A Fashion Fairytale
It's beautiful." Its presence was profound. The unicorn's shimmering coat and glowing horn were a sight to behold. It moved with ethereal grace, exuding a soothing energy that turned the forest into a sanctuary, causing every creature to pause in reverence.
"Would've made a perfect pet for Diana," I mused, shaking my head to clear the thought as I continued to stalk my prey. Although it was beautiful, appearances can be deceiving.
"You see, I'm someone who looks deeper." While the creature might represent the peak of purity, I prided myself on being far more civilized than the beast.
"I'm a gentleman, really." The outside might be flawless, but it was what was on the inside that counted. I flicked back my hair in awe of my beauty, congratulating the beast for finding someone as rare as myself. I also lamented its defeat after it had its rude awakening at no longer being the peak peacock in this jungle.
With my mannerisms in hand, I stopped sneaking and made my presence known to the beast, as if I had never hid from it in the first place. I treated it as nothing, disregarding its presence as if it were a mere rock on the side of the road.
Instead, I basked in my own glory, treating the beast as a follower, one that should bow down in the shade of my shadow. However, instead of prostrating before my presence... it got very, very pissed.
"Going well so far..."
In response... it struck a pose, as if it were a noble war horse marching into a deadly battle.
"Ha, trivial." I brushed off its attempt.
I wouldn't be outdone however, as I counterattacked with my most devastating attack...
[Narrator POV]
"Pose!"
"Pose!"
"Pose!"
[Kuzan POV]
It was a battle fit for the runway, as we exchanged our Martial Mirage skill activated by itself due to the sheer intensity of the battle as both myself and the beast were transported to the red carpet, wearing outfits fit for fashionistas.
"Click!" "Click!"
The cameras clicked as we struck pose after pose, until finally...
The horse struck its most magnificent pose yet, appearing as a noble creature of fantasy should, with its otherworldly wonder physically spilling out from its hooves.
"Neighhh!!!" It shouted out its reservations, as if daring me to continue.
"It certainly can put on a strong front." Despite its best attempts to remain strong, I could see that the overzealous horse was growing increasingly tired. The sweat starting to appear on its back, the small pants escaping its throat, the glimmer of worry in its eyes all made it clear that it was standing on its last straw.
"It's time to end this..."
"BOOOM!"
[Narrator POV]
It was an explosion of pure pizzazz.
[Kuzan POV]
I flicked my sleeve, assuming the stance of a lonely hero, staring up into the clouds, while lamenting my strength.
"And so Columbus wept, for there were no more worlds left for him to conquer."
The unicorn could not handle the sheer intensity of the narcissism, as its head figuratively exploded from trying to comprehend my true magnificence.
'[Flash]'
I wasted no time, having accomplished my goal... My hand sliced through the beast's sturdy neck, severing its head as it still carried its expression of surprise from its body.
However, I knew better than to underestimate my opponents...
[Narrator POV]
It is well known that one does not simply die after having their head cut off. There are tales even of a prisoner of war, who was able to carry his own head and run for a good few seconds...
During a savage conflict, where the death penalty was immediately carried out after capture, the man spoke with confidence declaring:
"If you wish to take my head...then I shall take it and run!"
"I will try to pass my men, then, the number of people that I pass,...even if it's just one or two...everyone that I pass..."
"WILL BE SAVED!"
And they were. Their leader ran past all of them, all in order to save his men.
[Kuzan POV]
My hand filleted through its meat, as its body continued to stand tall, despite no longer having a head. It stood there, proud, as I continued to bisect it using nothing but my invisible swords, taking great care to ensure the quality of its meat.
"PELIECH!" Finally, its head completed its arc in the air and landed gracefully onto the ground.
I clapped my hands, both to remove the blood, as well as to congratulate it for its performance. Unfortunately, it paled in comparison to my own, as it was a routine I had painstakingly devised in order to capture the beast.
"Sigh," I was still wincing from the stupidity of the exchange, only now being able to showcase my frustrations onto my face.
"It's fine Kuzan, you had no other choice, it's fine."
However, no matter how many times I repeated this mantra, it did little to stop my cringe.
Unicorns were majestic beasts, full of vitality and speed, however, the only problem was that they knew it. They were fully aware of their hypnotic effect on the creatures around them, thus growing more and more egotistical as they continued to mature.
"The defenses of these creatures continue to surprise me."
Where my new 'cat' used cuteness, this unicorn used its glamour, which supposedly had an almost trance-inducing effect on anyone in its gaze.
The mere sight of it was enough to draw both humans and animals crazy, making it an impossible prey for any predators local to the area.
Thus, the only way to counteract such strong hypnosis was to beat it at its own game, pulling it into a contest that it would be unable to refuse.
"I expected it, but still, its speed was no joke."
The unicorn was a creature of legend known not only for its unusual personality but also by its two strongest traits: vitality and speed.
Although I was eventually able to tire out the beast enough to land a finishing blow, it took hours of continuous strutting around to do so.
"It's nearly nighttime."
Not only was the creature filled with gusto, it was also incredibly fast in its fashion show, changing from pose to pose with such vigorous speed that it was a workout just to keep up.
"Still," I placated my worries, "it was worth it..."
[Processing Sample…]
[Purification Of Sample Initiated]
[Assimilating Gene Sequence To Host]
'[Status]'
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[Status]
Name: Kuzan Rosan
Age: 16.5 years
Title: [Martial Master]
Strength: 1653/10000
Stamina: 1953/10000
Intelligence: 1351/10000
Dexterity: 1972/10000
Will-Power: 1699/10000
Perception: 1695/10000
Skills: [Earth Mastered Skills (5)] [Divine Vision (78/10000)] [Warlord's Sovereignty (77/10000)] [Divine Indifference (79/10000)] [Reaper's Shroud (79/10000)] [Walk of Grim (69/10000)] [Trans-dimensional Anatomy Mastery (115/10000)] [Poisoncraft (310/10000)] [Divine Tongue (330/10000)] [Divine Reflection (242/10000] [Autonomous Ultra Instinct (77/10000)] [Martial Mirage (1154/10000)] [Divine Grasp (27/10000)] [Celestial Transcendence (locked)]
Martial Arts: [Earth Mastered Martial Arts (13)] [Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist (830/1000)] [Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist (620/1000)]
Mystic Arts: [Light Magic (328/10000]
Genes Synced: (6/13) [Primordial Homosapien] [Evolved Homosapien (Demonic Path)] [Soulweaver (Psychic Medium)] [Serpent King (Growth Potential: Basilisk Queen)] [Swellrat (Growth Potential: Greatsweller)] [Unicorn (Growth Potential: Bicorn)]
Transformation States: [Demonic Beast (initialized)] [Basilisk Form (initialized)] [Compact Form (initialized)] [Unicorn Form (initialized)]
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The increase in my durability was evident, as I felt lighter and at the same time sturdier than I had ever felt before.
"And that's not even the best part..."
It was the increase in my cap that really surprised me. Before, I could somewhat feel that the most I would be able to reach through training would be around 2500, however after integrating this gene, I was sure to surpass at least 3000 in system stats.
I had never forgotten for even a second about the pitfalls of this way to increase strength. After all, there was never a shortcut to strength.
"But how the hell am I gonna do weight training in this world?"
Although the best way to push my body would be to battle beasts, one should never underestimate the fruits of training.
"You train and grow, preparing yourself for those moments... until finally you're able to reap that reward during a fight."
It was imperative to have a strong enough foundation to build upon.
"Without some training, what would be the point of walking into a fight when you're not at your best?"
It was not cowardly for the weak to train to become strong, but it was the ultimate transgression to stay weak.
"Its fine," I shook my head, "I can't think about training right now."
Not only did I not possess suitable equipment to train, I also had much bigger things to worry about.
"But first..." I smiled, letting out a small chuckle as I slapped its butchered thigh, "it's time to cook."
After all...
"I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."