That Time I Reincarnated as a Stone

Chapter 13: The Behemoth

I couldn’t fathom why that creature had ignored me. Was I truly so insignificant that I wasn’t even worth the effort of a kill? Fine by me; it was one less thing to worry about. But then, the ground began to shudder—a faint vibration at first, steadily growing into a rhythmic trembling.

What is this? An earthquake? The tremors intensified, accompanied by the heavy, distant thrum of footsteps. I peered toward the direction the demon-dog had fled. The darkness was absolute, swallowing the world, but as I strained my eyes, a gargantuan silhouette materialized in the distance. It was colossal, a moving fortress tearing through the landscape with terrifying speed, obliterating everything in its path. And it was heading straight for me.

“Holy hell!” I scrambled into the undergrowth, burying myself in the brush. Please, just don’t let it sense me.

The thuds grew deafening. Before I could even process the scale of it, the thing was looming right over my hiding spot. I clamped my hands over my mouth, stifling my whimpers, and held my breath until my lungs burned. I caught only a glimpse: a towering mass, easily the size of a two-story building. The rest was lost to the oppressive shadows, leaving my imagination to fill in the horrific blanks.

The beast lumbered past, oblivious to my presence. I collapsed onto the dirt, the terror escaping me in a jagged gasp as my breathing turned heavy and ragged. What kind of monster was that? Is it a lone predator, or are there more?

The air was thick with the copper tang of blood—a nauseating, visceral stench. The destruction was total; trees that I had once perceived as giants lay splintered on the ground, crushed like mere twigs. My thoughts immediately raced to my parents. Is this why they haven’t returned? Were they… eaten? My survival instinct screamed at me to stay hidden, yet a gnawing dread for them tugged at my gut.

What was I even supposed to do? Was I actually obligated to go? Why did I care so much about these “parents” I barely knew? Besides, I was just a baby; I couldn’t even scratch a hide like that. I was utterly vulnerable.

All doubts vanished the moment the glowing script flickered into my vision.

[Sub-Quest Active] **Objective: Locate your progenitors and ensure their survival. **Reward: Current penalty will be nullified. **Failure: An additional penalty will be applied.

“Are you kidding me?” I hissed. This was asking for the impossible. My hands began to shake—stress, I told myself… or perhaps that primal animal instinct taking over.

“I’m screwed. How am I supposed to face that thing?” I muttered, sitting up.

Then, a sinister voice resonated directly inside my skull.

“Are you truly that afraid?”

I froze. This wasn’t the System’s voice; it was different—deeper, hauntingly human.

“Who are you? Why do you sound like that?” I demanded, eyes darting frantically around the clearing.

“That is irrelevant. Do you require assistance?”

I wasn’t about to trust another mysterious entity blindly. “Maybe,” I replied cautiously. “But what’s the catch? Nothing is free.”

“Sharp intuition; you aren’t as foolish as you look. You’re right, there is a price for my aid: A PART OF YOUR BODY.” The final words distorted with a surge of static, vibrating with a force that made my head ache.

Ice ran through my veins. I knew I needed strength to complete the quest, but I couldn’t bargain with someone looking to harvest my organs or limbs. Dammit, there had to be another way. I wouldn’t sign a blind contract.

“I decline. But thanks for the offer,” I said, my voice surprisingly firm.

“Your loss, Frido.”

The voice ebbed away, leaving me alone in the dark with an impossible mission and a new mystery burning in my mind.

That name… I hadn’t heard it in a lifetime. How could that being know who I was before I became this mass of fur and flesh? How did it know who I was before I became Samuel?

I shook myself back to reality, trying to organize my thoughts. The System had never given me an impossible quest—though, technically, this was only the second one—so I couldn’t just roll over and die. If the quest was active, there was a chance, however microscopic. Plus, I needed that penalty gone.

First step: find my parents. If that monster came from somewhere, it likely crossed paths with them. I had to be excruciatingly careful; one slip-up meant death, and I wasn’t sure how many more “extra lives” this world would grant me.

I stood up, senses sharpened to a razor’s edge, and began to track the wake of destruction. I moved in the opposite direction of the beast’s flight, tracing the path from which the giant had emerged. If my parents were in trouble, they’d be somewhere along that trail.

The forest felt more oppressive than ever, every snap of a twig putting me on high alert. But I had to be grateful to the only creatures that had shown me kindness. I had to save them.

Starving and terrified to my very core, I began my march into the dark…

…"

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