Minutes before the wall attack...
The monster observed Micah's lifeless body, its mind processing what it had just witnessed. Confusion distorted its inhuman features.
"Didn't they assure me humans were selfish?" it murmured, its multi-layered voice resonating in the empty chamber. "Why did this damn one commit suicide?"
It approached the body, studying it with frustration.
"If they were selfish, that was completely unexpected. Had I known..." Its claws clenched with irritation. "I should have killed him myself, at least I would have gained the assassination points to start accumulating possibilities of returning to my beloved queen. He took me by surprise..."
But something deeper bothered it.
"We're supposed to be their opposites, the antithesis of their selfishness," it continued its monologue, pacing around the chamber. "The most altruistic beings, those who only care about the common good and not the individual..."
It stopped, looking toward where the body lay. "But this human was so altruistic, so... inhuman. He sacrificed himself for another's good, for the common good like us."
Doubt began growing in its alien mind.
"Perhaps these parasites aren't what we thought?"
But as soon as the thought formed, it violently rejected it.
"NO! There must be something I'm not understanding. These monsters are the enemy. The Goddess cannot be wrong."
With methodical movements, it collected Micah's weapons. The daggers and spear could be useful.
It also took Elio's book, considering it an investment rather than a loss. "If he manages to surpass level 8, he'll be worth more points," it reasoned. "And if he dies trying, at least I'll know first..."
The monster observed Micah's severed head.
The aroma emanating from it was different from anything it had experienced before: sweet, alluring, almost hypnotic.
"Curious," its multiple voices murmured while turning the head in its claws. "The parasites' heads smell like this..."
Despite not needing food for years and being able to feed on everything, even mana, the sweet aroma emanating from Micah's head awakened something primitive in the monster. Its multiple senses were flooded with a fragrance that made every fiber of its alien being vibrate.
For the first time, it felt an almost uncontrollable impulse.
Its enormous jaw opened.
Micah's head, which would be of considerable size for a human, barely represented a mouthful for it.
Its thoughts briefly returned to Micah and his inexplicable sacrifice. "I must understand why some of them act in such a... contrary way to their nature. The Queen will want to know all the details before sending the army."
With these reflections, the monster headed toward the city walls, its claws gripping the stolen weapons and book, its mind planning the best way to test these humans who had changed so much in its absence.
♢♢♢♢
While moving away from the wall, the monster analyzed the results of its test.
The humans' levels were ridiculously low, much less than what the Queen had predicted for this moment. Their attacks, although coordinated, barely deserved to be considered an annoyance.
"Pathetic," it murmured, its multiple voices mixing with disgust. "One hundred years and they can barely reach level 3 on average... what a waste of time."
However, an idea began forming in its alien mind.
"The Von..." it reflected. "If I could eliminate these parasites' leader, I would automatically gain the right to return."
It mentally reviewed the levels it had observed. Only a few humans had enough power for their deaths to contribute significantly to its goal of crossing the ring's barrier back. But it would need 100 thousand of those or 100 million level 3...
"At this rate of elimination," it calculated, "I would end up exterminating the entire population before accumulating enough power to return." A pause, followed by what could be considered a smile. "Although that wouldn't be bad either. It would save my Queen the work."
The main obstacle was the barrier.
It needed a failure to infiltrate the city, either through excessive reproduction of the parasites or through neglect in feeding their defenses.
"Meanwhile," it thought, observing the city from the heights, "I must discover how they reached my deposit with such insignificant levels... or find the Von."
The two leaders at the wall had shown some promise. Their attacks were the only ones that required slight effort to dodge or intercept. But after testing their power...
"Level 7 at most," it concluded with disdain. "Impossible for them to be the true leaders."
Its thoughts returned to the group it had found in its chamber. Could it be that the Von was among those weak humans it let escape, still numb from centuries of stasis?
It observed the book in its claws.
Could it be that this belonged to the city's true leader?
That young man of slow decisions and evident doubts?
"No," it discarded the idea almost immediately. "Impossible for such an inexperienced parasite to lead an entire city."
But a small doubt persisted.
After all, the book's owner had managed to reach its chamber. And that other human, Micah, had shown completely unexpected behavior...