"Is that so?" I looked at the stamp again, not recognizing the marking.
"Well, take a few of the bodies. We'll examine the gear later and check the seals."
"Okay," I said, running around the battlefield and tossing corpses with armor into my storage. At least a hundred made the cut.
"Are you done?"
"Yes. We can move on again."
"We go and watch the war, of course," Kayda said with a mischievous grin.
"Hmm. Okay. Where is it?"
"Should be this way," she said, though her voice wasn't very confident.
"Then let us go and see bloodshed!" I shouted, already moving ahead with a grin on my face.
Kayda followed with a hum, and we ran in the direction of the war horn.
[7 minutes later]
"Right... this seems bad," I said, crouching on a hill with Kayda, looking down into a massive clearing. It was easily a kilometer wide, maybe more, and filled with monsters-thousands upon thousands of them, marching, assembling, shouting. A literal army.
"That's an understatement," Kayda muttered, arms crossed.
"I thought the few thousand I killed earlier was a lot..."
"It was a lot-for a town."
"Ah, shit. How long has this been going on?" I said, clenching my fists.
"Way longer than the reports suggest," Kayda said, her face grim.
"Haha... Now what?" I asked with an awkward laugh.
"We watch," Kayda said. "This is clearly a war between two intelligence factions. We need to figure out who they are... and what they want."
"Alright, then we have our picnic now."
"What?"
"Yeah, when we got halfway through the tour, I had planned for a picnic break." I pulled out a thick cloth from my storage and started laying it on the grass.
Kayda blinked, stunned. "...Huh. That might've actually been quite romantic."
"Thank you. I actually thought of the idea," I said proudly, setting down plates. "Didn't make the food, though. You know I suck at that."
"Yes, I know. Don't worry about it."
"I'm not," I said, finishing the setup with a satisfied smile. "Now let's eat while we watch the monsters try to kill each other."
"...Romantic in a very you way."
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Chapter 161: Making Skewered Monster Meat
"Well, I think the red team is going to win," I said, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees as I watched the absolute carnage unfold below. The battlefield stretched like a canvas of chaos, smeared in dark crimson and smoke, the air vibrating with roars, clashing steel, and the occasional scream cut short.
It had been about two hours since the battle began. From the very start, the clash had lived up to the bloodbath we'd expected-maybe even surpassed it. The ground was already so drenched in blood that it had turned into a mud of gore and earth, and the monsters just kept hurling themselves into the fray with blind fury.
The lesser monsters-goblins, kobolds, and other small fry-were more like cannon fodder than anything else. Their deaths barely slowed the flow of the battle, only thickening the carpet of corpses that painted the field. They were simply there to increase the blood underfoot, to be crushed beneath heavier steps, their weak lives traded to thin out the stronger foes' stamina.
The orcs had taken their role as the vanguard. The orcs were large, brutal, and ugly creatures, with each one standing at least two meters tall and filled with muscle and feral cunning. They fought viciously, hacking and slamming into the ogres and bulkier monsters. Even they were being torn apart. The ogres fought like battering rams, their clubs reducing orcs to pulp. Still, the orcs' numbers had done their job-they had softened the front enough that the next waves pushed forward.
A dozen chimeras had appeared at the start, their twisted forms a grotesque mix of lion heads, goat horns, and serpentine tails. Each one was a nightmare on its own, spraying fire or venom, swiping with claws that could shred stone. But now they were nothing but carcasses-mangled husks sprawled across the dirt. Wyverns and griffons had made quick work of them, swooping down in coordinated strikes, wings whipping the air into storms. Kayda told me once that flying monsters found chimeras particularly good eating. Judging by the way the wyverns ripped chunks out of them mid-battle, I believed her.
Still, what fascinated me most wasn't the blood or spectacle. It was the style of war itself. Witnessing how monsters clashed and slaughtered each other was like studying a primal history lesson. It was raw, chaotic, and... outdated. Mobs rushed headlong into each other, guided only by instinct. No strategy beyond overwhelming numbers. The scene represents a medieval style of warfare in its most primitive form: run, kill, die.
"This style of warfare is outdated and unproductive," I muttered under my breath, my gaze following a pack of gnolls who were torn apart by an ogre's swing. But then again, I suppose this is the expected behavior of unintelligent creatures.
Kayda hummed thoughtfully beside me, her green eyes glowing faintly as she tracked the field with a predator's patience. "Hmm, it seems the big bosses are coming out." She tilted her chin toward the far sides of the battlefield, her voice calm but edged with interest.
I followed her gaze and immediately felt my throat tighten. On one end, a giant minotaur was lumbering into view, its massive horns catching the sunlight. On the opposite side, a wolf emerged, equally colossal, its fur bristling and black as midnight. The air around them seemed to ripple, as if the battlefield itself acknowledged the presence of these apex predators.
"Ah, isn't that minotaur too big?" I asked, frowning. I had seen plenty of minotaurs earlier in this bloodbath, but this one was on another scale entirely.
"Yes, but they aren't infrequent." Kayda crossed her arms, her long braid shifting as the wind caught it. "Though, why did you only ask about the minotaur? What about the wolf?" She jabbed her thumb toward the hulking beast, its growls rolling like distant thunder.
The funny part was that if Kayda and I stood next to those two monsters in our full sizes, they would actually look relatively small. But even so, to the mortals and lesser beasts scrambling below, these two were living calamities.
"In my old world," I began, chuckling at the memory, "we had a myth about a god's pet being a giant wolf. So, I guess I'm already used to that idea."
Kayda turned her head slightly, her lips quirking. "Huh. Interesting."
"Yeah. The imagination of people back there was pretty wild." I gave a soft laugh, remembering the old myths that had fascinated humans so much.
"Well, those are just myths," Kayda said, her tone thoughtful as she gazed at the wolf. "But myths can be based on truths."
"Myths are myths, Kayda. They don't exist." I shook my head firmly.
"True, most myths are not real," she conceded with a nod. "But you never know."
"Yeah, it seems like all of them are just myths," I countered with a small smirk.
She didn't argue further, instead shifting the topic back. "Well, anyways, what are their levels? You can check, right?"
I grinned. "Hmm, you're right, I can." My eyes narrowed as I activated my skill and let the information unfurl before me like a scroll.
Name: Onirus (Yuusaku Sakaishi)
Level: 176
Race: Great Minotaur
My teeth clenched as I read the name. I already didn't like it.
"What about the wolf?" I muttered, flipping my focus to the other side.
Name: Fenrir (Akutami Gegege)
Level: 179
Race: Wolf Lord
My jaw tightened. "Of course," I muttered under my breath.
"What do you see?" Kayda asked, noticing the way my expression twisted into annoyance.
"They're both reincarnations," I said, grumbling.
Her brows lifted. "Really. I had a suspicion reincarnations might have had something to do with this, but I didn't think it was true."
"Yeah. But tell me, do those kinds of monsters even have human forms?" I asked, curious despite myself.
"Yes," she replied, waving a hand casually. "If their intelligence is high enough. But that usually doesn't happen until around level 400."
"Well, these are reincarnations," I pointed out. "They already have the intelligence for it."
"True. Are you going to kill them then?" Kayda asked suddenly, her calm tone making the question even more surprising.
"...What?" I raised an eyebrow.
"They're a wonderful experience," she said simply.
I blew out a sharp breath. "I know I've said I don't care about my classmates, but reincarnations are powerful. Powerful things are useful." My eyes shifted between the minotaur and wolf, then to Kayda.
"Yes, I know what you mean," she said, shaking her head, "but those two aren't up for grabs."
"Why not?"
"Kitsu, don't you see the bands on their necks?" Kayda pointed again.
I squinted, leaning forward. My stomach dropped when I noticed it. "What? Oh shit-they're slaves!?"
"Yeah." Kayda spoke in a flat tone, but even she appeared slightly unsettled. "But the question is-why aren't they attacking each other?"
I narrowed my eyes at the motionless titans. "Ah, I get it now. The higher-level the monsters, the more experience they'll yield."
"Do explain," she said, testing me.
"They're using the battlefield to farm them," I said, snapping my fingers. "They made the towns fight each other, letting them level up, and once they're strong enough-they'll be killed and harvested. Like that."
As if on cue, the wolf and minotaur suddenly moved, massacring the nearest monsters with terrifying ease.
Kayda exhaled slowly. "Huh. That's actually quite a smart plan of theirs."
"Well, they're Federation dogs," I growled, clenching my fist. "We'll take care of them."
"What about surveillance?" Kayda's calm question cut into my eagerness, making me pause mid-motion.
"What?"
"They're slaves. They have a master. What do we do about that person?"
I looked around sharply, my eyes scanning the field, especially the ridges and shadows behind us. "Is that person..."
"No," Kayda interrupted, shaking her head. "I already checked."
I let out a breath of relief. "Then we don't have to worry for now."
"True forms, then?"
"True forms, yes."
"Hide your tails. And can you turn my scales green?" Kayda asked, her tone even, but the request obvious.
"I can do that. You're only using wind?"
"Correct."
"Alright, done." I stretched my arms, rolling my shoulders, then spread my mana wide. "How long before their babysitters arrive?"
"Hmm. Quite long. Maybe an hour."
I grinned, confidence flaring. "Then I don't need to worry. I'll finish in five minutes."
Kayda's lips quirked. "As I said, I'll only support if needed."
"I know." I closed my eyes, then let my body shift. In a burst of light and mana, fur bloomed across my skin, my tails lengthening and fanning out, and in moments I towered as a giant white fox over the hill where we'd been sitting.
"Beautiful," Kayda whispered, her body glowing as she transformed into a massive green dragon.
"Thanks for the compliment, cutie." I nuzzled her neck playfully.
She snorted and pushed me away. "Tsk. Go kill them already."
"I will do that, darling," I cooed, laughing as she looked away to hide her blush.
'Let's start with the cow,' I thought, teleporting directly in front of the minotaur, jaws wide.
"What!?" Onirus shouted, barely dodging to the left. My teeth closed around his right arm instead, ripping it clean off.
"Agh, what the hell are you!?" He screamed, staggering back, blood spraying.
"Urk. Damn." I spat out the arm. "I thought cow meat would taste better raw."
He gawked up at me, eyes wide. "Fuck, this thing can talk!?"
"I can say the same about you," I snarled, stepping forward.
"Fenrir! I need help!" Onirus bellowed.
"I already know!" The wolf's voice growled, appearing behind me-only to be snared as my tail coiled around its neck.
"You guys aren't very impressive for level 170s," I mocked, slamming Fenrir into the dirt before clawing at Onirus.
"Bitch!" Fenrir snarled, venom in her voice.
I ignored her, yanking her up and hurling her into Onirus, knocking them both sprawling.
"Ugh! Catch me, dumbass!" Fenrir snapped.
"Concentrate on the fight!" I snapped back, sinking my teeth into her throat.
"Fenrir!" Onirus cried, panic in his voice.
I blinked, tilting my head. "You're a female?"
"Ferk you!" Fenrir spat, blood gurgling in her throat.
"Here, let me heal you-" Onirus began, reaching toward her.
"Like I'd allow that." I blurred forward, biting off his left arm before he could cast.
"Crunch!" His scream split the air.
"You're far too weak," I muttered, slamming my tail through Fenrir's chest, then into Onirus's, killing them both.
I stepped back, disappointed. "Pathetic."
But then-ssssss.
A sizzling sound. I froze, watching in shock as both corpses dissolved into steaming blood, vanishing as though they'd never been there.
Kayda landed beside me, wings stirring dust. "What's wrong?"
"They dissolved," I muttered. "Not really dead, it seems."
"Fail-safes," Kayda mused. "Federation? Or their doing?"
"Good question," I murmured.
However, faint voices could be heard coming from the west.
"Tsk. They failed to some level 50 demon fox." The woman's voice was filled with irritation.
"Could that fox be the Draig's daughter?" A man asked:.
"She's cursed. Can a cursed person be that strong?"
"Maybe it's a double act by the dragons. Revenge."
"Revenge?" I whispered, frowning. "Why would dragons want revenge on the Federation?"
Kayda's voice was low. "Angels."
"Huh?"
"Don't worry. Let's go back."
"Not going to confront them?"
"No. They are unaware of our identities, which is precisely what we intended. Let them report back." She spread her wings, her eyes sharp.
"...Okay."
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Chapter 162: A Grumpy Fox
[Two days later]
"Haaah!"
Clung!
Thing!
"On the right, Brenda!" Apricot's sharp voice cut through the mess of steel and grunts. Her tone carried urgency, though her footing betrayed nerves.
"They're getting better," I muttered, resting my head lazily against Kayda's shoulder as I watched the chaos below. To any outsider it might look like a simple sparring session, but it was more like a squad-sized street brawl with rules that were barely holding together.
"They still need a lot of work before they can be called a proper black ops unit." Kayda sighed heavily, and her wings twitched faintly, as if her body was also frustrated with the lack of discipline.
"That's true," I said, snorting softly as Apricot miscalculated her step and collided with Brenda. Brenda's stance broke immediately, and she nearly toppled, saving herself with an awkward stumble.
