I could somewhat mimic the abilities of the humans I devoured.
This is because I read their memories and inherited them completely during the consumption process.
For example, if I eat a swordsman, I can grasp their swordsmanship, and if I devour a mage, I acquire their mana manipulation techniques.
Yet, while I lived as a monster in the back alley, there was one ability I desperately needed.
Shshsh…
‘Sneaking.’
Even though I had to act quietly without being noticed, I was clumsy at hiding my body.
I messed with the memories of anyone who could see me, but seeing rumors about me leak out made that quite evident.
Touching another person’s mind was a mentally exhausting and risky task after all.
Thus, I needed a trick to comfortably conceal my presence.
I couldn’t rely on memory manipulation forever, could I?
“…!!”
Beorn had what I wanted. So he needed to die for my survival.
I held no ill will against him, but in this world, the idea of the survival of the fittest prevailed.
Wasn’t he also planning to profit from selling or killing me? It was purely self-defense.
After exchanging sword sparring with me, Beorn once again vanished without a trace.
Not only was he invisible to the naked eye, but I couldn’t even hear his footsteps or feel his presence.
As long as he didn’t get too close, even I couldn’t pinpoint where he was.
But that was okay.
Normally, attacks using swords tend to unconsciously carry intent against the opponent when swung.
The intent to kill is especially sensitive, so I wasn’t finding it hard to block his attacks.
And then…
Thwang!
When we physically made contact, the recognition-inhibiting magic dispersed.
It seemed like the same applied when our swords collided. A shock beyond a certain threshold made it vanish.
Once again, Beorn, having clashed swords with me, showed a look of surprise.
It was no wonder—until just before contact, my sword strike had gone unseen, so no one had managed to block it.
“What… the hell are you doing?”
Beorn took a step back, frowning.
What do you mean “what are you doing”? That was a hard question to answer.
Not knowing what to reply, I slightly released my magical energy from within my body.
A thick, black mist enveloped the area. Essentially, it indirectly announced that I wasn’t human.
“…A monster?”
I didn’t refute his question. I simply raised my sword, waiting for his next move.
This wasn’t a situation that required conversation. It was a battle to the death.
For our own reasons, we had to kill each other. There was no right or wrong in that.
It was simply to live more comfortably in this world.
I had my reasons, and so did Beorn.
Struggling for survival was an instinct of living beings.
There was nothing inherently wrong with that, and thus I respected his intentions.
If he wanted to kill me, that was fine. In the end, weren’t we just trying to survive? He wasn’t in the wrong.
It was merely a difference in our circumstances.
“Hmph.”
I lifted my sword and took a stance. Initially, I aimed to suppress him with hallucinations, but he avoided making eye contact with me.
Good instincts, perhaps.
Whenever I turned my gaze toward his eyes, he averted his own; and when it seemed like I could not miss, he created distance.
At that range, even if I locked eyes with him, I couldn’t show him any hallucinations.
Had my abilities been figured out?
Perhaps it was known due to my havoc in the underground prison.
The people I’d tormented were likely his subordinates too.
But…
Whatever.
Sometimes, communicating through swords wasn’t so bad. After all, the human I ate yesterday was a knight.
I firmly gripped the handle of my dagger and prepared to leap.
And then…
Thwang!
Beorn and I leapt simultaneously.
I accelerated by bouncing off the ground multiple times, while he concealed his presence.
I swung my sword several times in the direction I presumed he was, but as expected, I couldn’t reach him.
Even with my eyes closed and concentrating, I felt nothing.
I moved swiftly through the narrow corridor, chasing him down, but I couldn’t find him.
So, I began to think.
The indecision didn’t last long, and my judgment was bold. Even if I couldn’t see him, he had to be nearby.
I changed the direction of my blade. Instead of aiming at Beorn, I directed it towards myself.
I lifted the sword held in my right hand and stabbed it into my left hand. Pffft!
With a whoosh, the crimson blood sprayed into the air.
Whiiip!
I swung my left hand, now punctured, splattering blood in a direction where I sensed something invisible.
The blood spread wide, finally hitting Beorn, and only then could I see him clearly.
Though he had concealed his form and made no sounds, the scent of blood was something he couldn’t hide.
Plus, it was my blood, so finding him wasn’t a challenge.
“There you are.”
I immediately took my stance and leapt.
Gripping my dagger with both hands, I imbued my body with the essence of swordsmanship.
After a single sweeping strike, our sword strikes followed as if one strike branched into three.
It appeared as though one big strike had split into three.
Imperial Sword Style, Third Form.
The technique to disguise one large stroke as a feint that embeds dual strikes became entirely different once it was in my hands.
It was no longer a feint.
The single large strike was meant to utterly shatter the opponent’s sword, with the two ensuing strikes delivering lethal blows.
The technique made for humans to slay monsters was now wielded by a monster. Therefore, the level of its power consequently changed.
Schick!
The sound of harsh slicing echoed through the air—the sound of Beorn’s flesh being severed.
“GAAAH!!”
In an instant, one of his arms was severed, and he let out a horrific scream.
The sword he had swung defensively shattered midway, and I cleanly struck him down.
Beorn, revealed without his concealment, clutched the severed arm in agony, looking somewhat pitiful at this point.
“Grrraaaah!! You piece of trash!!”
“…”
Upon closer inspection, he wasn’t really pitiful.
I walked forward, dagger still stained with blood.
As I approached to finish him off, he stumbled back in terror.
“Damn it! Don’t come near me!! She devil, don’t come near me!!”
A she-devil, huh?
That hurt my feelings.
I took another step closer.
“Wait, wait! I was wrong! Please!!”
Was fear following anger?
His words didn’t seem very substantial, so I didn’t pay him much heed.
I kept on walking.
“Damn it—”
They say a cornered rat will bite a cat.
I wasn’t a cat, but Beorn pulled a dagger from his waist and swung it at me.
It seemed he had a hidden weapon.
However, he had already lost his fighting spirit, so his swings were not as threatening as before.
In a panic, he merely flailed the dagger around.
I was annoyed by that, so I lightly deflected it and swung my sword.
“AAAH!!! My arm!! AAH!!!”
He seemed to still have enough strength to move, so I took that away from him.
In the end, Beorn, gravely injured, knelt down. This time, he wouldn’t be able to move.
That way, I was able to reach right in front of him. His eyes glazed over, reflecting pain.
I had no interest in torturing a living human; I aimed to put him out of his misery as quickly as possible.
I crouched down to match his eye level.
And I brought his dazed eyes to meet mine.
“Sleep well.”
I gently whispered as I cupped his cheeks with my hands. Before closing his eyes for the last time, what would he see?
I slowly locked eyes with him to absorb his abilities, reading his memories.
The first thing that appeared was the painful sight of winter.
In that moment, I realized.
Until the very second he closed his eyes, he was plagued by a horrifying nightmare.
*
It seemed that my time at the slave market was coming to an end.
After devouring Beorn, I decided to test if I could make myself disappear.
“…”
Did it work?
From where I was sitting, I found it hard to feel any difference.
It didn’t seem like I was becoming transparent; it felt more like I was casting recognition-inhibiting magic around me.
To my own eyes, I looked just fine. But in the mirror, my reflection was absent.
Maintaining this state consumed stamina, so it seemed there were limits to it.
That aside…
“How much is all of this?”
I didn’t understand why Beorn was carrying so much money around.
When I counted, it turned out he had 100 gold coins. Who walks around with that much cash?
I quietly pocketed the pouch.
It was delicious.
Feeling good, I decided to head out by climbing the stairs.
And then I found a man I had never seen before. Reading his memories, I discovered he was the owner of the slave market.
When our eyes met, his face turned pale.
“You, you, you’re—!”
What the heck is this?
I gave his head a swift smack and knocked him out. In his hand was another money pouch.
Counting, I found it had 100 gold coins as well.
What?
Is this a gift?
I pocketed that too.
Becoming rich was easier than I thought.
