Chapter 10
POV: Nyla
Master lost consciousness after the battle. Seeing him like this… it shattered something inside me. More tears. That's all I'd been doing lately—crying over him, over my failures, over everything.
The first time I saw Master, he was supposed to be food. Just a stray human wandering in the open. Easy prey—even for someone like me. But he bested me, effortlessly. Then… he tamed me. He accepted me. I didn't know what love was back then. I still don't, not fully. But my kind are drawn to strength, and Master—he was strong. A worthy mate.
I tried to show him I was interested. Curling up beside him, brushing my tails against his body. But he didn't respond. Not like a male in heat. He reacted—but it was different. He pet me, spoke gently, words I didn't understand at the time. But the more I trusted him, the more I did understand. And he began to understand me.
Eventually, we could even share our thoughts through the link. It was wonderful. I could tell him what I wanted, what I needed. But that time—our time—was short.
Then she came. The elf. The new girl. I hated her immediately. She hurt Master. Nearly killed him. But he… he asked me to get along with her. And I listened, because I obey him. Always.
It crushed me when I returned from a hunt only to find him half-dead, lying beside the very girl who'd hurt him. I hated it… but I was so happy when he let me sit on his lap again. When he pet me for hours. I especially loved when he stroked my middle tail. That sensation—it did something to me. Something exciting. Master's such a tease. He didn't stop even when I begged him to.
Then came the goblin attack. I wanted to impress him, to show off, to prove I was worthy. But the elf was impressive too. And then came her. The third one. Shyara. I trusted her even less.
Then we saw the apes. Mating. Raw, primal, unfiltered. Something in me snapped.
I wanted that—with Master. Only him. And only with me. But I could feel the others' longing too. It disgusted me. How dare they look at him that way? He was mine. All of my emotions boiled over in that cave, and I lost myself.
I don't remember everything clearly, but I know what I became—savage. Cruel. And then… I hurt him.
I ran away, consumed by guilt. Only to make another mistake. And still—still—he came for me. He broke himself for me. His arms… they were ruined. Mangled because of me. Because I had faltered.
I glanced at the dead Beowyr brute nearby. He had been weaker than me. I should have won easily. But I let my guilt, my shame, get in the way. And now my Master paid the price.
I knelt at his side, scooping his unconscious body into my arms. His weight made it awkward, but he felt so small… so fragile. Nothing like the radiant, untouchable man I had followed from the start.
It had only been a few days. A few days, and everything had changed.
I didn't waste time trying to bandage his wounds. They needed real healing—and only one person could provide it.
"Master," I whispered, holding him close as I darted through the forest. "Let's go home."
Please, Yuki… fix my mistake.
⸻
⸻
POV: Yuki
It had been some time since Master bolted from the cave—his face twisted in a desperation I'd never seen before. I hadn't followed him. Shyara was still recovering, and I suspected we were being watched. Someone—or something—was waiting for their chance to strike. They'd been patient. But so could I.
Right now, none of that mattered.
I stood at the mouth of the cave, eyes fixed on the treeline, hoping for movement. Every gust of wind, every rustle of leaves sent a jolt of anticipation down my spine—followed by another wave of crushing disappointment. Still no sign of him.
I sighed and turned to head back inside to check on Shyara.
Then I heard it—the rustling again.
From the shadows of the forest emerged a wolf-girl cradling something in her arms. Her steps were heavy. Her voice, desperate.
"Yuki… help…"
She used my name.
Only three beings in this world even knew that name. Her form was different, but I knew instantly.
Nyla.
Which meant the figure she was carrying—
"No…"
The color drained from my face.
It was Master.
His body was limp, bloodied, and mangled. Bones jutted out of both arms like shattered branches. His hands were unrecognizable—flesh torn, muscles ripped to ribbons.
He was alive.
Barely.
I felt my heart stop, then flare with rage.
"You did this?" I snarled.
I didn't wait for an answer.
"Haven't you done enough? Nearly killing him twice wasn't enough? You had to go for a third attempt?"
"…I—I'm trying—"
"You're trying? So that makes this okay? Bravo. The little pup gets a treat for effort."
I snatched him from her arms. "Give him to me. Your presence is no longer needed. I'll take it from here."
She collapsed to her knees, sobbing.
"I never meant for this. I just… wanted to stay at his side. But you—both of you—kept getting in the way…"
"Oh, so it's our fault you're weak?" I snapped. "You can't even take responsibility for the damage you've done."
"I didn't hurt him this time! He was fighting for me—"
"Exactly," I hissed. "And now he's in this state… because of you."
She went silent. Only her quiet sobs remained.
I turned my back to her, clutching our master to my chest.
"I'll stand at his side. Just like I did before—when you ran. I'll nurse him back to health, just like before. I'll be the one who keeps him standing. And one day soon… I'll be his woman. I'll give him an heir to his legendary legacy."
Her aura flared—raw emotion igniting like fire.
Good. Let it burn.
"Please," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Teach me. Show me the way back to his side."
I stopped.
That… I hadn't expected.
She was showing restraint. Growth.
But I wasn't ready to forgive.
"Why would I help you get closer to my precious master?" I said coldly. "With you gone… he could be mine."
Then I heard it.
A faint whisper from his lips, buried in the shallow breaths of unconsciousness.
"…Nyla…"
I clenched my jaw so tight I felt blood on my tongue.
Even now.
Even after everything, he still called for her.
I stepped into the darkness of the cave without another word. I didn't look back.
Behind me, her voice rang out—soft, shaking.
"I heard him. He called for me…"
And I hated how much it meant to her.
⸻
POV: Kai
It had been a week since the fight.
My body was starting to heal—well, what was left of it. Both arms had been amputated at the elbows. Clean, precise cuts. Yuki had done it herself. Said the muscle damage was too far gone to save. But she promised she could regenerate them over time.
Time.
That was the part I hated most.
I stared down at the stubs where my arms used to be, wrapped in clean white bandages that smelled like lavender and antiseptic.
"How the hell am I supposed to get off like this?" I groaned. "Yuki, maybe you could give me a hand? No pun intended."
Yuki froze mid-step. Her back was to me as she arranged supplies at the edge of the cave. I saw the twitch in her shoulder.
"I would never do such a thing," she snapped, but there was a pause. "But… if it's an order, Master… I suppose I have no choice. You are recovering, and have… needs, after all."
Oh?
Now that got my blood flowing.
"In that case," I smirked, "maybe a blowjob would be better instead."
Her aura dropped twenty degrees. Literally.
Frost began to form on the stone around my cot.
"I take it back," I said, smirking as she stormed off, cheeks burning. "Guess I blew it. She sure didn't."
A sharp snort echoed from the side of the cave.
Shyara.
She'd been quietly sitting on a bedroll, reading. Now she was holding a hand over her mouth, her shoulders shaking.
"You think that's funny?" Yuki shot back, flustered.
"I think it's the most life I've seen from him all week," Shyara said, her voice light but genuine.
"Thank you!" I groaned. "Someone appreciates good banter."
Yuki rolled her eyes and stomped off—but not before I caught the tiniest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
Progress
⸻
Kai POV
I plopped back onto my cot. Evening plans? Shot. Guess I'd check the girls' status unless…
I shot Yuki another offer through the bond. No response.
"Damn, Yuki. Cold as ice."
I sank deeper into the cot and pulled up Nyla's status.
Nyla
Chosen's Lupine (female humanoid) – C Rank
Level: 5
HP: 1000/1000
STR: 70
DEF: 50
AGI: 200
INT: 142
MP: 200/200
Unique Skill:
– Death Merchant
Assassin Skills:
– Perfect Kill
– Stalker
– Silent Movement
– Shadow Movement
Other Skills:
– Claw Attack
– Axe Kick
– Acrobat
– Bite
– Savage Partner
"Impressive."
She was already this strong at C rank. Her potential had always been high, but evolving under CHOSEN? She was becoming something terrifying—and beautiful.
My heart skipped a beat just reading her name. She was still my pup, always would be… but things had changed. I'd seen her for what she really was. A monster. And a part of me recoiled from that truth.
The wound she gave me ached. Her mark. Her love tap.
I chuckled, drawing a glance from Shyara. I would've waved her off, but I was a bit short on waves these days.
I moved to Nyla's evolution tab.
She'd taken on a more humanoid form—gray-black fur covering curves straight out of my dreams. Thick thighs, narrow waist, full chest… it was like the system had looked into my search history.
And that evolution? It said the requirement was… "Mate with CHOSEN."
I stared at the screen.
"You really can't make this shit up."
Close the tab. Close the damn tab.
I scoffed, tossing the menu aside.
"So either I fuck her or kill her potential. Real subtle, system. Way to give a guy agency."
Now my head was filled with thoughts I didn't need—especially without a hand to handle them. And Yuki? Not interested.
Nyla and I were… complicated.
I propped myself up and scanned the room. My eyes landed on Shyara. Cute kid. She didn't do it for me—looked way too young in goblin years for any of that.
She closed her book and met my gaze with a smile, walking over and resting a hand on my shoulder. She guided me back into the cot.
"I'm not particularly interested in you that way either, fam," she said sweetly.
"Huh?"
The words didn't match the smile—and hold up, did she just say fam?
"Yeah, I've been meaning to mention it. That blow to the head during the goblin battle had some… unexpected side effects. I got a peek at your memories."
"You're kidding."
"Nope. And I gotta say, you're a bad boy."
"I've always been told the opposite."
She nodded, expression unreadable.
"I've seen your desires, your goals. You want to start breeding—to create new species."
She had seen my memories.
Fuck it. No point hiding now.
"So you're up to speed? That means you know I planned to use you as breeding stock."
"I do."
Still smiling. Still calm.
"But I doubt you'd want to waste me on that. I have something no other monster does. Something invaluable to your goals."
That caught my attention.
"Alright, princess. You've got my interest. Let's hear it."
"I know about the world outside this forest. The truth of this place. And what you actually are in the grand scheme."
"So you can tell me just how screwed I really am?"
"Type shit."
"…Why are you talking like that?"
"My bad, fam. After digging through your memories, I picked up your speech pattern."
Her tone shifted to something angelic, almost musical.
"But if you prefer, I can speak to you like the others, master."
"Find a happy medium."
"My lord." She curtsied with a shit-eating grin.
"Joke's on you—I actually like that."
"No duh. I'm in your head."
"Tch. Touché, Project Princess. Touché."
She chuckled, hand covering her mouth all dainty-like.
I patted the cot beside me, inviting her to sit.
"We've got a lot to talk about. Start from the top. I've been getting my ass kicked since I landed in this fantasy fever dream. Now I'm wondering if I'll have to learn how to wipe my ass with my feet. Where the hell am I, and just how bad is it?"
Shyara composed herself, eyes leveling with mine.
"Completely… my lord."
This bitch.
———
"I'll start at the beginning," Shyara said, her voice losing all trace of playfulness. Guess it was time to get serious.
"This world," she said flatly, "was abandoned by its god."
I raised a brow. "How can you be sure? Maybe he's just on a hands-off arc. That's kind of the vibe back in my world."
"No," she said, and there was no doubt in her tone. "He left. Completely. And without his love, his guidance, or his protection, this world withered into what it is now—Jincan. A land where only the ruthless survive."
I nodded, letting her continue.
"It wasn't always like this. In the beginning, this world was a gift. A reflection of the god's pure, honest love for a woman—someone of a different race, a lesser being in the eyes of his kind. He didn't care. He made this place for her. A sanctuary, far from the judgment of the other gods."
Shyara's eyes darkened.
"But she rejected him. The world. His love. Said it was just a fling. That she never meant for it to be anything real. She stomped on his heart."
And I thought I'd been ghosted hard.
"As the god fell into despair, the world changed to match. Warped. Corrupted. This—" she swept her arm to gesture around us "—is what remains."
I exhaled. "So… AmoreKage. A world shaped by heartbreak."
"Love's Shadow," she confirmed with a nod. "That's what it means now. A world stuck in grief. The god moved on… but the world never could."
"Tragic. But… what does this have to do with me?"
"Everything."
She leaned in slightly.
"Remember—the god and his beloved were of different species. After her rejection, he came to believe that no love between species could ever truly bear fruit. So he made sure it wouldn't."
"…What do you mean?"
"He cursed this world. No crossbreeding. No interspecies children. Humans and elves? Fox-kin and bear-kin? Doesn't matter how similar—they'll never produce offspring. The god stripped this world of that possibility."
I blinked. That explained a lot. Made the CHOSEN skill's implications hit even harder.
"But that's changed now," she said. "Because of you."
I nodded slowly. "Yeah. My skill. It overrides the curse. I can breed across species."
"Exactly. You can create variants this world's never seen. You're either its greatest gift… or its greatest threat. Depends on who's talking."
"Well I've made up my mind," I said. "I'm doing it. I'm going to create new species. Build something real."
She nodded, unsurprised. "I know. You're stubborn. But you should understand the risks."
"Like what? This is a monster world, right? We've survived so far—" I glanced down at my missing arms, "—mostly."
"The biggest threat isn't monsters," she said softly. "It's the same thing that's most dangerous in your world."
"…Porn?"
She gave me a deadpan look.
"I mean, you walked into that one."
She rolled her eyes. "Humans. That's what I meant."
"Ah. Yeah, makes sense. My affinity with humans is, like, negative fifty or something."
"It's complicated. There are ten continents in this world. Six of them are virtually untouched—no developed civilization at all. The remaining four each have dominant factions. The largest? Wildreach. It's where we are now."
"What lives here?"
"Beast-kin, demi-humans, elves, dwarves, and monsters."
"No humans?"
"Not anymore. They've tried to settle here. Every time, they've been wiped out. No human has survived the Wildreach in ten thousand years."
I groaned. "And let me guess… we're in the Wildreach?"
"Barely. We're near the border. Monsters here aren't too dangerous. At least, not compared to what's deeper in."
"Not dangerous? I've been fighting for my life daily! I have no arms!"
Shyara tapped her chin. "Well… that might be your fault."
"Excuse me?"
"Your skill. It probably gives off a powerful aura. You're a beacon—to everything. Females are drawn to you. Males see you as a challenge."
"So I'm a walking monster magnet…"
"Pretty much."
I sighed. "I've had near-death experiences every single day since I got here."
"And it'll only get worse."
"Because of the humans?"
"Because of civilization," she said. "Three continents have organized societies. Two of them are especially advanced. One is a human-dominated military nation. They've tamed most of their monster population. It's also home to the Adventurer's Guild."
"The other?"
"Elves. High magic affinity. Ridiculously smart. They took over their continent despite being a minority."
"And the third?"
"A cesspool of criminals and chaos. No real order. Just blood and power."
"Okay… but none of that affects me unless they start showing up here."
She held my gaze.
"They will."
I frowned. "Why?"
"My saint skill lets me see world-level events. So does the device the Adventurer's Guild uses. Short version? They know about you. About your skill."
I stared at the ceiling of the cave.
"So let me get this straight… I'm on the edge of hell, surrounded by horny monsters, on the radar of a human military faction, and armless. I've got three allies—well, two and a half—and I'm being hunted because I have the potential to shake up the global balance of power."
Shyara smiled gently. "That's about the gist."
I closed my eyes.
"No tutorial. No beginner's area. Just nightmare mode from the start."
I felt my pulse steady.
My breathing calm.
A grin tugged at my lips.
"…Let's play ball."