The next two days passed in a quiet rhythm. The winding path led them through hills and shaded trees, with the sky shifting from amber to steel blue. Noen walked mostly in silence, his thoughts circling around the idea of battle.

At the break of dawn, the terrain changed. The air grew heavier, a thin mist veiled their vision. Trees twisted unnaturally, their branches clawing at the sky. Some of them had thick strands hanging down like ropes, like hair.

Raven spoke. “We’ve reached the habitat of the Tigrizzly beast.”

“You mean tiger and Grizzly bear?”

“Genetically, in your world, yes. Here, they’ve merged.”

“So you expect me to defeat them?”

“Then, you want to die?"

Noen swallowed hard.

One Tigrizzly approached from behind the mist, its eyes glowing faintly. It looked like a tiger, but its stripes were distorted. One of its forelegs lifted slightly, like a Grizzly mid-swipe. Though smaller than a full-grown bear, it radiated raw power.

It roared, a sound Noen had never heard before. He froze.

Raven flew off Noen’s shoulder, shouting, “Hey! You don’t plan to die here, do you?”

Noen knew he had to act, but his body refused to move. He was frozen.

The Tigrizzly leapt.

Its massive claw slashed across Noen’s chest, throwing him back nearly five meters by his world’s measure.

Shaking in pain and fear, Noen struggled to remove his seal ring.

The Tigrizzly didn’t wait. It charged again.

“Damn, this hurts. Even the healing hurts,” Noen muttered as he finally removed the ring. “Maybe it’s too dangerous to wear this thing right now.”

Noen was a broke adult in his world—but that made him strong. No money meant no city life. Every job interview required long walks. No vehicle, no public transport. His stamina was trained daily, often without food.

All he could do now was run in zigzags, using trees as cover. Luckily, the Tigrizzly wasn’t strong enough to break them.

Raven flew low above them, watching. “Hey, be grateful I brought you here. These beasts are solitary. They don’t form packs. They’re also dumb, descended from ancestors who thought strength meant no need for thought. That’s why they’re like this. They can’t follow your zigzag path or track you behind trees.”

“What should I be grateful for? My heart’s about to explode.”

“They’re dumb. I guess I expected too much from you. Just run. Even though they have strict territorial boundaries, if you cross into another Tigrizzly’s zone, you could get surrounded.”

Noen spotted a thick branch and snapped it off.

“What are you doing?” Raven asked. “Its skin’s too tough for that twig.”

“Oh, tough skin, huh?” Noen muttered, glancing at the tree’s rope-like hair.

Raven smiled, understanding. “Quick, before it reaches you.”

Noen grabbed the thick strand.

“What’s your plan now?” Raven asked.

“I don’t know.”

“What? I thought you’d jump on it and strangle it.”

“That’s the goal. But humans can’t jump that high.”

“Humans from your world. Same here. Normal humans don’t leap like that.”

The Tigrizzly reached them and leapt toward Noen.

Its claws pierced Noen’s stomach and shirt, but Noen’s hands gripped its neck with the rope-like strand.

Thick and strong like a climbing rope, Noen thought.

His strength ended there. But luckily, the Tigrizzly was too dumb to have survival instincts.

It kept pressing its head forward, trying to eat Noen, until it choked itself.

It took about fifteen minutes by Noen’s world time for the Tigrizzly to suffocate and collapse on top of him.

“Wow, you actually killed it,” Raven said.

“Help me get this thing off.”

Raven lifted the beast with his beak. Despite appearances, Raven was strong.

“Immortal creature. I bet this isn’t even your true form,” Noen said, still lying down, exhausted and in pain. He reattached the seal ring once his wounds healed.

“Good guess. Now get up. When a territory owner dies, the neighbors will try to claim it.”

“I thought I’d get some rest.” Noen groaned, rising.

They left the area, hoping not to meet another Tigrizzly while the beasts fought over the newly vacant territory.

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