As the grey muscles flex out of proportion, the giant with a crocodile face tries to look cool. I have to admit, his muscles are impressive, but there's no reason for confessing right now.

I notice Risa's panicking gaze, who's trying to figure something out to compensate for her mistake. Her eyes dart from side to side in search of some help, only to give up quickly. I'm a bit hurt that she doesn't consider me as an assistant after the precious 10 minutes we spent together, but that's a pain I'm willing to overlook.

"Aww, Risa. You don't need to panic. I'm well trained in correcting a certain someone's mistakes." (Me)

Jess's head snaps in my direction.

"Excuse me, cunt. Who do you mean by that?" (Jess)

I look at the giant hole in my armor and decide to take it off. The scarce defense that it still provides right now doesn't justify the loss in flexibility and style. I'm very self-conscious about my appearance!

"Mi- Mistake? Fu fu fu, the great envoy of darkness never makes-" (Risa)

The other female in this room gives her a slight slap on the back of her head.

"I know he's a wanker like no other, but you still need to thank him for that." (Jess)

"Yes, I'm sorry. Thank you very much." (Risa)

The scraps on my body fall to the ground, revealing my own, well-developed muscles.

In this one month that I took control of this body, I was put in more physically strenuous situations than any other person on this planet. Coupled with the rapid regeneration from the "Regeneration" skill, my muscles managed to build up quite a bit.

'I'm gonna show that fucking lake snake how it's really done.'

'Oi cunt. The "lake snake" can most likely whoop yo ass.'

'What? Didn't you know?'

'Didn't know what?'

'While these kinds of monsters are very strong, they're also extremely proud!'

'And how the fuck was I supposed to know that?!'

'Common knowledge.'

'SGFSGVWSGVFERG'

I start to flex my muscles as well, their veins popping in every direction possible. With my intense training these past few months, my muscles could put any professional to shame.

"You want some of this, you over-dimensional alligator?" (Me)

For a short moment, he stops posing. Having noticed my challenge, his gaze starts to burn with a fiery, noble passion, ready to take me on at any time.

"What? Impressed? You want some of this, mate? You-" (Me)

The ground shakes with every step he takes towards me. I manage to hold my footing easily, but the other two physically less gifted barely manage to stand upright.

Suddenly, his muscles give off an abundant amount of steam, as his body condenses in size. It only takes a few seconds for him to become human-like.

The surrounding, fleshy ground moves and forms a kind of table between us, his glare telling me to come closer.

"What... what is he doing?" (Jess)

Step after step, the trained crocodile approaches the only kind of furniture in this room. He puts his elbow on it, the fire in his eyes compelling me to do the same.

He wants a fair challenge. A contest of strength, undisturbed by any other influence.

A duel of honor.

"So that's how it is... Jess, Risa, step back. I have to do this alone." (Me)

With slight anticipation, I approach the waiting crocodile.

"I will call this "Abyss's call", and it'll be the final line of the Dragons claw, before getting out his final move: DARK MATTER DESTRUCTION!" (Risa)

'Really want an attack like that.'

"Hold up a second. You're not really go-" (Jess)

I do the same as the crocodile and put my elbow on the table. As we face each other, our hands intertwine, ready for anything that could come after this.

The crocodile nods. We both know that the challenge is soon starting.

"I'll count us down." (Me)

He visibly approves. To be perfectly honest, I don't know how he understands me, but that's not important right now.

I feel my muscles bulging, just like his are. We're both trying to prepare as much as possible before this arm wrestling tournament starts.

"...3" (Me)

"God damn it..." (Jess)

"Don't use that name while I'm near you." (Me)

Our grips tighten. His claws bury into my hand, but I couldn't give less fucks if I really tried.

"...2" (Me)

That's the moment when I raise my left fist and punch him right in the fucking throat, before spreading my fingers and poking both of his eyes out.

"GYYAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" (Crocodile)

"Think fast, chucklenuts!" (Me)

With a quick motion, I crouch down and uppercut his left testicle. It's not nice to present them out in the open like that in the first place, so he kinda deserved it.

"What? Did you really think I'd just fight you head-on in a real challenge? Grow up, cunt." (Me)

He stumbles backward and I sweep him off of his feet with a single kick. He lands on his ass so I mount him quickly.

Not even letting him realize what situation he's in, I start barraging him with quick punches, one after another.

My gloves keep my fists from being damaged too harshly, so his fangs begin to give in before my hands do.

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ." (Me)

'Is that a JoJo's reference?'

His snout starts to show first signs of breaking, as I concentrate my attacks on it with all of my strength. Had I used any less, the incredibly tough hide and skeletal structure would've absorbed the damage like it's nothing.

Blood spurts everywhere, bathing me crimson. The struggling body inhales air again, slightly inflating once more in a last struggle, but that doesn't last for long. My continuous barrage cripples his ability to use mana properly.

It may seem easy most of the time, especially for me, but it still needs a good amount of concentration to use.

He lashes out at me with his claws, pitifully. The constant concussions make his attacks absurdly weak.

It only takes 30 seconds after my surprise attack for the crocodile to take its last breath.

 

"He who strikes first wins." (Me)

The monster dies, leaving behind a nice source of material, an impressed Jess, and a slightly stunned Risa. Despite my high expectations, its level was lower than expected, giving me every right to be disappointed.

'Ah shit, that cunt wasn't even in his second class yet?'

'He was close, tho.'

Only after a monster became level 50, does it receive its second class. Not only does its body become far stronger, but also the materials I can harvest are far more valuable.

'Yeah, but there's a fundamental difference between a second class and a first-class. Especially with monsters. I could've gotten so much more EXP as well...'

I wipe the blood off of my sweating forehead, just to realize that I'm actually covered from head to toe. That guy was definitely a squirter.

'Sure you don't want to phrase it differently?'

'Pretty sure?'

'Please phrase it differently.'

'I stand by my words.'

"Hey... does someone have a tissue or something? I mean... the blood of a humanoid alligator doesn't really do it for me..." (Me)

'Oh, don't even try to lie, you cunt. I can see the amount of crocodile rule 34 p-'

'Silence, you.'

"You know what? I won't even get mad about what you just did. That was a pretty reasonable decision." (Jess)

'Don't know if the nutshot was exactly reasonable.'

"A-As expected of my eternal enemy. He really doesn't shy away from any underhanded tricks..." (Risa)

'You called?'

'HA!'

With a glint of playful sadness in my eyes, I look over to the unmoving body of the monster that just challenged me so bravely.

He really did his best.

"Well, it's not like I didn't want to fight him, to be honest. My chances were just fucking loooooow, with less than 15% HP remaining and some organs failing... Come to think of it!" (Me)

I activate "Regeneration". Even though it's very slow, I feel a slight burst of heat from my core spread towards my bruised and butchered body.

 

'Shit, I need that to level up quickly. A single level ain't worth shit for this skill.'

"Now, who wants ice cream?" (Me)

Slowly, Risa raises her hand, but puts it down again, seeing how Jess just ignores my statement.

"No one." (Jess)

"Look, Jess. You're pressuring the socially awkward kid." (Me)

I search for the door through which we entered and spot that it's wide open now. A surprisingly nice gesture, considering how the tower just locked us in a few minutes ago.

With the now inflated corpse of the Flexodile on my shoulder, I go in direction of the entrance, with the other two following me.

"But then there was another problem." (Me)

"The slain monster's corpse didn't fit through the entrance." (Risa)

Both of us strike a pose, back to back. Jess just stands there, questioning life, while Risa points at the door dramatically.

Momentarily, the entrance expands.

"Fu fu fu, did you puny mortals see that? Even doors bend to my will!" (Risa)

'Congrats on that.'

I let go of the lever, which controls the size of the door.

"Wait, there was a lever for that?" (Risa)

"Yeah, looks like it popped out of the ground after I beat that guy. Didn't want to rain on your parade there." (Me)

"..." (Risa)

I throw the corpse through the entrance, and, together, we exit this shithole of a trap.

The fresh air outside is incomparable to the dampness and the putrid smell of flesh inside this fucking tower. Jess and Risa take a deep breath, while I just think about how I should process this new corpse. Skinning and processing have been a true passion of mine for a long while now. I made it an art.

During our little trip inside, it's already become dark, the crimson sky now black. It's nice that it's summer now, as the cool air brings my heated body down to a comfortable temperature.

"Well, little miss "Angel's Eye", what are you gonna do now?" (Me)

"Eh?" (Risa)

I don't know how long Risa's been in that room now, but she was enjoying the night air just as much as I was until she realizes her own predicament. Her satisfied expression quickly changes back to panic.

"I mean, what's your plan now? Where will you be going? Do you have a base of some sorts?" (Me)

She averts her eyes from me and puts a wry smile on her face.

"O-Of course, I have a base! In the ninth dimension of this plane, I live in a castle unimaginable from othe-" (Risa)

"Seems like she doesn't have one." (Jess)

'Homeless loli.'

"Fu fu fu, think what you will, but you will never see my "Infinity castle"." (Risa)

'Cause it doesn't exist.'

"Come on Jess, stop picking on her. I feel bad for her." (Me)

"Pick on her? No, I actually wanted to invite her to come to my mansion." (Jess)

"Mansion?" (Risa)

Jess gets out a makeshift broom and starts to levitate on it. I'd really dig this whole "witch" thing of hers if the broom wasn't just a stick of metal.

"Yes, mansion. I'd be glad to give you some shelter." (Jess)

I see how Risa smiles a bit. Her persona of course won't let her show how glad she is, but that little smile tells enough.

"And I'm sure my parents will like you too." (Jess)

'Aaaaand the smile vanished.'

'Damn, that was quick.'

"P- parents?" (Risa)

Jess looks at Risa questioningly, who seems to have become more nervous than the moment I told her we'd be fighting the monsters in the room behind us.

"Yes?" (Jess)

Risa stops. She tries to say something for a second, but it won't come out. Only a slight stammer escapes her mouth.

"I... I'm not so good with adults..." (Risa)

Her gaze is now downcast since she had to refuse an offer that came from kindness, just because parents were mentioned, weirdly enough.

"I CALL DIBS THEN!" (Me)

Her emotions make a whole fucking rollercoaster loop and she's back to smiling again.

"WHAT?! NO! THAT'S THE WORST SCENARIO HERE!" (Jess)

I turn to Risa, who's actually pretty glad again. What can I say? I just have my way with words.

There's no way for me to know right now what caused her sudden mood shift, but that's probably just because I've known her for around 30 minutes now.

Her eyes dart between Jess and me, her depressed face nowhere to be seen.

"ANY COMPLAINTS?!" (Me)

She shakes her head.

"HA! EAT A DICK, JESS!" (Me)

Before Jess could even react with her puny physical stats, I take Risa on my shoulder in one movement and start running towards my storage hall.

Only after I've covered dozens of meters, does Jess finally try to interrupt me from running. She merely manages to throw various obstacles my way from this distance, but it's surely just the gesture that counts for her.

She wouldn't try to stop me for real.

We're way too good friends for that.

"Risa?" (Me)

"Yes?" (Risa)

A whole fucking metallic plate appears in front of my face, but I just jump over it.

"Trust me, we're gonna have a whole lot of fun. We'll do pajama parties, be awake until at least midnight and tell each other stories about our love life." (Me)

'I heard anime idols?'

'Not that love life, you fuck.'

Visibly excited, Risa enjoys the sudden wind with a smile. It's weird that she'd just agree to live with me, but I'm a nice guy. I'm sure she can sense that.

"Fufu, a fallen angel like me needs no love. I lived without love until now, and will always dwell in hell." (Risa)

"Story of my life." (Me)

"What?" (Risa)

"Nothing." (Me)

I dodge a car, which Jess impressively threw in my way.

"OI CUNT! YOU DON'T JUST THROW CARS AT SOMEONE! THAT'S BAD MANNERS!" (Me)

"THEN STOP RUNNING AND GIVE ME THE CHILD!" (Jess)

"NEVER!" (Me)

I start to run even faster, even though I'm already much faster than Jess thanks to the "Berserker" skill. I'd have liked a mage build much more, but high physical stats come in real handy in such situations.

Jumping on the nearest rooftop, I try to create an environment with the least amount of metal possible.

The attacks decrease consequently, but spears are still at my ass.

"RISA! HOLD ME TIGHT!" (Me)

'You're jumping on rooftops. From how she reacted earlier, she should be clinging to her li-'

"FASTER, MY SERVANT! THE FIEND WITH PARENTS MUSTN'T GET US!" (Risa)

'sHe ShOulD bE cLiNgIng tO hEr lIfE.'

'Eateth mine buttocks.'

The game of cat and mouse continues, but Jess doesn't manage to catch up to me at all.

I land on the shattered streets, which look like they're about to collapse soon, and run down the river where my base is located. The air suddenly becomes chillier near the water, but it's definitely not a bad thing after such a relaxing jog under the moonlight.

"What? Since when does this river exist?!" (Risa)

"Since the apocalypse? I mean, shit appeared everywhere. Not only this river." (Me)

"Fu fu, so Ragnarök finally happe- HYA!" (Risa)

She lets go of me for the fraction of a second, causing her to nearly fall down but she quickly holds on again.

"And there it is." (Me)

I look behind me and see that Jess is still a good distance away. Risa climbs down from my shoulder and looks at the bland storage hall.

"So this will be my base? THOU SHALT BE CALLED "FORT ETERNAL"! THOU SHALT PROTECT FOREVER!" (Risa)

'It would be hilarious, if-'

 

 

'By Beelzebub, it feels so good that you finally get fu-'

"I couldn't have named it better." (Me)

'Right, I forgot you're a fuckhead.'

"Hmpf, do you acknowledge my power now?" (Risa)

She positions herself in front of the metallic, rusty door and does another pose. You'd think that I'm already tired of her little games, but I couldn't be more excited to have another drama enthusiast as a partner. Don't get me wrong, Jess is precious to me, but I need variety. After hell, monotony is the last thing I want.

"Hmpf, I alread- We need to hurry, Jess is gonna soon be here." (Me)

"Ah, right." (Risa)

I push the door to the side and we both enter. The scarcely decorated room makes the room actually look a bit abandoned, but in an apocalypse that's all you can get.

Nonetheless, excitement is written over Risa's face as she runs inside the bland hall.

'What a precious little girl.'

"I'll get a bed for you later, so just sit down on the couch over there." (Me)

She follows my advice, looking around while I take out my carving knife and start dismantling the corpse.

*BANG!*

Jess suddenly opens the door with her magic, so it just bashes against the end.

"NITH!" (Jess)

"Señor Nith not home. Me only do cleaning." (Me)

I use a piece of grey skin as a mustache and speak with my best Spanish accent. I wink at Risa, who's giggling to herself.

Meanwhile, Jess stares at me with her metallic silver eyes, full of anger. She might act like she didn't, but I know she enjoyed the little chase as well. Why else would she hurry so much if we met up here in the end anyway?

Jess needs a few seconds to catch her breath. She really has no physical constitution whatsoever. She didn't even have to run here.

"You... damn... *Sigh*. I guess there's nothing I can really do about it. If Risa doesn't want to go herself." (Jess)

'Nice, she gave up.'

Jess takes a seat beside Risa and looks at her. Meanwhile, I pour the Flexigators blood inside my cooking pot.

"If he ever tries something funny, don't hesitate to hurt him. He can take it." (Jess)

"Yeah, Jess likes it rough sometimes." (Me)

I separate the skin from the muscles, just like I did with the Orc chieftain's corpse, and throw it in the Arachmot-pot. I'm still a bit bothered by the fact that I don't have any decent tools to craft a real armor, but I have to work with what I have.

"Fufu, I shall do what I want. No one can control me, not even the gods." (Risa)

"Translation: Go suck a dick, I'm a trustworthy person." (Me)

From the corner of my eye, I see Jess' head turn to me. Her usual annoyed expression hides something else this time.

A bit of worry.

"And you, Nith." (Jess)

"Yep." (Me)

"When was the last time you slept properly?" (Jess)

"Hm?" (Me)

She stands up and walks towards me. Her whole demeanor did a sudden 180 from the playful annoyance just a moment ago.

Carefully, she puts her hand on my shoulder, making my heart skip a beat. I'm not ready yet for such skinship.

"You heard me. I can't remember ever seeing you sleep or rest for that matter. Even if I visited you in the evening after a hunt." (Jess)

She crouches down beside me while I cut the muscle tissue from the bones.

"Come on, you know me. I sleep like a baby." (Me)

'HA! NO, YOU FUCKING DON'T!'

Seconds of silence between us pass, which she thinks would urge me to spill all of my tiny little secrets. I'm sure that would've worked if I followed the societal norm. Humans don't like silence.

It's just that I'm a bit different from any other human on this planet, and would actually relish a few seconds of silence.

Not that I ever get them.

Not a single second.

After some time passes, Jess gives up reluctantly, knowing she can't convince me herself.

"...Alright." (Jess)

She stands up and goes towards the door she entered a moment ago.

"I have to go back home now. I'm sure my parents are already worried." (Jess)

*

*

In the mansion of the Connors.

"WHIP ME HARDER, MISTRESS!" (Oliver)

The woman in the room gets out a weirdly shaped object in the form of a banana.

"Bend over, scum. I'll show you what happens when you order me." (Felice)

*

*

Back to the storage hall.

"Yeah, I'm sure they are." (Me)

"G'night, Risa." (Jess)

"Hmpf, I still have to train my magic techniques. It's not the time to rest." (Risa)

"G'night, Nith." (Jess)

"Yeah, see ya tomorrow." (Me)

She leaves us with a slightly worried expression. She's been asking questions like these a few times these past weeks, which is really heartwarming, but old habits die hard. It's difficult to lead a normal life after the fun time I had during my other lives.

I throw the last components in the bucket before lighting the fire below it. The next few hours of waiting will really determine how much fun Risa and I can have together. The first hours after meeting are the most important, after all.

"Hey, Risa." (Me)

I see her trying some new poses behind the couch.

"What might thou want from me?" (Risa)

The last footsteps of Jess diminish. She's gone.

And, to be honest, I kinda wanna have more fun.

"Do you coincidentally have some interest in going back into the tower, after my armor is done?" (Me)

She stops posing and looks at me blandly.

"...Eh?" (Risa)