Chapter 2: Of Cats and Elves

“Meow! Meow! Meow… ”

Walking through the labyrinth, the behemoth is in high spirits despite having quite a few reasons for distress and worry.

Discovering his natural strength is certainly a factor, but there are also others.

What a nimble and comfortable body!

The behemoth’s head moves much more nimbly than when he was a human—no matter how much he moves his head, there’s no sense of fatigue.

What’s more, even though other monsters attacked after the earlier run-in with goblins, the behemoth’s innate skill Elemental Howl allowed him to use Flame Howl, defeating every challenger in a single blast.

And this is definitely an S-ranked monster’s body! Exactly how much mana is hiding inside this small frame…?

Mana—the life energy that resides within all living beings in this world.

When using skills or magic, every creature—whether human, demon, or monster—must consume this mana. The amount of mana that must be spent increases according to the power or effect of the skills or magic used.

The behemoth has already activated Flame Howl several times, but there is still no sign of the mana inside his body being depleted at all—even after repeatedly invoking that powerful flame.

One of the reasons the behemoth is so incredibly fearsome lies in this massive reserve of mana.

“Meowr?” Hmm, what’s that?

The behemoth stops in his tracks upon noticing a new monster peeking out from the shadow of a rock outcropping. It’s a transparent, round blob known as a slime.

This is an E-ranked monster, just like the goblins.

Another monster, eh? I’ve seen so many—it must be because this is a labyrinth.

Rocky surfaces spread in every direction, riddled with mazelike paths. Given the high frequency of encountering monsters here, the behemoth concludes that this must indeed be a labyrinth.

By now, the behemoth has decided on his goal: to get the hell out of here.

The behemoth has been blessed with another (cat) life. There’s no way he plans to spend it in a place as bleak as this.

Once his mind is made up, the rest comes quickly—the behemoth settles on two things he must do.

First—continue exploring.

Leaving the labyrinth is easier said than done. As mentioned before, the place is a gargantuan maze. Escaping means finding one of the exits, of which there should be several. Until then, even a behemoth needs a safe place to sleep.

To that end, the behemoth needs to familiarize himself with the surrounding paths.

Second—training.

The behemoth is a powerful monster, but he’s still a cub.

Facing low-level monsters like the goblins he defeated are one thing, but against a high-level monster, the behemoth cub might lose before getting a chance to utilize any powerful skills.

There’s also a high possibility of eventually coming across humans outside the labyrinth. Some humans called adventurers make a living off slaying monsters and selling the harvested materials.

Aside from certain special exceptions, adventurers are classified from rank E to S just like monsters. If the behemoth runs into a high-level adventurer, he’ll probably get hunted down.

That’s why the behemoth must hone his battle skills on low-level monsters and get used to his new body, while also training up and becoming stronger.

However, I was also once human. I don’t want to fight any if I can help it.

If worse comes to worst, the behemoth might one day be forced to kill what he still considers to be a fellow human…

Due to a strong sense of justice in his previous life, the behemoth meekly mewls “Meow…” at the mere thought.

But enough of that. The behemoth must turn his attention to his current enemy, which is only a few feet away.

This time it’s a slime, hmm? If I recall correctly, I’ll need to destroy the core at the center of its body. Maybe I should scorch it using Flame Howl… No, wait… Since this is a new enemy, I should test out a different skill.

The slime moves slowly and has very low attack power—far weaker than those two goblins. It’s the perfect enemy to practice skills on.

“Meowhr!”

The behemoth shouts, drawing the attention of the slime that responds with “Pikii!” while closing in at an excruciatingly slow crawl (not that it has any legs).

Okay, here it comes!

The behemoth lets out another cry, essentially revealing to the slime his exact location, but this is all part of a strategy to make aiming his skill easier.

The slime takes the bait. This blob looks perfectly harmless, but it’s still a frightening monster. Now aware of the nearby behemoth’s soft flesh, it’s focused on devouring its prey.

“Meow!” Rock Howl!

Once the slime comes quite close, the behemoth activates another of his Elemental Howls, Rock Howl. As the behemoth lets out a cute growl, a load of rocks hurtles toward the slime.

“Pikii?!”

The slime cries out and freezes in place. One of the flying missiles blows right through its transparent body and pierces the core—its heart.

Hmm. It’s no Flame Howl, but this skill is strong, too—it took only a single shot to penetrate a slime’s body, which has shock-absorption properties. A behemoth’s innate skills are something else!

The behemoth nods in great satisfaction at the superb results.

Gurgle—

A dainty noise emits from the behemoth’s stomach.

Come to think of it, I haven’t eaten a single thing since I was reincarnated. Thankfully, all monsters are omnivores from what I recall. I guess I’ll tear into this one right here.

Eating monsters…and a slime, at that. Making a meal of such a strange creature would turn anyone’s stomach. At the same time, the behemoth must find food soon and doesn’t know when the next chance will present itself.

The behemoth cautiously sniffs the dead slime. There’s a curious odor, but it seems safe, at least.

After becoming a monster, the behemoth found his olfactory senses had become much sharper, and the same could be said of his instinctive ability to predict danger.

Chommmp!

Some say men should have strong stomachs, but they probably didn’t mean it quite so literally. The behemoth grits his teeth and rips into the slime.

This is…surprisingly sweet?!

The behemoth’s golden eyes go wide as saucers.

Turns out, this is what slimes taste like. The behemoth assumed it would be bitter or nasty, making this discovery a pleasant surprise.

Moreover, the slime has a nice texture, landing somewhere between fruit jelly and a gummy bear.

This is delicious!

The behemoth tears into the slime again, stuffing his tiny mouth, munching away, and making little chewing noises—truly an adorable sight.

From this scene alone, no one would imagine that this creature is one of the most feared monsters, a behemoth.

“Meowr?” Hmm? What is this?

Right as he goes in for another bite, the behemoth notices an abnormality.

The words Skill Absorb have appeared in his field of vision.

Did I just activate a skill? But all I’m doing is eating a slime. Nothing seems to have happened… What’s this all about?

There’s no trace of any skills being activated, and nothing about the behemoth himself has changed.

After a brief moment of thought, the behemoth arrives at a possibility.

Hmm… Oh! Maybe it’s a status-based skill?!

A status-based skill is a general term for abilities that can increase attack power or defensive ability—among other changes in status, as the name implies.

“Meow!” Status!

To confirm what’s happening, the behemoth casts Status, the self-analysis spell. The following appears:

…There’s no entry for status changes. I guess it wasn’t a status-based skill?

Normally, a line for status changes should appear after any status variation occurs, but it hasn’t shown up this time.

In other words, the behemoth’s innate skill Skill Absorb doesn’t cause any change in status.

In that case, just what does this skill do? If it’s not a status-based skill, then… Wait a second—what in the world?!

Just as the behemoth is about to close the status display, he notices something.

There’s more now… My skills have increased!!

Upon being reincarnated, the behemoth noticed he only had innate skills. But what about now? In the entry after innate skills—the line for absorbed skills—it now reads Storage, doesn’t it?!

That must be it!

Just then, the behemoth realizes something unique to the arcane nature of the behemoth species. Behemoths are fearsome monsters, but more than that, they are deeply mysterious.

The mystery lies in the fact that each individual behemoth can activate wildly varying sets of skills. In other words, every encounter with a new behemoth is different because it’s impossible to know what type of skills they might use.

All this means that there’s no established way of dealing with behemoths or strategies for fighting them. This is the principal reason they are considered S-ranked monsters.

Naturally, this behemoth has just solved that mystery. The path to increasing his power has become clear. After eating an enemy, using his innate skill—Skill Absorb…

Okay, let’s try it out!

The behemoth stares at the slime he was eating and activates his new skill, Storage.

And then—

The slime’s corpse completely disappears. The behemoth, now realizing what Storage actually means, activates the skill again.

The results are as expected. The slime’s corpse appears once again.

Slimes have the ability to draw foreign matter inside their bodies and store it for later. The behemoth also has that power now after absorbing that very same skill.

Incredible! This means that eating monsters will allow me to absorb and use any skill in the world!

As the immense potential for growth dawns on the behemoth, he lets loose a roar of joy. “Meeeooowowrrrrrrh!”

Okay, let’s keep the rest of this slime for an afternoon snack.

Having confirmed the effects of his new skill, the behemoth stashes the slime away for later and starts licking his front legs…and, without realizing it, keeps rubbing his face repeatedly with his paws.

Put simply, he’s acting on the instinctive need that all felines share to groom after a meal.

Despite being a human in his previous life, the behemoth doesn’t find it at all strange to clean his face thanks to these new instincts.

“Meowwwnnn…!”

After finishing taking care of his face, the behemoth stretches out just like a cat, looking perfectly content. Maybe it’s to be expected immediately following a meal, but…the behemoth seems really sleepy.

Hmph. I feel extraordinarily tired. Come to think of it, I’ve essentially just been born. Running around this much and using so many skills—it’s no wonder I’m tired. Right, I need to find a place to rest for the night as soon as possible. Hopefully, I’ll happen upon some cozy, dark corner…

The behemoth stumbles forward in search of a place to rest, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

Living in the body of a monster for a little while makes me realize…daily life for humans is truly blessed.

The behemoth was a no-nonsense knight in his past life but also had a fair share of indulgences. Once work was over, all the knights would often go drinking together, and days off meant a chance to enjoy lazing about idly. Nights were occupied by tucking in to somewhat pricey but wholly delicious dinners, regaining lost energy to be ready for the next day.

In stark contrast, the knight now finds himself reborn as a monster.

Simply surviving demands every iota of time and effort. Luxuries and pastimes are a far-off dream.

Well, I suppose things could be worse…

There’s no doubt that being reborn as an S-ranked monster like a behemoth is a stroke of good fortune, and to be blessed with his past life’s memories on top of that is nothing to sneeze at, either.

Without the combat experience from that previous life—

Without the knowledge of all the skills honed by knighthood—

There’s a decent chance the behemoth would have been slaughtered by that first goblin encounter.

Oh, I see. Maybe that’s why there are so few behemoths out there.

The behemoth realizes again that, as a cub, there’s not much difference between him and a newborn kitten. Aside from his powerful innate skills, the behemoth’s physical prowess pales in comparison to other monsters’.

In short, most behemoths probably lose their lives before ever reaching adulthood. This must be why the former knight never heard much about behemoth cubs in his past life, and he only realized his new identity after seeing it spelled out on the status display.

Oh, this looks like a decent spot.

After walking for some time, the behemoth spots a rocky crag in his peripheral field of vision. There’s a hollow divot in the ground leading up to it, and the depression looks relatively deep, which should hide him from enemies. For a behemoth, this is the perfect resting place.

Now that he can finally sleep, the behemoth mews with glee.

“Meow! Meow! ”

Unfortunately, at that exact moment—

—an ice-cold, indescribable sense of dread runs up his back. He has a terrible premonition and leaps away from the rocky crag with a small yelp.

Moments later, a large black figure drops from the sky and lands with a thud in front of him.

Whoa?! A poison serpent…!!

The behemoth’s eyes grow wide.

The creature bearing down on him is a poison serpent—approximately fifteen feet in length, with deadly venomous fangs. It’s a C-ranked monster.

Glaring at the behemoth, the poison serpent emits a threatening snarl.

“Hisssss.”

The serpent had been hanging on the ceiling, lying in wait for a chance to devour the behemoth.

A C-ranked monster… This shouldn’t be impossible. Plus, it’s a good opportunity to test out my remaining innate skills!

Making up his mind to accept the serpent’s challenge, the behemoth steps forward to begin the assault.

“Meow!” Aqua Howl!

A compressed blast of water rushes from the behemoth’s mouth as his roar rings out.

Perhaps sensing danger in the behemoth’s movements, the serpent coils up to avoid the attack. That was the right choice—Aqua Howl completely misses its mark and rockets into a distant wall. It erupts in a splash and leaves a notch in the rocky surface.

The intense impact of Aqua Howl brings to mind the image of a geyser.

Damn, it evaded my attack. Well, try this one on for size!

The behemoth was once a knight who was a veteran of countless battles. He’s not the type to falter just because an opponent saw through one of his moves.

He roars again, “Meow!”—but nothing happens. At least, the poison serpent doesn’t think so. But it is wrong.

The serpent draws itself up high and charges toward the behemoth. That’s when it happens—Right when the monster’s mouth is gaping wide, ready to attack, its massive body is sent flying.

This is due to the behemoth activating Aether Howl. The attack causes the surrounding air to converge on a single target, kind of like an invisible missile made of wind.

The sheer force blasts the poison serpent into the craggy rock wall behind it. Bashing its head into the hard surface, the monster loses consciousness immediately, foaming at the mouth.

“Meow…” Serves you right for spoiling my nap…

The behemoth approaches the serpent, still stunned from the blow.

Staring down with his narrow feline pupils…

Fwap!!

…the behemoth activates Aqua Howl and blasts a fierce jet of water directly into the poison serpent’s face.

Okay, before I sleep, let’s have a bite of this thing. Who knows, I might obtain a new skill.

The behemoth rips into the serpent’s belly with his jaws.

Blech. Bitter. And the texture resembles tough chicken skin.

The serpent turns out to be somewhat unpalatable. The behemoth chews what’s left in his mouth, swallowing loudly. Then, to finish it off, he uses Flame Howl to burn the corpse to ash.

At any rate, better check my status. Let’s see… Oh! I’ve gained another one!

Poison Fang… Judging from the name, it sounds like I’ll be able to inject my own fangs with a venom of some sort. But I’m still a cub and rather weak. The reach of this skill is too short. I don’t think I’ll have a chance to use it yet.

The behemoth is slightly disappointed.

Oh well. I’ve found a place to sleep, so I should be satisfied.

It’s important to remain positive. That goes for both humans and monsters. The behemoth tells himself this and burrows into the hollow cavity by the rocky crag, starting to snore almost immediately.

The monster battles will only continue from here. Better to rest up now.

Okay, which path should I take?

After the behemoth wakes from his slumber, he finds a forked road before him. This is a crucial decision—one could lead to an escape from the labyrinth, while the other could take him deeper into the maze.

Still, there isn’t anything here I can base my decision on. I’ll have to go with my gut.

The behemoth ultimately chooses to head to the right. After following the path for a while, he notices his surroundings changing slightly.

The rocky walls become striated with an array of colors, laced with geometric shapes and the ancient writing of this world. Depictions of various monsters and humans battling them also coat the walls.

Hmm… Could this be where the labyrinth dwellers once lived?

Labyrinth dwellers were an ancient people who settled in the labyrinth. The specific reasons or goals behind their migration have gone undiscovered. There are several standing theories—they might have possessed a culture that aspired to live alongside monsters, or perhaps they wanted to understand the ecosystems that monsters lived within so they could study and harness them for a military advantage.

Wait, that’s…!!

The behemoth’s eyes grow wide. A hulking presence has just entered his field of vision, sporting steely skin and massive legs. Differing from regular monsters, this creature doesn’t act of its own volition but instead exists as a guardian, unfailingly protecting a specific area.

The monster, known as a golem, roars thunderously.

“Grooooaaaarrrrr!!”

Two deep indentations are where most would expect the golem’s eyes to be in its steel face, and the red light emanating from them bores into the behemoth. It would seem the behemoth has already set foot into forbidden territory.

The golem’s legs thunder against the ground as it lumbers toward the behemoth. It’s surprisingly fast despite its dull, heavy presence.

Crap—retreat!

The behemoth changes direction immediately and runs at full speed.

There is a way to take the golem down. A magic script is engraved into the golem’s head, and erasing even a single letter of it will terminate the golem’s functions.

But the behemoth is extremely tiny. Even with Elemental Howl, there’s no chance he’ll have the range to reach the massive monster’s only weak point, the magic script.

Running at full speed should be more effective—the behemoth can probably shake the golem.

Without his human knowledge of monsters, he might have recklessly tried attacking the golem and wound up squashed flat.

It’s no use—I’ll have to double back and take the left-hand path.

Having returned to the fork in the road, the behemoth turns onto the opposite path. This time, the environment around him doesn’t change, with rocky outcroppings appearing in every direction. But there is one difference—the width of the path. The farther along he gets, the wider the path becomes.

Before long, the behemoth can see a large cavern. It’s not exactly massive…but it has a relatively high ceiling, meaning that significantly large monsters wouldn’t have a problem maneuvering in the chamber.

And then—a piercing, shrill cry erupts.

“Gggygyaaaaah!!”

It’s a wyvern!

The monster appears diagonally across from the behemoth, who clicks his tongue in a muted meow.

The wyvern has gray scales reminiscent of a reptile and massive wings, as well as fierce claws extending from its hind legs. It’s a low-level winged dragon.

But low-level or not, a dragon is a dragon. It’s a B rank and has the power to ravage a small village.

Faced with such a monster, the behemoth decides to retreat again…or most would assume—

His fur bristling, the behemoth directs his golden eyes at the wyvern with a hateful glare. He’s planning to fight it head-on. He only just fled from a golem because his skills didn’t have the proper range. How does he expect to face a wyvern, a far deadlier enemy?

“Gyaohhh!!”

The wyvern’s face seems to say Fool! as it screeches and hurtles down through the air to attack the behemoth, who reverses and manages to avoid its grasp. The behemoth’s movements have gotten snappier. He’s gotten used to his new body after all the battles he’s fought thus far.

You’re dead wrong. Why don’t you fly down even farther?

The behemoth thinks this to himself and charges forward. He dashes to the left and right, then runs in a circle, intermittently crying “Meowrrr!!” to taunt the wyvern.

“Groawww!!”

The wyvern is furious at being mocked by a monster so much weaker than itself. With an angry screech, it flies up close to the ceiling and extends its claws fully while tucking in its wings before swooping down at the behemoth with terrifying speed.

On such short legs, there’s no way the behemoth can evade. Or can he? The behemoth doesn’t seem panicked whatsoever. Instead, he’s calmly pointing his mouth up at a slight angle.

“Meow!” This is it!

Just as he yips, the behemoth forces all the air he’s stored in his lungs out in one massive blast.

Then—

A gale of air fills the chamber with a fwoom!! “Gyaaaaarh!” The wyvern screams in shock as it gets blown in every direction.

Finally, it plummets to the earth. Not understanding what’s just happened, the wyvern falls back onto basic survival instinct, preparing to launch itself up again.

But there’s a problem with that. Having been blasted across the room, the wyvern’s inner ear has been thrown out of whack. It can’t even stand without stumbling.

Just as the wyvern dived down toward him, the behemoth unleashed Aether Howl. He had aimed for the wyvern’s left wing, landing a direct hit that sent the wyvern sprawling.

Why didn’t he use a different Elemental Howl to bring it down? There’s a good reason—the behemoth realized that different skills take a different amount of time to activate. From fastest to slowest, they rank: (1) Aether Howl, (2) Aqua Howl, (3) Rock Howl, and (4) Flame Howl.

It appears the lung capacity needed for each spell varies according to their strength—practically speaking, that’s the amount of time needed to activate them.

Aether Howl is the fastest of the bunch. The behemoth can use it after holding his breath for just a brief moment. In order to retaliate against the wyvern’s unique attack-and-retreat pattern that takes advantage of its flying ability, Aether Howl was the only choice.

A full-grown behemoth would have many more options to choose from…but let’s forget about that for now. The behemoth focuses on the wyvern, which is struggling to even stand steadily, centering his target in his vision while inhaling deeply.

Then—

“Meow!” Rock Howl!

He unleashes a massive earth Elemental Howl. A cascade of large rocks shoots from the behemoth’s mouth, mercilessly pelting the wyvern—tearing into its belly, face, and wings, forcing the very breath from its body…

Nice. Time to take a bite.

The wyvern’s corpse lies still like an empty beehive, allowing the behemoth to rip into its flesh as drool dribbles from his jaws.

Among humans, the wyvern’s flesh is bought and sold as the highest-quality meat available. It has a rich flavor paired with incredible texture, making for a truly delicious delicacy. Although the behemoth is devouring it raw, he’s very happy to be eating something humans also enjoy.

Hmm? What’s this?

After savoring his fill of the wyvern, the behemoth’s eyes grow wide at the status display that has appeared in his field of vision.

The behemoth’s abilities have changed as follows:

The entry Elemental Tail Blade has been added to innate skills, and Flight has been added to absorbed skills.

Flight is simple to explain—the ability to fly, gained through Skill Absorb by eating the wyvern’s flesh. But Elemental Tail Blade… What could this be?

The skills absorbed through consuming a defeated monster’s flesh have all fallen into the absorbed skills category so far. But this time, a skill was added to the innate skills list.

The behemoth’s tail curls into a puzzled question mark. He has good reason to be perplexed—monsters and humans are completely different biologically.

What does this all mean? We should begin by discussing the differences between humans and monsters.

Human skills can be divided into two broad categories.

The first includes hereditary or congenital skills. The second includes skills that can be learned through magic items called scrolls and are acquired a posteriori. Exceptions that fall outside this framework do exist…but they’re extremely rare.

As far as monsters go…their skills can also be divided into two categories.

The first is the same as humans—skills they are born with. The second consists of new skills that require experiences on the battlefield to acquire.

Far different from humans, monsters constantly come face-to-face with death. They are always increasing their abilities and can learn new skills without the support of items.

There is a limit and a set of rules governing what skills monsters can learn. Exceptions to this are few in number… Perhaps the only loophole is the innate skill Skill Absorb, which behemoths possess.

No matter. I’ll put the skills that are immediately effective to use. Let’s try out this new one…

“Meow!” Flight!

The behemoth mews adorably and activates the skill. In an instant, jet-black wings reminiscent of reptile skin sprout from his orange tabby feline back.

Wow, I already know how to move these wings—and how to fly!

The second the wings materialized, the behemoth understood through feral instinct how to use them.

He whips the wings out in a flash, fully extending them. Bringing his center of gravity forward, he launches himself from the stony ground with a sharp kick.

Success—

A sensation of floating comes over him, accompanied by a rush of speed running through his entire body. The behemoth has taken to the sky beautifully.

This feels amazing…! And although it’s imperceptible, I can feel mana coursing around my body.

As the behemoth begins turning in the sky, he realizes what this probably means. The flow of magical energy around him—it’s wind mana that he’s generating himself!

His newly acquired skill Flight doesn’t simply grant the ability to grow wings and fly.

The behemoth is still a cub. When he grows into an adult, he’ll be able to grow wings incomparably tougher and larger, but his current body isn’t actually built to fly.

The Flight skill allows him to sustain flight despite this by creating a thin layer of mana to protect him from low air temperature and wind resistance.

Truly a shame. If only Elemental Howl had better range, I would be able to rain pure destruction on my enemies from far above…

The behemoth can’t stop thinking about it. If his innate skill Elemental Howl could hit farther away, he’d be able to attack from the skies without even getting close to his enemies.

Unfortunately, the behemoth’s Elemental Howl only has middling reach. Attacking from a distance while flying simply isn’t practical.

I can’t change something that’s impossible. I’ll settle on testing my other new skill for now.

It’s important for humans and monsters alike to know when to give up. The behemoth recognizes this as he floats gently down to the ground. He ceases using his Flight skill simply by thinking as much, and the jet-black wings disappear in an instant.

Okay, let’s see what this Elemental Tail Blade is all about. I’m assuming it’s quite similar to Elemental Howl?

As the behemoth activates Elemental Tail Blade, it unfolds exactly as he expected.

A secondary status display appears. From their names, it’s clear that four different elemental skills can be cast, just like Elemental Howl.

I’ll start here, with the one I know I’ll love.

“Meow!” Flame Edge!

The behemoth cries out energetically, and seconds later, his tail is on fire—no, embers have surrounded his tail. In the next instant, the blaze converges into a single blade of surging red flame.

This is…just like a magic sword! It must be over six feet long…

A magic sword is exactly what it sounds like—a weapon formed by magic power, able to take on a wide assortment of different elements, just like the behemoth’s tail at present.

Strictly speaking, a magic sword is purely made of magic. In contrast, the behemoth’s Elemental Tail Blade doesn’t rely on any magical energy. It’s simply a skill, so while it is similar to a magic sword, it’s also different.

The behemoth swipes his tail through the air—how does it feel? The surging flame sword slices at blinding speed, accompanied by an audible rush. The behemoth’s eyes go wide. He didn’t even concentrate on speed when swinging his tail, but the result was lightning fast…

In his previous life, the behemoth’s swordsmanship was among the best of his entire unit. Yet the move he just pulled off with his tail could be considered on the same level… It might have been better, even.

And it should be. As a knight, he wielded the sword with his hands. Now, with Elemental Tail Blade, it’s no exaggeration to say the sword is just another part of his body.

Moreover, it’s located in his most flexible appendage—his tail can bend in every direction possible. Calling it easy to maneuver is an understatement.

And that’s not all. This skill… It doesn’t even require a charge-up period the way Elemental Howl does. The speed I can activate this with is on a completely different level. Plus, it seems the skill can be used indefinitely, until dispelled by the user… Heh-heh-heh, as someone who previously lived by the sword, this is the best skill I could ask for!!

The behemoth once entrusted his life to the sword—now that it’s a part of his monster body, he’ll be able to reach new dimensions of mastery. The behemoth can feel his blood surge throughout his body, his knightly spirit emboldened.

Okay, I definitely have the hang of it now. Next, I simply must cut something down.

After practicing Flame Edge for a moment, the behemoth decides to take his testing to the next level.

The behemoth saunters over toward a nearby wall.

Okay, here goes!

The behemoth raises his Flame Edge tail in a high arc and cleaves into the rock wall. As a result, the wall hisses as it nearly vaporizes on contact. The sensation… It almost feels like slicing through butter.

What incredible heat! This is not a normal magic sword. I must exercise caution when using it, or else…

This has exceeded all expectations. The behemoth is slack-jawed from the sheer heat and seeing how keen the edge of his summoned blade is.

Time for the next one. The behemoth dispels the Flame Edge and tests out the next Elemental Tail Blade.

“Meow!” Aqua Edge!

Just like with Flame Edge, the moment the skill is activated, water converges around the behemoth’s tail, forming a crystal-clear sword made of water with a similar reach—about six feet.

To compare its sharpness to Flame Edge, the behemoth slashes into the rock wall again with Aqua Edge. This skill doesn’t emit the same powerful rush…but it certainly leaves a significant gouge in the wall.

Hmm. This doesn’t have the same level of power as Flame Edge, but it seems to be both quicker to activate and to slash. Just like with Elemental Howl, the ease with which I can use these skills changes according to their overall power. That means in terms of speed…

The behemoth knows what to expect as he activates the next Elemental Tail Sword—Aether Edge.

And his assumptions were correct—no, they were exceeded. The moment he consciously decided to activate the skill, it was already complete.

His tail does not change color, but the behemoth understands that it has become a sword.

So light. Just like I inferred from the name, this is really a blade made of air. It almost seems to have no mass or heft to it at all.

The behemoth swings the Aether Edge. It’s airy beyond imagination. As it should be—Aether Edge creates atmospheric current when slashed, allowing it to increase in speed as it flows through the air.

The Aether Edge slices through the air in an instant and takes a chunk out of the rock wall, just like Aqua Edge. However, it only does surface damage. As expected, similar to the Elemental Howl Aether Howl, the wind elemental skills are the weakest.

Still, this is incredible. It might be weaker, but it’s faster than any regular sword I’ve ever seen. Not to mention, the Aether Edge is a sword composed of the atmosphere… In other words, it’s invisible. If my opponent doesn’t have exceptional mana-sensing capabilities, they won’t even know that I’ve activated it.

Regular monsters tend to focus on outward strength and will likely fail to recognize the power of the Aether Edge. On the other hand, the behemoth was a human in his past life—and an accomplished swordsman at that.

There’s no way the true potential of such a powerful weapon would escape his notice.

Lastly, the behemoth tests the earth elemental skill, Rock Edge. If basing it off the characteristics of Elemental Howl, its activation speed should be third—should be, that is…

Huh? This skill is slow. And what the hell is this…?!

Seeing the form of Rock Edge being activated, the behemoth’s eyes grow wide. It’s far longer than the other Elemental Tail Blade skills—almost ten feet long. It’s also vastly wider than expected and made from highly polished stone.

Compared to the Elemental Tail Blade skills he’s seen so far, this one is definitely the closest to an actual sword. That said, it’s a bit unwieldy and would probably be categorized as a greatsword.

No matter, let’s put it to the test. Oof…it’s heavy as hell.

As the behemoth raises the Rock Edge into the air, his balance falters slightly, but he quickly regains his footing.

Before being reincarnated, he had accumulated plenty of experience with greatswords. Drawing on this wealth of knowledge, he is able to adjust his center of gravity from what’s best suited for wielding a longsword to something better suited for hefting a greatsword.

The Rock Edge blade slams down through the air. The behemoth notices considerable air resistance as he smashes it directly into the wall. He should have known—the sound that reverberates through the labyrinth is closer to a bludgeoning attack than a slash.

A massive crack runs down the wall that suffered the earth elemental blade strike, and it crumbles to the ground in several places.

Hmm, I see. Much harder to wield than the others, but it’s an epic blade. I should be able to smash through even the hardest monster armor with this skill. Even if the armor holds, the attack will still deal heavy damage. Elemental Tail Blade…what an amazing skill I’ve been blessed with.

The behemoth is once again in awe of another high-level innate skill he’s acquired. In that moment, he realizes something.

He’s amassed a number of new skills… If he unleashes them, he should be able to vanquish even that thing…

Ngh…

The behemoth has turned around on his path, with a certain objective in mind, when three enemies appear before him—minotaurs.

The one at their fore wields a massive battle-ax and swings down, dead set on the behemoth.

You handle the ax rather well. But how naive!

The behemoth steps back from the minotaur’s swing and evades. The ax misses its target and slams into the ground, plumes of dust kicking up a moment later.

But then something curious happens.

“Mwooohhh?!”

One minotaur in the rear is shocked.

The surprise is only natural—the monster’s comrade, emerging from the cloud of dust…no longer has a head.

I’m not finished yet!

The behemoth rushes out from just in front of the now-headless minotaur’s feet. The dust storm and the reason the minotaur’s head separated from its torso are both the result of the behemoth activating Aether Edge.

The wind elemental blade’s formation blasted a swath of dust into the air and tore directly through the leading minotaur’s neck.

“Mwooohhh!!”

They don’t yet fully understand why, but their instincts tell the minotaurs that the behemoth is incredibly dangerous. They distance themselves from him.

In that moment, one of them raises its ax. Gauging the monster’s movement, the behemoth infers what it’s about to do.

“Mwoo…” Fireball!

Magic, I knew it!!

The behemoth is aware that some minotaurs can use magic, and while distancing himself from the minotaur with its weapon raised high, he’d already deduced it was going to cast a spell.

A molten red fireball flies at the behemoth. Of course, there’s no way he would go down without a fight.

By the time he realized his enemy was launching an attack, the behemoth had already begun charging up another.

“Meow!” Aether Howl!

He releases the air stored in his lungs in an instant to activate Aether Howl, blasting the fireball intended for him back at his enemy with tremendous force. The fireball shoots back at the same speed—no, even faster than before.

There’s nothing the minotaur can do to deal with this sudden turn of events—the very fireball it had cast hits the minotaur squarely in the face. Clawing at it, the monster attempts to scream but can’t even muster a voice.

“…………!!!!!”

The minotaur flails around frantically from the excruciating pain.

A sharp slash rings out. “Whoosh!”

The sound has come from close to the chest of the flailing minotaur. A profuse amount of blood is gushing from it. It goes without saying that the behemoth’s Aether Blade is the cause.

Next!

The behemoth pulls his invisible blade from the minotaur’s chest and stares down its final remaining comrade.

In response, the last minotaur turns sharply on its heels and sprints in the direction from whence it came. It seems the monster finally understands after watching two comrades get obliterated—the minotaurs were the ones being hunted.

“Mweor!” As if you’re getting away!

Naturally, the minotaurs had intended the behemoth’s life. There’s absolutely no chance he’d simply let one escape now.

The minotaur sprints on its powerful legs. To catch up with it, the behemoth activates his newly acquired skill Flight.

The minotaur is running while avoiding the perilous footfalls of the labyrinth, while the behemoth is soaring through the air, free of obstruction. He catches up immediately.

“Mwooohhh!” Icicle Lance!!

The minotaur is cornered. In desperation, it casts a mid-level water elemental spell, Icicle Lance, summoning a spear of crystalline ice.

Utterly pathetic—there’s no way that haphazardly cast attack would ever hit me!

As a knight in his past life, the behemoth has fought against many foes wielding magic. He’s faced skilled veterans ever variable in their attacks, employing a refined repertoire of feints as they attacked.

The minotaur has its back to the wall, and there’s no way he wouldn’t see through its desperate attack spell.

“Meow!”

The behemoth swiftly adjusts the angle of his wings and does a half turn in the air, dodging the Icicle Lance with ease.

“Meow!” Flame Edge! The behemoth unleashes the sharpest Elemental Tail Blade in return.

Slash—!!

The searing blade of flame slices through the minotaur vertically, lopping it in two perfect halves.

Hot damn—that’s playing with fire. Its edges are perfectly golden brown. Time to dive right in.

The behemoth chomps down on the well-charred minotaur. As he chews the meat, he finds it close to beef, and umami richness and beef juice fill his mouth.

Mmm! This is good. I’ll definitely regain energy from this.

The behemoth convenes on stuffing his gullet with all three of the minotaurs, one by one. When he’s full, he absorbs the remains with his Storage skill and again starts making his way toward his destination.

Dddggggonnn!!!!

A corner of the labyrinth erupts with a massive boom, and dust floats through the air.

The earth caved in from one smash…? Golems are the real deal—pure iron brutes.

Beholding the power of a single golem attack before his very eyes, the behemoth expresses unaffected admiration from within his heart of hearts.

But there’s a reason his destination led him back the way he came—to exact revenge on the golem.

Let’s go! Flight!

Jet-black wings spread from the behemoth’s back. He stomps on the ground and rockets into the sky.

The reason the behemoth retreated from the golem previously was due to his lack of reach. Now, after attaining his wings from defeating the wyvern, he is able to fight on even terms.

“Meow!” Rock Howl!

The behemoth aims for the golem’s weakness, the script engraved on its head, and sends rock hailing toward the earth.

“Gohhhohhhh!”

Crafty bastard! the golem seems to say as it lifts its arms much faster than its lumbering form would indicate and protects the script on its head from the incoming Rock Howl.

The behemoth clicks his tongue in a suppressed mew and flaps his wings fiercely, distancing himself from the golem’s opposite giant arm, which is now coming down at him in a sweeping arc. It passes directly in front of his face.

The behemoth is thrown off balance from the rush of air pressure generated by the strike.

At this rate, I won’t be able to get at it. I need to take down one of its arms.

The behemoth decides his course of action as he barely averts falling to his death through expert wing control. After this split-second thought, the battle-worn warrior behemoth conjures a battle plan immediately.

“Meow!” Time for you to die!

The behemoth rains down the Elemental Howl, Flame Howl, on the golem’s arm, which it has refused to remove from protecting the magic script on its head, despite having used the other to lay down a massive swing attack.

The golem’s body is made of iron. If the behemoth can’t succeed in melting it, the golem will simply step back and swing again with its other arm.

The behemoth evades the attacks and continues to strike—again, again, and again—ripping into the golem’s body with Flame Howl. Yet the golem does not drop its defense. Its arm is now red-hot with flame, but it’s nowhere close to actually melting.

At this rate, the behemoth’s mana and stamina will run dry before he can actually melt the golem’s arm off.

Will this rematch be a failure…?

Right after thinking that, he decides to activate Rock Howl.

“Meow!” Rock Howl!

Massive rocks begin pelting the golem’s arm.

And then—the second the rocks make contact, a sharp sound rings out.

Shakkkinnn!!

Its arm is clearly dented.

Earth Elemental Howls can’t destroy it, and fire Elemental Howls can’t melt it. In that case, why not combine the two??

The behemoth’s battle plan is to heat up the golem’s arm and make it brittle before delivering the telling blow with Rock Howl.

Rock Howl!

Rock Howl!

Rock Howl—!!

The behemoth charges up a Rock Howl before releasing, rinsing, and repeating. Eventually, he succeeds in obliterating the golem’s arm.

The golem attempts to protect its head with the remains of its single arm, but it’s too late.

After using one last howl, the behemoth accelerates and rushes into close proximity with the golem, twisting his body to fly horizontal with the golem. His tail is sticking straight out, and it’s fully formed as a greatsword through Rock Edge—

Gakkkinnn!

A vicious, sharp sound erupts. One of the characters of magic script has been completely erased. The golem’s red eyes lose their flame, and it begins groaning immensely before falling to the ground.

The behemoth is victorious—

Okay, so what now?

The behemoth pauses, staring at the golem’s remains. The monster was unequivocally fearsome. Eating from its flesh will provide a most powerful skill.

But its body is absolutely massive—and made of iron. The little beast couldn’t chomp through it, no matter how hard he tried.

Just hold on a second?! I don’t have to actually chew it up.

The behemoth casts his gaze in every direction. And he finds what he’s looking for.

A chunk of the golem—ripped off from his final attack. Fortunately, the chunk is not sharp. Swallowing it shouldn’t injure his throat.

The behemoth picks up the piece in his jaws and swallows it whole.

Okay, let’s see!

He casts Status immediately and checks his new skill inventory.

His skills have increased, as suspected. The absorbed skill Iron Body… From the name, it must be a defensive skill.

The behemoth tests his new skill immediately.

“Meow!” Okay! Iron Body!

His orange tabby fur turns a dark gray, and he can feel his body getting stiff.

All right then, let’s see exactly what effects this has.

The behemoth begins trotting suddenly. The skill doesn’t seem to impede his movement.

Straight for it!

The behemoth races directly toward the golem’s remains. He’s going to tackle it.

Gakkkinnn!

The grating, explosive sound of metal on metal.

Although he’s rushed full force into the golem’s corpse, he isn’t damaged in the least and doesn’t feel any pain.

Iron Body…what a great skill. With this at hand, the average monsters’ attacks won’t leave a scratch.

The behemoth nods in satisfaction at the high durability Iron Body has granted him.

Hmm? What’s that…?

After taking down the golem and acquiring a new skill, the behemoth is mewing contentedly as he walks down the path when he spies something ahead.

It’s a box made of metal, adorned on every last surface—commonly known as a “treasure box.”

Aside from monsters, the labyrinth also generates these boxes, although rarely. Occasionally, they contain powerful weapons or valuable gems, and finding one can possibly lead to a small fortune.

Hunting monsters and buying and selling their raw materials to make a living defines the occupation of an adventurer. The majority of them dream of finding a treasure box and getting rich quick. However, the chances of actually coming across one are extremely low.

The majority of adventurers never actually see such a thing in their lifetimes. The behemoth coming across one is nothing short of a miracle.

Maybe true, but it doesn’t really affect me…

Even if he finds a powerful weapon or precious gem, the behemoth, having been given a second life, doesn’t really have a use for them.

Even so, the behemoth wants to know what’s inside and rises up on his hind haunches to push the box open while visibly shaking.

He found the box, and he wants to know what’s inside. He can’t escape this human curiosity. The box creaks and groans before sliding open.

And inside—

Hmm. A diamond—what sheer beauty.

The behemoth is perched on the treasure box’s edge, peering inside. The diamond is massive and a vaguely opaque white. Yet even in the dimly lit labyrinth, it’s emitting a mystical light.

He probably won’t have a use for it, but this is too good to pass up. He’ll take it with him as a memento…

The second the behemoth reaches out and touches the diamond…his entire field of vision—no, the entire space surrounding him—starts to shake, and he is stunned.

What the—?!

The behemoth determines that he’s in danger and quickly turns around to retreat…

What is happening?! I can’t control my own body… What the hell is going on?!

The twisted anomaly will not let the behemoth go.

Then the distortion morphs into a spiral and sucks the frazzled behemoth deep inside.

Where…the hell am I?

Mere moments after being sucked into the spiral, the behemoth stands in an abyss of darkness. The air is completely different from where he was before. A prickling sensation ripples across his skin… He also feels atmospheric pressure.

From these facts, the behemoth knows from instinct that he’s been warped to a completely different location. The diamond that he found was no ordinary gem. It was a magic stone—a “Warp Crystal.”

These Warp Crystals are a magic item that transport whoever touches them to a completely different place in the labyrinth. They could warp one near the entrance or send whoever touches them down to the lower levels. The destination is random.

Yet the behemoth is certain that, in his case, the results will not be pretty. The reason is the foreboding sense of pressure he’s felt on his skin since arriving.

There’s no mistaking the fact that a powerful presence lurks nearby. And his instincts tell him that he absolutely must not be discovered by it.

“Just how long do you plan to linger on top of me, vulnerable weakling?”

“—?!”

The steely, thick voice reverberates throughout the room, and every one of the behemoth’s hairs stands on end. In the same moment, he’s overtaken by the feeling of his body surging up through the air forcefully. In reality, it isn’t his footing but this thing itself that’s rising.

The behemoth loses his balance and is thrown to the ground. It’s a good thing his body is flexible. A human would have lost their battle with the fall and been unable to avoid certain injury.

Wh-what is this thing?!

The behemoth has finally realized that his footing rested on top of the body of a horrible abomination. Soaring in front of him is a gigantic, hulking form covered in lizard-like, multicolored scales. Its legs bulge with muscle, and razor-sharp claws extend from its feet. Its tail is thicker than a tree trunk and impossibly long. Finally, piercing eyes and a gaping maw that could devour the very essence of life on earth…

It’s an earth dragon. There are numerous families of dragons, and this one reigns as an absolute dominator among their highest ranks. It represents the S-ranked monster class.

“You have disturbed my slumber…an offense punishable by death—!!”

Ignoring the behemoth’s shock, the earth dragon raises its front legs and brings them down thundering toward him.

Dragons are a proud species. Perching atop one’s head is completely unforgivable.

The dragon is ready to lay judgment upon the behemoth and kill him.

In an effort to flee, the behemoth flies into the air…but it’s no use. The earth dragon’s claw swipes are simply too fast. There’s no escaping them.

Then how about this…?! Iron Body!

If he can’t escape, then he must at least protect himself.

The behemoth activates Iron Body, the skill he just recently acquired from the golem. The earth dragon’s metal claws and the behemoth’s iron body collide, and a sharp, horrible sound erupts.

Imbecile…

The behemoth’s eyes are wide in shock. A massive crack has opened across his belly. Although his body is hardened, it still hurts. The surging pain takes control of his body.

The earth dragon twists its maw toward the behemoth, who’s still breathing despite taking the normally fatal blow, and praises him.

“Grrrawww…you’ve taken a blow from my claws and survived. I must compliment you…but this is the end.”

The behemoth is rendered immobile from the searing pain. The earth dragon brings its face close to the behemoth and opens its maw. Viscous saliva drips from its mouth… It’s clearly planning to devour the behemoth.

This is the end; this is it…

The behemoth has an epiphany. No matter how hard he tries to escape, in this current body, he will always be caught.

But he’s not going down without a fight!

With the earth dragon’s maw gaping wide in front of him, he bares his fangs with a flash.

“Gwahhhahaaaahahhhh?!”

A bloodcurdling cry erupts from the earth dragon. Looking closely, the behemoth sees that blood is streaming from its left eye.

Heh-heh-heh…that’s one blow straight to the dragon’s eye.

The behemoth’s face is contorted with pain, but he still manages a satisfied chuckle.

A moment from being devoured, the behemoth activated one of his Elemental Tail Blade skills, Aether Edge. The earth dragon was preoccupied with the wounded behemoth while he inched the invisible blade closer and closer to its face before thrusting right into an eye.

The earth dragon wails and flounders across the room as the behemoth lies down for cover close by. Now all he needs to do is wait for the perfect timing… At least, that’s what he thought—

What…the…hell?!

A single beam of light illuminates the behemoth.

The ceiling…the ceiling has been ripped open!!

The ceiling of the earth dragon’s expansive chamber is now sporting a massive hole. Mewing painfully, the behemoth activates his Flight skill. He flaps his wings precariously and somehow manages to take to the air.

But the earth dragon has noticed. It has no intention of letting the behemoth go, and its claws shoot toward its tiny prey.

The behemoth escapes the claws speeding past just below him by the skin of his teeth.

“Youuuuuuuuu—gwaaaaaaarrrhhhh!!”

The earth dragon’s bloodcurdling curse reverberates profanely.

Earth dragons are from the earth elemental branch of the dragon family. They have no wings on their backs and naturally cannot fly.

The behemoth has escaped.

“Huff—phew!!”

The behemoth pants as he frantically flees the monsters chasing him. He’s managed to slip through the seemingly endless gap that opened up in the ceiling and reach a new layer.

Though he escaped the earth dragon, that wasn’t the only danger. Noticing the wounded behemoth, a goblin now gives chase.

It may just be a goblin, but in his pitiful state, a group of them attacking all at once could pose a threat. He presses on…and succeeds in obliterating all the goblins.

Guh…I’m feeling weak…

This is the end of the line. The behemoth has lost all stamina and resolve as he collapses in place.

Gahhh…I might have been so close to finally escaping this labyrinth.

Goblins litter the new level he’s entered above the hole in the ceiling. This tells him that this layer is indeed close to the exit.

Regardless, his body has reached the breaking point. He twists his face in chagrin.

Thmp, thmp—

As the behemoth lies in a heap, he can hear footsteps. They’re heavy… These footsteps carry the telltale sound of shoes. That means it’s a person, and if they’re in this place, they must be an adventurer.

If they find me here, on the verge of death, I will be hunted down for certain…but it doesn’t matter. That would still be leagues better than being killed by another monster…

The behemoth falls unconscious.

Labyrinthos is the name of a high-walled city filled with brick and stone houses in addition to well-maintained roads. It also features aqueducts running throughout its domain, which carry gondolas leisurely gliding here and there. With pilots acting as tour guides, the gondolas are a famous sightseeing activity here.

Yet the city’s most notable attraction is not its tourism.

That honor rests with the labyrinth that is the city’s namesake. The high walls ringing the city protect the inhabitants from outside invaders, but perhaps more importantly, they also trap any monsters that manage to escape from the depths that lie below. If something in the labyrinth ever went awry, the city would be a very dangerous place indeed. Nevertheless, Labyrinthos is prospering.

Raw materials harvested from monsters plus minerals and medicinal herbs collected from inside the dangerous maze satisfy the citizens’ daily need for commodities. Adventurers and merchants alike travel from faraway lands to obtain and hawk these goods.

In one corner of the city, a monster bathed in moonlight awakens in the room of an inn.

I’m…warm? I can feel something on my skin?

The behemoth, now awake, is wary of the warm sensation enveloping his entire body. Looking around, he realizes he’s on a bed.

What is the meaning of this? Last I remember, I lost consciousness in the labyrinth…?!

The behemoth is now even warier of his situation. He wonders if this…is the afterlife? Or perhaps even a dream world?

If it’s a dream, it’s a damn comfortable one. This warmth…and that light fragrance…what could this smell be?

The behemoth is wrapped in a blanket, and a sweet…comforting aroma wafts from it.

Hmm… Looks like I’m dead after all. In that case, I might as well sleep awhile longer.

Just as the behemoth starts drifting off again, enveloped by the blend of warmth and pleasant smells—

“Ohhh! I’m so glad you’re awake!”

A clear, soft voice—like a lilting bell toll—rings in his ears.

What the—?!

Suddenly hearing an unfamiliar voice, the behemoth leaps up from the bed to confirm the source.

It’s…an angel…

Indeed, he noticed an angel—well, not actually, but a girl so beautiful she could be mistaken for one is standing right there. She has shining platinum-blond hair and cool ice-blue eyes… Altogether, her features impart a kind, gentle affection. With skin as white as porcelain underneath a stark-white negligee, she looks absolutely stunning…

And a part of her body is bouncing up and down. It’s her ears! They’re long and slightly pointy as they bob. It appears this girl is a demi-human—an elf maiden!

“Shouldn’t I be the one who’s surprised? I was on a quest in the labyrinth when I stumbled upon you, an adorable kitten, injured and unconscious… Did you get a widdle bit lost in there?”

The behemoth is flabbergasted by the girl’s beauty as she addresses him with her lilting voice. Suddenly, she picks him up…

“Meowwwn!”

…and then pulls the behemoth toward her chest in a tight embrace.

They’re…massive!! What should I do?! They’re perfect apples… No, god, these are melons!!

There’s no doubt—the elf girl’s bust is incredible. They’re in a category…that can only be defined as melon-scale.

The behemoth is so blown away that any thought he had of resisting has long since been thrown to the wind as he simply acquiesces to her grasp.

“Heh-heh…you don’t mind me hugging you, do you? You’re a really good boy!”

Looking down at the behemoth pressed between her breasts, the elf girl smiles gently and rubs his head while repeating, “Good boy, good boy.”

Wow…this is beyond amazing. Her soft embrace and this sweet fragrance… Does the smell of the bed all come from her…?

The behemoth’s current situation is what some would call paradise on earth. Despite being a veteran knight at heart, he’s been completely won over, willingly surrendering himself to her youthful affection.

As he does, he understands the reason he is currently alive…and that this elf girl saved him… Looking down, he sees that his wound from the earth dragon has mended. It seems likely that the girl used a potion to heal him.

That means the footsteps I heard in the labyrinth were hers. Given the way I look, it’s no surprise she mistook me for a cat.

The general appearance of a behemoth cub is not well-known information. The elf girl is also unaware.

“Heh-heh, you look so sleepy… Do you want to fall asleep again, with me this time?”

The girl heads toward the bed, still holding the behemoth.

Sleep…with you…?!

A mental battle starts to overpower the behemoth. The girl holding him closely is an absolutely stunning beauty. Even in his previous life, he never beheld a girl with such breathtaking looks. That same girl is holding him, and what’s more, she wants to sleep with him.

As they fall on the bed, the elf girl embraces the behemoth tightly again.

A sensation of pure, indescribable, unadulterated joy envelops the behemoth’s entire being.

What is…this? It’s heaven, I knew it.

The blissful sensation, her sweet fragrance, and a motherly, loving embrace like none other… The exhausted behemoth naturally falls into a deep sleep, enveloped by the girl’s affection.

The next morning—

“Good morning, my cute kitty!”

The elf girl calls out sweetly to the behemoth, who has awakened after sleeping the whole night through. She’s still hugging him close, just like the night before.

“Meowww.”

Upon mewing, the sleepy behemoth uses his cub instincts to burrow even deeper in between her breasts. Yet again, words fail to describe his elation.

This is the pure realm of absolute heaven.

“Heh-heh, you really are a little lover boy. But I’m sorry—I have to get up now.”

She releases the behemoth from her embrace and stands up from the bed. The behemoth experiences a moment of regret when her heavenly warmth separates from him, but it soon passes.

“Okay—!!”

The elf girl begins stripping out of her white negligee. Just like yesterday, the behemoth’s body is overpowered by her presence. Black—her panties are black. What’s more, the total coverage remaining on both her upper and lower half is now very little.

Speaking of lower half, she’s wearing a G-string… Her breasts are plentiful, and her waistline is taut and flawless. Her tight rear and hip curves swallow up the strings of her thong…

Any healthy, red-blooded male would be losing his mind.

This girl…even though she looks refined and clean…what is with this slutty underwear? Maybe she’s a professional? A neat and tidy, clean professional?

Never mind for now. The behemoth, a noble knight in the previous life, casts his gaze away from her as she begins discarding the negligee.

However—

My god… Is there a more beautiful human form…?

The behemoth is incapable of looking away.

The lingerie-clad girl… Her proportions are perfect, her skin utterly smooth white porcelain. A beautiful form, unlike any other…

Before the behemoth can even get sexually excited, his heart is plucked out of his chest from her sheer aesthetic beauty. Just as the behemoth becomes fully enamored with her presence, it happens.

“Unnngh…!!”

Her melons drop out and bounce rhythmically—impossibly light and effortless, despite their size. The girl continues to remove clothing from a hook on the wall and changes her attire.

The behemoth can hear her putting on her shirt and the sound of her knee-high socks snapping against her skin…

As her melons continue bouncing around while she changes in the nude, the behemoth, despite his greatest intentions, can’t help but feel that he’ll go full-bore behemoth any second…

Finally finished with her tantalizing nude wardrobe change, the behemoth looks at the girl and remembers. That’s right—from what I heard yesterday, this girl is definitely an adventurer.

Her shirt’s midriff exposes the lowest part of her stomach. Her skirt is extremely short, to facilitate ease of movement, and she finishes off the look with a pair of high boots.

Damn…her underwear was provocative enough, but this is also purely lascivious.

Her shirt doesn’t leave only her midriff exposed. It also fully exposes her bountiful bosom, what you might call a valley between twin peaks. And her skirt—in addition to being incredibly short, it also exposes the soft lines of her rear every time she moves, bouncing up and down.

She’s wearing a knife belt around her waist, equipped with two blades. Finally, she also has small pouches attached to a garter belt on each of her plump thighs.

Hmm. At first, she looks quiet and reserved, but she’s clearly part of the advance guard… Wait, the advance guard?? Could she be one of them??

From her equipment, the behemoth has ascertained that the girl is a member of the advance guard. But he’s not convinced.

And he should be suspicious. How does she expect to maneuver around the world with those melons?

“Okay, I’m ready to go. Now, kitty, I’m going out, but I’ll leave the window open so you can come and go as you please. Okay? Oh, that’s right! I’ll put out some milk for you before I go. I’ll just go down to get some from the innkeeper.”

The behemoth is stunned, but the girl doesn’t notice and leaves the room.

Milk…

The second he hears the word, his stomach growls, Grrrrllll—it’s downright cute.

After a while, the girl returns with a saucer full of milk.

Thupp-thupp-thupp-thupp…

The behemoth drinks from the saucer with gusto.

The girl speaks to him affectionately, saying, “Heh-heh, you must have been hungry!”

After the behemoth finishes a portion of the milk, the girl leaves, saying, “I’ll be back!”

The behemoth is now alone in the room.

That girl saved me when I was injured…and that’s not all. She held me close and slept with me and gave me milk. Judging from what she said earlier, if I don’t run away from this place, she’ll take care of me forever…

In that moment, the warmth from in between her breasts rushes back into his mind.

It’s decided! I will protect this girl, no—my master! My master is an adventurer, and if I, a behemoth, can manage to guard her in secret, she’ll never fall to defeat down in the labyrinth!

The behemoth has certain conviction.

He will become the knight serving his benefactor and protect her to the full extent of his life span.

If that’s my decision, I can’t laze about here! I must follow after her!

The behemoth leaps from the open window to follow after the girl he’s sworn to protect…

As he runs through the city of Labyrinthos, his profile shows the same features it did as a knight in his previous life: unabated pride and valor.

Ta-ta-ta-ta—

Moments after leaving through the open window, the behemoth finds the elf girl, thanks to her highly revealing adventurer outfit and unique, sweet fragrance. Even in the busy city streets, finding her is a piece of cake.

“Hey, check this girl out…”

“Oh my god, she’s fine as hell. And check out those tits…”

Every single man on the street turns and unintentionally cries out in amazement at the girl’s beauty, which is simply a cut above the rest.

What vile creatures…staring at my master with such lecherous gazes… If we were in the labyrinth, I’d strike you down in an instant.

The behemoth imagines the worst-case scenario in his mind, conveniently ignoring the fact that he thoroughly drank in the elf girl’s immaculate figure while she got undressed to change and enjoyed the feeling of her breasts against his fur.

After following her for a while longer, he sees the girl arrive at an aqueduct. A few gondolas are docked and waiting.

“Hey, Aria. You on another quest today?”

“A fine morning, good sir. Yes, please take me to the labyrinth’s vicinity.”

A man standing on one of the gangplanks faces the girl—Aria—as he speaks to her. Aria smiles congenially and raises the bronze-colored tag hanging from her chest.

Seeing this, several perverted boatmen relaxing on their gondolas overreact and click their tongues at her. They’ve definitely schemed to get her on their own boats in the past.

Wow, my master’s name is Aria, is it?! A lovely name for a lovely girl. And it seems that here in Labyrinthos, you can ride the gondolas for free if you have an “adventurer’s tag”…

As the behemoth watches the proceedings unfold, his expression shows pure satisfaction, having learned the name of his master—the girl everyone worships.

Regarding the adventurer’s tag he also learned of, all adventurers are fundamentally classified into rank from E to S, with a different mineral denoting that rank.

The specific breakdown is as follows:

As a ranking of strength, this breakdown is slightly loose, but adventurer ranks are treated approximately the same way as monster classifications.

Aria is D rank. In terms of strength…she’s just graduated from the novice adventurer stage.

“Okay, Aria, give me your hand…”

“I’m fine. I can get on board myself.”

The boatman extends his hand to lift Aria onto the gondola, but she smiles and refuses him, jumping onto the gondola with an effortless leap, landing with a quiet thump.

Hmm. In contrast with her fashion choices, my master is very physically gifted. I’m quite relieved.

The behemoth sighs in relief.

“Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha…”

The boatman’s hand falls on thin air, and he laughs to cover his embarrassment, scratching his head. However, interestingly, he does not look dejected whatsoever.

And he shouldn’t be. You see, it’s because he didn’t miss Aria’s bouncing breasts the second she landed on the boat deck.

Men are simplistic, period.

“Okay, Aria, we’ll be taking off now.”

“Okay! Thank you.”

The boatman pushes off with a single stroke of his oar, and the gondola moves forward smoothly. But the behemoth can’t be left behind. He leaps onto the gondola, just out of Aria’s line of sight, and hides himself in the shadow of a piece of baggage on its deck.

“Haaahhhhhhhhhgh—!!”

A girl’s voice reverberates through the labyrinth.

A single knife slash dances toward a goblin, and sanguine blood gushes from its throat. Before the blood hits the ground, Aria rushes off in a flash toward her next kill.

“Gu-gyahhh—!”

“Gi-giii?!”

Her next targets, two goblins waiting in the rear, let loose cries of terror at Aria’s blinding speed. That said, they won’t go down without a fight. The goblins grip their daggers and wait for Aria’s dash to reach them.

But then—

An instant before she steps in toward them, Aria stops on a dime. Just like that, she puts the knife in her hand back into her knife belt and reaches both hands toward the garter belts wrapped around her thighs.

In the next instant, she brings her hands down in a silver flash of light, and her daggers fly and rip into the goblins’ bodies.

““Gu-gyahhhhhhhhh?!””

The goblins’ screams resound from the immeasurable pain. Two tiny throwing knives, with small rings as their handles, are stuck into the goblins’ stomach and shoulder, respectively.

“Kill us!”

The goblins are now in a state of shock from the extreme pain. Aria takes two additional knives from her knife belt and falls upon them. Using the momentum from her dash, she takes a blade in each hand and plunges them into the goblins’ hearts, securing her victory.

What the hell did I just see?

The behemoth has been closely watching over the fray from the shadows and is stunned. Aria’s knife skills include regular and throwing knives, and she’s not bad with them, either.

That said, she’s still rough around the edges. Put into words, it’s like she’s just mastered the basics, essentially. The issue isn’t with Aria’s handling of her weapons but rather her speed.

The speed of her dash.

The speed with which she switches blades.

And the speed with which she draws her knives to strike.

Her velocity is on another plane, in every regard.

This is truly unfathomable. She must be activating some sort of skill.

The behemoth begins hypothesizing that Aria’s speed is derived from a skill. And he’s correct. Aria has a special skill called Acceleration.

For a few minutes after activating this innate skill, all actions performed by the user are sped up.

Aria only has average knife-wielding skills, but the speed she gains from this innate skill allows her to proceed alone through the top levels of the labyrinth (the first sections) and take out the monsters there.

The behemoth now understands the reason behind Aria’s highly revealing outfit. It’s not a fashion choice but rather a choice to reduce her weight as much as possible in order to maintain speed.

Well…her panties must be a fashion choice…but forget that for now.

“Phew…finally got them all off. The hardest part of a quest isn’t taking out the monsters—it’s this annoying task.”

Aria wipes sweat from her brow and sighs. The corpses of the three goblins she just defeated lie in front of her…and she’s cut off all their ears.

Why is this necessary? It’s dictated by the Adventurers Guild that monsters are only deemed defeated when one returns a body part as proof.

The goblins she’s slain are confirmed as kills by handing in their ears.

Ohhh…my master, why are you getting those pretty hands dirty for such nasty work…? Dammit, if I could just show you my true form, you’d never have to do such a thing…

The behemoth, watching from the shadows, is heartbroken that Aria has to sully her hands with the blood of goblins. He has the skill Storage, which he obtained from a slime. If he could just put it on display, he could take their full corpses home, negating the need to cut off their ears.

“Heh-heh. That said, I’m now finally able to take down three goblins at once! I must be almost ready to step foot in the next level of the labyrinth.”

Aria sounds delighted as she tucks the goblin ears into her leather pouch.

In the majority of cases, the stronger the monster, the higher the compensation for defeating them and the price that their raw materials fetch. This is the reason Aria looks so pleased knowing she can now move on to more dangerous areas.

No, my master! Any hesitation will lead to certain death in the labyrinth! A fine lady like yourself should remain satisfied fighting low-level monsters on the top levels!!

The behemoth is not himself, and this is because the girl he has pledged as his master is threatening to go deeper into the labyrinth, when she does not yet have the required skills.

Come to think of it, why do you delve into the labyrinth alone, my master…? Entering with two or more is common sense…

The labyrinth is deadly. In the upper levels, it’s quite rare, but there are hordes of goblins that can completely overtake you. If you fall in defeat to a goblin and become captured, it will not be pretty…especially for a young female adventurer.

Goblins are weak, with low life expectancy. On the other hand, they have one strength—their capacity to multiply. Male goblins can conceive with females regardless of species. This means that if a female adventurer is held captive by a horrendous goblin, she will become its nurse mother.

This information is common knowledge. For this reason, it is most common for female adventurers to delve into the labyrinth as a formed party, even in the upper levels.

“But I think I’ll hold back for today. I still need to take down one more goblin anyway.”

Aria starts moving while the behemoth is still lost in thought. It seems she’s given up on plunging down to the next level. He sighs in relief.

After proceeding a bit farther, Aria comes across another lone goblin.

“Acceleration—!!”

Aria immediately activates her innate skill, Acceleration, which boosts her speed. Just as earlier, she moves with quickness untraceable by the human eye and approaches the goblin. Before the creature can slash with its dagger, she pierces its eyeball with her knife and plunges the blade up into its brain.

Guh?! Is this really what I’m seeing?

Watching Aria’s string of movements, the behemoth notices something. It’s the way her chest moves.

When she runs, it’s a given that her melons bounce up and down with abandon. This is pure eye candy. But when she approaches the goblin to attack, something happens.

When Aria takes her knife from her belt—

In perfect coordination, her melons bounce out of the way, to the side.

When Aria brings her knife down through the air—

Again, her melons bounce out of the way to avoid obstruction.

The behemoth had wondered how Aria planned to attack in close quarters with those bouncing beauties, but now the mystery has been solved.

The reason Aria can attack in close quarters, despite her breasts, is that they can be activated as a three-dimensional object.

The behemoth is floored by this turn of events.

It’s miraculous! My master’s bosom contains a sacred power!

Aria begins dismembering the goblin’s ears, still not noticing the behemoth at all.

Just then, as she finishes removing one of the goblin’s ears…

“Gi-giii…”

Another goblin appears.

“Another one. I’ve defeated as many as I planned, but no matter… Bring it on.”

Aria has noticed the goblin’s approach and grips her knife as she squares up toward it. She’s about fifteen feet away.

No! Haven’t you noticed, my master?! That’s a—!!

The behemoth quickly becomes flustered with Aria as she waits for the attack, planning to try out a counter. The reason is that the goblin in front of her is holding a staff.

“Gu-gyahhh!!” Fireball!

The goblin—no, the shape-shifting goblin mage—casts the low-level fire elemental spell Fireball from its staff.

The fireball sears through the air: “Gwohhh!” Aria is completely shocked by this turn of events and is frozen stiff. The second the goblin casts Fireball, the behemoth leaps from the shadows and uses his own Fireball, acquired through Skill Absorb from the minotaur.

“Meow!” Fireball!

Wrrroooosh—!!

The two fireballs collide in midair and cause a small-scale explosion.

I’ll clean this chump up in no time! Eat my Icicle Lance!

The behemoth strikes again immediately. The frozen ice spear launches toward the goblin mage and punctures his guts with an icy hiss.

Just as the behemoth delivers the final below, he hears a voice from behind. Of course, it’s Aria.

“My…kitty?”

“……”

The behemoth turns around silently. There is no way he can explain this. First and foremost, because he can’t even speak.

“It is you, isn’t it, my kitty? Why are you here…? And you used magic? Oh my god, can you really be…?!”

“…………”

Aria’s eyes are welling up as she asks him, and the behemoth can only hang his head in silence.

“Heh-heh, you are so darn cute!”

Just after leaving the labyrinth, Aria addresses the behemoth in high spirits as their gondola sways back and forth. His face is flushed, for reasons he can’t explain.

But why?! Just what is she on about?!

The behemoth simply cannot comprehend the turn of events. Seeing his master in danger, he leaped in front of her instinctively and activated one of his skills.

When he did, Aria’s eyes were wide as saucers. Of course, the behemoth assumed he’d been revealed for the monster he is, the very thought causing him to hang his head in shame.

But in response, Aria said, “Can you really be…?”

The behemoth assumed Aria would distance herself from him…but instead…she picked him up and sandwiched him between her breasts in a hug.

M-master…what are you doing? Aren’t you afraid of me now that you know I’m a…monster?

The behemoth was befuddled. Yet Aria simply said, “Thank you for saving me…”

Expressing thanks to the behemoth, at the time balled up perfectly between her breasts, Aria headed toward the exit of the labyrinth, without even batting an eye at the goblin mage’s corpse.

Back outside the maze, the boatman cursed the behemoth, seeing him balled up between Aria’s resplendent melons.

Shit!! You little kitten prick; that’s where I should be!

Yet, at the same time, he was also thankful to the behemoth. Stuffed between her breasts as he was, the supple melons were squashed together, looking particularly luscious.

Men are truly complicated creatures, aren’t they?

Before long, the gondola reaches the mercantile district of Labyrinthos. Aria expresses her thanks to the boatman and jumps lithely off the boat, with the same grace as when she boarded.

The boatman’s voice can be heard trying to reach Aria, saying something like “Perhaps dinner tonight, or…?” but she doesn’t hear a word of it, being too entirely involved in rubbing the behemoth’s head.

From an outside perspective, it’s clear that the boatman was shut down, and his gondolier compatriots all point fingers and laugh.

“Hey, love! Bring me another ale!”

“Heh-heh-heh…what an ass. Let me cop a feel!”

“Hey! Don’t even think about it! I’ll slap you sideways!”

The Adventurers Guild stands in the center of Labyrinthos’s mercantile district. There’s a bar inside where adventurers finished with their day’s labor and young female waitresses commonly interact.

The door opens quietly. Normally, all the men inside would lose interest after casting a glance and return to their feasting, but these are not normal circumstances. Why? Because the unrivaled and beautiful elf girl Aria has opened the door.

“Hey, look, it’s Aria.”

“She looks as good as ever.”

“Her tits bounce up and down with every step!”

“Wha—? It looks like she has a cat between them, doesn’t it?!”

Whispering voices can be heard coming from seats at the bar.

Since the day Aria arrived in Labyrinthos to become an adventurer, over half the men in the Adventurers Guild have been absolutely obsessed with her.

Witnessing this vulgar chatter, the behemoth’s mood turns foul…or so he thought—

Ahhh…it is soooo warm between my master’s breasts…

The comfort of Aria’s embrace and the warmth passing directly into his body from the valley between her twin peaks undermines his awareness.

Even after one night, the behemoth cub yearns for her warmth and cuddles up to her. To that end, even if he wanted to lash out at someone or something, he is completely incapable.

That said, something is about to happen that will awaken the behemoth’s dulled senses.

“Wha—? Ha-ha-ha-ha!! Now, just what’s this, Aria? Your appearance is blinding me again today.”

“Kussman…”

As the speaker approaches Aria with a smile, she lets out a muffled “Oof…”

The man wears light armor over an expertly crafted leather tunic. His comeliness is lower mid-level, at best. He has a bunch of product in his hair, which is slicked back.

Kussman—the son of Labyrinthos aristocrats and just one of many others in love with Aria. Even though he’s an aristocrat, he decided to become an adventurer and currently sits at C rank.

He believes that money talks and has attained his current rank by collecting high-quality equipment. He started making advances at Aria a little while back. His lines include, “What do you think—do you want to join my party?”

Most of his approach centers on asking her to join his party. But Aria knows what he’s really after—that he doesn’t see her as a fellow adventurer but as a girl.

This is obvious through his gaze, which is constantly focused on her cleavage or running up and down from her rear to her legs.

“I’m sorry, Kussman. It’s generous of you to invite me, but as I’ve stated before, I am not interested in forming a party with a man.”

“Don’t say that, Aria. It’s okay—I’ll be gentle with you.”

Kussman reaches out as he says it, going for Aria’s waist.

Kussman’s behavior makes Aria want to sock him in the face, but she stops in her tracks. He’s aristocracy. If she’s defiant, she doesn’t know what will happen to her.

This scumbag! How dare you lay a hand on my master!

In reality, the behemoth is a monster, and matters of this nature don’t concern him. Additionally, he’s unaware that Kussman is a member of the aristocracy.

The behemoth jumps out from between Aria’s breasts, and in that second, Kussman seems to reach right for them—but the behemoth chomps down on his hand.

“Gyaaaa!! What the hell is this cat? Get outta here!!”

Kussman rushes to swat the behemoth away with his free hand.

“Meowwwn!” This is my chance!

Just as Kussman lifts his arm to strike—

The behemoth releases his jaw’s grip and uses his momentum to leap into the air.

“Kitty?!”

Aria sounds extremely worried, but it’s no use. As the behemoth starts tumbling down, he flips over and dives straight for Kussman’s face.

His scream resounds through the room. “Waghhhaaaaaaaa—?!”

The behemoth sticks to Kussman’s face and scratches him repeatedly.

“You f—!!”

Kussman raises a fist to bring down on the behemoth.

“Meow!” Nice try!

There’s no chance the battle-worn knight behemoth would take such a pitiful blow. The second before Kussman’s punch lands, the behemoth pushes off his nose and artfully flips back onto Aria’s chest.

Crack—!!

That instant, a sharp sound rings through the bar. Kussman has bashed his fist into his own face—an act of suicidal terror.

“Youuuuuuu mangy rat!! I will tear you to pieces!!”

Kussman spews vitriol as blood gushes from his nose. And in an unbelievable moment, he draws his sword from his waist. He has reached apex rage—intending to kill his assailant.

Gyah!

The behemoth’s face freezes. But what to make of this situation?

His gaze is fixed…on something behind Kussman.

“Now, young Kussman, what do you think you’re doing, drawing your sword inside the guild?”

The voice reverberates to the deepest psychological core of everyone in the room, as if it were speaking directly to each individual’s consciousness.

“You…just… Who…um…?”

Kussman turns slowly and trepidatiously. Deep-seated fear is etched into his expression.

It’s…a…a ghost!

The behemoth attempts to process what he’s seeing.

“Anna!”

Amid the fray, Aria’s face is the only one lighting up.

“Aria, are you okay?”

“Yes, as you can see, I’m fine.”

“Yes, it seems as much, thank goodness… And now for you, Kussman—are you going to say anything? Depending on what it is, you might end up earning yourself a new asshole, so be careful, okay?”

“Ahhhhhh—!!”

Threatened by the individual who’s appeared, Kussman shrieks from the depths of his soul.

And for good reason. The figure in question…is a bona fide monster, no question. Aria called him Anna…but his real name is Arnold Holzweilzenegger.

His six-foot-plus towering frame is covered from head to toe in bondage gear, and atop the neck extending from his gimp suit emerges a skinhead geezer’s face covered in technicolor face paint. While this character’s actual role is that of receptionist, he (she?) is nevertheless a formidable B-ranked adventurer.

He wields high-level ice magic at will and, during his heyday, was a true abomination, preferring to be called by his second name, “Ice Queen Anna.”

Of course, her (his?) hobbies are extremely peculiar. Whether guy or girl…well, that’s all beside the point, because anyone who misbehaved within the confines of the guild could expect to be quickly reprimanded with the menacing phrase, “I’ll bury you.”

…That’s the type of person they’re dealing with here.

“U-uh…I w-was just showing off my sword to Aria! Ah! And I’ve just remembered, I had an important meeting scheduled. I’ll be on my way, then!”

Seems like he has experience getting reprimanded?!

The color drains from Kussman’s face as he hastily strings together lies and excuses before skittering out the door.

“Unbelievable. Rushing off in a huff. He deserves a good licking.”

Arnold is struck with disbelief as he sighs deeply.

“Thank you so much, Anna. You really helped me out.”

“Aria, not a problem, honey. If you’re ever in trouble, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

“Okay!”

Hmph… Just who is this Anna character? He looks absolutely absurd, but it appears he’s close with my master. And he’s of solid character, from what I can see.

The behemoth was wise beyond his years in his past life, and he would never portend to judge the content of someone’s character based on their looks. Anna’s conversation with Aria, the fact that he saved her, and above all else, reading her tone and expression, the behemoth has decided that she (he?) is a good person.

“At any rate, what’s with the cat? He’s quite the piece of work, isn’t he? He protected you from getting groped by Kussman, right? He’s like a knight in shining armor!”

Hmm. So Anna was watching the whole time. Rather, the fact that he saw through my monster appearance almost immediately is…certainly formidable.

As the behemoth ponders the situation, Anna stares deeply into his eyes and winks subtly.

“Yes, and that’s not the only reason he’s special. In the labyrinth earlier, I was overtaken by a goblin that could cast magic, and when I had my back to the wall, he used a magic skill to protect me!”

Oh no! Tension runs through the behemoth’s body.

It doesn’t appear Aria has any aversion to the fact that he’s a monster. Yet if anyone else finds out, he could…likely be killed.

“A magic skill…you say?”

Hearing Aria’s claim, Arnold looks suspiciously at the behemoth.

And then…

“A cat…that uses magic…and he has orange tabby fur… Could he be—?”

I’m finished…

The behemoth is convinced he’s done for.

“—an elemental cat?”

Yes, yes, that’s right. I’m whatever that’s supposed to be.

The behemoth expected Arnold to claim he could be a monster. But instead, he used the term elemental cat, a term he’s never heard before.

“Do you think so, too? Oh, that’s great! I was sure of it!” Hearing Arnold’s opinion, Aria can’t conceal her glee.

In this world, there exists a very rare creature called an elemental cat. They are more intelligent than normal cats, and in some instances, they can even understand human speech.

They have one other major attribute that differs from normal animal species—they can wield elemental magic.

These animals, due to their intelligence, will become attached to the human they claim as master and, due to their strength, will always attempt to protect that master.

Having saved Aria’s life in the labyrinth, the behemoth now worships her as his master and has followed her, using two different elemental magic skills to protect her when she fell into danger.

In summary, Aria doesn’t think the behemoth is a monster but has rather confused him for a young elemental cat.

Hmm, uh-huh… Now that I recall, elemental cats do have the same orange tabby pattern that I do…

Remembering this, the behemoth begins to feel weak.

“I’ve decided that his name will be Tama! And from now on, I’ll officially raise him as my pet.”

Ignoring the fact that Tama is slumped over, Aria announces her decision in a shrill voice.

What’s this?! This must mean that, from now on, I can brazenly follow my master and accompany her anywhere?!

The behemoth’s eyes are shining with delight.

“Hey, Aria—are you sure about that? When elemental cats grow up, they’re about six feet long, and they can also crossbreed with other species, so he might even assault you when he’s in heat!”

“What are you talking about, Anna? That’s exactly what I’m hoping!”

…Oh dear… So that’s what Aria had in mind all along…

Hearing Aria, Arnold has nothing else to add, looking slightly disturbed. In other words, what Aria wants is… No, let’s leave that alone for now.

“Tama…hurry up and get bigger, okay? And then someday, you can be my first… Heh-heh, then we’ll go meow, meow a lot together, okay?”

Aria’s face is beet red as she…she kisses the behemoth—Tama—on the head.

Shiver.

A sensation he’s never felt before surges through Tama’s entire being.

“Okay, Aria. I need to get back to the receptionist counter. You’ve come to the guild to declare your goblin quota, no?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m sorry—I got excited…”

Aria had been staring heatedly at Tama, fit snugly between her breasts, and finally looks back up at Arnold as he speaks to her. As if in apology, she reaches down and strokes Tama’s head ever so lovingly. Maybe it’s just his imagination, but her caress is even more sensuous than the night before.

Master…did you really mean what you just said earlier? No—there’s no way a young, innocent girl like my master could be… Dammit! What the hell does go meow, meow mean?

Tama is soliloquizing ad nauseam regarding what Aria said about you can be my first…

“Well then, go ahead and bring out your proof.”

“Okay. Here you go—”

As Tama anguishes over Aria’s words, Aria and Arnold have moved to the reception desk, where they’re confirming that Aria has met her quest requirements.

Aria removes from her leather pouch the goblin ears she cut off and lines them up on the counter.

“Two, four, six…okay. I confirm ten ears from five goblins. This completes your quest. I’ll assess their condition and prepare your payment, so take a seat on the bench or go ahead and kill some time in the bar like always, sweetie.”

Aria smiles at Anna and replies, “You got it, Anna.”

Arnold’s words—assess their condition—mean that the monster parts brought back from a quest can be assessed for buying and selling as raw materials, on top of the payment for defeating the goblins themselves.

Monster skin is used in a number of daily commodities and, depending on the type of meat, often as food. Other applications are also possible, including monster materials used as ingredients in healing potions and more.

In this case, the part that will be repurposed as raw material is the skin of the ears. Goblin skin can be used for wallets or weapon handles, as well as scabbards—there are many different applications.

Assessment involves a professional appraiser in the back of the guild who decides if the materials retrieved will fetch value on the market or not.

“Okay, what should we do until the assessment is finished? I’m a little hungry for an afternoon snack, so relaxing in the bar for a bit could be nice…”

Aria puts her finger to her lip and looks perplexed.

Just at that moment…

“Hey, Aria, come have a drink with us, eh?!”

“Heh-heh, yeah, we’ll buy you a drink!”

A group of male adventurers drinking in the bar surrounds Aria with mugs of ale in hand.

Hmph… Again, eh? My quests always end like this.

Aria sighs quietly to herself, covering the fact that she’s quite annoyed inside.

Aria is very fond of the food served in the bar attached to the guild. If possible, she would eat here every day. However, as of now, she’s unable to do so due to the throngs of men crowding around her with their best pickup lines.

“I’m sorry; I appreciate the invite, but I have business to attend to after this…”

Aria gently refuses their advances with what seems like a reasonable excuse.

“Oh, I see. Well, maybe next time…”

The men don’t pursue Aria that aggressively this time. After all, the world’s toughest, macho receptionist girl (?) is waiting close by. They’re especially hesitant now, after seeing how pathetic Kussman looked minutes ago.

Hmm. It seems my presence is also a strong deterrent to these pieces of filth approaching my master. I’ll continue to drive them away zealously.

Tama is sending a sharp glare out from between Aria’s breasts, nodding contentedly at the spooked looks of the men in the room.

“Ah, what can I do? I guess I’ll wait here on the bench again… Heh-heh, but starting today, Tama is with me, so I don’t need to be sad, right?”

“Meowww—”

Although Aria looks disappointed for a moment, the second she peeks down at Tama snuggling in her cleavage, she smiles broadly.

Tama mews loudly in response, to say, Of course! I would never let you become sad, my master!

A few minutes later—

“That’s right! Good boy!”

“Meow!” S-stop, please, master…

Tama has been turned on his back on Aria’s knee as she sits on the bench, and she’s rubbing his furry tummy to her heart’s content.

“Heh-heh…your tummy is so soft and cute, and down there is soft, too!”

“Meow—!!” Yelp!! Master, that’s my…

“It’s so squishy—!”

“Meow-gwhaaaaaa—!!”

Tama’s cry resounds throughout the entire guild.

“Wow, it’s already early evening…”

“Meowr—”

The main street of the mercantile district is dyed bright orange. Aria walks among the commotion of people out shopping for groceries for dinner, Tama tucked between her breasts.

The item assessment was very busy today, and Aria ended up waiting for quite some time. Tama was subjected to belly rubs—and rubs somewhere that shouldn’t be mentioned—the entire time, and his voice has lost all energy.

“What to do for dinner…? Going into another restaurant and getting hit on will be a hassle. Let’s buy something and go home. Elemental cats are omnivores, if I recall, so let’s get something for you, too, Tama!”

“Meow!”

Hearing this, the exhausted Tama’s vitality is restored. Because he was reborn as a monster, he thought he’d have to go his entire lifetime without another chance to eat human food.

“Hey, Aria! Want to take home some shish kebab skewers from my shop? I just grilled ’em!”

“No, no—you need some spare rib from my shop! I’ll give you a special price, Aria.”

As Aria walks along the street, the open-air shop owners all call after her in competition. Some of them openly ignore the customers they were just helping… Aria’s popularity is obvious.

“Wow, everything looks so good! Okay, I’ll take five skewers—chef’s choice—and two orders of the spare rib.”

“Okay!”

“Thank you always!!”

The shop owners are elated with Aria’s orders as they pack them up for her. They’re totally overdoing it—including over double what she actually asked for in the order.

“That’s so much… Thank you, as always.”

“Not at all! Don’t even worry about it.”

“That’s right—you’re a regular, Aria. And oh, it seems today you have a supercute kitty with you, don’t you?”

Aria is overjoyed at their kind treatment and the extra food as she thanks them. The shop owners force ungainly smiles her way.

The shop owner who sold the spare rib looks at Tama…but Tama’s already onto him—onto the fact that he’s pretending to look at Tama, but he’s really leering at Aria’s cleavage.

This bastard… Does he really want to meet the same fate as those before him?

Tama’s thoughts are disturbed as he waits, feline rear twitching back and forth, ready to pounce—when something happens.

“Oh no. Both my hands are full now—I won’t be able to hold you, Tama… Oh, of course! On the way home, make sure to stay still and quiet, okay?”

With that, Aria picks up Tama and—shoop—slips him right between you-know-where.

Wh-what the hell?!

Both shop owners’ bodies are gripped by a hair-raising shudder.

Her valley between twin peaks…yes…her cleavage.

Tama’s body is tightly squeezed in between Aria’s ample bosom, with only his head peeking out. Tama keeps his body stiff, shocked at this turn of events.

Overwhelmed by the visual appearance of a kitten staring at them from between that valley, the two shop owners can only stand gobsmacked, swallowing their saliva.

“Okay, if that’s all, we’ll be on our way now.”

The shop owners have gone stiff as two boards, and Aria looks at them quizzically before placing a few copper coins down for payment and leaving.

“Hey, shish kebab.”

“What’s up, spare rib?”

“I…wish I was born a cat…”

“You’re telling me!”

Ahhh…this place is truly heaven…

Having returned to the inn, Tama can’t stop thinking this, even after he’s released from between Aria’s breasts. Warm, fuzzy, cuddly sensations rack his body with each step. As an added bonus, Aria was a bit sweaty after finishing her quest and secreted more of her sweet fragrance than usual, inviting Tama to doze off and lose himself in her.

“Okay, Tama, come here. Let’s eat together.”

“Meow-ow!!”

Aria lines up the food she purchased on the table in the room. The sauces and spices attack Tama’s olfactory sense, and his stomach growls.

He leaps in a single bound onto the table, and Aria grabs a skewer, pointing it toward him while saying, “Open wide!”

Chomp—! Tama hasn’t eaten anything since the milk this morning, and he rips into the skewer with abandon. The meat, cooked over charcoal, is rich, delicious, and incredibly juicy. The sweet and spicy sauce fills his mouth.

This is what I’m talking about!

How long has it been since he had real food? Overly excited, Tama devours an entire skewer in one bite.

“Heh-heh, you’re really going to town… Eat as much as you want and get bigger soon, okay…?”

Aria looks at Tama enthusiastically, but this time, she lets him prioritize chowing down on the meat.

“Tama, you helped me in the labyrinth, and what’s more, you’re an elemental cat… I was so lucky today. I think I’ll have a drink to celebrate.”

Tama is now tearing into the spare rib. Aria stands and retrieves a bottle from the corner of the room. Judging from the label, it’s fruit liqueur.

In this kingdom, men are recognized as adults at age fourteen and women at age twelve. Aria looks like she’s about fifteen or sixteen years old. That means she’s a full-fledged adult.

Hmm. Master. Should a young girl really be drinking by herself? Wait—I guess it’s vastly preferable to her going out for a drink and letting some smug bastard try to have his way with her.

These are Tama’s thoughts as he watches a drop of the fruit liqueur spill from Aria’s mouth into her ripe, busty valley.

“Heh-heh, I feel so good…”

Aria has the liqueur bottle in one hand, her eyes now vacant. There are three empty bottles on the table… This is overdrinking. She must be absolutely overjoyed to have Tama as her pet.

In this moment, Tama has gotten sick of drunken Aria and decided he can’t watch any longer. He’s on the bed, grooming his fur with his tongue.

“Tama, how can you leave your master all by her lonesome and endlessly lick yourself? You’ve gone cold… If you keep that up, I won’t take you to the bath with me, got it?!”

The…bath…?!

Tama stops dead in his tracks at words he cannot ignore.

Aria dismisses him for now and starts cleaning up the empty bags on the table before putting a change of clothes and a towel into a basket beside the bed.

“If you’re coming along, now is the time!”

Aria looks at Tama with forlorn eyes and pushes the basket toward him.

It means…If you’re coming, get in this basket, he surmises.

Thi…this cannot be helped. I am my master’s knight. I cannot leave her side, for what if something should happen to her, at times unexpected? There is no choice in this matter!

As a proud knight, entering the women’s bath is a preposterous proposition. However, he has reason to assume that the unmatched beauty who is his master could be assailed by a man incited by carnal desire at any moment. In that case, he must let go of his pride and escort his master…

Tama forces himself to agree with this rhetoric and hops into the basket…without a care and light as a feather.

“Hey there, Aria. Down for a bath?”

“Yes. It’s a bit later, but can I still use it?”

Descending the stairs from the second floor, Aria engages in conversation with a woman carrying a tray of food.

The second floor of the inn houses all the guest rooms. The first floor includes reception and a bar. The woman Aria is speaking to is the proprietor of the establishment.

“Sure, that’s not a problem. You’ll be the last one in. Take your time, sweetie. And go ahead and wash your kitty really well, too.”

“Thank you very much!”

Aria expresses thanks at the proprietor’s congeniality before heading toward the back of the inn. Guests take turns using the washroom, but it’s big enough to include a large washing area and tub.

One of the men in the bar sees Aria heading for the bath and starts following her, but the proprietor shoves a fist toward him and stops him in his tracks.

They’re…they’re floating…

In the changing room, Tama is again watching Aria’s enchanting clothes-changing ritual. Then he gets the satisfaction of scrubbing Aria down in the washing area.

Aria’s physique is absolutely flawless, but on top of that, her skin is without wrinkles—truly a perfect body. Nonetheless, something happens in front of Tama’s very eyes that nearly makes him forget this sight.

They’re floating. Aria’s melons are floating like two buoys out to sea in the bathtub. Tama floats in the tub, too, absolutely overtaken by this splendorous sight.

“Tama…?”

“Meowr?”

Drunk and perfectly warm in the bath, Aria is staring blankly at the ceiling before suddenly speaking to Tama. He replies, seemingly in haste. He is now fully self-aware of just how deeply he’d been enraptured by the ridiculous scene in front of him, the beauty of Aria’s body and the fact that her massive breasts are floating in the water.

“Tama…will I get stronger?”

“…Meow?”

Hearing Aria’s question and seeing her eyes shuddering with insecurity, Tama mews worriedly. Aria continues opening up to him.

“There was a demon army invasion in the kingdom I used to live in. At the time, I was so small and couldn’t fight. I just hid from everything for as long as I could…but demons have really good noses, and they found me quickly…”

Aria recalls how she felt at the time, and her whole body shudders—but only for a split second. After the moment passes, a smile spreads across her face.

“But in that moment, a Sword Saint appeared…! They were dual-wielding blades in both hands and appeared before me, slashing every one of the demons to pieces. They saved my life.”

Sword Saint…could she really be talking about that Sword Saint?

Tama knows of the Sword Saint of whom Aria speaks… Some years before, a demon army invasion overwhelmed a certain kingdom, and from out of nowhere, the Sword Saint appeared and slaughtered every last one of them, saving the kingdom, according to the legend that the elf girl Aria is referencing.

Aria was saved by this mysterious Sword Saint. She continues:

“Then I made a decision. Someday I will become as strong as the Sword Saint, capable of helping others when they’re in need… That’s why I started practicing with knives and became an adventurer to study as an apprentice.”

My master…

Tama is struck deeply in his heart by the noble way Aria is leading her life.

“However…”

Stopping suddenly, Aria looks despondent and submerges half her face. Tama has a pretty good idea what she wants to say next.

Even though she’d like to help as many people as possible, just today, she was set upon by a goblin, although it was a sudden shape-shifting type, and Tama saved her. Tama assumes that is absolutely mortifying for her.

It’s okay, master… You are still young. With your mettle, you will definitely get stronger! And you have me with you. Until you become much, much stronger, I will stop at nothing to protect you with my life.

Seeing Aria become despondent, Tama pledges again from the bottom of his heart to protect her for as long as he lives. He skillfully swims to Aria’s side and climbs up onto her shoulder, careful not to scratch her skin with his claws before rubbing his face into her cheek lovingly.

“Tama…hee-hee, you are such a sweetheart.”

Thanks to Tama, a bright smile returns to Aria’s face.

In this moment, a young girl and a behemoth cub have deepened their bond.