【The Rise of the Ugly Monster】 The Velvet Worm's Finishing Move
* * *
The wind blew with a *byuu*, blowing away the morning mist.
The trees swayed with a *zawazawa*.*zawazawa*.
The morning sun still shone on him and the velvet worm from the side.
"Myogomyogo... shugo! Myogomyogo... shugo!"
From somewhere far away, the cry of a giant myogomyogoshugo began to echo.
"N-N'eh..."
He stared at the velvet worm that was silently releasing its 【Intimidation】 on him, while trembling violently and dripping poisonous liquid.
Since he was born as a monster, he had lived by skulking around.
Thoroughly avoiding battle.
And yet, suddenly, he's supposed to defeat such a huge monster?
(There's n-no way I can do that! Why, do I, have to do something like that!?)
Such thoughts had been racing back and forth through his mind for some time now.
He made no move to attack, no move to defend, and no move to flee.
He simply fell into a panic and was flustered.
"............"
On the other hand, the velvet worm, although it continued to use its 【Intimidation】 on him, did not carelessly proceed to combat.
Although this velvet worm has a much stronger body and magical power compared to the velvet worms on Earth, its habitat is still the "Plateau of Behemoths".
Even a 3-meter body cannot be a weapon to compete with other monsters.
Because among the other monsters, there are many, many bigger ones.
The giant velvet worm was a creature that resigned itself to a relatively lower position in the food pyramid of this plateau.
Therefore, this velvet worm had cultivated a cautious personality through its life as a velvet worm.
Two monsters, staring intently at each other.
Such a situation had thus occurred.
"Do your best... Dokugegon!"
Seeing the situation at a stalemate, Emi cheered for him powerfully!
(I said, it's impossible!)
He looked back at Emi, seeking salvation, while dripping a large amount of poisonous liquid from his eyes.
Emi, who saw this from behind with her arms crossed, slowly nodded...
"...I understand your feelings."
Slowly extending her right fist forward, and raising her thumb.
"Enjoy it... to the fullest!!"
...she said something incomprehensible!
(You don't understand my feelings at all! What do you mean, 'Enjoy it'!? How on earth have you so thoroughly misunderstood my inner state!?)
He trembled violently and spewed even more poisonous liquid from his entire body!
"Full of... fighting spirit, are we!"
(No, I'm not! I'm scared!)
It seems Emi had judged his secretion of poisonous liquid as a sign of his fighting spirit.
"............"
However... although Emi couldn't understand his mental state, the velvet worm currently facing him was different.
It followed the voice whispered by its instinct, and accurately understood that he was just a weakling, merely trembling in fear.
Therefore... the velvet worm finally took action!
"BUSHAHHH!!"
"N'EEEEEEH!?"
It was in the next moment!
Just as the two sides of the velvet worm's mouth suddenly swelled up... from there, two white, string-like things were ejected!
They... only looked like strings, but were not!
The velvet worm's decisive weapon... a sticky liquid!
"N'eh!? N'eh!?"
His body, which hadn't even tried to run away, was a very good target.
His body was pinned to the ground by the velvet worm's sticky liquid, which was fired without missing its mark... and he could no longer move!
(Help!! Help!?)
Seeking salvation, he turned his face towards Emi again, but Emi stood with her arms crossed, unmoving.
On her beautiful face, no emotion was visible.
(I've been... abandoned?)
What he felt upon seeing Emi's face... was a sense of loss.
(Abandoned... again?)
That was a feeling he had constantly felt in his previous life.
His family relations were good.
When he was young, he had believed so.
As he grew... and his poor performance began to be exposed.
He was always compared to his talented older brother.
He.
(Haha...)
He stopped his struggling and lay limply on the ground.
The velvet worm was approaching, wriggling its countless legs... but he no longer even glanced in that direction.
He just... continued to secrete poisonous liquid while gazing at the light blue of the morning sky visible through the gaps in the leaves of the trees.
(What was I expecting from someone I've only known for a day?)
Words of resignation trickled from his empty heart.
Emi Rune.
The first human he had met in this world.
Human...?
At least, a humanoid creature.
A being who decided to keep him... for the incomprehensible reason that he 'didn't look delicious'.
A pet owner who forces "hated" raw meat upon him.
To her.
He.
Had expected to be loved.
This time, for sure.
But...
(Someone like me, anyway...)
At the point where he uttered his usual line.
Suddenly, the head of the velvet worm appeared in his vision.
The more he looked, the more grotesque it appeared.
Its mouth, looking moist and soft.
However, contrary to that, a glimpse of sharp fangs could be seen inside.
(Ah... ahhh, ahhh!!)
The sharpness and horror of those fangs... immediately dragged his heart out from the comfortable sea of resignation!
And exposed it to the cold, outside air... the fear of death!
(I don't... want to die!!)
Finally, he left only those words behind in his mind.
And after spewing a large amount of poisonous liquid out of fear.
He lost consciousness.
It's kinda ridiculous to image a little bird spew a huge burst of strange mucus and pass out...