My eyes opened as the sun shone through the mountains. Its warm light caressed my face gently and dispelled the chill around me. I tried to get up from sleep, stretched my arms and stiff body, then stood up and approached the direction of the river. I cupped my hands to collect the water and drank it. It tasted fresh. Luckily last night, we were able to find a resting place close to a water source.
After being attacked by a herd of Black Vampire Bats, Dimas, Kak Shella, and I looked for a safe place to spend the night. It was luck that brought us here. In addition to being close to water, this area was still overgrown by giant trees, so the root could still be used to shelter from animal attacks.
We didn't sleep together, of course. There had to be someone on guard to wake the sleeping one if something went wrong. Because we used to go hunting at midnight, only Dimas and I were on guard.
I've been on guard for the first three hours, while Dimas after it. That man should still be beside Kak Shella and me. But somehow, his figure could not be found.
"Perhaps he's only gone for a while to look for food nearby," I thought to myself with a bit of anxiety.
Then I shook my head. Instead of thinking about him, I'd better use this time to take a bath. After the night combat, my body seemed to smell like bats. Luckily the beast's bloodstains were easy to clean. One thing that irritated me was starting the trip with dirty clothes.
My hands removed one by one the buttons of the shirt I was wearing, then placed it on a large rock on the bank. My eyes then fell on two growing busts covered with fabric. Compared to a corset or bra in the modern world, this garment was more like a wrapped piece of cloth.
It felt very uncomfortable. I didn't know why women in this world could put up with something like this.
Unknowingly, my hand was gently caressing these two hills. I took a deep breath. Since first arriving in this world, for some reason, my chest was getting bigger. One year ago, I could be called a flat-chested girl. Now its size has grown so that it could fit in my palm. Maybe this was what it felt when a girl was going through puberty. Of course, my pride as a man inside was hurt.
I often caught several men looking at my chest intensely. Surely disgusting. I wanted to kick their faces one by one until they couldn't see anymore. I finally knew what it was like to be a woman when a perverted man stared. It was all this body's fault, yes, this body.
My hands were still feeling my breasts. This was quite large. Maybe the size was the same as Kak Shella, who was proportional. I wonder, was it possible that my chest could grow even bigger like an adult woman like Almira?
When I was unconsciously still stroking my chest, suddenly a male voice came and startled me.
"Ehem… you really love your busts, don't you?"
I immediately covered my chest and turned towards the source of the sound behind a large rock. Dimas turned out to be there! His upper body until the hair was wet. It looked like he had just dipped his naked body into the water, like a reptile keeping its body temperature cool.
"Goddammit! What do you think you are doing?" I shouted angrily as I crouched down to avoid his gaze.
"You blind? I'm taking a bath," he replied casually.
"I'm not asking that. You are peeking at me, aren't you?"
"Peeking at you? Wait a minute, Miss! I've been here from the start. You came later, then took off your clothes and groped your chest. Why are you blaming me, when it's your own fault!?"
My emotions were rising high, but it was still at the level where I could still hold it in. But it was true what Dimas said. It was all my carelessness. But somehow, I still didn't take it for granted after he saw me doing such a shameful thing. I was sure my face was red right now. I want to just bury my head in the ground forever.
"I-I'll go first," I exclaimed nervously while intending to put back the clothes I had taken off.
"Hold on! You came here because you wanted to take a bath, right? Why don't we bath together here?"
"B-Bath together?!"
"Calm down, Bastard! It seems you don't get it. I don't know what kind of crazy thoughts are going through your head. I mean by bath together, I'm here while you're on the other side of the rock."
"Still that…. It feels—"
"There's something I want to talk to you about eye to eye."
That was the story of how Dimas and I sat together in the river, naked, side by side. There was only a big rock separating us. My mouth couldn't speak anymore. How awkward. Since becoming a woman, I have always been wary of the various opportunities that could be used to commit crimes against me. I really didn't want to be stained by any man. Of course, because I was a man in soul too. Like hell I wanted to be ridden by another man!
But what happened now that I was alone with Dimas naked. Where I could be at the bottom and the boy at the top. Even though he was a close friend of mine, which to my senses, he couldn't possibly do it. I was still keeping my guard up.
"Do you know, Dimas?" I opened my voice. "I hate the most when you look at me with filthy eyes."
"H-Hey! When do I look at you with perverted gaze?"
"Earlier. And every time after I take a bath, your eyes are always wandering around my body."
"H-How do you know?" Dimas exclaimed in disbelief.
"Of course I know! Do you think girls won't know when a guy stares at you?"
The man fell silent. Maybe at a loss for words. It seemed that he was very surprised when I managed to expose his bad nature. I didn't know what he was doing on the other side of the rock. I bet he must have been embarrassed to death and wished he could bury his head in the water like me before.
Yeah, but that was how it should be. Dimas should be ashamed to do it again.
"Oh my god, Dimas! Don't you like Kak Shella? Why don't your perverted gazes just stare at her instead of me?"
"That's exactly why I have to treasure her and shouldn't look at her like a beast. Instead, I chose another girl to fiercely stare at."
"And that girl is me. You're trash!"
"That means you're attractive. I'm sure I'm not the only man who stares at you wildly," explained Dimas. I couldn't accept the answer at all. Indeed, there were already many men like him that I felt uncomfortable when I went to a place where men gather.
"Do you think I'm happy with that?"
"Sowwiiieee. But you still thinking yourself as a man, don't you?"
"Of course. I'm a man forever," answered me fastly.
"Then, can I grope your chest? There's nothing wrong if a man grope another's man chest, right?"
"What!!?" I shouted as I stood up for a moment, my hands over my chest. "I can't believe it! I'm out!"
I glared. My emotions were really at their peak. Immediately, I took some small river stones and threw them at Dimas.
The boy burst out laughing. "Hey, I was joking! I'm not that serious! Teasing you is never so much fun!"
"You jerk!"
"I still haven't said what I want to talk about!" asked Dimas.
"I'm not talking to you anymore!"
After getting out of the water and putting on my clothes, I immediately left. I didn't want to linger with people who had lustful eyes on me. Worse things could have happened if I had stayed with him.
When the sun had started to rise, we continued our journey towards the North Latitude Mountains. Since then, I no longer talked to him. The trip was so quiet. Indeed we should not be noisy because it could invite danger to come, but the atmosphere around was dead. There were no jokes that Dimas and I used to make, nor the slightest small talk. It was really quiet.
"What happened to you two?" asked Kak Shella, who was walking behind me.
"Nothing, really," I replied casually. I lowered my body to pass through the roots of the giant tree that crossed my head.
"It's not usually you and Dimas like this."
"Dimas? Who's that? Oh, do you mean that dog poop over there?" I said curtly. Dimas did not reply at all. He seemed to give in to what I called him.
"There must be something."
After nearly four hours of walking, we were out of the giant tree area. There was only a vast expanse of waist-high meadow ahead. At the end of this meadow was the foot of the mountain. We had to pass through the Northern Latitude Mountains to get to Arnest City. My destination lay beyond that mountain range. The peaks of the mountains were covered with thick storm clouds.
It was now one step closer to the goal, but somehow I felt bad. Every time I look ahead, my chest feels tight. My ears seemed to hear the screams of people screaming.
"Are you worried?" asked Dimas while patting my shoulder.
I ignored him and grabbed my chest. This heartbeat was so fast as if it wanted to jump out. I didn't know what was behind the storm clouds. What was clear was that the journey ahead would not be as easy as it has been.
After a few stunning minutes of staring at the towering mountains, I decided to shake off the bad thoughts in my head. I regained my resolve and took bold steps. Dimas and Kak Shella, who initially hesitated, also joined in. This expanse of grassland could be said to be quite normal. Since this belongs to the Elvian territory, I was afraid that everything had the surprise of something magical.
Half an hour walking, the three of us arrived in the middle of the meadow. Only halfway to go to the foothill. But that was where I felt strange. A lot of the grass around here was damaged like something stepped on. What horrified me was the size of the damage to the grass, which can be up to two meters. Even if someone stepped on it, only a few inches. I found more and more grass damaged or uprooted, like the remnants of a battle, the closer to the center. I also found some animal carcasses such as deer or buffalo. Most of the carcasses were already bones. What all these carcasses had in common was that they didn't have heads.
I immediately got goosebumps. Turned my head in all directions but nothing to find. Then I paused for a moment, trying to use my Super Sense. Translucent projections spread out in all directions. Even though my eyes were closed, I could see Dimas and Kak Shella, who were scared. The two people's heartbeats were getting faster. I could hear it as if I was pressing my head against their chest. There was nothing on this meadow but a swarm of harmless ants and a few small birds that ate the grass.
It was only when the projection of my gaze pierced the ground that I stood. Two giant spiders were waiting in a hole ten meters deep underground. They were about the size of two elephants, their hairy legs and sharp fangs ready to attack any prey on the ground.
That prey was us.
"Runnnn!!!" I shouted loudly as I dashed forward as fast as lightning.