"Do it!" She jolted upright with a shout. The zombie was reaching toward Pochirin; the man subconsciously nodded and acted. Kanade leapt toward the zombie's hand, using her light weight and whatever inertia she carried to finish the slice, cutting the arm off before it could reach Pochirin.

  Everything happened in an instant. If he had failed to cut through its neck, they would be dead. She quickly grabbed Pochirin, who was still relentlessly biting the zombie's ankle and right as she did, the exhaustion hit. They both fell to the ground and lay flat.

  It was easy to understand for both of them. They had lived to see another day. And with it came joy, the kind a regular Joe might never experience.

  “Buahahaha!”

  “Hahaha!” They laughed and laughed. She lifted Pochirin, who couldn't understand their joy, but his wagging tail was signal enough that he was uninjured and going with the flow.

  Once the laughter faded, it was hard to tell how much time had passed in silence. Until finally.

  “I… don’t know what to even do.” The man propped himself up as he sat on the ground. The area had gone quiet; the fight existed now only in their memories. The giant crater in the dirt had filled itself back in. The only remaining reminder was the adventurer's body and the moment her eyes landed on it again, she moved.

  She set Pochirin down and stepped closer. The armor simply held its shape as the body had faded. She couldn't understand how certain adventurers simply vanished like that; some famous Sage had said it was the sign of a God.

  The armor looked as expensive as Li's, her friend's. Though it didn't carry the same holy feeling Li's gave off. More importantly, more expensive meant more profit. That's life, better take what was handed to you.

  “I’ll lead you back to town. Find someone with familial ties and stay there. Not much I can do to help.” Kanade said absentmindedly, unbuckling the various inner fastenings of the armor.

  “I don’t have any; everyone’s dead or in the same position I am in—was in.” He stared at the stairs leading up to the exit.

  For some reason, she was suspicious of him. She had quietly signaled Pochirin to stay alert, just in case. She had no plans of helping him. There was nobody who would think of helping her for a thousand miles; why should she be the exception?

  She quickly rifled through her pouch, which had no chance of holding the armor, but something useful came out of it, leather straps. Bundling up the armor would cause some scrapes, but it was better than carrying everything loose or simply leaving it here. The man had left her to it; she assumed he would wait up in the woods, as she was the scout after all.

  Sooner rather than later, even though the shaft of light above had turned a shade darker, it was done. It had some weight, nothing she wouldn’t struggle a tad for. Clutching the bundle like a massive rock she was hugging, she struggled up the stairs until the dirt walls finally gave way to open air.

  “Phuu…” She set it down. The surrounding area didn’t bother her. As the name implied, Blackwood Woods was a vast stretch of land covered with dead, shriveled-up foliage. There was nothing of color for a good mile; even the clouds today played along, obscuring any warmth or color the sun might have offered on their way out.

  Her silence, however, was the exception. Pochirin and the man were smiling, standing proud to have lived another day. She scoffed. The decision had already been made in her heart. The problem was actually doing it.

  “Hey… uh—“

  “Derylkin. It’s weird to say my name; I’m Derylkin… Derylkin…” He said it without turning around, until finally doing so shortly after. “Need some help?” He pointed at the bundle of pristine armor lying in the black grass that shattered instead of bending.

  “Yeah, mind helping me?” The response puzzled her. She had been ready to offer some silver for the trouble. It didn't even feel like he wanted the money.

  I-I saved him. So… so it’s fine.

  Whether she actually believed that wasn't certain, but the thought lingered a moment longer. They each grabbed the straps at opposite ends, distributing the weight would make the journey back a tad easier. Anyhow, it was weirdly pleasant. The euphoria she had assumed only Derylkin felt slowly began washing over her. The bleak Blackwood Woods didn't need to offer anything vibrant for her to find it within. Finally, it was enough for her to realize.

  “I’m alive…” She murmured without thinking Derylkin, being closer, overheard. He then grabbed the straps with sudden force and slung everything over his right shoulder. A show of strength she hadn't expected from him.

  “It’s fine. I feel strong… rejuvenated. If it’s the last time we meet; I’ll gladly be of use.” He smiled, staring in the distance. His outlook on life was so different from hers; his actions slowly started giving her a headache.

  “Ah, thanks.” With the hardest part of the journey literally shouldered by him, the path was simple. Eventually, the clouds that seemed to circle the forest thinned and broke in the distance. The blue blue sky waited for them. Sooner rather than later, the hills, mountains, and trees came into view and finally, the city of Higelsdale.

  Their vantage point laid out every corner of the city in every direction: west, east, and north. The far side was obscured, though the remnant royal palace stood atop a man-made mountain. Unlike Derylkin, she had no twinkle of admiration in her eyes. She noticed Pochirin standing beside her; his eyes were unusually somber.

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  I’m free.

  ?

  More than an hour ago, when Han's plan had just been completed. The unseen blade had come down on his neck though that hadn't even mattered to him, since, sadly, he hadn't been able to pet the hound before dying.

  Even so, after this supposed death, he couldn't be happier. He had conquered one of his fears. Risk-taking. Before jumping into the rigged deathmatch, his mind had completely rejected the idea. Every living day, he kept the chance of failure to a minimum, everything accounted for, every variable thought of, victory nigh guaranteed. Yet this one wasn't. Until a single thought calmed him down.

  Whatever happens… happens. I die—I die.

  As he was thrust back into the sludge zone, he had no regrets. After all, whatever happened, happened. He lay in the gray fog, thinking of things he hadn't done, not with regret, but with a what-if mindset that didn't seem entirely stable either.

  “Ah… I won’t be able to finish that novel… or sleep with a chick… or… Fuck! Who am I lying here for?! I’m here; I’m the one that has to stay here! I’m the one that will live with myself!” Even before the porcelain could crack, it shattered as Han came to his realization. He punched the ground; the fog barely stirred from the impact, causing no damage to either. The gravity barely even worked. If he was here to stay forever, something somehow had to change.

  “If I’m dead and this is my priso—let’s say heaven. I need to think hard enough, and maybe it’ll appear… shit… what am I doing… going insane… already..?” He fell backward; the ground cushioned his landing, literally. Eventually he covered his eyes with his forearm, trying to test if he could sleep. But then his hands drifted to his face, his jaw, nose, and hair. He hadn't seen himself in ages, even before all of this had happened.

  I wish I could at least see myself…

  He sat up. Soon the grogginess wore off, and he was staring at himself. Out of nowhere, a standing mirror had appeared. Thin, its reflective glass framed by polished dark wood. His eyes locked onto his own. He hadn't changed. Messy black hair brushed back from his even darker eyes. Despite having wished to see himself, he would have rather not. He dug his untrimmed nails into his unhealthily pale skin. It wasn't a dream. Before he could even stand, the familiar red text bled into his eyesight, obscuring the mirror.

  [POSSIBLE HOST ACQUIRED; PROCEED?]

  [Y/N]

  He stared at them until tears burst from his burning, unblinking eyes. Something was stopping his hands from moving. The decision would change everything; he would have to be "alive" again. Slowly he straightened himself, standing amidst the nothingness.

  Be alive again… alive… I want…

  “I WANT TO LIVE! I WANT TO LIVE! I-WANT-TO-LIVE! LIVE!” He screamed his lungs out, even after every semblance of oxygen had left his body. Both palms ended up on his cheeks with force. Han, Han had come back.

  “THROW EVERYTHING YOU HAVE AT ME, YOU WRINKLY BITCH!” Han's final shout at the nothingness that didn't react, care, or exist. His pointer finger instantly pressed the button; due to the excitement, he even pressed it five or so times before it could fade.

  His expectations, however, couldn't have been more thoroughly crushed. Yet, it didn't matter. From the body's short stature, he already knew who the new host was. But before he could even take it in.

  The beginner city of Higelsdale, the City of Opportunity, specifically for him, and it was the city he would take over. He couldn't help but become teary-eyed once more. Without knowing if familiars could even cry, he did. The view in front of him wasn't even that beautiful; it was just that everything was so vibrant. The blue sky, the clouds he wanted to take a bite out of, the faraway mountains that framed everything like a painting. His eyes were so used to the bleakness of both the crypt and the sludge zone. One thing was certain — freedom awaited.

  I’m free.

  Instantly, he tensed to avoid showing his panic. A warm hand brushed against his back, forcibly dragging him out of his own head. The hand of a giant, one might think based on the feeling alone but with his head turned, the culprit was unsurprisingly the beast-master girl. His suspicions had already been confirmed, and then some.

  “What’s wrong, Pochirin?” The girl asked, petting him once more. Through gritted teeth, he remained still. He hadn't even attempted to move, but the gravity affecting him this way was disorienting even after being in the sludge zone, which is supposed to help with that. Nonetheless, he stepped forward, one paw after another; the movements were natural. Not to him, but to Pochirin.

  Now, the worst part. Understanding the predicament, the big problem of the girl being a horrid owner doesn’t seem to be the case. He couldn't hurt her, though untested; he also couldn't really leave her side, and the distance limit was something he hadn't yet learned. Still, it didn't seem like a lost cause. The sole reason was the evolution that the hound, or rather, he would have. But now was not the time to think about events so far into the future.

  Firstly, observe.

  He had already taken a risk today; there was no need to be irrational and jump the gun. That would be akin to winning a lottery, and he was lucky to be alive. But he would spend every penny he got hoping for another win. Anyhow, he focused on the two dimwits.

  They hadn't talked the entire way, at least since he had taken over the hound. What irked him was the man with the armor on his shoulder. There was a chance, a big one at that, that he had leveled up upon killing Zom. Zom had been level 26; Derylkin couldn't have been more than level 10.

  He noticed that his feelings were rather muted, and he started hoping it wasn't permanent. Thousands of nails pierced his body; soon his nose, ears, and subsequently his brain. Han stumbled over his own paws, and a hand swept under him. The pain made it hard to understand what was happening and then once the feeling under his feet disappeared entirely, it messed with his mind even more.

  W-What the fuck is happening!?

  In a split second, everything opened up. The lush grass being crushed under the girl's feet, his own breathing, the distant wind rustling leaves high up in the treetops. Even a random critter darting under the cover of the bushes. It was as though his head were being spun in circles. He could smell and hear everything around him with perfect accuracy, which, quite understandably, overwhelmed him.

  As Han was being tortured by the familiar's biology, Pochirin was simply enjoying being held by Kanade. Though she assumed he was just tired, as they all were. Sooner rather than later, Han's human mind acclimated to the overwhelming sensory input it was being subjected to, though he was still far from really controlling it.

  Is… is this how Superman must’ve felt?

  With that painful experience behind him, it at least shortened the ordeal before they reached the city. And the city had come. He could only wait in the girl's hand.

  WAIT!

  “Let me go! This is… this is… fuck!” Han shouted, but only two small barks escaped. The girl took it as a sign to let him go, which she promptly did.

  “I haven’t seen him this jovial before.” setting the armor down on the stone ground. They had come to a full stop, and for good reason

  “Mm. I haven’t seen him this emotional before.” She said it softly, then sharply turned to the man. "I'm guessing you don't have the entry fee, right?" Her eyes pierced him; he could only respond with a nod.

  Shit, I need to be careful.

  It wasn't that he didn't like it, but being handled that way wasn't something one could get used to easily. Anyway, he had already noticed how different the world was from this perspective. Not that he minded being at a medium dog's height, but he had never once waited in line to enter the city.