Yang's words frustrated me. Why did the people of this clan keep lecturing me? Even if he was right, couldn't it be done at a safer time, like when we were both sitting down, sipping tea in his damn rooftop garden with blooming flowers and singing birds outside?

The grotesque creature, half-woman and half-snake, kept attacking relentlessly, leaving me barely able to catch my breath. Although my reflexes allowed me to dodge its tail strikes and lunges, the constant movement was exhausting. If I hadn't been training daily with Master Liang since arriving here, I would have definitely collapsed and resigned myself to fate by now.

But then I stumbled.

"DAMN IT!"

The snake didn't miss its golden opportunity. It lunged at me, wrapping its massive tail around my body and dragging me toward the river. Mud and bitter earth filled my mouth.

Before being pulled underwater, I caught a glimpse of Yang's face from the branch in the distance. His expression didn't change at all, as if he were watching a scene he saw on a daily basis. That bastard.

The water was icy cold, quickly submerging me. My hair stood on end, and the sudden drop in temperature made it feel like my breath was being sucked away from my lungs. The snake's tail around me felt like it was about to crush my ribs. Thankfully, I knew how to swim, so I could hold my breath for a short time. But how could I escape such a tight grip?

I felt the pressure on my body increasing. The icy water rushed up toward my face.

This isn't good; it will keep me down here until I drown! I couldn't rely on Yang anymore; I had to do something to get out!

The once bright water grew darker by the second; I could no longer see anything around me. I tried to wriggle. My torso didn't budge an inch, but my hips felt looser. Great!

I twisted my right hand, reaching into my pocket where the small bronze dagger was stored. Clicking the blade open, I gathered all my strength and stabbed it into the rough skin of the snake. The tip of the blade felt like it had hit its mark.

The monster thrashed about, splashing water everywhere, and its tail immediately loosened around me. Just like that, I flailed my arms and legs, quickly swimming against the current that had pulled me down.

"I see it! The sunlight!"

Just as I felt a flicker of joy at seeing the light from above, signaling that I was about to reach the surface, a cold current from below pulled me down. I thrashed against it. Turning to look down, I saw a dark shape approaching me quickly.

I tried to swim out of the creature's path.

"Damn it, I can't dodge in time!"

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Fortunately, even though I couldn't completely avoid it, I swam just enough for the water it created to push me to the side. Seeing its prey slip away, the creature twisted and changed direction toward me.

It opened its wide mouth, revealing two long fangs, and bit into my left arm. I saw red blood spreading from my arm, staining the water. This is bad; it's about to bite my arm off!

I closed the distance with the snake by bending my left arm. My face was now facing the ferocious creature.

"STAB IT, STAB IT, STAB IT, STAB IT, STAB IT, STAB IT, STAB IT, STAB IT, STAB IT, STAB IT! KILL IT!"

A fierce voice invaded my mind, drowning out all my panic.

I plunged the dagger near the snake's neck and pressed it deep inside. The blade sank completely into the snake's flesh, but I kept pushing hard until the hilt nearly disappeared into its tough scales. The snake shrieked wildly, pulling my left arm back. But I didn't let go.

Suddenly, both of its fangs broke off, floating in the water. I couldn't believe my eyes, but this wasn't the time to marvel at fate's coincidence.

I was about to suffocate, frantically swimming toward the surface. Everything around me seemed to darken; my throat felt blocked, and my head felt like a hammer was pounding against my brain.

Finally, a warm wave enveloped my face. I opened my mouth, gasping for air with difficulty.

As I swam to the shore and dragged my heavy, soaked body onto the dry land, Yang jumped down from the distant branch and ran over.

"Takehito!"

I heard him call my name, but I was still dazed. So damn heavy! My whole body was weighed down. My limbs were numb. I removed the damaged fish scale armor and tossed it carelessly onto the ground.

"Takehito, behind you!" Yang shouted, drawing his sword.

The monster leaped from the water, heading toward me. Without waiting for Yang to swing his sword, I dodged the snake, grabbed its tangled black hair, pulled the dagger from its neck, and stabbed it upward from its throat into its head. It let out a scream and then fell silent.

This time, Yang could no longer maintain his calm demeanor. Through the matted hair of the monster, I saw his face pale slightly.

"I didn't know you could do that..."

I pulled the dagger out and hacked off the snake's head. Dark, foul-smelling blood splattered, soaking one side of my face and chest.

"I can do this too."

I turned my face and looked straight into Yang's eyes. Blood from my damp hair dripped coldly onto my shoulder.

Deep in Yang's eyes, I saw a mix of confusion and an emotion I had never seen before. Is he scared?

Suddenly, time seemed to stand still. The cheerful chirping of the birds from earlier disappeared. This scene felt too familiar.

"Takehito... Calm down. You're losing control."

Yang placed his hand on the sword at his side, his eyes filled with caution. It took me a few seconds to grasp the situation.

"What? Me?"

I am totally fine! What's all the fuss about? I wanted to say that to Yang. But then, an uncontrollable wave of anger erupted within me. Right. He abandoned me on my own and I almost died from it!