Monster Who Became Adventurers

Werewolves and vampires have long been archenemies.

For that reason, an eternal battle has continued since ancient times.

As time goes by, the power of the vampires grows, and the battle situation tilts so much that the werewolves are pushed back.

Werewolves are now on the brink of extinction.

“I don’t even know how many werewolves survived.”

However, since werewolves are shapeshifters that can take human form, they escaped into human society.

As time passed, humans forgot about the existence of werewolves, and they were only remembered as legendary monsters.

However, vampires still go on “werewolf hunts” to eradicate even the last lycanthrope.

While being chased by the vampire pursuers, I wandered around the forest and discovered that it is safe to be in human society.

Vampires, on the other hand, are targeted by a human guild called “Vampire Hunters”. That’s why even vampires can’t move carelessly in human society.

So I decided to move my life to a human town. And I registered as an adventurer in the city of Eldora.

When asked about my age, I decided to respond with sixteen years, based on my appearance as perceived by humans.

However, it seems that I actually look much younger, but it’s too late to correct it now.

The Lycan’s growth is slow, and they may appear very young, but in reality, they have lived much longer than that.

Therefore, when registering as an adventurer, I casually lied about my age.

From that moment on, I began living in human society, presenting myself as a reputable human being and adapting to their norms.

I hid from vampires by blending in with humans, making it harder for them to track me down.

But in order to live among humans, I have to earn money. The quickest way to earn money is to become an adventurer.

The only weapon I have is the silver spear passed down to me as an heirloom from my Uncle Ban, who was my guardian.

Uncle Ban was killed by a vampire when I was a child. It’s a special item with a magic stone embedded in it.

I only have that spear as my weapon, and I don’t wear any armor. Human-like armor is impractical for me, as I transform into something else.

When I shapeshift and transform, the armor I wear ends up getting torn apart.

One thing I must be careful about is that if I transform in front of people, it will cause a huge commotion. And at that time, there’s no doubt that I’ll be hunted down by the Holy Knights.

Both werewolves and vampires are considered abominations to the Church’s teachings by their very existence.

Since I sometimes transform involuntarily when I get excited, I need to be cautious about it in front of humans.

Well, now that I’ve become an adventurer, I want to take on some quests.

It seems like I should start with the lowest rank, the “Iron Rank.”

Let’s look for Iron Rank quests on the bulletin board.

I search, but there’s nothing that catches my eye.

Gathering herbs seems like the most reasonable option for a new adventurer. Even so, it won’t make much money.

Three Silver Coins for three clusters of Shiraito grass…

I guess there’s no other choice. I’ll go with this one.

If I don’t earn money, I’ll end up sleeping outside.

Upon handing over my quest to the front desk, a totally cute girl greeted me with a smile and completed the registration process.

“Please don’t go deep into the forest. There are many monsters inside,” she said.

“It’s nice that she’s so kind, but little does she know that I’m one of those dangerous monsters.”

Well, for now, I’ll just go along with it and adapt to the situation here.

“I understand. I won’t go deep into the forest.” I responded.

“Oh, oh, you’re so obedient ~” She responded as she patted me on the head…

“I tend to look like a child because I look young, but I’ve lived longer than her.”

The gazes of the other adventurers nearby are a bit intimidating.

I quickly exited the adventurers’ guild.

I need to head to the forest first. That’s right, I’ve done herb gathering before.

When I was a child, I went into the forest several times to help Uncle Ban, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Besides, Shiraito grass has a strong scent, making it easy to find. And werewolves have a better sense of smell than humans, after all.

As I entered the forest, I noticed there were more people than I expected. There can’t possibly be any medicinal herbs in a place like this.

I could use my transformation to sniff them out, but I can’t afford to be seen in that form.

Reluctantly, I started searching for the medicinal herbs in my human form.

Before I knew it, I had reached the area referred to as the depths of the forest. But at least there were no other people around, so I felt relieved.

Just as I was thinking that, I encountered a monster.

“Growl…”

It’s a Direwolf.

Since I transform into a wolf, you could say we are closely related. From a human perspective, Direwolves are considered monsters, just like werewolves.

They may not be allies, but they aren’t enemies either.

So, there is no need to kill them. That’s at least what I thought before, it started asserting its territory and growling.

Now, what should I do?

As I was thinking about it, it attacked me..

“Wait, hold on, ahh!”

Shaking off my restraint, he bares his fangs and bites my left arm.

In the next moment, only my left arm starts bulging with muscular growth, and fur starts sprouting rapidly.

I struggle desperately to prevent it from spreading throughout my entire body.

It finally releases its grip on my bitten left arm.

“In the first place, a Direwolf’s fangs won’t even scratch my transformed arm… but damn, it hurts!”

“Could it be you’re a Lycanthrope?”

The fact that it’s speaking to me suggests that this Direwolf possesses some level of intelligence.

Encountering a highly intelligent monster in a place relatively close to human settlements is quite surprising.

I had heard stories from Uncle Ban, but I never thought I would actually encounter one.

Then the Direwolf spoke again, but its mouth wasn’t moving.

“Ah, it must be telepathy.”

I’m surprised a Lycanthrope like you is still alive. But what are you doing in a place like this?

“As you know, our kind is on the verge of extinction. That’s why I’ve been blending into human society to survive. It’s safe within human society; they protect me as one of their own. So, Why are you here in a place so close to a human settlement?”

“I am the last surviving Direwolf in this forest. Once, this forest used to be our territory, but not long ago, the Goblin tribe started gaining strength. They’ve been pressing in with their numbers… and that’s why things turned out like this.”

The Goblin tribe, huh?

Individually, they may be weak, but when they come in numbers, they can be surprisingly troublesome.

Their reproductive capabilities are truly remarkable. Speaking of which, I did receive a request to subdue Goblins once, but the pay was too low, so I declined.

Upon hearing this, the Direwolf said that it envies me.

“You are fortunate because you can take on a human form. I, on the other hand, am considered a monster from a human’s perspective. If we encounter each other and I flee, I’ll later return with my pack to attack. But even if I encounter other species of monsters, they might attack me as well. I might even end up fighting my fellow Direwolves over territory. It’s the same no matter where I go. I am destined to wither away in this forest. I envy you, being able to live in human society.”

Indeed, when you put it that way, it’s true.

I can blend in anywhere as long as I’m not recognized, but this creature in its monstrous form doesn’t have that luxury. Thinking about it, it’s quite pitiful.

The Direwolf looks lonely as it starts to head deeper into the forest.

Then, I remember one of the adventurer’s guild rules and unintentionally call out to it.

“Hey, wait a moment. You could become an adventurer too, you know.”

The Direwolf stops in its tracks.