Reborn As An Evolving Monster

[Monster?]

[That's how you call those you play friends with?]

Elisa stared sternly.

Mark turned towards the other newcomer, Elisa's guide.

'You made it. Knew it wouldn't be too hard for you.'

A returnee. That's how the guide thought of itself after the Quest it had gone through.

The Moonlit Feline, drained and fatigued from that Quest, lay on the ground.

Without reacting, it closed its eyes.

"I was in the tower. That's where she found me."

[Right.]

[That's where I told her you would be.]

"I was in the tower."

Mark didn't understand what Elisa was getting at.

[So?]

"The area around it was different."

A chill went down Mark's body.

He stayed silent.

"Why did you bring me here?"

Mark took a couple of seconds before answering.

He stood up.

[To see you fight.]

"Let's get to it then. I've already seen you fight, so it's only right if we'll do so side by side."

The two entered the Fifth Floor while the three Underlings remained on the other side of the doors.

A swarm of fighting Monsters.

'I guess Nia made it so we won't run out of enemies on this Floor... Wonder how that works. Monsters seem to spawn endlessly on every Floor except the Final one.'

"I'll make this quick..." Elisa drew two Timeworn Daggers out of the sheathes around her waist. "So make sure you watch carefully."

Mark stood back while she walked towards the horde.

Weightless steps. A discreet presence.

'Her Stealth Stat must be pretty high...'

That Stat, was something Mark unfortunately still lacked.

The Monsters slowly became aware of Elisa's presence.

And the first to approach her was a Royal Minotaur.

A Monster Mark, at one point, feared.

A Monster he, at one point, had turned into.

The Royal Minotaur upped its pace, while Elisa continued walking closer.

Mark noticed that her grip around the Timeworn Elven Daggers was especially relaxed.

As if they would fall from her hands from the slightest contact with resistance.

The Royal Minotaur roared as it stretched his chest and shoulder muscles, to throw a powerful punch.

Mark wondered whether Elisa's Vigor Stat was high enough to survive such a hit.

But the answer didn't seem too important.

After all, the Royal Minotaur's fists never got to even graze her.

No.

Before it could even fully extend its arm, a dozen cuts had been drawn on that arm.

Cuts that stretched less than four centimeters appeared on the Royal Minotaur's skin.

The wounds would've appeared harmless, if it wasn't for the heaps of blood leaving them.

Veins and arteries had been carefully severed.

Short but deep cuts.

And the deepest one, seemed to be the one on the side of the Royal Minotaur's neck.

Mark chuckled nervously.

'I could barely see that...'

A succession of quick and efficient actions made possible by Elisa's high level of weapon mastery.

Her shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints seemed to move as one, nimbly, and with Snake-like flexibility.

Elisa's whole body danced freely, to allow her fangs to reach target.

Before the Royal Minotaur could even realize what had happened, she already stood behind it, her daggers at her sides.

The rest of the Monsters quickly turned towards her.

A stronger Monster had appeared.

And so, the weaker Monsters became allies.

It didn't take long for Elisa to be completely surrounded.

The Timeworn Elven Dagger in her left palm spun a half circle.

Grip-

'She's holding it upside down?'

One Dagger was pointed upwards while the other was pointed downwards.

Surrounded by dozens of Monsters, stood Elisa.

Mark's hand twitched.

Her head was hurriedly turning from side to side.

Right-

Left-

Behind-

To Mark, Elisa seemed, for a couple of seconds, lost.

Scared.

As if she were looking for a way out.

A lamb surrounded by wolves.

The next second, a Velvet Werewolf threw itself at her.

Multiple Monsters followed its lead.

And Elisa's Daggers started dancing one more.

She cut, stabbed, and parried perfectly.

But Mark didn't like her dodging.

'She always moves out of the way at the last moment... By hair's breadth...'

Not only that, but her seemingly hurried and anxious head movements did not stop.

Even when claws approached her stomach, Elisa would turn her head to the side.

The Timeworn Elven Daggers danced while their blades drew cuts and painted the floor bloody.

Watching her made Mark feel slightly anxious.

Yet, he couldn't look away.

The way her hair flowed.

The way her body moved.

The way her hips rotated.

The way her feet silently and flawlessly moved, avoiding every limb and corpse on the ground.

The way her blades cut veins and throats.

The way her ashen hair was slowly colored by lines and drops of a beautiful red.

In the middle of that swarm, she was different.

Mark found watching Elisa fight rather enjoyable.

He liked the way she fought.

He liked the way she danced.

He liked the way she killed.

The way she gracefully danced with Monsters and Death.

Mark thought that she might've been having fun.

Her smile, although weak, seemed proof enough.

He couldn't tell what it was that she took joy in though.

Was it in fighting?

Killing?

Killing Monsters?

Or was that smile, perchance, the effect of her Curse? Of the Corruption that dwelled within her?

Mark didn't know the answer to those questions.

And perhaps, neither did Elisa.

It was very likely that she didn't even have knowledge of the smile on her face.

Still, Elisa danced. With a smile on her face.

A beautiful Monster.

A Monster nonetheless.

Little under five minutes passed, and the dance was coming to an end.

"Should be enough, right?" Elisa asked as she slowly made her way out of the swarm.

Mark was slightly caught off guard by the question, which is why he took a couple of seconds to respond.

Of course, there was no way for Elisa to tell.

The monstrous face he bore could never betray him.

[Sure.]

An Orc Chief's approach was halted, as Elisa's left foot landed on its chest.

There wasn't enough power the push the Monster back, but that hadn't been her goal anyways.

Using the Monster as foothold, she launched herself backward.

Elisa gracefully spun in the hair, before landing on a Royal Minotaur's shoulders.

From there, she jumped from one Monster's body to another, until she made it out of the swarm.

With her last leap, Elisa landed on the ground, right in front of Mark.

"So? That good enough for you, Monster?" She asked coldly.

Mark thought she smelled of blood. He didn't dislike the smell.

From behind her, enraged and humiliated enemies approached.

[Will you deal with them or should I?]

While maintaining Mark's gaze, Elisa sheathed the Dagger in her left hand before raising the one in her right slightly.

Elisa's fingers gently moved alongside the Dagger's blade.

The next second, a typhoon seemed to appear over that blade.

Mark's eyes widened.

The Dagger's blade had become that of a Sword, except that it was, somehow, made of wind.

Elisa's right foot stepped back and around slightly.

With a backswing,

Wind Slash-

A dozen Monsters were beheaded at once.

Uneasiness, uneasiness. His heart shouted.

Though he couldn't hear it, he could feel it.