Running with the joy of escaping the forest, a day had passed in the blink of an eye.
Unfortunately, I hadn't encountered a single person.
Only the background had changed; if even the indistinct path disappeared, despair would be inevitable.
'Ha... Could it really be a world without humans?' This refreshing scenery gradually felt like a torment of hope.
After a month of being lost in the forest, even a place with such pristine scenery looked like this.
Why did that wandering god send me to a place like this?
Just as I was complaining, a loud shout suddenly came from somewhere. "...Screech! Watch out to the left...!"
'...!? Speaking? ' A jolt of realization jolted me awake; I rushed towards the source of the sound without even confirming its location.
Though I couldn't hear it clearly, it was definitely human language.
For over a month, I had heard nothing but screams of agony; the thought of someone who could speak filled me with gratitude. 'That's it!' I was worried about what would happen if we encountered someone we couldn't communicate with, but thank goodness!
Thank you, Homeless God! Ah, is it them!? Approaching, I spotted a human figure and something resembling a red bull confronting it.
Just as I was about to accelerate, I suddenly slowed down, looking for cover.
'I'm just an ordinary horse that can't even speak... If I get attacked, I'll be in trouble. For now...' Thinking this, I hid behind a large rock a little further away and began to observe secretly.
"Ugh! I told you we should have retreated slowly! They keep coming!"
"Haha...sorry. I was thinking it'd be a good opportunity to test my strength...and gain experience points, right?"
"Experience points? What's that? It's never-ending! Look, another one's coming!"
Following the direction the complaining girl pointed, a bull exactly like the one currently facing off was slowly approaching the man and woman.
Was it coming to support its companions?
Just as they were wondering, it kept a distance, observing.
At that moment, the man knocked down the bull in front of him.
"Done, sixth one! Next one!"
"Damn it, it'll run away after I kill this one!? I don't have enough Aether!"
"Okay, okay. Let's go!"
Hmm...on a closer look, they noticed several red bulls lying a little further away.
They weren't all in one place, but scattered in different spots, one bull lying in each location.
Did those two hunt them?
Ah, the bulls that were observing from afar are charging in?
Do those bulls have a habit of taking turns fighting one-on-one?
That's why they keep luring them over?
"Stop! Fire Shot!" the woman shouted, brandishing a fire-based spell, and brandished her wand. A small magic circle appeared at the tip.
Three small fireballs shot out from the circle, arcing towards the bulls.
Oh… magic!
Real magic!
Just as they were marveling, the flying fireballs collided with the charging bulls, causing a small explosion.
The effect was like a small bomb; they thought the bulls would be finished, but they merely stopped charging, seemingly unharmed.
"Alright! I'm going in!" the man shouted, charging forward. He wielded a rather impressive sword with both hands, slashing down at the bull. With a "thud," the blade was seen sinking into its belly.
Hmm… they thought this beautiful strike would cleave the bull in two, but it seems the effect wasn't as expected?
Just then, the man nimbly drew his sword, circled around to the bull's side, and began swinging it with surprising speed.
"Haaaaaaah!" It wasn't just random swinging; it was a rather skillful technique. Before the bull could even turn, its waist was cleaved in two.
Is this a swordsman who uses sustained attacks instead of a one-hit kill?
At the same time, the woman saw several fireballs hurled at the bull's wound.
"Whoosh whoosh..."
Thump! The bull, frantically turning to headbutt the man, collapsed to the ground before its head could even touch him.
...?
What?
That bull's corpse didn't disappear?
Is it any different from the monsters I encountered in the forest before?
"Haa, haa... I'm starting to feel the power draining from my sword too." "Ah~ really. I thought I could get back quickly after finishing the mission today, but I didn't expect to catch a mad bull like this... I didn't even take on any related missions, so I can't take everything with me. Besides experience points, I won't get anything, right?"
"Haha. But the mad bull's experience points are pretty good, and in a way, it confirms our strength, doesn't it?"
Hmm... judging from what I heard, they're friends?
Lovers?
They seem like a pair of newbies testing their strength.
Maybe I can see their status bars too?
"Pfft (status bar)" She tried to bring up the status bars to view their abilities in a whispered voice.
The monsters we encountered in the forest couldn't have their statuses viewed at all, which was a bit disappointing, but humans can be viewed after all?
............
Name: Tania Lisbeth
Race: Human
Level: 18 (1800/5400)
Title: Promising Novice Mage
Age: 19
............
Name: Ryan Ars
Race: Human
Level: 20 (3460/6800)
Title: Novice Hero
Age: 20
............
Oh…!
They're here!
Although I don't quite understand why monsters can't but humans can, I'll just have to be moved.
While checking the status bars of the two who appeared, I carefully examined their appearances again.
The woman named Lisbeth had pink hair with a slight blush that definitely gave off an otherworldly vibe.
Slightly curly, the hair was just the right length, reaching her waist.
This color didn't feel out of place at all; on the contrary, it felt somewhat fresh.
A natural feel, unlike dyed hair.
Her face looked exactly like someone 19 years old, with the appearance of a high school senior or a university freshman.
Her cute yet slightly sharp appearance inexplicably suggests a haughty, arrogant personality.
Even so, she's undeniably beautiful.
Small earrings are visible on her ears.
Her height is probably less than 160cm?
However, her chest… is an astonishing size disproportionate to her height.
While an accurate measurement is impossible, it's certainly the size only women who have undergone breast augmentation surgery would have on Earth.
Almost the size of her head?
For some reason, it creates the illusion that her manhood is stirring and throbbing.
Her attire is a dignified white blouse paired with a knee-length red skirt.
She wears white stockings and matching brown leather shoes.
Wearing a hooded cloak, she exudes the air of a dignified magician.
The man named Ars is rather ordinary in many ways… bright brown hair, approximately 170cm tall, and a slightly lean physique.
His face, while ordinary, isn't unattractive either.
Wearing some kind of leather armor and wielding a moderately sized sword, "ordinary" was the most fitting description.
However, his remarkably clean face suggested that a little makeup would make him stand out completely.
Other similarities were subtle, but both had identical markings on the back of their right hands.
Their levels were 18 or 20… though I couldn't quite pinpoint their exact level, it was probably that of a novice adventurer.
While it was noticeable that they were lower than my experience cap of 12, their titles were even more striking.
The woman named Lisbeth had the prefix "Highly Recognized," while the man, Ars, bore the title "Hero."
Although marked as a novice, he must be the hero I know, right?
But why don't I have a title?
Just as I was wondering if I'd encountered something extraordinary… another crimson beast charged from behind the woman who had sighed at the man.
'!? Didn't you notice!?' The man on the other side seemed to think it was over too, wiping his sword with a cloth, so he didn't notice us. The other guy was running incredibly fast; any later and it would have been too late.
"Hey, hey! You guys behind me! That bastard's almost here, and we haven't made a sound!?" Although I was anxiously shouting in my mind, the two seemed to have already assumed the fight was over.
They probably caught the last guy, looked around, and since they didn't see the cow, they assumed there were no more enemies.
"No!" Feeling that any longer would be too late, I suddenly pushed off the ground and sprinted forward. My legs, which I had never run at full speed before, started moving at high speed on their own after seeing that scene.
"Damn it! I can't even speak!" The two suddenly noticed me charging towards them and trembled in fright.
Although the thought, 'What does this guy with the fierce face who can't even speak want?' was swirling in my mind, my legs were already running at full speed without stopping. 'Screw it, I don't know!' "Take this flying kick, you little brat!" Even I approached the woman with astonishing speed, ignoring her attempt to grab her wand and aim it at me. I leaped into the air, twisted my body, and delivered a powerful hind leg kick.
The bull, struck by the kick, flew about 10 meters in its original running direction, trembled a few times, and died instantly. "...Huh?" "...Ah...huh? This black monster...what is it...?" The two exclaimed in bewilderment.
No wonder.
Suddenly, a giant horse charged out and saved them.
Ah, but in this situation, even without a language barrier, it would think I was a trustworthy animal and might try to communicate with me or take me away...
"Liz, Liz! Quick, hide behind me!"
"Aaaaaah! What is that monster!?" Damn it. Looks like I messed up.
"W-What is that monster? A monster I've never seen before... It can send the mad bull flying with a single blow..."
"What... We can sense Tesser's presence even though the surroundings aren't polluted. And I've never seen a monster with such a ferocious appearance before..."
Although they didn't know what Tesser was, the sight of the red bull, known as the mad bull, being kicked away seemed to have terrified the two.
Well, it's understandable. For such a ferocious-looking, muscular horse to suddenly appear and send a bull they'd subdued with magic and dozens of sword strikes flying with a single kick would be frightening.
After all, they were just young kids, barely 18 or 20 years old.
But at least they saved them; were they overreacting?
"Pfft... (I'm not a monster...)" Oh damn it.
They could only manage a horse's whimper.
What are we going to do?
"W-What?! That unsettling crying... It wasn't contaminated, but it really was... a demon!?"
"How could that be! The cursed mountain range is still far away!"
"There's no other explanation for that ferocious presence! Even though it wasn't contaminated, I could sense Teresera's presence, which makes it clear!"
"Ugh..." The man groaned upon hearing the woman's explanation.
And what about the cursed mountain range?
Could it be the mountain range I escaped from?
Was that place cursed?
"Liz… I'll try to buy you some time. You run!"
"Don't talk nonsense! Why did we become adventurers together?!"
"Puh-huh…"
"Listen to me, Liz! Even though I'm still a novice adventurer, I'm a hero! Even if we have to deal with that kind of monster, I can buy you time to escape…"
"Didn't you see it charging at us?! There was no way we could escape! And how could I leave you behind, Ars!"
"Puh-heh-heh…"
"Even if I die, I'll stop it! Run! I can't let you get hurt!"
"No, no! Rather than Ars dying and me living alone, we'd rather die together!"
Watching the two argue so seriously, I tried to shake my body to try and communicate, but this body couldn't express anything.
It seemed to only make the situation worse.
After a moment, the two seemed to have made up their minds, each gripping their weapons tightly.
Especially the man called the hero, a bluish-green aura suddenly rose from his body.
Damn it, this is it. The stifling feeling of being unable to speak caused a turbulent boil within him.
Seriously, shouldn't I be able to talk?!
Am I really going to have to play the role of a monster?!
This god is playing such a cruel joke on me!
His body gradually felt hot.
What should he do?
Should he just run away quickly?
But if he did that, would he be wanted by humans?
His resentment towards the homeless god who had rendered him speechless, and the gazes of these two people risking their lives to fight...
Staring at these things, his desire for the ability to speak grew stronger.
At the same time, a persistent, boiling dizziness washed over him.
"I'm trying to save you…!" "…!?" "…Uh!?"
"Puh-heh!?" The words suddenly burst out .
"It...it talked!?"
"Uh...? Uh!? It can talk...could it...not be a monster...?"
"Uh...uh!? It can talk!!!" Without realizing it, I had started running around the two of them.
"Eeyaa ...