Chapter 50: Finding Peace

’I am so done with being knocked out and waking up in random places!’

At least this time it was a place he recognized. The thick branch of an oozing black tree somewhere in the Corrupted Lands.

An entire week and a half had passed since he’d last woken up as a monster, but that was only relative — in reality, only a little more than half a day had passed.

’I’m hungry...! Starving! Famished!’

Yet Peace stayed on the branch, strutting back and forth as he reacclimated to his tiny body. Seeing as he hadn’t blindly leapt off the tree, it appeared he’d gotten a little better at controlling his impulses and urges.

Once comfortable, he ran down the trunk onto the bough.

Looking around, the bodies had all vanished, but the carnage was still evident. Trees had been felled, and remnants of armor lay here and there.

’Monster or people...?’

Who’d cleaned up the mess was anyone’s guess.

In this particular case, it was more likely people had taken the gear, while monsters had finished off the bodies. With the Corrupted Lands likely being swarmed because of him, it made enough sense.

But, speaking of the place teeming with humans and humanoids...

’I’m surprised I made it through the day.’

Despite all the high-level Divers and other high-profile individuals that were most definitely looking for him... that wasn’t something he cared too much to dwell on.

Back in the Immortal Citadel, his Night Elf body was locked in some padded white room with Ixion’s diary in the hands of someone who knew his name.

The chances she hadn’t read the book were so abysmally low that he’d half accepted his doomed fate.

And, seeing as he hadn’t been killed by the time he’d woken up, they definitely had plans for him; That wasn’t too alluring a prospect...

’Yup, not alluring at all...’

The Nameless King was bad news.

’I mean... how pretentious does one have to be to call themselves the ’Nameless King’?’

That in and of itself said enough about his character.

’And if that’s his "name," wouldn’t that make it a contradiction? Sounds like the guy is pretty damn stupid, if you ask me.’

Peace’s stomach began to growl more fervently.

’Damn...’

Not even his worries or trauma from the past week could keep his hunger at bay for too long.

Seeing as he had no hope of contesting anything that spawned in the Corrupted Lands, Peace needed to scavenge.

Thankfully, there was one thing working in his favor.

Humanoids didn’t typically eat their victims. There should have been an abundance of free food for the taking.

Proving his theory right almost instantly, a mangled corpse of...

’Something...’

appeared on the ground.

Not wanting to fall back into his recent rash actions and reckless proclivities, Peace ignored his gnawing stomach and explored the immediate area.

Spotting only a few wandering beasts quite far off, Peace descended and quickly ate his fill.

[???] — (condition to unlock: 21/100)

’Ah... finally.’

Darting back up the tree, his hunger momentarily settled, Peace raced to the very top and peered out above the forest.

Well... not so much to scout as to listen.

Closing his eyes, he honed in on the ambient sounds of the forest. Then, he began trying to listen for abnormalities.

It didn’t take him too long to pick up the sounds of fighting. Both beast versus beast and humans versus beasts.

When he reopened his eyes, he even spotted a few trees whose leaves swayed unnaturally, sounds of quite the battle happening somewhere near them.

’Hmm...’

Once again, Peace found himself in a dilemma.

He needed information.

Where he was. Where the people after him were. How many of them there were and how strong. Which places were safe. Which places were dangerous.

Unfortunately for Peace, sitting around accomplished...

’Absolutely nothing!’

His only chance at getting that information was to stalk and eavesdrop on people. But, having learned his lesson by now, that was much too risky.

’Quite the pitiful situation.’

All he could rely on were his own two ears and eyes.

’I have ears and eyes... right?’

He could hear and see, but...

Peace began patting the sides of his head.

’I do!’

He’d simply decided to conclude that he had eyes based on the overwhelming evidence of the mystical phenomenon known as sight.

He also didn’t want to poke his eye out.

It barely took any force for him to scratch his cheek before; he could only imagine what his claws would do to his eyes.

In any case, it was time to put his human intellect to good use!

’Now, if I were looking for a tiny abomination in this cursed land, how would I go about it...?’

Trying to draw upon his knowledge of tracking Resonances from the game, Peace eventually decided:

’Those with the Radar Resonance would spread out, covering a wide area. Then, multiple teams would be sent to eliminate every target they picked up before moving on.’

There were a few other Resonances suited for wide-range searches, but that was the standard and wasn’t too uncommon.

After an area was cleared...

’Have those with some acuity-boosting Resonances or stronger, but more limited, tracking Resonances sweep through in case the monster — myself — had a stealth ability.’

Then rinse and repeat from there.

That, of course, only mattered if the hunt for him was organized. For better or worse, Peace felt the search for him most definitely was.

He didn’t doubt that the Imperial Knights, Dawnbringers, and Divers were working together.

’Hell, the church has probably gotten involved by now.’

Peace froze. Thinking about the "Imperial Knights" with the "Nameless King" fresh in his mind...

’If this is the last counrty on the planet, how is this an imperialist country?!’

Its sphere of influence could only ever extend within its own borders!

’Yet another reason to detest that nameless charlatan.’

Plus...

’He’d be an emperor, not a king! That fucker must know damn well the Immortal Citadel isn’t an imperialist country.’

Either that or he was a complete buffoon.

’Which, now that I think about it, might very well be the case!’

Peace shook his tiny head.

’Ahem...’

’Back on track.’