"You pervert, get your hands off me!"
She thrashed wildly, and in the process both of them fell into the water, her legs somehow ending up wrapped around the man's neck while he held onto her waist.
Tessa had no idea how she got into that position, but her eyes widened like open mangoes and she couldn't stop gaping at the man holding her.
Wait a damn minute…
Was this a beast man??
She asked herself and looked lower—past his chest, down toward the water—until she caught something moving beneath the surface.
She could have sworn she saw a fish tail swishing and paddling through the water, and she gulped.
The man was an ethereal beauty.
His hair was a pure bluish shade, resembling the sea itself, and his eyes were the same deep midnight blue.
His face was angular, with a beautiful jawline, a symmetrical nose, and sharp cheeks that made him look like one of those gorgeous Greek gods she had only heard about in stories.
Not like she had seen one before, but in her little mind, this was exactly how she had always imagined they would look.
And the particular one carrying her embodied everything sinful.
If she wasn't careful, it almost felt like all the men she had ever wished for were now being dropped around her like some twisted blessing.
"Tessa Yun, I have been waiting to talk to you for ages, and you're looking so different and beautiful this morning."
He spoke so earnestly that Tessa was instantly reminded that yes—this was indeed a beast man.
And to say he had been waiting to talk to her was confusing because from the original host's memories, she didn't remember meeting him before.
If anything, the only male she remembered clearly was that pompous lion beast who kept pushing her away.
"Thanks for your kind words, but according to courtesy, you don't carry a lady when she's bathing—especially when she's naked."
Her mind immediately caught up with that fact, and she tightly closed her legs as if he could somehow see through the water.
And her boobs were literally out in the open.
The shameless thing was even ogling them like he wanted to touch—if not for the hand slap she immediately gave him.
"Put me down now. So much for thinking you were normal. Forgetting that I'm in a fucking beast world."
As she complained, the man quickly put her down, and she splashed back into the water before swimming to a safer spot.
"Tessa Yun, you didn't ask for my name??"
He rushed after her and grabbed her again, and the two of them collided badly, tumbling face-first onto the riverbank.
The man ended up over her, his mouth brushing slightly against her temple.
Tessa froze.
For a moment, she was lost in a trance, pulled into those midnight-blue eyes.
That was until he opened his mouth to speak close to her—
And the stench of his breath hit her nose instantly.
As attractive as he was, every spark died immediately.
"Ewww, jeez…"
She held her breath, trying not to react too much so she wouldn't hurt his feelings.
But the merman just kept talking and talking, and before her very eyes, he transformed fully into his human form.
All gloriously naked.
And his joystick.
Damn.
The thing was literally dangling right in front of her eyes, and she kept staring without blinking, momentarily forgetting all about the stinky breath.
"You didn't ask me my name, Tessa Yun. I am Valen Xuan, and I want you to be my mate and partner."
He went straight to the point.
Tessa, who had been momentarily distracted by very inappropriate things, snapped back to reality and immediately stood up, covering her boobs and lower body with both hands.
"Close your eyes, man! Turn around! This is invasion of privacy!"
That was ridiculous because they were literally out in the open and she was the one who had been bathing naked, but still—
The young man actually turned around without arguing.
Tessa, who hadn't expected him to obey so willingly, scratched her head in confusion.
"I thought he'd be harsh. Why is he so calm and kind??"
She was genuinely lost because back in her world, men there would've already snapped at her with some vulgar insult.
"Dress up, Tessa. Let's go."
He spoke in a hurry, and Tessa looked at the clothes she had come with lying on the ground and grimaced.
No way.
She was not putting that bacteria-infested nonsense back on her body.
She wasn't about to get contaminated again.
"I don't have clothes. Can you help me with one??"
Tessa had no idea how possible that even was because where they were was basically the middle of nowhere.
All she could see were scanty trees and dry land that looked almost desert-like.
The only visible house was the abominable one the previous host had been living in.
Aside from that, the entire area looked abandoned, like no creature would willingly live there.
"I can help with that, Tessa! Let me get you clothes."
Valen jumped like this was the greatest opportunity of his life.
Before Tessa could say another word, he dashed to the side, climbed a tree with ridiculous speed, and then came back down holding a fabric-like thing.
It looked like some kind of leaf bikini panties.
The only difference was that it was literally made of leaves.
Tessa stared at the so-called outfit he handed to her.
"You like it, don't you?? How did I do? Isn't it beautiful?"
He kept throwing question after question until Tessa nearly lost count.
"They're good."
She smiled, though it definitely wasn't from the heart.
Because seriously—who would smile in a near-death situation like this?
They were both starving.
And looking around, she couldn't even spot anything edible.
Nothing seemed useful except a few poisonous-looking plants, which she could at least identify thanks to her agricultural knowledge—courtesy of her grandmother's overwhelming farm back in her old world.
Slowly, she made Valen turn around again, and she changed into the rag-looking outfit.
It barely covered her boobs and the lower part of her body, but since this was now the world she had entered, she knew she had to compromise.
While Valen still faced away from her, his stomach suddenly growled so loudly it got Tessa's attention.
Was the merman hungry??
"Wait… are you hungry??"
She asked, and to her surprise, the agile man turned around and faced her, looking oddly meek and quiet.
"Yes. I haven't eaten for a week now. Sometimes I survive on seaweed, but I can't anymore. There's no food around here, and it's getting worse."
That wasn't just his problem.
As Tessa stood there, her own body was swaying from the severe hunger clawing at her insides.
"But the tribe… I thought I came from a cat tribe??"
She asked casually, pretending she had forgotten something important, hoping the merman would explain.
And he sure did.
"Yes, you're from the cat tribe. But I don't know why you're here. And aside from that, the food problem is everywhere. No one can cultivate. Even though this place has been abandoned, there's still no hope."
Valen's ears drooped as he spoke of his troubles, and his stomach churned again.
Tessa shook her head, wondering why the man wasn't with his own people.
"And you? Where is your tribe??"
She asked while still looking around, hoping to spot at least one plant that could help.
Valen's face turned sour and sad.
"I'm now tagged a feral beast. I was rejected by my mate not too long ago, and if I don't get a new mate—which is almost impossible—I'll get corrupted and die in the worst possible way."
His voice came out strained, and Tessa, who hadn't been fully paying attention before, paused and looked at him properly.
For a brief moment, she actually felt sympathy for him.
"That's bad, Valen. So why don't we go together and help each other out… especially finding something to eat?"
She suggested, and his face instantly brightened.
The man started howling and jumping around like some deranged sea puppy.
He even ran over, grabbed Tessa in his arms, and spun her while shouting in joy and whistling some strange tune in between.
"Let me down before I collapse! And before we go into friendship mode, let's do a little game of brushing teeth."
Tessa let out a wide grin while pulling out two toothpicks.
Valen looked confused, but the moment she called it a game, he eagerly took one toothpick and played along.
Just as Tessa was about to show him what to do, the familiar mechanical sound interrupted her.
[Ding ding ding: First Official Task]
[Emergency Food Mission: Eat Something That Won't Kill You]
[Detected: Severe starvation.]
[Please consume safe calories before attempting to explore, or you will die minutes later.]