Surviving The Beast World With My 'Sassy' System-Chapter 46: Stone-Glared Wyrm

After he set her down, Lavayla sat upright and began untying the fur wrap. Halfway through loosening the knot, the system chimed sharply in her mind.

’Host, host!’

She paused for a fraction of a second, then resumed her movements as if nothing had happened, replying internally. ’What is it?’

Nessa’s voice shot up several octaves. ’Host! The beastman in front of you is the highest-leveled beastman we have encountered since you came to this beast world!’

Lavayla resisted the urge to frown, her fingers continuing to work at the knot. ’What do you mean by that?’

’Host, remember I told you that both beasts and beastmen are divided into low-tier, mid-tier, and high-tier. Beastmen are further divided into Ordinary Beastmen and BeastmenWarriors. Ordinary Beastmen are those who can transform into beasts and possess enhanced strength, speed, healing, and combat ability. Beastmen Warriors possess all of that and more—elemental abilities and other advanced traits.’ Nessa paused for dramatic effect. ’They also have levels, from level 0 to 12. And the beastman in front of you appears to be between level 4 and 5.’

Lavayla’s fingers stilled briefly. ’...And?’

’That makes him extremely powerful.’

She almost slipped and tightened the knot instead but then she caught on to Nessa’s last words. ’Wait. You said the levels go from 0 to 12. If he’s only level four or five, how is that considered extremely powerful?’ She flicked a glance at Mirek from beneath her lashes. ’That’s not even halfway.’

’I understand your confusion, Host. You’ve only been in this world for a short time, and your understanding is mostly theoretical,’ Nessa said patiently. ’You don’t yet know how difficult it is for beastmen in this region to even reach level three—much less level five! And he isn’t just level five. He’s a high-tier warrior at that!’

Lavayla hummed quietly in her mind. ’Wait... you said most beastmen around here are mid-tier. Are the Ember-Stripe tribe high-tier?’

’No. They are not.’ 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Her brows knit slightly. ’But he is?’

’Yes.’

’Then what are you sa—’

"You."

The red-haired beastman finally spoke.

Lavayla’s head snapped up.

He had finished his scan of the surroundings and turned fully toward her, crouching down until they were at eye level. Even then, his presence was overwhelming, his broad frame filling the narrow space. His gaze was sharp, focused.

"You are a human," he said. It wasn’t a question. "Why did you shout?"

She blinked.

"Even if you hadn’t," he continued calmly, "the shadow-crawler wouldn’t have injured me severely. Its poison mist is troublesome, but it would have purged from my system with time."

He studied her for a moment before adding, "There was no need for you to do that."

Lavayla stared at him.

...Was he scolding her?

For helping him?

For a split second, laughter bubbled up in her chest, sharp and incredulous, but she swallowed it down. Remembering how he had caught her mid-fall, how he had shielded her body with his own all the way down, she closed her eyes and took a slow breath in. Then out.

When she opened them again, she met his expressionless gaze evenly.

"Yes, I’m human," she said. "And I shouted because I wanted to warn you. I didn’t know the beasts were being coordinated, or that my actions would cause... all this."

As she spoke, the baby whimpered softly, his head nearly buried by the loosened fur. Her attention snapped to him at once.

"Shh, it’s okay," she murmured, quickly finishing the knot and freeing him. She shifted him up onto her shoulder, patting his back gently as his whimpers continued, distressed from being smothered.

She glanced back at the beastman, who was watching her now in silence. "Thank you," she said sincerely. "For saving me."

Her gaze drifted over him—over the cuts, the gashes, the still-bleeding wounds. She hesitated, wanting to say something more, but stopped herself. He was a powerful Beastman like Nessa had told her. Strong. Someone like him would heal quickly. Besides, compared to what he had just fought, these injuries were minor.

When he didn’t respond, she turned her head away and focused on soothing the baby.

But his gaze didn’t leave her.

Abruptly, his eyes shifted toward the depths of the cave.

He rose in one smooth motion.

Then, without warning, he leapt forward.

A thunderous crash echoed as he collided with something unseen deeper inside, the impact sending vibrations through the stone. Lavayla gasped and staggered to her feet, instinctively backing toward the cave entrance while clutching the baby tightly to her chest.

A deep, enraged roar shook the cavern.

Thuds. Crashes. Growls and snarls reverberated through the darkness, stone grinding against stone as something massive fought back.

"Nessa," Lavayla whispered urgently in her mind, heart pounding. ’Can you scan ahead? See what he’s fighting?’

’On it, Host!’

A moment later, Nessa replied, sounding puzzled. ’Host, I scanned ahead, but I couldn’t identify the beast. There’s a veil-like barrier blocking that section of the cave.’

Lavayla’s eyes widened slightly. ’A barrier? One you can’t go through?’

’Yes. It appears to be a barrier created by the beast itself. Territorial, solitary beasts sometimes do this. Normally, I should still be able to detect it—but I can’t.’

’That doesn’t make sense,’ Lavayla muttered internally. ’Even a high-tier beast shouldn’t be able to block you. Are you malfunctioning?’

’Host! What are you saying?!’ Nessa protested indignantly. ’Remember—this is a low-level magic world. Aside from beastmen, there are other lingering traces of magic here. That beast has likely lived in this cave for a long time and found something within it—something that strengthened both itself and its defenses. That veil is likely tied to whatever it’s guarding.’

Lavayla stared into the darkness of the cave, eyes slowly lighting up. ’That sounds like something straight out of a cultivation novel...’

Her lips parted slightly as excitement crept in despite the danger. ’So what you’re saying is... the thing it’s guarding is probably a treasure?’

For a moment, she completely forgot about the violent battle echoing deeper inside.

’Then what kind of treasure would it be?’

’I don’t know that, Host~’ Nessa replied cheerfully. ’You’ll have to wait until the beastman finishes the fight. Then you can check it out.’

Lavayla hugged the baby closer, eyes fixed on the shadows ahead, her heartbeat a strange mix of fear... and anticipation.

Lavayla waited and a few seconds later, the Beastman walked out dragging a creature.

It was massive.

Even lifeless, the beast radiated an oppressive presence. Its body was serpentine yet thickly muscled, covered in overlapping slate-black scales that caught the faint cave light like wet obsidian. Four clawed limbs dragged uselessly behind it, talons gouging deep furrows into the cave floor as Mirek hauled it forward with one hand wrapped around its horned skull. Its elongated maw hung open, revealing rows of jagged teeth still dripping dark, viscous blood.

A territorial beast.

Lavayla’s breath hitched.

This... this was what had been hiding behind the veil.

Mirek stopped several paces from her and released the creature with a dull, heavy thud. The impact shook the ground beneath their feet, loose pebbles skittering toward the cave entrance and dust from the cave ceiling.

Only then did Lavayla notice his state.

Blood streaked down his forearms and chest, some of it his, most of it not. Shallow gashes littered his skin, already knitting together slowly. His breathing was steady but deep, eyes still glowing faintly as the last remnants of his battle instincts faded.

He straightened slowly, rolling his shoulders as if shaking off lingering tension, crimson hair damp with water and streaked darker with blood.

His gaze flicked to her and she stood frozen.

Her arms wrapped protectively around the baby, eyes wide as they followed the massive corpse and then flicked back to him. Her heart thudded in her chest. Whatever that thing had been, it clearly hadn’t been an ordinary beast—and judging by the faint distortion in the air that was now slowly dissolving, the barrier Nessa mentioned had already shattered with its death.

Mirek wiped his hand against the stone, scraping blood and ichor from his fingers before turning fully toward her. His expression was unreadable, but something flickered briefly in his eyes as they swept over her again.

"You’re unharmed?" he asked, voice low and steady, as if the violent clash moments ago had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

Lavayla blinked, startled that he was asking her first. She instinctively adjusted the baby on her shoulder. "Yes. Thanks to you."

His eyes followed the movement, lingering briefly on the small bundle before returning to her face.

"Good. The cave is clear," he continued, "That beast had claimed this place as its den."

Lavayla swallowed, nodding slowly. "I... see. What’s its name?"

"It’s called a Stone-Glared Wyrm," he said, his voice echoing slightly. "They aren’t common this far from the crags. They grow stronger by consuming the minerals in the cave walls, turning their scales into armor harder than iron."

He turned away then, stepping past the dead beast and heading deeper into the cave. Lavayla hesitated only a moment before following, her curiosity—and Nessa’s earlier words—burning too brightly to ignore.