Again, my experience began to increase, making my body grow once more.
My adolescent body was growing at an alarming pace, making me surpass a strong and robust adult tiger.
However…
Compared to my current enemies, my size and physical strength mattered little, even though they still had their roles to play.
Battles were no longer decided by brute force, but by strategy and technique above all else—at this stage, even abilities, since those were still underdeveloped.
With a heavy sigh, I focused once more on the forest ahead of me.
A few days had already passed since we left the heart of the kingdom toward the frontier, where Lightning Tiger and Sun Eater resided.
[ Euphy, how far are we? ]
I asked without much expectation.
[ Far enough to learn a new language in the meantime, which is something I've wanted to talk to you about for a long time. ]
Suddenly, she stopped and turned toward me.
[ Demonic language. Eventually you'll need it— isn't this a good opportunity to learn? ]
I frowned as I thought about it.
[ Can't I just rely on mental transmission forever? It's even more precise than verbal language. ]
Euphy scratched the back of her neck, lacking arguments.
Mental transmission was superior to any kind of language I had ever seen, capable of conveying every nuance and tone perfectly.
It seemed unnecessary to learn any language after experiencing that.
[ Well… not everyone will have one of those… actually, why would anyone? ]
I pondered for a few moments. Indeed, even if it was better, only the disabled would use one of those.
I sighed in defeat.
[ Okay, just teach me along the way. ]
And so, I began my studies in the demonic language, a completely wild tongue composed mostly of grunts that were barely distinguishable from one another.
With that, our routine consisted of hunting Sinners in the morning, walking in the afternoon while I studied the demonic language, and training at night, then sleeping, waking up, and repeating.
The training part being a bit more brutal than I would have liked.
For, as should already have been noticed, Euphy did not know how to hold back.
[ Euphy, a break, please! ]
I said while trying to dodge the thousands of real arrows and aura arrows mixed together and overlapping.
My body was already riddled with real arrows that penetrated deeply into my flesh.
Even so, Euphy continued to attack from a distance, from the tops of trees in the middle of the dark night.
A few days earlier, she had noticed that my night vision was terrible, and considering that agility was not my strong suit… she exploited my weaknesses completely.
[ No! You have a serious weakness and you need to learn how to deal with it, otherwise you'll die sooner rather than later. All it takes is the wrong enemy! ]
She repeated the same sentence in succession while I could only sigh.
There was nothing I could do about it yet.
Yet…
Primordial Force would change all of that soon.
But until then…
WOOSH
An arrow cut through the air. I only caught a glimpse of a silvery gleam before it was too late.
BANG
The arrow pushed my skull backward after piercing my eye and barely failed to kill me by hitting my brain.
'I hate you, Euphy…'
Bringing me to the brink of death was what she called training.
Sigh.
The beating continued until I was completely unable to stand, and then I would be treated and healed using some magical items.
And so, we continued for days and more days.
Until then, on an ordinary morning, Euphy opened her map as usual, looking for prey.
"We're close to a ##$%@#," she said with a strange expression as I grew confused, not understanding the last word.
Noticing this, she quickly put the ring on once more.
[ Village, a new word—memorize it. ]
"And why is that…?"
I tried to speak in the demonic language, but soon I ran out of words.
Once again, Euphy helped me finish the sentence.
"Worrisome?" I concluded.
"Sinners can also be human, and from there everything gets a little more complicated… and political."
I frowned, noticing Euphy's expression grow tense—more tense than ever.
I soon encouraged her to speak more.
"There isn't much to be said beyond the obvious. Demonic species protect one another the same way humans protect each other. Killing a human is crossing our jurisdiction… besides, honestly, humans are skinny and ugly, their meat doesn't seem appetizing to me."
I frowned as I saw Euphy try to hide her flushed face; apparently, the last part mattered more to her than all the rest.
I hadn't even seen her blush until now... I wonder why she reacted like that right now.
"Even so, it doesn't hurt to take a look. It's not gah…ran? guaranteed to be a human."
She nodded, standing up, ready for the walk.
Along the way, she took the opportunity to review some thematic words and phrases to expand my vocabulary.
She couldn't help but be amazed at how quickly I was learning a new language.
And thus we slowly approached a small village.
I hadn't told Euphy, but I was particularly interested in observing the people of this new world.
Soon, Euphy and I reached the edge of the forest and hid in the bushes while observing from a distance.
There were some farmlands where two children ran about laughing.
Near there, in front of a rustic house, women talked with bowls and cloths in their hands.
While a bit farther away, a man chopped wood in solitary silence.
"No Sinner at first glance, let's get closer," I said, leaving the woods while trying to camouflage myself as much as possible.
However, Euphy, for some reason, seemed hesitant as she pressed her lips together.
"Euphy?"
Her breathing started becoming faster, even ragged.
"Euphy?!"
She looked at me startled.
But then, she sighed deeply.
"Sorry I zoned out, what's the matter?"
I looked deep into her eyes, a little concerned.
"I'm going to search for the Sinner in the village, you come?"
"Yes, I'm coming." She soon left the woods and followed me.
We then entered the small village; rural life seemed simple and peaceful.
In the fields, the young worked continuously amid good-natured laughter, while the elders played cards in front of their houses.
I watched with genuine interest, as most seemed to work in a relaxed manner.
"Do you think there are shepherds around here?" I asked excitedly, while Euphy seemed lost in the clouds.
"Euphy?" Once again, I called her back to earth.
"What? … Ah yes, I think there should be," she said briefly, drifting back into her thoughts.
'Well… I guess none of this is new to her…'
Slowly, I explored the small village while trying to locate the possible Sinner.
Someone who should be a hunter or some kind of sheriff or enforcer, someone who worked with violence and death.
However, the village was peaceful, with its dozens of citizens among children, adults, and the elderly.
No hunters or anything of the sort.
'Maybe there's a criminal among them.'
I thought as I approached a group of gossiping youths, hoping for a murder case.
"Do you… think it's true?"
"Of course it is! Haven't you noticed how the adults are always worried and how they talk in whispers as if to hide something?"
"But we might be jumping to conclusions. I mean, if it were true, they would have done something… right?"
'Bullseye…' I laughed, amused, as I kept listening.
"We shouldn't be talking about this… better bury this subject here."
'No fun…' I thought and soon moved away.
Climbing onto a rooftop, I began to hear two women talking with tense expressions.
The topic seemed interesting…
"Is it really… I mean, it really seems like it, but who am I to judge?"
"Of course it is! Just look at her son's face, he looks nothing like the husband! And I'll say more—she's been cheating on him since the first day of marriage!"
'Okay, this is interesting too…' I kept listening to the gossip for quite a while…
Apparently, infidelity was common in this village.
But who am I to judge?
Soon I approached the men and the children, listening to more and more stories of the rural village with a smile on my face.
This was the simple life I had always wished for myself… if only everything hadn't ended the way it did.
The smile on my face began to fade against my will as I remembered my days as a human.
I sighed before heading toward one last rustic house.
The door was already open, and from outside it was possible to see the glow of a lit bonfire.
That was the last place I wanted to visit.
"Euphy… are you ready?" I said before turning around and frowning. "Euphy? Where did she go?" I looked around without success.
Euphy had vanished…
'Well… she can take care of herself…'
With a sigh, I ignored it and soon entered the house naturally.
An old man, aged but strong as a bull, warmed himself while sitting in front of the fire.
"I thought you'd never come, I was already thinking I'd have to go get you," he laughed, then stared at me, having spoken in the demonic language.
"We weren't exactly looking for the town's mayor," I said, sitting beside the flame.
"Even so, it's a matter of courtesy for foreigners to visit the mayor first before snooping around in our lives."
I sighed heavily; some time ago I had noticed someone staring at me from afar.
In the end, it wasn't a Sinner but the mayor—a cultivator.
"Lucky for you that you're a tiger, otherwise I wouldn't have shown mercy and would have done things like in the good old days," he concluded, drawing a genuine laugh from me.
"Luck, huh…"
Once again, I was reminded of my sacred status to them, or at least to some of them.
The royal family didn't seem to care much about that…
"Anyway, what are you looking for here, foreigner? Know that we don't have much to offer."
"You seem familiar with Demons, so I'll be direct. There's a Sinner in the region, and we're looking for him."
"Sinner, huh…" The mayor slowly brought a hand to his chin and rubbed it. "Yes, there really are some of those around here."
My brow furrowed as the air in the room seemed to grow colder.
"What does that mean?" I said in a grave, even hostile tone.
"You see… we have a nest of them around here, a nest of Sinners called the Brotherhood of the Dark Forest. Human Criminals, as you might imagine, ignored by the lord of this territory as well as by the demons who should be cleansing the land."
I took a deep breath before asking.
"How many?"
He laughed darkly.
"Not that I think you're going to like the answer, but… how many are going to come attack us, or how many do they have at their base?"
'Damn it…'