37 You are my prey

"Is this another world?" 

Isao looked at his surroundings curiously, thinking that another world wasn't as special as he thought it to be. He thought he would meet a beautiful elf, a naked goddess who took a bath on the river, or another unique ecchi situation that was usually encountered by a protagonist. 

Unfortunately, he didn't come across such a situation. Instead, he felt like... he was in the countryside somehow. 

A dark night sky with only stars and moon as the light, several rows of wooden houses, and particularly loud noises from animals and insects from the forest nearby. 

Still, watching the architecture of the houses, he frowned slightly. "Is this ancient Japan?" 

No, ancient Japan might have been a little exaggerated. 

If he had to say this place was like Japan in the past, he wasn't sure of the timeline, as it was hard to gauge, especially when he was in the countryside, where the development wasn't as rigorous as in the big city. 

Still, he tried to use his power, controlling the small animals and insects whose DNAs he had absorbed into his body. Originally, he thought that he couldn't control those animals and insects since they might be different from his previous world, but it seemed he could control them, which made him sigh in relief. 

Soon, many flies, rats, and cockroaches gathered around him. 

If others saw this scene, they would shudder in disgust, but he was fine, and probably it was because he had absorbed their DNAs. Yes, he knew that they might be disgusting, but there was no doubt they had advantages in quantities, and they were suitable for scouts. Moreover, despite being weak and even at the bottom of food chains, they had many unique capabilities. 

Still, before that, there was something that he had to do first. 

"Look around and tell me if you notice something strange." 

Hearing his orders, they answered him in their languages before they quickly moved in various directions, helping him to scout the surrounding area. 

Watching how this ability worked, Isao had to admit that he was strong, but that didn't mean that he was invincible. If he was shot by a sniper or blasted by an explosion, he could imagine that he would die somehow. He wasn't truly invincible, but he knew that he was on the journey to become one, which fired him up.

At the same time, he wondered whether he could develop this control ability further where he could feel the senses of those he controlled. By then, even if those he controlled were so far away, he could use that ability to look into their eyes to see what they saw. 

Unfortunately, it seemed that such an ability couldn't be developed, and the only thing that he could do was control those whose DNA had been absorbed or replicated into his body. 

Yet, this was enough, and he was grateful for it. 

'In the future, I might be able to replicate someone with the ability to put their senses into those they have controlled.' 

If his assumption was correct, then there would be those with superpowers in another world, and if he replicated or absorbed their DNA, then wouldn't he be able to gain their abilities?

Yet, instead of imagining the distant future, he had to focus on the world before him since a single mistake might cost his life. 

Raising his head, he looked at the starry skies and thought that dawn was approaching. This was great, he thought, since compared to the night, the morning was nice since he could see a lot of people. At the same time, he had to say the night in this world was eerie. 

Isao knew that he felt something weird the moment he stepped into this world, especially when he could feel how cold his surroundings were, even though this wasn't winter. He smelled trouble and had the urge to go back, but it would be a big loss if he didn't understand what kind of danger he might encounter in this world.

With that determination, he stepped forward, and then, as expected, the moment he stepped forward, his nose smelled a distinctive metallic scent. 

While he didn't want to, he was familiar with this scent, especially after having smelled it for the past two days. 

"The smell of blood..." 

As he absorbed the dog's DNA, his sense of smell became sharper, and even the faint smell on a human's nose became sharp and clear with his dog-like sense of smell. 

Hesitating, Isao took off his shoes and walked silently with his cat steps, approaching the source of the smell. He knew that it was dangerous, and if possible, he wanted to wait until all of the animals he had controlled returned, but facing the coldness that originated from the source of the bloody smell, no animals dared to get closer. 

Or rather, due to his animal sense, he knew that something dangerous was there, and he knew that he wasn't the opponent. If he carelessly came there, he knew that he would die, yet the smell of blood in the air became even more intense, showing how dangerous the situation of the person who fought a horrifying creature was. 

He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew that it was dangerous and powerful. 

Yet, while he knew that he had to leave, avoiding the danger instead of coming toward the danger, he was also curious. Moreover, as he had become a good guy, while he knew he couldn't save everyone, he wanted to save those he could. Still, everything also depended on the situation since his life was first. 

He knew that this might seem like a selfish act, but if he had stayed alive, he could have saved more people.

However, if he died, he couldn't do anything, so it was clear which choice was better for humanity, right? 

Ignoring his self-centered thoughts, Isao didn't approach the danger carelessly. Instead, he jumped quietly and silently toward the rooftop of the house and squinted his eyes, trying to see what was happening. If it had been before, he might not have been able to see anything under this darkness, but whether it was a cat or dog whose DNA he had absorbed before, it also allowed him to see in the dark better. 

"...what is this?" 

Once again, according to his assumption, this world should come from the show, story, or anything that he knew from his previous life. However, as he had been living so long in his new life, he had a little hard time remembering what kind of show it was. Moreover, as everything had become a reality, it was hard to tell who was who. 

Yet, there was no doubt this scene was too unbelievable. 

In the distance, two figures fought each other. One gracefully and dextrously used a katana, and the other calmly faced the other with two fans, releasing cold air and even ice. 

One was a girl, and the other was a man. 

The girl was wounded and might even die soon, but the man was calm, clearly unscathed, and more importantly, even if his body was injured, all the injuries on his body rapidly healed. 

"Wh-What is this?" 

Isao knew that with his current power, it was impossible to defeat the man, and he could feel the menacing aura that emitted from the man, causing all of his goosebumps to rise.

Yes, he had the ability of the animals whose DNAs he absorbed, but even so, this man's power was above his. 

If there was a reason why he could calmly stay here, it was because he knew he could run away. Moreover, the man focused on the girl, so his presence was ignored. Lastly, the night was the hunting ground for the cat, and for someone who inherited the ability of the cat, lowering his presence was easy, but then again, he had to be careful. 

Yet—

Staring at the girl figure, who fought bravely with wounds and bleeds all over her body, Isao felt shame. Such a petite woman dared to fight this man, then he, who had the ability, only hid like this? 

Yet, there was nothing wrong with his actions. This was a smart approach that one should take, especially when one knew that all that awaited him was only a defeat. Moreover, his purpose was only to scout the world, so there was no need for him to do something so stupid, such as jumping before them. 

His rationality told him everything, and he knew what he should do, yet why? 

Why did he run so fast in their direction when he saw the man was about to kill the girl? 

However, as he had made up this decision, he could only grit his teeth and ran as fast as he could before bashing his fist into the man's cheek!

BOOOOOOMMM!

The moment of the impact, the man flew away and crashed into the wooden house.

Whether it was due to his powerful punch or the fragility of the house, Isao believed that it was the latter. 

However, Isao didn't think to pummel this man with his fists again, ready to strike the iron while it was hot; instead, he looked at his fist, which was slightly covered in frostbite. 'Dammit, it's so damn cold!' He didn't plan to fight and quickly picked up the girl in his arms, ready to run away. 

The girl, who was in pain and ready to die, was dumbfounded by Isao's sudden appearance, but when she wanted to say something, a powerful aura swept before her, causing her to be stunned. 

"Geez, how rude. I was about to enjoy that girl, but you suddenly came. But look, you look so handsome. How about I eat you after I eat her? Or do you want me to eat you together? 

The man's cheek was slightly deformed due to Isao's punch, and it wiggled like a living thing. Soon, however, the deformed cheek was fixed as if nothing had happened. 

Watching the two standing in a place, the man smiled, licking his lips, thinking that their frightening expression was cute. 

However, Isao didn't stand in a place because he was frightened, but he was dumbfounded. 

Why? 

[You have acquired Doma's DNA.]

[Do you want to absorb it?]

[You have acquired Kocho Kanae's DNA.]

[Do you want to absorb it?]

The nervousness in Isao's eyes quickly disappeared, and what was seen in his eyes was greed, but it quickly disappeared, and soon, his eyes became nervous like before. 

However, at that moment, the man didn't know that he was about to be fucked up.