“Martin… pick the memory stone I put in the bag use it when after all of them touch you.”

“Hey, what…” Martin said, surprised.

“We can fight together,” Angela protested. “We don’t have to run away.”

“You won’t run away; this is a strategic retreat… I told you that I would protect you guys as long as you pay me, but I can’t protect you from those three monsters.”

Even though I told all of them about Tinemouth, they didn’t understand that a monster that could talk was far more powerful than the others. In any case, they were hesitating because I helped them and then wanted to return the favor. But their actions were only making angry. While the harpies were observing me, Martin, Angela, and the others were hesitating. I analyzed the harpies.

Harpy A – HP: 25000 MP: 25000 STA: 25000

Physical Limit Lv 30, Mental Limit Lv 30, Sensorial Limit Lv 50.

Skill: Arrow Storm Lv 10, Hawkeye Lv 10, Analyze Lv 10, Focus Lv 10, Fly Lv 10.

Evolution Orbs: 365215/700000 Evolution Coins: 25362

Harpy B – HP: 125000 MP: 25000 STA: 125000

Physical Limit Lv 50, Mental Limit Lv 30, Sensorial Limit Lv 30.

Skill: Sonic Charge Lv 10, Demonic Blade Lv10, Dark Aura Lv 10, Sonic Slash Lv 10, Fly Lv 10.

Evolution Orbs: 245412/700000 Evolution Coins: 55523

Harpy C – HP: 25000 MP: 125000 STA: 25000

Physical Limit Lv 30, Mental Limit Lv 50, Sensorial Limit Lv 30.

Skill: Firestorm Lv 10, Thunderstorm Lv 10, Hailstorm Lv 10, Mud Rain Lv 10, Fly Lv 10.

Evolution Orbs: 541412/700000 Evolution Coins: 36521

They were trouble; in any case, I was beginning to understand the system worked differently on humans. We obtained more skills, but the amount of energy in our bodies was too low compared to monsters. Martin, Angela, and the others were getting on my nerves because they were taking their sweet time. But I couldn’t show my anger in front of the enemies, so I decided to buy some time.

“Yes, I’m the man who is responsible for the death of your soldiers…”

I looked behind and glared at Martin, then he slowly took the bag and began to search for the memory stone.

“So, it is you…” The harpy wielding a sword said.

The harpy with a bow approached her and then whispered my status and skills on her ear. She frowned, my skills were relatively powerful, but in terms of status, I was far weaker than them. Those three were powerful, but something even more powerful sent them.

“Your power level is low…” The harpy wielding a sword said. “But you have potential, your world had been assimilated just a few months ago, and you are already able to kill our soldiers. Join us, we will forgive you, and we will even let your friends go.”

Well, that surprised me a lot. I didn’t expect to receive an invitation to join the monster’s army. Martin and Angela also looked surprised. However, I wasn’t interested, nor did I wanted to be forgiven by them.

“I think I will pass.”

Martin already had the memory stone on his hands, but he still was taking his sweet time. If he really intended to force me to leave Stella behind, I would break more than a few bones of his body.

“Ethan… you have potential, but your world is doomed.” The harpy wielding a sword said. “You can’t save your race alone, and you can’t survive alone. Join us, and you will obtain true power, and our queen will give you a high position in our kingdom. If you show that you are worth, perhaps you will become her second in command.”

“Why does everyone want to be kings and queens? I’m no interested in titles, but if I can obtain power, maybe I can reconsider. What do you want from me?”

“Hey, Ethan! Are you serious?” Martin shouted.

“Can you please shut your mouth? Why shouldn’t I at least hear their offer?”

Martin looked at me like I was saying some crazy bullshit. But that was expected of someone like him, he was a human, but I wasn’t. Why should I have to choose the side of those who treated me like a tool?

“We want your seed.” The harpy wielding a sword said. “We want you to multiply our numbers. Don’t worry; you won’t be forced to mate with low-level harpies; we aware that your race privileges sex partners with beautiful bodies and faces. You will only mate with harpies like us.”

Wow, that conversation was getting weirder. But seriously, she was sure full of herself. She was right, those three were more humans than harpies, and they had beautiful bodies and faces. Those harpies had feathers here and there, but that wasn’t a problem. They probably had the same level of beauty as a top-model… actually, that wasn’t a bad idea. My master sword finally had been awakened, so intended to make good use of it.

The harpy wielding a sword was a redhead beauty full of muscles, but her muscles weren't big enough to look grotesque. The harpy who had a bow was also a black-haired beauty, but she had a slim body, despite being from a race of monsters, we had the same height. The harpy wielding a staff was blond, and she had two massive boobs almost as big as her head. Joining them wasn’t a bad idea… but when I started to fantasize about myself with them… Claire’s face appeared in my mind, and I facepalmed.

‘I can’t believe how pathetic I am… I love Claire… I love a woman just because I slept with her a single time… I’m so pathetic that I want to die…’

After a long time of silence, I sighed and calmed my mind. Their offer was good, but they also wanted to treat me as an object. I wanted power, but I wouldn’t let anyone look down on me or see me as a convenient tool.

“Now that I think better about it, I will have to refuse. It could be fun and all, but I will have to pass. I won’t become anyone’s minion.”

When I said that, the three harpies readied themselves. It was time to talk with our fists, I looked at Martin, and he understood that he and the others were dead weight.

“I will send help.” Martin declared.

“I don’t need it.”

After that, Martin, Angela, and the others disappeared, and I teleported to where Stella was. It was a waste, but I had to abandon that camp and that statue. Stella began to fly at her top speed. However, after ten seconds, I already could see those harpies approaching one kilometer behind us.

The blond and the redhead harpy wouldn’t cause a problem at that distance, but I already could see a few arrows flying toward us. That being said, I blocked those arrows with my ice arrows.

“Just keep flying, girl. I will take care of those three.”

Stella nodded and concentrated on her job of flying toward the west, I would probably miss a few survivors’ camp and cities, but that was the least of my problems. I made Stella fly close to the ground while I was sending a few ice arrows to slow down the harpies. But they were easing avowing those arrows and barely slowing down. But I had the perfect weapon against that kind of enemy. When the harpies were flying five meters above the ground, just like us, I sent a five-meter long dark arrow toward them. Well, almost. I aimed right below them, and when the arrow hit the ground, a gravitational field which had thirty meters of radius appeared and made them kiss the ground.

‘Serves you right, birdbrains.’

I sent a few five meters long ice arrows toward their heads. They tried to use their weapons to block those arrows, but only the red harpy fully blocked the arrows. The other two also used their weapons to block the arrows, and they also succeed because their weapons were strangely sturdy, but the ice shards cut their skin.

Harpy A – HP: 24563/25000 MP: 24850 STA: 24850/25000

Harpy B – HP: 125000/125000 MP: 24850 STA: 124850/125000

Harpy C – HP: 24436/25000 MP: 124850 STA: 24850/25000

‘Yup, this will take a while.’

Rather than that, I was starting to get dizzy of finding enemies with such high status. I shot other arrows toward them, but they blocked all of those. Only my ice arrows were effective.

‘My best option would be an arrow like the one I used against Tinemouth, but I don’t have that much time to create such a massive thing. However, I can use the memory stones to fool them… but I will only use in the last moment when I ran out of options; those who try to kill me will taste death.’

I picked a memory stone and registered that place, Martin would probably buy one and put inside the backpack (B), but I didn’t intend to return to that camp anytime soon. In any case, the harpies slowed down a little, they knew what I could do with the dark arrows, so they decided to follow me more carefully. The shards of ice arrows were slowly wounding them, but I didn’t have time to kill them so slowly. They were flying slower, but they were still faster than Stella.

‘… I guess this can work.’

I shot a five meters long fire arrow toward the face of the red harpy, but with a single swing of her sword. She destroyed the fire arrow. However, she felt something piercing her right cheek and showed surprise in her eyes. The spiritual knife that I had thrown right behind the fire arrow hit her, even though I had aimed at her eyes…

Harpy B – HP: 122253/125000 MP: 24650 STA: 24650/125000

‘Now, I just need to repeat that fifty more times and wait that she will fall for that trick every single time…’

It was just a little bit unrealistic, but a man can dream. In any case, they knew that I had a few tricks up my sleeves, so they decided not to approach and were flying two hundred meters behind me. However, I was in the range of the two other harpies. A rain of arrows, fire, thunder, and ice was falling on Stella and me, I could see them and avoid those, but Stella was too big. Without much choice, I teleported us to two hundred meters ahead of their attacks.

‘Area of effects' attacks are a pain… I guess I should start with the blondie…’

Their mage seemed to be the weakest physically, so I decided to scare her a little. I jumped from Stella’s back to protect her from those arrows and magic, and then I started the motion of a punch, only in the last moment I teleported to the side of the blond harpy and then my punch connected. I didn’t calculate correctly, so my punch and the hidden black only hit and pierced her cheeks.

Harpy C – HP: 21004/25000 MP: 124850 STA: 24450/25000

The red harpy, swing her sword furiously at me, and the brunette harpy also aimed her bow. But in the next moment, I was already back to Stella’s back. Those three harpies looked at me as if they were trying to cut my limbs just with their stare. But I only felt refreshed.

‘Ah… it is so good to annoy my enemies.’

I was far from killing them, but they became even more careful with their chase. I didn’t know if they were determined to kill me or if they still wanted to make me their plaything, but I couldn’t care less.

Our game of cat and mouse continued like that for a few minutes. Every time they used their area of effect skills, I teleported to attack the blondie harpy. But after the third time, the red harpy decided to fly just above her.

‘Trying to counter-attack, huh. Try to counter-attack this.’

I shot three earth arrows toward every single of them, the red harpy tried to block two, and the brunette harpy tried to shot down the last one. They succeeded, but that only made the arrow became dust, and in the next moment, sand fell on their eyes. I teleported to near the black-haired harpy, and then I punched her eyes, and the hidden place also pierced.

Harpy A – HP: 17985/25000 MP: 24850 STA: 24850/25000

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Damn you human!” The brunette harpy shouted.

My eardrums almost exploded, but I teleported back before that could happen. I didn’t think that I would be able to kill the harpy, but I didn’t expect to cause only that amount of damage. But it couldn’t be helped, even though I hit one of the weakest spots on her body. She had a lot of HP, and that showed how strong even the weakest parts of her body were.

The red harpy lost her patience and charged three times faster than her usual speed. She probably used one of her skills, but it didn’t matter, she was charging at a straight line. So, I just shot a thunder arrow. She blocked the attack and got electrocuted, but she endured like it was nothing. And then, with a swing of her sword, she sent an energy beam toward me. I sensed the danger when I felt the air around that attack trembling. That skill could kill Stella and me in a single shot, so I teleported us five hundred meters away to the right side. I didn’t even consider the amount of mana I would use because that attack scared the shit out of me.

The energy beam which had the shape of a crescent moon hit and destroyed completely three buildings before hitting the ground and creating a twenty meters wide crater.

Harpy B – HP: 117024/125000 MP: 23250 STA: 121450/125000

‘Haha… she still can shot twenty of those…’