Clank!

The spear of the bone monster struck Cynthia's shield. Another monster raised its mace, aiming straight for her head.

Cynthia activated her shield's skill.

"Obliterate!"

The single eye embedded in the shield snapped open, releasing a vapor of darkness that engulfed the bone monster's spear. The creature immediately let go of its weapon and leapt back.

"Darkness Slash!"

Cynthia slashed her blade in a horizontal arc. A black aura trailed from the blade as it carved forward, crashing into the chest of the mace-wielding monster.

Clunk!

The impact sent the creature flying backward into the water. Its mace clattered to the ground with a heavy thud.

All of this happened in mere seconds.

The monster that leapt back pulled two ribs from its own torso. As it gripped them, the bones twisted and reshaped into a pair of daggers. Without pause, it sprinted toward Cynthia, daggers poised to strike.

Ping! Ping! Clank!

The sound of steel clashing with bone echoed across the port as their battle raged on. The bone monster attacked with blinding speed, leaving Cynthia no room to breathe. She was forced backward by its relentless assault. Most of the strikes were deflected by her shield, and she countered with her blade, but the monster's bones were incredibly tough. Even a direct slash barely seemed to affect it.

As Cynthia focused on defending and searching for a way to take down this stubborn creature, suddenly from the surface of the water, the bone monster she had knocked away earlier burst into the air. With a swift motion, it released a sharp, elongated bone resembling a javelin and hurled it straight at her.

Pisshh!

The javelin struck Cynthia's right calf dead-on. She winced in pain and dropped to one knee, sweat pouring from her face as blood seeped from the wound.

The dagger-wielding monster lunged, swinging both blades, while the other prepared to throw another bone javelin at her.

Cynthia tried to stand, but the pain was overwhelming. Her leg trembled, refusing to support her.

She looked at the incoming attacks, drawing closer with every heartbeat…

Am I dying here? Without learning the truth behind Father and Mother's deaths?

Regret filled her heart, regret that had haunted her endlessly. And yet, somewhere beneath the sorrow… she also felt a flicker of relief.

Maybe… this is freedom, freedom from all the despair she had endured for years.

She slowly closed her eyes, ready to receive the final blow…

"Aero Slash!"

"Iron Bullet Spike!"

Out of nowhere, voices of men echoed nearby. When she opened her eyes, two figures now stood beside her, both clad in fluttering robes, one red, one blue.

The dagger-wielding monster was struck by the airborne slash, sent tumbling backward, while the javelin was deflected mid-flight.

"Do not worry, my lady. We are here to save you," said the red-haired, chubby man with a playful wink.

---

5 minutes earlier...

"We're lost," I said as I walked slowly near a half-collapsed building. After we took down the elite rabbit, our plan was to rendezvous in town, near the district area.

Linus said he had been here once, years ago. So he took the lead. But after nearly thirty minutes of turning corner after corner, we still hadn't reached the district.

"You said you've been here before, how come you don't know the location?" Bob asked, drinking from his water bottle.

"I told you, it's been years since I last came here. The town's changed a lot since then. I thought it would still be the same... but I was wrong," Linus replied.

He was still riding Plump, ever since I summoned it during the rabbit horde attack. He seemed to really enjoy the ride, meanwhile, I, the legitimate owner, was left walking on my own two feet.

I looked up at the sky, the sun was already high, nearing afternoon. Daisy Town was clearly much larger than Lily Town, at least two or three times the size. In front of us, I could see the port area. Ships were docked along the harbor, but most were broken or destroyed. Some were even still burning.

"Let's move again. I think they're not far from here," Linus said, pulling Plump's reins to get it moving.

"Easy for you to say. You've been riding that chicken for half an hour while we've been walking like slaves," Bob grumbled, clearly irritated.

"This is training for you. Didn't both of you say you wanted to increase your stamina and strength? Well, now here's your chance," Linus replied.

He was right. We had asked him and William to train us, to help us become stronger. Even though we had a cheat-like system, the basics were still important. Without them, we'd just like monkeys holding swords.

Ping! Clunk!

Suddenly, the sound of metal clashing echoed from somewhere nearby. We turned a corner and saw someone fighting near the port area, close to the ships. As we squinted, we could make out the figure battling two white monsters.

"Those are skeletons," I muttered, narrowing my eyes.

"Let's go help!" Linus said, already about to move.

"Wait!" I grabbed his arm, eyes locked on the lone fighter. I focused, trying to get a better look.

It was a woman, with black hair and a black sword. Hmm… where have I seen her before? My mind scrambled through old memories, especially anything under the 'danger' category.

Then, she fell to her knees. The two skeletons closed in, ready to strike the final blow.

No time to think. We need to move now.

"Alan!" Bob shouted.

"Go!" I responded.

Bob activated Tailwind Step, boosting his speed before leaping forward and gliding toward the woman. I ran forward, then used Dash Slash, narrowing the distance instantly.

---

Back to the present…

I looked at the woman more closely, and felt my heart skip a beat.

This woman… I saw her at the cemetery a few days ago.

A dangerous woman. A very dangerous one.

Did we just save the wrong person?

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