What followed was the single most disorienting moment of Simon's young life.

  'Returning' from his least-favorite coping mechanism was always a crapshoot even under stable circumstances. The feeling of being inside his body again – as a participant, not an observer – was like giving sight to a blind man. Or like forcibly inserting sight into a blind man as they were strapped to a table.

  While the Beast's corrosive touch was slowly beginning to fade, that pain had simply been exchanged with an influx of overwhelming sensations. Absence replaced by substance. Tingling skin and pumping blood and emotions that Simon couldn't pretend weren't his own.

  He would be paying for it later. Dissociating to that extent didn't come without consequences.

  Simon let out an involuntary gasp as mana flowed into him. Fell Harvest was draining the Ravenous Wanderer of its energy. Like shoving a waterfall through a straw, his MP instantly shot up to its maximum of 90.

  He kept Harvesting. With nowhere left to go, the excess mana dissipated into the surrounding air, filtering out of his overtaxed body to avoid ripping him apart from within. It was pain compounded with discordant sensations compounded with more pain–

  Yet he still didn't let go. If he couldn't divert the Beast's focus, Katarina would die.

  With a savage roar, the Wanderer let loose its mana-laser. A destructive beam of energy shot forth across the cavern. Fell Harvest had only caused the monster to briefly hesitate, delaying its assault by just a split-second.

  And that made all the difference in the world.

  Katarina threw herself to the ground as a concentrated line of pitch-black mana passed above, atomizing several wisps of hair that had lingered in the air for too long. It carved through the solid rock wall behind her like melted butter, nearly triggering a cave-in as the cavern itself seemed to tremble with concern.

  If she had been the Beast's sole prey, perhaps it would have tilted its head down and erased her from existence right then and there. But a destructive beam required copious amounts of mana – mana that was currently being plundered by someone of far greater import.

  As if an internal valve had been turned off, the mana-laser abruptly ended. Simon leaped away, disengaging Fell Harvest the second that Katarina was clear. The Wanderer's claws swiped at empty air as he scrambled back over the line of protective Warding Orbs.

  Its frustrated cries were like music to his ears. He chanced a quick Identify, grinning viciously at what he found.

  Estimated Level: 28 (17 when not mana-gorged)

  Weaker. From 39, to 34, to 28. We're chipping away at its mana.

  His grin faltered. Also confirmed that Fell Harvest won't immobilize the Beast like it did to Lucette. Expected, but still unfortunate. One less potential option. That just leaves–

  Simon's train of thought derailed as he noticed something new. At the opposite end of the cavern, right where the Beast had unleashed its fury, there was...

  Ah.

  He knew what he had to do.

  Before anything else, Simon deposited his remaining three Warding Orbs near the Ravenous Wanderer. All ten Wards were out now. No point in holding them in reserve – not when the Beast had grown too accustomed to their aura. They couldn't be safely retrieved anymore.

  Then, as he took off running for what would likely be the last time, Simon started yelling at the top of his lungs.

  "KATARINA! GET GOING!" His words came out strained and breathy. The Wanderer must have nicked his vocal cords when it sliced through him earlier. "ENTRANCE IS CLEAR! YOU NEED TO LEAVE!"

  It took her a couple moments to process what he was saying. Her head whipped towards the cavern's front entrance, comprehension dawning on her features.

  By a stroke of luck, the Beast's mana-laser had demolished some of the rocks blocking the staircase leading up to Springwater Village. There was just enough room for a person to squeeze past.

  She could escape.

  "That's..." Katarina stared longingly at the open passageway to freedom. With visible effort, she tore her gaze away, turning back towards Simon and the Fell Beast. "What about y–"

  "IT WOULD CHASE ME! IF IT GETS UP TO SPRINGWATER, EVERYONE DIES! GO WARN THEM! NOW!"

  Katarina was too far away for Simon to see whatever expression was on her face. He thought he saw a flash of indecision before she made a break for the entrance, disappearing up the staircase, but that could've easily been a product of his own imagination.

  Maybe he just wanted to believe that she'd considered keeping him company in his last moments.

  I'm not going to make it. He knew that already. Had known it for some time now, really. It would be close, a veritable photo finish, but...

  That was the problem with adopting a candid outlook on life. You couldn't delude yourself into hoping for a brighter future.

  Simon felt no surprise when the Ravenous Wanderer suddenly reared up. Roaring with determination, undaunted by the light of the Wards' aura, it plunged its claws into the ground. Like a river of filth, Fell mana poured out from its body, coursing underground, racing beneath the Warding Orbs–

  And then exploding upwards. An eruption of energy blasted the floor apart with incredible force, scattering the Wards all around the cavern.

  It was unnecessarily dramatic compared to, say, jumping over, but the end result was identical. The Beast had finally resisted the Warding Orbs for long enough to take action.

  Simon's sanctuary had been demolished.

  Once more, he felt no surprise as the Ravenous monster sped towards him. And if he felt any disappointment, then it was faint – less of a flare and more of an ember. He could hardly complain when this was merely the consequences of his own actions.

  I wonder...

  Is this my punishment for not letting Katarina die?

  Simon produced the portable Warding Orb that he'd looted from Relia. It was much weaker than the Wards designed to be embedded into stationary structures, but the band of slavers had still sworn by it. He tossed the portable Ward backwards, hoping to delay the creature's advance by a second or two.

  The Beast paused for just a moment as it swatted the item out of the air, barely slowing at all.

  If I had used her as a diversion, kept running as she got lasered, then my plan would've succeeded. It was a fair trade – one life for the sake of thousands. The triage system at its finest. Logically, rationally, objectively...by any metric, it was the right choice to make. I was fully aware of that.

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  Instead, I chose sentiment over pragmatism. Now Springwater Village will pay the price.

  Claws and teeth fell upon him. Simon cast another Barrier, pushing 90 MP into the spell.

  The Ravenous Wanderer had lost a sizable portion of its mana. Its Estimated Levels could attest to that. Compared to before, it was measurably weaker.

  That didn't help the Barrier very much. It strained and buckled, already starting to crack as Simon compelled his feet to move faster.

  No, not just Springwater – all of Valtia will suffer for my hubris. I know for a fact that this world is fated to die in less than a year. Without my intervention, it has no future. That isn't arrogance; it's simply the truth.

  Prioritizing Katarina's life was just a subsection of a much bigger mistake: agreeing to help Springwater in the first place. The population of one random village wasn't worth risking myself over. I should never have journeyed down to this cavern. Should never have revealed my demonic arm at Jonathan's clinic, either.

  The needs of the many should've outweighed the needs of the few.

  His Barrier shattered. The Beast didn't waste time being distracted by its mana particles, advancing immediately. Simon's last possible resource had been exhausted.

  Another expected outcome. He felt no surprise, no disappointment...

  And...if he was being completely honest with himself...

  No regret.

  I could have sacrificed Katarina. Sacrificed Springwater. Continued on my merry way, ignoring their plights, keeping my eye on the prize.

  All it would have taken was hating myself.

  When analyzing the leaders of Earth, Simon had subjected himself to an ungodly number of vapid speeches and worthless press statements. He'd learned all the excuses they made when explaining why they couldn't be bothered to help people. Sometimes, those excuses were valid.

  Other times? Most of the time? It was self-serving drivel. Apathy disguised as logic. Greed masquerading as rationality.

  Simon knew how important his life was. He needed to survive for the sake of Valtia as a whole. Even so...if he'd abandoned these people here...turned away from them, treating their lives like nothing...

  Well, he wouldn't have liked what kind of person that made him.

  After all, Simon also knew that he wasn't some sort of infallible saint. He was flawed, and his perspective could be molded by circumstance. No action is ever made in a void – if he behaved callously, then that would change him, whether he wanted it to or not.

  Not every two-faced politician or amoral billionaire had been born that way. Some of them had probably started off as relatively normal people. Then, as their power and influence grew...they'd began making excuses.

  How many of them had sold their soul in pieces, one heartless decision at a time?

  Gotta keep myself from sliding down the slippery slope, Simon mused. A heart of stone cannot beat – nor can it feel for those in need. If I want to preserve my motivation to save Valtia, then I need to conduct myself like a true blue hero every now and then. When looking at it from that angle, risking myself for Springwater was actually the pragmatic, utilitarian choice.

  He almost managed to make himself believe that before the Fell Beast landed on top of him.

  It took Simon a full second to realize that he was still alive. Rather than the sharp pain of teeth grinding his flesh – followed shortly by oblivion – there was only the pressure of the Wanderer bearing down on his torso and limbs. The twelve-foot behemoth had casually pinned him to the ground, nearly breaking bones just by virtue of its weight alone.

  Once again, its scrutiny was focused on his Shapeshifted right arm. The Beast stared at it, transfixed, unmoving except for the slight tremors that swept throughout its body. Its behavior seemed borderline reverential, as if the demonic appendage was a divine relic that it worshiped and despised in equal measure.

  Can I... Simon attempted to use Fell Harvest, sighing when the Skill failed to activate. While his right arm might be touching the Wanderer's body, he wasn't grasping it. Evidently, the distinction was important, and he didn't have enough leverage to twist his arm around and grab hold.

  He glanced back, suppressing another sigh. Three feet. The Beast had caught him just three feet before his destination. Salvation had been a hop, skip, and a jump away.

  "WhY yOu?"

  Like an ice pick stabbing into him, a disarming shiver lanced up Simon's spine. The creature's voice sounded even more grotesque up close. He almost preferred being subjected to its thought-scrambling mana.

  "WHY...you?" In the span of two words, its tone went from enraged to grief-stricken. "Why you?" A miserable whining noise emanated from deep within, too pathetic to induce fright, yet too repulsive to inspire empathy. "Why, why, why you?"

  The Ravenous Wanderer dipped its head lower. Thousands of razor-sharp teeth hovered inches away from Simon's face. Although a spike of adrenaline surged through his veins, the transmigrator did not flinch.

  Maybe he should have. As the Fell Beast met his taciturn gaze, its breathing quickened, muscles tensing with an upswell of loathing.

  "Why...nOt...ME?!"

  Its mouth opened wide.

  Inside, Simon saw an endless absence of nothing; a void that was impossible to fill. The Wanderer's ravenous hunger would never be satiated. It could consume the entire world, right down to the very last molecule, and the voracious yearnings in its core would be left begging for seconds.

  The Beast knew that as well – and it hated him ever more for the knowing. Even the bliss of ignorance was denied to it.

  Simon would've felt a sliver of pity if he wasn't about to be devoured.

  As the monster leaned closer, savoring its moment of victory, the transmigrator urgently ran through his list of potential options. Can't move. No Wards. Out of MP. Fell Harvest unavailable. Can try–

  "Any chance we can work out a deal?" Simon hazarded. "My body regenerates after a good night's sleep. Munch on me now, and you lose a renewable food source."

  The Beast didn't respond. It gave no indication that it had heard him speak. Simon could barely even hear himself speak over its labored breathing and the sound of...

  ...Footsteps?

  There was a flash of crimson. A rush of motion.

  With the Wanderer's hulking mass obscuring most of Simon's vision, he only saw what was happening when Katarina's knife reached around and slit the creature's throat.