The world was unfair.

Too unfair.

Sylvie had known that since the day her parents were taken from her.

Not by beasts or illness but by something worse.

Humans.

That was the first time she learned how cruel humans could become.

Especially the ones who once smiled at you.

Who held your hand.

Who promised you safety…

Only to betray you with cold eyes.

From that day on, she swore never to trust again.

She swallowed her sorrow and focused on training her body and mind to the limits for a single purpose:

Revenge.

And yet fate took another twist of cruelty.

Among numerous other candidates, she was chosen from her orphanage to be admitted into the Noxvalen, a Demon Academy far from the human empire.

Still, she didn't give up the dream of revenge and trained herself harder.

Even when her muscles screamed.

Even when her stomach twisted from hunger.

Even when all she had to eat was a half-stale loaf of bread…

She trained.

She endured.

She endured with bloodied palms, shaking limbs and silent nights filled with the memory of her parents' final smile.

And yet… Here she stood. Paralyzed and completely helpless against a D-rank monster.

After all that effort… all that pain…

No matter how hard she tried, no matter how loudly her instincts screamed,

Her body wouldn't listen, still bound by invisible threads.

Even her mana wasn't obeying her.

She could hear the sound of footsteps from the monster and even feel its disgusting stench coming closer to her.

"WAHHHH!!! WAHHHHH!!"

A piercing, infant-like wail echoed through the air, coming closer and closer.

Is this how I am going to die?

The thought echoed in her mind.

She didn't scream.

She didn't fight.

She simply waited for the end. Closing her golden eyes in resignation and exhaustion.

I am sorry, Mom…

Dad…

I couldn't avenge you.

Her fist clenched as she braced herself.

But before anything could happen, the goat monster stopped its wailing for a moment.

What is happening?

She opened her eyes.

In front she could see the lower body of a man, standing tall in front at some distance away with a black cloak fluttering behind him.

She tried to raise her head to see his face but she couldn't move.

Who is he?

The man walked forward, his steps slow yet filled with undeniable authority as even the cloak behind him fluttered.

With every step, more of him came into view.

His broad shoulders beneath layers of dark fabric.

A pale neck exposed just beneath the curve of his collar.

And as he appeared just a few steps away from her, she finally saw his face.

Her golden eyes trembled.

Why is he here?

The boy was none other than Rael Von Ashborn.

A noble.

But not just any noble.

He was an heir of the Ashborn House—the ducal family seated at the absolute peak of the Altharia Human Empire's hierarchy.

A family whispered with awe… and fear.

His crimson eyes passed her without a hint of emotion.

With pitch-black hair, crimson eyes and that devilish smirk, he looked less like a man and more like a devil coming to bargain for your soul.

"Leave her… and eat me."

The words that left his mouth were even stranger.

Another wave of disbelief slammed into her chest.

Why?

Why is he trying to save me?

Isn't he just another entitled noble?

What is he planning?

Her mind swirled with negative thoughts.

And then, without warning…

Snap.

The invisible bindings around her body vanished.

Her knees buckled as sensation returned and she fell forward.

She could move again.

But she didn't get up.

She just stared at the boy who had just offered himself…

to a nightmare.

Her golden eyes locked on him without blinking.

Rael's body began to rise, slowly lifted off the ground by unseen strings of mana.

She didn't even notice the black cloak separating itself off his shoulders, drifting away before disappearing into the forest behind them.

Because at that moment…

She couldn't look away.

Not from him.

Not from his calm expression.

Not from that strange grin that still lingered on his lips as if he didn't care…

… even as he was pulled toward the monster's waiting maw slowly.

"Hey… wait—" She tried to speak.

But before she could say something, he cut her off.

"This is not where you die, Sylvie."

His voice was eerily neutral.

She opened her mouth again, desperate to ask him what he meant, why he was doing this, what he was planning—

But before the words could form…

Her body gave in.

The weight of fear, exhaustion and mana strain crushed her like a wave.

And then,

Darkness.

Her consciousness slipped quietly into the void.

—

[Rael's POV]

Honestly, I always thought luck hated me.

She always acted like a petty ex—spiteful, unpredictable and always showing up just to ruin my day.

But as I watched Sylvie collapse onto the ground, unconscious and out cold, I had to reconsider.

Maybe luck wasn't a bitch after all.

Maybe she was a damn tsundere acting cold, cruel and emotionally unavailable but deep down she kinda liked me.

Because let's be real… This timing couldn't be any more impeccable.

If I had been even five seconds late, I would've missed my ride.

The goat monster which looked even uglier up close had fifteen of its eyes opened.

Which meant it had already chosen fifteen victims…

… And Sylvie was going to be the last.

If I hadn't arrived one more second, and she would have been swallowed, sent to the second layer and this grotesque ride from hell would've disappeared.

And I would have been stuck here, arguing with trees and probably kicking squirrels out of frustration.

So yeah, maybe luck does love me…

She's just got commitment issues.

I turned my gaze to the monster and immediately felt the overwhelming urge to slap Noah.

That bastard.

That absolute bastard did not do this thing justice when he described it.

This bastard wasn't just ugly, it was absolutely horrendous to look at.

Fifteen bulging eyes twitched on its torso, swollen and veiny like they were one sneeze away from exploding.

Its massive, gaping maw planted dead-center in its stomach drooled long, viscous ropes of spit.

And finally the head, if you could call that thing a head, looked like someone had tried to sculpt a skull from wax.

But the worst thing was that screeching noise like a wailing baby.

I wanted to stab my own ears just to make it stop.

Seriously, Noah. What the hell, man. What kind of demonic weed were you smoking when you decided to describe this monstrosity as just "ugly"?

Still… looks aside, this bastard wasn't dumb.

It understood me.

When I said 'eat me instead of her', it didn't hesitate.

Maybe it sensed my connection to the second layer.

Or maybe it just liked the taste of handsome people.

Either way, it accepted the offer.

As for Sylvie… she was still unconscious.

Honestly, I could've killed her right there.

Could've told Bearlo to quietly snap her neck before she even woke up.

But I didn't.

Because it wasn't time yet.

She was supposed to be the villain of the first arc. I hadn't forgotten that.

And I had absolutely no delusions that she would fall for me just because I swooped in, played hero and saved her life.

She wasn't the type to do that. At most, she will feel curious.

But that curiosity wouldn't erase what already lived inside her.

The seed of chaos.

Which meant her path of becoming villainess was already set in motion.

But behind that fate… was an opportunity.

One that hadn't bloomed yet.

If I killed her now, it would've been quick, efficient and clean.

But I'd also be giving up something she had, something I could only get after she awakened her draconian blood.

It was a gamble.

A dangerous one.

So I made my choice.

I would still kill her.

Just not yet.

Not until after the awakening.

Not until after I took what I needed.

Before she became the villain fate wanted her to be.

And if, by some off-chance, luck decided to finally shower me with love and Sylvie somehow fell for me because of this incident…

Well, that would just make things easier.

Highly unlikely, sure. But not impossible.

I mean, who wouldn't fall for my handsome, charismatic and emotionally complex self?

Exactly.

It didn't hurt to leave the door open.

My thoughts were interrupted by the abrupt halt of my body mid-air.

The monster had stopped me, right in front of its gaping maw.

Which, mind you, looked even more disgusting up close.

Slimy, pulsing and lined with jagged bone-like teeth that looked like they hadn't seen a toothbrush since the divine era.

And the stench? Oh, gods. Don't even ask.

I barely stopped myself from throwing up then and there.

Still, I swallowed down the nausea and turned my head toward the edge of the forest.

There, standing just beyond the trees was a crimson bear.

Bearlo.

He met my gaze with that same determined gaze, his expression a mix of loyalty and something dangerously close to concern.

My cloak fluttered behind him in the wind like it was waving me goodbye.

Dramatic bastard.

Just then, the monster's breath hit me full in the face like rotting meat left out in the sun.

Its maw opened wider.

Then, without warning, it yanked.

Everything turned pitch black in my vision as a single thought floated in my mind.

Let's see what the second layer is all about.

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