My body felt like it was freezing from the inside out.

Then I remembered what the manticore had taught me: a way to warm my body using the circulation of fire attribute mana. I had believed all this time that I couldn't do it because my mana would overload my balls, but magic is all about self-control. Yes, I'm a horny goblin, that much is true, but I could control myself because I'm me. It's truly pathetic when you think about it, letting your own body dictate your actions. I might be a goblin, and they are known for their sexual nature, but that doesn't mean I should be a slave to those instincts. In the end, I am the one who will decide. I am the one who is in control of my body, not the other way around.

Breathe in... breathe out. Feel the flame of mana moving from cell to cell, from vein to vein, through each organ, to my heart, up to my brain. I will survive this... I will...

W... What is this feeling? Something is pushing me down... Something feels so heavy! This presence... it's so intense!

"You..."

A voice... that voice... It's the manticore. She's here, she's coming! I could feel her bloodlust leaking. Is she angry that I ran away from her? Was she angry that I betrayed her? I squinted my eyes to look at her, but somehow... there are three giant shadowy figures walking towards us. I couldn't see the intricate details of their faces, but they were clearly shadows... What the hell was that? I opened my eyes wide... then saw the manticore walking towards us. Is my mind playing tricks on me? Everywhere she goes, and everything she touches melts in flames... She's definitely pissed.

"What have you done..."

Her body is burning... And in her mouth, she crushed the head of the night dragon that attacked her. She tightened her jaw and pulverized the skull, squeezing the brain out of that head. The infected adventurers were stiff like statues while they watched her approach.

The man with cracked glasses pushed his glasses' bridge up from his nose. "This intense energy... A Grim?"

Grim? I don't know what he meant, but the intense burst of power means trouble. Then she screamed louder.

"What have you done to my child!?"

Child? Is she... talking about me? Is that what she thought about me from the start? So all this time... I was scared for nothing? No way. If I ever survive this... I will thank her properly for treating me like that... but I... no... family, friends... it doesn't mean a thing to me. Someday, they might just change their minds and kill me again.

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"Cilia, your pet lost," the scarf man looked at the hooded girl. And then the girl responded while she spread her hands. "Don't worry. I'll summon a dozen of them this time."

_Bang!_

The body of the white hooded girl splattered into green pigment when she was hit by the manticore's fireball. Only her legs remained standing a second later before they fell. Her pus splattered onto her friend's faces, and their expressions were visibly shocked that they couldn't move a muscle. If she had only summoned a dozen night dragons earlier, then the tides might be different, but she failed. It was too late for her to summon anything.

The scarf boy is the only one who had the guts to move and speak, "Your child? Don't kid me. He's not yours; he belongs to us."

What? They are fighting over me!? Why?

The scarf boy uncoiled his scarf... his skull opened like a sunflower, revealing his inner face made of grotesque organs and abnormal teeth.

"If you think I'm an ordinary spawn, think again. I'm built different. I'm stronger than anybody, faster than everybody, every part of my body is a weapon, even if you crush my head, I will never die. I AM FEAR."

The muscle tentacles clustered and rotated among each other, forming a large drill made of flesh, replacing his arm. The veins on his body and muscles swelled, making him bulk.

"I'll spare your life if you peacefully give him to us. If you resist, I'll c--"

His talk stopped midway when his upper body was disintegrated by the fire beam from the manticore's mouth. Despite his talk... he didn't get revived. The manticore's strength is on a different level than that mutant. He died quickly, like the manticore was just squashing a helpless insect.

The man with glasses pushed his glasses' bridge up to his nose.

"As expected."

"You predicted this will happen!?" the girl with a cross-shaped staff asked.

"Of course. Chrono is indeed stronger than us, but I'm smarter." He pushed the bridge of his glasses upwards again. He looked so sharp with those furious gaze. "I have a plan."

"Fine, I'll go along with your idea. So what's the plan? H-hey!"

The second the girl looked at the man with glasses, he had already disappeared from the scene and was found running away, intensely.

"Why are you running away?"

"Why are you following me? My plan is that you'll distract her while I escape!"

"HOW COULD I AGREE TO THAT!"

Despite running away, I saw the girl explode as she was hit by the fireball. Something spherical flew out, and I realized it was her head!

"MIKAAA!" the man in glasses screamed in concern.

"I'm still alive!" I saw the event unfold; the girl had only her head remaining and parts of her spine intact, but she's still alive without a doubt.

"Good. I wish you luck. Goodbye."

"W-wait! You're not going to help me!"

And then the man ran away again as fast as he could. He's seriously running away with a poker face. He didn't even have second thoughts about leaving his party mates. And it seems my impression about the guy is the same as the manticore. The manticore landed on him, pinning him down with a crashing sound. With the impact, it probably crushed his lower body useless.

"Why are you running away from your friends? Aren't you selfish?"

And he still had the guts to push his glasses up!

"If my calculations are correct... three casualties are better than four."

"I see, you had a pretty heavy head on your shoulders, four-eyes."

The man with glasses smirked, "My name's not four eyes. But you can call me...", he pushed his glasses upwards again, "Jack," he said with a sharp gaze before his head was swallowed and torn by the manticore.