Boom, boom, boom, thunder rumbled.

  In the midst of the thunder, Lin Quan'nai was the first to move, but he didn't charge at the boss. Instead, he darted around him, running back toward the narrow alley.

  "Why are you still running?" The boss twisted his body and charged again, his right hand forming a cw as it reached for Lin Quan'nai.

  "I'm not running." Lin Quan'nai suddenly twisted his body mid-run, losing his bance and falling backward. His left hand nded on the boss’s outstretched right arm. With his legs wrapped around the boss’s body like a koa, Lin Quan'nai plunged a hunting knife—he didn’t even know where it had come from—toward the boss’s throat. The move was inspired by his fight with the bck-furred giant dog.

  Crack! The boss pressed down on his neck, biting the knife's edge with his teeth, his left hand grabbing Lin Quan'nai's colr and smming him into the ground with a powerful swipe.

  Thud! Lin Quan'nai crashed heavily to the ground, spshing water everywhere.

  It didn’t hurt. Lin Quan’nai made a quick judgment and, without hesitation, performed a roll to avoid the stomp aimed at him.

  "Heh, kid, how many people have you killed?" The boss still wore a grin, clearly enjoying himself.

  "Just one person and a dog," Lin Quan'nai replied, his expression eerily calm.

  The boss suddenly kicked up a wave of water, spshing it right into Lin Quan'nai’s face.

  Caught off guard by the move, Lin Quan'nai felt the muddy rainwater invade his eyes. Before he could react, the boss delivered a sidekick, sending him flying.

  "Oh? What kind of person? And what kind of dog?" The boss asked casually, as if chatting with an old friend, completely unfazed by the sneak attack.

  "A fool who let his guard down because of hunger, and a bck, long-haired giant dog," Lin Quan'nai responded, showing no sign of pain, only a strange, familiar tingling sensation spreading from the point of impact.

  "A bck, long-haired giant dog? Beiro?" The boss raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

  "You know it?" Lin Quan'nai was taken aback, realizing the boss seemed to recognize the bck-furred giant dog that had helped him transform and acclimate to this world.

  "Yeah, I’ve heard of it. It’s a famous hunting dog from a nearby hunter’s settlement. Strong and vicious. Killing it... looks like I underestimated you," the boss said, moving his shoulders as if he was preparing for a real fight.

  Lin Quan'nai shrugged it off and charged forward again. The adrenaline rush and the tingling sensation in his body made him disregard all thoughts except for thrusting the hunting knife into the boss.

  Swish, swish, swish! The boss deftly sidestepped the incoming bde, his footsteps light as they spshed in the water beneath him.

  "There's a gap!" The boss’s eyes fshed with sharpness. He extended his left hand, grabbing Lin Quan'nai’s right hand that held the knife, and yanked him up, driving his knee into Lin Quan'nai's body with full force.

  "Ugh~!" Lin Quan'nai was sent flying, a bruise forming on his stomach as he y on the ground, motionless.

  "Did I hit too hard?" The wild gleam in the boss’s eyes faded as he quickly walked over, helping Lin Quan'nai up. "Are you alright?"

  "Ki, ki—ouch~" Lin Quan'nai’s face flushed as the tingling sensation from his abdomen spread throughout his body. He felt no pain, only an overwhelming sense of comfort.

  "...?" The boss recoiled, looking puzzled as he took a few steps back. "You’re not right."

  "Come on, let’s keep going," Lin Quan'nai stood up, the wild grin on his face impossible to suppress.

  He had no idea why he seemed to have lost all sensation of pain, nor why his body had turned into something resembling a masochist’s, but at this point, what did it matter? After all, this body had already developed an inexplicable appetite and now had the ability to turn pain into pleasure. Why not embrace it?

  Lin Quan'nai charged again. This time, the boss didn’t hesitate. He threw a punch straight at Lin Quan'nai’s face. But to his shock, Lin Quan'nai didn’t flinch. Instead, he pressed forward, pushing through the punch, and sshed the hunting knife across the boss's chest and abdomen.

  "Ugh!" The boss grunted, quickly leaping back to distance himself from Lin Quan'nai. Blood trickled down his side, staining his clothes.

  "Don’t you feel any pain? Now that’s convenient. In that case, if you want to keep fighting, I’ll be happy to fight until the end." The boss’s voice rose to a roar, his eyes wild with bloodlust, like a beast ready to hunt.

  The two collided again. The hunting knife sshed, fists flew, and Lin Quan'nai’s face, shoulders, arms, chest, and abdomen all turned purple with bruises. The boss’s legs, arms, and fists were all sshed open, blood flowing, only to be quickly washed away by the rain.

  "A monster who doesn’t know how to dodge—what a pain. Even beasts know how to avoid danger!" the boss growled, despite his best efforts to avoid the attacks. He was still covered in wounds. After all, someone who didn’t care about pain or evading attacks would always find a way to nd a blow.

  Blood mixed with rainwater and streamed down the street, turning the ground red.

  "What’s so bad about it? Isn’t this fight more fun than anything?" Lin Quan'nai still had that wild grin, looking completely exhirated.

  He wasn’t tired at all. In fact, he felt an endless surge of energy coursing through him. The tingling from his wounds rapidly restored his strength, allowing him to shake off his usual physical weakness.

  "Heh, not bad. It’s been a while since I’ve had a good fight. But I think it’s about time to end this," the boss said, eyeing Lin Quan'nai and assessing his condition.

  "End it? But I’m still fine!" Lin Quan'nai grinned and charged forward again.

  "Fine? What are you talking about?" The boss grabbed Lin Quan'nai’s purple and bruised arms and lifted him up, locking eyes with him. "Don’t you realize the human body has limits? Even if you can’t feel pain, the wounds are still there. Keep this up, and you’ll die."

  At those words, Lin Quan'nai slowly began to calm down. The wildness faded from his eyes, and his struggles weakened.

  "What’s your name, kid?" The boss, now calm, sat down against a wall, using his cloak to shield both himself and Lin Quan'nai from the rain. They looked more like long-time friends than two people who had nearly fought to the death moments ago.

  "Lin Quan'nai. Just call me Lin. ‘Quan'nai’ sounds like a girl’s name, and it’s kind of unlucky." Lin Quan'nai stared at the falling raindrops, lost in thought.

  "Sounds like a girl’s name? Aren’t you a girl? Why do you want to look like a boy?" The boss gnced at Lin Quan'nai in surprise, noticing his face, a mix of purple and pale.

  "I’m a boy. I just look like a girl," Lin Quan'nai replied with a mencholic sigh, though the statement looked absurd given his appearance.

  "Heh, whatever. My name’s Shibing Wei. Boy, girl—doesn’t matter. In times of war, everyone’s the same." He paused, then continued, "How about working for me? Your little friends can join too. Of course, because of your stealing, I won’t pay you a single coin, but I’ll make sure you have enough food." He looked at Lin Quan'nai, waiting for a response.

  Lin Quan'nai shot him a surprised gnce. In this war-torn world, food and money were precious. The boss's offer was undoubtedly an act of kindness, especially considering the kids’ limited usefulness.

  "Sounds good. I’ll tell them," Lin Quan'nai replied without hesitation.

  "Great, then it’s settled. But first, we need to head back to the market and release your friends."

  The two stood up and began walking toward the market. In the rain, their figures slowly faded into the distance.