Chapter 4: Thorny Spawn
Chapter 4:
Thorny Spawn
Part 1
NIGHT HAD FALLEN by the time I woke up. The ballrabbit was intent on me and Nina. It should have been in its burrow by now, but its ears were pricked up, alert, scanning our surroundings.
When it saw me, it let out a relieved, “Pfeff!” Then it promptly dug a hole and climbed inside. It sounded so proud of itself that I smiled. It must have pushed itself past exhaustion to keep us safe.
On a normal day, a monster’s approach would wake me, but my drained MP left me comatose. I was ashamed for assuming the ballrabbit only cared about food. I’d get it something tasty as an apology.
After all, we wouldn’t be able to stay together forever.
Alert from my long rest, I stayed up and kept watch. Nina groaned in her sleep; she must be dehydrated. I rummaged through the remnants of the cactuses, but most of the flesh had been completely devoured or gone dry from the hot desert sun. I finally found one bit that still had some juice, buried beneath a bunch of other pieces, sparing it from the heat.
I held the cactus over Nina’s face and squeezed a drop of water into her mouth. I gave her just a little bit at a time, not wanting to choke her. I only stopped when her groans faded away.
I felt bad that she was sleeping on the rough sand, so I gathered up a bunch of the cactus skins and tucked them underneath her. It was a little sticky but way better than the ground. Maybe.
Morning came at last, and the ballrabbit emerged from its burrow, shaking the sand off its head. Nina was still asleep. She was breathing, but she wasn’t in great shape. Hunger and the heat were taking a toll on her body.
She’d probably never been healthy, and the dry desert air wasn’t helping. She needed food and water, but all we had were the leftover cactuses. I’d already squeezed out all the moisture that I could. If I’d known this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have eaten so much.
Manipulative or not, Nina would trust me more if I fed her. The ballrabbit had warmed up to me right away. Though it really was all about food.
I’d leave the rabbit to look after Nina while I was gone. It could scare off an F- or E-rank monster by itself, though D-rank or above would mean trouble. I decided to keep an eye out, and if I saw any large monsters going their way, I’d turn back immediately. That left me with a limited range.
Leaving them behind, I loped through the desert. I was hoping for something nearby, but I doubted I’d be that lucky. Maybe I could get moisture from a camel? I remembered reading somewhere they stored water and fat in their humps.
Fluids were my first priority. If I didn’t get some into Nina fast, she would die. The rabbit’s Rest spell could buy her more time, but it couldn’t keep her alive forever.
I wished I could turn seawater into water suitable for drinking. I knew, distantly, that there were ways to do that.
I could boil the water and collect the steam in containers, then allow it to cool, letting it condense back into water—a process called distillation. Unrealistic at the moment. I had the tools to heat up the water and turn it into steam, but nothing to help me catch and return that steam to water. Maybe I could do it with an animal skin and a deep pit, but Nina was human, and, though this world was plenty unhygienic, she wouldn’t have the natural resistance to bacteria that a monster would. As a demi-human, she was probably tougher than average, but I didn’t want to risk it.
That left two choices, a camel or a cactus, but as I ran through the desert, I couldn’t find either. Strange. I’d seen a ton yesterday.
Had being inside my mouth contributed to her injuries? She would have gotten jostled on my back too. She might have even fallen off.
My plan was to bring food back to her until she was well enough to balance and then put her on my back. Leaving her alone now made me anxious. Maybe I should have cradled her between my wings as she slept, bringing her along. Fighting with her asleep on my back would be difficult, but I could forage for cactuses just fine.
Jostling her around would exacerbate her condition, though, and there was the Dragon Scale Powder to think about…
Still, I worried about leaving her in the ballrabbit’s care. I knew there were strong, small, and fast monsters out there…
The ballrabbit wouldn’t…eat Nina, would it? I didn’t want to add that to my list of worries. I glanced behind as I ran.
The two of them were only dots in the distance now. Without any grass or trees to break the sight line, I could check on them from far away, but that wouldn’t help if I couldn’t get back in time.
This is as far as I should go.
The ballrabbit shook sand off its ears and looked my way. Maybe it could tell what I was nervous about.
You’re right, Ballrabbit. I need to get Nina food and water as quickly as possible. This was no time to agonize over what-ifs. I’d just dash out and dash back. Please protect Nina, Ballrabbit.
I used Roll and raced away from the two of them. I hated it, but I forced myself to focus. Cactuses and camels.
Come on, cactuses and camels, come on, cactuses and camels! But not centipedes, for real though. If I never see one of those again, it will be too soon.
After Rolling for a while, I came across something green and lumpy. It had to be a cactus—they were the only things that grew here. I was relieved to have found some so quickly.
I wanted to move fast, and that limited how much I could carry, but I needed a few each for Nina and Ballrabbit, though the rabbit always wanted way more than just a few. Eh, whatever. It always ate so much; it had enough calories saved up. You could stand to lose a little weight, Desert Darling! Even if you never seem to gain anything no matter how much you eat.
I made a beeline for the green lump, wondering if my sense of distance was off. Using Roll sometimes left me disoriented, but I thought I’d gotten used to it. I guessed it could still happen. The cactus probably just looked closer than it was because I had no landmarks to gauge distance with.
But as I drew nearer, I realized that the cactus was close to four meters long, lying on its side like a caterpillar. The damn thing was only slightly smaller than I was. This cactus was, like, record-breaking huge. I could only carry a fraction of it.
I had to bring Nina and the ballrabbit back here sometime. This was like winning the cactus lottery.
As I got closer and started to slow down…the cactus began swaying and slowly rose from the ground.
Part 2
THE CACTUS STRETCHED out what might have been its neck, beginning to groan. I slammed the breaks on Roll. Not an ordinary cactus after all, but a green lump covered in spines with a warped, swollen body. It had beady little eyes and an enormous mouth.
Well, I did say I could use a cactus or a camel. I just wasn’t expecting a two-in-one deal!
The cactus camel opened its jaws and released an ooze of sticky light green liquid, like the fluids inside of a plant.
Ugh, that’s disgusting. What’s your problem, buddy? Drooling all over the place.
I needed some info on it.
Cactus Thorfilius: Rank C. After living for over 200 years, the cactus thorpupa gains sentience and immense magical power. Its four legs support its massive body weight, and its humps give it the ability to endlessly absorb water. It resembles a camel in shape, and its hide is strengthened by magic and covered in tough spines.
It pretends to be a normal plant in the desert, waiting for monsters to approach in search of food. It then weakens them with magic and eats them.
“Thorfilius” means “thorny child.”
Wait, this is an evolved form of a cactus? C-rank…so it might look silly, but it was as powerful as the Little Rock Dragon—certainly not an enemy to scoff at. I had no idea how it was going to come at me, but I figured I’d better check its stats first.
Species: Cactus Thorfilius
Status: Normal
Lv: 46/50
HP: 308/308
MP: 185/185
Attack: 120
Defense: 198
Magic: 210
Agility: 56
Rank: C-
Special Skills:
Earth Type: Lv —
Photosynthesis: Lv 5
Water Storage: Lv 6
Thorn Armor: Lv 5
Automatic HP Recovery: Lv 3
Automatic MP Recovery: Lv 3
Resistance Skills:
Drought Resistance: Lv 4
Heat Resistance: Lv 5
Physical Resistance: Lv 3
Magic Resistance: Lv 4
Normal Skills:
Mirage: Lv 4
Gastric Acid: Lv 3
Clay: Lv 5
Weak: Lv 3
Iron Maiden: Lv 6
Bite: Lv 2
One Thousand Needles: Lv 2
Sand Breath: Lv 1
Sandstorm: Lv 3
Title Skills:
Plant God’s Spawn: Lv —
Senescent: Lv 2
Why is its level so high?!
A great fight for experience point gain, but I really couldn’t underestimate this guy! Its HP, Defense, and Magic were all higher than mine. Ideally I wouldn’t fight it at all, but I couldn’t let such a good source of fluids get away. And I couldn’t leave the ballrabbit and Nina alone for much longer.
I’m sure I can take it. Its Attack is pretty low, and it’s slow. I know from firsthand experience that speed and offense are essential in a fight. All the HP and defense in the world are worthless if you can’t drain your enemy’s health. And magic has a limit.
All right, time to level up.
I watched the thorny camel from a distance, waiting to see what it would do. It stood up, beady little eyes focused on me. It didn’t move a muscle. Now we were both standing here stupidly, waiting for the other to strike first. Fine. If it had to be me, so be it.
I couldn’t use Scorching Breath, not even from this far away. It would dry up the water we so desperately needed. I had only one option—a skill I hadn’t used in a long time.
I focused magical energy in my wings and flapped hard, pushing the force forward. This was Whirlwind Slash, a skill that flung blades of wind at my enemies.
The first magical burst of air did nothing, the second scratched it, and the third broke off its needles. The fourth cut into its skin.
Normal Skill “Whirlwind Slash” Lv 1 has become Lv 2.
Hey, my skill leveled up! I sent an even sharper gale of wind blades raining down upon the thorny camel. It crouched, protecting its head, but I didn’t stop flapping. I beat my wings harder and harder as I got closer, slicing up the surface of the camel’s body.
Keep going, keep going! Focus every single bit of magical energy into this attack!
The last time I used this skill was during my fight with the Little Rock Dragon. It barely did any damage, so I’d dismissed it. But Whirlwind Slash was powerful.
There was no way the thorny camel could get close to me with those injured legs. About half of my MP was gone, but it still hadn’t moved. I stopped flapping my wings and checked its status.
Cannot locate target.
Huh…?
What did that mean? I thought back to my battle with the panther, when it made itself look like a rock and I slammed right into it. Right, that was the Mirage skill. And the thorny camel had Mirage too!
It must have vanished, leaving behind a bunch of cactuses for me to decimate with Whirlwind Slash. I’d been so focused that I hadn’t even noticed. And now I’d just burned away half my MP for nothing.
The thorny camel was plotting something. Where was it? I had to be ready for anything.
I kicked off into the air and immediately felt a needle in the back of my knee. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it coming. C’mon, stop it!
I pushed through the pain, flapping my wings harder to remain airborne. My legs hurt. Despite its stats, this guy was tough. I hadn’t taken much damage, but I couldn’t just ignore it. Those needles went right through my skin. It must have had some special skill that could penetrate my scales, just like the slime.
This isn’t gonna be as easy as I thought, but I won’t fall for Mirage again. This cactus camel was dangerous but unsophisticated. If I paid attention, it would make a mistake. I was going to defeat it and bring my friends a feast.
Part 3
STILL AIRBORNE, I flapped my wings and released another Whirlwind Slash. The blades tore through the air, slicing into the thorny camel’s flesh. Thick, sticky liquid dribbled out, sweetness filling the air. Even in the heat of battle, my mouth started to water.
The camel hunched over in a defensive stance, its eyes open to glare at me. Sorry, Mr. Camel, but there’s no way I’m getting close to you. I’m just gonna whittle down your HP from here!
The camel released its defensive stance and stood up, no doubt realizing it was just exhausting itself. A whirl of sand rose around its body; that had to be Sandstorm. It was kind of a letdown, honestly. I could still see the camel just fine through the swirling dust. Although it might make it harder for me to detect when it used Mirage.
I hated to use up my MP, but I’d just have to use View Status often. It felt cheap, but Mirage couldn’t fool a skill that literally spelled out stats.
Using Whirlwind Slash nonstop while airborne was hard on my wings. I needed to land. I checked with View Status to make sure this camel was real, then dropped altitude. A strange noise came from just below me.
Instincts prickling, I altered my trajectory as I descended. A sharp column of sand burst from the ground exactly where I had just been, immediately crumbling and adding to the sandstorm.
I used Roll to get out of the way, whapping my tail on the ground to lessen the impact as I landed. I jumped back into the air right away.
That was too close. Could it control sand? No, wait…that must have been its Clay skill. The claybear could do the same thing, but the camel was way bigger.
It had to be using Clay to make sand columns to hide behind with Mirage, supplementing it with Sandstorm. Not only was Sandstorm affecting my vision, it impaired my hearing too. I almost didn’t notice the rumbling of the sand right below me until it was too late.
Seriously, monsters with high MP freak me out. I’d been discounting Magic as a useful attribute, but maybe I just hadn’t met anything that really knew how to use it. Now that I thought about it, the only super-intelligent monster I knew in the forest was the black lizard.
I didn’t want to risk getting too close; I considered just retreating and using Whirlwind Slash again. Short-range attacks would be useless—its thorny skin would repel my punches. Just gradually whittling away its HP seemed the way to go.
I heard something slicing through the air, and I quickly wrapped my wings around myself to guard. Three needles sank in.
It had used Mirage to hide and shoot needles at me again! They were so tiny I couldn’t spot them in time. The only way to dodge a long-range attack like that was picking up sounds in the storm, and with my senses dulled—whoa!
I twisted my body out of the way of a needle heading straight for my neck. It wobbled, then vanished, stabbing me in the chest instead.
Damn it! I’d just decided I wasn’t going to trust my senses! I should’ve dodged in the opposite direction!
I closed my eyes. Watching for the needles was worthless. Losing my sense of sight would be tricky, but these illusions were actively dangerous. I’d just have to rely on my sense of hearing.
Should I dodge the needles and then follow up with a Whirlwind Slash? No, it has Automatic HP Recovery, I can’t draw this out. Should I just withstand the needles and throw myself in directly? Its attack power was low—if it came to a battle of blows, I could take it down. Its illusions and long-range skills made being at a distance work against me.
I used Whirlwind Slash and my wings to ward off the needles as I pushed in closer. Even if it was messing with my senses, I could still trace the source of the attacks.
The sandstorm was growing stronger, but I could make out the shape of the camel in front of me. I let off Whirlwind Slash with all my might, cutting through the sand.
I spread my wings and followed the blades, flying low as I rushed at my enemy. I smashed right into it, throwing it off balance. But then I kept going, flying on past it. Just as I’d expected, the camel I’d seen was the illusion. It had realized that it couldn’t cover up the direction the needles were coming from, but it could still cheat the distance. But I’d figured it would do that—I used to be human, my strategy was better, and I could use View Status to check if it was using Mirage.
Still, it was smarter than the average monster. Or plant. Whatever.
A hard tower of earth shot out behind me, no doubt aiming for where it expected me to be when its Mirage fooled me.
Yeah, not gonna fall for that one again, buddy! My blades cut through the sandstorm, which lessened the noise, and I let Psychic Sense tell me exactly where the camel was.
I checked its status. Yeah, this was the real one. Cheating or not, this was life or death.
I flew toward it, letting loose a Whirlwind Slash at its head. It ducked but couldn’t dodge. The thorns protecting its right side scattered in all directions. Its skin split, sticky liquid streaming out.
The thorny camel swayed wildly. I dug my claws into the open wound and gripped on tight. Then I spun around and pulled its head clean off.
Normal Skill “Neckbreaker” Lv 2 has become Lv 3.
The camel’s head flew, scattering liquid everywhere. I did a few neat spins in the air and then turned back toward it. Its body fell to the ground with a loud crash.
Gained 504 Experience Points.
Special Skill “Walking Egg” Lv — activated: gained 504 Experience Points.
Hey, that was a lot! I should target high-level enemies from now on.
Minus the giant centipedes. Screw those guys.
Plague Dragon Lv 22 has become Lv 29.
Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about! I shook off my sticky hands, flinging white fluid all around. Time to check my own status.
Illusia
Species: Plague Dragon
Status: Normal
Lv: 29/75
HP: 182/293
MP: 41/213
Attack: 266
Defense: 191
Magic: 182
Agility: 172
Rank: B-
Special Skills:
Dragon Scale: Lv 5
Divine Voice: Lv 4
Grecian Language: Lv 3
Fly: Lv 5
Dragon Scale Powder: Lv 4
Dark Type: Lv —
Wicked Dragon: Lv —
Automatic HP Recovery: Lv 3
Psychic Sense: Lv 2
Resistance Skills:
Physical Resistance: Lv 4
Falling Resistance: Lv 5
Hunger Resistance: Lv 4
Poison Resistance: Lv 5
Loneliness Resistance: Lv 6
Magic Resistance: Lv 3
Dark Resistance: Lv 3
Light Resistance: Lv 2
Fear Resistance: Lv 2
Asphyxiation Resistance: Lv 3
Paralysis Resistance: Lv 2
Normal Skills:
Roll: Lv 6
View Status: Lv 6
Scorching Breath: Lv 5
Whistle: Lv 1
Dragon Punch: Lv 3
Disease Breath: Lv 3
Venom Fangs: Lv 3
Paralyzing Venom Claws: Lv 4
Dragon Tail: Lv 1
Bellow: Lv 2
Meteorite: Lv 2
Nutcracker: Lv 3
Human Transformation: Lv 4
Whirlwind Slash: Lv 2
Neckbreaker Lv 3
Title Skills:
Dragon King’s Son: Lv —
Walking Egg: Lv —
Klutz: Lv 4
Just an Idiot: Lv 1
Infighter: Lv 4
Pest Killer: Lv 3
Safety First: Lv 1
Liar: Lv 2
King of Evasion: Lv 2
Protective Spirit: Lv 6
Itty-Bitty Hero: Lv 5
Wrongdoer: Lv 6
Calamity: Lv 5
Chicken Runner: Lv 2
Mr. Chef: Lv 4
Dastardly King: Lv 4
Stalwart: Lv 2
Giant Killer: Lv 1
Ceramic Artisan: Lv 4
Clan Boss: Lv 1
Laplace Interference Authority: Lv 1
Cool, everything went up a lot. Still…leveling would probably slow down soon, and I had 46 more levels until my next evolution. I hoped to have some decent choices, but the Plague Dragon trajectory seemed bleak.
Well, what’s done is done. If I focused on raising skills like Protective Spirit and Itty-Bitty Hero, maybe I could turn things around. Protective Spirit made acquiring white magic easier. Maybe the ballrabbit would be my mentor and teach me Rest.
My HP was fine, but my MP was really depleted. I’d used Whirwind Slash a ton. Before now, most of my fights had been very physical; in the future I’d need to be more careful about overusing magic. I didn’t want to end up with zero MP when I needed it most. But all in all, the spiky camel hadn’t been that bad. I was glad I never got hit with Clay.
Enough what-ifs. I need to bring food back to my friends.
I started removing the needles from the camel’s body, careful not to poke myself. When that was finished, I cut off its humps and legs.
With the body split open, the sun would quickly dry out its insides. I considered bringing Nina and the ballrabbit back with me to get the rest. I’d put way too much effort into this to let most of it go to waste.
Or maybe it’d be better to move my base out here. The cactus camel was a little tough, but now that I’d removed the needles, Nina could use the skin to sleep on.
I now had another problem—I had no way to carry back the bits of thorny camel. If I held it in my arms while I used Roll, I’d lose most of it, but walking would take forever. I was a lot farther away than I’d meant to go.
Okay, well. I had no choice but to put it in my mouth and Roll home. The ballrabbit and Nina might not like it, but it was either that or no water.
I stuffed in as much of it as I could and activated Roll. Ugh, this sucked. It was hard to breathe, and the cactus skin tickled the back of my throat so much I almost spit it out.
Ah! I accidentally swallowed some of it! My nose is all plugged up now! I’m gonna die, I’m dying, I can’t take this!
It was a struggle, but I followed the trail I’d made and somehow managed to return. Though I still insist I nearly kicked it.
I saw Nina right away, still lying on the cactus skins where I’d left her.
Wait, where was the ballrabbit? My mouth was full and I couldn’t speak. I stomped lightly on the ground. The sand nearby trembled, and out it popped.
It had something in its mouth —maybe the tail of a sand-colored shrimp? As I stared at it, it chomped down and swallowed. “Pfeff!” it said, as if nothing had happened. Green fluids stained the edges of its mouth.
It was stronger now, I guess. But I wished it wouldn’t go hunting while it was supposed to be watching Nina.
Well, whatever. Everyone is safe and sound, and that’s all that matters.
“Pfeff! Pfeff!” The ballrabbit ran over to me happily, like a little girl eager to see what her daddy brought her back from his long business trip. Wow, what was my previous life like if that’s the first thing that came to mind?
I gritted my back teeth and aimed downward. Then I spit out everything that was in my mouth. A mountain of cactus…covered in my saliva. The ballrabbit’s ears pricked up for a moment, then dropped. It seemed to be in shock. Then it whapped me on the same spot where the cactus had shot me with its needles.
I’m sorry, I’m sorry! But there’s a mountain of cactuses close by! I can take you there!
Part 4
I CUT THE CACTUS into smaller pieces for easier eating. Gathering up the bits with the least saliva on them, I lay them out on top of the skin to keep them out of the sand.
The ballrabbit edged over cautiously, but I scooped it up with my tail and set it down a distance away. Sorry, but that’s for Nina. Let her have it.
Normal Skill “Dragon Tail” Lv 1 has become Lv 2.
My skill leveled up just from that? Guess I should use my tail more often.
“Pfeff! Pfeff!” The ballrabbit started whapping my legs with its ears.
Just hang in there, all right? You can have the cactuses that got covered in my spit.
“Pfeff…” The rabbit’s ears drooped down. It glared at me and then dragged itself over to the mountain of saliva-covered cactuses.
Oh, so you’re just gonna go for it? You’ve got guts, kid. I respect it.
Meanwhile, Nina woke up. She looked at me and made a “nyah!” noise, then scrambled backward.
“Ra—” I tried to reassure her, but at the first syllable, Nina screamed “Nyah!” again, so I stopped. Instead, I gestured toward the cactus with the tip of my claw and tried to put on my friendliest smile. I was probably just squinting my eyes.
Nina stared at me with such an odd look on her face. Her cat eyes opened wide. She looked down at the cactus pieces, then back over to me. I crouched to make myself look less intimidating, lowering my gaze.
“Um…are you trying to say…this is for me?” Oh good, she got my message.
I nodded emphatically, and she giggled. She seemed less nervous now.
“Th-thank you!” That made me tear up. She was only the second person in this world to ever thank me.
I was so moved that I stood up. My sudden movement startled her and she covered her body with her arms, trembling slightly. Ugh, come on. Cut me a break here.
The ballrabbit spit out a cactus skin and dragged its ears over toward a nervous Nina. What was it going to do? As the rabbit got closer, Nina slowly lowered her arms. “A ballrabbit? Are you the dragon’s emergency food supply…?”
No! I wouldn’t do that! I shook my head back and forth.
“Pfeff, pfeff!” The ballrabbit hopped around Nina’s feet. Hesitantly, she picked it up. The rabbit looked pleased and settled into her arms.
“S-so cute.” Nina started to relax, and the rabbit gave me a triumphant look. I was glad it calmed her down, but I was slightly annoyed. Didn’t you try to eat her, Ballrabbit?
I guess appearances really were important. If I’d gone down a different evolution path, maybe she would have looked at me like that too. I wished I was a fluffy dragon—a sheep dragon or a cloud dragon, maybe. Thinking back on how many options I’d had, I was sure that with the right Title Skills, just about anything was possible.
Should I try and aim for that now? How? By eating sheep every day?
Nina would get scared if I got too close to her, so I backed up. I gestured toward the cactus pieces from about ten meters away. She must be so thirsty, but her fear was keeping her from the food. She’d thanked me, but anyone would be hesitant to accept a meal from a dragon.
Very slowly, she bowed toward me and approached the cactus pile, keeping a wary eye out as she picked one up.
Hey, I’m not telling you to eat so I can fatten you up! You can relax, I promise! I’ve never eaten a human in my life!
Nina held the cactus but didn’t put it in her mouth. She’d been brought here in that carriage; maybe she just wasn’t familiar with the desert and didn’t know it was edible. But it had a sweet scent, and if she was starving, she’d eat it. I figured she was still too afraid of me.
“Pfeff!” The ballrabbit rubbed against Nina’s legs with a reassuring chirp. It glanced over at me, narrowed its eyes, and then shook its head slightly.
Oh, maybe Nina was so hesitant because she thought my squinting meant I was angry?
The ballrabbit made several gestures, letting me know I was staring too much, putting too much pressure on her. I tried to adjust my behavior accordingly. Finally, Nina put a piece of the cactus in her mouth.
After one bite she blinked in surprise. I didn’t blame her—it tasted way better than it looked. She ate bite after bite, just like I thought she would. I noticed the ballrabbit stealing bits here and there, but it had earned that.
When Nina finished, maybe I could use Human Transformation again to ask where she wanted me to bring her. That might be less intimidating than a dragon wildly gesturing. I’d need to keep a close eye on my MP, though. I didn’t want to pass out again.
All right, I guess I’ll take care of the gross, spitty cactuses. But the sight of them was really unappetizing. Surely the second they hit air bacteria grew all over. Yeah, I just can’t put something that came outta my mouth back in it.
It probably wasn’t a great experience for the ballrabbit either. Sorry, buddy. It ate them anyway. Now I just felt guilty.
Part 5
WHILE NINA ATE, I watched her from a safe distance. Occasionally we’d make awkward eye contact, but the ballrabbit would glare at me and I’d lower my gaze. Finally, Nina was done. The rabbit gobbled up everything she’d left behind. Man, what even was inside its stomach? It ate way more than its body weight every day, and yet its outward appearance never changed.
Nina’s color had greatly improved, and she seemed much happier. She probably hadn’t had a decent meal in a long time.
I guess I should try to talk to her now.
Only Human Transformation burned up so much MP, one point per second. I had to know exactly what I wanted to say this time. My fight with the thorny camel left it partially depleted, and I didn’t want to risk hitting zero.
I needed to pre-plan the information I wanted to convey, how to bring it up, and how to respond to her questions. Any mistakes would waste my MP. If I really screwed up, she might pass out like she did last time. With the Dragon Scale Powder, I wasn’t sure how long we could stay together. I couldn’t risk having to do this over and over again.
I might have Human Transformation up to level 4, but looking slightly humanoid might make me even more frightening than I was now. That’s what they call the “uncanny valley” phenomenon.
Nina walking toward me pulled me out of my thoughts. She still seemed a little scared, holding the ballrabbit tightly in her arms. The rabbit’s eyes were narrowed happily as it snuggled against her.
“Pfeff…”
Wow, I guess you’ve got a new best friend. Way to replace me.
“Th-thank you so much for the food… Are you the one who saved me?”
“Grah.” I made a low noise of affirmation.
This was good, right? Perfect timing. Let’s check how much MP I have…
Illusia
Species: Plague Dragon
Status: Normal
Lv: 29/75
HP: 182/293
MP: 41/213
Only forty seconds? God, that’s barely time for a single sentence! If I didn’t leave some for later I’d pass out again. Thirty seconds was my limit. Pretty pathetic compared to the three and a half minutes I had last time.
Regardless, I needed to ask Nina her plans. I couldn’t leave her alone with all the monsters, and I couldn’t just drag her along with me. The Dragon Scale Powder was too dangerous.
I mentally prepared myself, took a deep breath, and used Human Transformation. Heat flooded my body, along with that familiar compression. It didn’t hurt as much as before. Maybe it was because I was level 4, or maybe I was just getting used to it.
My form felt more stable than it did before too. If I leveled it up one more time, I probably couldn’t run around naked anymore. I still had a tail, scales, and fangs, though. But I could analyze my transformation later.
This was the second time Nina had seen me looking like this, and she seemed less freaked out than before. She just squeezed the rabbit a little tighter, making it writhe painfully and whap her arms with its ears.
“Where. You want. Go? Here. Dangerous. I. Take you.”
“Oh.” Nina made a little noise and then fell silent. My MP continued to drain.
Say something. Please say something. Did I ask the question wrong? Is it how I look? Is she afraid if she tells me where she’s from, I’ll go and destroy her home?
“I…don’t know where I should go.” Nina looked down sadly. The rabbit made an encouraging noise. I supposed she felt she couldn’t return home, but I absolutely couldn’t take her to where that slave trader was either. That tubby jerk had tried to feed her to a centipede.
“But. Here is—” God, my MP was almost gone.
Illusia
Species: Plague Dragon
Status: Human Form Lv 4
Lv: 29/75
HP: 91/293
MP: 18/213
Keeping this up was too dangerous. At least she knew what I wanted now, and communicating through gestures would be easier. I took a few steps back and then returned to my dragon form.
Nina’s realization that she had nowhere to go seemed to leave her depressed. I wished she could stay with me, but that just wasn’t possible. Worst case scenario, I’d have to take her to that walled city. Were there other human villages around here? I figured I could ask Nina if she had any idea.
Anyway, it was about time we went to collect the rest of the thorny camel. With all those leftovers, we wouldn’t have to worry about food for a while. Making my base there would free up my movement a lot.
I turned my back to Nina and crouched down. “Raar.” I glanced back, urging her to get on. She looked very hesitant, as usual, but the ballrabbit gave her some courage.
“Th-thank you—nyahh?!” I scooped her up with my tail and set her on top of me. All right. Hold on tight, now.
Part 6
I RAN WITH NINA on my back, careful not to drop her. She held the ballrabbit in one hand, clinging desperately on to me with the other. She didn’t have to bother—Ballrabbit was already clinging to me with its ears. You know, Ballrabbit, I go this fast when you’re on top of my head too. No need to be dramatic.
Gradually, Nina’s panic receded, and she loosened her grip on my scales. I glanced back, glad that she was comfortable enough to take in her surroundings. She didn’t look nervous anymore—she seemed like she was enjoying herself.
“Pfeff, pfeff!” The ballrabbit reached its ears out of Nina’s grasp and whapped my back with them.
Hungry again? Well, I guess Nina did eat most of that cactus earlier. You saved it all for her, huh? It often seemed like just a greedy little monster, but it was clever. It must’ve figured out there was more food that I hadn’t brought back yet. Not bad, rabbit!
“Nyah! U-um, where are we going?”
“Raar.” Sorry. Even if you ask me a question, I won’t be able to respond. ’Cause I’m a dragon. You’ll see when we arrive. We’re almost there.
I could figure out what to do next when we reached the thorny camel. Living rough in the desert would be hard on a human’s health, and I wondered if I could use the camel’s body to make a shelter for Nina and the ballrabbit. There were plenty of cactuses to feed the rabbit’s ravenous hunger. I could make life here comfortable. I liked building things, after all.
I spotted a familiar hill up ahead, but as soon as I cleared it, my mouth dropped open in shock. A group of monsters was gathered around the thorny camel’s body, chowing down on my kill.
The monsters were round with short legs, sort of like gray panthers. Well, more hyenas than panthers. And they were definitely acting more like hyenas too…
I counted them. Eight hyena-panthers of all different sizes. One was so small it looked like a newborn.
“Aye? Aye?”
“Ayeeeee!”
They began howling as soon as they spotted me, running off with pieces of the camel still in their mouths. God, do you need to take leftovers too?
I felt the ballrabbit’s gaze burning into me from behind with an intensity I wouldn’t expect an E-rank monster to possess. We couldn’t let these hyenas escape.
Time for a status check. Despite their appearance, they could be stronger than they looked. Going after them with low MP might be a bad idea. I targeted the strongest looking one and used View Status.
Species: Yain-Yain
Status: Normal
Lv: 23/27
HP: 83/83
MP: 31/31
Attack: 95
Defense: 64
Magic: 41
Agility: 113
Rank: D-
Special Skills:
Group Attack: Lv —
Animal Instinct: Lv 1
Resistance Skills:
Earth Type: Lv 3
Poison Resistance: Lv 2
Spoiled Meat Resistance: Lv 2
Normal Skills:
Bellow: Lv 2
Bite: Lv 2
Mirage: Lv 3
Call Allies: Lv 3
Title Skills:
Chicken Runner: Lv 3
Grave Robber: Lv 2
Swiper: Lv 2
Cool, I can kick their butts easily with those stats. Just you wait, Ballrabbit. I’m about to make you some hyena meat hamburgers!
I started after them but then remembered Nina was still on my back. I didn’t want her to fall off; I’d target the slowest one first, running just a little behind the rest of the pack.
Just as I gave chase, I saw a haze that gave me déjà vu. Mirage again. The Yain-Yain rippled before popping up far away from its original spot.
I’m soooo sick of this desert. At least I spotted it quickly this time.
“Raar!” I raised my voice, shouting a warning to Nina and the ballrabbit. I’m not going full speed, but I am gonna go faster. Hold on tight!
Strangely, as soon as I sped up, one of the Yain-Yains turned and loped toward me like it was trying to hamper my movement. I thought it was another Mirage, but View Status told me that wasn’t it. What was this thing doing? It was the smallest Yain-Yain, eyes round and cute, with soft fur. It was the same species as the others, but nowhere near evolving. The ballrabbit was about three times its size, though their bodies were vastly different. Was this a baby Yain-Yain?
“Aye! Aye-ah!” Its voice was squeaky and high-pitched, like a small child’s. That stopped me in my tracks. The baby Yain-Yain came right up to me and gobbled up a piece of thorny camel. It must have dropped it while running away. The baby’s eyes softened happily as it used its front paws to knock the sand off the piece of meat.
I could kill it in one hit. I could, but my hands wouldn’t move. Just…this seemed like a really crappy thing to do. I was a dragon, but still.
Come on, what was I hesitating for? How many monsters had I killed so far? I always chase after prey if it runs away from me.
I kept trying to psych myself up, but I just couldn’t do it.
“Ayeee!”
A sharp cry snapped me back to reality. One of the adult Yain-Yains ran up and grabbed the baby by the scruff of its neck, then, with a glare at me, it dashed back toward the rest of the pack. On the way there, the piece of the camel fell out of the baby’s mouth.
“Aye!” It cried in disappointment, but the adult Yain-Yain ignored it and let out a sharp “Ah-Ayee!” It must have been scolding it, because the baby’s head drooped shamefully afterward.
I could’ve easily chased after them. But, despite the ballrabbit whapping my back with its ears, I let them go.
Sorry, but I can’t just kill a baby and its mother; that would set me down the Wrongdoer path in a way where there would be no turning back. My Dragon Scale
Powder would get so bad that the whole desert would be destroyed.
Still, I felt intense disappointment looking back and seeing the remains of the thorny camel. I guess that was what I got for leaving such a sweet-smelling kill alone for so long. Out here, every monster was desperate to survive. I’d just have to be more careful next time.
Sigh…
Suddenly, I heard giggling. I turned back to look at Nina, who immediately covered her mouth with one hand. Maybe she felt guilty for laughing. But once she knew she was caught, she took her hand away, smiling wryly.
“Nyah…you’re very kind, aren’t you?” I guess that means she trusts me now?
She would have been horrified if I attacked that baby, though the ballrabbit seemed angry that I hadn’t. It puffed out its cheeks and turned away from me in a huff.
Part 7
“RAAAAAR!” I roared as I raced across the sand, slicing my claws through a three-headed camel’s body. “Nargggh!” Blood gushed from the motaricamel’s chest as
it rolled and fell into a small sand dune. It wasn’t a hard attack—it probably wasn’t dead, but its back legs looked smashed.
I whipped my tail around and said “Raar!” to the ballrabbit on my back. I had to level it up, wanting it to grow big and strong so it could dig my house for me.
The ballrabbit jumped out of Nina’s arms and onto my tail, wrapping its long ears around it for stability.
“Nyaah? What are you—” Nina looked puzzled, but I had to wait until my MP recovered before I could explain.
I stretched my tail out toward the camel. The rabbit hopped off, approaching its prey. It wasn’t thrilled about this power leveling at first but had since grown used to it. Maybe it liked getting stronger, or maybe it thought I wouldn’t feed it if it didn’t do what I said. Whatever the case, its bloodlust had awakened.
“Pfeff!” Two fireballs circled around the ballrabbit—its Illuminate skill, far bigger than it used to be. This must be level 2. After we were done here, I should check its stats again.
The fireballs broke from their orbit and attacked the three-headed camel. They didn’t do much damage, but the camel was already paralyzed, so I wasn’t worried.
The ballrabbit used Illuminate a couple more times, fully draining its MP. Then it ran at the camel and lifted its ears. The camel stood on trembling legs as if it had been waiting for that moment, pretending to be far more injured than it actually was so that we’d lower our guard.
“Narghhh!”
“Pfeff?!” The ballrabbit realized something was up and quickly slapped its ears on the ground to jump away, but it was too late—it couldn’t dodge in time. The camel opened one of its mouths and sprayed a jet of water right into the rabbit’s face like a water gun—but no, that sounded too cute. It was more like a water laser, with enough force to cut through wood.
The rabbit covered its face with its ears, fearing the sudden counterattack. I put my hand between them, blocking the flow off with a loud splash, water scattering in all directions.
The rabbit hesitantly pulled its ears from its face and looked around. The camel hung its neck in disappointment. I dug my claws deep into its body, splitting its flesh and finishing it off.
Gained 32 Experience Points.
Title Skill “Walking Egg” Lv — activated: gained 32 experience points.
I was annoyed I could only check my own experience point gain; I really wanted to know how much the ballrabbit was getting.
The rabbit looked at me, ears hanging in relief. “Pfeff!”
Leveling the rabbit was nerve-racking—if we were unlucky, a monster could finish it off with one hit. I needed to be super cautious. I’d never seen a water attack like that before. But as long as I dealt with things from up close, I could take care of any problems really quickly.
This time I hadn’t paralyzed the monster fully, afraid that sort of cheating wasn’t giving the rabbit many experience points. So far, it had been good at dodging attacks. Hopefully this would be a sustainable method going forward.
What was that skill, though? I thought back on the camel’s stats. It must have been Aqua. Water came out of its mouth in a physical stream, but it felt like a magic attack. Wait, what if I just chained one of those camels up as a kind of…camel faucet? That would make my life a lot easier. I’d have to try it sometime.
The rabbit stared at the camel’s body for a while, then looked plaintively up at me. “Pfeff…”
What is it, Ballrabbit? Aren’t you happy I got you your camel meat? Come on, I don’t want to eat the heads, and I’m sure Nina doesn’t either. You can have all three of them. It started whapping my legs with its ears again. Maybe it was mad I’d put it in a dangerous situation?
“Pfeff! Pfeff!”
Hey, I’ll protect you! I can’t keep you with me forever—I need to make sure you get strong so a bad monster doesn’t get you!
“Hee hee…” Quiet giggling came from behind me. “Nyaah?! S-sorry…” Nina quickly covered her mouth and bowed her head. Watching me interact with the rabbit seemed to ease her nerves.
Time to check up on the ballrabbit. I really hoped it had maxed out already.
Species: Small Ballrabbit
Status: Normal
Lv: 12/12 (MAX)
HP: 39/45
MP: 2/32
Attack: 20
Defense: 24
Magic: 33
Agility: 27
Rank: E-
Special Skills:
Conceal: Lv 1
Food Regeneration: Lv 3
Resistance Skills:
Hunger Resistance: Lv 4
Poison Resistance: Lv 1
Binge Resistance: Lv 2
Normal Skills:
Burrow: Lv 2
Illuminate: Lv 3
Play Dead: Lv 1
Whip Dance: Lv 5
Swallow Whole: Lv 1
Storage: Lv 1
Charm: Lv 1
Gnaw: Lv 2
Rest: Lv 2
Title Skills:
Desert Darling: Lv 2
Cannibal: Lv 1
Parasitic Leveler: Lv 3
Ravenous: Lv 4
Yes, max level! It would evolve after it ate something. Some of its skills had leveled up a little too. It must have been busy while I was away. Illuminate had gone from level 2 to level 3—I was right that the two fireballs meant growth. They were also bigger than they used to be.
Rest was up to level 2 now. Recovery magic is important, so keep it up, kid!
Whip Dance was up from level 3 to level 4…maybe from all the times it whapped me with its ears. Well, as long as it’s valuable training. Wow, Ravenous and Binge Resistance leveled up quickly.
I wondered if I should start giving it less food. I remembered hearing that pigs would eat as much food as you gave them since scarcity was the default out in the wild. They’d eat until they made themselves sick.
If the rabbit was eating so much it leveled up Binge Resistance, I should limit its meals. I’d divide up the camel meat between Nina and myself, and maybe give the rabbit one head. I wonder what camel tastes like… I can’t wait to find out.
The ballrabbit glared suspiciously at me like it suspected something was up. Man, this kid is smart. It’s really good at reading my mind.
Hm?
“Haa…haa…heshuuu!” Saliva flew from the rabbit’s open mouth. This wasn’t the first time it coughed. Its status was normal, though. Weird. I’d written it off earlier, but now I was worried. Could this be the first sign of Dragon Scale Powder?
Part 8
I SLICED UP THE CAMEL MEAT and used Scorching Breath. I wouldn’t eat the heads, but the ballrabbit was less picky, so I roasted them too.
I wanted to put it on a diet, but not today. This might be the last day I spent with it. I was almost sure the Dragon Scale Powder was the source of its coughing. When I used Disease Breath on the camel, its status showed up as Cursed (Slight). The ballrabbit’s status was still Normal, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t being affected. Symptoms might appear before Curse did.
If I stayed with the rabbit, those symptoms would get worse. The Divine Voice told me Curse had fewer remedies than Poison, but the effects could be reversed if the cursed target distanced itself from the source. Now was the best time to do that.
When it’s finished eating, I’ll say goodbye.
I never got it to dig my house for me, but that wasn’t why I was sad. It was difficult to say goodbye to a traveling companion. I wondered if it got sick from the cursed camel meat or because of Dragon Scale Powder. If it was the latter, it would only be a few days before Nina started seeing the effects too.
I really wanted to take her somewhere safe before that happened. She didn’t want to go, but my only real choice was that walled city. At the very least, it had to be safer than the desert crawling with monsters. I’d use Human Transformation to explain it to her.
“Pfeff?” The ballrabbit came up to me, wondering what was on my mind.
I’m sorry, kid. But this is where we go our separate ways.
“Pfeff! Pfeff!” It couldn’t possibly have guessed what I was thinking, but my eyes must give something away, because it started angrily whapping my legs again. It did that until it got tired, then let its ears drop in dejection.
Don’t worry. You’ve gotten a lot stronger. You’ll do fine out here on your own. Don’t look so sad, okay?
“Pfeff…”
Nina sat on some cactus skin, watching us anxiously. She could tell something was going on.
I finished preparing our meal, which just meant roasting it, since I currently had no salt. Getting the temperature hot enough without burning it was tricky.
I cut some bits of cactus skin to use as plates and piled the fatty meat from the camel’s humps on top. I made one up for Nina and one for the rabbit, and passed it the meat from the heads as well. I’d just eat whatever was left—I didn’t need a dish.
Nina hesitated. I gestured with my neck for her to go ahead and then took a bite of my own meat.
Camel tasted a lot like beef. A little gamey, but I was used to that by now. Still, worrying about Ballrabbit made it hard to focus on my meal. I turned, hoping to watch it eat for the last time. We locked eyes. Uncharacteristically, it hadn’t started gobbling yet.
Were the heads too nasty? Just eat it all in one bite. I motioned for the rabbit to eat. Slowly, it did.
“Nya…um, Mr. Dragon? Did something happen between you and Bally?” Nina had spoken to me, but as soon as I looked her way she tensed up. I was just too frightening, I guess. I kept worrying she’d pass out if I made a sudden move. I couldn’t really blame her—my claws could decapitate a human in one swipe.
Anyway, who’s Bally? Is she talking about the ballrabbit? They must have gotten even closer than I thought.
I thought that maybe I should let the ballrabbit take care of her from now on, but it would have its hands full just protecting itself. Still, the time limit of how long we could stay together was ticking down.
Ballrabbit didn’t finish its meal—extremely unusual. Had it realized that it was my fault it wasn’t feeling well? It seemed depressed, like it knew what I was planning.
“Bally?” I was spacing out looking absently at the sky, but Nina’s voice brought me back to reality. The rabbit’s body was shaking and, as I watched, it began to grow larger.
Ah, it’s evolving! I might as well stick around to see what’s gonna happen. Its body grew rounder and its sand-colored fur shed in clumps. Hm? It’s white now? No, it’s a very light pink…almost a peach color. Wow, that’s gonna make it hard to blend in with the sand.
When we met it was the size of a softball, then a watermelon, and now it was the size of a cushion. Before, it went from Miniature to Small. What was it now?
Species: Peach Ballrabbit
Status: Normal
Lv: 1/30
HP: 39/47
MP: 2/34
Attack: 18
Defense: 20
Magic: 26
Agility: 22
Rank: D
Special Skills:
Conceal: Lv 2
Food Regeneration: Lv 3
Resistance Skills:
Hunger Resistance: Lv 4
Poison Resistance: Lv 3
Binge Resistance: Lv 2
Curse Resistance: Lv 2
Normal Skills:
Burrow: Lv 3
Illuminate: Lv 4
Play Dead: Lv 1
Whip Dance: Lv 5
Swallow Whole: Lv 2
Storage: Lv 2
Charm: Lv 2
Gnaw: Lv 2
Rest: Lv 2
Clean: Lv 1
Telepathy: Lv 1
Title Skills:
Desert Darling: Lv 3
Cannibal: Lv 1
Parasitic Leveler: Lv 3
Ravenous: Lv 4
Mutation: Lv –
Bizarre Gastronomist: Lv 1
Peach? There are peaches in this world? A peach ballrabbit, huh?
I’d expected it to become a medium ballrabbit, but I guess not. It was all the way up to rank D now too. That was higher than the black lizard and the same rank as the orangurangs.
The power leveling worked! It’s gotten so much stronger.
If I kept leveling it, it’d be able to defeat graywolves. Pretty impressive considering a tiny scorpion nearly took it out when we first met. Digging a serviceable burrow and surviving out here was definitely in its skillset. I wish you well on your journ—Huh?
Resistance Skills:
Hunger Resistance: Lv 4
Poison Resistance: Lv 3
Binge Resistance: Lv 2
Curse Resistance: Lv 2
H-hang on a second! Curse Resistance? Hey, Divine Voice! Tell me details about the peach ballrabbit!
Peach Ballrabbit: Rank D. A ballrabbit who spent its youth in an unclean environment and adapted to survive. Will eat basically anything. Peach ballrabbits are generally found in locations not suitable for human habitation, so if you see one, it’s best to run.
Legend has it that they turn redder to warn other creatures of danger.
Does that mean it got that Resistance Skill because it grew up around me? Then it can stay with… Wait, what do you mean, unclean environment?! Is that talking about me?! How am I unclean?!
Part 9
THE BALLRABBIT’S LATEST EVOLUTION had the Normal Skills “Telepathy” and “Clean.” I had noticed that it always seemed to know what I was thinking.
And Clean… Seriously, was I really that dirty?! Is it gonna clean me or something?!
The Giant Orangurang had used Telepathy. It could read other monsters’ thoughts and send thoughts into their heads. I could use the ballrabbit as my interpreter to communicate with Nina, replacing the need to use Human Transformation all the time. I could send it my thoughts and then have it put those thoughts into Nina’s mind. Wasn’t that perfect? I could already understand everything that Nina was saying, after all.
Hey, Ballrabbit! Ballrabbit! You can read my thoughts, right? I’ve got a favor to ask you.
“Pfeff!”
I concentrated hard. The ballrabbit lifted its head and looked at me. Ooh, did it work? Time to play the telephone game. Ballrabbit stared at me piercingly. Suddenly, I heard something.
(“I. Hunger.”)
That was all it said. It walked back over to its forgotten meat.
Of course. The only thing the rabbit ever had on its mind was food. It was bigger now and probably worn out from evolving. God, why were its ears still dragging on the ground even after it grew up? It must have recovered from its funk, because now it was pigging out.
All right, all right. Go ahead and eat.
The rabbit grasped the leftover camel head with its ears before shoving it straight in its mouth. Chomp, crack, chomp. I listened to the sounds of its teeth splintering through the skull. It chewed, swallowed, and moved on to the next head. It finished the third one in the same manner, spitting one of the eyeballs out onto the sand.
This is the Darling of the Desert?! Seriously? Even Nina’s a little freaked out right now.
I’d barely even started on my meat—I knew I should eat. There was still a hump left over, and I’d been wondering what it would taste like. I bit into it, fangs tearing through the flesh. Mm, it was soft and kind of chewy. A little like intestines? Made sense—it was just a lump of fat.
As I enjoyed the taste of the hump, the rabbit finished eating. I swallowed my last mouthful and turned back toward it, hoping to get back to mind reading.
“Pfeff.” It turned its neck. Or its whole head, I guess. Huh?
Species: Peach Ballrabbit
Status: Normal
Lv: 1/30
HP: 47/47
MP: 1/34
Whoa, it was almost out of MP. Not surprising since it used Illuminate on the camel so many times, and evolving didn’t regenerate magic.
The Giant Orangurang had to spend its MP to use Telepathy too. Guess I’d have to wait until tomorrow to try out my Ballrabbit Translator. I just hoped that Nina didn’t show any symptoms before then.
I’d never expected to be so hard up for MP all the time. Up until now, I’d relied on my brawn, only ever using magic to cast Rest.
With its level once again reset, the ballrabbit had a low Max MP. I wanted to level it up a little more today. Its stats were so good now that it might not even need my help.
I had to keep my expectations in check, though. I leveled up quickly because of the bonus experience points I got from my Walking Egg skill, and the ballrabbit didn’t have that.
I could just let it fight on its own when I went hunting again and only step in if things looked bad.
Time to get my friends up. We needed to find more cactuses—the camel didn’t contain much water after all. And Nina probably wanted to bathe. Maybe we should try the beach?
“Raar.” I gestured them toward my back. Nina picked up the ballrabbit, struggling under its new weight. Don’t strain yourself, Nina. It wasn’t like I was going to make the rabbit go on a diet. Better to just retire the title of Desert Darling.
Which way was the ocean again? My first priority had to be locating cactuses. I was fine, but Nina and the ballrabbit were probably thirsty by now. If only that huge cactus hadn’t been stolen, we’d have a perfect place for a home base and plenty of water.
Just forget about it.
I had no intention of punishing the hyena family. Their eyes were way too big and cute. Damn it. If only they were uglier, I could’ve decimated them all…
We’d just find some water and then get some sleep to let our MP recharge. Man, living in this place was a constant cactus hunt. Maybe I should consider leaving the desert, but I didn’t want to go near a village or city looking the way I currently did. A desert swarming with monsters was the best place for me, even if there wasn’t enough water.
But this environment wasn’t easy on Nina. That’s why I wanted to use Human Transformation or my Ballrabbit Translator to talk it out.
Hey, I think I see water off in the distance. Is that the ocean? Hmm…it seems a little small. Wait, I see green! Huh? There’s a lake right smack dab in the middle of the desert!
It wasn’t that big, but it was big enough. Tall grass and colorful flowers surrounded it. Oh, it’s an oasis!
“Raar! Raaar!” I turned around and roared happily at Nina and the ballrabbit.
“Nyah!” Nina was so startled she almost fell. The ballrabbit had been snoozing away contentedly, but it jolted awake and used its ears to catch Nina. It glared at me.
S-sorry, I couldn’t help it. I’m excited! I mean, look! There’s a lake! A lake! Look!