52 The Brown

Nova stood in a regal warmly decorated room.

『...Hello?』[Nova]

Looking around the room, he couldn't find the source of the voice.

「...If this ends up getting dangerous, I'm gonna have to get out of here with Area..」[Nova]

Before he could continue with that thought, he blinked and a man appeared before him.

『It's nice to meet you.』[???]

The man was well dressed but also had several things that made him stand out.

First, he was easily 8 feet tall.

Second, he had muscles that threatened to explode from where they were positioned.

Third- the most noticeable thing.

His bald head radiated a bright yellow shine, along with the rest of his skin.

....

『...So, you brought my child home?』[???]

Nova was more than a bit confused, but answered, regardless.

『Uh.. yes.』[Nova]

『Good. I appreciate you looking out for him.』[???]

『Oh. Uhm.. No problem?』[Nova]

The man opened his eyes wide, before assuming an expression of surprise.

『Ah! Where are my manners? I have yet to introduce myself. You may call me The.』[The?]

Nova heard him, before wondering what he was just asked to do.

『The? Just The?』[Nova]

『...Hmm. I haven't met a human in a while. Would you prefer to call me The Brown?』[The Brown]

Only now did Nova's mind flash back to the early morning training, causing him to speak out loud in awe.

『...The Brown? The 10th circle ancestor of the brownlings?』[Nova]

『...Oh my. That information is a bit outdated. I am now a 13th circle progenitor.』[The Brown]

Nova then realized he said that out loud, but he had received his answer.

『And.. This child is yours?』[Nova]

He looked at the little lemon shaped brownling on his shoulder.

Seeing that the center of attention was them, a wide toothless smile was on its face.

『...Yes? Are you perhaps confused?』[The Brown]

Nova thought back on when he first met the brownling, and was then thinking about what would have happened if he attacked it.

『...I'm surprised.』[Nova]

He breathed a sigh of relief.

The Brown had a surprised look on his face, before changing it to a warm smile.

『Then, could I receive your name?』[The Brown]

『...My name is Nova.』[Nova]

The Brown put his hand out and let his child crawl up his shoulder.

『...Then, I sincerely thank you for helping this child on his way home. It seems that he has had a lot of fun this night.』[The Brown]

『Ah, it is no problem...but...』[Nova]

He was having trouble voicing his concern, as what he had wanted to do was to defeat more of the brownlings- but it was hard to do so after seeing these two.

『...Ah. I get it. You've come here to defeat the brownlings outside, right?』[The Brown]

Nova was taken aback by how frank The Brown was, but he nodded.

『I want to get stronger.』[Nova]

The Brown looked extremely pleased by Nova's answer.

『Then, go for it. They cannibalize each other already.』[The Brown]

After Nova heard this, he felt several things link together in his mind- such as how the little brownling ate the crystal and encouraged Nova to kill the brownlings.

『...That explains a lot.』[Nova]

『Hahaha! They're not my children. They are relatives that could not evolve to my level.』[The Brown]

『...You used to be one of them?』[Nova]

The Brown put his hand below his chin, as if he was thinking.

『Well, yes.』[The Brown]

Nova was absolutely stunned by this creature.

He created an entire species of monsters.

『...You have so much power. What do you do all day?』[Nova]

The Brown gave a great big smile filled with teeth when Nova asked.

『I live a normal life! I enjoy living here with my wife and children.』[The Brown]

『...Wife and children?』[Nova]

The Brown nodded and withdrew his smile filled with teeth.

『That's right. Now, you can go ahead and go do your training. If you have any problems come to me. I'm sure this little one would want to see you again.』[The Brown]

Nova looked at the little lemon.

『...Guwa!』[Brownling]

He waved at Nova.

『...I'll come visit again. Thank you.』[Nova]

『Oh! But don't tell anyone else about this place. Too many visitors is a pain, after all.』[The Brown]

『Ah! Okay!』[Nova]

The Brown snapped his fingers, and something happened- but Nova couldn't put his finger on it.

Without another word, Nova turned around and left.

Once Nova was out of that place, he sighed a big sigh of relief.

『...I thought I was going to die.』[Nova]

He then went deeper into the forest to fight more brownlings.

….

Nova was fighting a rank 4 brownling that was resting inside of a huge clearing.

He slashed the tendon of the brownling like last time causing it to quickly fall over.

「It's too big for its own good!」[Nova]

After it fell, he focused the mana on his arm again.

『Impact Form: True Gale!』[Nova]

He thrust his fingers through the brownling's body, and it exploded into dust.

『...Haah. It's still a bit tiring.』[Nova]

He picked up the soccer ball sized crystal and added it to a small pile of crystals he had.

He had been fighting since early in the night, and now it was around midnight.

After a few hours of destroying brownlings, he had an impressive amount of crystals that began to slow down his fighting, including three rank 4 crystals.

『...I think its time to go back to the dorm and rest.』[Nova]

He placed the fourth rank 4 crystal onto the pile, and began to concentrate on the location of his room.

『...Are-』[Nova]

Before he could finish, a loud screech interrupted his spell.

He immediately flicked his head toward the sound, to find that there was a shadow flickering all around him.

『...What the?!』[Nova]

He held his blade up, but he wasn't sure if he could defend against the monster.

『Area!』[Nova]

The portal appeared below him and the crystals, but as he was falling down, he saw a flash of darkness coming at him.

The last thing he saw was a pair of sharp teeth and dark horns.