A figure at least twice Ethan’s size, towering far above him. A round, fat belly with limbs that were disproportionately short compared to its body. Six pads could be seen beneath his sharp claws. His entire body was covered in ash-grey fur, and two round ears perched on top of his head.

“I thought it was bulking up, but it was just standing on two legs.”

A member of the mammal order Carnivora, resembling a bear in appearance. Standing on two legs, its massive body stretched even higher, and between the fangs of its bestial jaws, saliva dripped incessantly.

Ssshhk.

The moment the saliva hit the ground, it sizzled and turned black as smoke rose.

“Grips… Damn, why now when I only have a dagger?”

Ethan frowned as he got to his feet. This fur could be sold at a high price to make cloaks for high-ranking commanders, but catching one was just as difficult.

Beasts were all vicious by nature, but Grips were known for their fiery temper – and more importantly, their bodies were filled with poison.

Poisoned Grips were usually taken down from a distance with ranged weapons such as bows or spears. The moment you let them close the distance, your body would melt from the poison and you’d meet your end. Their saliva was poisonous, and even the blood that gushed out when cut was pure poison.

That’s why keeping your distance was the only way to deal with them.

With a short dagger, all he could do was throw it. But there was no way such a small weapon could deal a fatal blow to this monster.

Running away wasn’t really an option either – their sense of smell was better than a hound’s, and unless it was raining, they would surely hunt him down relentlessly. After all, what they loved most was human flesh.

If only he had a spear. But trying to fashion one from a branch would be useless – the hide of this thing was far too thick for anything so makeshift.

Ethan’s eyes darted quickly, scanning his surroundings. Climbing a tree was no good either. Annoyingly, this beast could also climb, and with a body this massive, it would easily break most trees in half.

‘If it wasn’t for the poison, I’d just snap its neck’, he thought bitterly.

On the other hand, if it didn’t have poison, it wouldn’t be so dangerous in the first place. If it were easy to kill, it wouldn’t be worth much, and the skin wouldn’t fetch such a high price.

“Grrrr-“

There probably wasn’t a single person in Belphirn who could handle a Grips. Judging by its size, it had been well fed – even larger than average.

With its sharp mind, the Grips bared its yellowed fangs in mockery at the sight of a new prey.

The veins in Ethan’s forehead bulged.

It wasn’t even thinking of him as food. No, it wanted to play with him like a cheap toy before killing him.

The sneer was as blatant and mocking as it could be.

“Hey.”

“What?”

If stopped looking at the grip and turned his eyes to Ethan.

Pointing at his own arm with a tilt of his chin, Ethan asked,

“You said it was hard, right?”

“Yeah.”

“How hard?”

“Well… I’ve never really tested it.”

Either way, whether he died this way or that, the result would be the same. But the difference now was that there was a woman who could heal most wounds – and not just minor ones, but even severed limbs.

And they were still in Belphirn, where the remains of an ancient city remained.

“I guess this is a good chance to test it out.”

With the dagger in his right hand, Ethan kicked off the ground. His body shot forward with such force that the ground cracked beneath him, and in an instant he drove straight into the Grips chest.

Never having faced a real opponent before, the Grips was full of openings.

Before it could even swing its claws, sensing his approach, Ethan reached out and grabbed the thick fur around its neck.

Whoosh!

Veins bulged as he tightened his grip on the fur, the muscles in his forearm tensing. His body twisted in a sharp curve with an agility that didn’t match his size, and in a flash he was on the Grips’ back.

“Graaargh!”

Sensing something on its back, the claws flailed wildly. But even as it swung its short arms towards its back, Ethan easily dodged the claws, the corners of his mouth curling into a grin.

Beast byproducts lose their value drastically when they’re damaged. That’s why those who hunted beasts always aimed for the neck. The head was for display, and the body – especially the hide – was used to make expensive clothing. There was always a clear purpose for each part.

Ethan, too, had got into the habit of aiming for the neck when he hunted animals. The same applied to humans, of course – the neck was much easier to aim at than a heart protected by ribs and armour.

Raising his dagger, Ethan slashed straight across the Grips’ neck.

Dark, crimson blood splashed onto his skin.

Even as the searing pain of burning flesh shot through him, Ethan didn’t let go of the dagger.

He had to finish before it broke.

Ethan drove the dagger deeper, slicing through the tough skin and sinewy muscles with more force.

A thud.

The massive body of the Grips collapsed to the ground.

The gushing blood spread across the floor, staining it black.

“Hah… That’s not so bad. At least my right arm’s still okay.”

His skin had melted away, exposing raw, red muscle.

As his entire body shook from the throbbing pain, only the transplanted prosthetic arm remained intact.

Half his body was a wreck, but considering he had taken down a Grips without a proper weapon, it was a decent fight.

Splash.

Ethan, drenched in cold sweat and barely holding himself together, slowly turned his head.

“Hey.”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t you see the state I’m in? And you’re just stepping on this stuff like it’s nothing.”

Even in the midst of the pain, a faint, bitter laugh escaped him as he looked at the woman standing there, her foot planted in the puddle of Grips’ blood on the floor.

At Ethan’s grumble, If tilted her head.

“Blood?”

“It’s poison, you idiot.”

“Why do you call me an idiot when you’re dumber than me?”

If replied sulkily, then poked at Ethan’s chest where his clothes had melted away, exposing raw skin.

“Ugh! Are you crazy?! It already hurts like hell!”

Ethan screamed and quickly pulled away.

“It hurts?”

“It hurts like hell! Hurry up and heal me! Wait – don’t tell me we have to go all the way back to where you were?”

It would be hard, but it wasn’t like they’d come that far – they could make it back if they had to.

Ethan looked down at her feet.

Her arm was fine, and now that he looked closer, her skin looked similar to his – it looked like the poison hadn’t affected her either.

‘Now that’s something to be jealous of.’

“No.”

If shook her head, then took the dagger Ethan was still holding and without hesitation sliced her own wrist.

“You’re out of your bloody mind…!”

Ethan cursed and grabbed her wrist.

Blood poured down, running along Ethan own arm.

“I asked you to heal me – are you crazy?! If you didn’t want to, you could have just said so! What the hell is this…!”

“You did ask me to heal you, didn’t you?”

If tilted her head, as if she genuinely couldn’t understand his reaction.

“Crazy— How is this healing?! This is self-harm!”

“But you’re healing, aren’t you?”

“What?”

Ethan’s gaze followed If’s fingertip, pointing at his own body.

“…Huh?”

The skin, peeled back to the muscle, slowly returned to its normal colour.

It was a strange sensation, like filling cracks in pottery with clay – as if the melted parts were being restored.

“Wait, wait, wait. No way… Don’t tell me – are you saying you can’t feel pain?”

“I can’t. Why should I feel pain? It’s just a nuisance.”

What kind of nonsense is that?

You have to feel pain to know where you’re hurt so you can fix it!

You need pain to know you’re burning and to know when your flesh is rotting.

Pain is proof that you’re alive – and proof that your body is healing.

“Besides, I heal fast anyway.”

If lightly tapped Ethan’s hand that was still holding her arm to make him let go.

The wound that had been bleeding profusely just moments ago was completely gone, leaving her skin as smooth and flawless as ever.

“So your blood is the cure?”

“Technically, it’s a type of cell that flows in my blood. Not just blood – other bodily fluids like saliva have a similar effect. Though the healing is slower with those.”

“…Hah…Wait, hold on. Your skin can withstand Grips’ poison, but it can still be cut by a knife? That doesn’t make sense.”

Ethan frowned as he lifted If into his arms.

Fortunately, the skin on the soles of his feet was perfectly intact, with no sign of melting.

If settled comfortably into his arms as if it were the most natural thing in the world, her head resting on his chest.

“Well, it’s my body, isn’t it? If I want to be cut, I can just make that part weaker. It’s simple.”

“How is that simple?”

“Why shouldn’t I be able to control my own body?”

If grumbled in a sulky voice.

‘As if that’s something you can just control.’

A vein bulged on Ethan’s forehead.

***

Several ingredients were needed to neutralise the Grips’ poison.

Ethan washed off the Grips blood that had splashed on him in a nearby stream and gathered materials to neutralise the poison from the body.

Various herbs and by-products of other beasts. After crushing them and mixing them with stones, he finally produced a thick, sticky liquid.

Diluting it with water, he poured it over and over onto the corpse of the Grips to clean it. When he was finished, Ethan sat down nearby to guard the body from other beasts.

If, who had followed him and watched the whole process, slipped between his legs and sat down as soon as Ethan sat down under a tree.

“Why do you always sit there?”

At first she had said she clung to him because every bit of warmth was precious. But now that he had given her plenty of blankets, there was no real need to cling to him.

Still, when Ethan asked, If replied confidently,

“Because you’re warm.”

“Forget it. Just give me your hand.”

The moment he held out his hand, her little one slipped right onto it.

‘What is she, a puppy?’

He couldn’t help but let out a bemused laugh – even though his eyes were already scanning her wrist.

A life as a mercenary, always with a sword in his hand, had made his palms as hard as stones and the backs of his hands as rough as sand.

Ugly scars, nails cut short and blunt – worn down and regrown so many times that even their shape was a mess.

In stark contrast to his, her pale white hand didn’t have a single mark – not even a freckle.

It wasn’t until he’d made sure there was not a scratch on her hand that Ethan finally let go.

But the little hand didn’t seem ready to let go. Instead, her other hand came up and joined the first, fiddling gently with his.

She seemed fascinated by how hard and rough his hands felt, like stones in comparison to her own.

Though to him, her soft hands – like dough – were far more amazing.

Not even royalty would have such smooth skin.

“What are we eating today?”

After she had finished examining his hand, If asked casually.

Ethan jerked his chin in the direction of the still-neutralised corpse of the Grips.

“That. The belly meat – not much muscle there, so it actually tastes pretty good. But… hey, didn’t you say you didn’t need to eat? For someone who doesn’t have to, you sure are interested in food.”

“Eating is fun.”

If moved her lips as if imitating the act of eating.

“Is it?”

Ethan let out a soft chuckle as he watched her.