Chapter 13

"Since you asked earlier how I saw your level, I am going to answer you but I would like to keep what I'm going to tell you a secret"

Arthur tried to speak with a soft and gentle soft but it sounded cold and threatening nevertheless the girl nodded her continuously with excited eyes as she was a child who was going to hear a bed-time story , Arthur chuckled as the sight and continued to speak "I have a special skill called appraisal, when I use on an item or person it gives me small information about it, that's how I knew your LVL . "

The demon girl stayed silent for a moment before speaking "A-and you saw my name too?" , actually, she wasn't that much astonished because she kind of guessed he had an ability like that otherwise how else would he have known her LVL so accurately .

"Yes, your name is Lucy, the skill tells me the name lvl and Race"

Lucy still remained silent and stared at Arthur with those breath-taking eyes, she was giving him a glare that could freeze bones, like being nude in the middle of hailstorm, where every chunk of ice was a frosted dagger cutting into her eyes , but soon the glare softened and you could feel some warmth from her cold eyes . Arthur noticing his change in her mood said reassuringly "don't worry, I would not say your name as it seems you do not want it to be discovered"

"It's ok , since we are considered c-ccompanions you can call me by my name"

though Lucy seemed to hesitate before she spoke nonetheless she told him he can call her by her name which really surprised Arthur as he didn't expect this cold girl to allow him to say her name even though it seemed to bother her that her name got discovered .

From the beginning of the conversation, Arthur didn't shift away from his eyes from her face for he couldn't, he was mesmerized, her soft lips, her white skin which made her even more gorgeous he couldn't have enough looking even if he spent all his life doing it .

Even though he was staring at her, she didn't seem bothered or disgusted for Lucy knew he wasn't someone evil, the way he protected proved that he somehow cared for her safety, to be totally honest she still had some doubts here and there but when he saved her and she saw that he was not human or at least didn't appear to be .

First, she was surprised by his appearance but slowly she just became curious as to what is he? And why would he save her , after all it didn't seem he was after her body and he also didn't hand her to the holy church so she got a lot of questions to ask , and when he told her he will reply to her suspicions she wanted to bombard him with questions but even after so much curiosity she couldn't utter a single word .

Maybe she was startled by his stare and focus on her or maybe she was feeling embarrassed she couldn't tell, but she felt that this was a familiar feeling as to 'back then' .

time passed and no one talked, the atmosphere seemed awkward so Arthur broke the silence by finally saying " If you have any more question, you can ask them" . As if she was waiting for this moments, Lucy lifted her head and spoke

"T-then are you human?"

Although deep inside, she knew he wasn't human when she saw his appearance she wanted to make sure, after all, what humans have done to her she still felt deep hatred for them .

"No I am not, I am a race called a parasite . "

Lucy's mouth was wide open, she was startled by the reply of this black-robed man in front of her, after all, she expected him to say demon, undead even a beastmen but never would she have thought he would say a 'parasite' she didn't know such race even existed as she never heard of them .

Arthur seeing her astonishment continued to explain

"My real appearance is not this body, a parasite can change body at any time just by possessing, for example, I can possess you now but I won't because I don't possess living beings so I just stuck with this skeleton corpse . "

This time, once she heard what he said Lucy was silent and deep in thought

"If he could possess me then why didn't he do it? if he needed to use me he should have done so right? after all, it would have been easier . . "

She questioned his actions as she was used to people deceiving her so him saying that is contradicting all her beliefs .

A strange emotion surged in her heart and she seemed complexed and overwhelmed by such emotion that she didn't feel in very long time, she opened her heart to him even though they had not been together for a long time, he didn't try to trick or even use her and even if he wanted to he could've just possessed her albeit the fact that with his strength it should be a piece of cake to do it .

It was not like the man she previously loved who deceived her for months to lower her guard, this black-robed man could have killed her, tortured her, raped her . . . but he didn't do it on the contrary he protected, bought food and clothes for her and even told her his secrets .

After all those years, she trusted someone again and even felt warmth being with him but she still questions that needed to be answered to ascertain her complex emotions

"Why did you buy me at the auction? or protect me from the holy church or even that attack from the dragon, you could've just let me die after all we are not family or friends . "

She asked him then looked at towards focusing on his face to see how is he gonna react or what is he gonna say, after all this was the question she wanted the most answered,he gazed at her for sometime before looking down as if remembering some painful memories and soon he replied with a voice which seemed sad and cold

"There was once a man who loved a women and married her, but to his surprise she was just a deceitful women who only married him for his wealth and she used the cruelest methods to get him to give all his wealth to her but he, overwhelmed by anger and revenge didn't give in and was tortured for months if not years .

He learned that humans are but greedy creatures who only seek what their desires and don't care how they reach them, this man was given a second chance by a certain being and has been reincarnated into a different world into a parasite so he decided to never trust anyone .

However, someday he saw a certain girl who reminded him of his past self so he helped her and promised himself to protect her until he could break her sealed powers which he finally did but the funny or perhaps stupid thing is he couldn't bring himself to part with her as he felt a special connection between them, so asked her to follow him for he will protect her from her pursuers .

After that, they began their journey and someday they were ambushed by a sneak-attack so he protected her from the attack and after defeating the opponent, he knew that he felt a special thing for her and didn't want to deceive her so he decided to tell her the truth about himself because he didn't want to be a deceitful and lying person like most humans are . . . "

As he finished speaking Arthur lifted his head to look at the girl and was surprised to see her eyes were a bit teary and wore a sad look on her face .

Lucy didn't expect to hear such an answer, as she more and more listened to the story, she knew he was talking about himself and that he had a past similar and had gone through a lot, she was slightly shocked hearing he was from another world but she didn't bother with it much as it didn't really matter right now .

It's impossible to say she wasn't curious about this world but she couldn't just ask him for it will remind him of his sad past . She couldn't control her emotions and cry for the first time in years, last time she cried was when she found out that the 'man' she loved was deceiving her and that was the last time she showed any emotion .

After that incident she became cold to everyone and had an emotionless face and a freezing gaze . She knew he wasn't lying but the way he narrated the story, you could feel he was lonely and sad as he didn't even lift his head to look at her the whole time until he finished his story and even at that moment he only looked at her for a second before looking down again .

She cried for sometime before she returned to her calmness but her cute face was red and her beatiful eyes were swollen from crying, she really felt a strong connection with him and somehow felt strange towards him as for Arthur he didn't dare lift his head , he heard her cry and seeing her so affected by his story touched him deeply , you could even say he began to have feeling of love towards her , it may sound idiotic for him to love someone after what happened to him but he couldn't do anything about it as he felt warmth and happiness when he was with her, even with almost no interraction he still felt her company was comfortable so he didn't want to let go of her and protected her even with his life when the dragon attacked he just didn't want to admit it but deep down he loved her dearly even more than his ex-life but he didn't want to confess to her as he was afraid, afraid of being betrayed and used again for benefits, but after seeing her cry like that when hearing his story he couldn't hold his mouth as he unconsciously blurted out

"E-even though it may sound stupid after what I just told you but I have realized that I have fallen in love with you but please do not be mistaken as I only love you for your appearance " Arthur said that while lifting his head and gazing at her , if he had real eyes he would've cried right now but unfortunately he didn't and he cursed his luck as to be reborn in a parasite , he didn't want to possess a living body because it seemed wrong for him and even if he did, it would still not be his real appearance . While he was thinking about this and somehow confessing so suddenly he heard her speak

"Y-you know, I too had a past similar to you, I was chased since I was a kid and when I finally thought I found a man who could protect me and love me for who I really am, a demon , he betrayed my trust and was only someone from the church , he and his friends even used my body as they liked for years , so how could you love someone as filthy as i am when you don't know anything about my past" Lucy never thought she would tell her past to someone, as she was speaking tears flowed from her cheek and she sobbed silently , she was happy to his confession but she thought that once he knew what they did to her and how they sullied her and played with her, he would no longer want her, after all, who would want a dirty women, if anyone heard her story they would only call her a 'slut' .

"Even though the past creates the person, the present is what matters, I say I love you for what you are right now and what happened to you is irrelevant to me and would not change my feelings towards you , you can call me stupid if you want but I only loved once in my life which ended in being a dillusion but from the very first moment I saw you I fell in love with you but I didn't want to admit it as I was very afraid of being betrayed again and continued to make excuses everytime I helped you"

"But aren't you afraid I will just use you like your ex-wife did?" (Lucy)

"If you ever wanted to do, you would have used me from the beginning but you didn't which shows that you are not that kind of person and even if there is even a little chance that you use me I still trust you for I really do not want to feel lonely again because it's more painful than death itself"(Arthur)

the sobbing girl stayed silent for a moment before she responded "Please give me some time, I have mixed feelings right now and cannot think properly . Arthur just nodded his head, stood up and left as to let the girl some time to calm herself down and think things through . He too didn't believe what just happened, in such a short time he told her his past and confessed, he didn't know why but he felt attracted to her and after he heard her past he didn't pity her instead he felt warmth because she shared her deep and tragic past with him .

He stopped thinking about this for the time being as he can't dwell on it all night but he still promised himself that he will treasure more than his own life as he realized what was important for him when he was attacked by the dragon,

'the dragon! yeah, I didn't use [death touch] on him, how could I have forgotten"

He soon took out the dragon from his storage and used [Death touch] on him, it was a waste to just absorb all those precious scales but the experience was more important for him right now . Just when he finished absorbing it in a few seconds notifications came "ting"

level up ! level up ! level up! . . .

Congratulations! Since you reached Level 100 you can now evolve: soul parasite / advanced void parasite/humanoid parasite

Soul parasite: You no longer possess a physical body, and can only live by possessing living beings, your ability to possess creatures will be more efficient and you will gain double the stats of beings you possessed

Advanced void parasite: you will keep your current body, and can also possess other beings but your void manipulation will be at a maximum stage and your magic attacks would be more powerful

Humanoid parasite: you create a unique body and still can possess other beings, you gain significant raise in stats if you create a unique body and depending on the body you may gain a new skill

WARNING: Creating a unique body is an extremely painful experience, we advise you to rethink before choosing this option

Arthur was overjoyed by the fact he could evolve as he wondered why he didn't get it much sooner but as time passed and he didn't get any notifications telling him he could evolve so he gave up on that idea and judged void parasite to be his final form but now that he saw he could evolve again and he had 3 different choices he was delighted .

He wasn't going to think them over as he long since decided he wanted a body for himself and was sick of possessing Zodiak's body, first it was all bones and second he couldn't even enjoy eating or drinking so he wished for a body from the moment he came to this world and he finally got the chance to have one .

It specially said that it would be painful but that didn't seem to be a problem for him as he was used to being tortured for months so enduring a little wouldn't matter either . Arthur also chose this option because he longed for a real body to be able to touch the beautiful hands of Lucy and be able to feel her body (AN : I MEAN THAT NOT IN A SEXUAL WAY OK?so don't let your mind take you far away in perv land) .

"I choose humanoid parasite"

Are you sure you want to choose humanoid parasite?

"Yes . "

*The creation of your body will begin immediately, while your body is being created you are vulnerable . *

'Fuck why didn't they tell me that sooner argggggggggg'

Just as the notifications finished, Arthur was forcefully sent out of his current 'body' and fell on the ground with his real body, he felt his bones breaking and flesh being ripped apart, it was by no means just 'painful' , this level of pain was beyond imagination , even the torture he received was completely nothing compared to this pain .

Soon enough all his bones were broken and flesh was skinned, if you see him now you would only see a small creature with only bones, a small heart beating, and a brain, it looked really disgusting and anyone who saw him would throw out . He fell unconscious from the pain but he soon woke up again because of it, he couldn't help but wish for the pain immunity he got when he was in Zodiak's body it would really help him out now .

The pain stopped for a moment so he thought it was finally over but his wishes were soon crushed as a pain even more immense than the previous one enveloped him from every corner of what was left of his body, his mind was blank as he was only thinking of when will this pain vanish . 5 minutes , 10 minutes , 20 minutes . . . . time passed slowly as he was still suffering and twitching but if someone looked at him, they would see a humanoid skeleton forming slowly but surely, after 1 hour you could only see half a skeleton head formed and in it there was a brain which was expanding little by little . Arthur was waiting for the moment the pain slowed but he knew it would take a long time as he could feel his head being formed slowly .

5 hours passed since the creating of the body began and now all the bones in his body were formed, he surprisingly could feel his heavy breathing even with only being a skeleton and he could even talk but he didn't dare try because even trying to move a little would bring more pain to him so he just remained motionless and waited for his body to finish creating itself while he endured the pain silently . Unexpectedly, the pain not only wasn't going down, instead, it was escalating rapidly and he couldn't control himself from screaming with all his might as the pain just didn't stop increasing, he felt that this was not at a level a human can endure . His screaming was so loud that even though he was some distance away from Lucy, she still heard a screaming voice .

The voice seemed slightly similar to the black-robed man that she still didn't know his name, so she quickly rushed to where the noise came from as it was the first time she heard him scream like that , it seemed like he was in deep suffering and the mere thought of him dying struck her , she felt afraid and anxious , she told him a few hours ago she would think about his confession but when she heard his loud screams .

He who protected her, he who cared for her and loved her, he a man who was reincarnated and had a tragic past similar to her, she thought that if something happened to him she would regret it for the rest of her life .

She guessed that she only cried when she heard his story because of how similar he was to her and even though she felt a special bond between him and her, she didn't think it was love, so when he confessed to her she was startled a little but she couldn't bring herself to tell him that she did not love him . But now that hearing his suffering screams filled pain, she dashed toward the voice with tears flowing her face non-stop

'I-I . . . what am I doing . . . I shouldn't repeat my past mistakes . . . . Lucy! Don't let your feelings control you! You should flee! Flee far away and only return to slaughter them all when you're stronger! Ignore such foolish feelings! LUCY!'

Despite her unceasing warnings, her body betrayed was a step acted on its own as it continued to head towards the source of the voice . Her thoughts soon followed, her panicked expression seened to relax a bit as she seemed to realize something, her eyes flashed with a strange light and her breathing quickened .

When she arrived at where Arthur was she saw his previous corpse laying down not for away from her and some distance from it there was another skeleton which had bloody flesh on it, she could see with her naked eyes that flash, muscles are beings created rapidly . She soon heard the scream coming out of that scream and it was very very loud, she realised it was Arthur but still didn't understand what exactly was going on , she rushed next to him and without hesitation held his bony hand as she looked at him with concern, once she realised her true thoughts for him she didn't want to lose him without even being able to tell him her feelings .

Arthur felt something soft and warm touch his hand, he felt relieved and happy as he knew for sure it was Lucy, as his thoughts drifted the pain still increased but her being with him helped him calm down a little and the screamed lessened bit by bit until it completely disappeared even though the pain continued . His body was forming and after 5 more hours he could feel that it's almost finished as his exterior body was the same as a human except he had an extremly pale white skin and he was completly naked but Lucy embarassed by the sight grabbed the nearby dark robe and put it on him but even after she did that she still didn't let go of his hand as she was very worried about him but she calmed down a little because she noticed that he somehow managed to create a body but the cost was tremendous pain as anyone may have noticed from the intense screaming .

One more hour passed, and finally the creating of the body finished, his appearance was exactly the same as in his previous world except his eyes were blood red which made him more handsome , actually his looks were average compared to famous actors or models but with his red eyes and pale white skin, he really looked extremely charming and handsome . Once the Creation was completed a lot of notifications came 'ting' 'ting' . . . .

Congratulations ! you have successfully created a body thus became a humanoid parasite

The body has been according to the host's wishes and imagination

'Huh, so I always wanted red eyes apparently?"

All your previous stats remained and skill can still be used

Your newly created body has special characteristics :[fire magic]: affinity with fire greatly increased, you can now use fire magic to either attack or defend

Your [fire magic] absorbed by [orb of the fallen overgods](passive) and became = [Godly fire]: you can use fire to either attack or defend

your newly created body has special characteristics: Your physical powers have been greatly increasing, please check your status window for more details

Your newly created body has special characteristics: your magical powers have been greatly increased, please check your status window for more details

Because of the creation of your new body, you have experienced a lot of pain thus acquired the skill(passive) : [pain immunity]: you cannot feel pain anymore, you can turn this skill on/off

The first seal of [orb of the fallen overgods] has been broken due to you have your own humanoid power

[orb of the fallen overgods] stage 1: The blessing of the Tul'ah the overload of misery would be accessible once you reach LVL:200

Now that you have a humanoid body, your soul power is much weaker than when you had a parasite body so you can only possess Dead beings

TITLE : MEAT GRINDER

Level: 107 Class: Humanoid parasite

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Strength 10780(+4739) Intelligence 12491(+7670)

Agility 11213(+5966) Wisdom 9134(+5268)

Vitality 13476(+6161) Dexterity 8347(+4086)

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Health 12498(+4485) Health Regen 107 . 1/s

Mana 14731(+7930) Mana Regen 137 . 6/s

Stamina infinite Stamina Regen ????

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Attack: 9571(+4880) Defense: 10317(+2505)

Magic defense : 2174(+393)

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Elemental Resistances:

Fire: 100% Water: 25%

Wind: 35% Earth: 45%

Light/holy: 50% Darkness: 100%

Arthur was brimming with happiness but not because he saw his overpowered stats and new skills but because when he opened his eyes he saw Lucy smiling at him with her breath-taking beauty, her eyes that would suck you in at any moment, he felt somehow magically drawn to those serious and silent features . Though she always avoided his gaze or would only stare for a moment, he couldn't help but notice a tinge of redness on her cheeks, and along with beautiful long silver hair, it made her look like a goddess .

Lucy noticed Arthur waking up and tried to separate her hands from his but was surprised to see him not letting go of her, she struggled a little before finally giving up . Arthur who was laying on the floor naked only covered with his black robe soon realized that it was an awkward situation so after enjoying the feel of her hands he soon let go of her and quickly got up and changed but he still didn't forget to say "thank you" to her, his voice seemed more gentle now and his smile was alluring . Lucy blushed a little when she saw his face as she seemed to remember something embarrassing to she soon turned her head as to not look at him changing . After having worn the black robe, Arthur headed toward Kodiak's body and took the boots gloves and wore them he also put the 2 rings in his fingers then he turned around to Lucy and spoke gently

"I somehow managed to create my own body but I only was able to go through that hellish pain with you , it may not seem a lot for you but holding my hand really helped me calm down and forget the pain even for big, also I sincerely apologize that you had to touch my body as I know you hate humans and men especially, I am really sorry . "

The girl was surprised by what he said, but she her lips curved to form an enchanting smile on her face and said with her melodious voice which didn't contain even a hint of coldness in it

"You know , when I heard you screaming I feeling of urgency, as if I would lose something important and when I saw you in that state my heart ached, and soon realized that I too have to come to love you, maybe I'm being foolish again and acting upon my feelings, but I just couldn't turn back and go . "

Just as she finished speaking she unexpectedly ran to Arthur and hugged tightly without letting go, as for him he was dumbstruck he didn't believe what just happened as not even in his dreams did he think she is in love with him because he heard her past and knew she absolutely hated man, so even touching them would be considered a miracle and now seeing her hugging didn't register in his mind but nevertheless he unconsciously hugged her back but did not use much force, instead he did it gently and as caring as possible for he didn't want to remind her of what happened to her in the past and what those guys did to her .

time slowly passed as they both stayed like that, Arthur finally broke the silence by saying softly

"I didn't get to tell you my name, I am called Arthur as for my last name I don't have one and I don't wish to use my former one" after he spoke their hug finally come to an end but nevertheless he kept patting her head, he quite liked that feeling and she didn't seem to mind it that much so he just continued at it .