Right, okay, shoot, um.

I've come this far, haven't I? This may be a... a bit of a set-back, what with them calling me a monster and all, but I won't give up!

All I need to do is regroup my thought. Rethink my plans and consider the alternatives. A head-on attack didn't work, not even close. I could probably sneak into the village, but with this glowing bulb of a mana-storage, doing so will only expose me further.

...That leaves me with a few options that I would consider a good deal less... ethical.

Going back to what the blue boxes have told me about things has (((mostly))) been a good idea, so I think doing so in this case might just be a good idea. Hopefully. I said I wouldn't trust them, but, uh... Some parts are kind of trustable, right? Right.

Let's go back to what was said about Will 'o Wisps. Whisperers. Stupid name. According to the part I got before I evolved, wisps such as myself lure prey out into forests to... do something to them. I dunno what they do since it doesn't say, but... If we just go by the skills I received when I evolved, it should be clear that wisps use hijack, bring people into the woods, use mana absorption, and then... maybe continue hijacking them to usurp their life? Or just use mind erase and leave them in the woods?...

I'm kind of iffy about that last part, but this does give me an idea of what I can do. I could either kidnap someone and try to take over their life (clearly without using mind erase since that's... very bad), or I could kidnap someone to try and talk sense into these guys.

...Both cases are just...

Kidnapping someone and taking over their life?...

Try to convince people who already consider me a monster by kidnapping someone?......

It's-,, there are just no ethical options, are there?

Slowly, gently, I float myself down to sit on a little branch on a little tree, overlooking the village and the glade. The sun went down a while ago it seems, but the day has felt so short. Nobody is about in the village anymore, nobody but a lone person carrying a little lantern.

It might be one of the hunters, it might even be that Antonio guy, but I simply can't tell. If I was closer, if I was allowed to be any closer, I could see the details of his face. But I can't.

...Now that I think of it, how did that old guy know I was there? How could he possibly have known I was coming too close?

Maybe he had a magical barrier up or something, but it feels like I should have been able to see or feel such a thing. Same goes for the theory that the mini-wizard had done something magical to inform him. It just... something here rubs me the wrong way. There is something odd about that wizard guy, and there is something odd about how those hunters knew he was coming.

...Alright, I've decided. I'm luring that damn wizard out here, whether he wants me to or not!

A plan quickly formed in my mind, of luring and capturing and interrogating an oddball wizard dude.

The first step was to figure out exactly how close I could come before he came running. If he doesn't come running, I'll just fly straight into the village and-,

"YOU DARE TRESS-,"

Faster than I've ever flown before, I retreat into the woods, making a mental note of "by that one slightly tall stump". A glance back ensures that the wizard has, indeed, retreated as well (being ushered into the tallest house in the village by some youngling I assume to be the mini-wizard), and I relax.

Right, right, so far so good. Now, to find a good spot within the forest itself...

With the night being as dark as it is, it was hard to find anything at all in that pitch-black forest. But, with the help of my own light and a few balls of light, I found someplace I can use for this situation, namely a very small glade, filled with small white flowers and mossy rocks everything. It even had a tiny hole! Perfect.

As I did in the cave, I make a trail of small orbs of light from where I plan to do this and the village itself. When I come back, I'll have to take the orbs with me so that the goblin incident doesn't happen again.

With everything set up, I return to the edge of the glade, preparing my mind and body for what was about to take place.

Slowly, surely, I fly forwards, my gaze darting between the slightly tall stump and the tall house I remembered the wizard lived in.

Soon, I stood by the side of the stump. One more metre, and that guy would come running. So close.

I temper my spirit, and fly forwards, only slightly.

"YOU DARE TRESPASS UPON PROTECTED GROUNDS, MONSTER?"

Oh god. Here he comes-,,

From the village, a person comes sprinting, clad in a nightgown of sorts, with a comfortable-looking night-cap flapping behind him. As ridiculous as he looks, having him running at me like this is... it's really something I'd never want to see again. It triggers some deep survival instinct that "loud fast thing coming at me bad".

But I stand my ground. As fast as he is, I know that I am faster. I don't know if he should be ashamed at being slower than an insect or I should be ashamed of comparing my speed to a grandpa...

Within seconds, he is close enough for me to start worrying for real. But I don't fly to the forest, not yet.

He raises his hands to throw some sort of spell at me, and now, only now, do I retreat outside of the barrier, turning around to run slow enough for him to chase me.

But... he stops.

Skill (System Recon Interference) has been used, information will now be shown Skill (System Recon Interference) has insufficient levels to provide some information on the subject Mister Brobdingnag, Lv 60 (Quest-giver) Home to the Great Forest of Toum, the Wizard Mister Brobdingnag protects the village inside of it. Adventurers seeking reasons to enter the Shallow Dungeon of Myrr may find quests and adventures when asking Mister Brobdingnag. Skill (System Recon Interference) has gained a level

I barely have time to glance at the slue of information given to me before he turns around and starts pacing back towards the village.

H-, hey, where are you going?? I'm still here! Unless you bash my brains in with some unspecified magic, I'll wreak havoc upon this village for sure! You-, it says you're the protector of this place! I'm super high-rank, y'know?? I defeated this big frog, so I bet I can beat you too!

Come fight me!!

But he doesn't even turn around. He walks like a sleep-walker, stale and inhuman.

I grind my molars, mouth-parts scraping together in frustration.

If all this hadn't been happening, if this man wasn't my last hope of getting into that village, I might not have acted as I did, but...

"-Flash!"

I didn't put much mana into it, but even a small bomb can do some damage if detonated straight in someone's face. A bang sounds out, light and sound mingling together in a combo I can only describe as dynamite. The villagers hopefully didn't notice, but the wizard sure did.

He turned around, and I could see his mind go from defence mode to attack mode.

His arms raised, and I turned around without a moment of hesitation, darting it for the forest. Just behind me, magic exploded into a cavalcade of things I had never seen before and would rather not have shoved up my tiny insect behind.

I flew quickly, following the orbs of light which I re-absorbed into my body as I passed them. Before this happened, I hadn't thought that I'd need to go my full speed to lure him out here, but, as it turns out. I was wrong. His speed really picked up once mine did as well. The only good thing about this was that once I got him enraged, he stopped shouting that "You dare trespass" tagline, which was nice, since it was starting to get grating.

...Maybe he's just demented?...

A glowing blue sphere hurdles past me and crashes into a tree, freezing the whole thing solid.

...Demented or not, he's out to kill me. Jesus christ.

Soon enough, after a chase scene that could easily have ended in my demise, I emerge into the glade, quickly hiding myself in the small hole I had found earlier. A mere moment later and the old man bursts in as well. I ready myself to burst out and go for his neck once he turns around to look for me.

An icicle flies towards me and lodges itself into the wood around the hole I was in.

Knowing I've been revealed, I throw myself out of the hole and whizz around him, trying to get a grasp on what had just happened.

How had he seen me?? I had made sure every part of me was in the dark, he shouldn't have been able to tell where I was at all!

His eyes trail me, face blank and uncaring.

Shitshitshitshit,,, no choice but to-,

Cowabunga!

Once I get around to his neck, I dive in, dodging his night-cap and weaving through his thin but long hair.

His neck is cold, but not cold enough to seem dead, just... oddly cold.

I know exactly what to do, I've planned it all out, unlike my conversations.

After all, what's a wizard without mana?

Chuckling, I set the skill into effect, only to realize something. I can only absorb as much mana as I can keep. Any more, and I might just burst.

Just absorbing his mana, I can already feel just how much he has. Good lord, there has to be at least two, three hundred mana in here...!

Shit shit shit

If I don't drain it all he'll kill me, I can't drain it because I can't contain all that mana.

...Fuck it, fireball time.

As I absorb his mana, I simultaneously pour all my mana into a fireball. The more I drain, the larger the fireball becomes, eventually becoming larger than me, the wizard's head, his entire body...

His-,, his entire body-??

Ohshitohfuck

Indeed, the fireball has grown to sized beyond anything I had seen before, the mere intensity of it easily lighting up the glade, and, well, most of the forest around us as well. But I can't stop absorbing his mana.

More and more, I drain him, feeling his body stagger under me, until, finally, I can drain no more.

The fireball is almost touching the leaves of the nearby trees.

I turn skyward, and with a cry, I hurdle it upwards.

"Fireball!!"

It flies like a particularly large fireball, flying up, up, up, beyond the forest and into orbit.

And then, it explodes.

The sky is set slight, fire lapping at the clouds and hiding the moon with nothing but glowing golden flames.

Spell (Fireball) has gained (14) levels Skill (Intermediate Fire Magic) has gained (8) levels Skill (Mana Absorption) has gained (11) levels

...Holy shit.

Below me, the wizard stirrs.

Ohnoyoudon't,,,

Hijack!

I sink the last remaining mana I have into his neck, and take control.

This... this might have been a terrible idea.

Skill (Hijack) has been used, you have temporarily gained the following skills Monster Radius Localization(Village(Toum) 133m), System (Quest) Interference, Gulliver's Input(Brobdingnag), Intermediate Fire Magic, Advanced Water Magic, Intermediate Ice Magic, Novice Earth Magic

You are unable to gain (FORBIDDEN) skills

You have learned the following spells Armour, Perseverence, Intermediate Familiar, Lesser Judgement, Collar

I-,,, what the fuck-?...