Henry immediately hid behind a tree and moved not a single muscle afterwards. He even held his breath. He wasn’t completely sure if the female beast-kin was looking his way or if she had seen him since it was dark and the only source of light was the torches by the road. He rather not risk confirming it after witnessing the female beast-kin’s prowess. She was strong enough to punch a monster bug twice her size and sent it off the cliff. If she was the kind that would punch first and ask questions later, it would not bode well for him.

As Henry was wrecking his brain for ideas, a cold shiver ran past him. He ducked his head just as an aura blade streaked over him, slicing the tree into half. 

Damn it, woman! No warning at all!?

But then Henry thought deeply about it. Why would she give him any warning at all? It wasn’t as if she knew that he could understand their words. As far as she was concerned, he was just a monster lurking in the dark and waiting for the right opportunity to strike. Her action was quite logical if anything. In the end, Henry sighed and slowly walked out of the dark and into the light. He made doubly sure he wouldn’t be showing any signs of hostility. He even tried his best to look harmless but not that he would know the result.

“A Drake?” Iora muttered. She furrowed her brows. “A variant?” She gave another conjecture.

Henry shrugged.

That gesture made her flinch and she pointed her sword at him.

Henry flinched too and quickly put up his hand and waved it around.

“You understand what I’m saying?” she asked.

Henry nodded.

She raised her brows dubiously. “How is that possible?”

Henry shrugged.

“Are you a Drake?”

Henry shook his shoulders again.

“You don’t know what you are?”

Henry bobbed his head up and down.

“This is unbelievable… A monster with such a vast Mana Ocean and the ability to understand the Lavan Language. You’re certainly no ordinary Drake or a Drake at all. Just what are you?”

How do you want me to answer that?

“Wait…” Iora sharpened her gaze and pierced Henry with her eyes. “Could you be the one responsible for the disturbance of the forest?”

Henry shrieked.

Iora narrowed her gaze.

Left with no other choice, Henry confessed his crimes with a simple nod.

A complicated expression crossed her face. “So you’re the one who had bestowed so much trouble unto my sister, I see.”

Henry stiffened at Iora’s glare. He didn’t know how to react. She had every right to be angry considering the trouble he caused but on the other hand, he knew nothing about the external circumstances and he wasn’t just trying to survive. He wasn’t exactly guilty but neither was he innocent.

Then, a horn resounded from a distance away. The horn was quite loud. It even stirred some of the animals and creatures in the forest.

“Iluna,” Iora gasped. She looked at Henry. “My sister’s in trouble. Help me.” Without waiting for his response, she took off into a dash and sped down the road. 

Henry considered just slipping away but that would only prove his guilt. He growled out his frustration and followed behind Iora.

“Good, you followed,” Iora remarked as she glimpsed over her shoulder while she ran.

Do you think I wouldn’t have? Henry huffed with a squint.

“Just know this, you have a lot to answer for. If you run, I will hunt you down like the beast you are. Do you understand?”

Henry snorted and nodded sloppily to show his dissatisfaction. He didn’t like her, he decided.

“Good,” she said and turned her gaze back to her front.

They arrived at their destination before Henry could change his mind. A lizard-dog with three spiked tails standing over three meters tall was looming Rex who was training his sword on the queer beast. His hand was shaking and his other arm was simply hanging by his side, holding a horn. It was obvious that his arm was broken. As for Iluna, she was lying on the roadside. Her robes were in tatters and there was a lot of blood on her. Fortunately, she was still breathing. 

“Iluna!” Iora shouted and rushed at the lizard-dog with her sword raised. The beast turned its focus to Iluna and greeted her with a seemingly excited growl. Rex lunged at the beast when its attention shifted but it snapped back to him with a nasty grin. 

“Curses!” Rex uttered. He was not prepared for any form of defence.

Fortunately for him, Iora covered the distance in the blink of an eye and blocked the lizard-dog’s bite with her sword. 

“Grab my sister and run, damn it!” Iora yelled without turning away from her foe.

“Impossible. There’s still another Ruguth around here. It hurt Lady Iluna and ran off.”

“What?!”

Just then, another lizard-dog, another Ruguth lunged out from the trees towards Iora. But it didn’t reach her. Instead, the Ruguth was plucked from the air and slammed to the ground. The beast got up and cocked its fuming gaze to its assailant but it caught only a glimpse of Henry as flames engulfed its vision and the beast itself too. It shrieked loudly into the sky and dropped to the ground, tossing and turning in the soil. The other Ruguth saw what happened to its brethren and immediately leapt back from Iora. It turned tail and ran into the trees. 

But Iora closed their distance in a snap and plunged her sword into the Ruguth’s throat from the side. The Ruguth retaliated in its final moments by swiping at Iora but to no avail. Iora backstepped from its claws and lunged back in with a thrust that found its brain through the space between its eyes. It went limp and collapsed to the ground.

“I-Iora… what hell is that monster?” Rex asked as he pointed at Henry with a quivering finger.

Rude. 

“That thing’s on our side.” Iora gave a simple answer as she sheathed her sword and rushed to Iluna’s side.

Thing? How rude.

“This is bad…” Iora observed. She glared at Rex. “How can you let this happen?”

“I’m sorry, Iluna. It’s all my fault. I couldn’t see it coming. One of the Ruguths just suddenly jumped out from the woods. While I was confronting that Ruguth, another one jumped out from behind us. It moved faster than I could… I’m sorry.”

“Save your apologies, Rex. Your apologies can’t save my sister. She needs treatment immediately.”

“What do we do?”

“We can’t move her. Rex, I want you to watch her. I will run back to the village.”

“What? What about the monster? What if it attacks me or Lady Iluna while you’re gone? Let me go instead, Iora.”

“No, Rex. I’m faster. Besides, I’m sure this monster won’t attack anyone. Will you?” Iora asked Henry.

Henry shook his head.

“It understands our language…?” Rex muttered.

“Save your awe for later. For now— what are you doing?!” Iora suddenly shouted.

That was because Henry had approached Iluna with his tongue out. He had wished to do this unnoticed. It would have gone smoother that way than trying to explain his actions. But now that he was noticed, he had no other choice but to do it the hard way. If he spent his time explaining, the girl’s health might deteriorate further. He unleashed his flames at Iora and Rex. He didn’t hold back but he wasn’t worried. Per his expectations, Iora grabbed Rex and disappeared from where they stood a second ago. They reappeared back a few meters away. Judging by the skid marks on the ground, it was no teleportation but simply Iora moving at a huge but short burst of speed. Henry seized this chance and licked Iluna all over her wounds. He felt a little terrible at doing this but he reminded himself that this wasn’t just first-aid treatment.

Oh crap…

Henry frowned as he lapped her body. She tasted delicious. The smell of her blood was so aromatic and fragrant. Even more so than the magic crystals. In fact, she was tastier than any food he remembered ever eating. He wanted more than just a taste. However, his sanity got the better of him. The girl was essentially no different than a human and being a former human himself, the idea of eating a human-like creature was simply out of the question. That was still a high bar to get over.

“You fucking cunning beast!” Iora roared and charged at Henry with a thrust. For some reason, she wasn’t using her blinking dash. Perhaps there was a limit to the number of usages, Henry guessed. Still, she was still quite fast without her blinking dash. Henry didn’t even attempt to dodge her thrust and simply let her blade meet his head. And as expected, her sword bounced off his head. And Henry was done with the treatment.

Henry quickly distanced himself from Iluna before he lost control of his bestial instincts. It was the strongest his bestial instincts had ever been. Worst of all, he somehow knew it would feel good to obey that instinct of his but he resisted the beckoning of his nature.

“You dare defile my sister!?” Iora was still snarling. “Don’t bother running. Wherever you run to, I will—”

“Wait, Iora!” Rex stopped her with an urgent tone.

“What is it?” Iora asked without glancing at him.

“It’s your sister. She’s…”

“She’s what?!” Iora snapped. She turned around to check on her sister. To her disbelief, the wounds on her sister were gone, leaving not even a scar on her body. She turned back to Henry. An apologetic face filled with confusion and gratitude. “T-thank you…” she uttered. 

Under other circumstances, Henry would be jumping joy and trying his best to communicate back but as it stood, he was in no state to be joyful. The girl’s scent was still lingering in her mind. It was even starting to water his mouth but he held his saliva in his mouth. It wasn’t like he was starving or constantly low on food. He had always eaten until his belly was filled. But in his current state, he was hungry. He had not eaten anything since breakfast. Moreover, the girl smelled and tasted absolutely delectable. He wondered if this was how vampires felt when they were resisting the temptation of blood.

“I-I’m sorry for—”

Iora was beginning her apology when the sound of hooves thundering towards them caught her tongue. She turned to look, catching a glimpse of a party of riders rushing her way. It was reinforcement. They were fast in their response but considering the situation had been resolved, they could be considered as late. 

Henry snapped out of the enticement at the sound of the thundering hooves. They would be safe now, he told himself. He wanted to stay but if any of them noticed his peculiar state, they would certainly turn their weapons on him, regardless if he understood their speech. He would do the same thing too if he was in their shoes. He was a monster whether he liked it or not. Just because he showed some intelligence, it didn’t mean that he didn’t have a monster’s nature. And so, he turned around and ran. He heard Iora calling after her like the Augru girl did when he left her at the pit.

Henry refrained from looking back and kept running. He ran straight across the bridge without slowing down. The bridge undulated intensely against his weight but everything was held firmly together. Henry safely reached the other end without a single plank breaking off. He half-expected the bridge to just snap halfway through and send him plunging back to the depths but no such absurdity happened. He glanced back towards the other side. It was short but he got what he had been craving for, people interaction. He wished it could have been longer but that wasn’t a possibility in his current state. It was a factor that he never considered. He never had to. He spent his days in the company of nature and the wilderness. 

Even now, the white lady’s scent was still fresh in her mind. He didn’t know if it was just her or her race all bore the same aromatic scent. He desperately hoped it was the former. Otherwise, he would need to exercise a hundred times the effort he was currently exercising. He remembered catching a whiff of the Augru girl’s blood but that didn’t send him into a frenzy. If the lady in white was truly a special case, then he didn’t need to be overly worried. Though even if that was the case, there was still an off-chance that someone else would possess the same delectable scent as the white lady.

Henry’s head was beginning to hurt as went deeper into his thoughts. These contemplations never led him to any answers. It only ever led him to more headaches. His mood sank to the bottom. A deep craving of his was foiled by his bestial nature. He was extremely frustrated on top of being depressed. The thought of his future interactions with sapient creatures would keep being ruined by his cumbersome bestial nature really grated his nerves but he could only direct that frustration at himself.

Hmm?

Henry raised his head from his deliberation. He caught a heavy stench. His expression twisted distastefully. He recognized this stench well. It didn’t belong to any creatures or animals in his territory. It belonged to the creepy crawlers from the chasm. He had expected some would find their way into this territory after he devastated their home but he didn’t expect this many. But it was just right. He needed a place to vent all of his frustration and anger. He was delighted that his punching bags would walk right up to him.

Henry unleashed a preemptive roar into the distance to warn, intimidate, and challenge all those who didn’t belong in this part of the forests. He then charged right into the dense vegetation in front of him. Spiders rappeled down from the trees on their webs. As Henry was spreading his focus in every direction, the spiders did not get the drop on him. He snatched a spider from its web and swung it around like a morning star by gripping the web. He swung the spider into its kin. He charred the ones he missed and pulverized the ones that got too close with aura blades.

A red spider, larger than the rest, spewed out a stream of jet-black energy. It was magic, Henry could instantly tell. He was fending off a spider to his left and trampling on one to his right. He didn’t have any leeway to dodge the ominous-looking attack spell. Suddenly, a translucent barrier, just like the tiger’s, formed between him and the jet-black energy was stopped by the barrier. However, the barrier shattered into pieces with just that single hit. 

Did I gain the tiger’s magic?

It would certainly seem like he did but it was only a portion of what the tiger was capable of. Unlike the tiger, the barrier did not cover him entirely but only a fraction in one direction. The red spider snarled and prepared another magic. Henry was continuously swarmed by the smaller spiders while the red spider conjured its spell. 

Oh, no, you don’t.

Henry grabbed a spider, squeezed it into the shape of a ball, and threw it at the red spider. It noticed Henry’s queer way of attack and stopped its conjuration in order to dodge the projectile made of its kin. The red spider shrieked, staring indignantly at Henry. It crawled down the tree. It scuttled across the battlefield while using the trees and tall grasses as cover but somehow, Henry’s gaze didn’t lose track of it. The red spider seemingly tutted. It let out a screech and the other spiders immediately rallied to its side and started forming a barrier around the red spider with their bodies. Henry could feel magic surging from inside the barrier.

Really?

Henry was mildly perplexed but he reckoned this was the extent of the spider’s intelligence. Since they had now gathered into one spot, it saved Henry a lot of trouble. He unleashed the full brunt of his fire breath at the gathering of the spiders. He had only used it in small gushes when he was fending off the spiders so as to not accidentally set the trees on fire. The spiders burst into agonizing screeches and scattered from their formation, leaving the red spider by itself. However, it had already finished casting its magic, a huge black ball of ominous energy. The red spider was chuckling as if to say that he was too late. But Henry snorted and flicked an aura blade at the black ball. It exploded and the red spider went everywhere. Henry didn’t know which part was which and he didn’t care. He simply wiped off any blood and guts that got on his body and continued to hunt down all the crawlers that had trespassed into his territory. 

He was the reason they came into his territory in the first place but it wasn’t entirely his fault. He was just trying to survive like all the other animals and creatures. If he didn’t do what he did, he would have died and been feasted by the creepy crawlers. He shouldn’t feel guilty about it. This was, after all, a jungle and he, being a part of the jungle, was obligated to use whatever means to survive. If mother nature didn’t want him disturbing the balance or whatever, then he shouldn’t have been turned into a Dragon. It was not his fault. He was forced by the circumstances. He had merely obeyed the laws of the jungle, survival of the fittest.

I am a beast. I am a Dragon. I am part of nature. I’m not disturbing the balance. I am reorganizing the structure of the hierarchy.

That night, all the creepy crawlers were culled from the forest and no more giant bug monsters or insect creatures ever appeared again in this part of the forest, save for the ones that were originally there.