Even though Mikua was a Level 2 monster, he was still afraid of this girl. A deep-seated fear swept over him, as if he were seeing something he'd never seen before. He didn't want to do anything without seeing the whole situation. And now, before him, was a very intriguing girl with no future. At least, that's what it seemed like to him.
Mikua returned to his lair, which consisted of countless rotten trees arranged in a circle. Not a single leaf or bug could be seen on the surface of these trees. Because of all this rot, no one had ever approached this area of ??the forest. When Mikua first found this place, to his surprise, he felt a little scared. The rot could spread, and this was very frightening for him. But he also desperately needed it.
With his passive skill [Forest Spirit Technique: Move], he could easily pass through all the trees without being noticed. And precisely because of this, the rot in these trees didn't work on him. Having realized this, Mikua resigned himself to it and decided to make his own lair. For him, it was a piece of land where he felt too safe. That's why he didn't visit this place often. After all, the scorched earth within the circle of trees looked strange, to say the least.
Besides, he couldn't stay in one place for so long. After all, like all living and intelligent beings in this world, he had a goal. His goal, he assumed, was unattainable.
In any case, the memories flooding Mikua's mind turned to ashes, and he finally continued on his way. After all, that girl had tricked him out of his valuable books, which made him a little sad, but on the other hand, perhaps he would find hope. After all, he'd lived in this world too long and had heard and seen too much.
He approached his chest, made from his own branches and bark. The bark looked worn and worn. As if it were no longer the bark of a centuries-old tree, but ordinary smooth silk. And of course, those very same books were in the chest. Of various colors and themes. There were fairy tales, combat manuals, all sorts of magazines with content questionable for a tree.
-Why do humanoid girls take off their clothes and strike all sorts of poses? Why? Apparently, a tree like me would never understand it. I wonder if that nameless girl could do such things? Even though she's young, that doesn't mean she can't do it with such a mature body, right? Probably. In any case, I was planning to bring her all my books, so I don't think these won't get in the way.
Having taken all the books from the chest, he headed back to the girl's house. Even though he'd agreed to come see her tomorrow, that doesn't mean he can't come see her without observing her like any ordinary tree.
Girl's POV
This tree has been bothering me all this time, and now I'm finally free. At least something in this lousy world brings me joy. And apparently, I need to find my sword again. Apparently, the milk I drank did something to my body, and now I constantly want to drink it again. Luckily, the pain dulls this urge.
I made a cut on my arm, not deep and not shallow, so that the pain was intense, but not excruciating. And what a thrill it was to be whole again. Not craving for anything to the point of shaking. The pain was only a small price to pay. After bandaging my cut, I decided to go outside.
Endless body workouts, or rather, several exercises a day, became a routine for me. Of course, I added various new exercises from that book. But the longer I train, the stronger I feel and the lighter I feel. I feel like a feather compared to before. Or maybe my legs are so weak from all those squats that they no longer feel anything. In any case, I'm getting better, and that's wonderful.
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I opened the rickety door and felt a cool breeze caress my scarlet hair. To feel even more of this desired freedom, I spread my arms out to the sides. And the wind that had so gently enveloped me now almost lulled my body. I closed my eyes and savored the feeling.
The wind, which had just been cool, grew warmer and warmer the longer I stood. And now a warm breeze embraced me completely.
-I've never felt so good. I can't even describe it. No old blanket can compare to this, not fox fur, not my throw. None of this is the same. Now I feel something else. Something more than just peace. All the anxiety of the past few days has flown away. It's as if all this pain had never existed.
But this freedom didn't last long. My heart pounded, and I felt someone's gaze from the darkness of the forest. Turning my head slightly to the right, my chaotic eye noticed nothing. After scanning the entire visible area, I assumed they were looking at me from, but saw nothing. If nothing is visible, then nothing is there. I hope that's true.
I slowly retreated back to my fortress, still watching the forest. The door creaked shut behind me. And here I am again, alone in the forest, in this two-by-two-meter square. Sometimes I feel like the walls are closing in on me, but that's impossible. Right?
-Maybe I imagined that someone was looking at me? Although I don’t think that can be an illusion. I-I need to be on my guard. After all, my premonition has never let me down. I need to listen to it. Well, right now I don’t feel any danger. I think I can try to sleep... But I don’t... I don’t want to... I always dream of scary things. Where I’m alone in the middle of the whole world... Where everyone wants to kill me... And like yesterday I dreamed that a huge forest was burning in a way that the morning sun doesn’t burn. It was mesmerizingly beautiful, but what’s scary is that I’m standing between burning fir trees. And blood is streaming down my arm. Not just my arm. And my whole body was covered in wounds of varying degrees of severity. As if I was almost killed and left to burn alive in this cruel forest. I don’t want to!
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I don't want to show the world my weakness... But I can't be strong right now either. It's like the whole world is against me, and only now, in my little house, can I fully open up. Open up.
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... I-I can't show myself to the world. And I never will.
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I will become strong... So I won't be afraid of scary things.
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... this doesn't happen. So I don't feel unsafe, so I don't run away
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from the unknown just once... Please...
Wiping away my tears, I stood up with the help of my hands, because my legs wouldn't obey me.
-I don't understand... What came over me... It's like I've been
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absorbing it all this time and now it's finally decided to burst out. This isn't the best time. Phew... I need to pull myself together. Stop being weak!" No more tears, no more weaknesses in front of others! I am me and no one has the right to see me unprotected. Not a tree, not a fox, and no one else!
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But still... can I sleep?