Chapter 17: Chapter 13 – Beastkin

I've no clue how I ended up in a situation like this, but if Anaphiel doesn't save me from it, I'm going to lose my shit!

 

"Quit squirming around, kid!" An old man at my side shouts, attempting to put a halt to my relentless squirming. I was asleep when this thick-bearded creep put a collar around my neck! Now he's trying to drag me with him, but with the strength that I only assume comes from adrenaline, I'm not making it easy for him! He's frighteningly large, probably around Tulod's size, despite his old age! Don't some old people become shorter when they get older, or is that just a myth? For the old man in front of me, it might as well have been a lie!

 

His tremendous form towers over mine, he didn't exactly look like a bodybuilder, I'd be wrong if I said that he was slim though! Before everyone attained their abilities, this old man would've undoubtedly been well in shape, despite his age! Judging by his beard, I assume he's in his 80s or something, but that's wholly baseless!

 

What's even more impressive than the old-timer's physique is my physical strength! I feel stronger, stronger than I remember being in my old body! Despite obviously being even smaller than I was back then, I've somehow mustered the power to fight against the brawny man! Unfortunately, the rebellion doesn't last for much longer. The old man has had enough of wrestling with me and sends his foot flying into my stomach. The kick takes me off the ground, stealing the breath out of me, and the old man takes me by the collar before I even reach the ground. 

 

The strength that I had before has completely left my body as my vision blurs. What am I, some kind of glass cannon? No, I've never taken a direct hit like that in such a small body, as far as I can remember. Speaking of which, I can't remember much actually. My memories of my previous life are a bit foggy — the thick fog that's overtaken them are the memories of my current body. The memories of the death of my parents, of my beggar life in this city, and ultimately my kidnapping, which is ongoing!

 

Being carried by the collar, my breathing becomes partially restricted, not that my kidnapper seems to care in the slightest. "I'm going to make a good fortune out of you, girl!" I haven't even been in this body for ten minutes yet, so I haven't been able to determine the details of it personally. Thankfully, it's because of the memories that I know every detail about this body, including a class that I recently gained from an 'update' that everyone's been chattering about. 

 

After half an hour, we reach a large, shining building. I can smell something from within the building, I can hear even more than that — sex.

 

Have my senses always been this good, I question my own abilities. I can hear and smell the intercourse happening inside this building. Was this old man not only a creep, but an ultra-creep pervert?! Was I reborn only to become a sex slave?! I think I should bite my tongue now and try again... 

 

I cannot muster up the resolve for that. I'll create a change in my fate.

 

---

 

That's how I ended up inside this torture dungeon, unable to block out the irritating noises that they hoped were suppressed by the thick, brick walls around the room. They weren't small bricks like you'd see in the city either, they were large bricks, each one nearly rising up to my knees.

 

In the midst of my thrashing — hearing every cry, crack, snap, and tear — the old man begins to speak to somebody, new voices joining the room. The energy I've recovered has all gone into trying to break this collar from around my neck. 

 

This room is pretty empty, save for a table and chairs put together against the walls. The gap between the ceiling and floor seems wide from the floor too - until it doesn't.

 

For the second time today, something crashes into my torso and sends me flying up into the air. The ceiling feels a whole lot closer than before, somehow. 

 

My back crashes through the ceiling and I lose consciousness immediately. Talk about a rough night, I've been beaten up more times than in my previous life! 

 

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"--drag her!" I think I can hear something. Everything's blurry, my memories are kind of fuzzy right now too. Give me a moment, please.

 

"--sorry --bana!" I said give me a moment, please! How do you expect me to recover if you guys are shouting?! 

 

There is a moment of silence that follows. My head is lying against something soft, they must've put me on a bed. Everything's gone from blurry to dark, so I'm unsure. For a moment, some light broke through my half-closed eyelids, but then the light disappeared.

 

When I open my eyes, the scene before me is a mountain blocking out the sun. A hand was gently brushing across my forehead, striking the center of my head. I don't know how to explain it, but feeling something stroking my head feels a lot funnier compared to when Alice did it before. Fully recovering my vision, my face lights up as I see the mountains that blocked out the sun. 

 

A pair of massive breasts are resting just a few inches over my head. My head is buried on someone's lap, obviously a woman's. This wouldn't be too awkward if it weren't for the fact that the woman in front of me was clearly nude! There were no clothes, none at all! Green hair was held over the woman's breasts, her head tilting around them to look down at me. I blink. The woman is staring down at me with a smile so motherly I'd have thought that she was my actual mother. Obviously, that isn't the case here! "E-" I try to say something, but I'm stopped when I feel something tightly grab my arm.

 

Something is suddenly holding me by the arm, something tall. Lifting my eyes, I see the face of a tall, Asian woman in front of me. "You're quite comfy, aren't you?" There's a vein popping out of the woman's forehead, and darkness over her eyes. She's scary!

 

The woman must've seen my expression because the tight grip she has on my arm lessened a bit. Sighing, she tosses me back down onto the couch, down to the woman with emerald hair. "Umpf!" The woman catches me in her arms - or at least she tries to. I end up landing masterfully between her breasts which cushion my fall. This just doesn't sit right with me, how small have I become?! It can't be that this woman's breasts are this big! What kind of monsters caught me?!

 

"Now that you're awake, I want to check your status window, kid. But, we can wait for a little." The Asian woman leans over me, forcing me to look up directly into her eyes. Her hair is black and short, and her eyes change colors to become a shining blue.

 

 

 

Compelled?! "Huh?!" Then, she places a finger against my lips and mutters one word. "Hush." 

 

I can't speak, no matter how much I open my mouth. Not so much as a sound is released when I try to speak, not even the sound of my own breathing. 

 

"What is your name?" I don't even know my own name, how do you expect me to answer that?!

 

"I don't have a name." My body responds on its own, without me even trying to speak. Now I understand, being compelled is just another way of saying I've been mind controlled! I don't think I've ever experienced this before, not that I can remember. No, maybe I have during the conversation with Toy; I was forced to forget the conversation because I lost my memories.

 

The woman's face becomes a bit less scary now that I've answered. 

 

"Are you a monster?" Of course, I'm not a monster, how could you even assume that? This woman is quite silly if I do say so myself.

 

"No. I'm a human." Again, my body answers on its own. I guess now I have no choice but to sit back and let my body do all of the talking for me. This makes things easier for me, though, since I can just watch as everything unfolds. It's like I'm spectating the scene from inside my own body.

 

"Why do you have animal features?" Animal features? I'm not sure what she means by this...

 

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There's a brief silence, even my body is trying to figure out the reason and determine what she's talking about. If I don't know what's happening, then my body shouldn't know either. "I do not know." For the last time, I speak.

 

Finally, the woman backs away from me, running her hand through her hair with a sigh that might've had some relief hidden away in it. "Release." I finally feel my body return to normal — I can actually move my body on my own — now that she's ushered the command.

 

"Alright, kid. I'll give you a rundown of the situation you're in. I hate repeating myself, so buckle in and listen carefully." The Asian woman orders. I want to complain, but I feel like if I do that, she'll just compel me to stop speaking again. I nod my head, deciding that it's best to listen to her while I still have my freedom to move and speak.

 

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆

 

Currently, I'm in [Eryland], a city not too far from [Fadena]. Eryland is home to hundreds of illegal businesses and more, which is one of the reasons why I was kidnapped by the old man who sold me as a slave to these people. The system really has a way of messing with me, doesn't it?

 

The woman who bought me is named Tsukiko Tachibana, a Japanese woman. The fact that she is Japanese isn't why I'm weary, though. 

 

Miss Tachibana's name is known throughout the world because she is one of the [S-Rank] Awakeners who stand at the top of society. Her decision to leave her country was so that she could establish businesses internationally, and this entire city was founded from the ground up by her and her ability. 

 

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆

 

Given my circumstances, I have no choice but to simply give in to my situation immediately. However, Miss Tachibana's more kindhearted than I assumed. Even though she's pretty rough, she told me that she wouldn't force me into doing any work outside of helping with Dungeons and Awakener-related things, since she checked my status window and realized just how much potential I had. Potential that I didn't even realize.

 

 

They question my level for sure, but my stats are even more concerning. They're too high. Because my intelligence has gone up, though, the only way I think I can explain it is my stats from my former life stacked. It wouldn't be far-fetched. For example, I had a 25 in Strength before I died, and now I have a 50 in my new life. 

 

I might've died, but it looks like I've got a lot more gains from it than I thought. This class that I was born with is actually interesting too. 

 

Is Anaphiel allowed to do this? Is it alright for her to give me something like this? They said there was some sort of [System Update], so now I actually doubt that Anaphiel has done something that can get her in trouble. Given the events from before, I think there might be some 'internal conflicts' happening - wherever these 'guardians' go. Anaphiel should be fine, I hope. There's nothing to assume that she can be put in danger, in my eyes.

 

I'm not in a position to worry about Anaphiel now, though. I've been reborn into the body of a kid, younger than my old body, and have been given an unnatural class! Supposedly, because of [Beastkin Biology], a lot of my skills which I'd usually need to activate will be activated unconsciously, effectively making them passive. As long as I can transfer them to my next life, I should be able to continuously grow stronger. 

 

Not ending myself as soon as I got into this body was a good idea. After a bit of thinking, I've considered the possibility that the more achievements I accomplish in one life, the more rewarding it will be when this life ends. It's interesting! This is really a good cheat ability!

 

Another unwanted outcome is that I revive without my abilities. Currently, there is only a chance of me reviving with my abilities. I need to level up my [Rebirth] skill as much as possible in one life. To keep track of this, I should learn how to use my menu better. And to do that, I need to become smarter. My Intelligence going up has helped me gather a general idea of what I should be doing, unlike before when I felt clueless. If I had to guess, my Intelligence plays a major role in the next body I'm reborn into.

 

I'll go along with Miss Tachibana for now, growing as much as I can. Despite how it appears, my stats still compare to an [E-Rank]. Though, for some reason, there have been rumors about stats becoming 'useless' going around. I'll look into this when I get some free time.

 

---

 

I'm sitting down in the room assigned to me, inside this palace of pleasure. It was massive, and since I was on the top floor, I didn't have to bother listening to the sound of everyone making love down on the lower floors.

 

To my surprise, everyone who works here also lives in the same building. Its layout on the inside is much different than how it appears on the inside due to some [Dungeon Artifacts] that Miss Tachibana recovered during her time working more professionally. The entire building could shift to her will, letting her ensure that it's squeaky-clean every day too.

 

The bed is comfortable, more comfortable than the one that I slept in before. If not for the fact that I knew I'd be exposed to danger, I'd almost like to settle down and actually enjoy this cozy sensation a bit more.

 

I don't have the privilege of relaxing yet.

 

Ever since the fight with the Shaman, I've been wondering about something, my daggers. Rising, I approach the open window of the room to look out at the night sky. Stars twinkle and align themselves oddly in the sky, fluttering their distant lights. They are performing for me.

 

The stars which have never spoken to me before now dance and shoot across the sky, aiming to breach through the portrait of the sky. It feels so familiar, but this familiarity is what makes it so foreign. Weird, right? Like I'm looking at a piece that I don't remember putting together. Must be the reincarnation talking.

 

- I feel something behind me, a presence that was not there before. However, it is a familiar sensation, something I've felt recently.

 

At first, I see something smiling at me.

 

 

My entire perspective feels like it's shifted, to find myself... looking at... myself? "Who-?!" Before the words can come out of my mouth, I feel a hand cup over my mouth. I've switched places with myself, now seeing out of the window behind where I'm - still standing? 

 

"Shh! Master, be quiet!" I speak to myself, the confusion running rampant in my mind. It's becoming a total fog, unsure how something like this snuck into my room. This has to be some sort of skill or monster, right? With my newfound abilities, I cannot detect anything out of the ordinary, though. There is no malice behind her words or her actions, it doesn't feel like she's trying to hurt me, despite her arm reaching behind me to stop me from pulling away from her. "You'll have us caught!" Another voice, just like my own, calls out from behind me.

 

There too, do I stand. There are three of me all in the same room.

 

- Somewhere in all this confusion, I black out. I should really work on staying calm during these stressful situations.

 

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