Minor Curse Of Fragility - Reduces the target's durability for one minute or until the target is struck. The Curse is only effective for one strike and will need to be reapplied afterwards. This curse can not be stacked and will apply to the first thing it strikes, regardless of whether it is a person or an item

  This was the result of me cooking a most simplistic omelette. Since dishes represented a certain type of curse, I figured that it would be smarter to just cook the most basic, simple of dishes first to get a better idea of what I had available right now and which dishes I should prioritise finding good ingredients for.

  The… Omelette curse was also considered ‘minor’, but it looked a fair bit more impractical than the ‘Minor Curse Of Endurance Loss’. The one-minute limit wasn’t much of a problem. To apply curses, I needed to land a hit anyway, so if I could do that, I could probably land another hit before the time ran out…

  What I found problematic was the last point in particular. The implication was obvious: If my target was wearing clothes or armour, the curse would apply to these items instead of their body–Which could technically still be good if it was armour, but if they were just wearing a simple tunic, then it didn’t matter whether that thing was fragile or not.

  It was fragile to begin with! Weak garments were the perfect counter to this curse. Besides, if I faced someone with enough brains to figure out how this curse worked, then they would know that putting anything in between me and my strikes would be enough to render this curse useless.

  Such as, let’s say, a damned barrier if they were a mage.

  Even something weak would work as a counter.

  Regardless, it told me that omelettes, and probably egg-based dishes in general, had to do with weakening, or perhaps applying some sort of ailment that required further interaction from me to reveal itself.

  It was fine if this one was bad. It was just a minor variation, after all… And anyway, cooking this meal was enjoyable regardless, not just because the process was something I appreciated, but also because my little sisters enjoyed eating what I prepared.

  I gave their hair a good ruffling before exiting the mindscape, returning to the real world in my plush body, tucked away into some bushes as I continued to overlook the beastfolk city. It had been around a week since the two felines had shown up.

  Today, a new character joined the mix and… Well… I had heard stories about cowfolks–About the women in particular–I had heard how some of the beastfolk species that called themselves that could have… Let’s say, oversized proportions.

  I had never seen any of those before myself. In fact, I had met one cowfolk lady who definitely didn’t have such traits, so I had presumed that the stories were partly true, but just exaggerated as such stories often were… Turns out the stories had been underselling the truth.

  Because holy moly! My non-existent spine is crying in agony at the sight. Even my magnificently trained back muscles never would have been able to endure such heavy weight without snapping–And yet, that woman was just… Walking around, upright if it meant nothing to her.

  I cannot imagine having just large equipment constantly. If I suddenly had any sort of a bump on my chest… I can already imagine myself getting hit there at doorways and corners. It was way better to be as flat as a board, it’s just more handy.

  In any case, I shouldn’t let these… Bouncers distract me from the fact that this cowfolk was actually impressively large in general. She looked to be at least two meters tall. I guess she was a bit like the lion, being oversized compared to the animal she was supposed to resemble.

  Though, unlike the lion who had a bestial head, her head was more like that of the tigress, retaining a lot of humanoid aspects to it–Enough for a human to be able to read her facial expressions without problem.

  Her long robes dragged against the ground as she walked. She was obviously a more traditional mage–But I could distinctly feel that she was dangerous.

  That cow-woman was brought to the quarantined people, certainly to examine their state, but luckily, she did not seem to know how to remove my curses. I would feel it if one of them were destroyed or otherwise rendered unable to function.

  Still, I did not like her presence here at all. She gives me the feeling that eventually, she will become a thorn in my side… It would be best if I could eliminate her right now, but I was not confident that I could do much.

  Beastfolks were naturally more vigilant to begin with, and she seemed to be a skilled mage, so even if I managed to get close using my ‘Plush Form’, I had the feeling that an attempt at a sneak attack would end in failure.

  A direct confrontation did not sound much better. I did not have many means of protection against mages in general. Especially not a powerful one, not to mention that the other two would certainly be around to assist.

  I couldn’t know for sure without trying, but I had a pretty good feeling that the lion-man was an absolute monster in terms of physical strength. I probably did not have an advantage in that regard–One just needed to look at his prominent, gigantic muscles to know that he meant business…

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  What a shame that he was a beastfolk and not a human. He definitely had the body to interest me, but I could not look past the whole lion head–His tongue was definitely covered in spines as well, which would be awful to experience.

  Although I would prefer to observe this trio to learn more and potentially plot against them, the nightmare trial called me once more. Perhaps I had been a bit too heavy-handed on my distribution of ‘Remember Me?’, it was often that I was getting dragged out of reality to do some butchering.

  It was honest work that counted toward unlocking a new form, but it also definitely interfered a fair bit with what I was up to in the real world. I’ll wait until all my nightmare-ridden victims are dealt with before going onto another venture.

  In any case, I allowed myself to be taken into the nightmare world. I might complain a little bit, but I absolutely loved these trials. Some of them were a bit strange, but they always turned out humorous or enjoyable.

  The special Nightmare Trial’s goal for the prey is as follows:

  You will be thrown into a forest at night, with only the faint light of the moon and a lantern to illuminate your path

  Find seven pieces of evidence scattered throughout the forest before your pursuer finds you

  You will be defenceless

  Running and hiding are your only options

  The only escape is through collecting all of the items

  Good luck

  The goal of this trial was worded in a more sinister way than usual, and nearly immediately, I found myself inside of some sort of old cabin that was missing its window and which ground was covered in branches and dirt.

  The wind was howling through the open windows, causing the wooden door to slam open and shut repeatedly.

  Another kind of ambience that I quite like.

  Compared to the previous trials, something was a bit off, though. Usually, I manifested wearing clothes that I had truly worn at one point in my life, but right now, I was wearing a black coat that I did not recognise.

  It was way darker than anything I had ever worn. It made me almost think that this thing had been woven out of actual darkness.

  It had a bit of a leathery feel to it, and came accompanied with matching pants, gloves, and boots, leaving me completely covered from the neck to my feet–I quite like the style, to be honest, especially the wide belt that wrapped around my waist, causing the coat to really stick close to my body.

  It made me look more lithe than normal, and I had been equipped with a bit of practical equipment as well. Fastened to my waist inside a sheath just as dark as my clothing was a long, double-edged dagger that definitely looked incredibly sharp.

  One slash from this bad boy could definitely result in heavy bleeding.

  I also had a bag slung across my shoulder, but when I opened it, I only saw an endless pit of darkness and a system panel opening, displaying what looked like different kinds of simple traps.

  It seems that this nightmare is giving you special powers and restrictions this time. By opening the bag, you can summon a certain trap of your wishes to place somewhere. It looks like it is an ability that will go on a cooldown once used, though

  Damn. It can even give me powers out of thin air for a trial? That’s incredible! But what are these restrictions you are talking about?

  I began moving toward the exit of the cabin, and I instantly answered my own question in doing so.

  As you just noticed, your movement speed has been… Adjusted, from what I can see, you basically only have three speeds available. Slow and sneaky, normal walk, and a simple sprint that is definitely far slower than what you would have been capable of normally while in your human form–Also, the sprint is only available when you have spotted your prey

  Well… I guess this is so that my prey actually has a chance to run away if I find them? I assume that I won’t be able to run if I lose sight of them, yes?

  Indeed

  Right. So, my prey’s best strategy if they encounter me will be to run for cover so that I slow down, and then continue to run until they have made enough distance… Hopefully, they aren’t aware of my limitations and won’t know how to abuse them.

  This trial certainly seems more balanced than the previous ones right now. Still, my prey needs to collect seven whole items, and…

  I stepped outside of the cabin, my eyes met the vision of a great forest filled with tall pine trees. The trees were quite far apart from one another, but the landscape stretched far. The moonlight was bright, but the trees obscured most of it.

  Not to mention that there was fog as well, visibility was very much awful for the most part, and I hadn’t been given a lantern, unlike my prey. I looked around the cabin, but found nothing of interest.

  I was hoping that, since this looked like a landmark of sorts, one of the items would be around so that I could place a trap near it, but unfortunately, there was nothing. So I instead made use of my gloriously trained body and climbed into a tree to get a better view.

  I was trying to see if I could spot a light in the distance. The lantern was certainly a great tool, but it was also a dire weakness if I could spot it.

  …No signs of it.

  Oh my. Is my prey actually smart? Did they understand, without needing to be punished, that using a light in the night was a bad idea when you were tracked? It might seem obvious, but most people would not actually think about it. It wasn't that they were stupid. It’s just that they didn’t think before acting.

  I stood up on a branch, the wind making my dark mantle flutter.

  Well, well, well…

  If my prey is not to be found anywhere, then I guess I’ll just try to find the items myself before they do.

  I jumped back down and decided to use this nifty trapping ability to place a trap at the entrance of the cabin. Even if it didn’t have anything to offer, it was still a point of interest that the trial taker would want to check out.

  If they didn’t pay attention and triggered the thread–Well, they wouldn’t die as the traps seemed all to be non-lethal, but they would get wrapped up in more steel threads and set off bells, which would tell me where to look.

  I dusted my shoulders, stretched a bit, and walked into the mist.