Reborn As An Evolving Monster

Chapter 183 The Only Place They Knew

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Elisa was seated in the snow. Inches away from her, the Moonlit Feline.

'Mmm...' The former held an unmoving and perfectly skinned Horned Hare in her hands.

Skinned as perfectly as a Princess could skin it anyways.

Elisa moved her gaze towards Mark.

He was seated a dozen steps away.

'Mmm. He must be mad about that...' Elisa wondered.

Mark was staring at the ground quietly.

Her lips parted, pressed against one another, and parted again.

'To beat an Olga... How would I do that? I guess I would-' His thoughts were interrupted.

"S... Sorry about earlier." 

"Earlier...?"

'Tsk. He really wants me to say it.'

"About saying... That I would gut you."

"Oh. Yeah. It's fine-"

"It's just that it's a... Touchy subject."

"Yeah. No problem. I get it."

"You do?"

Mark took a short pause.

"Yeah. I think I do."

Elisa let out a long sigh.

"My Title... Well, my Titles don't respond the way they used to." Mark thought back to Zephyr's words as he listened to Elisa's. "That's why I... When you questioned them I..."

'If they're not responding, then she might have lost them? Or perhaps is in the process of losing them? Recognized by the World... Recognized by many... Losing her Titles would mean that either the World or those who used to recognize her as a Princess anymore? Then-'

"Anways..." Elisa scratched her elbow. "Think you can make a fire?" She asked as she raised the skinned Horned Hare.

"So that's why you were apologizing."

Elisa chuckled.

Mark extended his left hand.

A snake made of flames seeped out of his palm, and made its way towards Elisa.

"Creepy." She commented.

Upon arriving in front of her, the flames changed, and looked like those stemming from a campfire.

"Handy." Elisa added.

"Nothing to burn here. So I'll have to keep it burning."

"Thank you for that."

The Horned Hare went through one of Elisa's Daggers. She held it above the flames, slowly cooking it.

'No herbs or anything growing out here... We'll have to make do with this...'

Meanwhile, Mark called out his List of Skills.

[Skill List:

Passive Skills:

Water Resistance[F] - Poison Resistance[F] - Weightless Steps[E] - Water Pressure Resistance[E+] -  Heat Resistance[E+] - Fire Hide [D-] - Combative Eyes[D] - Venom Regulation[C-] - Accelerated Endurance Regenaration[C] - Accelerated Mana Regenaration[C] - Cold Resistance[B] - Destructive Tail Flick[B]- Fire Resistance[B].

Magic Skills:

Golem Armor[E] - Venomous Wings[E] - Blinding Sand[E] - Great Fire Ball[E+] - Corrupting Javelin[D] - Mana Barrier[D] - Earth Manipulation[D+] - Bone Manipulation[C] - Ice Manipulation[C] - Wind Blast[C+] - Flame Of Chaos[B] - Dark Corrupting Spear[B] - Purgatory's Undead Troup[B] - Fire Control[B] - Advanced Body Reconstruction[B+] - Berserker[A].]

'It's gotten a lot lighter. The Ranks might have dropped, but once again-'

His concentration wavered, and the flames that were cooking the Horned Hare disappeared.

Oh, the looks Krista and Elisa threw his way.

"Ah. Sorry." 

Seconds later, the cooking resumed.

'Everything involving Manipulating and Controlling is weaker. No... Harder to use. And the worst is...'

Mark clenched his fist.

Nothing happening.

Not even a paper-thin layer of Aura appeared around that clenched fist.

Mark extended his palm.

Mana Manipulation-

Once again, nothing.

Mark was reminded of Zephyr's words.

I didn't expect the General to be so generous. Giving you the ability to fire off pure Mana-

"Tsk."

Two great weapons he had been relying on for a while.

The ability to Manipulate Mana and to, therefore, control how much Mana flowed into different Skills was a great weapon to have. Multiple times, the Mana Manipulation Skill had allowed Mark to "create" stronger versions of Magic Skills he already had.

The ability to Manipulate and use Aura was just as important to him, if not more. During every fight, every encounter, every time he ran, jumped, or blocked, it was used. 

Not anymore.

Neither could be used. For now at least.

Mark stared at his open palm for a bit.

'I can feel it... It's there. I just have to...' His eyes moved to Elisa. She seemed focused on the cooking Horned Hare, determined to neither overcook nor undercook it. 'Learn? Is that what I'm supposed to do?'

Mark let his back fall on the snow.

It was cold, soft, and unstable.

He hated fighting in the snow.

Mark moved his head, and the snow below moved too.

'Tsk. Just like against Elisa. She got behind me, and the instant I tried turning around, the snow below my foot-'

"Anything on your mind?" She asked suddenly.

"Nothing in particular." 

Mark pushed himself off the ground and called out the digital map he had obtained from Raven.

'I can hate him all I want for taking them... But these are useful.'

"So?"

"We've only walked for a couple of hours."

"True..."

Seconds later, Elisa took the Horned Hare off the fire.

"Perfect." She whispered.

Krista's eyes sparkled.

The smell of cooked food wasn't something she had grown used to. If anything, her nose was accustomed to the smell of charred meat instead.

"Since you caught it, I'm thinking you can choose which part of it you want. The leg and thigh is probably-"

"No... It's fine."

"Not hungry?"

"That's not it. It's just that," Mark scratched his head while looking away. "I've had one of those a long time ago."

"Wasn't to your taste?"

"I guess it was. But now... I might just throw up after tasting it."

"Really?"

"No. Pretty sure I wouldn't like the taste though." Mark answered and Elisa rolled her eyes.

She gently pulled one of the Horned Hare's legs off.

Krista did her best to stand on her back paws. That's how much she enjoyed the smell.

Elisa waved the leg in front of the Moonlit Feline, and the latter followed it.

Stomp to the right. Stomp to the left.

Finally, Krista's fangs took hold of the leg.

With her tail raised high, she walked away before enjoying her meal.

"You're sure you don't want any? It's too much for the two of us anyways."

"Too much? Really?"

Elisa nodded before taking a bite out of one of the Horned Hare's remaining legs.

The meat was juicy.

There was something about the way Elisa ate that puzzled Mark.

He turned away.

'If anything, she does eat like a Princess.'

To the Devourer, whose body is usually covered by the enemy's guts and blood, seeing someone eating cleanly was pretty strange.

Elisa put her meal away for a bit.

"Where are you going anyways?"

Mark found the question a bit sudden.

"Where are you going?"

"I'd rather not say." Elisa took a bit.

"Same."

The two remained silent for a bit.

Elisa scratched her cheek.

'I was the one to ask first. Plus I'm using his map... And his fire... And making him bring food... Ugh.'

"I'm going somewhere... To a place where... Where someone might be waiting for me." Elisa hurriedly took another bite.

'Someone waiting for her, huh?'

"Same."

Cough-

Cough-

"Are you lying?" Elisa asked after nearly choking. It had been a while since she had eaten anything.

Inside the Dungeon, there was no need to eat.

It was one of the many properties of that particular Dungeon.

But now that she was outside, it was different.

"No. I have no reason to." Mark answered honestly.

"Mm..."

'Going somewhere someone might be waiting for her... Meaning somewhere people recognize her as... Wait...!'

"Hahahaha!" Mark laughed out loud.

Elisa's eyes narrowed.

"What is it?"

"You're a Princess, right? A Princess locked a tower now finally free."

"So?"

"You asked me earlier if I would accompany you to wherever you're going. What am I supposed to be? The Princess' Knight or something? Haha!"

"Bfahahaha! Princess' Knight. Cause you have the physique and body of a Knight, right? Good one."

Elisa laughed a bit harder than Mark had expected her to. Or at least, that's what she thought.

"Ah. Sorry. That was meaner than it had any right to be."

"Not at all, it's fine."

"Is it?"

"It is. I found it funny too."

"Yes, but..."

"But what?"

"Nevermind."

About fifteen minutes later, the three were on their way.

"Atchoom! Agh... I hate this weather." Elisa complained.

Mark remained silent for a couple of seconds before asking his question.

"The place you're going to. Is it... Something like... It's-"

"It's the place I'm from. Where I live before. The Elven Forest, the most beautiful place in-"

Ugh-

Elisa suddenly gripped her head.

"The Corruption?"

"Yeah... I have trouble remembering and thinking about the past... Ugh... Ah that's a bad headache."

Mark's hand reached for her shoulder.

"Want me to-"

She immediately jumped away.

"No. Absolutely not." Elisa's gaze moved to the ground. "Thanks, but no. Can't have you passing out in the middle of this blizzard. Can't even see our surroundings."

"Yeah, true..."

They walked for a bit.

Krista climbed up Mark's body.

  "So you're going home."

"Yeah. Something like that. What about you?"

Mark stopped for a moment.

"Just going... Wherever..."

"Aha. Why?"

"Why... What?"

"Mmm... Don't you have a place like that?" Elisa questioned.

'A place like that...?' Mark asked himself.

"A place you call home?"

Without meaning to, Mark slowly, slowly turned around.

'A place I can...'

Both he and Krista looked in its direction.

'Call home...?'

The oppressive and tall tower that was the Dungeon.

The Dungeon they had left behind.

The place they couldn't see through the blizzard anymore.

The only place they knew.