We’re running.

The demon and I run side by side, sandwiched between cluttered trees.

I should mention that it isn’t the one after me.

I fire a stone out with Slingshot.

Immediately, the demon senses my attack and hides behind a tree. The stone that I shot passes by the demon’s hiding place and slams into the tree behind it with a loud crack.

Damn it…

We’re both moving, and the bastard is more aware of my attack than it should be, so I can’t land a hit….

It would be easier to hit it if it would come at me more like an animal and follow its instincts…Well, that would be really scary too…

Even if I can replenish my stock while running, there is a limit to the number of rocks I can shoot. If I take too much time, the damage will wear off and it’ll be able to get back into action. Since I’m so small, I’ll run out of energy and the situation will get considerably worse for me.

Ideally, I’d like to take it down quickly.

I’ll have to be prepared for a certain amount of danger and close the distance…!

As the monster attempts to come out from behind the tree, I shoot a stone to stop it from moving.

After making sure the demon pulls back its foot,  I rush in to close the distance.

To be honest, before, I was too afraid to get close,— but that’s not the case this time!

I speed to the right side of the tree where the demon is hiding…then go around and approach from the side where I can see the demon’s tail.

I slide into position to hit it as hard as I can from behind.

The moment I can see the demon’s body in the tree’s blind spot—the demon’s head attacks me.

What?

Just when I thought that I was fully aware of the demon’s movements, a huge mouth covered in black fur was right in front of me.

The demon’s mouth completely encompasses my vision, and at any second, this kitten’s body would surely be inside that mouth—.

Oh no…!

There is no time to think about what the head would do to me right now, so my wild instincts perform the best course of action at that moment.

I shoot the wooden shield from the Collection Box with Slingshot directly into the demon’s mouth!

The wooden shield appears in front of me going well over ninety miles per hour. The shield appears vertically like a wall in front of the demon.

There is no way it can avoid the shield.

“ Igaruu!?”[1]

The impact of the collision causes the demon’s huge mouth to blow wide to the side and the whole thing slammed into the ground, being pulled by its long neck.

A white substance scatters around the base of its neck, fangs that had broken off from the damage. 

The wooden shield flies behind me, unbroken, unchipped and still strong. I’ll get it back later. Now—the one who strikes first ends this!!

The demon stumbles trying to get away from me.

It seems that it has finally realized that it has become “the hunted”.

It’s too late now.

It was a mistake to not run away after being hit the first time!

I was about to throw the stone at the demon without mercy—then my conscience reared its ugly head.

Are you sure you want to take a life like this?

My common sense from my original world would strongly reject the act of killing anything. I’m trying to convince myself of the fact that the person I’m dealing with isn’t human, but I still can’t shake the feeling of repulsion from the act.

The determination that I thought I had becomes dulled.

Are you stupid!? There is no time for hesitation! The enemy is right in front of you. One more push and you can take him down!

If I don’t kill this guy, he’ll kill me. It’s the absolute rule of nature that the weak eat the strong. If that’s the case, why would I hesitate to kill him?

Even when I was human, I ate the lives of pigs, cows and chickens without killing them with my own hands.

If what I am feeling right now is supposed to be called reason, I’m going to throw it away right here!

“Miiiiiiiii!!!!”

I slammed a stone into the staggering demon’s body.

With the first shot, its legs fly into the air and its body collapses into a heap.

The second and third shots hit in midair, echoing the sound of bones crunching in the stomach and neck.

Don’t —hesitate—hunt for life!!!

Feeling a coldness deep inside, I shoot the iron knife in the side of the demon’s body.

The demon already has no strength to avoid it, so the knife plunges deep into the demon’s body.

“…Gabuu…ah…i…!”

The blade pierces through the fur and buries itself all the way to the hilt. I’m a little afraid of how powerful that attack is.

After suffering for a few seconds, the demon eventually lost its strength and died.

…I…killed…

I…took…a life…

My heart grows heavy.

…No, no, no, this is no good. I may have to do this dozens and maybe even hundreds of times in the future.

Just because I have memories of my human life doesn’t mean I can live as a human. At some point, I will  have to draw the line between who I was and who I am as a cat.

I shake my head, changing the subject.

Well, anyway…I won the battle.

I’m not sure if the smell of blood will attract other demons in the area, but I need to get what I can and keep moving.

Oops, I’ll have to grab that wooden shield that got blown away first…Okay, okay, it’s still in good condition.

So—what should I do with the demon corpse?

In games, there is no such thing as a corpse…everything drops money and items when it dies and the corpse disappears cleanly. What can I get from this corpse?

Well, for the time being, I’m going to ask it to return the knife that’s still stuck in it.

Blood overflowed from the wound after the knife was withdrawn, staining the ground red.

Hmmm…Should I throw it into the Collection Box for now? If it doesn’t work, it’s okay. If there’s something that can be used as material, it will be put in there.

I touch the corpse of the demon that hasn’t even lost its body heat yet. Then…

“There are multiple items mixed together. If you put them in the collection box as is, it will force them to separate into their respective items, but the item level for each will be one. Do you want to run it like this? Y/N”

Multiple items? Uh-huh? I want to get the hell out of here, so yes, it is fine.

As soon as I chose yes, the entire corpse of the demon disappeared and was thrown into the collection box.

“[Demon Flesh Lv.1]

Category: Material

Size: Large

Rarity: F

Quantity: 1/30”

“[Demon Fang Lv.1]

Category: Material

Size: Small

Rarity: F

Quantity: 15/30”

“[Demon Fur Lv.1]

Category: Material

Size: Medium

Rarity: F

Quantity: 1/30”

“[Demon Claw Lv.1]

Category: Material

Size: Small

Rarity: F

Quantity: 10/30”

“[Mutation Factor Lv.1]

Category: Material

Size: Small

Rarity: C

Quantity: 1/30”

“Five bonuses to physical abilities has been added due to the collection of new items (Effect: minor)”

Oh, five new items at once! This is a delicious ability bonus. It’s definitely worth the risk of fighting for it.

…That’s “Demon Meat”. Was it a demon after all?

I’m a little worried, so I attempt to display the details of the demon meat.

“[Demon Meat Lv.1]

Category: Material

Size: Large

Rarity: F

Status: Coated in blood

Processing: None

Quantity: 1/30

Kubinagaita Meat.[2]

It’s a popular ingredient that’s eaten all over the world.

Since it has a strong odor, it is commonly seasoned with herbs and spices.

Kubinagaita? That’s the type of demon…maybe?

Unlike trees and grasses, the type is properly labeled. Is it possible to get a little more detailed information for each type of wood? Have I just been slacking?

I mean, if it’s a popular ingredient, maybe that means it’s one of the least powerful demons, right? All of the ingredients from it are F rarity.

Well, whatever…What’s that? What’s the last item?

Mutation Factor?

This is the only one with a higher rarity, and a C means it is probably third from the top, right?

Does it mean that something disproportionately rare was stuck inside the Kubinagaita, which seems to be the lowest demon?

I should check the details.

“[Mutation Factor Lv.1]

Category: Material

Size: Small

Rarity: C

Status: Activated

Processing: None

Quantity: 1/30

A factor that brings about a forced change in shape and properties by applying it to an object.

It can only exist in a certain amount of heat and disappears when it comes in contact with air.

Also, if you give it to a living thing, there is a one hundred percent chance that it will become a monster, so be careful.”

…What? What is that?

If I touch it by mistake when I take it out, it will turn me into a demon at that moment, right!? This is too scary! I definitely don’t want to get involved with this!!