"Alice?"
"Hahaha..."
She laughed. She laughed and sat on the head of the monster called [Guard Fox].
"Hey, get down from there! He'll eat you, you know."
The monster has a very large body, even 10 times larger than the human body. It had a tail with a number 9, two fangs that covered its mouth, white fur that looked smooth and soft, red fire symbols on some of its body, and looked very dangerous.
Not only that, it—I mean, they—are here to surround us. There are four of them. Four monsters have the same shape. They all had the name [Guard Fox] and were level 120.
"Hahaha, don't worry."
Alice was very relaxed, had time to laugh, and told me not to worry about her.
"Don't worry? Get down from there!"
"Don't worry; they're not dangerous. They are the guardians of this forest."
"Is that so? But..."
I don't understand this at all. Alice says that they are harmless, but at their bar, they are very aggressive and dangerous monsters. Has there been a difference in point of view between us? I, as a player, thought they were dangerous, and Alice, as an NPC, thought they were harmless. Do we have different viewpoints about that monsters?
"Can you come down now?"
Even though she said they weren't dangerous, I still had to tell her to get out of there. I'm not afraid. I want to be more vigilant. I don't want anything bad to happen.
"Okay..."
Alice came down from there, walked towards me, and the monsters surrounded us even more.
Warm, that's how I feel here. I felt the warmth that I had experienced before when I was hugged by my mother and father when I was a kid.
"Are they the ones emitting heat?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Yeah, they're the ones who radiate the heat in the place."
"So that..."
"Well, they did that to keep the forest cool. You know what, it's because the trees are creeping up so fast they can't let in the sun. They have good intentions, making heat from their bodies so that both small and large animals, plants that cannot receive metabolism from sunlight, and trees that have not yet grown tall can survive in this forest..."
"So what do you mean, they are good monsters?"
"Monsters? No, they are not monsters. They are sacred beasts that guard and care for this forest."
"But..."
But on my screen, it shows they are monsters that have levels up to 120. That's what I wanted to tell her.
"Don't worry. They're not dangerous."
Since Alice believes in that, then I can only think the same as her. They are harmless, so I believe in her opinion.
If our perspective is different, Alice thinks they are sacred beasts, and I think they are monsters, then I can explain that they are the ones who can be invited to a party. I mean that if you are friends with them and your friendship with them is good, then you can invite them to your party.
They are not monsters, nor are they fully domesticated, but only neutral creatures. They can attack players, NPCs, and even monsters too. They are neutral. Their presence in the game is as a neutral party. They can be used as friends or as enemies. So, they can be dangerous or friendly to you. I know from what I've read about the game system.
Even so, still, their sudden appearance had made me panic. I was panicking because I was worried about Alice being suddenly lifted onto the head of one of them. I was even almost scared that they would kill her.
"Come here!"
She stroked the neck of one of them. She even dared to tell one of them to approach her.
I was surprised to see that. I was shocked to see it so close to her and even wanted to be held by her.
"You're very close to them, aren't you?" I ask.
"That's how it is. I had been with them when I was lost in this forest. They are like my own family."
"Uhm, that's interesting."
"What do you mean?"
"You have many stories. I want to hear all the stories about you later."
"What for?"
"Well, I just wanted to get to know you better."
Of course, my goal is not only that. I'm curious about the background of the NPCs. They have their storyline, which the developer of the game created. I suspect the developer must have made a groove for each NPC.
It's very interesting. Stories are everywhere. This will be my reference for how to become it, either to be a villain or to be a good person.
"Huh!? You don't need to know about me. You don't have to go that far to know her!"
"So what? Do you mind?"
"I-I…"
She didn't answer, her cheeks were red, and her eyes were down. She is too easy to be shy. Is she a tsundere?
"Anyway, Alice, we have to..."
Before I could finish my sentence, the monsters chasing us came toward us.
There are twenty of them. They are varied and have different forms; some can fly, some move like a snake, some run like a horse, and some jump like a frog. Some have low levels, 10-30, but some have above 50.
As they drew closer, the four foxes surrounding me suddenly moved their tails and circled rapidly towards the crowd of monsters.
"Gooooarr!"
They roared in unison, spreading their tails simultaneously towards the monsters.
Attacks from the foxes' tails hit several monsters. Those they hit turned into shards of glass, indicating their HP had run out—in other words, they died. But those who weren't hit kept running toward Alice and me.
I grabbed Alice's hand when I realized they had managed to escape their attack. However, when I managed to reach Alice's hand, and when Alice looked at me with flushed cheeks, I was taken aback by her words.
She said, "Do you want to know about me?"
I tried not to respond, but in the end, I nodded.
"Really?" Alice confirmed that, and I had to nod once more. "Really?" She confirmed again, and I had to nod one more time. It happened up to 5 times.
After believing in me, Alice finally came to her senses and helped the foxes fight the monsters.
As a low-level player, I thought of a way to ensure they were safe and unharmed. Even if I don't know if the foxes understand what I'm saying, I still command them with my knowledge. I lead them to attack, making sure their attacks hit the monsters.
"Your left, your left is open, Alice. Make sure you keep your eyes open all over the place. Don't let them attack your blind spot." I turned to one of the foxes, which was focused on moving its tail. "Hey, fox, don't focus too much on the same attack pattern. You have legs, arms, body, head, and stuff, don't you? Don't use your tail too often. The enemy will read your fighting style. If that happens, it could injure you."
I don't know if he can understand what I'm saying to him, but seeing his response when attacking the enemy by pushing with his body, it seems he understands what I'm saying.
"Good... you can use your tail again after the enemy can't confirm your movement." I move towards the enemies. "Then now…"
There's something strange about them. Five of the monsters had died from being hit by the fox's tail, so their total was 15. They should have numbered 15, but why are there only 14 that I can see there? Where did the other one go? If my guess is correct, then...
I turned one hundred and eighty degrees and saw that the dog-shaped monster was there and wanted to attack me with its teeth and claws.
I can see the passive skill Step Back can be activated on my screen. It activates because my character detects an attack in front of me. Maybe if I don't see it, rotating 180 degrees, the passive skill can't activate.
Since it can be activated, I use it to get away from the enemy trying to attack me.
I managed to get away, but I hit Alice's body instead.
"You are okay?"
She asked, noticing my presence.
"That's how it is."
I can handle it, so I don't want to trouble Alice, who is still busy with her enemies.
I want to test this active skill. I had made a katana-type weapon some time ago, and the materials to make I had managed it through the loot in this forest. Of course, I made them at the Blacksmith's shop using the gold coins I had from completing some quests.
I fiddled with my fingers quickly, opened the Main Menu then switched to the Bag Menu. I changed my weapon to the katana. Afterward, I exited the Bag Menu, then Main Menu, and got ready.
First, I took as much breath as I could, as far as I could. Second, I predict how far I will lunge. Third, I ensure the distance between myself and the enemy is in the right position. And lastly, I need to be able to make sure that my attack hits it right.
When the active skill looked usable on my screen, I lunged at it.
"Hissatsu: Kyuten!"