The battle ended, and once Zhao Jingyi completely relaxed, his body shrank back to its original size.
However, the injuries he had sustained while transformed into a bear did not lessen with it. Instead, they shrank proportionally, leaving a savage scar that ran through his entire chest and abdomen.
Flesh curled outward, and the faintly beating organs and bones beneath were clearly visible.
Yet Zhao Jingyi remained expressionless, as though nothing had happened. He clasped his hands toward Lincon in thanks.
"Thank you! If it hadn't been for you, I probably couldn't have done anything to it, much less kept this beast here."
"You're welcome." As he spoke, Lincon pointed at the Primordial Demon Lord's corpse. "This corpse is mine. You don't have any objections, right?"
Zhao Jingyi froze upon hearing that, not expecting the first thing Lincon asked for would be the spoils.
Although this was his first time meeting Lincon, he had learned quite a bit about him through various channels.
Ever since Lincon had cured Taiyi, the people on the Great Wall Defense Line had developed a much more favorable impression of him.
Even when the few A-Rank ability users ate and chatted together, they mostly had words of praise for him.
In fact, in everyone's eyes, even Tang Lin—who should have hated Lincon the most—would occasionally nod in silence and add, "He's actually a decent person. He's a friend worth getting to know."
"..."
Zhao Jingyi raised the hand that had been scorched black by magma.
In his palm, the heart the size of a stone ball, which had still been faintly beating moments ago, had only just stopped.
The magma lingering on its surface gradually cooled, turning into a dark-red hardened shell.
"If it hadn't been for you, this Abyssal Lord could never have died.