Taming the Beast World with a Frying Pan-Chapter 98: New Fear Unlocked

The gloom of the swamp began to lift. The oppressive gray mist thinned, replaced by shafts of genuine, golden sunlight that pierced through the canopy. And there, in the distance, was the most beautiful thing Ren had ever seen.

Dirt. Dry(ish) dirt. Trees with green leaves. Solid ground.

Ren almost cried tears of pure joy. She wanted to kiss the ground, provided it didn’t try to eat her first.

"Land ho!" Ren cheered weakly, slumped against the gunwale. "Goodbye, Shrek’s jacuzzi. I will not miss you."

She looked over at the captain of the vessel. Syris was not celebrating.

The Snake King sat on the rowing bench, his chin resting in his hand, looking like a teenager who had just been grounded from his Xbox. He was staring mournfully at the empty space where the heavy trunk used to be.

"My treasures," Syris muttered to the air. "My finest snakeskin robes. My stash of meat."

Ren bit her lip, feeling a pang of guilt. "Syris, I’m sorry about your stuff. But look on the bright side! We’re alive! Not fish food!"

Syris sighed, a long, tragic sound that seemed to vibrate in his chest.

Ren wisely decided to pivot her attention. She looked at Kael.

The Tiger King was sitting near the bow. He was leaning over the side, watching a small, pale fish swimming in the cloudy water.

’System, check status,’ Ren commanded.

[Subject: Kael] [Health: 15% (Critical)]

Ren’s heart squeezed. The fight with the fish beastmen had taken a massive toll.

As if sensing her worry, Kael lifted his head. He turned his gaze from the fish to her.

Ren’s breath hitched.

His stare was intense. Unblinking. It wasn’t the vacant stare of a beast, nor the predatory glare of a monster. It was... searching.

A blush rose in Ren’s cheeks under his scrutiny, but she refused to look away. She held his gaze, willing him to see her. ’It’s me, Kael. It’s Ren.’

And then, she saw it.

It wasn’t a trick of the light. It wasn’t a hallucination induced by stress and swamp gas.

For a full, solid second, the swirling crimson in his eyes cleared. The red receded like a tide, revealing the warm, molten amber underneath.

It was him.

Ren’s eyes widened. She scrambled off her seat and rushed over to him, dropping to her knees on the wet floorboards. She reached out and cupped his cheeks in her hands.

"Kael?" she whispered, searching his eyes.

The amber held for a heartbeat longer, warm and familiar, before the red washed back over it, drowning the gold in blood. But she had seen it.

"He’s in there," Ren breathed, a brilliant smile breaking across her face.

She turned to Syris, beaming. "Syris! Did you see that? His eyes! They flashed amber! He’s fighting it!"

Syris turned around slowly. He looked at Ren’s radiant face, then at the Tiger, who was now nuzzling into Ren’s palm with a low rumble.

"Is that so?" Syris said, his voice flat.

He forced a polite smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Internally, the Snake King was less than thrilled. He had agreed to the arrangement to share her but deep down, in the dark, reptilian part of his brain, he had been nurturing a tiny seed of hope.

If the Tiger succumbed to the madness... if he became a true Shadow Beast... Syris would have no choice. He would have to be the hero. He would have to kill the beast to save Ren. It would be a mercy killing, of course. Very tragic. And then, Ren would be sad for a while, but eventually, she would turn to the only King left standing.

Syris watched Ren stroke the Tiger’s hair.

’Pity,’ Syris thought coldly. ’The beast is stubborn.’

The boat jerked to a halt. The front of the vessel jammed into the soft mud of the riverbank.

"We are here," Viper announced, jumping off the boat with the grace of an Olympian. He landed barefoot in the ankle-deep muck and immediately began tying a thick vine to a nearby mangrove tree.

Ren stood up, eager to disembark. She walked to the edge of the boat and looked down.

Her excitement died instantly.

The brown, sludge-like soil was teeming with movement. Pink, fat worms—some as thick as her thumb—were wiggling freely in the muck. They churned the soil, writhing over each other in a grotesque dance of slime.

Ren recoiled, her face twisting in horror and disgust.

"Ew," she whispered. "Nope. Absolutely not."

She looked at her bare feet. They were relatively clean. She looked back at the worm rave happening below.

Her skin crawled. She could practically feel them squishing between her toes. She could imagine them wiggling up her ankles.

Yet, she took a deep breath. She clenched her eyes shut. She lifted one foot, preparing to sacrifice her dignity to the worm gods.

Suddenly, the world tilted.

She was hoisted into the air.

Strong, muscular arms scooped her up with effortless ease. Ren’s eyes flew open as she found herself pressed against a hard, broad chest.

The blazing heat of the midday sun was beating down on them, but the skin pressing against her was cool and refreshing.

Ren looked up.

Syris was looking down at her. He was standing in the shallow water, his bare feet sinking deep into the worm-infested mud, completely unbothered. A smirk played on his lips.

"They are harmless earthworms, Little Chef," Syris said, his voice laced with amusement. "They eat dirt. They do not eat toes."

Ren wrapped her arms around his neck instinctively, grateful for the ride but still eyeing the ground warily.

"They’re gross," Ren defended herself. "They’re pink and wiggly and there are too many of them."

Syris chuckled, stepping onto the firmer ground of the bank, carrying her as if she weighed nothing.

"You are a strange female," he mused. "You attack a school of fish beastmen, but you are defeated by a worm?"

Kael jumped off the boat behind them, landing with a heavy squelch that sent mud flying. He frowned, clearly not a fan of the texture either.

Ren looked at the mud, then up at Syris. A thought—a truly horrific, ugly thought—crossed her mind.

Her eyes went wide with terror.

"Syris," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Wait. If there are fish beastmen... and snake beastmen... and tiger beastmen..."

She swallowed hard.

"Are there... Worm Beastmen?"

Syris looked at her. He blinked.

Then, the Snake King threw his head back and burst into laughter. The sound was rich and genuine, echoing through the trees as he carried her into the forest.