Chapter 4 - This Sucks.

"What's your name, anyway?" I found myself asking because I couldn't keep calling him 'MC' in my head forever.

"Why would I tell you that?" he said without looking back. "So you can confirm whether I'm the person you were ordered to take down?"

This asshole.

He'd dragged me all the way here and walked so damn fast it was like he was trying to ditch me. I had to settle for talking to the back of his enormous head.

Probably that big to contain his ego.

"Take you down?" I scoffed. "I'm not sure you've taken a good look at me."

He stopped and slowly glanced at me from the corner of his eye.

"I actually did. There's not much to see."

The sheer audacity of this man.

Oh my God. Please. Give me patience. I've never prayed before, but if some divine entity is listening, I'll start now.

I unconsciously clutched his coat tighter around me. "You—"

A low, rumbling growl cut me off.

"This bear is mad at me. I know it. I shouldn't have made fun of it."

"Why do you keep calling it a bear? It's a wolf."

A WHAT NOW?

I snapped my head toward him. "But it's so freaking huge!"

...That's what she said.

I let out a snort at my own joke, but before I could even enjoy my brief moment of amusement—

[Warning: Do not make this kind of joke again. A penalty will be issued otherwise.]

What? I can't even make myself laugh anymore? This sucks.

MC just stared at me like I'd lost my mind.

"What?" I asked.

Instead of answering, he ran a hand through his hair.

"It's a beast wolf. It used to be human. Its size grows with every life it takes."

It must've killed a hundred people to get this big.

Scary...

"They're fast," he continued, "and bloodthirsty. They can sense blood from far away."

Wait.

What?

"Hold on. If it's fast, how did I manage to escape from it? I'm really not a runner."

"That's what I'm trying to figure out."

A very bad thought slammed into me.

"Wait... it can sense blood?" I looked down at my arms and legs. "But I'm covered in cuts."

"Exactly."

He smirked.

And just like that, the ground shook.

It was coming.

At full speed.

I heard a ferocious snarl, and every single survival instinct in my body screamed at me to run.

"Just stay behind me. Don't try to run," he said, his voice calm, just as the beast wolf burst from the darkness of the cave.

I shut my eyes, slapped my hands over my ears, and dropped to the ground in full surrender.

I didn't know why. It wasn't like the wolf would take pity on me just because I curled into a ball.

But it was a big-ass wolf, I was a very small human, and I did not sign up for this!

"What are you doing?" MC's voice cut through the chaos.

I peeked one eye open.

I slowly uncovered my ears and pushed myself up.

The smell was atrocious. It almost made me throw up.

"I was scared, asshole."

He pointed his bloody blade at me. "You'd better talk to me with respect. I'm the one who can help you get out of this forest."

Wait, what about the beast?

The beast was gone.

Or rather...

It was still there.

Just in two separate, very dead, very bloody pieces.

My brain tried to catch up.

"What the..."

My voice died in my throat.

It took me another second to notice MC standing a few feet away, flicking blood off his massive sword like he'd just finished chopping vegetables.

He looked bored.

Meanwhile, I was covered in a horror movie's worth of blood.

"...WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!"

MC gave me the flattest look.

"I killed it."

"No shit." I pointed aggressively at the two halves of the creature. "You CUT IT IN HALF?"

He wiped his blade with a rag like it was no big deal. "Yes."

"In ONE GO?!"

He sighed. "Was I supposed to take two?"

I threw my hands up. "Normal people don't cut things in half that easily!"

He raised a brow. "You've never cut anything in half before?"

"I..." I faltered. "Not like that! Maybe an apple, but we're talking about a nearly three-meter-tall beast!"

[Mission Update: Gain the MC's trust.]
[Progress: 0%.]

Oh, screw you.

"Also, why am I the only one covered in blood?" I gestured at myself. My new coat was soaked.

MC didn't even look my way.

"I told you not to move."

I narrowed my eyes. "And that magically kept you blood-free?"

But before I could press him further, my vision blurred.

"Um, sir, I..."

Nothingness.

Yet again.

[Congrats! You have successfully survived.]
[Mission Update: Gain the MC's trust.]
[Progress: 1%.]

When I came back to my senses, the first thing I noticed was warmth.

Softness.

A blanket?

The second thing I noticed was the smell.

Antiseptic, something faintly floral, and... leather?

The third thing I noticed was him.

I cracked open one eye, squinting against the bright lights, and immediately saw MC sitting in a chair by the window, arms crossed, looking like he'd rather be anywhere but here.

"You're finally awake."

I groaned. "Did you really just hit me with the Skyrim line?"

His brow furrowed. "What?"

"Never mind." I tried to sit up, but my body protested, exhaustion weighing me down. "Where...?"

"The hospital." His tone was flat, like it was obvious. "You passed out in the middle of a monster's corpse. I had to carry you."

"...You carried me?"

He gave me a blank look. "Yes?"

My brain short-circuited for a second.

Damn it. Why couldn't I have been awake for that?

Wait.

My beloved, bloodstained coat was gone, replaced by a thin, really ugly hospital gown.

I gasped. "Where is it?"

MC barely glanced at me. "If you're asking about the coat, they took it. I told them to burn it."

"You what now?"

"It was covered in monster blood. Be grateful they didn't let me burn you with it."

I clutched the hospital blanket around myself like it was my last line of defense.

"This is outrageous. I had a look planned."

MC snorted. "You looked like a beggar."

I scowled at him. "How about you take a good look in a mirror? It was yours first."

A knock at the door interrupted me.

Probably for the best. If I kept insulting him, he'd never trust me.

MC's expression shifted instantly, hardening into something unreadable.

"They're finally here."

"They?"

Before he could answer, the door swung open, and three people stepped inside, all wearing dark uniforms.