Melissa stared at Liam’s back as he stepped through the portal. She was not exactly enthusiastic about him basically taking a break, but she knew humans needed a break here and there, as well as supplies to keep going. She had learned as much from her past curiosities. It was a disappointing limitation of mortals, one she planned to slowly remove from Liam over time.
As he disappeared from her sight, she dropped the boundary spell. It was not like she actually needed the protection. In fact, she would much prefer it if somebody or something stepped up to her; she could use the distraction.
Maybe I could just leave while he is gone; it is not as if I actually need to be here to keep the portal open or the place safe. I could just put a different boundary spell and have a little fun with a few monsters or adventurers.
The camp was boring; the outside had potential to have fun. The choice was clear. She had not even finished considering the idea fully by the time she started actually going through with it. The boundary spell was up, and she was out.
She was stalking the woods with a predator’s grace. She had come across a few monsters but hadn’t really wasted her time stopping to gather the cores or take her time playing. They were not fun enough toys to bother with, so she had just killed them as she moved without even slowing down. The monsters’ bodies were not even on the floor after they died. There were no traces of them ever being there.
She finally came across a group of four adventurers gathering the fruits of their hunt. Her eyes shimmered as she circled the group.
Three C-ranks and a B-rank… I hope they have more spirit than the useless party of five from before. Maybe if I am lucky, they will even make toys as entertaining as him.
She put up another boundary spell to ensure they would not be disturbed by anything. One of the C-rankers, a woman in wizard robes, perked up.
“Guys… There is a shift in the ambient mana. It’s like all of it just gone. I think we’re inside a boundary spell.”
The B-rank was the first one to react to her words by drawing his sword. He knew all too well what a boundary spell surrounding a group was used for. He wasn’t sure why anyone would try to go for them, especially on a high floor such as this. It was actually surprising to come across someone who could use a boundary spell this high up. Still, there was no room for mistakes; if the party was capable of using a boundary spell, then it was likely they were close to them in overall rank.
“Get ready, we’re most likely being hunted by another party.”
The warning had just left his mouth as Melissa stepped out of the shadows of the treeline. Her pace was unhurried, moving like she had not just declared her intention to hunt them in all but words.
“Stop where you are. State your intentions before we move to kill you.”
The man’s voice was laced with the tremor of slight confusion. He could not make sense of why a woman in what looked like healer garb would approach alone. It was most likely a trap to draw them in for an ambush by her friends, a very risky tactic he himself would never approve of. Everyone knew you did not risk your healer so early; they were the backbone of the party and essential to its survival, especially when confronting a party of humans.
Melissa tilted her head as if the question was utterly ridiculous and confusing. She laughed.
“I am obviously here to kill you. What kind of a stupid question was that?”
The party was taken aback with her directness and the sheer confidence in her stride and voice. It was almost like she treated them like a joke. That sent shivers down the B-ranked man’s spine. The only reason why she would be so nonchalant was that she was either an A-rank healer who could heal at a speed they couldn’t match when damaging before her friends came along, or that her friends at least had an A-rank who could stop them fast enough that she did not feel threatened. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
“Oh, why the hesitation? I am all alone here; you have no need to worry about an ambush by unseen assailants. It is just us within these bounds, darlings. Just let loose and show me what you got.”
The smile on her face was flawless, radiating a fake warmth that was chilling. The mage-attired woman was the first one to act. She sent a fireball towards her, which just made her smile widen, appearing manic.
She dodged out of the way, not because she actually needed to, but because her latest trial with those fools had shown her that she needed to give the fools a fighting chance. If they did not think they could win, then they gave up too fast. The experiment was to find out if they were as fun as he was, and that meant that, like him, they had to believe they could win their fights. She had to make it seem possible but challenging, like how she had set up that triple goblin ambush.
Her movements were always just fast enough to be a little more than what the B-rank could match. She only used enough strength to barely push him back. She only used the mana she needed to match the mage.
To an outsider, it looked like the party was fighting her to a standstill. He, on the other hand, knew perfectly well that they were losing. He was experienced enough to know when a foe was not going all out. He could see the way his friends were starting to strain. How she was not.
The bitch is toying with us. She isn’t even taking us seriously, and the worst part is that she’s still pushing us back without even trying.
It stung his pride. He was one of the strongest members of the guild, ranking just below the few A-rankers and the only two S-rankers within the entire kingdom. He knew who those people were; he knew she was not one of them. It did not make sense that she could treat him and his party the same way they would.
Melissa grabbed hold of the arm of the other warrior in the party, a burly man with a hammer. She pulled him closer, her grip a vice the man could not break, no matter how much he tried. She stared into his eyes.
Pathetic. He is already nearing his breaking point and giving up.
Just like that, the man had stopped being interesting, so she twisted the arm. A loud, sickening crack echoed through the battlefield as his arm bent in a way no human limb was ever meant to do. Soon enough, the sound of his cries followed suit before she saw the complete surrender in his eyes. She did not waste any more time on him, just stepped on his skull and crushed it under her heel.
He took a step back. His sword hand was shaking now.
That was too fast. I didn’t even have time to react. Is she an S-rank from another kingdom?”
The party had stopped attacking. He could not swing with the same confidence anymore, and the woman behind her sounded like she was running out of mana, her breathing far too strained for someone who had not actually physically fought.
Melissa also stopped. Her eyes scanned the remaining trio.
“Are you done already? I only broke one little man; surely the rest of you have more fire than that. Do not tell me a single drop of blood was enough to extinguish the flame inside.” This story is hosted at novelping(.)com.
“Who are you, where do you come from?”
His questions took her by surprise. She was not usually asked about her origins; her prey usually just called her a monster or other names before breaking fully. This was an interesting change.
“I am Melissa. I am afraid I can not really give you a place of origin; it has been far too long for me to actually recall. To be perfectly honest, I am not actually sure if there was ever a name to begin with. We can just say I am not exactly from around here and move on, I suppose.”
Her smile did not waver as she conversed in a casual tone. Something that bothered him even more. It was clear she was not treating any of them with a speck of respect; she was not even pretending otherwise. He gritted his teeth and swung. He had sworn to kill monsters like her after losing his first party to adventurers who would kill their own for profit and fun. He hated her guts for doing what she had done to his friend.
Melissa stepped out of the way of the vertical swing, twirling as if she were simply dancing as she moved to the side. She was simply happy he had not given up yet; perhaps, like Liam, this one also had some potential. Her eyes landed on the healer, and the mage and her glee quickly turned to disgust. She could see they had already given up.
Worthless.
Life was meant to be a struggle, and the fact that those two had given up meant they had forfeited their rights to drawing breath. She did the only thing that made sense to her, driving her hand through the healer’s chest; she ripped out his heart and then shoved it into the mage’s mouth and down her throat. One was dead on the floor with a missing heart, and the other was choking to death on the said heart before the B-rank’s eyes had a chance to blink.
He dropped to his knees.
No, I was wrong. She isn’t a monster like them; she is something else entirely.
Melissa’s ears picked up the thud of his knees hitting the ground. She turned around with a most disappointed look on her face.
He is not like Liam either. He breaks just like the rest.
She approached the man. At least unlike the others, he had only given up when it was clear there was no winning. She was not heartless; she would grant him a death that was better than theirs. She knelt down in front of him, leveling their eyes.
As her crimson eyes met his, he felt like nothing else in the world mattered. He could not remember why he was here, what had just happened, or even his own name. He didn’t feel anything when she removed his head from his shoulders.
She quickly cleaned up by absorbing the bodies and blood into herself. It was not long before she was on her way back to the camp, satisfied with how she had spent her free time in Liam’s absence. She was not fully aware of it, but his value to her had increased. She was starting to realise that she could not reliably find a toy who was as fun as he was.