Rustle! Rustle!
As Ren sprinted toward the source of the screams, several notification windows appeared before his eyes—just like the ones he had seen when he first encountered that strange System.
Ding!
[Your Agility has increased!]
[Your Stamina has increased!]
“Huh? What? Just by running, I can improve my agility and endurance?!” Ren muttered, a wide grin spreading across his face.
He could feel the effects immediately. His steps felt lighter and faster, while his lungs and heart withstood the strain of running far better than before.
“See this? Damn System! I chose the best possible skill set, didn’t I?!” he shouted inwardly, looking up toward the sky.
Of course, no reply came from the mysterious System.
Moments later…
Rustle!
Ren finally reached the source of the noise. He hid behind a large tree trunk to observe the situation.
“Nooo! Help! Someone please help me!!” a woman’s voice cried out from the middle of a group of men.
She was quite beautiful, armed only with a short sword. Her clothing was simple: a plain tunic with a thin layer of leather armor. Her long, lovely red hair was tangled and dull, as if she had been traveling for days.
“Heh… Relax, pretty Elara. We’re gonna show you a real good time…” whispered a bald man carrying a large axe.
“Hahaha! That’s right! Soon you’ll be begging for more!” another laughed.
“Please… Spare me…” the woman called Elara pleaded, her eyes glistening with tears as she imagined what awaited her.
Outnumbered by five brutal men, she stood no chance. Fight them? Her strength was far too little. Surrender? Let these scum have their way with her?
“Pretty thing… Come along, we’ll head back to our camp and have some fun, alright?” said a hunched man, his grimy fingers reaching out to grasp her chin with lecherous intent.
“Please…”
“Be a good girl and don’t struggle, and it won’t hurt. Just stay still and let us—”
SLASH!
Without warning, a blade sliced through the air and struck the man across the neck. It sank deep, then tore open his throat, sending blood gushing out in a violent stream.
“Eep?!” Elara gasped, frozen in shock.
The remaining four men instantly turned their attention toward the newcomer.
“Huh. So beheading someone isn’t as easy as it looks in the movies. Ah well, this is actually my first time cutting a man’s throat anyway,” Ren said, his tone oddly calm.
Yet his faint smile twisted in an instant into a terrifying, cold expression.
“Anyway… mind telling me why you’re harassing this girl, hmm?!”
The man who had been struck convulsed on the ground, blood pouring freely from his wound, staining the grass and earth around him a deep, ominous red.
“Bastard! You think you can get away with this?!” roared the bald leader, hefting his massive axe with both hands. “You’re dead meat! Bastard!!!”
The other three men also shifted their focus to Ren, ready to attack.
Having drawn their full attention, Ren glanced quickly at the red-haired girl and gave her a slight nod—silently telling her to run.
“I don’t know who you are, but thank you! Thank you so much!” Elara thought, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Without wasting another second, she turned and fled as fast as her legs could carry her.
“Hey! The girl’s getting away!”
“What?!”
SLASH!
The moment their eyes darted away, Ren seized the opening and struck again.
“Gaaarrghh! Aarrghh!!”
Clatter!
The second man cried out in agony, dropping his weapon and clutching his neck with both hands to stem the bleeding.
“Bastard! I’ll kill you!!!” the bald leader shouted, swinging his heavy axe with full force.
Swoosh! Crash!
Even a single blow from that axe could be fatal, but such a large weapon had a clear weakness: it moved slowly and its trajectory was incredibly easy to predict.
“Foolish brute. You think you can hit anyone with something that cumbersome?” Ren muttered, his gaze sharp and focused.
At that moment, new notifications flashed before his eyes.
[Swordsmanship has increased!]
[Agility has increased!]
“Damn notifications! Can’t you be quiet for once?!” Ren complained inwardly as he counterattacked.
Slash! Slash! Clang!
Three quick, precise strikes hit the bald man’s arms. The first two gashed deep into his forearms, while the third glanced off the metal plating of his armor.
“Aaaarrghh!!” he roared in pain. “What are you standing around for?! Kill him!!!” he snarled at his remaining men.
“S-Sorry, Boss!!!”
With both arms injured, the bald man could no longer lift his heavy axe—his muscles had been torn open by Ren’s blade.
“Hey! Don’t run, you coward! Stand and fight!” shouted one of the thugs.
Ren, who had appeared to be retreating, suddenly stopped short, spun around, and swung his sword horizontally in a wide arc.
Swoosh!
Slash!
The strike connected squarely with the man’s abdomen.
“Aarrghh!!!”
Spurt! Thud!
The wound was deep, causing him to lose massive amounts of blood in seconds before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
Only one man remained standing before Ren.
“Spare me… Please…” he begged, his voice trembling, dropping to his knees.
“Hmph… Spare you? When you were about to show no mercy to that girl just moments ago?” Ren replied coldly.
He walked forward slowly, his hand gripping his sword tightly, blood dripping steadily from its tip.
“Bastard… Who the hell are you?! What do you want?! Why are you interfering?! Did the Adventurer’s Guild send you?!” the man shouted, anger mixing with terror.
“Hmm? I have no idea what you’re babbling about, but let me make one thing clear… I will never let a beautiful girl be defiled by trash like you,” Ren answered, leveling his blade at the man’s chest.
“What?! You could have just joined us! Now look—she ran away, and this is all your fault!!!” the thug yelled, tears of fear streaming down his face.
“You think I’m crazy? Who would ever want to share a woman with the likes of you? Of course I want her all to myself,” Ren said with a smirk.
“Hah?! So you’re just after her yourself?!”
Ren did not reply, but his mind was filled with questions.
“What’s going on? I know I’m not naturally this strong. The effects of the skills I chose shouldn’t kick in this fast… so what’s the reason?”
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, a familiar blue hologram window popped up, as if it could read his very thoughts.
[Answering your question!]
[Your current strength comes from the D-Rank Reinforced Leather Armor you are wearing. It significantly boosts your base stats, bringing you up to the level of an average E-Rank human.]
“Oh, so that’s it? Thanks to this stupid armor? Hahaha… Interesting. But why can you read my thoughts, huh?!” Ren shouted inwardly, half-annoyed, half-impressed.
[I am merely answering the questions you ask within your own mind…]
“Fine, but stop reading my thoughts altogether!!!”
Swish!
Ren flicked his sword, sending the blood flying in a crescent arc across the ground.
“Mercy… Spare me… I just don’t want to die…” the man whimpered, shaking uncontrollably in the face of Ren’s cold gaze.
“Mercy, you say? Didn’t that girl beg for mercy just a moment ago? Did any of you show her even an ounce of kindness?!” Ren asked, stepping closer.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The man’s heart hammered against his ribs, knowing full well his life would end in mere seconds.
“I swear… I’ll change… I’ll become a good man… Just please—”
“Oh? You’re serious? You promise?” Ren asked, his grin turning terrifyingly wide.
“Yes! I promise! Spare my life!!!”
SLASH!
Taking advantage of the man’s desperate hope, Ren drove his blade straight through his throat, severing it halfway as blood sprayed out in a gush.
“Gaaagh… I…”
Thud.
That was all he could utter before his body crumpled to the ground, dead from massive blood loss.
“You think I’d believe the empty promises of scum like you, huh?! I’ve met far too many liars and cheats in my old world, so I won’t be fooled again!” Ren declared firmly.
He turned back toward the bald man, the only one left alive but gravely wounded.
“I hope you haven’t gone too far, my beautiful red-haired lady… because we haven’t even properly introduced ourselves yet,” Ren thought to himself with a faint, confident smile.