I seized my chance when he raised his arm high to swing his sword! I charged like a bull seeing red cloth, ramming my shoulder mercilessly into his exposed side. Thud. The full force of my weight made his large frame stagger off balance. I immediately covered my nose and mouth with my shirt sleeve while pouring the grayish liquid directly in his face.

“…!!”

The liquid thoroughly soaked his face, dripping down his cheeks to below his chin. Perhaps due to his elevated body temperature, the liquid clinging to his skin quickly vaporized into the fog. A humid smell typical of midsummer brushed past my nose. Since there’s a limit to how long I can hold my breath, I needed to leave quickly. Just when I was about to turn around after picking up the dropped vial, he showed an immediate reaction.

“What… what is this…”

His previously arrogant attitude vanished completely, leaving only a trembling coward collapsed on the ground. Pure fear clouded his eyes. The sight of him muttering unintelligible words to himself with a deathly pale face was quite chilling.

While I hesitated, gripped by fear, he suddenly spun around and shoved my shoulder hard. Struggling not to fall, I twisted my ankle and ended up falling anyway.

“Ugh…”

“You, you, you… who are you!”

Damn it. Of all places, there was a sharp rock where I put my hand down, deeply cutting my tender palm. When I flinched from the tingling pain that reached up to my elbow, thick drops of blood fell onto the small stream below.

I raised my head while trying hard to suppress my scream, not wanting to startle the magical creature. The man had backed away, forgetting even to retrieve his precious sword. His previous cautious demeanor had vanished, and his unfocused eyes were filled with terror.

“How… how could you…”

Under the influence of the hallucinogen, he mistook me for someone else. The seemingly young man wiped his face, which was a mess of tears and mucus, while repeatedly begging forgiveness to thin air.

“I’m not at fault. It wasn’t me.”

He shook his head so violently it seemed ready to snap off, and eventually showed signs of hyperventilation. Kheok, kheok. The sight of him clawing at his throat while making strange noises, appearing to fight an invisible rope, was horrifying. Soon the man, who was a mess of sweat and tears, suddenly lifted his head. His blue-tinged lips stretched into a hideous curve.

“I can’t die yet. The… isn’t complete yet!!”

“…What do you…”

“So think of yourself as a sacrifice.”

The transformation from fear to madness happened in an instant. Hihik! With a strange laugh, he ran off in the opposite direction while drooling.

The plan to make him flee without confronting the magical creature had succeeded. However, I hadn’t anticipated getting injured in the process. The magical creature would have already smelled the blood. Unless I stopped the bleeding, it was only a matter of time before I was discovered, no matter how well I hid. Not having seen the magical creature’s appearance yet, my fear grew endlessly, fueled by imagination.

Taking a short breath against the anxiety gradually coloring me from my toes upward – I immediately regretted it.

“…Damn it…”

The hallucinogen must still be in the air. The shock from when he knocked me down had turned my mind blank, making me forget I needed to cover my nose and mouth. To make matters worse, the fog grew increasingly thick, making it difficult to even distinguish which path to escape through. I quickly held my breath, but it was already far too late.

Thump. Thump. Is this footsteps? Or a sound created by hallucinations? When I turned my creaking neck, a boulder-sized shadow had approached close enough to swallow me whole. Even knowing it was a hallucination, my vision was already dominated by it, making rational thought impossible. Finally, I looked up to confirm the magical creature’s true form.

Viciously protruding fangs, muscles tightly wrapping its entire body, spine jutting up like a mountain range. The strange magical creature that combined all sorts of fierce features exhaled hot breath. When its presence touched my forehead, I met its unfocused eyes.

– …Empathic… conf, irm… number… new… magical creature…

Along with static noise, the system’s voice continuously echoed in my head. With the host’s mind in disarray, even the system must have malfunctioned. While I was suffering from incomprehensible sounds, the boar-like magical creature pawed the ground, preparing to charge. The blood drops falling onto the dirt ground resembled a clock counting down my remaining lifespan.

I need to run away. Whatever this magical creature’s true form was, I instinctively sensed that my mind and body couldn’t handle anymore. When I carefully stood up, the highly alert magical creature bared its fangs. I planned to secure an escape route and run immediately. However, I didn’t even have time to turn my back.

“Aack!!”

It charged at me. With the thought that I needed to protect vital points, I immediately raised both arms to cover my head. The despair that this might not end with just losing an arm flashed through my mind.

But the surroundings were strangely quiet. No matter how I considered the worst case scenario, I felt no pain anywhere on my body, let alone my arms. My tightly closed eyelids trembled pitifully like aspen leaves. Had I already arrived in heaven? Feeling puzzled, I lowered my arms and cautiously opened one eye.

“…Huh?”

In that brief moment, the surrounding environment had changed. The fog-covered forest gradually darkened, resembling nightfall, and at the center of that darkness stood a noble black-furred wolf. The wolf stood between me and the magical creature protectively, showing its sharp teeth. The bright red eyes amid the fur emitting dark smoke seemed somehow familiar.

“…You’re…”

It was Agnus, the visitor who had entered through shadows. The magical creature I had met in rabbit form had now grown into a wolf and stood majestically guarding its territory. The black smoke rising from its fur tips wrapped around me protectively. Though fatigue suddenly hit me when Agnus materialized outside the shadows, thanks to that, the magical creature that had been threatening me crouched low and slowly backed away.

Seizing the opportunity, Agnus had me mount its back and leaped into the fog in one bound. I wrapped one arm around its neck to avoid falling off while it quickly navigated through the forest path, avoiding obstacles. While Agnus guided me to an unknown location, I continuously thought to keep from losing consciousness.

Above all, I needed to recall the man’s identifying features. A tall man armed in armor. Though there were no emblems symbolizing a family or organization, he feared ‘that person’ and was trying to complete something. Too much information entered my mind, making it difficult just to organize my thoughts.

When I gradually reached my limit, Agnus stopped on top of a thick tree stump.

“…What’s wrong?”

I asked abruptly, but there was no response. With one arm wrapped around Agnus’s nape, I painfully descended to the ground. My body felt so heavy it resembled sinking into a swamp. While I rested leaning against a rock, staggering, Agnus stared blankly into space before suddenly disappearing into the shadows.

“Wait…!”

I called out to the shadows, but Agnus didn’t return. It seems I’ve been dropped off in the middle of nowhere…. I have no idea where this is. Still, with Agnus gone, what little magical power dispersed in the air was absorbed into my body. When I grabbed the rock to stand up and look around, I faintly heard voices from far away.

“I understand, Lord Sezan.”

“…No. More importantly…”

Walking like one enchanted toward the source of the voices, I saw familiar figures.

“Professor…!”

“…Tae-oh?”

Agnus had led me to Asrein once again. This time it was the optimal choice. On the hill were not only Asrein and Jin, but also Sezan, whose whereabouts had been unknown since we separated.

When I waved my hand in joy, blood drops from my palm trickled down my wrist. The three’s faces instantly turned pale as they rushed over. Though their expressions were bewildered, I couldn’t have been happier to see familiar faces.

“What in the world happened to you.”

“Haha… well…”

“Gasp, Tae-oh. Your hand is bleeding…!!”

“Ah, about that…”

It would be strange if they weren’t surprised, since I had been fine when we separated but suddenly appeared with deep wounds. Not knowing where to begin explaining, I let out an awkward laugh. That’s when it happened.

Suddenly my vision spun and my legs gave out. Thanks to Sezan quickly grabbing my arm, I didn’t fall, but my vision remained blurry. Perhaps the drug’s effects hadn’t worn off yet. I desperately rubbed my eyes, trying to regain my senses.

“Are you alright?”

I turned my head toward the voice filled with bewilderment. But standing there wasn’t Sezan, but someone else. No, it was difficult to call them human. Each facial feature swirled around formlessly like stirred dough. Moreover, beside him, Jin’s eyes, nose, and mouth were disappearing one by one. It was a terrible nightmare. My gaze wandered, unable to find a place to rest as I tried to avoid the unbelievable sight.

“What is this…, who…”

“Tae-oh. Look at me.”

Amidst the confusion, a calm voice caught my attention, making me hold my shaking breath and turn to the opposite side. Softly flowing hair gently touched his forehead. Looking into those serene amber eyes made me feel much more at ease. Just when I thought I was calming down-

“Did you use the hallucinogen?”

“……”

I couldn’t answer as I faced the changes gradually unfolding before my eyes. The golden irises grew larger and larger, consuming all the white, and scales gleaming like sunlit beach sand sprouted on cheeks white as jade. This was a hallucination of a different dimension from the others whose facial features had simply collapsed. Having witnessed the process of transcending human form, there was no way any sanity could remain.

“Tae-oh.”

Asrein, who had softly called my name, covered my nose and mouth with one hand while backing me into a corner. Bang! My body shook at the impact when my back hit the hard tree. While he assessed my condition, oxygen gradually became scarce and I gasped for what little breath was allowed within his hand. The only thing I could sense was the smell of blood rising with the fog.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

He spoke in human language. Despite not being human.

His hair, which fell elegantly to his waistline, gradually transformed into horns, and his round pupils sharpened to cutting points. It was the perfect appearance of a magical creature. Enchanted by the magical power emanating from his golden eyes, I stared at him, forgetting even to blink.

Soon Asrein came within a hand’s span and carefully removed his hand covering my mouth. Then, speaking almost to himself, he whispered in my ear in a low voice.

“What do you see in your eyes right now?”

After hesitating several times, unable to speak, I finally uttered words haltingly.

“…Golden scales… and…”

“……”

“Eyes of a magical creature… that enchant humans.”

For a moment, his calm eyes shook greatly. Had I said something I shouldn’t have?

“You’re properly under the influence.”

Asrein, quickly regaining his composure, laid me on the ground and urgently called for Jin.

“Jin, bring the herbs immediately.”

“Yes!!”

While they searched for herbs to help me, I faintly heard mechanical noise in my ears.

– New magical creature dis, covered… new… new… new… magical creature…