I Became the Wrong Race

5 – Chrash (5)

Although it’s embarrassing to admit, I was good at gaming.

In the 5:5 team play games that I often played with my friends, I would choose the highest and most honorable line.

That allowed me to tear up enemies in the same position as me and help my teammates, who would be nothing more than beasts residing in the forest, to do their part.

Every battleground I stood on started and ended with me. Each axe I threw shattered an opponent’s skull.

My friends enjoyed playing games with me. Although I didn’t have enough money to frequently have fun given the talents I had.

I also excelled in various other games.

The FPS with a strategy full of holes, the battle royal game destroyed by hackers, and the typical RPG. As an excellent warrior, I led my fellow gamers to victory.

But that’s because it was just a game.

I was confident because the world I knew originated from a game, and I was well-versed in those types of games.

Early dungeons where you can make quick profits, an item that can be a big help early in the game.

Mid-game quests that must be done to influence the branching quest, the tendency of all kinds of powerful enemy locations and encounters.

I was confident because I knew how to use all of that.

If the land I stood on wasn’t the New Continent, it would have been.

“New Continent….”

It seemed to have no name. Usually, the names of continents are given by explorers but not here.

Just the fact that it was not named made it possible to guess what happened on this continent.

Many tragedies and misfortunes. A loss that is spelled out but in reality, even more horrible incidents.

The cannibals must be part of it. No, maybe not, but for now, it is better to assume that they are. I hastened my steps, chewing on the word a few times.

New Continent, New Continent.

It felt like a separate entity from the existing continents. It was.

The snow leopard and I ran across the snowy landscape white as bone. The snow leopard ignored the snow piled up to its knees with its light steps, and I trudged silently with my overflowing stamina.

“I have something to ask.”

Iseul was the first to walk, jumping and looking back at me using a tree as leverage. She pricked her ears at my words.

It must mean she’s listening. She’s probably the type who doesn’t sweat the small stuff. If she finds it hard to answer or doesn’t want to, she’ll simply ignore it.

Her swinging tail seemed to be a positive sign in itself. I asked while gazing at the tail.

“Could you tell me more about the New Continent?”

“In detail.”

“When was it discovered?”

“Ten years ago. By ship.”

Of course, airships are rare. Even if they exist, they are unstable and dangerous.

Unless there were absolute powerhouses like the five Archdukes among the passengers…

No, were there even any Archdukes?

The state of the world was a mess, and I was confused.

At least looking at the discovered New Continent, it must be 3 …I have a feeling we are in the latter half of this journey…

Though unsure, I’m feeling rather impatient. Barely maintaining my calm, Eesla, who jumped ahead on the path we were walking, echoed.

“Why are there cannibals?”

“Because they’re everywhere.”

“I guess so, but that’s not what I’m asking.”

The snowstorm hurts my eyes. The spread of white earth does not permit sight beyond a certain distance.

Judging by the subtle chill felt in our silent march, it was a difficult situation for a normal human to walk in.

So it was clear that the cannibals, who are pursuing us persistently, must have a wizard with them.

A wizard who doesn’t belong to any school. I clenched my tongue as I heard the numerous footsteps approaching from a distance.

“Why are they being ignored?”

There has to be lawlessness, if the cannibals are to survive.

Even in dark fantasies that describe this messed-up world, there exists order and human habitation.

To kings and lords, cannibals are bothersome pests. Hence, any visible cannibal is killed, making the cannibals either hide out of view or exiled.

Their hunted food consists of weak and out-of-fate game.

Usually, their habitats are lawless wastelands or abandoned lands due to various political reasons. I found it hard to accept the fact that the new continent had become such a place.

“I don’t know.”

Eesla’s answer wasn’t very helpful, but I didn’t expect much either.

The problem was too complex to be comprehended by ordinary people. I was relieved that it hadn’t collapsed for no apparent reason.

“But I do know that no matter where you go, it’s similar.”

“Similar what?”

“There are no safe places. Everywhere is a place of exile, a refuge. It’s not a place for respectable people.”

There was no separate hell. And she was saying that the snow leopard walking next to me was not an ordinary, respectable person.

A weird girl. She doesn’t hide, but openly admits, the fact that she’s a monster.

Her round, gray eyes hinting that she knew I understood too.

“That’s why there are so many?”

I paid attention to Eesla. I had no idea about the future, but a ranger, especially a hunter, was a useful temporary ally.

Whether Eesla recognized my approach or not, she sighed.

“That’s not the only reason.”

“Then?”

“About half.”

Half?

That indicated something equivalent to the corruption and neglect of the new continent existed.

However, there was no time to hear the answer. Eesla and I had stopped.

Whoosh!

I was not late this time. Although, my body still wasn’t accustomed to dodging. The attack was too high, thus easy to dodge.

As I bent over, an arrow whirred above my neck. As I turned my head, there was a similar-looking cannibal.

A hungry, small boy. He was holding a single bow, his eyes burning towards me.

Creepy. I felt his intention to eat me. It felt like he was already plotting to kill and cook me.

“Eesla!”

I shouted her name and pulled my boot from deep in the snow.

As my leather boots traced a white track, Eesla, with wide-open eyes, leaped high.

The snow-leopard jumps and the track clears. I gritted my teeth and started running.

Kwaaa!

A white fog spreads. It’s not a wall, but good enough to block vision for a while.

It would give those who are coming for me a second thought too.

As expected, there was no one charging through the fog.

Good, just like this…

Kkwoooong!

Then it happened. The fog distorted.

Something was running through it. Not a human, but something.

A bayonet made of flame. As the fog disperses leaving steam everywhere, I—I studied the law.

It was the magical art of the destructive faction, the Red Spear.

A destructive magic that shoots a spear made of heat.

“Damn!”

I had expected a wizard, but who would have thought it was the destructive faction?

There was no time to think. The spear embedded in the ground exploded as I threw myself.

With a rumbling sound, surrounded by scattered heat and snow. Even under the scorching steam that seemed to cook my flesh, I couldn’t stay still.

“f*ck!”

Cursing, I rolled, and the heat immediately crashed down again.

That was the nature of the destructive faction’s magic.

A magic that doesn’t require precise aim and could attack a wide range.

A fitting spell for a situation like this where visibility is reduced by a snowstorm.

The only option was to create distance. As I forced myself to get up and run, Isla, who had landed just a moment before, swung her sling.

Whiz!

Stones shot at the end of a spin. The stones pierced through the fog and crushed the cannibal’s head who was just about to reach us.

Watching the brain matter splatter, Isla turned and began to run beside me.

There was no time for conversation, as I hadn’t even considered that they would’ve chased us this quickly.

The only thing I could do was to keep moving my legs beyond the blowing snowstorm.

The terrain was invisible. Even with the extraordinary senses of a Homunculus, it was impossible to accurately perceive the surroundings in a snowstorm.

Boom!

The red spear flying overhead made me instinctively duck my head.

“Stop…!”

Just as Isla, who had just fired a stone with her sling, reached out and grabbed my wrist.

What for? I was dragging myself back, giving strength to the grip, when I belatedly noticed my body leaning back.

Only then did I sense the floating sensation coming under my feet.

A reflexive gasp escaped my lips.

“Oh.”

We were screwed.

The body tilted, and the direction of the tilt swung my vision.

I was falling. The ground beneath me was a cliff covered in snow.

I hadn’t seen it properly due to the snowstorm. I hadn’t known there would be a cliff, due to my lack of experience.

I couldn’t even remember the terrain of this new continent. I hadn’t properly understood this territory, so different from the north.

So I was falling. There was no way to stop this fall.

I can’t believe I’ve fallen twice in such a short time.

All my weight collapsed following my foot which slipped. My physical abilities were exceptional, but I was still only a novice in mastering them.

The slight difference from the first fall was that I had a companion now.

Isla, who had held my wrist, was now tilted and making a face that sang of disaster.

Her mouth tightly clenched as if she was resigned, a sad expression crossed the face of the Snow Leopard Beastman.

Her expression was pathetic. It recalled memories of an abandoned cat I once saw.

It couldn’t be helped.

Looking at her, I reached out and pulled her into my arms.

Yeah, all this was undoubtedly her fault.

She had apparently caught the attention of the cannibals for some reason and saved me, a monster, intending to use me.

I would have been fine if they had left me alone, regenerating and going in another direction.

But I had already pulled the already falling Isla into my arms.

All that had happened, had already happened.

I couldn’t rewind what was already done, and leaving her to die for such a petty reason was against my nature.

So, with Isla in my arms, I fell off the cliff.

“Uh, chough…!”

The cliff wasn’t even smooth.

It was less of a cliff and more of a canyon, more aptly described.

Sharp rocks pointed out, and uneven trees grew menacingly.

I bumped myself against all kinds of obstacles.

Blood gushed from my mouth, something seemed to puncture my waist making it lose all feeling, something hit my leg and passed first, still…

I held Isla in my arms and desperately twisted my body, protecting her as safely as possible.

I’m sure I’d survive as long as my head is intact, but this Snow Leopard Beastman wouldn’t.

Struggling very hard, I soon found myself back on the ground.

Thud, the snow lightly gushed upwards and I laid the Beastman down on the snowy floor.

“Are you okay―”

Suddenly, something lodged in my throat.A sense of something foreign. Unable to resist, bright red blood splatters on the floor.

Fortunately, I turned my head before the blood spilled out and did not vomit onto Isla’s face. I would definitely have been unable to erase a stain so stark against her fairness.

Having spewed out the blood that had filled my throat, I further asked Isla, “Are you okay?”

But there was no answer.

Rather, Isla stood frozen, eyes wide open.

She just twitched her mouth and then gave a slight shake of her head.

Concussion? I guess that’s better than dying. Overcome with the throbbing of my broken spine, I laid on the floor and gasped for breath.

Even though I had fallen from a cliff, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. As long as I recover, I will have a shot at creating distance from them.

The cliff was not a place an average human could descend easily.

What I underestimated was the amount of time it would take for my spine to heal. Having lost even the use of a single finger, hectic activity began to slowly approach from afar.

“…Ah, I’m f*****d. Really.”

My temporary companion had fainted from a concussion, and I was in the process of spinal regeneration.

My body moved to some extent, but I was not in a state to move quickly. I lifted my head at the thought of how screwed I was, only to see them come into view.

The blizzard had cleared up in the meantime.

So, it was easy to see the cannibals who had descended from the cliffs.

[Eido 0/1]

I could not reuse Eido. Once used, the technique could not be used again unless I slept and woke up.

My weapon was stuck in the belt a bit far away from me.

Could I possibly confront all of them barehanded? And carry Isla, who had fainted from a concussion?

At the current level, it was an unlikely story.

“I have to try as long as it’s possible…”

I couldn’t just sit here helplessly and die. There was a lot I had to do, and many dilemmas I had to solve.

Raising both fists in desperation, the cannibals approached.

Slowly, cautiously. With guns aimed, they slowly closed in.

Now they were at a good distance to charge. As I tensed in defense, they did the opposite – they stopped.

Instead of moving, they split left and right.

“What?”

Unlike me, who couldn’t understand the situation, the cannibals clearly trembled with fear.

To add insult to injury, that fear reached its peak when someone passed by them. Someone started to appear in front of them, leaving behind the cannibals trembling in fear.

It was a girl.

A girl who was gnawing on a human leg held in one hand.

It was a disgusting sight, but I couldn’t find it in me to grimace or feel repulsed.

A more intense sensation had found me.

A strange and foreign sensation I hadn’t felt before.

A vague feeling of both an attraction and a clear alarm signaling a stranger.

Looking at the girl who had stopped in front of me, I faintly realized what that sensation was.

Probably, the girl did too, at the same moment.

A blond girl with golden eyes. A cannibal girl gnawing on a raw human leg.

She was my kindred and species.

Homo ncules.