Hutson gripped the hexagonal wooden plate in his hand, feeling a sudden warmth flood through his body.
The oppressive cold that had locked his limbs in place faded, and his mana, once sluggish and restrained, flowed freely again.
Croak! Croak!
The giant toad hopped closer, its bulbous golden eyes fixed on him.
And for the first time—
Shivaro showed fear.
The abyssal entity's twisted face contorted, its hair rising on end like bristling quills.
The toad clambered to Hutson's feet, staring up at him, croaking insistently.
Though he couldn't understand its cries, he could feel that it bore no hostility toward him.
It sniffed the air around him with an unsettling human-like motion, then slowly turned its gaze to Shivaro.
A moment later—
Shivaro flinched.
Its tendrils of black hair stiffened, standing straight up as if electrified.
Croak!
The toad let out a sharp cry and began advancing.
