Ethan was utterly stumped, to say the least. He was also horrified and confused at the same time. A human crawling out of a dead wolf's body was something out of a horror movie. It would trigger a heart attack in anybody, even in a fantasy world!

Ethan had developed a natural instinct of self-preservation over the past day. His attention immediately hovered over the newfound grimoire spells that helped him annihilate the Orcs earlier. Who wouldn't jump into survival mode when faced with such a bizarre situation?

However, the boy's reaction was unnecessary. Instead of posing a danger, Artis Lupine fell to his knees, coughing and sputtering like a newborn. His skin had turned as green as his hair, and visible tremors ran across its surface.

"Cassie… Water… Please…" he pleaded and choked on his words.

Ethan was immediately overcome by an emotional drive to save Artis, regardless of the wolfskin-tearing entrance. He ran to the nearest source—a giant vat of muddy water in the dismounted Orc lair.

Ethan scooped a jugful and returned to the suffocating boy. He was careful not to get close to Artis, instead preferring to place the jug at some distance. The green-haired, green-skinned boy crawled forward and grabbed the water container, drinking its contents gratefully.

After a few minutes, Artis' coloration and health returned to normal. "Thanks," he finally mumbled, slowly getting to his feet.

Ethan took a step back apprehensively. "What… Umm… How…" he struggled to find the right words. The boy was still traumatized by the sight of the ripped wolfskin. It had already started attracting scavengers and insects.

"Yes?" Artis asked as if nothing interesting happened over the past few minutes. "What is it?"

"How did you crawl inside the wolf?" Ethan blurted out, pointing at the carcass. "Did the animal eat you whole or something?"

The wildling boy furrowed his brows as if trying to recall his memories. His reply was concise and straightforward. "No, I WAS the wolf."

"Oh?" the Cromwell heir exclaimed in surprise, trying to solve the mystery through his limited knowledge of Promiscua. "Are you a wereperson?"

The green-haired boy shook his head. By the looks of it, he couldn't be over fifteen years old. "No," was all he offered as an explanation.

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "You got to give me more information, my friend. How were YOU the wolf? Do you have any special abilities to turn into beasts? Was it some kind of forbidden magic?"

"Also, I pulled out two arrows from your dead body! One had ripped out your throat, and the other had punctured your skull! How did you survive those wounds?"

Artis scratched his head innocently. "Simple. I can turn into a wolf at will. As far as the arrows are concerned, I owe you thanks for extracting them. I wasn't really dead, but unable to regenerate."

"The arrowhead was preventing my brain from healing itself, which would explain why I looked lifeless. Sorry if that scared you."

Ethan raised his brows in wonder. "So, are you immortal or something?"

Artis shrugged casually. "I don't know… I've always been like this as far as I can remember."

The boy's hazel-green eyes stared meaningfully into his savior's before he added, "Are you scared of me?"

The Cromwell heir crossed his arms defensively. "Umm… To be honest, it was a bit scary to watch you climb out of that wolf's dead body. But I am not really threatened by you."

"Moreover, I thought you ran away earlier in the morning when the Orcs attacked us. But it turns out you transformed into a wolf and tried to rescue me. So, you've earned some brownie points, my friend."

Artis looked unconvinced by the answer. He lowered his eyes and rubbed his arm. "The moment people realize what I am, they are terrified. They react with intense hatred and want me exterminated immediately. Didn't your mother tell you stories about creatures like me growing up?"

It was time for Ethan to shrug stoically. "Honestly, I know nothing much about Promiscua, especially the wildlands. My mother raised me in a sheltered castle until I was eighteen."

"That sounds… Sad."

The Cromwell heir nodded. "Now that I think about it, I must have been lonely back then. That is why I bullied my sisters. But things are different now."

Artis nodded. His eyes scanned the trashed Orc lair, littered with slashed and burned dead bodies. "Did you do this?"

"It looks like the handiwork of a witch," he quickly added with an anxious expression. "Are you a witch, Cassie?"

Ethan laughed aloud and shook his head. "I can assure you I am not one of them. But I recently learned some offensive magic. Why? Do you have a problem with their kind?"

The green-haired boy pursed his lips, looking into the distance with a pained expression. "A witch caught me once and experimented on my body. It was a traumatic experience, and I still get nightmares."

Ethan stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on Artis' shoulder. "I'm sorry about that. The witch I last encountered was weird, too, but not as dangerous."

The boy grimaced and removed the hand slowly. He turned to leave. "It seems you are strong enough to defend yourself, Cassie. You don't need me, and I was worried without cause. I should take my leave now. Best of luck in your adventures."

"Why? What happened?" Ethan asked, grabbing Artis' arm and turning him around. "We were just beginning to bond! I thought I finally found a friend in this goddamn world!"

Artis bit his lower lip with a morose expression. "You aren't scared of me because you never heard of my kind. I am a monster whose name mothers chant to scare their children to sleep. Trust me, I am doing you a favor by walking away."

Ethan smiled bitterly and nodded. "I think I can relate to your experience a little bit, considering recent events."

Artis shook his head dismissively. "No, you wouldn't understand. You're as kind as you are beautiful, Cassie."

The Cromwell heir blushed in response to the compliment, which was weird. Did being in Cassie's body give him girly feelings as well?

That reminded Ethan of something important that he kept forgetting—he was still a girl! Was Artis treating him differently because of his gender? His thoughts were rudely disturbed by system prompts.

[Challenge completed!: Kill 10 Orcs]

[Reward: AP +2]

[Reward: Dragonfang]

[Description]

[Dragonfang: A dagger made of a fire dragon's tooth. When infused with MP, it can burn through most materials and skins. A powerful weapon for close combat.]

'Finally, I have something to kill with!' Ethan thought. 'Now I don't always have to depend on magic!'

"Are you okay?" Artis asked with uncertainty. "You've been staring into thin air for no reason."

The Cromwell heir shook his head. "Never mind. Do you want to see something interesting? I want to show you how I relate to your… umm... Abilities."

The green-haired boy raised his brows anxiously but nodded. "Sure. But I highly doubt it will change my mind."

Ethan opened his mind's interface. 'System, I want to change from User2 to User 1.'

[User2: Cassie] [Level:2]

[Switch to User1: Ethan]

[System advice: Body switch will take three minutes, during which user's body will be comatose] [Confirm?]

Ethan looked over to Artis, who was staring at him curiously. Could he trust the wolf-boy for three minutes? What if the latter was a carnivorous beast worse than the Orcs? He admitted it himself, after all. Throwing caution to the wind would be stupid, especially in the wild.

"Could you watch over my body for a few minutes? I'm going to perform some magic which will knock me out."

"Sure," the boy replied with increasing confusion. "I'll stand guard."

Ethan shifted his attention to the mind interface. 'Do it, system. It is Ethan Cromwell time!'

Almost instantly, his consciousness switched off. He didn't even feel it when he collapsed and hit the ground.

Ethan woke up to a fresh system prompt and a violent shaking of his body.

[Body switch: Successful!]

[User1: Ethan] [Level:2]

Artis loomed over his face as if he were a broken machine, and jiggled his body urgently. "Wake up! Wake up!"

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" Ethan exclaimed, glad to have his masculine voice back. The green-haired boy jumped back and eyed him with intrigue.

"How did you do that?" he demanded. "You were a girl just now. Suddenly you turned into a guy?"

Ethan sat up, feeling completely wretched. Even though his injuries were healed, his clothes were still disgusting from Orc blood and entrails.

"I didn't turn into a guy. I am a guy. Cassie is just my other self, a body I can switch into. It is difficult to explain, but you can consider it an advanced form of magic. Are you satisfied now that I am not scared of you?"

Artis thought about it for a moment and nodded. "Yes."

"Will you keep my secret if I keep yours?" Ethan asked with tongue in cheek.

The green-haired boy nodded again. "Yes, I will keep your secret, Cassie."

His new male friend laughed aloud. "You can call me Ethan. As I explained earlier, Cassie is my other self, not my real identity."

"I will keep your secret, Ethan."

The Cromwell heir struggled to his feet. "We should get out of here. The dead Orcs are only a small fraction of the bigger horde. We don't want to be here when they return."

"Okay. Where do you want to go? To the Southern Hills?"

"Umm… Right now, I am in urgent need of a bath. Is there any water body nearby? Like a river or a pond with clear, flowing water?"

Artis rubbed his chin, thinking. "I know the perfect place. Follow me!"

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