"Shit! Get behind," Logan commanded harshly, his gaze drawn to me from the corner of his eyes as he prepared to dispatch yet another goblin. "Now!"

Without daring to protest, I retreated to the back of our formation, watching Lucas, who had just plunged his spear through the neck of a greenish thing. The situation seemed to be a lot better on his side, but the little quiver of his palm told me was terrified. Despite that, he still managed to take one of them down without getting hurt, unlike a certain someone—me.

Disregarding what I told Logan about listening to him and such, I pounced on the first opportunity to hunt a monster. The blood flowing from the gash onto the dust below was proof of my disobedience.

At the same time, he couldn't blame me. The situation required my interference. He would not have let this pass if it hadn't been for Mara's crisis.

I took a step toward the backpack I left lingering down, knowing I needed to treat the emerging infection as quickly as possible. Although I'm in a life-threatening mess, I was calm. I trusted the clarinadryl I suffered for all along to save me. The shrieks behind me came to a halt as I swallowed a bitter medicine from the packaging, indicating the end of the struggle. Our battle was over.

Except for Edward, everyone was coated in blood. To be safe, I suppose I'd have to give him some medicine as well. As I approached them, I was perplexed by Mara's cry as he grabbed my collar.

"What the hell was that, Gray?"

"I just tried to—"

"Tried to help me? Yes, I know. You did that and then some more," Mara roared, interrupting my words by yanking me around, "You're trying to make me die of guilt?! You are, aren't you?!"

I'm a porter, after all. I shouldn't intervene in a battle. That much was logical. Still, Logan was preoccupied with those at the front, and Edward had to reload his crossbow. Lucas couldn't have helped Mara either. He was too far away. As a result, I decided that it would be preferable for me to intervene.

"I think you're being a little bit too hard on the brat—"

This isn't the first time I've been injured. I could even argue that I got off easy—I thought as I looked down at my tattered sleeve, drenched in red due to obvious reasons.

"He's not a child, Logan!" Mara said. "He's an adult already! Responsible for his own actions! That fact must be drilled into his thick skull."

Edward was about to put a hand on her shoulder, trying to get her off me. "You should calm down, Mara. There's clarinadryl, and that scratch doesn't appear to be too deep. Gray knew what he got himself involved in. This isn't the first time he has—"

"Look!" She ducked his palm and grabbed my wrist, lifting it gently so that everyone could see my forearm. "He'd rather risk getting infected with whatever virus that goblin had on him than let me die—"

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A goblin wouldn't be enough to kill me, I'm afraid. I just got reckless, that's all. I didn't want to pour any more fuel into the raging flame, so I didn't protest. But that didn't seem to be the underlying issue here. What Mara just said was.

"What?" asked Lucas.

A somber solitude washed over us, only to be pierced by her sigh: "Sorry, I didn't mean that. I—what the hell am I doing..." She then approached the backpack. "You must have a first-aid kit in here, right? Ava wouldn't have let you come here otherwise."

"Here," I replied, throwing the whole package toward her. "Take one first before patching me up. And the medicine kit is in the middle compartment."

"Could you give me one, too?" requested Logan before spitting. "I think some of that goblin's blood got in my mouth."

"All yours," she said, hurling it at him.

"Was it tasty?" I probed, hoping to lighten the mood as he swallowed his bitter pill.

"Don't know," he said with a shrug, revealing his tongue. "Tasted like metal. And it was kind of thick, almost like a smoothie."

"I was talking about the clarinadryl," I mumbled as I approached Eddie with the packet, who stooped down to retrieve an arrow protruding out of a cadaver. Even though they were expensive, since they were coated with a bit of mana, they could be reused without their condition deteriorating significantly even after colliding with mana-enhanced monsters. Quite a convenient method of hunting in the long run. I would have adopted a similar approach if it hadn't been for my poor financial situation. As I thought of that, he grumbled: "That's why I prefer my crossbow. It's safer."

"That's why you don't understand the concept of a 'warrior's spirit.'"

"You meant a 'retard's spirit,'" Edward fired back at Logan with the same precision he employed toward the goblins. "Who in their right mind would go near a monster? And thanks for the medicine, Gray. Better safe than sorry."

Well, besides hunters, mercenaries, porters, and scientists, no one. But this wasn't the time to be sarcastic—I figured as I slowly made my way toward our newest member with the clarinadryl.

Logan clapped his hands, letting out a laugh. "Ha-ha. You're so funny, Eddie. I'd rather choke on shit than listen to any more of your jokes."

Ouch. Talk about a low blow. Even he has feelings, you know?

"I wouldn't joke about that if I were you," Lucas remarked, covering his nose.

"Why?"

He tapped the tip of his spear on a goblin's dead body. "Because I think this one actually did it... you know what I mean. Relieved himself..."

Good to know that Lucas prefers not to talk in such a crude manner—like the barbarian that was currently staring at Edward, worry written beneath his beard. "Y-you know I was kidding, right?"

"Were you now?"

"Yeah..."

It was rather amusing to see a man of his stature pleading for mercy. There weren't many chances I could see that part of him—because he'd simply go along with whatever insult you threw at him—which made it even funnier.

"W-what about you, Lucas? You killed one or two as well, am I right?" asked Logan, voice shaking. "I have to admit that I was skeptical at first, thought you'd run away, but it seems I was wrong."

I sighed: "...He's just trying to divert our attention..."

"I realized that already," added Lucas as he took the package from me, somewhat disappointed by this pathetic attempt at slipping away

We're young. Not stupid, Logan.

"H-hey! Can you please quit reading me like a book?" spat out our fearless leader, panting with the effort. "Please?"

Although it wasn't really intentional, that was enough to make Lucas chuckle, and even I had to hide my grin by turning around. But that vanished as soon as I realized some figures approaching us, standing right at the gate of the factory.

"Thank you," Lucas said, extending the clarinadryl back. "Here, mm? Gray? What's up? You—"

I squinted, any remnants of my former happiness vanishing. The fact that I couldn't accurately measure them rang loudly in my head, guiding my following actions.

"Logan," I said, pulling Mara's saber from the goblin's corpse by its handle. After drawing its last breath, all mana gradually left its body, so I dragged it out with moderate ease.

I almost forgot that monsters aren't the only ones that could harm us.