India's most populer pepole , populer poet of kalidas..

Su Min a young teenager died early in his last life but was shockingly reborn in another world. Terra a world of beastmen! While there are many beastkin imagine his disappointment when he learns that his species, the hamster species are the weakest race in the world! They even forgot how to transform after the war of Doom! In this world where the weak rule they only survived due to a stroke of luck!

After some shock Su Min gathered his courage.
Big Brother Ben decided to educate his strange little brother who was 4 months younger than him.

“ What are you saying?Laozi will not die in three years! F* that! Do you know how difficult it is to have a healthy body !”

Su Min saved all the pups from danger and helped them survive winter and the dry months.

The hamsters gathered to laugh at the strange young hamster who always had weird ideas.
“ Laugh. Laugh at you want now ! One day you will bow and call Laozi King!”
 Su Min taught them to fight ,cultivate and transform into beastmen form. He awakened hidden blood lines and powers.

The beastmen mocked him in the arena and he half- squeaked , half- roared.

“ SO WHAT IF LAOZI IS A HAMSTER! DON’T YOU BELIEVE THIS HAMSTER WILL BITE YOU TO DEATH!”

In the end there’s just one thing to say- dynamite comes in small packages.

Su Min slowly but surely became a winner in life becoming a great and powerful king who controlled life and death in his hands. He began to build a utopia and set off to find a beautiful hamster wife.

Umm... No? He brought back a powerful and domineering male tiger who spoilt and petted him the whole day!

Su Min and Husband:I love you so Much that I would kill for you and die for you! 

☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆

Hamsters:(´⊙ω⊙`)

“Kings stop feeding us dog food! Enough is enough!”

Other tigers:(¬_¬)

Lancelot inhaled deeply and opened the door to the room.
This was Duchess Lilo's study, which he wasn't looking forward to seeing. After observing the rows of bookshelves and the variety of books, Lancelot was a little surprised. 
In the middle of the bookshelves were the others.
Duchess Lilo sat behind a table, and in front of her were the dark-skinned and muscular Elf, Untouchable, the Dwarven twins, Hill and The King, and the Grand Priest, Baldhead.
They turned their heads to look at the approaching Lancelot.
"Sir Lancelot, take a seat," Lilo said in a soft voice as she pointed to an empty chair. 
The voice sounded as though it carried Mana, making him feel as though a high and mighty Queen was talking to him. But actually, it was a girl that appeared no more than twelve or thirteen years old who sat behind the table.
Lancelot did a Knight's salute to Duchess Lilo before sitting down.
Lilo took out several pieces of paper and distributed them to the five people, saying, "The papers indicate your work assignments. Once the roads and buildings are constructed, you'll have to start working."
Lancelot received a piece of paper and looked at the dense words, surprised to find that the words looked like Sherlock's handwriting. His first reaction was that it was written by Sherlock instead of Lilo.
Perhaps Sherlock was the master behind Victoria? It was quite possible.
Lancelot examined the paper.
"The respectable Sir Lancelot: 
When you are reading this letter, you will have been in Victoria for three unforgettable days. I hope that you are enjoying your stay with the citizens of Victoria City.
Even if you're not happy, it's alright, because you will soon realize that they are a bunch of fearless and hardworking heroes. I hope that you haven't fought with them. Otherwise, I'll have to look for another Knight to teach them.
It's a joke. I hope that you won't mind.
If you have survived the three days without incident, I believe that you will have a lot of questions. Don't ask. Even if you ask, nobody will tell you.
Let me explain your future work to you:
1: From tomorrow onwards, you will officially be Victoria City's Combat Skills Trainer, and the citizens of Victoria will look for you to learn Combat Skills. You will conduct Combat Skills training from 7 am, with each session lasting for an hour with a rest period of 10 minutes.
You may use your discretion in regard to the training content and the number of trainees.
2: If you need their help, please feel free to ask them directly. If they can do it, they will be happy to help you.
3: You may receive Duchess Lilo's missions, which I hope you can complete.
4: If you see evil Underworld creatures appearing nearby or hear about them from the citizens, do not report it to the Human Kingdom. Because Victoria City is the authentic Shield of Civilization!
5: Please read the contract and abide by all the terms in the coming days.
6: The citizens of Victoria City will build a specialized house for you. Please do not reject their efforts.
7: The citizens of Victoria City use a virtual currency. If they want to pay you, you only need to inform them that the payment is 100 bronze coins! Do not exceed a silver coin for each training session.
8: If I think of something else, Duchess Lilo will inform you.
9: Welcome to Victoria City. May the Sacred Lord bless you.
—Victoria City, Development Office."
Lancelot finished reading the letter. He didn't recall seeing any Development Office. Perhaps the workers were the three Hamsters?
The others also finished reading their letters. Lancelot wanted to peep at The King's letter, but he had no intention of sharing and crushed the letter into a ball after reading it. 
"If you have finished reading the letters and have no other questions, then go back and rest. My assistant Hamsters will help allocate houses to you."
The three fat Hamsters stepped forward, and one of them said, "Please follow me."
The employees of Victoria City stood up and followed the three Hamsters. 
Lancelot heard Duchess Lilo's voice as he was striding out.
"Sir Lancelot…"
The young Duchess Lilo frowned and muttered to an invisible figure before quickly looking at Lancelot and saying, "Please wait for a while, I have a special mission for you."
Lancelot stopped, while the others followed the three Hamsters out of the study.
Once the door was shut, Lilo looked at Lancelot and said, "A batch of materials will be arriving near Victoria City tonight, and we have to arrange manpower to transport the materials. We haven't scouted the area yet, and the citizens may have some careless slip-ups, so I need someone to supervise them. Will you accept the mission?" 
"Apologies, Duchess, I have just arrived for the job, so if the materials are important, you may want to let your Hamster assistants take over. Perhaps…" Lancelot pondered before replying.
But Lilo wouldn't accept his refusal. She said, "The Hamsters will be following you. After leaving my side, they will become nervous easily. It's not inherent, it's due to the unfamiliar environment. After much consideration, you're the best choice."
"If you trust me, I'll complete the mission," Lancelot nodded and said.
"Good, get a headcount of the laborers. There are a lot of materials, so bring as many men as possible." Lilo nodded and gestured for him to leave.


Sherlock is a new generation Dungeon Lord whose ambition is to become the greatest Devil King and building up the greatest Dungeon in the Underworld.
He summons a group of other-worldly goblins who give themselves strange names, form cliques, engage in commerce, and even fight among themselves.
They call themselves—Gamers!

"Woi. Kazuma, go clean up your dishes before going upstairs." A fat Asian lady's voice rang inside a typical Japanese household. She was speaking Japanese but the author can only speak and write English.
'Tch.'
Kazuma, who was already walked up a few steps on the stairs, was bummed out. He wanted to instantly go back to Immersion Online because a friend was waiting for him.
'That noob better not die.'
He was worried about his new friend, who was as clueless as the chicken that he brings.
"Alright. Mom, can I stay up late tonight?" Kazuma asked his plump mother as he walked towards the sink.
He planned to pull an all-nighter to explore the new game that he installed on his Full-Dive Smoke Virtual Reality Rig. The virtual reality rig that he bought was also brand new from the renowned company, Faucet. (AN: This is the best name change I can do for Valve. And Smoke = Steam.)
As he was washing dishes, the television within the living room was playing loud and clear. There was something of interest within the news broadcast.
[NotSoNews: Bernilli Klein has made a statement regarding her twin sister's disappearance.]
[Bernilli Klein: It is with a heavy heart that I proclaim the cease of all searches for my sister, Angela Klein. Our full focus will now be pointed to further developing the game, Immersion Online.]
A soft and beautiful voice spoke from the television.
[Interviewer: Bernilli, are there any changes that the players should expect within the next couple of months? Anything surprising or big enough to be considered an update instead of a patch?]
[Bernilli Klein: There are a couple of changes. I can't say much because it would ruin the fun for everyone. All I can say is that the players should expect a major overhaul.]
'Wow. I just joined the game and now there's a massive update? I need to level up fast.'
Kazuma thought as he heard the interview. He was washing the dishes and soon went to wash the cutlery and silverware.
[Bernilli Klein: We already finished testing the overhaul but it would take some time to get beta feedback. This overhaul has been in development for years before the release of Immersion Online.]
'Really?'
Kazuma looked at the television to take a look at Bernilli Klein's face. She was not beautiful at all. Kazuma felt betrayed by the beautiful voice that he was hearing since earlier.
Splash~
'Ah. Nuts.'
Kazuma was drenched because he washed a spoon with the faucet while the spoon was faced upwards.
'Done, and done!'
Kazuma finished washing the dishes and went upstairs to his room. He changed his shirt and immediately laid down on his virtual reality rig.
==============
Log In:
==============
Clack Clack~
Kazuma was still using an input type of login credentials instead of using biometrics. He was paranoid that the government was spying on him. The irony is that he's a social media addict as well.
'And enter!'
*Wrong password
"Eh?"
Clack Clack~
Kazuma re-entered his password with full alert. His key presses were now precise.
*Wrong password
"What's going on?"
Clack Clack~
*Wrong password. Please check whether Caps lock is toggled on.
"Bakayaro."
===============
Login Succesful.
===============
*Welcome to Immersion Online. Where -
"Skip."
*Welcome Back. Chikinsupu.
Kazuma, who was using Chikinsupu as his in-game-name, just logged into the game. After the scene loaded, he opened the Friend Menu to send a private message to his new friend, Bob.
"What the hell? He's already level 10?"
He was only gone for a few hours. He was met with a surprise as he came back.
Rewind to a couple of hours before. Bob was rolling on the floor due to the first explosion he experienced. Due to the explosion, he gained experience.
"What the hell was that?"
Bob knew that there were exploding hamsters but he was never alert against such critters. He was a person that didn't know anything about how the real world works because he stayed safe at home. In essence, Bob was like your typical webnovel reader.
*Your HP value has reached 0.
*You are an Essential. You can't die.
*Your HP is set back to Minimum.
*You have gained a huge amount of experience from exterminating a monster 4 levels above your own.
*You have leveled up.
The prompts covered Bob's vision. He was bombarded with the prompts due to the sudden event. He panicked because he could not see anything in front of him at all.
Bang!
Another explosion ensued. Bob could not see the exploding hamster approach him from the front. The prompts were still blocking his vision, and more were to come.
*Your HP value has reached 0.
*You are an Essential. You can't die.
*Your HP is set back to Minimum.
*You have gained a huge amount of experience from exterminating a monster 4 levels above your own.
Bob was once again blown away. He experienced two explosions in quick succession while wearing rags. It was a miracle that his clothes did not break.
*Your 'Hideous Rags' has lost all of its durability.
Nevermind.
*The item disintegrated.
 He was hurting from the initial blast but the pain goes away after a second. Having nothing else to do while spinning as he was blown, Bob read the prompts in front of him.
'Disintegrated?'
Bob suddenly felt chilly. He was not nervous because of what he read. He was only feeling chilly because he was now butt naked.
This process continued until Bob was fed up with being thrown around.
"What was that?" A random noob was looting a Horned Rabbit's corpse.
She was wearing the standard newbie set with a default sword on her left hand. She heard the explosions further in the forest and grew curious.
She peeked and saw something that she never expected to see outdoors.
'That's a long schlong!'
The phenomenon of a naked man rolling around the forest while explosions rang soon become a myth told within Bagel village.
Ring Ring~
*A private call with Chikinsupu initiated.
[Hey, Bob! How the hell did you get to level 10 so fast?]
A voice rang in Bob's ears.
"What?"
Bob looked around his vicinity to look for his friend that suddenly vanished earlier. He could not find him.
"Where are you? Why can I hear you?"
[I'm on the outskirts of Bagel Village, where I logged out. And I am calling you via PM.]
"Wow. I don't know how that works at all." Bob was amazed by the technology that he never knew existed.
[Where are you?]
"I'm on a rock."
[..... Is that all?]
"Uhmm. I'm naked too."
[....]
Chikinsupu was speechless. His new friend named Bob never failed to amuse him.
"I'm surrounded by exploding hamsters."
[Ah. You're in the forest?]
"Yes."
[The forest that I specifically told you not to go to?]
"Yes."
[Sigh. I'm coming to you. Tell me more details as I walk.]
Chikinsupu was a level 6 player. He tried partying up with other players to proceed to the next city but the party he was with fell to disaster.
There were buses that offered their services to guide new players to the next city and acted as body guards. They either tank all of the damage or kill the hamsters before they explode.
Chikinsupu did not want any of that. He wanted to gain enough battle experience while he was still low leveled where death penalties were still negligeble.
'Let's be careful.'
He slowly made his way to Bob, who was telling him where to go. And after a gruesome 30 minutes of running from suicide bombers, Chikinsupu made it to Bob.
"Hey! I'm here!" Bob exclaimed and raised one of his hand. The other hand was covering his long schlong.
"I can see you just fine. And it looks like you weren't lying about being naked."
Chikinsupu said as he focused his gaze towards the horde of hamsters that surrounded the rock Bob was on.
'How do I get up there without dying?'
"Alright! Let me clear these guys first!" Bob said as he jumped from the rock with his shiny butt for all to see.
'WHAT!?'
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The loud sounds continued ringing until all of the hamsters met the 72 virgin hamsters in hamster heaven.
Chikinsupu looked at the rock that no longer resembled the rock it was before. He looked for the blue light that signified a player's death but he couldn't find it.
"Hey! I'm over here!"
Bob exclaimed. This time, he was stuck on a tree after he was blown. He jumped down the tree but his balace was off. He fell face flat onto the ground.
'Bizarre.'
Chikinsupu was more amazed than weirded out by the scenario. But now was the time to think of something else.
"How did you not die?" He asked with an inquisitive gaze.
Bob, who was still facing down the ground while fully naked, stood up. He looked at Chikinsupu and opened his hand.
"Do you have any extra clothes?" Bob wanted some warmth.
"Here."
Chikinsupu instantly gave Bob the used newbie set that he used before.
"Now tell me!"
Bob began wearing the clothes and finished up. He opened his mouth as he checked his clothing.
"Alright. To tell you the truth. I-"

Bob the barn owner from Bagel village. An Essential tutorial NPC, typical of any game. One fine morning, Bob gains sentience and begins to question his immortal humanity.

Immersion Online. A Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Open World Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG) that took the continent of Asia by storm.

In that game, nobody expected a certain tutorial NPC would dominate the meta.

Follow the adventures of Bob on his journey to discover just what he really is and laugh along with his shenanigans.

Just a heads-up, this is a gag novel so if you laugh you lose.

If you have anything to say to me personally, send me a DM on discord at Goat#9660

Humans were humans, not fork cranes. Black Mamba realized his mistake. He'd rushed to move without much thought. 

"Why's this so weak? They don't even know how to set up a pillar."

"Oh, tabiki[1]. What can they do with their hamster brains? They don't know anything despite the teachings of Turki[2] that lasted over 1,000 years." 

"Those golden hamsters only know how to dig holes. Everything they made is poorly constructed." 

The three agents raised their chins at the same time and clicked their tongues. It was an act of contempt. The agents strongly sympathized with his weak excuse. He had once heard that the ethnic tension between Turkey and Syria was beyond Korea and Japan's, and that seemed to be right. 

The Turks referred to the Syrians as hamsters. The highlands, where the golden hamsters were often raised as pets and test subjects, were located in Aleppo, Syria. The Syrians referred to the Turks as saffah[3], which established their mutual resentment. 

Syria had been under the Ottoman Empire's rule for a long time and had suffered several holocausts. In recent years, their precious Hatay was seized by the Turks. The Turks looked down on the Syrians, and the Syrians' hatred festered into torment. It was just like Korea and Japan. 

Boom— 

His resonance waves spread across the surface. He checked the areas where there were buried mines and began shoving the sticks down. There was no need to mark the anti-tank mines. They didn't budge, even if he jumped on them. Whether anyone would dare to do that on top of a mine was questionable.

"Can humans see through the ground?"

The MIT agents were in disbelief. The madman was jumping around everywhere while poking in sticks attached with red ropes. The two other men, who had followed him without hesitation while carrying backpacks, were also mad. 

"Don't bother. He must be one of those people with sensory abilities. There are plenty of people who can find things underground in Istanbul. We only need to do our job."


"Well, he's the hamster leader that brought along a herd of hamsters, so he should be familiar with the underground." 

When the agent, who had a rifle slung over his shoulder, spoke as though it was nothing, the other agent, who was holding onto the mine detector, also shrugged it off. 

Even the agents couldn't escape the Turks' arrogance. Turkish men with their resolute machismo tendencies didn't like acknowledging other people's talents.

It didn't take 20 minutes for him to mark the mines. Black Mamba checked once more with his resonance waves and raised the wireless radio. 

"Mohammad, send them group by group, in intervals of 10 seconds."

"I understand, sir."

100 men and women carrying wrapped luggage rushed out of their hiding place and crossed the hills. Black Mamba's eyes grew alert. There were approximately 900 meters of exposed distance to get to the barbed-wire fences. He had already cleaned out 300 meters on both sides and tapped over 1,000 meters, but it was still not time to relax. He raised his dimensional sight to its utmost. 

"If you insist on visiting Allah, I have no choice but to send you off."

Clang clang— 

The Dragunov fired away. The RPG gunner and finder that were 500 meters away collapsed forward. 

"Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa, everyone in group one has arrived," the religious guard-in-charge reported while panting. 

"Friends, lead them."

"Got it."

One of the MIT agents led the first Orthodox Christian group and disappeared. 

"Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa, everyone in the second group has arrived." 

"Good job. Friend, take care of them for me."

The second group also disappeared along with another MIT agent. By the time the third group arrived, nine MIT agents in farmer attire had appeared. 

"Sin Bay[4]. I'm Ocak Bir."

A sturdy man, who looked like he was in his early 40s, requested a handshake. Ocak was January in Turkish. Bir referred to the number one. That meant 12 groups were dispatched to assist him, and that guy was the one in charge. The Turks' class consciousness was no exception to the intelligence agency. Aside from assigning a temporary code name, the MIT also assigned a temporary number for every operation. The nickname "Alarek On" referred to the youngest of an operative team. 

"Ange de la Mort."

"Ha, you're more like the angel of salvation rather than the angel of death. It's astounding how you're helping that many people to escape. Refugees to be transferred into limousines, ha, it's unbelievable." 

"Limousines?"

"There's no need to head directly to Camuzkışlası. Limousines await you once you cross the DMZ. We're moving according to orders, but greeting hamsters at the border with limousines? Hahaha!" 

Bir laughed as though he couldn't believe his own words.

"Well, I suppose that's true."

Black Mamba didn't like how Bir looked down on the Syrians by calling them hamsters, but he understood the animosity between the two countries. It wasn't much different from how the Koreans referred to the Japanese as Jjokbari. For someone who's on the receiving end of help, he didn't want to cause problems, either. 

"Are you Japanese?"

"Non, Coréen," Black Mamba replied instinctively and flinched.

He answered that he was Korean after he was assumed to be Japanese. He must have relaxed too much nearing the end of a complicated problem. However, Ocak Bir was also strange. Informants usually didn't ask others for their personal information. 

"Nice to meet you. Turkey and Korea are brother nations. My father participated in the Korean War. I'm Havuç from the MIT's operations department. It means carrot in Turkish." 

"Kuk, call me Dong-bang-bull-pae."

Black Mamba silently laughed at Havuç, whose face flushed like the color of carrots. Havuç's code name suited him. As he was talking to Havuç, the last group, who were the Kurd tribe, escaped with the agents' help. 

Havuç's eyes followed the stream of people who avoided the sticks with red ropes. He had already received the report that the Ange de la Mort had marked all the mines, ensuring a safe passage. He was surprised that the man could sense that many mines. 

What an amazing guy.

There were several people with unique abilities among the operative agents. Some operatives could smell things several times better than others, and like a seal, some could even stay underwater for more than 10 minutes. It seemed like the Ange de la Mort was an operative with unique abilities too. 

Boom— 

Boom— 

Intense explosions were continuously heard from the north. 

Bang—

Bang— 

The brief explosions were from tanks. That meant the battle had progressed. 

"Won't there be any problems?"

"No, there won't. We have stronger tank power. The M48A3 Patton and M60 Patton will overwhelm Syria's tanks. We're a tier above them when it comes to both weapons and technology." 

Tutututu— 

A Heliborne Battalion flew in from the east. They were the reinforcements from Tell Rifaat. 

"The battle's intensifying."

"No problem. Attack helicopters will be coming in from Hatay. Assad will surely pay the price for provoking Hatay."

"I thought it was originally Syria's territory."

"Less than 10 percent of the Syrians live in Hatay. They are mostly the Turks. I heard there are mostly Koreans in the far east region of Manchuria. I don't understand why Korea's staking a claim over that territory." 

"Hah!"

Black Mamba was rendered speechless. Havuç spoke factually, as though his concept of territories were like tables having four legs. 

"The self-propelled artillery shootings will start soon. This place isn't safe. We need to leave this place as soon as possible," Havuç urged. 

"Bakri, what are you doing? You need to leave quickly," Black Mamba spoke to Bakri's group, who were still moving slowly. 

Jamal approached and whispered into Black Mamba's ear.

"Master, Bakri and his family have been guarding your wealth." 

"Aha!"

Black Mamba exclaimed even if he was late to the game. He was so busy that he had entirely forgotten about the papers, videotape, the bunch of dollars, and gold. It was careless of him since there were over 4,000,000 dollars and 400 kilograms of gold. Bakri and Jamal must have struggled while trying to carry all of that. 

He took off his backpack and threw it at Jamal. 400 kilograms worth of gold was approximately 21,000 cubic centimeters. It was 27.5 centimeters in length, width, and height. His backpack was more than enough to fit that capacity, but the weight was impossible for ordinary people to bear. 

"Jamal, you can do whatever you need to do with the money."

"Yes, sir. I'll protect it to the best of my ability." 

What does he mean?

Black Mamba had meant for Jamal to use it on the Orthodox Christians and the Kurd tribe, but his reply was unusual. However, he should be able to use it wisely since he's friends with Bakri. 

"Master, it's ready."

Jamal couldn't do anything to the heavy backpack and had to call Black Mamba over. Black Mamba lifted the backpack, as though it was light, and slung it around his shoulder. Jamal shook his head. It was about time he got used to it, but the sight surprised him every time. 

"Master, the camera that was used in Kaparja and other small things are in the outer pouch." 

"Good job."

The heavy backpack was reassuring. The gains he obtained from this Syria trip couldn't measure up to what he had obtained in the Sahel. He was definitely compensated for his labor. 

Once they escaped the DMZ, 15 limousine buses were waiting for them in a line. 

"Why aren't you boarding?"

The 540 Orthodox Christians and the Kurd tribe, who were standing in line, kneeled together. Bakri was the first to open his mouth. 

"Allahu Akbar!"[5]

"Allahu Akbar!"

540 people chanted after him.

"Akbar ha-da!"

"Akbar ha-da!"

"Afdal yaumin pi-hayati-duh shuduh Ddu-bai-buru-pa! Wa sadi!"[6] 

"Afdal yaumin pi-hayati-duh shuduh Ddu-bai-buru-pa! Wa sadi!" 

"Oh!"

Black Mamba's eyes started watering. It had been complicated and challenging, but it was rewarding. The warmheartedness of 100s of people rushed toward him. He felt as though something in the corner of his mind broke. The pressure, which seemed to hound the corner of his mind at all times, disappeared.  

Whoosh— 

Resonance waves swept past his entire body. He shivered. His body felt infinitely lighter. Something had changed. 

"Habibi! Let's go together."

Wael hopped forward but nearly tripped over a rock.

"Oh, you'll fall, habiba." 

Black Mamba teleported and picked the child up.

"Look, this child is everyone's hope. All humans need to be responsible for at least one life, and that is your own. You cannot take care of yourself when freedom is taken away from you. I give all of you your freedom. Now, you all must live to help this child and the next generation learn to take responsibility for their own lives." 

Without leaving a single person behind, his baritone voice reached everyone who had crossed the line.

"Huriyah![7]" Bakri shouted at the top of his lungs. 

"Huriyah!"

All at once, the screams of 540 people echoed across the border. The morning sun rose. Like a waterfall, the bright sunlight poured over the backs of the people who were dressed in worn clothes. Those who had never been deprived of their freedom didn't know how precious that was. 

Unlike most countries' military culture, the Korean military suppressed the freedom of their soldiers. Those who didn't suffer in the army would never understand why soldiers risked their lives to sleep outside the military for at least one night. 

Ahmad came forward, held hands with Idia, and kneeled. 

"Ddu-bai-buru-pa, ya hayati[8]! Thank you for the new life you've given us. We'll serve you with our lives." 

"Ahmad, I get sick when I hear someone offering their life. You're responsible for Idia's life. Value yourself. Idia, this is someone you've gained out of hardship. I hope you live happily with many sons and daughters." 

"Thank you. You saved me, Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa, and in return, I'll devote the rest of my life to serving you! Uuh, hic!" Idia cried. 

Her father was executed because she had fallen in love with a heathen, and she was supposed to die by stones. Although she was unconscious during the rescue, she found love thanks to Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa's grace. Was there a greater blessing than this?

"No, Ahmad is the one who saved you. If you're happy, I'm happy. Bassel, I'll find you a husband if there is no one you like. Aishe, I think you should calm down a little. What man would propose to such a scary person? There's a lot of handsome men in France, but they all have tiny galls." 

"Hahaha!"

All the Orthodox Christians broke out in laughter. The solemn mood was lifted instantly. 

"Stand, everyone. You've all suffered. A passenger ship awaits you all at the İskenderun Harbor. My Turk friends will guide you. When you arrive at Toulon Airport, French officials will greet you. I, Ddu-bai-buru-pa, reassure you that no one would be persecuted for their religious beliefs or ethnicity. No one would be arrested carelessly or punished without trial. All men and women in love can marry with their parents' permission, and the children will receive education according to their abilities. No one would be subjected to brutal customs like honor killing[9]. No one would be executed by such barbaric customs. We'll separate for now. Felicitations[10]. Je vous souhaite bonne channce l'ou vous se vivre[11]." 

Black Mamba waved his hand. His role was now over. The rest was up to Bonipas and the French officials. 

"Arak lahiqaan'[12]. Barakallahu Feek Ddu-bai-buru-pa![13]" the Orthodox Christians and the Kurd tribe shouted at the top of their lungs.

Bassel rushed forward and rubbed her cheeks on Black Mamba's cheeks. 

"Thank you for giving me a new life. I'll wait for the day to serve you."

As if she didn't want to lose, Aishe popped out from behind and whispered into Black Mamba's ear.

"I won't be greedy, but please let me be near your side."

"Uhh, um!"

Black Mamba didn't know where to turn when other Arab ladies rushed forward to show their affections. The locals rushed toward him to rub their cheeks and grab his hand, creating general disorder. When the chaos didn't end, Bakri and Ibrahim stepped forward to manage the crowd. 

"Amazing. A savior from the East, hm?" Havuç smiled widely.

"Ha, my face is burning. Regardless, they're honest people."

Black Mamba rubbed his face with his hand. He was unsure if they were naive or desperate. Compared to the Koreans, their customs were too different. 

[1] Of course.
[2] It is how Turkish people refer to their country.
[3] Butchers.
[4] It means the term "Mr." in English.
[5] "Allah is great!"
[6] "My master Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa has returned! May the greatest day of my life be praised!"
[7] Freedom!
[8] My life!
[9] A man's right to kill a woman if she has brought shame or dishonor upon the family, regardless of the truth.
[10] Congratulations.
[11] I wish you good luck where you live.
[12] We'll see you later.
[13] May God's blessing be with Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa!

A silhouette of a man standing upon a boulder with the crescent of the moon shining behind him.
A kukri dripping with blood in one hand and a pistol in the other.
The image of burning flames surrounding him.
The countless mercenaries screamed as they saw this scene.
"It's a demon!"

Many people find this difficult to swallow, but in the same way we view many other races as monstrous, they too see us as demonic entities to be avoided. Humanity's talent with the arcane, fearsome adaptability, high intelligence, and insatiable greed make us a race to be reckoned with.
Suko Ryo - Interspeciel Expert - Humanity and the Other Races
____
"Watch your flank," Silas shouted, cutting down a severally overgrown hamster. It shrieked and tumbled into the dirt, and he immediately changed targets to its nearby kin.
Olivia turned at his warning and flinched as she saw a hamster bounding for her from behind. This moment of distraction was enough for the one in front to charge at her legs and topple her over. It immediately twisted itself around her leg and gnawed at her flesh, while the other one arrived and attacked her head. Panicking, she dropped her spear and flailed and kicked at them, screaming, but failed to ward them off.
Silas slaughtered the two nearest to him and booted another away, fury streaming through his veins. He rushed over to Olivia and speared the hamster chewing on her leg. Its shrill squeak warned the one by her head, and it immediately retreated from his reach, joining the remaining handful of hamsters in circling the duo.
Silas reached out and pulled Olivia up, tears streaming down her blood-streaked face. "Are you okay?" he asked hoarsely.
Gasping for breath, she shook her head with her eyes set on the ground. She had slumped shoulders and slack limbs, and he feared she would fall the second he let go. Still, there was nothing else he could do as the hamsters were still circling them, growling as they looked for another opportunity to engage.
"Just hold on for a few seconds, alright? I'll be done right away," he said, releasing her. He dashed towards the hamsters and swung his spear in a wide arc, catching two off-guard.
The others rushed at him together from different directions, and he snarled, kicked, and stabbed until they lay dead in a growing puddle of red. There were a couple of scratches on his dark armour and they had bruised his skin in areas, but that was the worst of it. Panting, he strode over to Olivia and handed her a healing salve. He helped apply it and then supported her as she hobbled alongside him, coming upon a secure cave some minutes later.
It had been two days since they had left New Derby, and so far their journey to find Ethan had been fruitless. Travelling north-east, they hadn't encountered any civilised people to help direct them in more detail, but they had come across several bands of monster who had done well in hindering them.
To add to this, Silas had only recently learnt that Olivia had merely been a level 4 at the start of their journey; he had abstained from asking her out of politeness, but then he had felt the need to after watching her during their first fight. Although his runes had greatly enhanced her capabilities, it didn't change the fact she had little to none combat experience and that she easily panicked around violence. While her weakness had undoubtedly contributed to their slow progress, he hadn't even entertained the idea of dumping her here in the wilderness, especially as she was improving with every fight.
"I got three of them," Olivia called out, leaning against a stone wall. "Did you see?"
Silas acknowledged her with a hum. "Yeah, they were at least level twenty so you did well. Sorry it took me so long to come over."
"It's fine. It was my fault, anyway," she replied, clenching her hands into trembling fists. "I just froze when I saw it charging towards me, and the other tripped me from behind."
"At least you protected your head after your fall. How's your leg feeling?" he asked.
She gingerly looked down at the stinging wound, cream-coloured balm splattered over the red cut. "Bad. But the salve should heal it up in a few hours, right?"
He nodded, "Should do." They spoke for a while longer before quietening as she rested with her eyes closed, and he sat vigilant, chewing over the matters on his mind. Eventually remembering what Montigo had said about Aengus, he checked the leaderboards as it had been a while since he had done so.
1. Dahlia Howe - 55
2. Kuraim Jaffer - 53
3. Lucian Grimes - 51
4. Freddie Littlewood - 48
5. Ajit Ghost - 48
6. Katerina Ivanov - 48
7. Jeung Seoyeon - 47
8. Vivienne Durant - 45
9. Alfonso Pisani - 44
10. Aengus Abercrombie - 44
…
22. Zhang Bao - 42
…
35. Lavanya Sanghvi - 41
…
47. Matteo Rivera - 41
…
51. Dolkar Letho - 40
…
73. Waseem Bukhari - 40
…
86. Solomon Kebede - 40
87. Floyd Godson - 40
…
100. Seda Albayrak - 40
A grin sprouted on his face as he saw that Aengus had finally made the top ten! He figured this meant the Scottish man-giant had been successful in hunting down the wyvern Montigo had mentioned. Besides from this, Silas was somewhat surprised to see Floyd there, although it made sense considering the amount of experience he must have soaked up during the horde attacks.
Moving on, Silas recalled the things the System had said about the Test of Merit after the tutorial. It had stated the goal of it was to become a D ranked organism in 6 months, which could be done by reaching level 100, killing an organism already ranked D, or by completing a D rated quest. Considering Dahlia, Kuraim, and Lucian had already passed level 50 in just a month, thus becoming E ranked individuals, it seemed they were well set on passing level 100 in the remaining 5 months.
Once they did that, they would become Sovereigns of Idroa and obtain the power to kick out the ratkin. The System had even claimed they could unfuse the planets and go back to just having Earth again, but Silas felt somewhat contested on this point. On the one hand, Earth was his true home and a safe haven to all humans, but on the other it had been Idroa that had breathed life into his hollow husk. Would he lose all his progress and attributes on returning to Earth, and if so, was he destined to become a piteous vagabond again?
He had no idea to the answers of these questions, and so he was oddly relieved that he wasn't a ranker as at least this way he didn't have to worry about these grand issues. Besides, it was possible that humanity wouldn't even get a say on this matter as there was a chance that one of the other races could reach D rank first.
Scrolling down to the classes list, his eyes widened and his mouth gaped open.
1. Elisha Luna - Primal Healer level 17
2. Hou Yu - Artificer level 15
3. Kuraim Jaffer - Necromancer level 15
4. Emmanuel Baasch - Alchemist level 14
5. Katerina Ivanova - Hidden Blade level 14
6. Darshan Jha - Farmer level 14
7. Dahlia Howe - Abomination level 14
8. Conan Hughes - Druid level 14
9. Jack Jones - Miner level 13
10. Aiyasha Okilo - Shaman level 13
11. Lucian Grimes - Warlord level 13
12. Laila Samra - Mirage level 13
…
39. Stefan Sommer - Chronicler level 12
…
81. Bijou Louis - Puppeteer level 12
…
97. Reynard Holden - Runesmith level 12
…
100. Roxanne Martin - Oracle level 11
Non-combat classes had almost completely overrun the list! Silas was still only a level 8 Duellist, so Elisha was almost double his class level already. In truth, he had thought until now that people would only reach D rank through levels and kills, but this sight opened his eyes to the fact that many people could achieve the same thing through their quests. There wasn't anyone he recognised on the list though, so he skipped onto the next one.
1. Dahlia Howe - 3 E-5
2. Lucian Grimes - 6 F-1
3. Katerina Ivanova - 4 F-1
4. Freddie Littlewood - 3 F-1
5. Zhang Bao - 3 F-1
6. Kuraim Jaffer - 2 F-1
7. Jeung Seoyeon - 2 F-1
8. Aengus Abercrombie - 2 F-1
9. Ajit Ghost - 2 F-1
10. Vivienne Durant - 2 F-1
…
27. Lavanya Sanghvi - 2 F-1
…
52. Floyd Godson - 1 F-1
…
100. Lloyd Merrick - 6 F-2
It appeared the mantis leader Floyd had killed had been an F-1, which explained his high position. While the kills list was interesting, most of Silas's attention went to the highest-ranked person, Dahlia Howe. From her level, class title, and astonishing number of high-ranked kills, he imagined her to be some sort of assassin hunting down terrifying monsters for sport.
Silas's thought track suddenly derailed as he rose and gripped his spear. Olivia turned to him, her doe-eyes betraying her worry. She didn't know what exactly he had sensed, but the only times he reacted like this was when there were monsters nearby.
"I know you're there," Silas shouted, pacing forward. Simultaneously, he gestured Olivia to go deeper into the cave.
"Move again, girl, and my baby will fire," came the reply. Silas tensed as he recognised the voice.
Out from behind a bunch of trees skittered a misshapen insect with all the grace of a dead, washed-out rat. With six pincer-like legs and a glossy-black shell, it boasted oversized mandibles at the front of its thorax. It stopped some strides away from him and tasted the air with its mandibles.
Behind it followed Raven with her jet-black hair and deathly pale skin. She looked worse for the wear with her plunge dress now dirty and in tatters. Her silver piercings glinted in the dusking light and brought his attention to her depraved expression. Beside her strode Meera, the dark-skinned Huntress, her bow drawn and aimed at Olivia, her bleak eyes trained on her prey.
"Put down the bow," Silas yelled, anger seeping into his voice. He had not expected to find the Voidcaller and her pet here, and he especially hadn't expected such a hostile reception.
Raven guffawed, her bosom bouncing with her laughter. "Now, I wonder, Silas," she said, struggling for breath, "Would you be able to save this girl if I told my baby to fire? No? Then perhaps you should take a softer tone, you swine." She uttered the last word with such venom it threw him off-balance.
He couldn't recall ever wronging her, let alone doing something deserving of such spite. Perhaps the Voidcaller's insanity had taken over? He sharply sucked in a breath and decided to change his strategy: whatever the case, he had to disarm Meera before she shot at Olivia.
____
For those of you who are eager to hunt down monstrous animals, remember that you don't need to kill it on your first encounter. On many occasions, I like to scout out my prey first, before wearing them down, and only then finishing them off. Be aware, though, that some animals will catch onto your plan and attempt to run away at the first opportunity, so remember to bring something to track them with.
Lavanya Sanghvi - the Monster Bane - Adventurer's Guide to Surviving the Idroan Wilderness

Earth is bought and fused with two other alien planets, but before the new overlords take total control, the System decides to grant the original inhabitants one last chance to reclaim their fates. Stuck on an unfamiliar world in the midst of sentient creatures and savage monsters, humanity will struggle to survive until they learn to adapt to their harsh, new reality.

However, Silas could ask for little more as the calamity provides him with the opportunity to turn his wreck of a life around and finally face the mess he once ran away from. Little does he know of the terrible foes he will face on the way, the grand powers he will gain, and the legions he will command. This is the tale of Silas Wycliffe, the Godkiller. 

Author’s note: System-regulated Apocalypse story following a powerful (but not overpowered) MC and the village that he helps set up. While it is graphic, it isn’t overly dark.

Now completed!



As soon as she heard that the hamsters might not be dead, Little Celery stopped crying.
"Store Manager, is that true? Are the hamsters still alive?" Tears welled up in her eyes, as if they would trickle down her cheek again at any given time.
"I think that it's possible. What's not possible is all the hamsters dying at the same time, unless they were poisoned. They might have entered a state of temporary hibernation," Zhang Zian explained.
"That's great!" Little Celery, believing in Zhang Zian's knowledge of animals was relieved.
Zhang Zian still had a stern look on his face because although the hamsters weren't dead, they were in a serious situation. Temporary hibernation is a state hamsters enter as a means of protecting their lives. Whether or not they'll be able to wake up from temporary hibernation, was unclear.
Zhang Zian looked at his surroundings, everyone who woke up early was still looking for the animals that escaped from the breeding base. There probably won't be much business today, so he said, "Little Celery, I don't have much going on today, why don't I go with you to take a look at the hamsters?"
"Okay!" Little Celery nodded. "We don't know what we're doing, so it's probably best if you come."
"Can I enter your school? Zian asked. "Security is strict, right?"
Little Celery thought for a moment. "Let me ask Yaning."
She took out her phone and sent a few messages to Wang Yaning.
Soon, she said, "Yaning said she'll tell her teacher to notify the security.
"Okay, let's go."
Zhang Zian went back into the store to inform Lu Yiyun to look after the store before he left with Little Celery.
His strides were big, one of his steps was equivalent to two of Little Celery's, sometimes she had to run to catch up to him.
Little Celery's was worried, every once in a while, she'd look up at Zhang Zian and ask him more about the hamsters. Although Zhang Zian believed that the hamsters were in a state of temporary hibernation, he was unsure if they'd be able to wake up. He didn't want to lie to Little Celery, so he could only tell her not to panic.
After the Christmas Eve trip, this was Zhang Zian's second time going to Zhonghua Road Primary ever since he graduated.
At Christmastime, the primary school was flooded with parents of students, gathered to watch their children perform. Their vehicles filled the streets outside the main entrance. Today, the main entrance was empty and the school gates were closed, leaving only the side gate by the guard house open.
Little Celery and Wang Yaning's teacher had already notified security. The teacher trusted Zhang Zian because she was once his teacher, too. Most senior primary school teachers spent their career in one school, watching their students graduate and leave to become pillars of the country.
Little Celery led Zian towards the back of the school building. He thought that they were raising the hamsters in class, but it seems like he was wrong.
Behind the building was a line of single-story cabins, the area around the cabins was built like a small garden. A swing swaying in the wind, a grape trellis made of thin bamboo, and a bamboo fence separated the cabins from the main building. When spring came and the flowers bloomed, it had to be a nice view.
The single-story cabin made use of a great number of tempered glass. Zhang Zian could see a few figures in the cabin, and it looked like they were busy.
Little Celery knocked on the door, and Wang Yaning ran over to open the door.
She suspiciously looked at Zhang Zian, and said, "Come in. What did you mean when you said the hamsters weren't dead?"
"Exactly what I said." Zhang Zian looked at the five students, including Little Celery and Wang Yaning who were there. He'd never seen the other three before, they were probably Little Celery's classmates. They all seemed very reserved.
"Where are the hamsters?" Zhang Zian asked.
"Over there." Little Celery pointed towards a shelf right by the window.
On the shelf was a hamster cage, clearly bought from the market, and a small glass fishbowl with wire netting as a cover. There was also a birdcage made out of iron wires being used as a hamster cage, probably brought from a student's home.
The cage was half covered in wood shavings and half covered in litter sand. On the wood shavings side, laid a hamster, either a Djungarian or a Winter White.
"Do you guys have a thermometer?" Zhang Zian asked as he checked the furniture in the room. When he came in earlier, he thought that the cabin was hotter than outside, but it was still pretty cold.
"No, we don't. Why do you need a thermometer?" Wang Yaning replied.
"Hamsters are sensitive to changes in temperature." Zhang Zian explained.
Wang Yaning then asked the others, "Do you guys have one?"
A small boy took out a box from his bag, opening it up to find a small thermometer.
"Is this okay?" the small boy asked.
Zhang Zian took the thermometer from the boy and looked it over, it should be okay for now.
The thermometer stated that the cabin's temperature was around 17 degrees.
"It's too cold." Zhang Zian finally understood the cause of the hamsters' temporary hibernation. He held out the thermometer so that the students could see.
"That's cold? My house isn't even close to 17 degrees!" Wang Yaning said, the other kids agreeing.
Zhang Zian walked over to the cage where the hamsters were, bent down to look inside, then asked, "Why is it covered in wood shavings and litter sand?"
"If we fill it up with just wood shavings, it's hard to manage and the smell is too strong," Wang Yaning answered. "So we thought of the solution to cover it half in wood shavings and half in litter sand. When the hamsters need to go, they walk over to the sand, and when they want to sleep, they go back to the wood shavings."
Zhang Zian shook his head. "First, the temperature is too low. 17 degrees is nice for us, but hamsters aren't used to such cold environments. It's best to keep it above 20 degrees. Second, if you aren't able to maintain the temperature around 20 degrees, you'll have to cover the whole cage with wood shavings to keep them warm. Half wood shavings and half sand is better for spring and fall, then during the summer, use only litter sand.
"Store Manager, you're saying that the hamsters went into temporary hibernation because it's too cold?" Little Celery asked.
"That's right." Zhang Zian rolled up his sleeves. "Now, I need you guys to help me save these hamsters."


1. Download a suspicious game
2. Catch a few magical pets as partners
3. Go through interesting daily routines and lead the pet shop to a whole new level

If there was a academy for being a high and mighty person who thinks their above everyone else just because they've been at high school longer, then Diah would pass with flying colors.
"Remember now, you and everybody else in your grade have to refer to me as Kak*." She would tell me once in a few weeks back when I was in my freshman years. "Actually, your classmates in particular. I don't know if you befriend them all, but some of them act like jerks to me." 
For that last sentence, I'm not surprised.
It was their call. I had nothing to do with it.
But until the day we all graduate, they're all in the same class as me."
 It's not that Diah was a bad example of a high school senior, but it's her being extremely selective as to who she's nice with and who she isn't.
Sometimes, she can be nice to me and a couple of other guys. Other times she can try and act tough to others, even the teachers. Everybody, myself included, had to deal with her up until she made it to the 12th grade, and right now, Erma Arifah was the one butting heads with her.
This all started back during our first day entering SMA 2, where Diah was one of the commitee members for the school orientation. At first all of us looked up to her as she greeted us and organized our groups, while keeping a watchful eye. One of the most notable cases of orientation was a team bonding event, where there was about 12 groups of 5. In my group, Erma Arifah was late for team based activity involving water balloons.
I had befriended Erma even before we were a group, and I learnt that her father had gotten into an accident, fracturing his leg, and because her mother had to take care of him, she had no choice but to take the bus to get to school. On that particular day, the roads were crowded, and we almost waited for an hour, although she did give us a heads up from the day before. Diah however, wasn't going to have any of it.
"You may have informed your friends and the committee from before, but this isn't tolerable." Diah remarked in front of my group. The other students watched with intent of witnessing if a fight was going to break out. "How are you going to be a disciplined individual if you make this kind of mistake."
"So you're saying I won't be disciplined if I make just one mistake?" Erma said.
 "People make mistakes, but you had us and your group especially wait for you. We were supposed to begin around 50 minutes ago, and it's almost an hour now. Now, since we are having a team bonding event, might as well give you a certain lesson that teaches about it." She then turned to the other students. "All of you will move on with the activities, while group 3 over here will be doing pushups at the field."
"You're kidding me." Erma said in under her breath. "Just give me the punishment, let them go."
"No, this is a team effort. You win together, you celebrate together. You lose, you all pay the price together. In this case, it's doing pushups because you Erma, were late."
"Team Effort! They had nothing to do with this." Erma pointed at the 4 of us.
"Be grateful that you're just doing pushups!" Diah exclaimed. "Otherwise I would have all of you eat chili. Raw."
"You dirty-"
 "Erma stop fighting Ka Diah!" the guy beside me, Oscar, said. "It's a team effort so just deal with it. Besides, you probably should have woken up much earlier if you knew you were taking the bus."
"Shut up." Erma said pointing at him. I think she really shaken up about what happened to her father.
Diah took a step forward toward Erma. The former's eyebrows furrowed. "You watch your attitude, this is your own schoolmate, one of the many people here that you're gonna study with until you graduate. Show some respect."
Erma sighed. "Okay, Diah."
"It's Kak Diah." the senior's voice was firm. 
"Kak Diah." Erma said quietly after a deep breath.
"Good, you better refer to me and my friends as Kak seeing how we're your seniors."
"All you've done is be in this school longer than me. Big deal."
Eventually one other senior came in and stopped the confrontation. We did about five sets of pushups. One set being ten pushups, and we weren't told to stop midway. Diah was there watching us like a hawk. Erma was focused on the pushups, but her constant groaning and breathing made me think she was fueled with anger.
"Take note everyone." Diah called out to the other students. Make sure you don't act like your friend here." She looked at Erma, who was sweating and her fists were all tight. "And don't forget. Respect those around you including us seniors. You respect us, and we will respect you. We will remind you to refer to each us, including the 12th graders, as Kak. That is all we ask for. No more than that.
Erma was wrong to go up against Diah, especially since we lived in a society where anybody gets judge by anybody, and later she was the talk of the chatters that happen around classes. She didn't seem to care though.
Not a single care in the world.
If you told her that a cockroach was on her shoulder, then she wouldn't care.
She and I didn't have the same class back in our freshman year. Surprisingly, she was nice to me, at times accompanying me to eat lunch and helping out with my assignments. At same time however, she avoided speaking to Diah, let alone hear her name being called out.  We became classmates since we both had picked out Social Studies. Overall, her grades were average, and to me and the others, we were treated with respect.
"Diah doesn't really care for us. She's out with her own grade."I disagreed, saying that despite her harshness, and despite demanding to be called Kak. There's still some good in her. Erma countered. "She'll graduate without us sooner or later. Even if I'm nice terms with her, it won't be permanent.
"I'm not saying you should be friends with her, but being enemies just makes it worse for you.
The two of us were eating at the cafeteria, where recess was going to be over soon, and the next class would come. One senior whom I recognized from the student body, Dion, approached our table."
"Hey sorry to disturb, but Diah wants to see you."
"What does our senior want with Saqina here?" Erma exclaimed, but his eyes didn't seem to notice her.
"It's urgent she says." Dion remarked. "It's not going to take long."
Diah's classmates gave me a couple of greetings, and let me waltzed in to her class. The said person in question was sitting at her table on the right end of the classroom, third seat from the front. Her legs were crossed, hands on table, and she was looking down.
It's always logical in high school, or maybe outside of it, that when somebody has their head down, they're feeling down. Common sense. Although at this point even I'm confused why she wants to talk to me about an urgent matter. The sound of processors occurs in my head, scanning any possible reasons
I understand her, then again who doesn't understand her? I thought.
Her other friends don't understand her. Pretty weird considering they've been with her since their own freshman years. Another thought.
They may have tried talking to her, but to no avail. Another thought came into mind. If some people here were her actual friends, then they would try harder. Something happened recently between her and her classmates and they don't want to talk to her. That last thought was most likely, but if they were as mature as their age and how they made it clear to juniors that they are adults, then they should move on….unless the issue is really really bad.     
"Saqina". Diah called me by my nickname, in relief.
"Kak Diah."
"Sorry to drag you here."
"It's no trouble at all." I tell her. "What's the problem?" I took a seat next to her.
"You ever felt something's been taken away from you?" Diah said. "I'm not talking about money or a friend. Friends come and go. I'm talking about something's that close to family." There was some sorrow in her voice. "No, nobody in my family has passed away. I'm grateful for that."
"Is somebody...missing?" I asked, before asking myself whether or not I should have opened my mouth.
"Yes and no."
"Pardon?"
"Yes, somebody is missing from my family. No, as in it's not a somebody." She then reached into her bag, and in her hand were some pictures of hamsters. There were 3 of them, each having a different coat of fur. My heart felt lighter at the sight of tiny cute hamsters with seemingly chubby cheeks.
"Are they all yours?"
"Yes." Diah recalled. "I've had them since middle school. My parents bought them for me as a graduation gift at the time. The one with yellow fur? She's called Lemon. Gray fur, Jocki, and brown fur, Brownie. Last Tuesday my family and I went out for dinner, and by the time we got back from the city center, our house was ransacked including my room. We didn't really know what was exactly stolen, but my hamsters were gone."
"Was there anybody from your neighborhood that saw anything suspicious while you were away?"
 "Well now that you mention it, my neighbor's maid did see two people wearing black hoodies. One of the hoodies had a blue elephant at the back. Up until now I've had missing posters posted on social media, hoping somebody would find them. Yeah I know, it seems unlikely considering they're small and some hamsters can look alike, but I have faith in any good person who would find them."
"I don't have a pet myself, but I can understand what you feel."
"Those hamsters were my mood booster whenever I felt down." Diah said with some anger in her voice. "Don't get me wrong Saqina. Friends are great. They are, but they won't always be there for us, and it's nobody's fault. The hamsters, I know it must be weird like, talking to them even though they don't understand you, but the fact that they can't talk back, means they can't judge. The last thing you need in life is feeling down and then get down even more when you get judge."
"I don't think it's weird." I told her. "If I had a pet stolen from me I'd feel the same way."
"Thanks for hearing me out." Diah tells me with a smile. "Say, does Erma still don't like me?"
"I don't really know." I tell her. "I normally don't question it."
"If you meet her, please do ask her for me. It's not just my hamsters, but the fact that National Exams is going to come up in a few more months, it's intimidating."
I wished her the best of luck, and told her not to worry about her hamsters. As I got back to class, the bell rang, and most of my classmates were ready to get seated. Erma looks at me with a strange look.
"So, how'd it go?"
"She had a problem with something. Wanted to talk to me to sort it out
"Pretty strange for her to have a heart to heart with you if she did have a problem."
"Okay no offense, but if you still hate Kak Diah, then you should drop it."           
"Whoa hang on there." Emira held her hands up. "I don't hate her. I just don't like her. Hate is such a strong word Saqina. You know better. Besides, if she didn't demand me to call her Ka and respect her, then I would have done it."
"You're not wrong, but you're equally wrong for demanding her to follow what you want instead."
Erma wanted to reply, but instead went silent. Her mouth straightened. "Okay, you got a point. I'll drop it."
On this Saturday morning, Erma had invited me to her home, which was empty as her parents had left her the house for the day whilst they were going visit her grandparents at Jakarta.
 "I'll see you later at around eleven." I told my mother who dropped me off in front of her house. My phone felt unusually warm, and I frowned when I looked at the sight of it.
Low battery, I thought. Maybe Erma could lend me hers. I went to her door and she opened it for me. Inside, I could smell something cooking in the kitchen. Erma's hair seemed messy. Bad hair day probably.
"I'm making us some soup." She said. "If you want to charge, you can borrow my charger. It's in my room, the one with the open door. You can't miss it."
Her room had things everywhere, where was even a teddy bear. I spotted her white charger connected to a socket, and I plugged my phone. I took a moment to study the room. As much as I don't wanna judge, Erma's room seemed like a mini tornado went inside. Pillows were misplaced and the blanket was scattered on the floor, a blanket and some clothes to be more exact.
I wasn't going to tidy the whole thing, but I'll do her a favor by placing the blanket and some clothes on top of her bed. After a few pieces of clothing, I noticed a black hoodie standing out of the colored shirts she had.
As I turned the hoodie around, the hoodie had a graphic on it.
A blue elephant, my mind spoke to me.
No, Erma couldn't have been a thief at Diah's house. It was clear enough to me that those two aren't really friends. Plus that hoodie seemed to be be massively produced and sold in the country.
"Saqi!" Erma called out. "Soup's ready."
"Coming." I replied heading to the kitchen and taking a seat. I was here to enjoy breakfast with my classmate, so there was no point in questioning her.
"Smells nice."
"Thanks." Erma said bringing the small pot to the dining table. I sat at the opposite seat, with her filling in my bowl with the soup she's made. I let it cool down a bit before I tasted the broth first.
"This is nice." I smiled. "What you put in it?"
"Usual. Salt, pepper and some seasoning." Erma said as I helped to myself getting a glass of water. "Other than you know, accompanying me here, there's another reason why I invited you
"Oh?" I began tasting the broth spoon by spoon, along with spinach she's added."
"I need to talk more about Ka Diah."
I rolled me eyes. "You said you'll drop it."
"I didn't say when I'll drop it did I?" Erma countered. "Besides, these things take time. You can't rush it."
Fair point, I said to her.
"Besides. The soup might make you see reason."
I didn't have a clue or even a guess as to what she meant by that. Poking my spoon into what felt like meat, I raised a seemingly round piece of meat with some fur on it. It looked dirty and smelly, and I could spot the tip of a nose and mouth.
 My heart dropped as my hand holding the spoon was shaking.
"I got this meat from a certain senior you and I know." Erma said, her mouth forming a grin.
 I dropped my spoon, and screamed at the top of my lungs.

It's anything but normal in 2017.

Some people seem normal in society, others....not so much. Blemished Soup with Garlic is a collection of short stories with narrators beyond the status quo. 

Some are trapped in places they never wished to be in, others becomes witnesses of madness, and the remaining, well, best let the stories do the talking.

4 hamsters novel

1÷4=? Final 4

-4

......4

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Gamers of the Underworld

Essential NPC with a Chicken

Mercenary Black Mamba

Rising from the Depths

Pet King

Blemished Soup with Garlic

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