With the faint light of the moon filtering down into the forest, Cana's jaw dropped at the sight of the beast. It wasn't just massive—it was literally a giant... bear-ape? Its head belonged to a bear, but its body was built like a hulking ape. Standing as tall as a two-story house, the creature looked anything but friendly, a fountain of bloody drool dripping from its jaws as it chewed on its latest meal. What made it even scarier was its massive shadow looming over the dark, glowing plants around it.
At this point, Cana was convinced that all the beasts in this world were just cursed Earth cross-breeds.
She glanced at Erus, who simply stood still with a bored look in his eyes. He seemed more disappointed than threatened.
"That's a Walker, around level five hundred," Erus noted smoothly. "Doesn't weigh much."
"What?"
Before she could even process his words, Erus vanished from beside her.
Then, the ground trembled violently as the Walker bristled, thoroughly irritated by the sudden interruption of its mealtime. Daggers flashed in its eyes as it roared, slamming its massive fists into the dirt like a challenger demanding a duel.
It never stood a chance.
Before the beast could even raise its fists a second time, its massive head was cleanly severed, rolling across the forest floor as a horrific geyser of blood gushed from its severed neck.
Cana didn't even have time to blink. By the time her gaze snapped back to Erus, she only caught the cold glint of moonlight off his steel before he casually clicked the sword back into its sheath. She had been so focused on the beast that she didn't even see what he did. Yet, instead of feeling grossed out or frightened by the creature's headless corpse and rolling head, she simply scratched her neck in mild confusion.
⠀
A second later, the massive, headless corpse crashed heavily into the dirt with a deafening thud, sending a violent gust of wind and debris echoing through the clearing. Cana instinctively closed her eyes. Yet, not a single speck of dust or stray drop of blood touched her.
⠀
When she opened her eyes, Erus was already standing right in front of her, using his broad shoulders to completely block the harsh blast of wind and flying soil. She wasn't surprised by his speed, knowing he could practically teleport, but a subtle warmth settled in her chest as she realized he had shielded her from the impact.
"Did you somehow teleport onto the beast, or did its head just detach on its own?" she asked, voicing her genuine curiosity. She knew for a fact he hadn't cast any magic to behead it.
"That move is called Ghost Arc," Erus answered.
"Ghost Arc? You summoned a ghost to decapitate it?"
Erus fought back a laugh at how blissfully naive she was.
"It's a martial technique," he explained smoothly. "A quick slash through the air that creates a wave of compressed pressure, delivering a fatal blow to your target. Think of it like throwing a knife—except instead of a physical weapon, I'm throwing sheer, compressed air using my blade."
Cana's face was still a picture of total confusion.
"Watch my hand," he instructed, resting one hand on the hilt of his sword and the other on the sheath at his waist.
Cana did as she was told, fixing her eyes on his grip.
With a minor flick of his wrist, he unsheathed barely half the blade before snapping it back into place. A microsecond later, the loud, splintering crack of a massive tree echoed through the clearing as its top half slid off and crashed heavy into the dirt.
Cana's eyes glimmered with excitement as she watched the top half of the tree crash to the ground.
"Woah! That's amazing. Can I learn it too?" she asked, looking up at him with high hopes.
"Of course. I'm your master," Erus replied smoothly, a hidden glint of amusement in his dark eyes. "But first, you'll have to survive physical training."
She looked him up and down, her gaze lingering on his bare chest and the ridiculous set of abs beneath it.
"Do I need an eight-pack before I can pull off a technique like that?" she asked, her voice dripping with skepticism. Getting even a two-pack was already exhausting enough.
"Not necessarily," Erus replied, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "But you do need to build some muscle. You're too slender to handle the kickback unless you happen to be a natural prodigy. Want to try?"
Cana shook her head without a second thought. "Your sword is way too sharp. I'd lose three fingers before I even swung the damn thing."
He chuckled, amused by how honest—and completely oblivious—Cana was about her true potential. If she received proper training, he had no doubt she would absorb his martial techniques like a sponge.
And more than anything, that meant she would finally be able to stand beside him whenever he went out to hunt or train.
He patted her head gently. "We'll take it slowly then. Besides, I'm enrolling you in the same academy I attend. They offer physical combat training for beginners, which will help you build a solid foundation."
"Enrolling me? Are you sure about that?" Cana asked, a wave of hesitation washing over her. She was worried about how she would interact with other mortals if they were vastly different from humans. On top of that, she couldn't fully harness her power yet. What if she messed up and brought shame to Erus?
"Don't you want to stay with me?" Erus asked, leaning in slightly. "When the term starts, I'll be staying in the dorms on the school grounds most of the time."
"I..." Cana scratched her neck awkwardly, unable to argue with that logic. "Fine, as you wish."
Erus smiled, giving her a nod. "You can't go back on your word now."
Cana grinned, her eyes fierce and unwavering. "Even in hell, I'm following you."
"You sure know how to flatter me," Erus said smoothly, though those words had genuinely made his heart jump.
"Aish! I mean it!" Cana huffed.
Erus chuckled, patting her head once more like she was a stubborn kid. "Okay, okay. I believe you."
He gently grabbed her by the arm and led her toward the Walker's massive body lying flat on the ground. Cana silently wondered if he was planning to skin it to preserve its meat for selling or cooking, though the mere thought of eating a bear-ape completely ruined her appetite.
"Can you see a crystal rock of any shape inside its body?" Erus asked.
"What? Are you taking me for an X-ray machine?" Cana scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I can't see internal organs through thick hide. Though... I can see a flickering energy on its left side."
"So that's how you saw through my energy paths," Erus noted smoothly, a faint, relieved smile touching his lips. "Good to know."
Cana furrowed her brows at him, deeply suspicious that he had harbored far grosser thoughts in his mind back when she helped unblock his energy paths. She opened her mouth to call him out on it, but Erus was already moving, completely unfazed by her glaring eyes.
Bending down beside the massive carcass, he unsheathed a hunting knife and cleanly sliced into the exact spot where Cana had pointed out the flickering aura. Without a single trace of hesitation, he plunged his arm deep into the fresh wound, searching through the gory tissue until his fingers caught their mark.
When he pulled his arm back out, he held a glowing core high under the moonlight, his forearm entirely drenched in thick, dark blood.
With blood glistening on his skin and his dark eyes reflecting the crimson glow, he truly looked like a ruthless predator. It was then that Cana noticed the heavy splatters of blood staining the back of his cloak as well—likely from when he had shielded her from the beast's violent collapse moments ago.
He opened his palm, still dripping with the beast's dark blood, to show Cana what he had retrieved. Resting in his hand was a jet-black, crystal-like stone with sharp, undefined edges.
"This is a beast core," Erus explained smoothly. "It's what hunters collect to make a living. The higher the beast's level, the higher its core's value."
Cana swallowed hard—not because of the core's potential value, but because Erus was literally standing on top of the Walker's massive carcass, bending over to hand it to her. The moonlight glistened against half of his golden dragon mask while the other half remained swallowed in night shadow. His shoulder-length, wavy black hair swayed gently in the dark wind as he towered over her from his gory perch. Dark blood dripped down his arm and off his open palm, yet he seemed completely unbothered by using a dead monster as his personal stage—only adding to his raw, masculine presence. Instead of looking terrifying, his gaze beneath the mask was dangerously tempting.
"Oh... So this is how you earn so much," she commented, quickly snapping her eyes away to stare at the beast's giant paws just to hide her flustered face.
Her heart was hammering against her ribs. Just what the hell was she imagining while he was literally standing on a decapitated corpse?
"Yes. I earn far more this way than by doing side quests," Erus said. He paused, his dark eyes narrowing slightly beneath his mask as he noticed how she deliberately avoided looking at him. "Wait... Are you scared of me?"
"No! Of course not!" Cana blurted out, her face flushing bright red. "Just... Just clean yourself up, or the blood is going to harden on your skin."
Erus let out a quiet sigh as he jumped off the beast, misinterpreting her reaction completely. Cana was a woman, after all, and likely unused to such gory scenes. He realized he might have actually frightened her by shoving a bloody beast core in her face without even bothering to wash his hands or wipe the dark blood off his skin first.
"Okay. Sorry about that," he murmured softly.
"Huh?" Cana snapped her head back toward him, detecting the sudden shift in his tone. "Why are you apologizing? You haven't done anything to offend me."
"I thought I scared you with the way I look right now," he admitted, genuine confusion in his voice.
Cana scratched her head, then chuckled as she realized how badly he had misread her flustered state. Seeing this intimidating, blood-drenched man staring at her with pure, innocent confusion made her bite her lip to suppress her laughter.
His misunderstanding was just too cute to handle.
"Can I be more honest with you?" she asked, wanting to clear up the misunderstanding. The last thing she wanted was for them to have a feud over something so ridiculous.
"Mm..." Erus nodded, waiting attentively.
Cana pointed a finger at his face, slowly lowering it down to his chest, his abs, and all the way to his feet. Then, she gestured toward his bloody arms and looked him straight in the eye.
"Too damn hot."
"W-what?" Three words, and his brain went completely numb.
She smiled. "You're too sexy, my eyes can't—"
"Ugh! Stop right there!" Erus cut in, pointing a warning finger at her in sheer desperation.
His cheeks were burning, and his heart felt ready to explode against his ribs. What on earth was she thinking, being this ridiculously bold with him right here in the middle of a poisonous forest?
"So, I think I've cleared myself now?"
"You're the most dangerous thing in this place," Erus grumbled.
Cana chuckled again, covering her mouth with her palm to hide her grin.
Out of everyone in the world, only Cana would say something so bold to him.
Anyone else would be terrified, calling him a bloodthirsty monster just from a single glance at his current state. But how in the hell was she looking at him with pure desire despite how messy he was?
Was she kind of blind?
He let out a sigh of relief. Why even ask, when he already knew she was built completely different from anyone else?
He cast a ball of water, just enough to wash off the blood coating his arms and the beast's core. Once cleaned, its brilliant, dark ruby color emerged, immediately catching Cana's attention.
"Wow! Is that a real ruby stone?" she asked in awe.
"Ruby stone? What's that?" Erus asked, tilting his head. "This is just the Walker's core."
"Don't you have ruby stones here?" Cana asked, trying to sound casual before her slip of the tongue could make Erus suspicious. "Can I touch it?"
"That's the first time I've ever heard that word." Erus handed her the core without hesitation. "If you like it, you can have it."
"You're just giving it to me so easily?" She stared at the gleaming red stone in her hand. "This could be polished into jewelry. You could make a ring or a necklace pendant out of this."
"Oh? You like jewelry?" If he was right, this was news to him—he had never seen her wearing a single piece since the day they met.
"Yes. But I mostly just appreciate the craft. I don't usually wear it," she smiled, gazing at the core before looking back up at Erus. "Thank you for this."
"It's no problem. We can hunt as many Walkers as you want."
"You mean there are a lot of those beasts around here?"
"Yes, but they're a bit annoying to track. Walkers are pretty good at hiding their nests."
Erus paused, noticing Cana was no longer paying full attention to him. Her eyes flicked subtly to the side before she tossed the core into her spatial storage. He had no idea what had caught her interest—his own hearing and vision picked up absolutely nothing in their perimeter.
"Cana?" he called out to her softly.
"Three dark energies are coming from that direction," she warned, pointing toward a pitch-black stretch of the forest where the moonlight couldn't penetrate the dense canopy.
Though the threats hadn't entered his line of sight yet, Erus didn't hesitate. He immediately grabbed Cana by the arm and leaped with her into the higher branches of the trees.
"Can you tell if those are beasts?"
"I don't know what you call them, but they're crawling on all fours. Wait... can't you see them?"
Erus didn't answer, falling silent as he focused his eyes in the direction Cana had pointed out.
"I can see them now... but why are three of them together? Dragon Crawlers don't group with others." Those beasts were notoriously aloof—they didn't even tolerate their own kind due to their fierce nature. They lived solely for battle.
Meanwhile, Cana tapped her chin, silently thinking this world had bizarre taste when it came to naming creatures. To her, those three beasts were merely massive crocodiles with spiky thorns covering their bodies. They moved quickly, though not nearly as fast as the Red-Scale. They weren't particularly terrifying to look at on the surface, but the suffocating dark aura they carried screamed pure danger—a far cry from the Walker, the Red-Scale, or even the Scorpion family.
"Stay here—"
"You're not going anywhere," Cana cut him off, her voice completely casual.