administrator’s race to play with and discard as they pleased.

[What kind of being is the Administrator?]

[I’m not exactly sure, but they manage Tower climbers in conjunction with the high-ranking forces and invade worlds.]

There are quite a few Administrators on each floor of the Tower.

They usually manage Tower climbers but are also beings dispatched for world absorption.

The invaded world merges with other worlds, creating dungeons, monsters, and gates that attack residents, and to prevent this, climbing the Tower to level up and acquire skills is considered natural.

If they fail to stop it, it’s the Tower absorption ending.

That’s how they hold the world hostage, dragging people into the Tower to play with.

Perhaps by now, even Earth…

Shivering.

I lowered my head.

There’s nowhere to go back to anyway.

What I want is a life of freedom.

I will live as I please.

The problem is that the risk is high.

Outside the Misty Forest, there may be strong individuals like slave hunters.

So, I need to grow my main body and expand my territory…

“Lord Shin!! I found an elf!!”

Just as I was contemplating.

Once again, telepathy came through.

Second Tinea found a discarded elf in the Misty Forest, not a human.

An elf that wasn’t human.

And from another world.

Curiosity piqued, I immediately focused on Tinea to confirm the sight.

“Glory!!! Noble beings!!!”

Three elves.

They truly looked like elves.

Even though they were ordinary elves that didn’t come from me, Tinea immediately knelt and paid respects, calling them noble.

They seemed respectful and courteous.

It seemed like they wanted to follow Tinea.

There was no reason not to accept. I instructed Tinea to bring them into the village, and I separately moved a stem to build them a house.

“Oh, such great beings….”

“Glory, glory!! It’s an honor to be able to host noble beings!!!”

The rescued elves happily jumped around.

They showed respect even to the young high elves.

A stark contrast to the dark atmosphere of humans.

It should be fine.

They will likely follow us better than humans.

They decided to care for the tenth Elasian among the elves of Lord Shin.

The problem is…

I realized through this incident.

Not only humans fall into the disposal site.

Most are human, but there is a low probability of other races falling as well.

Naturally, one thought led to another.

Are there other races besides elves?

If we gather them, wouldn’t we naturally become stronger?

Wouldn’t it be good for them to become stronger alongside me?

The answer would soon be known.

*

Thud!!!

“Kweeeng!!?!”

A gigantic monster resembling a rhinoceros flew through the air.

The monster’s face was crumpled as if it had been struck by a massive hammer.

Approaching it was a slightly rugged figure.

“Khm… Could it be that I am to be discarded? Perhaps I should have drunk less.”

A manly lion’s mane.

Armor that seemed to be draped over his clothes.

A hammer that looked heavy even at a glance.

The wandering master.

The dwarf, Volkan.

“Now, how should I go on living? Hehehe.”

He appeared in the misty forest.