"Yuck! Why would I ever go with you?!" Cecilia spat, her voice filled with utter disgust.
Of all the things she could've said, that—that was her first response to the bandits.
Yuck.
I couldn't begin to guess what was going through her head when she threw that word out without the slightest hesitation.
Not a flinch, not a second thought.
But I knew one thing for sure—there's no way that guy was just gonna take that insult and shrug it off.
"What did you just say?" the leader growled, his face twitching.
"Did… did she just say yuck?" another voice muttered behind him, disbelief dripping from every syllable.
The bandit leader stood frozen for a beat, his eyes wide like he'd been slapped in the face and couldn't process it.
Then, like a dam breaking, fury poured out of him.
"What the fuck did you just say?!" he roared, his voice booming with raw anger.
He didn't even try to hide how pissed he was.
He clenched his fist, his jaw grinding. He looked ready to explode.
"You heard me!" Cecilia snapped back without batting an eye. There wasn't even a trace of hesitation in her voice, like she hadn't just insulted a dangerous man. "I said I don't want to go with you. You're obviously planning something disgusting, aren't you? I've had plenty of guys look at me the same way you are now—with that same filthy glint in their eyes. So no. I'm not staying here a second longer. Let's go, Lady Goddess."
She turned to leave, her hair whipping behind her, confident and defiant.
But then, something growled.
"Grrr…"
"Rggghhh…"
Two gray-furred beasts lunged forward, fangs bared, claws scraping against the dirt.
The Gray Wolves snarled and blocked her path.
"Eeeek!"
Cecilia screamed, her bravado cracking for the first time.
Really? She could stare down a bandit leader without flinching, but two wolves sent her into a panic?
Still… that wasn't what bothered me the most.
No—what the hell were all these magical beasts doing here in the first place?
Wait. No. Maybe I was asking the wrong question.
It wasn't random.
I could see it now—those wolves were being controlled.
By him.
That had to be it.
That's what was behind this bizarre sight.
A massive swarm of monsters, all gathered here like some kind of coordinated invasion.
This wasn't just a migration.
No, it was something far more organized.
A literal monster colony—carnivores, herbivores, and all sorts of strange creatures, standing side by side.
Claws and horns.
Fur and scales.
Fangs and hooves.
Different shapes.
Different sizes.
All breathing in sync, waiting for the man who stood at their center.
"You really don't get it," the bandit leader sneered, his voice turning cold and cruel. "Once you step into this area, there's no going back. I was being generous when I said I'd let the boy live. But well—I'd be lying if I said I planned to let him go that easily."
His eyes gleamed with twisted satisfaction.
"I would've loved to see him screaming his lungs out, running through the forest while a pack of Gray Wolves ripped into him. Not that he'd get far—probably end up torn into bloody chunks, his limbs chewed off while he was still alive."
So… he never planned to let me go in the first place? Of course. What a classic, grade-A piece of shit move.
"Hey, Goddess…" I turned to the one beside me, keeping my voice low. "It's obvious now—this power he's using to control the beasts… it's gotta be a blessing. So tell me—why the hell did you give that kind of gift to someone like him?"
I expected her to shrink back, maybe look guilty and say she messed up.
I thought she'd bury her face in shame and whisper an apology.
But she didn't do any of that.
Instead, she just shook her head slowly and firmly.
"I've never given anyone that blessing before," she said, her voice quiet but clear. "Especially not someone like him."
"What?" I blinked, my pulse skipping. "What do you mean?"
"I mean I've never granted the Beast Tamer Blessing to anyone. Not to him. Not to anyone."
What…?
What was she saying?
She's the one who gives blessings, right?
"No… it's possible," she continued, her voice carrying a bitter edge now. "It's possible I've already been replaced. And someone else gave him that blessing."
Replaced.
So another goddess was out there now.
One who gives out blessings to twisted people like this?
Wait—no. That wasn't the same.
The goddess standing next to me may be clumsy, maybe even a little slow, but she never gave her blessings to evil people.
The one who replaced her… she must be different.
That other goddess wasn't like the one by my side.
This one here—she might be naïve, but she could still tell the difference between good and evil.
Which means… we might really be in danger.
"Goddess, can you take him on?" I asked, my voice low, tense, as my eyes stayed locked on the monstrous man before us.
She narrowed her eyes, lips tight with hesitation. "I think it's possible… but with that many beasts at his command, it won't be easy. Right now, I'm nothing more than a glass cannon with strong offense and zero defense. And I can only cast fire magic. Alone, I don't think I'd stand a real chance."
"What are the two of you mumbling about?" the bandit leader growled, clearly agitated by being ignored. His voice came out rough and mocking. "Do you even understand the situation you're in? Ha! Fine, I'll spell it out! The name's Durden Sercha! I'm the proud owner of the Beast Tamer Blessing!"
He spread his arms wide, like some twisted showman basking in his own filth.
"With the power of this divine gift, I can command any beast and bend them to my will like obedient pets. If I tell them to chew someone's bones to bits and parade the pieces around like a trophy? Oh, they'll do it! Carnivores, herbivores—it doesn't matter. They all obey me!"
Every word he spat felt like acid, burning away whatever faint hope lingered in the air.
What kind of reckless goddess would give someone like him that sort of power?
The thought alone made my skin crawl.
It was terrifying.
Dangerous beyond belief.
Suddenly, a deep, menacing growl filled the air.
The Gray Wolves surrounded us in a slow, suffocating circle, their glowing yellow eyes piercing through the shadows like fireflies of death.
The fur along their backs bristled, and their lips curled to reveal blood-stained fangs.
They weren't just beasts... they were hunters. And we were their prey.
Gray Wolves were considered just E-rank monsters by the adventurers' guild, but that rating was misleading.
When they were alone, sure.
But in a pack, they were lethal.
Their coordination, speed, and overwhelming numbers made them a three-star threat.
Cecilia instinctively stepped back, the cold edge of fear creeping into her eyes.
Her breath caught as she reached for the hilt at her side and yanked her sword free in one swift motion.
"G-Go away!" she screamed, her voice shaking as she swung wildly at the beasts closing in.
Her blade sliced through the air with desperation, but the wolves didn't even flinch.
They crept closer, snarls deepening, drool dripping from their fangs.
"Hahahaha!" bandit leader's laughter boomed like thunder across the field. "There's no way you're getting out of here now! The two of you will become my sex slaves and will be mine forever! And as for that fuckin' loser behind you? He'll be ripped apart and fed to the wolves by nightfall!"
My blood ran cold.
His words were revolting.
The malice in them hit like a punch to the gut.
This wasn't just a fight anymore—this was a nightmare.
I didn't expect this.
I didn't think things would go this bad this early in my journey.
Because of me… the Goddess and Cecilia were now in danger.
I clenched my fists, trembling.
I hated how useless I felt.
How powerless I was.
I couldn't protect them. I couldn't even protect myself.
And it was all because of my lack of talent.
"Sirius?" the Goddess turned to me, her voice soft but strained, seeing the frustration on my face.
She could feel the weight dragging me down.
"I'm not going to let you take them…" I muttered, eyes on the ground, voice thick with emotion.
"Huh?"
The bandit cocked his head, his face twisting into something between confusion and amusement.
"Are you fuckin' serious right now?" he barked. "You think you have a say in this? What are you gonna do? Fight us? With what? That cheap-ass sword hangin' on your belt?"
Yeah. This sword may have been cheap. But it was my father's sword.
It was the only thing he ever bought with his own hard-earned gold.
The only thing he trusted with his life during his adventuring years.
He was just like me. Inept. Unremarkable. Struggling to keep up.
His swordsmanship was barely passable. And when I asked him to teach me, he couldn't do much more than the basics.
But this sword—it was proof.
Proof that even someone like him could survive.
And maybe I could too.
I gripped the hilt tightly, pulled the blade from its scabbard, and slowly raised it, trying to form a stance.
My legs felt like jelly.
My arms trembled slightly.
The stance was shaky. Unrefined. Completely amateurish.
"Fuhahahaha!" bandit leader exploded into laughter, practically clutching his sides. "That's how you hold a sword?! That's your stance?! Hahahaha! Oh my fuck, you're hilarious!"
The other bandits joined in, laughing, howling like drunk men, pointing at me like I was a jester in a pit.
"Well then…" bandit leader said, grinning like a madman, "I guess I can humor you for a bit before I really get serious."
With a sharp motion, he unsheathed both daggers at his waist and began twirling them effortlessly between his fingers, the blades glinting under the light.
"I should enjoy myself a little before the main course," he sneered.
"Sirius, wait!" the Goddess cried out, reaching toward me—but before she could get close, one of the wolves leapt in front of her, teeth bared, stopping her dead in her tracks.
"Hey now," bandit leader sneered at her, his voice taking on a darker tone, "Don't get impatient. Wait your damn turn. I'll ravish you thoroughly after I'm done with this pathetic fool. Actually… I've got a better idea. I'll fuck both of you right in front of him. I want him to watch and watch every one of my men fuck you while he's being eaten alive by my dogs."
"Do you really think I'll let you do that?" I asked coldly, lifting my eyes to meet his.
"You won't?" bandit leader tilted his head mockingly. "And just what the fuck is gonna stop me, huh? That toy sword of yours? That laughable excuse of a stance? You're entertaining, I'll give you that. Maybe instead of fighting, you should just become our personal jester. At least then, you'd be useful."
He took a single step forward.
"One more step and I'll burn you alive," the Goddess hissed, her voice low but firm, eyes locked onto him with blazing resolve.
A sphere of searing flame materialized above her palm, crackling and pulsing like a heartbeat.
Even though she was completely surrounded by a pack of magical beasts, it was clear that she didn't want me to fight this man.
But we didn't have any other choice.
Over the past few days I'd spent traveling with her, I'd come to understand one thing, that despite being a goddess, she wasn't all-powerful in her current form. Far from it.
She was fragile.
Her divine body barely held its shape.
The only thing she could conjure was fire—
Hot and deadly, yes, but limited.
Just like she'd told me herself, she was a glass cannon.
"Hehehe... Fire magic, huh?" the bandit leader sneered, licking his lips. "You'll be plenty useful to me. I'll tame you so thoroughly, just like I did with these beasts."
All around us, the gray wolves let out low, rumbling growls that echoed in the clearing like thunder rolling across the ground.
"You're not afraid?" the Goddess asked.
"Afraid?" He laughed. "Do you really think I'd let myself get hit when I've got a wall of meatshields ready to die for me?"
Without waiting for a reply, she hurled the fireball directly at him, the burning sphere arcing like a comet.
But before it could reach its mark, one of the gray wolves leapt up with a furious snarl, intercepting the attack mid-air.
The fireball exploded on impact, engulfing the beast in flame.
The air filled with the stench of scorched fur and burning flesh.
The wolf hit the ground hard, twitching before going still.
Smoke coiled around the corpse, but the man just grinned wider.
"See?" he said smugly. "Told you that shit won't work on me."
Then, with a sudden burst of speed, he charged forward—
An ominous blur against the backdrop of fire and growls.
In less than a heartbeat, he vanished from our direct line of sight and reappeared behind the girls.
Neither Cecilia nor the Goddess even had the time to react before his daggers were already pressing against their throats, the cold steel glinting against their skin.
"I could kill you both right now," he whispered, his tone disturbingly calm and intimate.
Then he backed off just slightly, still smirking like he owned the world.
"But where's the fun in that?" he added, voice dripping with cruel delight. "I want to see your fear. Taste it. Let it build up until it's ripe… before I enjoy myself." He dragged his tongue across the blade of one dagger, leaving a trail of saliva on the metal. "But before all that—I'll humor you a bit. Why don't you try coming at me?"
He raised both daggers loosely to his sides, wide open.
It was like he wasn't even guarding himself.
Like he didn't need to.
That smug attitude lit a fire in my chest—but... I couldn't deny it.
He wasn't bluffing.
If I charged in, it would be a joke of a fight.
I'd just be wildly swinging a sword while he effortlessly dodged or parried every move, dancing around me like I was a clumsy child.
Even with how useless I felt most days, even I could tell—
This man was absurdly skilled with blades.
If I rushed him now, I'd just be setting myself up to be humiliated. Or worse.
"You won't make the first move? Hah, coward," he spat. "Then I'll do it myself!"
And just like that, he lunged at me.
His movements were sharp and precise—like a beast on the hunt.
He wasn't so fast he vanished or blurred from sight.
No, I could still see him clearly... and that made it even more terrifying.
Because I knew he was coming.
I just couldn't stop it.
I raised my sword with both hands, bracing to block the incoming attack.
The moment our weapons collided, I felt it.
The impact was brutal—!
A jolt that tore through my arms and exploded up into my elbows. It was like being hit with a hammer wrapped in steel.
My fingers trembled from the shock, and the blade I held wobbled violently in my grip.
It almost turned on me, nearly slicing into my own shoulder as the force knocked my sword back.
My grip wasn't strong enough.
Or maybe—no.
It wasn't just me.
He was strong.
Far stronger than anyone I'd ever faced.
"What's wrong now?!" he snarled, his face inches from mine. "Is this all you've got?! You can't even block right! Your fuckin' sword just bounced off!"
"Guh...!" I gritted my teeth and tried pushing against him with everything I had—but he didn't even budge.
Not even an inch.
Instead, I was the one shoved backward.
My feet scraped against the dirt as I tried to hold my ground.
And then, as a last-ditch effort, I slashed horizontally at his waist in a wide, sweeping arc.
But he read it like a book.
And countered immediately.
Like it was nothing.