The humanoid creature could only stare at Erend with a stunned expression. Despite his monstrous appearance with thick brown fur covering almost his entire body and even parts of his face, the expression of pure shock on his face still looked strangely human. Anyone who saw him would be able to recognize it immediately.
Erend smiled a little. The creature could not see it clearly because Erend's face was still covered in blood, and the smile itself was so subtle that it was almost impossible to notice.
"How about that?" Erend said. "I think I can protect myself well enough in this forest."
The creature looked at Erend. Then he looked at the remains of the monster scattered across the forest floor. Then he looked back at Erend.
He was silent for several seconds before finally releasing another long sigh.
"I guess you can," he admitted. "I didn't expect there to be a human with strength like yours. Has humanity developed some kind of new power from that liquid?"
