Run! Run! Don't you dare stop running! Don't look back, don't let your eyes see it... Move faster, don't let the snow slow you down. Damn, it's no use. I could hear nothing against the silence, I could see nothing but the sun setting down. It will start to become dark, and once the night starts I just knew that whatever wild beast is chasing me would become more aggressive, savage and heinous.

I could hear its enraged grumble and hasty breathing now. The wild beast started howling, trying to call its kin. It is faster than me, stronger than me, and much more terrifying than any kind of infected I saw before.

"Shit! Why is this happening to me!?"

And before I knew it, the wild beast landed in front of me, the snow excavating upon its forceful stop. "Hehehe... You can't escape away from me," the wild beast said, and I could feel my own skin drain blood. This is terrifying, profoundly terrifying... A strange quadrupedal, furless naked creature is gritting its teeth in front of me. I don't know what I did to offend it. Maybe I stepped into its territory, maybe I stole its food... But whatever I did, it definitely enraged this creature... just look at the amount of drool dripping from its beastly mouth.

Ah... actually, I know what this creature is. The species has the scientific name called Hystericus insaniammulier with the common name of "Fielma." This specific kind of animal can be found living in isolation from human civilization. This species is biologically lonely, and they could ease their loneliness by eating a lot of high-calorie food, scientifically known as stress eating. While they have no deep and valuable relationships with their own kind, they rely on having furry animals and a soft bed to cope with their depression and never-ending loneliness. Once provoked, it will eat any humans in the nearest vicinity, especially males in the most agonizing way possible. They are offended heavily if one emphasizes their breast size since they have none due to the fact that their species didn't develop a mammary gland that exists in any kind of mammals due to the fact that they reproduce through sporification without the need for male gametes.

"Hehehehe," that's the sound the animal makes when they consume drugs. Just looking at its eye and you will see that she is high.

"You're going to pay for what you did, hehehehe."

"NEVER!" I chanted a spell as fast as I could, "Lord of fire, mysterious flame that scours the world to oblivion-" but no matter how fast I spoke, the beast leaped on me and grabbed me by the shoulders, causing me to be pinned down on the ground in the white snow.

"PAY IT! PAY FOR MY BROKEN STAFF!"

"OVER MY DEAD BODY!!" Why would I pay her? It's her fault in the first place that it happened. That's what you get for playing a prank.

"IT'S DAMAGE OF PROPERTY!"

"SHUT UP!! You're not going to get a single coin from me!" I pushed that annoying brat away, but she's too stubborn.

"FUAAHAAA! Pay me!! That staff is expensive. It came from the father of the great grandmother of my father who inherited it and died and gave it to his brother, which is given to me by my mother when my uncle remarried her after a week and became my father. You can't just break it!" the mage started crying...

"The hell are you telling me!?"

"My mom... is also 3 months pregnant that time when father died."

"FUCK! GET OFF ME! IT'S TOO DARK!!!" I pushed her away with more force this time, but she's too stubborn that she's sticking to me like glue.

"NEVER! I will follow you wherever you go until you pay me." She hugged me tighter, and it's strangling me.

Fine! I'll pay her for that stick. "Just how much do you need?" I asked so she would stop clinging to me like a parasite. It's tiring.

Fielma looked at me directly in my face... "Seven hundred gold coins."

I struggled away again, "MOTHERFUCKER!! Who the fuck are you talking to? Do you know who I am? I am fucking broke!" A gold coin is already too much for me, what's more is seven hundred gold coins that could already feed an entire family and the children of their children for a lifetime. Where could I get that kind of money!? I am raised as a beggar, a thief, and a servant... that's not the amount of money I could put a hand with.

"FUAAAHAAAA, I'll follow you wherever you go!" she continued her outburst, and I realized, this will never end, "Even if you try to run away, I'll definitely find you. Or even if you try to go to the restroom, I'll even help you flick your dong. If you sleep, I'll sleep beside you and follow you inside your dreams... you'll see me crying tears of blood and screaming for money... If you eat, you'll definitely remember me as you pick a long strand of hair from your tongue because it is my strand of hair, and I am the one who cooked your food. I'm never going to let you rest peacefully. Say goodbye to your freedom because from now on, I'll be watching you whatever you do."

Her eyes! It's scaring me! She's crazy! Something is swirling inside her eyeballs... a deep incomprehensible insanity. I need to get away from her.

"Hehehehe" her creepy laugh puts a chill in my spine... Wait... I hear something...

I look around to see what it is. I could smell them... the rotting scent of those humans.

"What?" Fielma asked, seems like she couldn't sense it. Then I saw someone leaped above us... shit, it's Snake!

I pushed Fielma away as soon as possible and stood up to intercept Snake's attack. Our daggers clashed together with embers from rough friction... I tried to push him, but I've been overpowered, and I am the one who was pushed away instead.

Then, before I could do anything, a metal javelin from far away penetrates to my mouth and to the back of my throat, pinning me in place as it struck to the ground. I wanted to scream for Fielma to run, but the spear on my mouth prevented it.

"KAGHK!!" The gurgling sound of pus and blood mixed together puts a disgusting feeling down my throat.

It seems like Fielma is confused, and she is in a daze as she looks at a dark-clothed figure in front of her. "Huh?" she muttered as her lips tremble. When she looked at me, she almost screamed, but she held it back in the last seconds. She must have thought she will lose money if I died right here.

"Seems like we are not even needed here," Nana and the crossbow guy get out of their hiding spot. Seems like they also prepared an alternative plan; they are not going to let me escape this time around.

"We found you, little goblin," Snake remarked, then he looked at Fielma who's still shaken in the corner, "And what do we have here? A human?"

"What should we do with her? Shall we infect her?" Nana asked, but Snake didn't respond. He only stared at Fielma silently.

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"Who... Who are you people? Why did you do that to sempai?" Fielma broke the silence. Shit, she's doing something reckless. She's going to get herself killed! She can't fight back without a staff because if she ever does, she'll die from mana overloading.

Snake pulled her hair up, and she grunted in pain. He made her look at him in the eye forcibly... "You are an adventurer yourself, aren't you? Why didn't you kill this goblin? You could have if you wanted to... you are strong after all."

Fielma is strong...?

"He... He saved my life!"

"Because he wanted to use you! Do you even remember who you are!?" he shouted in her face, and Fielma closed her eyes.

"Of course, I do..." she breathed deeply before continuing. "I am Fielma, a mage from the Chronic Backpain party. An Alexandrite class adventurer who uses Cryo magic! And I'm going to beat you to a pulp!"

IDIOT!

She tried to punch him, but Snake didn't let his guard down. In fact, when he first saw her face, he kept grabbing his weapon tightly, prepared to kill her at any careless moves. He simply stepped back, and Fielma's punch completely missed, and Snake raised his weapon up.

"I'm extremely disappointed," he stated before he slashed Fielma down, targeting her head. Dark red blood splattered... My mind went blank as I saw them being sprayed away. I didn't despair, I didn't feel any empathy; in fact, I am excited to see the amount of blood that painted the snow. I am still terrified of this realization... I'm not just physically inhuman but mentally as well...

"AGHH!"

I heard Fielma screamed; she's still alive! She evaded fatalities but she was cut on her shoulder!

"You evaded it in the last moments, huh. I underestimated you."

Hahaha... It scared me. I could still save her. I will save her. That's the only way I could prove that I'm still human despite appearances.

Snake pulled his dagger from Fielma's flesh, the deep wounds carved a heavy pain that incapacitated the mage into her knees. "But this is the end, Fielma. You're a waste of mana" before Snake could slash Fielma for a kill, he saw a movement in his peripheral vision. He turned around to intercept the one who sneaked into his back... Their blades clashed into each other in a brawl of strength. The other two were dumbfounded when they saw who the assailant is...

Me.

How did I remove the spear that makes me immobilized? I didn't, but I cut my own head freeing my body from my brain. And the body attacked Snake; my headless body is attacking Snake!

"You cut your own head for this girl? Are you trying to pretend to be like the hero, Theo Maxwell?"

He's not surprised... This must be an ability of an infected. Well, in chapter 3, my waist to my legs autonomously moved on their own so why not my whole body? Shit... I'm losing blood in my brain; I need to deal with him quickly.

"Swirling upon the moist of hollow..."

As we heard Fielma's chant, Snake looked at his back to see that Fielma is pointing her hand to his head.

"Shit" Snake muttered while Fielma invoke her [Ice Crystal] spell. A sharp shard of ice flew and penetrate Snake's left eye socket. Fielma looked at me with a terrified expression, she must be frightened out by my bodiless head. There's also too much blood everywhere. It must be a mortifying sight for a woman, but she understood what I want her to do with just our eyes and she immediately run away forcing her legs.

"You two, kill her," Snake commanded, and the two chased her down. Now, the two of us are alone together.

I leaped backward now that all the extras are removed; I just need to keep track of Snake's movement. With my body freed, it will be easier to push my head out of the spear so I did just that then put my head temporarily on the ground. I'll be fine as long as my brain isn't destroyed... Strange how I am still not a follower of the queen when I could now do all the rotten stuff. I don't understand how I could move my body... It seems like a different person making me move my body, but in a way that I exactly want it. There's no use thinking about it now. I need to focus on Snake.

"How did you find her, you piece of shit?" he asked.

What? She's something special for you?

Interesting...

Both my headless body and Snake prepared ourselves to kill each other. This will only last several seconds with weapons in hand.

...

As I dashed towards him with his dagger in my hand, he spoke midway...

"Even if you can already control your body without a head, I just need to destroy the brain."

He's definitely belittling me with the fact that he left himself wide open. But unlike before, this is different... I can't use the fact against him. He is belittling me in a way like he already gauged my capabilities, confident that he will win. But, like I said before, attacking him head-on is futile. I will not confront him without a trick or two up my sleeves.

First, I must think about the sword style he is using... I don't know what that is, so it is probably neither Bloodborne nor Dragon Slayer... The technique he's using is quite deadly; his hands are emitting a strange purple fluid from the hole in his wrist, imbuing the dagger with a poisonous stench. If I am caught by it, I can't imagine anything but death... or not because my body is now rotten; I don't think it will affect me anymore. But better to be safe than sorry.

As I dash and become closer to him, I cut my own left hand quickly before he could notice, then flail the handless arm towards him so that the blood and pus splatter into his other eye. He's now blinded! It's my chance! Without wasting any opportunity, I swing my dagger at his neck, but he parried it with his dagger.

"!"

How could he block it while blinded? No... I looked at his face; a small slit has been there all along, and it spread wide open, revealing a yellow-colored eye with a slit like a snake.

What the heck? How did he grow an eye? Or was it there all along, but I didn't notice it since he is covering his face with a thick cloth.

"Have you forgotten what our queen told you? We, infected, evolve and adapt against death. It seems like my body acknowledges you as a threat after what you did last time."

I remember that, so it is all true. If he could adapt in perilous situations, then it means that as we fight, he will soon adapt to my tricks. If he fought a much stronger opponent, he will adapt against it and become stronger than the person. What a terrifying ability... I need to finish him off quickly.

"Enough talk. You must perish," he said, and I immediately leaped away. After a brief exchange of slashes, Snake suddenly flinched; he felt it... He felt my other trick. He looks down below his waist and sees that my severed arm is touching his balls and squeezing it in a loop. "What the fuck...?" And while he is distracted, I jumped on him and swung my dagger to cut his head, but...

He caught it with his mouth? Just how tough is he!? Damn it, I am not strong enough to brute force it down his throat.

"Are you forgetting something?" Snake asked me... What did he mean by that? Am I overlooking something...? Looking closer at the battle scene between my body and Snake, I noticed that Snake is missing an arm...

SHIT!

It's behind me! I can't look back because I'm only a head, but I felt movement on my back so I called for my body to come back.

"Hahi!" I shouted; the snake eyed man uses the same trick against me! He is trying to destroy my head rather than finishing my body first.

My body turned around but was unable to free the dagger from Snake's mouth. Snake thrust his other hand into my body's back, cutting my spine and grabbing my internal organs out. My body couldn't move anymore as Snake holds it in place.

Fuck! There's no other choice but to do this! I visualized the magic circle for the [Fireball] spell then invoked it as fast as I could.

[Fireball]! My severed arm exploded a fireball at Snake's crotch, and the pain caused him to let go of the dagger in his mouth; then, my body immediately threw the dagger towards the arm, pinning it to the ground like an insect.

Of course, Snake didn't die with this. "Chantless magic, huh." He recognized it. Luckily, the fireball spell is a success and it carve a large wound on his missing dick. There's a high chance of it failing since I am not really a chant-less magic user, but death pushed me to do it and rely on my life to chances. And also, lucky for me that my body grew another eye between the clavicle. "You could already mutate? So, you've already evolved this much? Why must the queen favor you?" Snake stated with anger in his voice.

I could also adapt by putting myself in front of the death's door? No thanks. But the newly grown eye makes me aim better at the severed arm. The severed arm from Snake, however, is not out of the game; the arm grew another tiny numerous arms that squiggle and move until it releases itself from getting pinned by the dagger. It's not growing an arm out of nothing; it is like borrowing the flesh from the original arm to make another that, as the tiny hands multiply, I could see the bones and flesh deep within the arm as well as the maggots that ate within it.

It was fucking creepy to look at. The arm took both weapons, leaving me with none. Shit...

The severed arm reattached to Snake's and became normal again... then he threw my body away. I can't move my body anymore... It must be too weak now to even move a muscle. In the end, I can't win though I stalled enough time for Fielma to run. I have regrets though; I want to crush this man's skull.

"So, what are you going to do now? Out of tricks?"

Now that I don't have a single weapon and I am just a head, there's nothing I could do anymore.