The Fearsome Beast of the Sandstorm

I COLLAPSED INTO THE SAND, my arms and legs splayed akimbo. I was

drained, but not by physical exhaustion. This fatigue was entirely mental.

Resisting the urges of Gluttony and only picking at the souls of the

sandmen took real endurance. It was like being parched to the bone, but

only allowing yourself a tiny drop of water at a time, and leaving long, long

gaps between each drop. On top of that, I'd been at it for hours.

"Greed, don't you think it's about time I ate my fill?" I said. "I'd

really like to get back to the city before dawn."

"I will admit, you've done an admirable job for your first time.

Besides, I don't want you actually going crazy from hunger. Let's call it a

night for this training session."

Now that I had my coach's permission, it was time to gorge. I still

had a few hours before dawn broke, more time than I needed to satisfy

Gluttony. I turned to search deep in the desert.

I was still in my half-starved state, so my senses were boosted, my

one red eye gleaming with eagerness for the hunt. I put my nose in the air. I

could smell where the sandmen lurked.

"To the north," I said. "Three sandmen, not far from here."

"You've learned to use your improved senses, I see. That sensitivity

only comes from prolonged periods in your half-starved state," said Greed.

I was getting used to it. In that condition, one of my eyes turned red,

but the intimidation effect that accompanied full starvation didn't activate.

At full starvation, anyone who met my gaze froze in place, so long as their

stats were lower than mine. I had to admit, that would have been pretty

handy when I was half-starved too.

I headed north and immediately spotted my prey. The three sandmen

were half-submerged in the sand, studying their surroundings. They were

probably on guard because I'd hunted quite a few of them already. I wasn't

sure how many, though… I'd stopped counting after the fiftieth.

Perhaps if you hunted far enough past the hate threshold, instead of

aggressive, monsters grew cautious and fearful. That could be a problem. I

intended to eat my fill of their souls, but I couldn't properly hunt them if

they fled into the sand when I approached.

I guessed I would need to hunt another thirty sandmen to satiate

Gluttony in my current state. Including the three right in front of me, that

left twenty-seven. It was imperative that I take the sandmen down before

they escaped, so tonight's feast started here. I readied the black bow, set my

magic arrow aflame, and loosed.

A pillar of fire erupted from the burning sandman. The other two saw

the arrow strike and attempted to burrow into the sand, but they would not

escape. I'd already fired my next two arrows.

Gluttony skill activated. Stats increased: Vitality +5,280, Strength

+2,670, Magic +3,990, Spirit +5,280, Agility +300.

I gazed at the three scorching pillars as I listened to the drone of the

metallic voice. But I was not satisfied. It would take another twenty-seven

at least…

If only there was something bigger, something that could satisfy me in

one hit… Just as I thought that, I climbed another sand dune, and a

delicious scent drifting in the air struck me. I'd experienced a similar scent

on an earlier hunt. It was the same tantalizing aroma possessed by the soul

of the crowned beast I'd slain on the Hart family estate.

"Greed," I said, "I think we've found ourselves a crowned beast."

"Oho. A monster with a unique name. What a perfect main dish! And

it means you can practice controlling Gluttony's ecstasy when it devours a

hearty soul. Two birds with one stone! None of that writhing on the ground

in insane bliss this time, you hear?"

"I don't… Look, I don't like to remember that very much. Kind of a

painful memory. Anyway, let's put the results of tonight's training to good

use."

Following the delectable scent, I closed in on the monster. As I did, I

heard the sound of a fierce battle. Was someone fighting the crowned beast

already? I approached cautiously and quietly, and found that indeed,

somebody was. And not one person, but many.

"That's the hunting party we followed earlier," I said.

"Hm. Doesn't look good for them. At this rate, they're headed for a

total wipe."

The party of adventurers was trapped by an immense monster

composed of rocks and sand—nearly a living sandstorm. They had nowhere

to run, and six of them were injured. Five shield bearers held the front line,

defending against the monster's attacks. However, their shields were

fractured and cracked, splintering under the force of the crowned beast's

heavy blows. The shield bearers' skills seemed to include a defense buff,

but their shields were the skill's core mechanism. In other words, without

shields, their buffs were useless, and as soon as their shields broke,

everyone in the party was a goner.

Something stirred in my heart as I watched them battle. This was a

group of people who refused to leave their friends behind. A group that

fought to overcome the impossible together. Some of these adventurers

could survive if they fled, giving up on their friends, and yet, for them, such

a cowardly plan was so unthinkable that it didn't exist.

"They're so cool," I said.

"You jealous?"

I shrugged. "It's whatever. Shall we get in there, Greed?"

"Oh? You want to help them?"

"No… I just want to fill my stomach."

I knew from watching the hunting party in battle that I couldn't fight

amongst them. If the battle became truly deadly, I might lose control and

end up devouring them as well. Teamwork had no place in my style of

fighting: Gluttony and Greed. I could only ever hope to fight alongside

other warriors who wielded Skills of Mortal Sin…like Myne.

Dashing onto the battlefield, I aimed my black bow at the crowned

beast, summoning arrow after arrow to my hand. First, I needed to draw the

monster away from the exhausted shield bearers. I fired five fire arrows at

the feet of the beast. The monster's legs burst alight as the arrows hit, and it

stumbled in place.

"Let's see how it likes some pressure up close and personal!"

"Make sure you equip the black sword at close range."

"I was planning on it, jeez!"

I transformed Greed from the black bow to the black sword, closing

in on the crowned beast. Finally in range, I used Identify. It was time to get

familiar with my prey.

[The Eye of the Sandstorm]

Sand Golem, Lv 60

Vitality: 450,000

Strength: 430,000

Magic: 245,000

Spirit: 265,000

Agility: 115,000

Skills: Sandstorm (Spell)

This crowned beast was as tough as it looked. I'd expected high stats

the moment I saw the colossal construct. Strength and vitality were

definitely the areas where it excelled. Given its six-figure stats, I was

impressed the shield bearers had survived the crowned beast's onslaught as

long as they had. Aside from their personal skills, their shields might also

be equipped with some kind of skill or buff. Truthfully, I wanted to ask

them all about their skills and strategy, but I doubted I'd ever get the

chance. Anyway, I had priorities.

I dove toward the front line, scattering the shield bearers with my

speed. My impact sent the other adventurers flying off the battlefield. Their

voices trailed away into the distance as they fell out of the beast's range.

"What the…?!"

"What are you—?! Ahhh!"

"No way! Whoa…!"

"What are you planning, you—?! You…! Argh!"

"Aahhh!"

Oops. One shield bearer was a woman. I hoped I hadn't been too

aggressive. All the same, I had at least managed to put myself between the

hunting party and the sand golem. Then I heard a voice call out from behind

me.

"You there, in the strange garb! Are you an adventurer? Do you

intend to help us in our battle?"

The voice likely belonged to the party's leader. He shouted more

questions at me. No time to answer. I simply shook my head.

"Then why are you here?" His voice was hesitant, confused.

But I'd known my true motive the moment I arrived at the battle. My

aims were simple.

I fought to satisfy Gluttony.

"My reasons are my own," I said. "This monster belongs to me. I

recommend you and your friends get out of here, and quickly."

"I can't just let you fight it alone. Listen, there's no need to play lone

wolf. This beast cannot be taken lightly. Your chances are best if we fight

together."

I could see where he was coming from. The adventurers wanted to

overcome this sandman as a team, as friends. I'd suspected they might say

something like this. But the truth of the matter was they would only get in

my way. I was no good at protecting others in the heat of battle. I'd learned

that fighting the gargoyles in my village. Small numbers I could manage,

but ten or twenty people? That was a different story. They'd die due to my

inexperience.

Behind me stood the hunting party of twenty adventurers, six of

whom were injured and unable to fight. If the sand golem launched an area-

of-effect attack, I would only be able to defend those directly in my own

line of fire.

I watched the sand golem closely, but allowed myself the shortest

sliver of a glance back at the adventurers. "I appreciate the offer, but you'll

only get in my way. Now get out of here before you get pulled into the

storm. Otherwise you'll all be sleeping in the sand tonight." I turned back to

watch the sand golem for movement.

After a moment's pause, the party leader spoke again. "Fine!" he

shouted. "But, please, don't do anything too rash!"

The sand golem had grown impatient during our chat. It lumbered

closer and launched an attack at its biggest threat: me. As I leapt out of the

way, I noted the hunting party escaping into the distance. Now, I could

finally fight freely. I'd put an end to this beast quickly. I had to.

After all, I needed to get back to the inn before Myne woke up and

noticed her whiskers.

I held the black sword Greed in a low guard and launched myself at

the heart of the crowned sand golem.