MTLNOVEL Chapter 476: Scar Of The Nuts
Damon didn't really know what was up with this weird squirrel…
Honestly, he had more important things to worry about. His enemy had just achieved an unprecedented evolution up the ladder.
He didn't even know what she looked like—only that she was vengeful.
Well, so was he.
Damon glanced at his shadow. It had been unusually still these days, like it was preparing for something.
He had a bad feeling.
He glanced at his eternal companion.
"Hey… the Wendigo is gone now… what do we do?"
His shadow merely shrugged.
Instead, it seemed more concerned with the raven and the scarlet squirrel that had been following them.
Damon looked up and sighed.
He raised his hand—and the raven, Croft, took it as a sign to fly straight into Damon's arm.
It was, after all, Damon's pet. Croft cawed in disdain at the squirrel, who fluttered down to the ground a few meters away from Damon and stopped.
Damon glanced at it. Then, taking a single step in its direction, the squirrel vanished in a red blur, darting several meters back.
He frowned but turned away.
Reaching into his shadow, he pulled out an eyeball his shadow had so generously been saving for Croft… and fed it to the raven.
Seriously, he had no idea when his shadow and raven had formed such a deep bond, but apparently, most of the things he killed and devoured, his shadow saved a single eyeball from—for Croft.
And since Damon had killed a lot, Croft had quite the stash.
That was after Damon had gotten rid of a bunch already.
Still, as he walked, the squirrel continued to follow… slowly, cautiously.
Damon was starting to wonder if it was after his nuts in revenge. The way it followed him around—it just made him uneasy.
From the looks of it, the squirrel was wary of the shadows now. It wouldn't let Damon catch it again.
So, Damon did what it didn't expect.
His shadow moved on its own, stretching across the ground.
Damon took a step—appearing through it—and caught the squirrel again.
It squealed, begging for mercy.
Damon sighed, looking at its big eyes, puffy tail, and those wide, twitchy ears. It really was cute. It would be cuter if it didn't rip off people's testicles.
"You're here to steal my nuts, aren't you…"
The squirrel squealed in indignation.
It was an honorable squirrel! How dare this fiend insult it like that?!
It would've squealed every insult in the book and let him have it, if it wasn't so afraid of him…
Still, it was here to market its skills—to get a slice of the good life that traitorous bird was talking about.
It widened its eyes, looked pitiful, even made its fur fluff up just a little more.
Damon stared at the cute act with a deadpan expression.
"That's not going to work on me. I know you steal nuts."
It almost cried.
As expected of the shadow fiend—heartless.
Caw. Caw.
Croft's mocking caws only made it worse.
But the squirrel wasn't done. Clearly the fiend wanted to know where the Wendigo went.
It had a good nose. It could be useful. And if the murderous fiend happened to kill or capture people…
Well, it could take a nut—or two.
It was already imagining the possibilities.
But before it could squeal out something dramatic like,
"You're here to steal my nuts… die!"
The fiend squeezed.
It squealed in terror, flailing its paws, screaming its truth.
Damon paused.
"…You're not after my nuts in revenge?"
It squealed again.
No.
Damon nodded, satisfied.
He had the Eye of Veracity skill. As long as someone believed they were telling the truth, he could tell.
Caw. Caw.
Croft was still mocking.
Damon groaned.
"Then why are you following me?"
"For nuts," it squealed.
Then quickly corrected: "But not yours."
Damon sighed.
He was a magnet for weirdos.
First, a raven obsessed with eyeballs. Now a squirrel obsessed with nuts.
The squirrel wasn't done.
It patted its tiny chest—swearing it could remember the Wendigo's scent. Even in her human form.
"So you can track her?"
Excited squeals followed—an entire employment pitch, complete with humble boasts.
Damon sighed again.
He really didn't need another pet… but the ability to make someone's nuts disappear was a truly terrifying power.
He could see it now.
Some arrogant noble pissing him off—just send this squirrel into their pants and boom.
No more nuts.
He almost smiled thinking of the possibilities.
Croft noticed.
He didn't like that smile.
Was Damon actually being tamed… by a dirty furball?
What happened to the majestic raven?
Caw caw!
Damon pinched his beak.
"That's enough. We shouldn't use vulgar words. Croft, from today you're in charge of the newbie. Show him—err, her—the ropes."
Damon had a feeling he wouldn't be able to get rid of the squirrel without killing it.
And he still felt kinda bad about destroying her testicle stash…
Life was unique.
Some people loved money.
Some birds loved eyeballs.
Some squirrels loved nuts.
His shadow nudged him.
Oh right—and some shadows loved fresh souls and corpses.
No reason they couldn't all be civil.
This world was big enough for everyone's hobbies.
"We're all good people here, little buddy. Stick with us and you'll go places."
Damon cleared his throat, mood noticeably better.
"I still feel guilty destroying your nuts… haven't forgiven myself yet… Ahem. So, about your nut-stealing ability. Can you steal other things? Like keys… or small, expensive trinkets?"
The squirrel on his shoulder perked up proudly.
It squealed stories of all it had stolen, how many enemies it had in the Evil Forest. It preferred to let its victims know:
It stole the nuts.
But it could be discreet if Damon required it.
Damon nodded, musing out loud.
Damon tossed it a coin. It vanished in a blink. Yeah… this thing had potential.
He made for quite the strange sight—young man talking to a squirrel and a raven like they were people.
"Hmm… We should give you a name…"
He rubbed his chin.
"Redtail the Nutless? No… ah! Scarlet the Nut Stealer….Scar for short."
He certainty wanted to scar a lot of people.
And thus, a horrible group was born.
Goddess save their victims.