#1 The Monster of the Incinerator, Battle

─’It’ had no intelligence.

An insignificant creature that came into existence and gained consciousness without any particular reason, yet possessed no proper intelligence, merely acting on instinct.

It was a being that should have been nothing more than that, and thus, a weakling that should have vanished long ago, like other minor monsters.

But it survived.

The reason it survived was nothing special; it was simply because the insignificant creature was lucky.

While the minor monsters that appeared alongside it perished, ‘it’ survived.

As other minor monsters lost their homes and wandered, with over 90% failing to find a new one and eventually turning to dust, just as they had appeared, ‘it’ managed to settle in a nutrient-rich spot and prolong its existence.

The area it coincidentally visited was a blank zone, belonging to no monster.

For monsters, nutrient-rich places-that is, places where large amounts of Yin energy gather-usually belong to powerful monsters possessing strength and intelligence.

Therefore, even if such a place is temporarily empty, it is soon occupied and seized by an even stronger monster. Naturally, weak insignificant creatures that originally nested in that area either perish or are devoured in the process, becoming the blood and flesh of the invader.

However, that insignificant creature was lucky.

Even though a powerful monster came and settled in the home ‘it’ had claimed, that monster seemed to pay no mind to ‘it’, which had originally occupied the area.

Lucky.

There was no other way to explain the survival of this insignificant creature than that single word.

Thanks to this, the insignificant creature was able to remain in its home without being driven out, killed, or eaten.

It could freely absorb the nutrients of that place, an unusually dense and abundant amount of Yin energy, and grow stronger.

‘It’ was no longer an insignificant creature; it was becoming a monster to an extent that could not be described as such.

To the point where most minor monsters were no match for it, becoming nothing more than its prey.

However, even with its newfound power, ‘it’ chose to hide rather than rampage, because it knew of an even stronger being.

That powerful monster would periodically appear and disappear from the place ‘it’ had made its home.

It would occasionally discard trash and incinerate it, then leave as if it had no other interest.

It must not reveal itself before that monster. Following the warning of its instincts, ‘it’ would always hide out of sight whenever the monster came.

Because it knew of such a powerful being, and saw it every time, ‘it’ was able to avoid arrogance. It knew that the power it had gained was still insignificant.

Even though ‘its’ power had already become stronger than most mid-level or higher monsters, ‘it’ still did not become arrogant. It did not rampage recklessly.

Then one day, ‘it’ discovered something.

An object discarded one morning in the incinerator, the home where it hid itself.

Amidst the remaining ashes, the object remained unburnt.

That object contained an energy so powerful it had never seen before.

That strong and pure energy had the power to mesmerize the monster, which possessed only instinct and no intelligence.

Just being near it made ‘it’ feel as if energy was overflowing throughout its body.

If it could make this its own, if it could devour this, if it could claim this power for itself…

─Then it could even defeat that female.

The woman in a maid’s outfit who appeared at this incinerator every morning.

She had the appearance of a human and clearly pretended to be one, but ‘its’ instincts, which it had possessed since its weakest days, clearly recognized that she was no ordinary being.

The current ‘it’ could not win. It could not resist.

But if it had this. If it could make the power contained within this object its own.

Then it would surely be possible to make this entire domain its own and rule it, and even to violate that powerful monster and seize all of its power──

* * *

“Step back, Daom-ssi.”

The moment I arrived at the intended location, I immediately felt an alien atmosphere.

The fact that I only barely sensed it from a position where I could directly see it was surely due to the influence of that mist.

The spacious area in the mansion’s backyard. A patch of dirt where not a single weed was visible.

Beyond that, there was a large incinerator made of steel and iron, and a brick wall surrounding it. There *should* have been.

However, now that brick wall was completely shattered and scattered, and parts of the iron incinerator had been roughly torn away.

The ashes that had been inside the incinerator were scattered haphazardly around, some being carried away by the wind. Because of this, the air in this space felt murky.

No, the murkiness wasn’t just due to the ashes mixed in the air.

What appeared to be the culprit that destroyed the incinerator-a large-bodied monster-was there.

Its head looked somewhat like a pig’s, and somewhat like a cow’s. Or perhaps it resembled no animal at all.

A muscular behemoth. It seemed about 4 meters tall. It had four arms, and each arm was shaped differently.

As the monster turned to face me and I confirmed its form, it was a blasphemous and hideous sight, completely disregarding left-right symmetry. It looked as if it had been roughly stitched together from various things, like a rag doll.

The energy the monster emitted, its demonic aura, was a chaotic mess befitting its form. But at the same time, it was also a sinister presence that seemed to reek of blood.

My personal impression was that it felt raw. And monsters that emit such demonic aura and demonic power are usually very ferocious and dangerous.

Kwajik Kwajik

The monster noticed Daom-ssi and me, but paid no mind and continued its work of destroying the incinerator.

No, rather, its hands seemed to move even faster. As if it felt a sense of urgency and was hurrying.

‘That thing….’

The monster seemed to have found what it was looking for, as it reached its hand into the ashes inside the incinerator.

However, its hand was repelled. The monster wailed mournfully, but then reached its hand back into the ashes.

And at that moment, I was already kicking off the ground and rushing forward.

I had no intention of letting that monster do as it pleased.

『?!』

The monster spotted me, approaching without even hiding my presence.

It extended an arm with a swift movement unbefitting its massive body.

The sweeping arm created a crater in the ground, and sand dust flew up.

That arm could tear apart the iron incinerator like paper. If it connected, even an exorcist’s body, reinforced with spiritual power, wouldn’t be unharmed. ──If it hit, that is.

Tat Tat Tat-

『Buuut…!!?』

I climbed onto the monster’s swinging arm, stepping and pushing off it like an acrobat. I instantly reached the monster’s head. Without delay, I kicked its head with a foot imbued with spiritual power.

『Gaaaaaaah!!!』

“Oh, that didn’t kill it.”

It probably wasn’t because my feet were smaller since I’m a woman. This monster’s body must be exceptionally sturdy. In the case of monsters that prioritize survival, they often grow by increasing their defense instead of their attack power.

I dismounted from the monster’s body, which was shaking its half-collapsed head and beginning to rampage as if in a frenzy.

As it tried to kick me where I had landed at its feet, I skillfully dodged and pushed it back. The monster’s massive body tilted. Its arms flailed in the air.

Along with that, I once again gathered spiritual power in my feet and legs. My target was the monster’s exact center. Its core was there.

“【Offering Moon】.”

The gathered spiritual power scattered light like starlight.

My extended leg, my thrusting foot, kicked the monster’s core, sending it flying.

The monster’s massive body flew. Kicking up dust, it bounced along the ground like a ball, flying over ten meters away, until it crashed into the wall surrounding the mansion and came to a stop.

The wall seemed unable to withstand the impact and crumbled.

‘I intended to finish it.’

I had consumed a large amount of spiritual energy last night, and the thought that I might accidentally destroy the building made me hold back some of my power.

That, and the fact that the monster guarded its core with its four arms in that fleeting moment, as well as its inherent specialization in defense, seemed to have allowed it to cling to life.

However, there wouldn’t be a second chance.

Two of its four arms were already gone, and one of the remaining arms was so tattered it could barely be used.

Even though it blocked the attack, its core had received a significant impact. Enough to shatter easily from even a small shock.

However, it seemed to have no intention of dying obediently, as the monster tried to escape. I had no intention of letting it go.

Pasak-

Amidst the ashes of the broken incinerator, I immediately found it and picked it up.

Finding it wasn’t difficult. It was my item, and it was imbued with a generous amount of my spiritual power.

What I held in my hand was an ordinary-looking wooden stick, about a span long.

But it had remained here without burning to ashes even in the incinerator’s flames. However, the talisman that had wrapped it had burned away, leaving its potent spiritual energy fully exposed.

『Gaaaaaaah!!!』

“Huh? What is it? You wanted this too?”

And then.

The monster, which had been trying to escape, had somehow turned around and was charging back towards me. The purpose of the beast-like monster charging at me was clearly this stick in my hand.

Now that I think about it, it seemed to be searching for something in the ashes. It must have been this. This thing, which was practically a lump of spiritual power, would be an irresistible prey for a monster.

But it was foolish. To charge in after being so severely beaten, with its body not even intact, and without even considering that its opponent was now armed.

『──────!!』

The charging monster. I lightly leaped, soaring past the monster as if brushing by it.

And the next moment.

Piit-

The monster’s massive body split in two.