The moment I let go of my sword—
the blade remained lodged deep inside the massive lizardman's armpit.
The creature roared in pain.
At the same time—
the rapier lizardman was already in front of me.
Its blade aimed directly for my head.
Too fast to dodge normally.
I bent my knees instantly and dropped into a crouch.
The rapier barely passed over my hair.
For a single moment—
our eyes met.
The rapier lizardman immediately sensed danger.
Its eyes shifted toward the spear lying nearby in the swamp mud.
Too late.
I grabbed it.
The axe blade attached to the spear twisted through the air as I swung upward.
The rapier lizardman reacted instantly.
Fast.
Very fast.
It twisted its rapier sideways, trying to deflect the attack while retreating backward at the same time.
But Beast Breathing exploded through my body fully.
Dark aura coated both my arms and the spear.
I stepped forward again instead of stopping the swing.
The rapier blocked for a fraction of a second—
Then shattered apart.
The axe blade continued through the lizardman's chest.
Splitting its body into two pieces instantly.
Blood sprayed across the swamp.
The creature's eyes remained wide even while falling—
as if it still couldn't believe it lost.
But the moment the attack ended—
pain exploded through my shoulder again.
My nosebleed still hadn't stopped.
My vision blurred heavily.
Even standing had become difficult.
The massive lizardman turned toward me again.
I barely remained upright by leaning against the spear.
Then—
it swung its remaining fist toward my head.
I wanted to dodge.
But my body refused to move properly anymore.
"…So this is it…" I thought weakly.
The fist descended.
Then suddenly—
it missed my face by inches.
A massive impact shook the swamp behind it.
I collapsed onto the muddy ground while breathing heavily.
My vision faded in and out.
But before my eyes closed completely—
I saw Rusty.
His horns had pierced deep into the massive lizardman's stomach from the side.
Rusty repeatedly slashed the creature's back and chest with his mutated front claws until it finally stopped moving.
After killing it, Rusty violently jerked his head and threw the corpse aside before rushing toward me.
"Rusty…" I whispered weakly.
He lowered himself beside me and started licking my face repeatedly.
I weakly reached toward the saddle bags without even checking properly.
My fingers finally grabbed several potion bottles.
I opened them desperately and drank.
One.
Two.
Three.
The burning sensation in my throat eased slightly.
But then—
pain consumed my entire body.
Every breath felt like hundreds of needles stabbing into my muscles.
Suddenly my body contracted violently.
I vomited blood into the mud.
My hands shook uncontrollably.
Another cough.
More blood.
Even after drinking the potions—
I still didn't have the strength to stand.
Rusty stayed beside me the entire time.
Licking my face anxiously.
After several minutes—
I started laughing weakly.
Not because anything was funny.
But because somehow—
I had survived again.
By the time night fully arrived, I gathered proof from the battle.
The lizardmen's ears.
What remained of rapier.
Their weapons.
I also cut meat from the massive lizardman for Rusty.
I couldn't even properly sit on Rusty anymore.
I practically collapsed across his back while he slowly carried me away from the Dark Swamp Forest.
After reaching safer ground, I lit a fire.
Even sitting beside it hurt.
My whole body still pulsed with pain.
But something felt strange.
This pain felt different from poison.
Then it happened again—
another violent body contraction.
My muscles suddenly tightened painfully.
I coughed blood onto the ground.
At first, I thought the poison had worsened.
Then I realized something.
Since leaving the swamp—
I had unconsciously stopped using Beast Breathing.
The moment that realization appeared—
my eyes widened.
I immediately restarted the breathing rhythm.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Forcing my breaths back into the Beast Breathing pattern.
The contractions lessened slightly.
I froze.
Then continued breathing that way again.
And again.
The pain slowly weakened.
"...I stepped onto something dangerous," I muttered weakly.
Something addictive.
Something that could slowly consume me from the inside.
I finally understood.
My body had started adapting to Beast Breathing itself.
Now if I suddenly stopped using it—
my body reacted violently.
Which meant from now on—
I might need to maintain the breathing rhythm constantly.
Even while resting.
Even while sleeping.
Even in front of death.
"…Good."
A faint smile appeared on my face despite the pain.
Compared to dying—
this was manageable.
Rusty sat beside me near the fire, calmly chewing roasted lizardman meat.
I patted his neck weakly.
Rusty looked toward me quietly.
"…You saved me again."
The fire crackled softly beneath the night sky.
That night—
for the first time in a long while—
I camped alone.
No Duracal.
No Siena.
No voices.
Only Rusty beside me beneath the stars.
As I stared upward, I suddenly thought about my mother.
It had been so long.
I couldn't even remember her face anymore.
Not clearly.
But I still remembered small things.
Her soft hands brushing through my hair.
Her gentle voice.
The warmth when she held me.
A faint smile crossed my lips.
"…I wonder if she still remembers me."
With that thought—
I slowly fell asleep beside the fire.
Far away from the swamp—
inside the palace of the Manderana Kingdom—
a woman quietly stared at the moon from a balcony.
The Queen Consort.
Her eyes carried deep exhaustion.
And longing.
She wondered where her son was.
Whether he was alive.
Whether he still hated them.
Behind her, servants suddenly lowered their heads.
The King had arrived.
But the woman didn't even turn around.
She simply kept staring at the moon silently.