【The Rise of the Ugly Monster】 Him in His Second Winter
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Under a cloudy sky, white flakes began to dance in the forest of the Plateau of Behemoths.
In other words, winter had arrived.
Although there is not much snowfall due to the climate, the temperature still drops and food becomes scarce.
Winter is a harsh season for the giant monsters, just as it is for most living creatures.
"MIGYA..."
It was the same for the three-eyed monster, Giant Yellow Topopolock, with a yellow body and spikes on its back, which roamed the forest while making the ground tremble with a *zushin, zushin* sound.
The height of this monster, which walks on two legs like a chicken, is approximately 4 meters.
He too was wandering through the forest today, searching for food to sustain his giant body.
The situation was not good.
If he were to sit and wait, only death awaited him.
Therefore, despite his concentration being somewhat lacking, she went out to hunt.
"............"
There was a being watching the Giant Yellow Topopolock intently, while hiding on a tree branch.
In a word, it was a creature like a collection of trash.
With pebbles, fallen leaves, and small twigs stuck to its body by the sticky poisonous liquid secreted from its surface, the species name of this creature, which had formed a round, egg-like form the size of a basketball, was the Ugly Poison Bird.
Its individual name... although he himself would never admit it, was Dokugegon.
"MIGYA... MIGYA..."
The Giant Yellow Topopolock below him did not notice his presence above.
It was searching for food, rummaging through the thicket of withered undergrowth covering the ground with its snout, making a *gasakoso* sound.
For the former him, Dokugegon, it would have been impossible to remain hidden while being approached by an enemy like this.
Because the foul smell originating from his poisonous liquid strongly asserted his presence.
Instead of hiding his presence, he would keep external enemies away with the foul smell.
This was the survival strategy he had unconsciously adopted as an Ugly Poison Bird.
However, he changed the direction of that strategy.
To be precise, he was "forced to change it."
...By the blunt and unreasonable order of his pet owner, 'You stink a little, so don't let the smell out.'
(Well, don't ask the impossible! There's no way a living creature can freely change its own body odor!)
...so he was indignant at first when he received it.
But to state the conclusion, that order was accomplished rather easily.
Because he... his skill 【Poison Generation】 had already reached a considerable level at that point, as a result of being subjected to hellish trials day after day by his pet owner.
Making the poisonous liquid odorless, making it have a sweet, good scent, conversely strengthening the foul smell, or changing its color.
He had become able to generate poison quite freely.
And furthermore, his growth didn't stop there.
"N'eeeee..."
He let out a small groan as if to hide the trembling of his body, and *pu, pu, pu*... he released small drops of poisonous liquid from his entire body into the surroundings.
If the laws of physics worked as they do in our world, those drops would fall to the ground according to gravity.
But that didn't happen.
The poisonous liquid he released, for some reason, floated in the air... and gathered into a single, small purple ball of poisonous liquid.
A truly fantastical behavior.
This was the new ability he had acquired... 【Poison Liquid Manipulation】!
As long as it was poisonous liquid he himself had created, he could manipulate it quite freely with his mind!
It was a skill he had awakened on that day when he was thrown in front of a giant porcupine and almost died, having been bestowed the words 'relying solely on counters is dangerous. Learn a long-range attack' from his pet owner, without being given any concrete measures.
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Species: Ugly Poison Bird
Name: Dokugegon
Age: 1 year old
Vitality: 83
Magic Power: 852
Level: 45
Skills: 【Poison Resistance 103】, 【Poison Generation 98】, 【Mimicry 8】, 【Tree Climbing 4】, 【Poison Liquid Manipulation 52】
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By the way, this is his current status.
Looking at the rapid increase in his level and magical power, it would be easy to imagine how harsh the trials he was subjected to day after day were.
Anyway, that's a digression.
In any case, remembering the painful days that suddenly crossed his mind and with a distant look in his eyes... he created several balls of poisonous liquid, and moved them to a position above the Giant Yellow Topopolock's head so as not to be noticed.
"............"
And after taking a small breath.
He... launched them all at her at once!
"MIGYAAAA!?"
BICHAT, BICHABICHABICHAT!
The poisonous liquid, without missing its mark, all hit the Giant Yellow Topopolock's giant body!
Her outer skin was burned by his strengthened poisonous liquid, and began to emit a foul-smelling smoke.
Furthermore, the poisonous liquid gradually began to seep into her body, rapidly draining her stamina...
"Mi-MIGYAAAA!!"
However, the Giant Yellow Topopolock is a powerful monster that boasts a giant body.
It wouldn't go down that easily.
Stomping its feet with a *zushin, zushin*, swinging its tail, it sent its 【Intimidation】 to the unseen attacker!
The swung tail hit the trunk of a large nearby tree and snapped it.
Letting it rampage like this is dangerous.
Although he had become able to manipulate powerful poison, he was still very fragile.
If the battle dragged on and some trivial accident occurred, he would undoubtedly die.
"N'... N'eeeeeh!!"
That's why!
He shouted to fire himself up, immediately created a particularly large ball of poisonous liquid... and threw it into the mouth of the Giant Yellow Topopolock, which was screaming in rage!
"Migi... gya, goboh...!?"
The effect was immediate.
His poisonous liquid, which touched the soft mucous membrane of the throat, unlike the hard and sturdy outer skin, entered the blood vessels while burning through the surrounding tissues, and began to circulate throughout the body...
"Goboh, goboh... migya..."
The Giant Yellow Topopolock staggered 2 or 3 steps, and showed the resolve to find the enemy and strike back until the end...
ZUSHIIN!!
Finally, it fell sideways and stopped breathing.
"N-N'eeeee..."
By applying 【Poison Liquid Manipulation】, he made the poisonous liquid attached to his own skin float in the air, thereby making his own body float in the air as well.
And slowly, he descended from the treetop.
The agonized expression of the monster that had died from poison approached.
Its entire body was burned by poison, and meat was exposed in some places.
(Ugh... disgusting...)
Seeing the horrific state of the monster he had killed himself, he couldn't help but retch.
But he couldn't flinch.
He had to face what he had done.
He couldn't run away.
Because.
"Well done, Dokugegon."
Because his pet owner Emi, who was more terrifying than anything else, who had been hiding somewhere with her presence erased, was watching him.
Emi pushed his back, which was floating softly near the ground, *pon*, and brought him closer to the corpse of the Giant Yellow Topopolock.
"Here, time for your reward."
...The blood and flesh of the defeated is a reward.
Eating it is the duty of the victor.
...Not a right.
Although she doesn't explicitly say so, his pet owner Emi seems to think so, and doesn't allow him not to touch the meat of the prey he has hunted.
(N-No, I don't want to eat raw meat...)
Even while thinking so, he can't defy her.
His pet owner's will.
No, not just that.
Also, his instinct... as a monster...
He slowly and hesitantly approached the corpse of the Giant Yellow Topopolock, finally landed on the corpse, and towards the meat that was exposed where the outer skin had melted due to the poison... and which itself had also melted into a gooey mess due to the poison, he thrust his beak.
(U-Uuuuuh...)
His heart as a human emits disgust.
But his body as a monster is rejoicing.
He continued to peck at the meat while suffering from being caught between his heart and body.
However, this suffering.
Compared to before, it was beginning to be alleviated.
His resistance to hunting and eating meat was beginning to lessen.
He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
(I'm... a human, and yet)
At the very least, he... was afraid of that change in himself.
But at the same time.
(I'm... human... and yet, why, is it like this...)
He had already noticed.
Even if he didn't want to admit it.
That that change was necessary for survival.
And that continuing to hate his pet owner, who forced that change upon him, as terrifying and tyrannical, and continuing to build a wall...
Was not necessarily the right thing to do.
"AOON!!"
Now, it was at that moment.
Suddenly, the cry of a beast echoed in the surroundings... and he was startled, shrank his body, and looked around restlessly.
However, his pet owner Emi, who was standing beside him, showed no sign of wavering.
She was already staring intently in one direction, and continued to be on guard with a blank expression.
ZUSHIN, ZUSHIN... MEKIMEKI... ZUSHIN...
The sound of a giant monster's footsteps, and the sound of it pushing and felling the trees of the forest, gradually approached from the direction of Emi's gaze.
And.
Far above, a black snout suddenly protruded from a clump of reddish-brown leaves still clinging to the trunk of a large tree.
The fur covering its surroundings was pure white.
The eyes shining brilliantly behind the nose were blue.
It was an absurdly giant wolf.
"AOOOOH!!"
The giant wolf licked its lips upon seeing the corpse of the Giant Yellow Topopolock rolling on the ground, and after twisting its mouth as if to laugh, it used its 【Intimidation】 on Emi and her companion, and roared.
A tremendous volume.
The surrounding trees vibrated their trunks, and dropped a large amount of fallen leaves.
He too, unable to withstand the wind pressure of the roar, shrank his body and rolled off the prey and onto the ground.
"Dokugegon."
However, there was no fear in his pet owner Emi's voice.
"This time, you can just watch."
As usual, with a cold, emotionless, beautiful voice, she said that clearly.
And in the next moment.
To list the facts, Emi jumped with furious momentum, and punched the jaw of the giant wolf—which was drooling profusely—from below, sending it flying!
However, that movement was too fast for his kinetic vision to follow, so.
"The giant wolf screamed and was suddenly sent flying."
He perceived only that result.
With his beak wide open in a daze.
【Topopolock】
A monster unique to this world, Ardyst, which inhabits the entire world and has many subspecies.
It walks like a chicken, has a face similar to a lizard, and has three eyes.
It tastes good.
Ah, el topopolock, su aparicion jamás debe de faltar ꉂꉂ(ᵔᗜᵔ◍)