The Arzuros, standing on all fours, approached the figure floating on the water's surface and sniffed curiously.
"Pht!"
The figure suddenly spat out a mouthful of water, splashing the Arzuros's face.
Startled by the sudden movement, the Arzuros instinctively leaned back and then plopped down into the bottom silt of the water, its heavy body splashing water everywhere.
"Harrumph, harrumph."
The Arzuros haphazardly wiped its face with a paw and looked back at the figure. Seeing the rising and falling of the person's chest and abdomen, it finally realized that the person was actually alive.
Seeing that the figure made no further movements except for spitting out water, the curiosity in its heart surged again. The Arzuros cautiously crept closer.
Slender limbs, small stature, no sharp fangs or claws, and none of the bloody smell characteristic of carnivorous monsters… it looked completely harmless.
Carefully observing the person floating on the water, the Arzuros rummaged through its not-so-bright mind. It finally recalled that it had encountered this bipedal creature, known as a 'human,' twice before.
Once, it was trying to catch fish upstream. After busy work, it hadn't caught anything and was thinking of trying its luck further up. It found a human sitting by the river with a bamboo pole, pulling up a fat fish every little while. Soon, the human had a basket full. When the human turned, saw the Arzuros, yelled, and ran, it left the basket of fish for the Arzuros.
The other time, after a fight with a pack of Great Jagras, it instinctively went to raid a hive for honey as usual. Because its wounds had lost the protection of fur and carapace, the bees stung it painfully, and it fled in embarrassment. When it returned, still unwilling to give up, it met a human who used smoke to drive away the bees and took down the enormous hive. Upon spotting the Arzuros, the human also yelled and ran, leaving the fragrant, sweet honey for the Arzuros.
It seemed that this was a small animal that was not only harmless but also friendly enough to willingly offer food…
I should save it after all. Who knows, maybe when he wakes up, he'll give me something to eat, too?
Lifting a paw, it scooped the human out and placed him on the bank. The Arzuros returned its attention to the fish swimming under the water, though a slight expectation secretly rose in its heart.
…
Ethan felt like he had been tossed into a washing machine and thoroughly cleaned inside and out. When he opened his eyes, his mind was still a complete mess.
"Ugh!"
He rolled over and took a huge, water-based "breath," rubbing his stomach as he stood up. Ethan finally felt alive again.
His sluggish thoughts resumed function, and Ethan began to check his condition.
He had many bruises and swollen areas all over his body, but there were no serious injuries like fractures that would impede his movement. It was a blessing in his misfortune.
The bone knife he had scavenged for a weapon had long been washed away by the current, which was within Ethan's expectation. However, the cloth pouch containing the Bullfango hide was still tied to his waist, which was a pleasant surprise.
Just as Ethan was lowering his head to check how many of the items in the pouch remained undamaged, a rustling sound put him on alert.
He snapped his head around and met the gaze of a pair of huge, wide-open bear eyes. The atmosphere suddenly solidified.
"Eek!"
Ethan felt a chill shoot straight from his feet to the crown of his head, making him stiffen instantly.
Just out of the Dragon's mouth and straight into the Bear's den. My life is forfeit!
Ethan's sudden "attention" made the Arzuros draw its neck back slightly. However, seeing that Ethan made no further moves, it edged closer again. The hot air exhaled from its nose struck Ethan's face, carrying a unique musky scent.
His brain stalled for a moment. Then, reacting, Ethan quickly reached for the cloth pouch at his waist. If his brain hadn't been waterlogged and his memory was correct, the pouch definitely contained some of the honey he had gathered earlier. When facing an Arzuros, this was a life-saving tool!
"Don't come any closer! Human meat doesn't taste good! Go chew on your honey!"
The Arzuros watched the human pull something from behind his rear, and then watched him toss it to its paw. Its sense of expectation continuously climbed.
But then it looked down, sniffed carefully, and suddenly let out a huge exhalation, like a sigh of disappointment. "Ah…"
Years of experience eating honey told it that this object was definitely part of a honeycomb and should contain delicious, crystallized honey. However, as everyone knew, honey dissolved in water. Chewing on a honeycomb that had lost its honey was no different from chewing wax.
After a slight hesitation, the Arzuros picked up the two waterlogged pieces of honeycomb and stuffed them into its mouth. After all, it was the breeding season, the fish in the river were fat, and it had been fishing by the river for the past few days. It hadn't tasted sweet honey for a while. Chewing on a honeycomb now was a form of solace for its craving stomach.
Hmm, although the food received this time was a bit lacking, humans are indeed friendly and harmless creatures!
"Phew…"
Seeing that the Arzuros genuinely picked up the honeycomb and started chewing, Ethan quietly let out a breath. He lowered his body and began to slowly retreat, hoping to slip out of the Arzuros's line of sight.
As his anxious mood slightly calmed, a unique emotion he had previously ignored in his perception emerged, causing Ethan's eyes to widen.
This is... goodwill?
What the hell? After so many days of wilderness survival and countless monster encounters—he'd felt panic, hostility, and caution—this was the first time he had ever sensed goodwill from a monster!
Was there a problem with his perception, or was there something wrong with this Arzuros?
Wait a minute. Thinking about it carefully, he jumped off the cliff, was swept away by the river for an unknown distance, yet he woke up completely intact on the bank, with this Arzuros right behind him… Could it be possible that he was actually rescued by the Arzuros?
During Ethan's brief moment of contemplation, the Arzuros had already squeezed the last hint of honey fragrance from the honeycomb by chewing. It spat the beeswax residue onto the ground and refocused its gaze on him.
Ethan's body froze, his train of thought interrupted. He looked up and met the Arzuros's round, black eyes, giving an awkward laugh and subconsciously taking a step back.
I hope my perception isn't wrong…
Then, he "heard" a series of muffled thoughts.
"Human… friend… injured… needs food and rest…"
Ethan blinked. He watched the Arzuros stand on its hind legs, wade into the lake again, observe left and right for a moment, and then swiftly clap one of its bear paws down.
A dark shape drew a parabola in the air and landed on the ground in front of Ethan, bouncing pat-pat twice.
Is this… for me?
Ethan's exploratory gaze went to the Arzuros in the water. The monster responded with a couple of low growls.
"Roar— (Sushiphish… delicious fat… good for injuries…)"
Ethan's gaze shifted back and forth between the fish on the ground and the Arzuros in the water. Only when the monster let out a series of urging low-growls did Ethan suddenly chuckle softly.
Sometimes, the world of monsters is that simple: you give me food, we are friends, and I should help you.