"Swish ——!"

The long sword came slicing at Dus’s side with alarming speed, aimed directly at his waist.

"Poof!"

Dus attempted to dodge, but the blade caught him, tearing into his abdomen. Intense, blinding pain shot through him as he clutched his wound, stumbling back. To the others, Dus's HP dropped to a third in an instant, flashing red as he entered a critical state—

[Bloodshed: Continuously reduces HP; if bleeding is not stopped, death will ensue.]

"Leave it to me here! Get up, quickly!" Layton shouted, sprinting towards Govan.

"Taunt!"

"Graa ah ah ——!!"

Govan’s throbbing head seemed to explode with fury. Fixating on the taunting human charging toward him, Govan's anger surged, his focus narrowing.

Kill him! I’ll crush him!

"Roar ——!!!" Govan bellowed, swinging his longsword erratically at Layton.

Layton grinned. "Come on, then!" As long as Govan was after him, Dus would be safe.

Dus, clutching his stomach, retreated into the jungle’s shadows. Miruku and Ariana were at his side in moments, but as they took in Dus’s wound, their faces paled.

Dus's abdomen was torn open, blood and torn flesh mingling with exposed organs.

Ariana’s face darkened, and she turned away, covering her mouth.

"Ugh ——!!"

Miruku released her light venom armor, patting Ariana’s back. “Don’t be afraid. We need to heal him, quickly,” she whispered.

Miruku had thought Ariana, who had already seen Goblin carnage, could handle it. But now it seemed she’d only managed because Kami-sama had steeled her for the sight of monsters. But seeing her ally this wounded was different.

"Ah... ah… eww ——!" Ariana squatted, heaving, her face pale. She clenched her fists, fighting the dizziness that overtook her.

‘I must not be afraid… I must not be afraid! Heal… I must heal him!’ she repeated to herself, unable to bring herself to look at Dus.

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Miruku gave her a moment. She, too, remembered her first brush with death, unable to eat for days after.

‘I have to find a way to stop the bleeding,’ Miruku thought, glancing at Dus, who lay trembling, his face ashen and drenched in cold sweat.

But how to stop such a gaping wound? Fabric or hands would be useless.

She suddenly remembered Anyi being thrown into the trees earlier. Hadn't he taken a blow to his abdomen too?

‘What would Mr. Anyi do?’

Wait!

Miruku covered herself with venom, kneeling down as the slime formed into hands, pressing gently over Dus’s abdomen.

'If the slime sword can be controlled, then my Slime Venom should also be possible to manipulate… Kami-sama, I want to control the Slime Venom, to close Dus’s wound and stop the bleeding,' Miruku called out inwardly to the system.

[Searching for…

The search is over.

Hero-sama, I cannot directly fulfill your request, but here is a reminder:

Consider the slime weapon in your hand as an extension of your own body. Controlling it is as simple as moving your fingers.]

"That's… way too hard!!" Her voice cracked in frustration.

Controlling the light venom armor was easy enough; it had a simple human form and responded intuitively. But if she wanted to reshape it, that was another matter—like trying to control a mass of extra fingers that didn’t even exist!

Could she really command such an unfamiliar shape? How did Anyi manage it so easily?

'No matter—I have to make this work!'

Determination flared as Miruku focused on the image in her mind: covering the wound… closing it… stopping the bleeding. She reached out, hands poised over Dus's wound, then hesitated, realizing she was gripping near his exposed intestines.

Dus’s eyes widened, alarmed: “?!!”

Was she trying to finish him off?!

"Oh, sorry," Miruku murmured, quickly letting go.

With a hasty bow, she clasped her hands, mumbling an apology—then abruptly started digging into the ground beside Dus.

Dus gritted his teeth. "I'm not dead yet, you know!"

True, for most, such an injury would mean certain death. But as long as it wasn’t an instant fatality, there was still a chance for the Hero.

Dus’s body suddenly glowed with a faint yellow light, and to Miruku’s amazement, the gash across his abdomen began to mend at a supernatural pace. Internal organs knit back together, flesh sealed, and his lost HP rose steadily.

"Holy Maiden-sama?” Miruku’s eyes widened in gratitude. Had Ariana stepped up to help?

When she turned, however, Ariana was covering her eyes with the broad sleeve of her Holy Maiden dress, averting her gaze while holding up the Goblin Totem Staff toward Dus.

Miruku: "..."

Moments later, Dus’s wound was fully closed, leaving only a long, jagged scar, as though he’d undergone some ancient, heroic surgery. His HP fully restored, he nodded his thanks, then dashed back into the fray without hesitation.

Meanwhile, Layton was still locked in a brutal stand-off. Govan noticed this human's remarkable resilience—no matter how many times he struck, Layton kept getting back up. Each blow sent him flying, but the damage barely slowed him.

"Ha ha ha ha ——!!

I’m back again!!"

Dus’s booming laugh echoed from the jungle as he charged back toward the battlefield, a fresh scar blazing on his stomach.

Govan kicked Layton away, whirling to face this returning human. But how… how was he back already? He’d almost severed the man in half!

Govan’s eyes bulged in disbelief. This was impossible! Even his own formidable healing abilities weren’t this rapid or absolute.