Gale hustled along, waddling on his squat limbs. He lifted his nose and sniffed the air, peering around. “Everything looks really big from down here… I need a bigger body.”

Heavy crashes caught his ear. Branches snapped. Brambles snagged. He stopped and stared off into the distance. The badger urged him to turn and run, but he resisted the creature’s instincts. Its heart raced, loud in his ears, but he steadied it. Holding his breath, he listened.

Footsteps. One set light, two heavy. Ragged breathing. Chains jangled. The lighter footsteps stumbled. A bowstring twanged.

A man laughed. “Run all you like. You can’t escape.”

The panting grew louder. The scent of blood rushed into Gale’s nose, sharp and pungent. He bounded closer, drawn by the scent. Crawling up to a tree, he peered around its roots.

A slender youth rushed through the forest. Somewhere between beautiful and handsome, his teak skin reflected the sunlight. Green and brown clothes hung loosely from bony limbs. At the midriff, the green stained dark with crimson blood, a gash peeking through a cut in the fabric. A broken chain looped around his neck, the loose end hanging halfway to his stomach.

Golden eyes stared over his shoulder, fearful. He lifted a shortbow and fired an arrow behind him, ragged dark hair whipping around pointed ears as he whirled and ran off again.

Gale’s eyes widened. His heart pounded in excitement, and his claw clenched around the root. Elves. I really am in another world!

Chuckling, a man stepped out from the woods. He raised a crossbow and fired. Screaming like an angry hornet, the bolt rushed through the air. It slammed into the elf’s shoulder. Crying out, the elf pitched forward, then toppled out of sight, down a cliff.

A second man emerged behind the first. “Jed! Did you get him?”

The first man walked to the edge of the cliff, scratching his short beard. “In a way.”

Joining the first man on the cliff, the second man sighed. “Dammit, what are we going to do with this? It’s ruined! It’ll never sell.”

“You said it yourself, Hiram. It was too troublesome. A monster like that wouldn’t fetch a good price. Better to cut our losses than keep wasting our time and money chasing it,” Jed replied.

Hiram wrinkled his nose. He stared down the cliff for another few moments, then sniffed. “Ah, well. Trip isn’t a complete loss, I suppose. We still have the other one.”

“That one… Compared to this one, it’s…”

The men exchanged a look.

After a moment, Hiram shrugged. “Right. I suppose there’s nothing to be done. Let’s get back before someone steals our real prize away.”

Gale ducked back behind the tree’s roots as the two men turned. They walked away, chatting amongst themselves.

Even before they passed his tree, Gale jumped out. He skittered over to the cliff and peered down.

“Badger?” Jed muttered, pausing to sight down his crossbow.

“They taste like shit. Leave it,” Hiram replied.

A dozen feet down, the elf laid in a crumpled heap. Tears leaked down his face, golden eyes squinted in pain. He reached up and yanked the crossbow bolt out of his shoulder, throwing the gory bolt away. The elf’s body shuddered. He gasped a sob, but weakly.

Gale’s heart panged. He hesitated, then launched himself down the cliff. His small, dense body thumped into the elf’s.

The elf cried out. Even the small bump sent excruciating pain through his body. With effort, he lifted his head to look at Gale. His eyes widened in recognition. “You…? A… Blood Mage? From… the fortress?”

Gale looked at the elf. How does he know? Can he see my System, or something?

Well… it’ll be easier to explain things this way. With a thought, blood swirled up around him. He furrowed his brows and focused. Slowly, the blood spelled out, [You’re about to die.]

The elf sighed. Almost a whisper, he replied, “I know. I’ll join… everyone else, soon. Mother… Father…”

Gale focused again. [Can I have your body?]

“After I die, what need will I have for it,” the elf said dryly. He coughed. Blood splattered over his lips.

Warning: Low mana!

Ignoring the warning, Gale stared at the elf. He made the message shimmer, drawing the elf’s attention to it.

The elf’s eyes shut. When they opened, rage burned in their depths. “Yes. Yes, but… those men. The men who killed my family, my village. Kill them. To the last man, kill them. Only then… can I rest at peace.”

Gale released the Blood Manipulation. His blood flowed back into his body, and he felt immense relief. Staring at the elf, he activated Blood Possession.

Host is willing. Mana cost reduced.

Warning! Host is critically injured. Once the host dies, you will have a limited time to repair the body before decay sets in. Repaired bodies will be treated as living, but perished bodies will be treated as dead. You will take on [Undead] traits including [Decay], [Weakness to Holy], and [Evil].

It’s better than being a badger. Gale welled up out of the badger’s body and launched himself at the elf, sinking in through the elf’s wounds. The elf kicked, body tensing, instinctively fighting Gale, then went limp. A last breath rattled out of his lips.

Gale sunk inside. He found the elf’s heart and pulsed it, keeping it beating. Blood rushed out with every thump. Gale felt his own essence escaping. Activating Blood Manipulation, he plugged the holes at his midriff and shoulder.

He’s still bleeding. Where?

Gale focused, feeling the flow of his liquid body. Blood rushed into the elf’s lungs where a rib pierced the flesh. Gale drew the blood out of the elf’s lungs. As he retreated, he shoved at the rib. Pain tore through him from the inside out, but he grit his teeth and pushed with all his strength. The rib popped back into place. Sealing the hole, he finally opened his eyes.

Warning! Mana loss unsustainable. If you fail to find a new body, you will perish.

“Annoying. I know, I know. Shut up,” Gale muttered, sitting up. He rubbed the back of his head and sighed out, looking around.

A badger stared back at him. It growled, then raced off, vanishing into the underbrush.

He watched it go. Turning upward, he put a hand on his ribs. I’m badly injured. I’m losing blood, and therefore mana. I can’t sustain Blood Possession for long, let alone Blood Possession and Blood Manipulation simultaneously.

The wind blew, loud in his new ears. He shivered and remembered the promise he’d made. Kill those men? Naturally. They looked like adventurers. Adventurers… have potions! Healing magic! If I want to survive, those men must die! Gale grit his teeth in a vicious smile and climbed slowly to his feet.

The elf’s body cried out in pain, every motion unbearable. The body trembled, limbs struggling to obey Gale’s will. He pushed on, forcing his way through the pain and the weakness. If I were the elf, I don’t think I could move right now. It’s only because I’m a Blood Mage, possessing this broken body through Blood Possession, that I can force it to move.

“How long do I have…? Status!”

HP: 74/155

Mana: 74/155

Mag: 20

Str: 10

Skl: 13

Spd: 12

Res: 17

Def: 7

Fav: 16 (-15 Humans)

Active: Blood Possession (-8 mana/hr) (Reduced from 12: Willing host bonus!)

Passive: Blood Regen (3 mana/hr)

Gale twisted his lips. He climbed up the cliff as he thought. His fingernails bit into the dirt. It gave out under him, sliding back down. Blood Manipulation costs 2 mana a second. I have about thirty seconds before this body gives out and I die. In that time, I have to subdue those men and take their potions.

He grabbed a root and hauled himself up hand-over-hand, back up the cliff. About twenty feet away, the men continued to chatter amongst themselves, stomping through the woods.

Blood Manipulation! He pointed his finger at the men.

A drop of blood welled up from one of his cuts. It floated out about a foot, slowly, wobbling in the air, then dropped to the ground.

Gale blinked. I guess that was too much for a level 1 skill. I can shape it freely, but speed, sharpness, distance… those are all much more limited.

Right. Let’s make do with what I have!

Pushing his body to the limit, he sprinted at the men. He dropped his hand to his abdomen, willing blood to well up from the wound and pool in his palm.

Jed whirled. He raised his crossbow.

Gale threw his hand out. Blood splashed over Jed’s face. Gale furrowed his brows, and the blood twitched to life. It climbed up his nose and into his eyes, burrowing deeper.

Jed cried out and fell back. He fired once, blindly. The bolt whooshed by Gale’s side. Jed shook his head, then threw the crossbow away and rubbed his eyes, grimacing furiously. Blood gushed out of his eye sockets as Gale’s blood bit into the soft flesh behind his eye. He screamed and scratched at his eyes. “Get it out! Get it out!”

“Jed!” Hiram whirled, yanking his crossbow from over his shoulder.

Gale threw his hand out again. The other half of the blood splashed at Hiram.

Mid-drawing his crossbow, Hiram threw his arm up. The blood splattered over his bicep, soaking into his sleeve. His eyes widened. “He was a Blood Mage?”

Gale clicked his tongue. Two with one trick was too much. Good thing I’m a two-trick pony. He pressed in. Still holding the crossbow high, Hiram darted back, but too slow. Gale slammed his hand upward into the larger man’s ribs. The arrowhead clenched in his fist slammed into the man’s chest. He shoved it deeper and twisted.

Hiram brought his arm down hard, elbowing Gale in the chest. Gale stumbled back, shoulder-length hair flying past his face. He sprawled on his back.

The crossbow pointed down at his head. Hiram scowled. “Last words?”

Gale narrowed his eyes. “Boom.”

The blood he’d put on the arrowhead stabbed into Hiram, twisting deep into his internal organs. Hiram screamed and grabbed his chest, dropping the crossbow. Gale snatched it up and pressed the end against the man’s head. The bolt slammed through Hiram’s skull. He kicked backward and fell to the floor, dead.

Behind him, Jed let out a final horrible scream and collapsed, blood pouring out from behind his eyes. He struggled one last time, then went limp.

Panting, Gale dropped the crossbow. He staggered back. He looked at his hands, at the elf’s hands. “There. Dead. Like you wanted.”

Guilt, disgust, and fear all welled up inside him instantaneously. He shuddered and hugged himself, staring down at the bodies. They didn’t despawn or fade away, just laid there, slowly bleeding into the leaf mould. I killed. I killed two men. This isn’t a game. It’s real life. I—

Mana Critical. Death in 0:06.

He lifted his hand over the men. Blood Manipulation!

[Prerequisites Acquired] [Skill Unlock!]

Blood Absorption

Absorb a deceased enemy’s blood through the use of Blood Manipulation. Costs 5 mana, but allows you to immediately assimilate the enemy’s blood as your own, refilling your mana and HP.

Gale raised his eyebrows. Is that how this System works? Sounds like I’ll have to experiment if I want to keep unlocking skills! Or do I also get skills on level up?

Both the men’s blood spiraled up toward him and into his body through the cuts on his abdomen. The message faded away, and the exhaustion faded from his body. He looked at his hands and closed his eyes, tired despite the fading exhaustion.

I killed. And if I want to stay alive…

Gale shook his head and slapped his cheeks. No, no. Don’t think like that. I’ve spent ten minutes in this world. I know nothing about it. I can’t assume the whole world is death and battle simply because I got a bad spawn.

What a shitty spawn, though! What world spawns you in reach of the final boss? Did I insult you, Goddess? Is this payback for asking to control my own destiny? Should I have asked for luck instead?

Gale breathed out. “There’s no point getting frustrated. Not like I’ve never been spawncamped before. Instead…”

Blood Possession!

Blood began to well up out of the elf’s body. Before the art could fully activate, a warning popped up before his eyes.

Possessing humans costs more mana than your current total! Continuing this spell will kill you!

Continue spell? Y/N

“No, no, obviously no!” Gale replied, startled. How much does it cost to possess humans? Dammit. I guess I’m stuck as an elf for now.

Oh well. There are worse fates. Like being stuck as a puddle, or a badger…

He knelt and started going through the men’s belongings. Hiram wore a leather bandolier around one leg, a half dozen potions clasped within. Gale sniffed a blue potion, then took a sip. When nothing bad happened, he tossed it back. Immediately, his wounds began to close.

That’s more like it! As the final wound closed, he released Blood Manipulation. His HP and mana stopped ticking down.

“Status. HP only is fine,” he requested.

HP: 138/155

Better than it was.

Alert: This body has been repaired. You are no longer at risk of gaining the [Undead] trait. This body will be considered living for the sake of all [Holy] and [Light] spells.

Warning: This body has the [Soulless] trait. [Holy] and [Light] aligned units may treat you as hostile. When not possessed, this body will enter a comatose state.

Gale considered, then shrugged. “I’ll take it. It’s better than enslaving a conscious person to my will.”

Something jangled. He furrowed his brows and dug deeper, yanking out an old-timey key ring. Four keys dangled off the wide iron loop.

Keys? I wonder… Gale reached to his neck and pulled the chain away. A padlock closed the loop together, still shut. One after another, he tried the keys in the padlock. The third key clicked, and the lock snapped open.

The chain fell to the ground. Gale looked at it in disgust. I suspected it already, but this confirms it. I didn’t kill good men. Chaining up a kid like this? Bullshit. And they were going to sell him… Gale stared at the chain another few moments, then shook his head and snorted. He looped the key ring over his slender wrist and kept going through their belongings.

When he stood, he carried with him the elf’s bow, a small pouch of money, the bandolier, now looped around the elf’s narrow hips, a simple dagger, the key ring, and Jed’s jacket, the latter slung loosely over his shoulders. Quilted cotton in a homely brown with leather patches at the shoulders and elbows, it kept off the chill better than the elf’s tattered clothes. It hung hugely over him, back reaching almost to his knees.

He left the crossbows. His body stood at chest-height to the men, slender and bird-boned, lightweight but not particularly strong. Compared to him, the crossbows were ridiculously oversized. By stepping on the bow-front and pulling back with both hands, he managed to string one, but the time it took compared to the time of drawing his shortbow… He shook his head. Not worth it.

One last time, he stared down at the men. Gale took a deep breath and let it out, but couldn’t calm the emotions twisting inside him. Unable to understand or process them, he could only stand outside, numb to the tempest inside, numb to the bodies that laid below. I didn’t like it, but I killed. Undeniably, with my own hand.

He lifted his hands. They trembled slightly. He clenched them, but the trembling remained, waiting for the second he loosened his grip. I won’t kill if I don’t have to. I shouldn’t. Not unless my back is to the wall.

Gale turned away, facing the direction the men had been heading. “I wonder… they must have had a camp, right? Somewhere they were keeping my body.”

He glanced down at the key ring looped around his wrist.

They’re already dead. The milk has been spilled. There’s no need to hold back on looting. In fact… I’m throwing money away if I do.

“Besides… I wonder if they have any more kids tied up in their camp,” he wondered aloud, lifting his head.

Gale stalked through the woods, moving cautiously. The elf’s instincts guided him, its eyes darting to broken twigs and disturbed leaves that indicated where the men had passed through. He kept one hand on his bow, ready to defend himself.

From out of the woods emerged a white canvas tent. Glen stepped behind a tree and peered out at it, waiting for any sign of motion.

The camp laid still. The wind lifted a flap of the tent.

Maybe there were only two of them. The kid ran off, after all. It wouldn’t be surprising if the whole party chased after him.

He waited another hour. The tent shifted, blowing on the wind, but nothing else moved. Pain stabbed into his stomach at the end of the hour as his health ticked down by eight, the cost of Blood Possession, followed by a gentle feeling as the passive Blood Regen ticked his health up by three. At that, he snorted. If someone was going to move, they’d move by now.

Gale stepped cautiously into the camp. He stuck near the edge, looking warily around.

The tent stood at the edge of the clearing, near a couple of strong trees. The men had tied a canvas tarp between the two trees above it to keep the tent itself dry. Water puddled where the tarp drooped in the center from a previous night’s rain. A dark firepit sat in the center of the space, ashes cold.

Across the clearing from the tent, a thick iron stake jutted out from the ground. A pair of chains looped around the stake. One chain dangled empty, the final link wrenched open, the rock that had done the deed still wedged inside.

The other chain vanished into the forest, out of sight. Gale approached cautiously. “Hello? I’m here… I’m back to help.”

The undergrowth shuffled. A low shape appeared, shadowed behind the leaves.

“Those men can’t hurt you anymore. Come out, I’ll set you free,” Gale promised, holding up his arm. The keys jangled.

The shadow sat up. A huge ermine poked up out of the undergrowth. An adorable, ferret-like face with a short snout and black button eyes stared at him. Little shell-shaped ears swiveled toward him. It tilted its head and sniffed, pale nose wiggling.

Gale gaped. Cute! Are there big versions of all kinds of tiny, cute animals in this world? Imagine… cuddling with a bear-sized hamster… flying into battle on a budgie… His eyes glazed over, and he smiled. Maybe it isn’t a terrible world after all.

The ermine’s eyes narrowed. Brown and white fur bristled. It bared its fangs at him and lunged.

Gale’s eyes widened. He spun and ran. My bad! I forgot, they wouldn’t be domesticated, they’d be giant wild animals! In his mind’s eye, the hamster’s eyes glowed red, and it lunged at him, letting out a vicious chitter. The budgie whirled and bit at him, its beak razor-sharp and big enough to snap off his head in one go. Those humans tied this elf up with a vicious wild animal? Are they insane?

His foot slipped on the dirt. He felt to his knees and scrambled. Before he could rise, a heavy, clawed paw slammed into his back. The ermine growled low in its throat. Hot, damp breath rushed over the back of his neck.

“You left without me,” the ermine growled in a youthful voice.

Gale furrowed his brows. “You… can talk?”

The paw weighed down on his back. The ermine snarled, angry. “After abandoning me, you mock me?”

“No, no, I’m…” Gale hesitated, then took a deep breath. The elf didn’t seem afraid of me. The men were, but… Argh, I don’t want to be eaten for the elf’s crimes! “I’m a Blood Mage. I’m possessing the elf. I’ve never met you before.”

The ermine paused. The weight on his back lessened. “You aren’t Anyu?”

“No. My name is Gale. I’m… from another world.”

“A Legendary Hero? What are you doing in Anyu’s body?” The ermine stepped back, off Gale.

Ah, so Legendary Heroes are transmigrators. Then my task is to find my fellow transmigrators.

I wonder how many people transmigrated here before me?

Gale climbed to his feet. “I… er, misplaced my body. Anyu died in front of me, and I took his body. Possessing him was my only chance to survive."

Leaning in, the ermine peered at his face. It sniffed deeply, then nodded. “Your eyes are red and you reek of blood. A Blood Mage. Are you… one of the Demon King’s servants?”

Red eyes? That must be how Anyu recognized me earlier. Gale nodded to himself, then realized the second half of the ermine’s question and shook his head. “No, no. I picked this class when I was reincarnated. It was… anyways, it’s a long story.”

The ermine tipped his head, confused. “Why pick Blood Mage?”

“It’s… a long story, and a total waste of my cheat skill,” Gale sighed. He shook his head sadly. I could have been anything, but here I am, stuck as a Dark-aligned class…

“Long stories are boring,” the ermine declared, sitting down.

Gale lifted the key again. “I killed those two men who captured you. I’ll set you free now.”

The ermine looked at him, then lifted its head to bare its throat. A padlock dangled from the chain. “Call me Kino.”

“Gale.” Gale tried the lock with one key after another until one clicked. The padlock popped open, and the chain fell off.

Kino shook himself like a dog. “Feels good.”

Gale nodded. “You’re free now.”

Freed from the chain, Kino stood about a head taller than Gale. Compared to the humans, his head would have come up to their shoulders. He looked down at Gale, then tilted his head. “Where are you headed off to, hero?”

“Gale is fine. I…” He furrowed his brows. Where am I headed?

To find my body, obviously! I need my body back! I don’t know what the final boss wants with it, but nothing good, for certain! What if he… possesses it, and commits horrible crimes with my hands and my face? What if he molests it, or eats it, or— Well, he said he was going to use it to get Holy weapon immunity, but… I have no idea what that means! Refine it into a shield? Use it to cast a spell? …Eat it?

I can’t leave it in his hands. I need my body back as fast as possible!

But wait… how am I going to get it back? I’m level one! I have almost no spells or skills! By the time I level up, the boss will have misused my body and ruined my reputation already, if not outright destroyed it!

Gale’s eyes lit up. “The Legendary Heroes!”

Kino tipped his head. “Huh?”

“They came here before me. They’ll be higher level than me. If anyone can beat the final boss quickly, it’s them! I’ll level up too, but—with the help of the Legendary Heroes, I’ll be able to get my body back much more quickly!”

“Get… your body back? Oh… is that why you’re in Anyu’s body? Someone took your body?” Kino asked.

“Right, right.” Gale nodded, putting his hands on his hips. Striking a heroic pose, he stuck his chest out. “I was given a holy quest by the Goddess. It is my holy duty to find the Legendary Heroes, and nothing will get in my way!” And once I find them, we’ll go challenge the final boss to get my body back! Me, at whatever level, towed to victory by a party of high-level Legendary Heroes with cheat skills. The perfect plan! There’s no faster way to get my body back!

Wait. How do I find the Legendary Heroes?

Saying or thinking “Map” opens the map.

“Thank you. Map!”

A transparent map overlaid reality. The forest spread all around them. Not far from the camp, a road snaked along. Ahead sat a town, and beyond that, a squat red mark demarked a fortress.

Sitting off the edge of the town, a glowing gold marker hovered over a small building.

“Is that a hero?” Gale murmured.

Gold marks are heroes. Red marks are enemies.

Gale frowned. “I already have enemies?”

Behind the transparent map, Kino furrowed his brows, clearly unable to see the map. “Gale?”

Gale shook his head. He waved his hand, dismissing the map. “Nothing, it’s nothing. Let’s go into town. We can ask around from there.”

“Go… into town?” Kino flinched back, his ears flickering.

“What?” Gale asked, frowning.

Kino shook his head. “We’re monsters. We can’t go into the human town.”

“Monsters? An elf is a monster?” Gale asked. The men did say that, come to think of it.

Kino nodded. “Everything but humans and animals are classified as monsters. It’s why we’re chained up. Slavery is illegal, but monster pets aren’t.”

Gale took a deep breath. This… I can see the transmigrator logic at work already. Someone came over and banned slavery, but wanted a monster-girl harem, didn’t they? He shook his head. “Alright. I’ll go into town alone. You can go wherever you please.”

“If you’re going into town, I’ll go with you,” Kino declared.

Gale gave Kino a look, taking in his long, slinky body, stubby limbs, and short tail. “Er, an elf can disguise themselves, but a huge ermine…”

“Oh. Right, you aren’t Anyu.”

Kino shook himself again. His fur ruffled up, from his head down his body. As it laid flat again, he transformed. Fur became skin and hair. Paws turned into hands. A boy of about fifteen years stood before Gale, dressed a pair of leather trousers and a leather vest. The hair on top of his head was a tawny brown, like the ermine’s had been, but like the ermine, the hair on the sides and back of his head was white. Fluffy rounded ears poked out of his hair, and a short black-tipped tail stuck out of his pants. Still about a head taller than Gale, he grinned down at him. “See? I’m beastfolk.”

“Couldn’t you transform and get out of the chain?” Gale asked. His neck looked thicker in beast-form. Surely he could slip it over his head?

Kino shook his head. He pulled at his collar, showing a raw, red mark where the chain rubbed his flesh. “The chain was tight. We ermines can wriggle out of anything our skulls can fit through. Transforming to human-form wouldn’t have done me any good. I had a better chance wriggling out in my beast form.”

Gale nodded. I suppose it was just his fur that made his neck look thick, then.

Kino bounded over to the tent. His ermine traits came out in his gait, a bouncy, half-jumping walk as if he literally wore springs on his heels. He vanished into the tent and came out with a cap and a pair of daggers, the latter of which he strapped around his belt. A pair of sliding clips at either side of his hips hinted that the belt would change widths in his beast form. “Do you have Anyu’s bow?”

Gale lifted his jacket, revealing the bow.

“That bastard. Went and got his weapons, but left me behind,” Kino grumbled. He dusted off the cap and pulled it low over his head, hiding the brown part of his hair and his ermine ears, then reached back and tucked his tail into his pants.

Passing by Kino, Gale peered into the tent. Two bedrolls laid on the floor, alongside two packs. He picked through one of them, but it was mostly heavyweight supplies—blankets, a pickaxe, another set of chains and a pair of padlocks—and the last scraps of food, water, and other consumables. Gale kicked the bag over, spilling the chains into the tent. “Guess they were on their way back.”

“Yeah. They captured me three days ago, and you… Anyu was already in their hands by then,” Kino offered.

Gale hesitated. “You know, you can go wherever you want. I’m grateful that you want to come with me, but I don’t want you to put yourself at risk. This is my task to complete, not yours.”

Kino glanced at him, black eyes unreadable. “I left my village to become an adventurer. If you’ll take me, I’d like to go with you. At least for now.”

“Beastfolk are classified as monsters, but they can become adventurers?” Gale asked, furrowing his brows.

“Monsters can become adventurers. As long as you hit level ten and prove yourself in battle, you can register at the guild, and once you register at a guild, you’re an adventurer, not a monster. You get all the privileges of an adventurer… but you also answer to human laws. It’s a bit of a trade-off, but I think it’s worth it,” Kino declared firmly, putting his hands on his hips. He gave Gale a look as though he expected Gale to disagree.

“Then, I’ll also aim to become an adventurer,” Gale said. The heroes are almost certainly human, in human settlements. I doubt they all ended up shuffled into monster bodies, like I did. It’ll be much more convenient to find them if I don’t have to disguise myself.

And besides, who crosses over into another world and doesn’t become an adventurer? I can probably look them all up in the guild. It’ll make my job much easier.

Kino flinched. “The… adventuring guild is overseen by the Church of Light. They… er, no one of a dark-aligned class is allowed to register as an adventurer, and Blood Mage…”

Gale snorted. “I’m a Legendary Hero.”

“Legendary Heroes have turned to the Demon King before,” Kino replied.

Gale waved his hand. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

He turned to go, but Kino caught his shoulder. He held out a brown hat. “Here. You’ll need it.”

Gale looked at the broad-brimmed hat, then touched his pointed ears. “Ah. Thanks.”

Kino beamed, squinting his eyes into half-moons. Between the squint and the sharper-than-usual teeth, he evoked his ermine form. He bounded off into the forest, singing to himself, “A human town, a human town!”

Watching his new companion go, Gale smiled. He shook his head and followed after Kino, shoving his hat on as he went.