Chapter 7: Revenge
Tom wasn't that strong of an adventurer, and his greed often took him the wrong path. Yet, even though he knew that he persevered as the dream he had was becoming more assertive. His motto was 'Power means women!'
These words had more often than not repulsed many adventurers that heard them, and they labeled Tom as the third leg thinker. However, Tom didn't care. As long as he could achieve his goal, he would prove to them how right his words were.
On one of these days, as Tom went to the nearby forest to complete a guild mission, he found an injured moonlight fox on his way back. Tom being the greedy Tom, he immediately engaged the fox in combat, but when he almost captured the rare species, a weird slime emerged, stopping his success.
Weirdly enough, Tom never got seriously injured while fighting the slime and slipped away, but Tom's greed had once again overtaken him. Once he returned to the guild, Tom met up with some of his like-minded friends and told them about his experience.
Birds of a feather flock together. As the saying says, Tom and his friends were of the same kind. The greed of acquiring the moonlight fox was too great of a temptation. And they immediately set out to the location with Tom's directions.
"Are you sure we're going to the right place, Tommy?" A bulky tanned man with a great sword strapped to his back asked Tom.
"Of course!" Tom answered, his eyes wandering from place to place. "That way," he said and pointed in the right direction.
BOOM! Clink!
When Tom took a step in the right direction, he felt the wind hit him in the face and watched as a being with incredible speed and power shot towards him with metallic claws slashing in his way.
Tom saw his life flash through his eyes and wondered if his time has come, but fortunately for him, his bulky friend barely fended the attack.
"What are you doing?! Snap out of it, Tom!" the man abrasively yelled.
Tom shook his head and looked around him and was surprised at what he saw. Isn't that the fox I hunted before? Why does it look so different? Tom felt something off about the situation but had no time to ponder.
Lunarite's eyes blazed with immeasurable anger and hatred as he spotted Tom. This was the man that almost killed him for his gains! The sheer amount of hate Lunarite felt towards Tom was unimaginable, and even Lunarite himself didn't know why he felt that way. Yes, Tom did endanger his life, but he didn't hate him this much before he evolved.
"You are dead, human!" Lunarite let out with a scowl and attacked again.
"Not on my watch," the last man in Tom's party muttered.
The man had brown-blonde hair and wore green robes, and held a staff in his hand. He appeared to have a weak body. He was a magic user!
"Wind Shield," the man cast, and a dome-like green structure surrounded Tom, the bulky man, and himself.
Yet the smug look on his face got wiped before it could settle as Lunarite entered the barrier without trouble. The man had an incredulous look adorning his face, "Norris, Tom. This wolf is weird! Is it really a moonlight fox? It doesn't fit the description you gave, Tommy!" he yelled frantically.
"I have no idea anymore! It didn't look like this before. The only thing that could change a monster this fast is getting named and evolving..."
Norris, Tom, and Croam exchanged looks and saw the despair in the other's eyes. If this beast had evolved, then they had no chance of winning from the start. After all, you couldn't compare regular beasts with named/evolved ones.
"I can't give up here, and I don't want to do that! I was almost there, the world with girls and me in them only!" Tom's tone turned maniacal.
But, Lunarite didn't give a damn about him. He only wanted to rip him to shreds. Yet, the other two came for the same reason as Tom, which was to hunt him down. Lunarite wasn't such a forgiving beast as to let them go.
Using his moon pass skill, Lunarite can bypass any barrier that isn't above his level of power, and with it, the prized Wind Shield the mage cast was for naught.
A vile stench of fetor spread in the air as Norris fell on his buttocks. Mucus and tears streamed down his face, "P-please, I beg you, let me go! I will do anything. I will be anything as long as you let me see my wife and daughter one last time! I will atone with my life, please!" Norris begged between sobs, surprising the other two. This wasn't the same Norris they had known! Where did his charismatic, powerful self go? Why is he crying like a little bitch?!
"Norris... you..." Tom gawked incredulously. He didn't know what to say, and his baffled face even forgot the situation they were in from the surprise he had.
"Shut up, Tom! You little bitch, this is all your fault! I wouldn't even hang out with a disgusting harem seeker like you if you didn't know safe missions and told me. Did you think a faithful, loving husband like me would ever hang out with your kind if it weren't for this?!" Norris raged and let out all his suppressed feelings.
Croam wasn't surprised at Norris' words as he felt the same, Tom was a trashy person, but he wouldn't betray him for a woman!
Lunarite felt Norris' sincerity and acknowledged it, 'This guy might be useful for Rimuru-San. Additionally, he doesn't give the same vibes as the other two.' Lunarite thought and turned his head, focusing on Croam and Tom, ignoring Norris and showing his stance.
At that time, Croam knew he had fucked up and opened his mouth to try and extend his pathetic life. Lunarite had different thoughts and bit into Croam's neck, letting blood splatter everywhere, dying his glossy ebony fur, crimson.
'Eh, I shouldn't do this again, too much clean up just because of useless trash,' Lunarite thought, noticing all the bloodstains.
Tom had felt death creeping on him, but when Croam died, and his blood-spattered across his body, only then did the situation settle in his mind, and his face whited, taking an ashen sheen while despair filled his being.
A sense of dread rolled through the pit of his stomach while beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. Tom felt his life being in genuine danger and turned around to run away but will Lunarite ever let him do that? Of course not!
With casual sprinting, Lunarite jumped over the retreating Tom and pinned him as he helplessly struggled. Even at death's door, he never gave up on life and glared with vicious abandon at Lunarite.
Lunarite saw no use in thinking of what to do with Tom and allowed his instincts to take over. He completely suppressed Tom with his magiclues, not allowing him to fight back. After all, he became much more potent when he became 'Lunarite.'
Slowly scratching Tom with his right paw, Lunarite tore into Tom's flesh casually, making the latter helplessly wail from pain while his face turned red from discomfort. A vein throbbed in his forehead while blood ran down from his shoulder.
With a little more push, Lunarite completely tore Tom's arm. Tom's fear intensified, his breath became ragged, and his eyes dilated. He knew he was at Lunarite's complete mercy, but even still, he was unwilling to die like that.
Fortunately, it wasn't for Tom to decide weather he will be left alive or not, it was Lunarite's, and he had no intention of keeping Tom alive.
Lunarite then tore Tom's other hand and scratched his legs which made Tom's skeletal dermis visible.
Anything that touches the dermis—even the air—is super agonizing.
Tom's pain kept intensifying to the point that he wished to die.
After a while, Lunarite seemed to have gotten bored and tore Tom's legs turning him into a limbless doll. Tom had wrestled between consciousness and unconsciousness at that time, but every time Tom almost fell asleep, Lunarite tore something in him to wake him up.
A few more wounds later, Lunarite got bored and decapitated Tom.
Looking at how weak Tom was now, Lunarite appreciated his name even more, and his reverence towards Rimuru only increased.
Norris watched everything that had happened with a horrified face and thanked all the gods that gave him the luck to survive this endeavor. Lunarite finally paid Norris attention after finishing his business with Tom, and with an even face, he said, "Follow me."
Lunarite's position wasn't that far from where he stayed with Rimuru and arrived in no time with Norris in tow.
"Thank you," Lunarite sincerely bowed his head when they arrived, surprising Norris.
The latter turned his head to check the creature Lunarite bowed to and didn't know how to react when he found a slime.
"Umm, welcome, I suppose?" An awkward laugh came from the slime who didn't know how to feel.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone