I Became the Wrong Race

4 – Fall (4)

Being a monster was good.

It wasn’t something you would normally hear. The word ‘monster’ tends to leave a negative impression on humans, which is understandably so.

In other words, it’s like saying, ‘It’s good to be a scoundrel’ or ‘It’s good to be a murderer’.

Of course, that puts a damper on the sentiment. I headed towards the pile of corpses I had created.

Most of the corpses met their end in one blow. Although it’s not instant death per se, the precision was more than you’d expect from a novice.

At least that was true by my standards. It’s self-praise, and if anyone would challenge it, I would have nothing to say.

At least I didn’t encounter a counterattack from such a sudden onslaught. I started to turn over the dead bodies.

To find anything useful.

“Give me that.”

The snow leopard commanded from behind. I handed over the recurve bow that I was pondering over, and she neatly strapped it to her back.

Does she know how to use a bow too?

Even a slingshot is hard to master, and in the game, you only use it as a starter weapon unless your level is high, the snow leopard seemed to be a seasoned hunter.

That’s safe to say by judging her skills with the bow, the slingshot, and even the hand ax.

Such a snow-leopard blatantly spat out at the second item I retrieved

“Take that.”

“I don’t need that either.”

It was the crossbow of the first cannibal which I had kicked. A crude and simple tool, but the broken notch in the middle made it unusable.

It had a good reload speed, so it would have been useful somehow. Regrettably, I moved on to the next corpse.

The things I retrieved varied.

The machete stuck to my side and the broken spear stuck to my back.

A wooden hammer hanging on the waist of another, and an oddly sized lumber ax, too big for a hand, but too small for both hands.

Even though the condition was crude, and the item description merely floated in a semi-transparent window predicting the name, in my current situation, these were precious weapons.

I couldn’t always fight bare-handed.

[Woe 0/1]

StillI stand as level 1. Even this was a miracle.

It was an impossible feat unless I was a monster named Homunculus with a physical body that deserved grief.

Until the next battle, I had to use this kind of weapon, appreciatively.

So, I continued to move my lifeless body after ‘mourning’.

Busily rummaging through the bodies and selecting usable items.

As I was rummaging for a long time, I jerked my hand at a sharp touch.

Clatter.

What fell down was a dagger.

A charming dagger. A keen blade stained red with blood, a finely-crafted dagger than I had thought.

The moment I saw that item, a transparent window appeared in the corner of my sight.

[“Kormel’s Responsibility”]

Beneath the name that appeared, a description appeared. It meant it’s not an ordinary item, yet the window revealed much more.

[“From now on, you are the head.”

– Hunter’s father, on his deathbed.

This is a dagger handed down by the hunter who is now a cannibal, Kormel’s father.

Well-maintained, sharp, and useful, it fulfills its role whenever used.

Just like a stubborn head of a household.]

Now I knew the name of the man I killed. He was Kormel.

Kormel was sprawled on the ground with a crushed head, and I could feel a glimpse of the hunter who once had been a leader, adding to the pathos.

A fur cloak worn on his body with a leather vest. It stood out among other cannibals who all wore human skins.

He wasn’t very big but his shoes were quite large.

Swiftly and clatter.

I tried hard not to be affected by the trace that the cannibal was once a human.

Rather, I didn’t feel much affected. Probably because I was no longer human myself.

I just thought it was fortunate that the shoes fit my feet as I put the dagger in my bosom.

It left a bitter taste in my mouth, but it must have been because the fight was just over.

Looking up into the sky, I still felt the reality that I was almost a monster.

Nothing could be seen beyond the clear sky.

But I was certain that somewhere there lay the fortress of the fallen three tribes.

A fortress teeming with strong enemies that I could not even dream of conquering at my current level.

A place where I had no choice but to visit again someday.

So, it was ok for me to be a monster.

Better a monster, strong enough to carry out my revenge, than a weak human.

And if, just if my sister was alive, it would be easier to find her as a monster.

Even if she was not alive, it was not guaranteed that there were no other humans in a similar situation.

I was possessed. My sister was possessed too. Assuming that neither my nor my sister’s lineage contained the blood optimized for possession, there must be more people like us.

It felt as if protecting such people was my duty.

Someone who knows Grim Darker well and excels monstrously in the game.

A task that a person like me, ready to become a monster, should undertake.

Nobody has asked me to and it was not something I had to do.

But reflecting on my life, which was full of hardships and often starved, provoked such thoughts.

If I don’t do it, who will?

Always hungry, I had always wished someone to stick their hand out and always stepped forward with that thought.

That was still the case. Even as a monster, it remained. I was still me.

Then neither can I sit back here. I sighed long and said.

“Shall we move the location?”

The snow leopard looked surprised and widened its eyes.

“We neither have the time to bury nor the means to, so let’s just move. It will be a tight schedule even if we head now to collect our luggage from the camp.”

“Hey, do you understand?”

“Just about.”

Though I wouldn’t claim to be an old-timer, I was definitely proficient at Grim Darker. I hadn’t mastered the encounters but had grasped the tendency.

My knowledge was correct. Perhaps because of that, the snow leopard followed me without any further discussion.

Whisking its plump tail from side-to-side, slicing through the snow with a light step.

I lifted my gaze from the snow leopard and put on the fur cape, which I had taken from hunter Kormel, and crossed the snow-covered road with leather shoes.

It could not be heard properly…I felt a faint sense of a presence from afar.

Although I was not being pursued, it was not too far away. It was exactly the pattern of the cannibalism I had seen in the game.

With certainty, I checked the emptiness of the leather vest I wore inside and tucked a sword, hammer, and logging ax into a hastily-made belt.

My waist felt heavier than when I wore nothing, but the strength of Homunculus made it easy to ignore such a thing.

As I carried the broken spear on my shoulder and walked, the almost inaudible footsteps followed me from behind.

It was the direction of the campsite. It was not too far since I had been pushed away while fighting.

“What’s your name?”

Upon arrival at the campsite, I helped the snow leopard pack up their tent and tidied up the items to be packed carefully into the snow leopard’s bag.

The bag kept getting heavier as well-organized items went into it, but the snow leopard carried it effortlessly.

“…Me?”

I would have been satisfied if it the creature had not asked for my name, but apparently I was wrong in thinking that.

“I’m Isla.”

The fact that he revealed his name first was a surprise.

Should a typical monster not hesitate to reveal its name?

And even in the beginning when he suddenly told me to call him older brother, the smooth mat and straightforward snow leopard felt awkward. Knowing that I am a monster, tough enough to use it, why would he bother asking for my name?

I felt uncomfortable as I learned the name of one of the cannibals a while ago. It’s a different race from me.

Do all Grim Docker residents call it this way?

I thought about how to respond for a moment.

“Lu…”

The reflexively delivered response was a familiar name.

Lucilla. The name I saw when I first opened Grim Docker. The name I saw sometimes when my older sister was playing and I was watching behind her .

After closing my mouth for a moment, I opened it again to speak:

“Luwelin.”

If my sister was in this world, if she had luckily survived and escaped, I would like her to know that I had reached there with her.

So, that’s why I said Luwelin.

[Name: Luwelin]

[Race: Homunculus]

[Job: Warrior – Mourner]

[Reputation: not known]

[Strength: 20(+5)][Agility: 20(+5)][Health: 20(+5)]

[Magical energy: □][Inspiration: □][Attractiveness: □]

[Playing time: 8,788 hours]

However, my status window interpreted it differently.

The large window that came up as if that was my name from now on. I kicked it out with a sneer and Isla the Snow Leopard, who was leading the way on my side, then turned around and kept walking.

Can I trust that beast?

What on earth is going to happen to me?

Is my sister still alive?

I stopped worrying about it anymore.

Isla saved me with a purpose. That’s why I almost accidentally got involved in this incident and was killed.

Although I felt unfairly treated and wanted to blame Isla, I didn’t.

I am a person with conscience.

I was already a target of the cannibals and a monster who brutally killed their brethren.

If they were pursuing me, they were bound to follow me even if I ran away.

Since I couldn’t choose where to fall, it was inevitable.

Plus, I’m not a weak man who sobs and complains about unfortunate accidents I encounter.

I am a person who needs to get things done.

So even though I felt an impending threat, I didn’t stop.

There would be no problem if I could overcome it.

For the same reason, I spoke to Isla.

“Anyway, I’m glad we’re in the north.”

“…Hm?”

At the confused question of Isla, instead of reproaching him for not knowing, I gave him time to think for himself.

The north was a region where relatively strict rules and harsh punishments coexisted, at least, it was a place with good public order.

So even if the cannibals were utterly chaotic, it would be safe up to the area where people live.

The key was that. Going up to the area near the city, village, or residence, whatever it was.

However, it would not be too difficult. Homunculus is a sturdy race that doesn’t need rest, and snow leopards must be beastmen whose main bases are in such harsh winters.

“Most of the roads in the north are well-known to me. If you tell me where you are, I can run away on the nearest road. The cannibal brutes dare not chase after us.”

Despite my assertive tone and smile, Isla blinked her eyes with a blank expression.

Wait a minute.Her thick snow-white eyelashes brushed down over her pale gray eyes a few times, much like frost on a window, before Iseul made a large grin within the late-blowing wind.

What kind of attitude was that?

Iseul slowly opened her mouth as I looked at her with confusion.

“This isn’t the North.”

“That can’t be…”

The ground was covered with snow, a blizzard raging in all directions.

It had to be the North. It couldn’t be anything other than a northern climate.

However, my sharp mind cruelly brought up another possibility.

“…No way…”

I thought of the last choice before the possession.

I intended to play the final, grand series: the last DLC that I purchased.

This was written on the DLC’s shopping page:

The origin of the three races, a new adventure unfolding in the new continent.

I was possessed while trying to play that DLC.

Iseul seemed disappointed at my halted steps.

“This is the New Continent.”

The tail was down, the woman’s ears were flat on her head.

“There’s no safe place here.”