Zeniph was beginning to wonder if he had really trapped a human inside with himself, or another animal. No. That statement was offensive to animals. They were smarter than this lumbering fool.
Fin cursed again as thorned bushes tore at his legs, scratching them. His trousers had become tatters, transitioning into long shorts.
"You have been to the forest so many times. Why didn't you bring boots?"
"I forgot to swap my shoes for them, and by the time I remembered, it was too late."
"Genuine question. How have you survived on this world up until now?"
"Well… I didn't live in the middle of a cursed fucking forest! Why the fuck are you even here?!"
That part did have some weight behind it, as now that Zeniph remembered, the name of the forest on the mercenary's map was The Cursed Forest of Longstan.
"It's quiet here."
"Yeah. 'Cause everyone is dead."
"If you don't be quiet, you're going to be dead as well," Zeniph replied. He paused for a moment, confirming they were headed in the right direction.
Using Fin as a 'compass' to trace the magic poison was simpler than hunting by traces, but… the drawback was mental pain.
"Why? Are you going to kill me for questioning your decisions?"
"No. Because the Lins are close and will hear you. I'll live. You?"
He let the statement hang, then checked his equipment. He could cast some spells initially, but not in the middle of a fight. There, he would rely on aura only.
"Stay here. And whatever happens, don't intervene, make noise, or attract any sort of attention in general."
"Um… can I have a weapon? You know, just in case."
Hesitating for a moment, Zeniph finally let him have his dagger. Even injured, and as dumb as he was, Fin was still physically capable. To some degree.
A dagger wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
Crouching, he carefully advanced alone. Each step was measured, not a single rustle or crack to be heard.
Moving swiftly, he neared a small clearing in front of the cave. Outside, there lingered five Lins, and inside, he could sense more beasts.
Getting as close as he could, he began casting. After a minute, it was complete.
With a bone-chilling shriek, two shafts of white flame slammed into the wolves, leaving three.
They immediately sprang up and lunged at him. Just as they were nearing him, the ground turned to mud for an instant, swallowing their feet like quicksand before solidifying.
With swift movement, Zeniph drew his sword as he ran at them, beheading all three as he sprinted toward the entrance. If he could seal it off with some flame inside, he could avoid a prolonged fight.
But it was too late.
Several more wolves ran out, their sharp fangs glistening as they snapped at his neck.
He leaned back, dodging a strike aimed at his throat. Twisting around, he swung, driving his sword into the chest of the wolf. His blade went straight through, puncturing its heart.
As he tried to withdraw it, it stuck. He yanked harder, finally wrenching it free. But with that half-second delay, another wolf leapt at him, aiming for his back.
His shoulder screamed in pain as he arched his sword wide, slashing off the wolf's legs. Its cries made his ears ring, disorienting him.
Four more circled him, their black, pearl-like eyes filled with hatred.
"Waiting, huh? Well, if you don't come to me, I'll come to you!"
He lunged again, swinging overhand at one of their heads. It leapt to the side as the others jumped at him.
Time slowed as his heart went from a controlled, steady beat to a low hum, channeling his aura into his legs.
Jumping high over the wolves, he twisted in the air and pointed his sword down toward the ground.
It flashed crimson red as four more holographic blades appeared around him for an instant before whistling down, piercing their heads with sickening thuds.
Landing, he let out a sigh of relief before crouching to inspect the corpses. Sure enough, one of them had a magic trail leading to where Fin was.
Infusing his sword with aura once more, he slashed it, severing the connection.
"Well, that went even better than I hoped."
Turning, he began walking back.
Suddenly, all his hair stood on end as his mind screamed at him to dodge, his sixth sense going haywire. After a moment that seemed to last forever, he sprang to the side, just as a flash of white erased the trees where he had stood moments ago.
Through the dust, he saw what had almost killed him.
A werewolf, standing nine feet tall, eyes red as blood, charged at him, its claws reaching for his head.
He tried to dodge, but was too slow—the beast's cold claws cut across his cheek. His face felt like it had been hit by a frost spell.
Stumbling back, each movement felt slower, heavier, like moving through water.
"Well, fuck."