Inside a cave, the quiet sound of dripping water echoed in the background.
A red-haired woman with a blank expression sat silently, watching a white-haired young man with his eyes closed, his arm severed.
This was the sa place where Benedict had once been tied up. The woman had found him lying unconscious in the middle of a dark forest, a wolf corpse beside him.
She had checked his breath at the ti, he was still alive. Her assumption was that Benedict had fainted after a fight with the wolf.
So she carried him back to her temporary hideout, a cave hidden deep within the woods.
And just in case he woke up violent or tried to run, she tied him down. It was a precaution. This forest wasn't exactly safe, after all.
The woman had already used her healing skill to stabilize Benedict's condition. But his arm—what was left of it—was still gushing blood. The bleeding hadn't stopped.
She glanced at the torch beside her, then blew out its fla.
With calm, practiced hands, she stuffed a piece of cloth into Benedict's mouth.
Then, without hesitation, she pressed the searing hot torch against the open wound on his arm, cauterizing it.
The sll of burning flesh filled the air. The pain was blinding. Benedict's eyes shot open as he scread into the cloth, muffled and strangled.
"MMMMPH!"
His teeth clenched down, his body spasming as the fire seared through him.
"Bear with it. Just for a mont," the woman said flatly, pressing the torch deeper into his wound.
Who is this woman?!
"Mmmgghhh!!"
Benedict squeezed his eyes shut, jaw trembling, biting down harder as the unbearable pain pushed him to the edge of consciousness.
Finally, the cruel procedure ended. The bleeding had stopped, but the wound had turned black, charred and horrifying.
She pulled the cloth from his mouth. Benedict gasped desperately for air, sucking in sharp breaths.
The first thing he did was open his status.
Panting, Benedict stared at the numbers. Sohow... he'd been healed. His health had recovered.
His gaze shifted to the red-haired woman in front of him. Her expression was still flat, and those golden eyes of hers... completely lifeless.
System, who the hell is this woman?
[Have you forgotten already, Master? She's one of the strongest people in this entire novel world.]
Benedict's heart skipped a beat. mories flooded back.
Red hair like blood. Golden, soulless eyes.
This woman was...
One of the strongest beings in the entire kingdom.
A Celest-tier Ascendant.
Alice.
What is soone like her doing here?
"...Is there sothing on my face?" she asked, tilting her head, noticing the way Benedict looked at her like she was a monster.
He snapped out of it.
He cleared his throat. "First of all, thank you for saving . If I may ask, what's your na?"
"You're welco. My na doesn't matter. I want to know, what were you doing in that forest, Benedict Veritas? The infamous son of a Duke?"
"I was training," Benedict replied confidently. He had to hold his ground. Especially in front of soone like her.
"Training, huh?" she said, voice emotionless. That blank look on her face made his lips twitch nervously.
What does she want from ?!
"I an it. I was training," he repeated.
Alice leaned in, bringing her face inches from his.
"Does 'training' an training until you die?"
How does she know?!
Benedict opened his mouth but couldn't speak. His mind was blank. He couldn't co up with a single excuse.
"Phoenix Rebirth. A unique trait... Did you inherit it from your bloodline?" she asked, resting a hand on his shoulder.
System!! How the hell does she know about that skill?!
[Have you forgotten again, Master?]
Do you seriously expect to rember hundreds of Chapters in my head?! Are you kidding ?!
[...]
The system went quiet for a mont, then answered.
[Alice possesses dozens of powerful skills, including True Sight, Tier-A evolved version. It lets her read people's status at will.]
True Sight...?! Wait...! That ans she knows about Hypnosis?!
[Relax, Master. Hypnosis is a skill granted by , not the Essence System. No one can detect it.]
Benedict exhaled deeply, relieved.
"...Yeah, I got it from my ancestors. It ca through the feature," he said, choosing to be honest.
Alice gave a slight nod. She looked intrigued. A trait like that... if she could take it from him, she wouldn't hesitate to kill him right then and there.
"And how exactly did a rookie like you defeat that wolf? Alone?"
Oh, keep asking questions, why don't you?!
"Sheer luck. I guess."
"Hm..."
Alice was even more curious now. No ordinary beginner could take down a wolf like that.
"By the way... were you the one who brought here?" he asked.
"Yes," she said simply.
So it wasn't the goblin
"Then... why did you tie up?"
"To keep you from running off."
Keep from running off?! I almost died here because of that damn goblin!
"...Why this cave though? Why not take sowhere safer?" Benedict frowned. This whole thing was suspicious.
Alice went quiet. Her golden eyes stared directly into his.
"I... don't know."
...What?
What do you an you don't know?!
Benedict cursed internally. Then quickly shook his head, just in case she could sohow read his mind.
He gulped. Then asked in a quiet voice.
"...So, can you take out of this cave now?"
Alice, who had been crouching, stood up. She looked down at him, sitting weakly and cradling what was left of his arm.
"Of course."
She turned around, raising her hand up to chest level.
Dark energy began to swirl from thin air, converging in her palm to form a pitch-black dagger.
She slashed it in an arc, drawing a glowing plus sign in mid-air. The space before them cracked open, a black rift appeared, revealing a starry night sky inside.
Benedict's eyes widened.
A long-range teleportation skill?! Just how many abilities does this woman have?!
"Can you stand?" she asked, holding out her hand.
Benedict took it. She lifted him effortlessly. She was taller than him, understandable, considering he was only fifteen.
"Follow ," Alice said, stepping through the rift.
She vanished.
Benedict gritted his teeth through the pain in his missing arm and quickly followed after her.
---
As he stepped out of the rift, Benedict felt his head spinning. Nausea punched him in the gut.
They had erged in a narrow alleyway. In the distance, he could see lights, people walking past casually. It was night, no one could see them here.
But the teleportation had ssed with his body.
"BLERRGHH!!" Benedict puked violently against the alley wall.
Alice simply watched with the sa neutral expression. This was normal. Most people couldn't handle her teleportation skill on the first try.
"...You done?" she asked, tilting her head.
Benedict nodded, pale as a sheet. These past one days or maybe two days had been so exhausting.
"Go on then," Alice said, motioning toward the end of the alley with her chin.
"Huh? What about you?"
"Just go."
Benedict frowned. This woman was seriously weird.
Still, he obeyed. He walked out of the alleyway, his clothes torn, his left arm gone.
But just as he stepped into the light—
"I'll see you again soon," ca a quiet whisper behind him.
Benedict spun around.
She was gone.
"...See again?" he muttered under his breath.
----
Author note:
Sorry I didn't update yesterday, I got too distracted playing a "Horse Racing Ga" and totally forgot to update this novel. Tehee~ 😙
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