Standing in front of her was a bizarre, giant ball-of-flesh-type monster. From beneath its bulbous body dangled numerous tentacles, swaying like seaweed. It looked just like a giant octopus. Seeing this strange creature for the first time, Sakurakami Natsumi felt a chill shoot straight up her spine—completely paralyzed by fear.
This thing… it was even scarier than those zombie-like tentacle monsters!
Worse still, the tentacle-zombies behind her had already caught up.
Surrounded front and back, there was no way out.
No matter how strong-willed she was, the ponytailed girl couldn't suppress the fear spreading through her body. Her legs weakened, her eyes brimmed with tears. That stunningly beautiful face had gone pale, a delicate fragility softening her already fair, porcelain-like features.
Terror consumed her whole.
Natsumi had no idea what had happened to the school. She had only wanted to visit the archery club after finishing her own club activities, looking for her childhood friend. But on the way, she had seen, with her own eyes, horrific tentacle creatures killing students and teachers alike.
Some of the girls were even played with—and devoured—by the monsters. Those images carved deep trauma into her mind. Just thinking that she might end up like them made her eyes widen with despair.
Huh?
Strangely, the tentacle in front of her stopped midair—just centimeters from her forehead. So close… and yet it hadn't touched her. There was no attack. Just as Natsumi's breathless fear began to shift into confusion, the tentacle suddenly moved.
Still as a statue—then a blur of motion.
Whoosh!
A cold gust passed by her ear. Natsumi barely registered the motion before turning her head to see the tentacle-zombie that had been pursuing her now lying in pieces—ripped apart, limbs flung everywhere.
Splat—
The sound of flesh hitting the ground jolted her out of her daze. Her stunned expression turned to shock. Wait, what? Were they fighting amongst themselves?
That tentacle—just now—it had sliced past her like a blade.
Her brain stalled, thoughts sluggish like mud. But the moment that terrifying weapon of a tentacle turned toward her, Natsumi screamed and bolted.
Whether they were allies or not didn't matter—she wasn't about to stick around and find out. Muk Xiaoxiao didn't stop her. He simply glanced at her fleeing form and turned his attention to his system interface.
+1 Evolution Point
+1 Evolution Point
+1 Evolution Point
"Nice. These tentacle-zombies are all over the school, looks like I'll be able to max out soon enough," he mused, eyes gleaming. He was eager to see what evolution would bring once he hit 100 points.
Hm?
Barely two minutes later, the ponytailed beauty came thundering back around the corner—eyes shimmering with tears, breath ragged, a dozen grotesque tentacle-zombies chasing after her.
Seeing this, Muk Xiaoxiao felt an unexpected urge to laugh.
"Crap!"
More tentacle-zombies appeared up ahead, cutting off her escape again. Sandwiched between both ends, Natsumi was on the verge of breaking down. "Why… why is this happening? Why won't they give up!?"
Her whole body trembled, but she caught sight of the octopus-like monster—Muk Xiaoxiao—still lurking ahead. Recalling how it had saved her earlier, she gritted her teeth and, holding her breath, cautiously crept toward him.
She walked slowly, carefully, and even when she reached his side, he didn't attack. Natsumi's hands were clasped tightly over her mouth, heart hammering, but as he remained motionless, some of her fear started to ease.
She could tell—he was watching her.
If Muk Xiaoxiao had eyes, he'd be giving her a heavy side-eye right now. Seriously, is this what they call hiding behind a big bad to scare off the small fries?
Still, since the evolution points were basically being delivered on a silver platter, he wasn't about to complain.
Fwoosh—
Tentacle Storm!
"What the…" Natsumi gasped as five or six tentacles suddenly sprang upward with a sharp whoosh, slicing through the zombie horde like blades, sending blood and limbs flying. The attack was brutal and elegant, a blur of carnage.
She was stunned.
"S-So strong…"
She whispered to herself, then turned to look at him. "Just like before… it saved me again. Is it… helping me?"
This tentacle monster really was different from the others. As her fear faded bit by bit, she noticed something else.
"Huh? You're hurt?" she asked, spotting blood on his tentacles.
Muk Xiaoxiao gave her a sidelong glance and calmly retracted his tentacles. Sure, he wasn't invincible. A "C" in durability was still strong by human standards, but against similar monsters, he could still take damage.
Good thing he had [Rapid Regeneration]—his wounds would heal quickly.
"Wait a sec, this girl's not scared of me anymore?" Muk Xiaoxiao scrutinized the tall, beautiful girl beside him. Her swinging blue ponytail radiated youthful energy. Even disheveled, her figure was undeniably attractive.
Curvy and well-proportioned—for a high schooler, she was top-tier.
Of course, girls like her in tentacle-monster stories were always doomed to corruption and ruin. Tch. I really have landed in a damn eroge world, haven't I?
"Th-Thank you," Natsumi stammered. She couldn't believe she was thanking a monster, but twice now it had saved her life. Gratitude welled up instinctively, especially since she could sense—it meant her no harm.
But what now?
She was terrified of leaving its side, knowing the school had basically fallen. Even with this strange tentacle monster helping her, it was only a temporary reprieve.
If she left, she'd be defenseless again…
Natsumi bit her lip, worry clouding her delicate features. Just then, something brushed her shoulder. She didn't register it at first—until it happened again.
She turned her head instinctively and froze—one of the monster's tentacles had tapped her shoulder.
"You—eh?!"
Muk Xiaoxiao extended a tentacle past her armpit, reaching toward her chest. Natsumi nearly suffocated, eyes widening in shock as she stared at the tentacle poised to wrap around her.
Is it…
She didn't know if it was on purpose or not, but the tentacle brushed against her clothes. Even through the fabric, she shivered.
Clearly, Natsumi had plenty of… "assets."
The tentacle slid in a slow circle across her upper body. Terrified and paralyzed, she didn't dare move, scared it might slip inside her clothes. Only when it retracted did she finally exhale—her neck tingling and turning pink.
But her nerves hadn't fully calmed.
Because now the tentacle had slithered to her pale, supple thighs. She clenched the hem of her skirt tightly, muscles tensing as the tentacle crept upward, heading under her skirt…
Her face flushed bright red, ready to push back—only for the tentacle to suddenly retreat, now holding a carton of milk?
Natsumi: ???
The ponytailed girl blinked in confusion as the tentacle pulled out a milk carton and a phone from her pocket. It brought the milk to its mouth—well, somewhere—and after a few seconds, the drained carton was casually tossed aside.
"Phew. So I'm a tentacle monster now, and I still get hungry? Seriously. And this girl's overreacting—did she think I was gonna do something lewd? Tch," Muk Xiaoxiao scoffed.
Natsumi felt both embarrassed and annoyed. All that… just for food? That milk had been from her lunch. So… he'd just been hungry?
Her face turned crimson again, a mix of flustered shame and indignation. Then why crawl all over me like that…? Ugh, he totally took advantage of me!
The girl—who had never been touched like that before—bit her lip.
But after a moment of tense silence, she suddenly let out a giggle. Her fear finally began to melt away, her face lighting up with a soft smile.
"A tentacle monster… that drinks milk. You're kinda cute, actually."
Muk Xiaoxiao: ???
Excuse me?
Sure, he wasn't like those degenerate monsters. He didn't enjoy corruption or abuse—he actually found it revolting. But… cute? Seriously?
He felt personally attacked.
With a twitch of his tentacle, he raised the phone—on the screen, a message typed in Japanese:
"CUTE YOUR ASS—"
Natsumi's face turned pale. Staring at her own phone in the tentacle monster's grasp, she gaped at the words on the screen.
"You… you can communicate?!" she cried in disbelief.
She really hadn't seen that coming. This monster… could talk like a human?!