"I'll go back to the forest today," Bast said calmly, having quickly finished his bowl of porridge."What do you mean?!" Elara's voice instantly pitched up."I'm already healthy, Mom." Bast felt he had rested enough.Two full days had passed since the deadly chase in the forest. Bast spent the last forty-eight hours almost entirely in bed, letting his body repair its damaged cells."No!" Elara immediately refused from the kitchen, slamming her dirty rag down lightly. "You just recovered, Bast. Your face still has bruises. You can't go to the forest yet.""But... there's no income...""We can still eat." Jarek, who was sipping his warm tea, chimed in. "Your mother is right, Bast. Sit down. Our food supply is still very abundant. The money from selling the rabbits you brought two days ago is also enough to keep us from starving even if you don't go to the forest for a whole month."Jarek had sold them, so he knew exactly how much money they made. He handed the money to Bast yesterday,

"Stinger—as usual, keep watch from above." Bast assigned formation while stepping forward from behind. Stinger flew in circles above their heads, acting as an aerial security radar."You're free to hunt anything around here, and surrender the meat to me." Bast gave free instruction to the weasel. Biter ran alongside Bast, its muscles tense, ready to pounce on any rabbits or wild pheasants that might wake up due to the boar's noise.Less than fifteen minutes into their trek, the giant boar suddenly stopped at the base of a tree resembling a decayed oak.It snorted aggressively and started smashing the ground lethally with its curved tusks."STOP! You'll ruin it!" Bast frantically raised his hands. Fortunately, the system's taming bond ensured that brutal digging motion halted instantly.The boar let out a hoarse sound, stepping back from its dug hole and staring at Bast as if waiting for praise."Move aside. You can look for another. If you find plenty, I'll give you a share." Bast wav

"Bring him in!"A harsh shout echoed, and they threw Bast onto a dirty wooden floor suffocating with tobacco smoke and the stench of sweat.This place felt familiar—as the alley before. As soon as Bast opened his eyes when his body slammed into the floor, he instantly recognized the wooden board walls and the nearly detached windows—along with the thick tobacco aroma. He found himself in the back room of one of the gambling dens that Rotten Bast used to visit with Baki.At the end of the room, lounging on an animal-skin chair, sat Ganyo—Rotten Bast's memory immediately recognized him too. Ganyo owned the gambling house, and naturally stood as the person who most wanted to see Bast beaten up today.Bast owed him from losing at gambling, and thanks to the strangling interest rates, the amount had grown completely absurd. The remaining money from Remu clearly couldn't pay it off—especially since Bast didn't even bring that money, having handed it all over to Elara."You've got a lot of n

Bast straightened his back, rubbed his aching stomach, and pressed his thumb hard into a spot about four fingers below his kneecap. The anatomical knowledge in his head worked automatically.He rotated his thumb's pressure constantly, deliberately stimulating the neural pathways to block the pain signals traveling from his digestive organs to his brain.Once the nausea and stomach pain slightly subsided, Bast shifted to the outer side of his calf, locating another pressure point. The wooden beam strike from Ganyo's thug earlier caused severe cramping in his leg muscles and tendons. His deep, painful massage on that spot forced the blood to flow smoothly again, relaxed the muscle tension, and restored the motor functions of his partially paralyzed leg.Bast took a deep breath. Cold sweat coated his body, but his pain shrank to a tolerable limit. He could move again."It's time," Bast whispered.He quickly took off his shabby shirt and threw it to the floor. His hand struck and stirred

Karen's eyes widened upon hearing that. She knew exactly how this 'cursed disease' continuously killed off her prettiest women, costing her valuable assets to serve guests and causing massive losses to her business. Not a single city physician had ever managed to treat this dirty disease."Make me the personal physician for this brothel to redeem the gold coins you paid Ganyo," Bast clarified his absolute offer."I'll never sell my body to be a gigolo. In exchange, your beautiful girls won't have to die from this disease anymore. Your business will run smoothly again."Bast restrained himself with all his might from lecturing Karen on the dangers of exploiting women in this highly risky environment. His main focus right now solely centered on securing a legal release and treating his patients. His moral authority in this post-apocalyptic world only extended that far.Karen stared at him with intense doubt. "How do I know you won't just run away the moment you step out my doors?""I li