Chapter 12

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The magical swamp in the heart of the uncharted lands of Alurea was very old. It remembered the beginning and the end of several civilizations, to say nothing of the fates of individuals. And it could not tolerate noise, for noise is a sign of carelessness, an error of prey that there is always someone to devour. That was the law of this place, this endless feast of life and death: the strong would eat the weak, the strong would be devoured by the stronger, but even the strongest of all would sooner or later be devoured by scavengers. And the silent mire will take for itself the bones that remain of those who have lost their last battle.

So the swamp-dwellers were very surprised to hear a creature screaming, not to say shrieking, through the marshes. So far, no one who has heard this scream has ever seen anything like it. In a normal biocenosis, animals prefer to stay away from incomprehensible, and therefore dangerous, phenomena. Bright coloring can turn into a deadly poison, loud noises into a call of their fellows, and strange behavior into a sign of some deadly disease. A similar law applied here on the marshes, but only in part - it was too active, too strong are living there. And among them, there were easily those who wanted to taste the source of the noise.

Except there was a little problem. The man, squealing like a half-circumcised pig, was not just yelling, he was running. And he was running with alarming speed and agility, not noticing the few pursuers, who were quickly falling behind the tiny prey. Moreover, somehow this little white creature managed to run even through the deepest and impassable mire, like an insect on the surface of the water.

Among the few who could catch up with it, some were too sensitive to the mystical energy that filled the swamp. And their senses screamed to stay away from the creature, for, despite its small size, it radiated cold and evil energy, as if drawn from the darkest corner of the universe. And the always calm shadows in its presence caressed the man, trembling along with him at the same time. No matter what drove the white monkey forward, the panicked macaque was beyond the reach of the prey-hungry predators.

The few speedy predators who were not sensitive enough, or were confident enough, or simply did not have a developed brain, attacked the running squealer. It was to no avail, for the high dexterity multiplied by the tremendous reaction rate, the presence of obedient shadows, and the wild panic that sharpened his reflexes more than any other dope, allowed the noise source to shred its attackers without even slowing its running.

It was undoubtedly wasting his reserve, but so far he was not showing bottom, and the shadows were still steadily tearing, choking, snapping, crushing, stabbing, and whatever else they were doing to the bodies of unlucky hunters. The smarter animals preferred to simply follow the incomprehensible phenomenon in their wake, quietly eating the bodies of the unlucky ones. After a while, there were even fights over the next dead carcass.

The man himself, that cowardly monkey, was scared as hell and did not care about the running out of reserve, the emptiness in his chest, the creatures attacking him and the possible sad outcome of such a march through unknown and dangerous terrain. As soon as he began to feel tired, as soon as he calmed down at least a little, as soon as he wanted to rest... He remembered the appearance of the young swamp ogre, remembered her charming smile, remembered how quickly and silently this seemingly lumbering mountain of meat moved, followed by another desperate squeal and another acceleration of an already fast run.

It was all about breaking the distance between the chupacabra and his delicate, extremely vulnerable psyche as quickly as possible. If his characteristics had not already been developed to the maximum of his natural development and a little beyond, he would have been able to develop them safely to the maximum in a single run.

But no matter how strong his panic was, no matter how painstakingly he squeezed out all the juice he had in him, there was a line that even he could not cross. The man, Hero, isekai, and forum troll finally stopped screaming, stepped out onto a small patch of dry ground, and, without turning around, as well as not attempting to scan his surroundings, simply leaned his drenched back against a tree, and then passed out.

He could have been killed in a thousand ways, countless creatures could have eaten him in his sleep, he could have drowned in the mire, been bitten by a snake or insect, died of overexertion, but fate very often protects idiots, so this particular member of humanity was not threatened until morning.

I woke up from the cold and the rays of sunlight hitting my face. And also from the pain all over my body, which made me want to howl like a wolf and preferably chew someone's arms off. To the local summoners who'd gotten me into this anal carnival, for example, or someone else like them.

Everything ached!

Even my hair, or at least my scalp, was aching, tugging, sharp, and pressing pain all over my body at the same time. It was as if each bone had been broken three times, then reattached, then broken and reattached again, but this time forgetting the miniature jackhammer inside each bone, all of which, at that moment, was pounding my skeleton at full power, seemingly with no intention of stopping.

To the physically unhealthy state of mind, I felt a wild, cerebral dryness that made me want to drink marsh mud, a sucking emptiness in my chest that indicated an overuse of energy and a temporary inability to use shadows, and a body gnawed by mosquitoes and other bloodsucking bastards that made my face look like some kind of swollen Chinaman. I hadn't looked in the mirror yet, but, judging by my difficulty in opening my eyes, my eyes were now narrow slits.

After I opened my eyelids and almost blew my brain out of my ears from the too-bright light, I was finally able to see the landscape that opened up to me. A crown of trees sheltering me from the merciless sun, a few gaps in the crown through which I could see a sliver of sky, and, for dessert, no less than the last element of the picture I'd seen:

"Tits."

I voiced my thought even before I thought it through. No, I wasn't hallucinating, and I wasn't having any interesting dreams, either. It was just that those same boobs were hanging out in front of my face. The green ones, with big dark nipples, were literally within walking distance of my mosquito-riddled face. Just put your hand out and you could squeeze them. The main problem was that the tits were not hanging there all by themselves, but, as they should, were attached to the rest of the body.

No, I'm not denying that, compared to the previous monster, this body was very nice. It was a little too muscular and tall enough to crush me, but aesthetically, it wasn't bad. Except for the face that looked at me intently... um... let's say, a woman, was far from the definition of "beautiful." The most I would give it as a subjective assessment was "it'll do for half a liter" along with "at least not completely ugly". That's about it.

There is a proverb. There are no unattractive women. There is not enough vodka.

The facial features were too coarse like made by an ax, the fangs protruding from the massive jaw, and the overly pronounced brow arches. In short, it was better to fuck from behind, but not face-to-face. I also, despite my newly acquired consciousness, knew at once what a pair of tits was watching me. First of all, I did not meet any fucking women in these places or any women at all. The only exception was the zoologist's nightmare last night, which nearly sent me to the other side of the world. First, trying to eat me, and then, because I was terrified of running away from this "swamp princess" straight into the already disgusting swamps, where I could easily give my soul to the System.

When I remember the places I ran through and the things I came across, I am surprised that I survived this situation. I can say unequivocally that if I haven't exhausted my reserves of isekai luck, then I've been pretty wasted on them during my run.

Once again I am reminded of the bogeyman that my first victim for the mythical ring was original. And all hints of a morning boner, combined with the excitement of contemplation of the naked green body disappears into oblivion, and my balls are almost hidden in my rectum. As it seemed to me, something resembling chagrin flashed on the completely unreadable face of my - there must be a three-ton charge of explosive sarcasm here - beautiful companion.

Ok, Kostik.

We are responsible for what we've tamed, even if that tame animal is a huge, pumped-up, titty woman who tried to eat you yesterday. And who almost succeeded, I should point out separately! I should definitely ask her for a description of her characteristics and abilities because I haven't felt so powerless in a long time. I mean, in direct combat, I'm sure I would have killed her if I hadn't been distracted by the ring. But up until the moment I encountered her in combat, I hardly sensed her at all.

I am!

Sensor and lurker of the mythical fucking class!

I didn't sense that three-and-a-half-foot-tall swamp monster!

It's not just a tank, it's a stealth train, honestly. It's also a reminder to me that I shouldn't ask the System for anything at all. It would be like this. No, I'm not kidding. I asked for a tank with big tits, and I got it. And a tank, and boobs, and more in every sense of the word.

Only if I imagined my request in the form of a pretty elven girl in full armor, from which she knows how to get out very quickly, with a delicate and fragile body (with boobs!) hidden underneath, then I got a f*cking f*ck! At least they didn't send a dragon, or I have a feeling they might have.

I look at the ring with some regret, already rolling the anti-admin activator phrase on my tongue, but, remembering the last lightning strike, I hesitate to start paying for all the good stuff right now. Not with an empty reserve and an inability to move my own shadow. Not even Bobik would be needed in this state, another swarm of mosquitoes would be enough.

I sighed again and looked at the face of my most faithful companion in the world. The face, of course, is "gorgeous," especially for scaring naughty children, and not burdened with intelligence. But even that is better than what I saw yesterday. Konstantine the Second, who had stirred up again, fell down again from the realization of the cruelty of this world. And I only hoped that enough booze, which I would buy as soon as I found a normal tavern, could erase those memories from my mind.

When I look at the face, my heroic skill tells me that I see a level thirty-three swamp ogre. I'd never heard of an ogre cosplaying an assassin at such a level as to be able to over-assassinate such an awesome guy like me, but I don't see much in the world. That includes a tank sneaking up on you.

Hm.

It sounds funny now, but yesterday it was so fucking scary and dangerous, like walking through the slums of Detroit wearing only a Ku Klux Klan cap and with a bare ass.

"All right, baby." I creaked to my feet, under the same scrutinizing gaze of a naked girl. "Let's show me your status if that's even possible, and then let's go back to that damn island. I still have all my clothes there, and the bathroom is there, too. And I'm so dirty now, I could be mistaken for one of your relatives. And yes, what's your name anyway, you swamp terror?"

A second of complete silence, during which the indifferent expression on the face of the monster changed first to bewilderment, and then to joy, after which I was given a succinct and very comprehensive answer:

"Y? Ygra hard..."

A second of complete silence, during which the indifferent expression on the face of the monster changed first to bewilderment, and then to joy, after which I was given a succinct and very comprehensive answer:

"Fuck!"

The next two hours were a real test of my nerves, brain, and sanity. This... that Ygra had the intellect of a watermelon, damn it! It was as if, when God gave out her brains, they all went into those same watermelons. She could not form sentences, could not understand figurative expressions, and could not properly perceive even the concept of time. All my attempts to explain myself to her, at least in words, at least in gestures, came up against an iron-clad stupidity and lack of understanding of what I wanted from her.

My anger at her stupidity made me want to punch her in the face or bend her over and fuck her right here. I'm fucking walking around her, gesticulating like a fucking mill, and she's sitting on her ass and just grinning at me! Seriously, System, give her a bit of a brain, just a couple of grams! Otherwise, I'm gonna lose my marbles!

"Okay. Okay. Here. You. Your. Power. Status. Skill. What." And all the while poking fingers now and then at her, then at the space in front of her eyes, to remind her of the system screens that should also appear in front of her eyes. Or shouldn't?

"Ygra strong!" She nodded accordingly, and I realized that I was about to explode from the accumulated tension. In every sense of "tension". I never thought I'd be this hungry, but I'm ready for her now, and that's an indicator.

A few deep breaths and exhalations, combined with another memory of her former appearance, calmed the Spear of Destiny, but the irritation and anger only accumulated and accumulated. God, the System, Amon-Ra, Cthulhu, Krishna, tell me, why the hell would I do this? Couldn't you have given that pair of tits a little bit of brain, too? Just a little bit, so she could talk.

"Right. Ygra. Let's go. Back. The island. Meeting. Yesterday. Swamp." I list the words, hoping that at least one of them will be familiar to my, God forgive me, interlocutor.

"Ygra walk!" She answered at once. And in one motion she got to her feet and headed in the direction she alone knew, so quickly and quietly that I was surprised.

In fact, she wasn't faster than I was, I'd even say she was slower. But I still couldn't keep up with her! It wasn't even the sheer width of her stride, but the fact that she seemed to flow through that unfortunate swamp. Quieter than the rustle of the winds, lighter than the weightless morning fog, faster than the occasional shadow. If I hadn't been staring at the center of her back, I would have lost sight of her. My senses were malfunctioning from depleted energy reserves, and without the shadows, I could have searched for her until the new system update.

I was absolutely certain now that the swamp itself was courting her. The branches seemed to avoid her, the light bumps that even I could hardly stand were not even squeezed under her feet, and the swamp and mire took her in without a splash. A phantasmagorical sight, I'll admit - a huge carcass, but look away and you won't hear a single rustle it makes. Something tells me that finding something more dangerous in this swamp is going to be a challenge.

The lack of shadows was a big hindrance because even my perfect coordination didn't help me keep pace. If the ogre hadn't turned around from time to time so she wouldn't lose me, I would have been lost. Once she even pulled me out of some hole I gurgled headlong into. Luckily, I didn't even have time to swallow any crap, only to be scared.

What was mine, what was her body was covered with layers of mud and slime. This child of nature did not think twice about choosing a cleaner path. Only speed and efficiency, nothing more. I'm not even sure if she was choosing the path to suit my height, or if she was just taking her usual route. Judging by the fact that I had to be pulled out of the mire three more times, the second option was much more likely.

My stamina hadn't fully recovered, and I had to run as fast as I could to keep up with the ogres' seemingly leisurely strides. She would probably have had to drag me a little more if she had had the brains to realize the necessity of the action. But we still made it to the very swamp that surrounded the ill-fated islet. The distance I'd covered half the night before, we'd run in a couple of hours.

The weather was sunny when I woke up, but now it was gloomy again, and the fog was up. I could hardly see the island itself, which was no good, either-what if something was lurking there? But the next stupidity I did myself, with all the progress and fell into the mire, when I reflexively repeated the maneuver of quietly stepped in it, ogre. Luckily, she didn't let me swallow the mud again, just carrying me through the mud on her outstretched arm. Ygra herself dived for a few seconds, but the arm she'd suspended me in was still there.

A minute later we were on the island, where my things were still lying around, the extinguished fire smoldering slightly (good thing I had covered it up from the rain), and even the water in the bathtub was still almost clean, only cold.

As much as I wanted to step into the cold water, I couldn't even move. I had no strength left to even walk to the shelter. So I just rolled over on my side, curled up, and fell asleep right where she put me on the ground. At this point, I didn't care about my stupid little beastie, about the intrigues of the System, or about a possible cold. I was just dead tired.

This time I didn't dream at all.

I woke deep into the evening, and the first thing I realized was the return of shadow perception, without which I felt not even naked, but no skin on my body at all. I also felt a certain tightness in my muddy pants, which made me uncomfortable. It felt like my body, deprived of a woman's attention for a long time, was now demanding that I pay for my downtime with interest.

Fuck you, body, with that kind of prank. I won't soon forget the nightmare I saw!

I got to my feet with a groan, looking around. I looked around and found an ogre that was also asleep, curled up in a ball on the ground. It rolled over on its other side and went back to dreamland, yawning at me with its rows of snow-white fangs. At least someone in this world is having a good time, damn it.

I could hardly tear my eyes away from the naked body, which was easier to do because of the dirt covering it, and then I went to the bathroom. I could use a cold shower right now, preferably a very cold one. I throw off my clothes, which are no longer clothes, but some kind of mud armor, and quietly, so as not to wake up the sleeping idiot, I plunge my ass into the water.

Cold!

It is so invigorating! It is the purest high for a tired body, comparable only to the feeling of having finished a session or a year's project. It seems that one more moment, and I will simply fly with the wings. But the moment passes, and I have to return to reality, taking on the task of washing my body, dirty as a deputy's conscience. And the lump of dried earth that my hair had turned into made me want to weep bloody tears.

I had to crawl for my dagger and bluntly cut off most of the strands, throwing it into the swamp. For it was an impossible task for my delicate and vulnerable psyche to wash. After washing, my hard-won bath looked more like a mud bath, but I felt much better. Enough to start another attempt to talk to my personal swamp scarecrow.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, you cunt-eyed fear-monger! May you fly like a bird, a donkey, a gopher, and a bunny right into the mouth of a hungry homosexual dragon, thrice fucked by a bunch of evil milling machines! Bitch, just fucking show me your status! Status! I know every sentient being can do that!" I, by the way, really know, because in my status such option, after a long search, was found. "Or don't you, you stupid bitch, count as a sentient being!!!?"

You know, maybe my screaming would have scared some people, but this one... this one just didn't give a fuck. She looked at me with her devoted eyes, and she didn't even seem to know why I was yelling at her. No, she gets the tone, there can be no doubt. Even our office cat caught it when someone yelled at him, and she has a little more brains, I hope. But by each hour this hope is becoming less and less.

"Y?"

This was her "Y" in response to my every attempt to demand something more difficult than walking in the direction indicated. It's just a complete, unbearable fuck-up that threatens to kill me before the local fauna does. I hate this fucking world! The rage that's uncharacteristic of me, even the lustful thought of using this degenerate girl washed out of my brain. I couldn't fuck an animal like that, hard-on or not.

Fuck, one more day of this and I'll start talking in a "your-my-go-understand" way myself! Bitch, if there's any way to improve the mental capacity of this green set of muscles, ass, and tits, I better find it soon, or I'll either kill her or have to leave her somewhere in the [bleep] and order her not to follow me. Otherwise, I'll really go insane.

System, I hate you!

"Yes **** **** **** ***** you ***** **** **** and your ****** ***** ***** *****!" I yelled when another perplexed "Y" came out in response to my lamentations, and then cursed profanely.

My current state of mind could only be described by one single word, and that word would be "fucked". I could add the epithets "full," "fierce," "terrifying," "endless," and a dozen more like them if you wish. It seemed that in another second I would start foaming at the mouth, tearing my clothes off, and get a new berserk class, and already developed to the maximum at once. In my head, there was a red haze, thickly mixed with anger and lust. I wanted to stab this stupid, mockingly stupid creature with daggers, tear it up with shadows, and fuck it in all its holes with all my limbs at the same time.

How, by some miracle, I kept myself on the edge, I have no idea. Maybe it was the title of Hero that kept me from going crazy, but at some point I realized that I was pumping a bathtub full of dirty water with shadow energy, literally evaporating all the impurities in it. I looked for a second at the clear water, through which, however, you could not see the bottom, and without a second's hesitation, I dove into the resulting structure.

Cold.

Very cold.

The cold washes my emotions out of my head, leaving only an indifferent and calm understanding of the situation as if for a second I stopped being human and became something else. And then I dive even deeper into something that is no longer water. It's like I'm suspended for a second in a vast ocean of total [crnsored]ness, and then I find myself standing in the middle of an empty bathroom. Only it's not there anymore.

This place looks like the real world, and I recognize familiar features, but it's still completely different. The ruins look much older and more sinister, the landscape is too bleak, and the fog is much thicker than it was originally. The grass and trees look wilted, thin, and ghostly. And most importantly, the colors were completely gone, as if there was only [censored], white, and gray frozen in between. I thought at first that I had turned on the Gaze, but I soon realized that this time I had entered the Shadow myself.

The total monochrome of the surrounding reality was already very depressing. But far more important was the whispering. Distant and near, in a thousand different voices, it sounded, calling, promising, threatening, begging, and demanding. The voices of the Shadows that dwell here. I can see them - mostly small, unintelligent Shadows hiding in the corners, but in the distance, deep in the mire, I can hardly distinguish the larger representatives. Visibility is very poor, the whispering disrupts concentration, and the cold eats away at my bones. With every second I spend here, the emptiness in me grows stronger, bulkier, taking in more and more.

Something tells me that if I stay here longer than my reserve allows, something bad will happen. My body may stay here forever. I glance around the landscape, including the nervous ogre, who's probably lost sight of me. In my shadow vision, it looks like an enormous figure wrapped in mud, with many thin threads stretching out into space, toward the swamp, as if it were feeding the shell of mud that covers it.

I should have used Gaze to fight her. Though, I was too far away whereas the range of the Gaze itself is not at all consistent with normal vision.

My thoughts flow smoothly and clearly, which helps a lot because now I don't have to worry about the emotions that are flooding my brain. I took my eyes off the approaching figure and looked for the way out. It is, in fact, obvious and simple, for everything is already stated in my status. The shadow steps allow me to use the shadows as passageways and portals, which means that all I have to do is simply step forward to one of the cuts in space. Now that I'm looking specifically for shadows, the whole area seems to me to be covered in a huge number of thin strips that look like zipper locks of sorts. Push and pull, and there's a way out. Or in, you never know.

But now I don't even have to do that little. Right beneath my feet, there is already a ready passage, saturated with my power and completely under my control. I'm standing on it! I could only form my desire, and the cold, burning water would wash over my body again, and the reserve would stop emptying at a frightening rate.

My eyes open and my gaze goes straight to the excitingly rippling breasts of the ogre leaning over the surface of the water, and the idea of fucking her for messing with my brain begins to seem too appealing again.

"What are you looking at? I'm here, I'm here. Go back to sleep." I sent her away, not trusting my restraint. She may not have understood my words, but the unambiguous hand gesture was very clear to her so that after a short moment I was able to watch her green buns instead of her watermelons.

Damn, I'm stuck again!

Why the fuck am I so freaked out? Lack of sex in the body is a serious thing, of course, but not to the point of ignoring common sense. The body, what the fuck is that?

However, my complaints about my rapidly calming body in the cold water recede into the background when the system message starts flashing in my eyes. I'm not even that surprised that my antics with reality have given me a whole new title and a class ability upgrade. And, characteristically, this time, even though I've spent a fair share of my reserves, I don't look like a squeezed lemon at all.

Okay, what's up with the ability?

Steps of the shadows: 3/7

It allows you with an effort to step into the shadow and go straight to the shadow plan, with the possibility to linger there for a very short time; it allows you to choose a shadow for a return pass right in the process of applying the skill; the movement distance is short and limited by the user's reserve, and the effort and concentration is very significant; in combat, it is extremely difficult to apply this skill, but for ambushes and surprise strikes this ability is quite applicable.

So that's it? This is the first time in my life that I've ever pump up a class ability two points at once without getting very tired? I'm just the son of the mom's girlfriend! Seriously! When I remember how long it took me to get away from the usual shadow control, getting a headache and bleeding from my nose, it makes me sick.

If I had known, I would have used this method earlier. It was very unpleasant and scary to be in the Shadow, but not so much that I could refuse such a boost to my development. From the description of the skill, at the initial level it allowed me simply to link two different shadows in order to step from one to the other. Yes, I still had to be in the Shadow for a moment, but only for a moment. And when I fell into the shadow bath technique that I had created myself, I was in the Shadow all at once and for a long time, having skipped all the preparatory stages. That's probably why I got two ranks in less than a minute.

Should I try again? As long as there is a reserve, and the bath is also not completely dissipated. Although it's better not, I'll read about the new title, and then I'll cheat.

What do we have there?

Shadow Lucky: You, showing incomparable dementia, took a step too far, falling completely into the Shadow, being unprepared for it. In spite of your slim chances of survival, you managed to get out the way you came in. Moreover, despite your underdeveloped ability, you were not torn to pieces on the way back! The odds of survival were one in a thousand, but Fate keeps fools away! We'll just be silent, refrain from commenting, and give you a reward. Bonus: +1 bonus point to Shadowsteps ability.

U.

Ugu.

Fuck!

That's how you go gray by the time you're thirty. One in a thousand, my ass! I wish I hadn't read that title at all, rather than get nervous now. Holy Tits, that I had the brains not to jump in the tub last time, but to throw the negator in first, or I wouldn't even be here. All my calm at jumping into The Shadow had been provoked by the charge of rage that overwhelmed me like the steam of a boiling kettle. The abrupt shift from rage to calm allowed me to act on instinct, instead of listening to the cries of the Shadows and panicking. If I'd hesitated just one extra second, I might not have been allowed back in!

Note: never look for easy ways to grind a shadow class. Or any other class, for that matter. Otherwise, I might have much less luck next time than I'd like.

I was able to get a full understanding of Zen only a few minutes later when even my high endurance was not enough to stay in the icy water longer without feeling uncomfortable. I got out, shuddering from the gusts of wind, which immediately began to shake my clothes, which were soaked through, and then I began to undress. The endurance, of course, is good, but I do not want to fall ill with pneumonia because of my self-confidence. So I'm going to do some warm-up exercises. I'll also do some training with daggers because I've really let myself go idle the last few days.

Rest - a very necessary thing, but everything good must be in moderation, otherwise, it will quickly cease to be good and begin to distract you from living a quiet life.

The training not only warmed up my body by injecting a little heat into it but also stirred my brain, giving me a very simple idea, which I had not even thought of before. Although I should because it's elementary!

I pulled on the second set of clothes and approached Ygra, who was watching my dance with the blades with interest. Although I think she would have been just as interested in watching a brick wall. In any case, the important thing now is not to go over her stupidity again, but to get at least some information from her about her characteristics and skills.

I sit down next to her and make a truly heroic effort to look clearly at her face, not below it. I am surprised, but I manage not to look away, even though I can't help but look down. After that, I just take... and sent my status to her.

After waiting for a reaction, I point my finger to her forehead, and slowly, almost in a syllable, to make sure she understands, I tell her the simplest possible order: "Now you. To me. As well."

Thank you to all the gods of the universe, thank you to St. Random and the Great Macaroni Monster, thank them infinitely for making this dummy understand me after all!

"А! Ygra can!"

Then I got a beeping message about the status of my companion. I took a deep breath, and once again suppressed the desire to take her right there, not giving a damn about my plans (fuck, when I arrive in the nearest town I get the money and run to the brothel because I'm about to start looking at trees), I went away and began to deal with the information I had received. I was finally able to find out what kind of beast I'd gotten, since she'd almost killed me.

Name: Ygra

Race: Swamp Ogre (monster; epic)

Level: 33

Titles: The Scourge of the Swamps; Master of the Hunt

Characteristics Points: 0

Evolving Points: 0

Characteristics:

Strength: 154 (1*3)

Dexterity: 65

Endurance: 220 (1*3)

Perception: 60

Concentration: 1

Energy: 1

Talents:

Sturdy Hide: 3/4

The skin acquires the highest durability, becoming almost invulnerable to insufficiently strong blows, and even really powerful attacks will lose some of their striking power; a high probability of completely ignoring damage from the projectile.

[Censored] Blood: 3/3

Significantly reduces vulnerability to dark branches of magic; dissipates active spells on contact with skin and blood; debuffs dissipate three times faster.

Kinship of the Mire: 5/5

Gives complete unity with the mire and swamps; significantly increases stealth skill when in the swamp; extremely effective at hiding from sensory magic skills; makes it difficult to find with active skills; has no effect outside the swamp; weakened in normal forests.

Call of the Hunt: 1/1

During the hunt, if the hunt takes place on the swamp, dexterity and perception characteristics get a bonus of +20 points. During the hunt, if the hunt takes place on the swamp, stealth skills increase by a certain value: from 10 to 50 percent.

Attractive Body: 3/3 (gifted)

A rare skill that draws gazes to the host's body as well as to specific parts of it; reduces concentration, will, restraint, and increases the influence of carnal desires; effect accumulates when a gaze is held on the host for a long time; of limited use in combat situations.

Pheromone System of Soft Influence: 5/5 (gifted)

Allows the host body to secrete pheromones that affect the mind and consciousness of others; the effect is stronger when touched directly; can induce lust, desire, sleepiness, relaxation, submission, and calm in victims; when used actively and consciously, can cause a paralyzing, weakening or subduing effect when touched; can be effective in combat against living and breathing opponents.

Special:

Darkvision (racial)

Enhanced hearing (racial)

Sensitive Nose (racial)

Triple Strength (racial)

Triple Endurance (racial)

Low intelligence (racial)

Magical anti-talent (racial)

Acid Vulnerability (racial)

Reinforced body (common)

Reinforced Bones (uncommon)

Perfect immunity (rare)

Ogre Regeneration (epic; racial)

Steel Muscles (rare)

Improved Coordination (common)

Hero's Companion (epic)

Fast body cleansing (normal; active; gifted)

Skills:

Imperceptibility: 31 (master)

Silent Walk: 43 (master)

Danger sense: 24 (journeyman)

Deathstroke: 44 (master)

Hand-to-hand combat: 43 (master)

Lovemaking: 30 (master; gifted)

You know, I certainly don't want to swear, but that's fucked up, and in a dozen different senses at once! Two hundred-plus endurance. Oh, fuck you all, that's just not fair! With her strength and endurance, and her skills and abilities, I'm not surprised that she almost killed me.

It's really a damn stealth train, I'm not joking now, but I'm serious. I was still sinning on my shadow perception skill, thinking about the reasons why I couldn't sense it, but it was worse than that.

How do you even kill monsters like that, especially on the moors? I suspect not at all, preferring not to mess with such beasts at all. I don't think it would be easy to bring a barrel of sulfuric acid into those swamps.

It's a shame that such a unit can't be used outside of the swamps, but I'm not sure it's even worth pulling my acquisition out of those fucking places, either. Especially if you imagine she decides to go on another manhunt for two-legged prey there. Rather, I'm even more sure that it's definitely not worth dragging her around the world with me.

Special attention should be paid to those points of her status that were gifted to her by my ring. To be honest, after reading about her sticky tits and brain-dead pheromones, I... sighed in relief. It means that I'm not leaking from my libido flying into the stratosphere, just a mythical artifact messing around. Then the desire to get Ygra to use her only active skill to brush off the dirt, after which to try out thirty in the lovemaking skill, isn't mine either but suggested.

In general, you, Kostik, are normal, not out of phase. The main thing is don't stare at that green munchkin and try not to breathe near her. Or else what? No, as I said, she's not bad if you don't look at her face, and she's not so bad either... But not my type! A fit and a physically developed girl is very good, but not to that extent! And certainly not to the height at which she could crush me accidentally. At least the heroic title allows me to ignore most of the impact - a normal person would be guaranteed to be blown to smithereens. I imagine a proud ogre hunter subduing her with a ring and then falling in love with her to death. Yeah, that's a real joke situation, isn't it?

I try to imagine how dangerous a woman with these abilities would be in combat, and I'm not laughing so much anymore. The concentration disruption and the weakening cocktail inhaled together with the air make Ygra a real death machine.

And I can't breathe now!

The title knocks down only part of the impact, but something, as you can easily see, does come through. The question is how to prevent my transition to the green side without destroying myself. After all, if I was going to fuck her, I would only do it when I could be sure that I would fuck her, not her ability would fuck me. Better yet, find myself a prettier elf.

Or at least a normal brothel.

For the sake of saving my self-esteem, I had to start experimenting again with a subject that I had forbidden myself to touch even with a three-meter stick. Namely, picking my nose with shadows. If you think I'm trolling you, you've never torn your own nostril, and you don't know how much that pain churns your brain.

And the idea of creating a kind of shadow filter in my own nose turned out to be surprisingly... idiotic. I had to turn off the fool and start thinking with my brain, which did pay off. After an hour of my agony and wasted reserve, my face was covered by a mask of shadow-respirator, leaving only my eyes open.

I realized almost immediately that the pressure on my brain and balls was fading. I looked at the ogre staring at me (or at my mask, I'm not sure) with interest, and then gave my verdict. It's still fuckable, but not so fuckable that I can't control myself. And for God's sake, you have to think about what you can do to her face. If you make her teeth a little smaller and her face a little less inhuman, it would be very nice.

I could ask System to fix her face, but I'd better keep my thoughts and words to myself. I had already asked for a tank, and I was so lucky that I barely survived the gift.

"Ygra." When she heard her name, she was instantly beside me, and on her feet. Which, with the height difference, made me look straight into her flat and muscular abs. To look up, you start to get stuck on her tits, down is also not an option, the only thing to do is to cover my eyes (the shadow sphere works anyway).

"Y?" That's the "Y" I'm ready to kill for. All of them, starting with "Y."

"Go. Swamp. The edge." And at the same time wave my hand in the direction of the route I'm sticking to.

The ogre only scratched the back of her head, running her dirty fingers through her tresses, and then nodded in agreement and took off in roughly the same direction. Either a miracle really happened, and she understood me, or she understood something of her own, but the result is still there.

I rush after her, this time with enough reserve to help myself with shadows.

I have no idea how long the road will take, but I know for a fact that I will make it to the end. And, pathos aside, I finally have a proper guide who can lead me out of these woods.

The main thing is not to open my eyes, so as not to begin to stick on the ass of this guide, or I may not get to my goal, busy with other, not less important things.

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