A deep instinct warned it that the weak-looking human standing before it possessed something capable of killing it.
The Death Flame Cerberus let out a threatening growl as all six crimson eyes locked onto Ben.
Seeing the monster’s attention shift toward him, Ben didn’t hesitate any longer.
He immediately threw the scroll forward.
The parchment burst into countless strands of black light.
They spread across the ground, forming a massive magic circle beneath the beast.
Chains made entirely of black energy shot upward.
The creature tried to dodge, but the chains wrapped around its legs, body, neck, and all three heads.
It roared and struggled with all its strength.
The black flames surrounding its body exploded violently, scorching the ground around it.
Even so, the chains continued tightening.
The beast fought with everything it had for nearly half a minute.
Eventually, its movements slowed.
The flames around its body gradually weakened.
Finally, it lowered all three heads and let out a quiet whimper in surrender.
The black chains slowly dissolved into countless particles of light.
At the same time, a familiar notification appeared before Ben.
[Congratulations! You have subdued an Undead Creature: Death Flame Cerberus.]
[Mission Complete.]
Ben blinked.
"That’s it?"
The giant black dog looked at him one last time before its body dissolved into countless black particles and vanished without a trace.
The unconscious woman collapsed onto the ground.
Ben hurried over to check on her.
She was still breathing, although her breathing was weak.
Looking around, Ben realized he was standing in an abandoned warehouse district.
There wasn’t a single person nearby.
Only empty buildings and silent streets surrounded the area.
"Well... that makes things easier."
He took off his jacket and gently covered the woman with it.
Then he carefully slid one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back before lifting her into a bridal carry.
She was surprisingly light.
As Ben looked at her face from up close, he couldn’t help but pause for a moment.
She was beautiful.
Even with blood stains on her armor and dust covering her clothes, her delicate features stood out. Her long silver hair rested against his arm, and despite her injuries, she looked peaceful while unconscious.
"Damn..."
"She really got hit hard."
Shaking his head, Ben carried her to his car.
He carefully placed her in the passenger seat, fastened the seatbelt around her, and closed the door.
After taking one last look at the now-empty warehouse, Ben got into the driver’s seat.
He started the engine and drove back toward his mansion.
"What am I supposed to do with her?" Ben muttered as he glanced at the unconscious woman beside him.
His mind wandered through the countless items stored inside his Sign-In System.
Surely, among the hundreds of rewards he had collected over the past year, there had to be something that could help treat her injuries.
As he drove, completely unaware of it, the woman slowly regained consciousness.
Vanessa remained perfectly still.
The moment she realized she was inside a moving vehicle, she immediately decided to pretend she was still unconscious.
Where am I?
Who’s driving?
She carefully tried to spread out her spiritual sense.
Nothing.
It barely extended a few centimeters before fading away.
Her injuries were far worse than she had expected.
How...?
How can a mortal see me?
Forget seeing me... how did he even touch me and bring me into his car?
She secretly observed the young man through half-closed eyes.
He looked completely ordinary.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of mana within his body.
Did the Death Flame Cerberus release enough mana during the battle to awaken him?
She continued observing him.
After a few moments, she shook her head inwardly.
No.
It doesn’t feel like that.
It’s as if he temporarily awakened .....is that why he have no mana but he can see me?
...Did he actually rescue me?
Unable to figure out the answer, Vanessa continued pretending to be unconscious.
Meanwhile, Ben had no idea she was awake.
As he drove, his eyes occasionally drifted toward her long silver hair.
"Her hair really is unusual."
He carefully picked up a single strand between his fingers while keeping one hand on the steering wheel.
"It feels completely natural."
"So it’s real..."
"Wow."
"Is she some kind of anime character or something?"
Vanessa’s eye twitched.
This bastard...
How dare he touch my hair?
She barely managed to suppress the urge to grab his hand.
If I didn’t need to keep my identity hidden...
I would have frozen him into an ice sculpture.
A few moments later, another thought crossed her mind.
Wait...
What happened to the Death Flame Cerberus?
She forced herself to use the last bit of magical energy she had left.
Her magical sense spread across the surrounding area, covering several kilometers.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of the Cerberus.
It had completely disappeared.
Did it retreat?
No... that’s impossible.
The Death Flame Cerberus would never abandon its prey.
Just then, the car slowly came to a stop.
Ben stepped out and walked around to the passenger side.
He unfastened Vanessa’s seatbelt before carefully lifting her into a bridal carry.
Vanessa almost lost control of her expression.
This... shameless mortal!
How dare he carry me like this?
She clenched her fists inwardly, resisting every urge to freeze him on the spot.
For now...
She could only continue pretending to be unconscious.
Ben carried Vanessa into the mansion and headed upstairs.
The house was quiet.
Since he lived alone, there was no one around to question why he had suddenly brought an unconscious woman home.
He entered one of the guest rooms and gently placed her on the bed.
After pulling a blanket over her, he took a step back and scratched his head.
"What am I supposed to do with her?"
"I can’t exactly take her to a hospital when other people can’t even see her."
"And what’s with this whole thing about only I can see her?"