I'm Contaminated With No Hope Of Recovery

Chapter 113 - Beast And Man

[You watch from afar as Master Brightflame battles with the tyrant sloth. At first, he avoids hurting the beast, but eventually he loses patience. Before you can react, the martial elder kills the tyrant sloth.]

The moment that the tyrant sloth had been broken in half, Lem's simulated self began walking back towards Master Brightflame, who had already taken out his carving knife and begun to cut into the huge body.

The battle was over, and Lem's simulated self could not quite understand what he had witnessed. At the beginning he had been too close to catch the details and at the end he had been too far.

He surveyed the destroyed landscape around him.

Everywhere, there were splintered trees. The few that were untouched stood out as stark reminders of what the forest had looked like a moment ago.

Lem could not help but feel a thrill run through him.

He imagined the battle from the perspective of Master Brightflame, reconstructing the buildup.

He had warned the sloth repeatedly.

Then he had sneered at it.

His rage increased before he finally snapped.

Bark in my face, will you!

It didn't matter that the beast was countless times larger than he was, it was toppled all the same.

Unfortunately, he had barely been able to make out the martial elder's body, much less his expression.

[As you approach Master Brightflame, he begins to dissect the tyrant sloth.]

Lem's simulated self stopped a few meters away from the martial elder. The corpse of the tyrant sloth only rose to shoulder height while stretched out, reminding Lem of the hill-sized tyrant sloth that had been covered in dust cats.

Big as this one was, it was nothing next to other beasts he had already seen.

Master Brightflame was cutting up the tyrant sloth's liver with his usual efficiency. Lem watched as the martial elder finished putting a few pieces away and stacking the container next to a few others that were filled with sloth organs.

The martial elder turned and looked at Lem's simulated self.

"What a nuisance. Do you know the fundamental difference between beasts and man?"

Lem's simulated self opened his mouth to respond, but the martial elder did not let him speak. "Civility! Civility is the difference. Some of these beasts are so full of spiritual energy that they think they are immortal, and they would rather die than leave a human alone."

Master Brightflame began putting away the containers angrily. In a matter of seconds, they had vanished and the bag had slung over his back again.

"Come! Let's make ourselves scarce before this place attracts a crowd."

Lem's simulated self nodded and began leading the eccentric martial elder again. They had wandered a bit off of the path he remembered, but they were close enough that it was easy to correct for.

"I am surprised you were able to make this journey before," Master Brightflame said, turning to Lem's simulated self. "With all the beasts around and your unreliable intuition, it must have been difficult for you."

"I was lucky." Lem's simulated self did not answer further. By now, he was used to the remarks of the martial elder.

As long as he was alive, he would not complain.