"Finally," Orion muttered.
He began to follow the road. Though he called it a cave path, it was clearly a road—the grass had thinned into a long, worn trail.
"Wait… what is that?"
Something was rushing toward them through the trees.
A few seconds later, Orion realized it was a carriage.
But he had a hunch this carriage didn't belong to any ordinary person.
First of all, the horses were majestic—pure white, adorned with golden jewelry. The carriage itself matched them, white with elegant golden designs carved along its surface.
"Damn… show-offs," Orion muttered.
Then he noticed several riders on horseback chasing after it.
At first, he thought they were guards—but their rough appearance didn't match the luxury of the carriage.
The carriage rushed past him, and Orion caught a glimpse of panic on the driver's face.
"Bandits! Run!" the driver shouted as the carriage shot past at terrifying speed.
The bandits were closing in fast.
Orion quickly grabbed Max and Axl and used Flash Movement to hide among the trees, watching the situation unfold.
The bandits soon caught up. One of them leaped forward just as the driver tried to draw his sword—and pierced it straight through his chest.
"Wait… police? Where are the police?" Orion muttered instinctively.
Then reality hit him.
This was a magic-filled world. There was no police.
Just as Orion was about to step in—hoping to save the people in the carriage and maybe get a ride to the nearest settlement—the carriage door burst open.
A woman in heavy armor stepped out.
She was tall. Her armor covered her chest and shoulders, leaving her midriff exposed.
Orion gulped.
"… What a body," he muttered. He had always had a hidden weakness for strong women—that was why he enjoyed female wrestling so much.
Orion decided to wait and observe. If the female warrior started to lose, he would step in.
The bandits drew their blades, their eyes filled with filth.
But the filthy gazes didn't shake the woman as she calmly drew her sword.
"Huh?"
Orion's skin prickled.
The blade emitted an ominous blue aura that made the air tremble. The bandits noticed it too—and fear flickered across their faces.
One of them screamed, "It's the Hero Candidate—Lilian Lionheart! Be careful!"
The bandits hesitated, sweat dripping down their faces. It was too late to escape now.
The woman named Lillian placed the sword against her forehead, chanting softly. Blue energy surged around her body. Her eyes snapped open.
She slashed the air.
A crescent of blue sword aura tore through the air, cutting down two bandits instantly.
Seeing this, two other bandits panicked and tried to flee, but she slashed the air again, and the sword aura cut them in half.
Seeing as there was no escape, the remaining bandits had no choice but to fight back.
They still had a massive numerical advantage, with fifteen bandits remaining.
They surrounded her on horseback, attacking in perfect formation. Forced onto the defensive, Lilian could only dodge.
"Tch," she clicked her tongue, frustrated.
Then an ominous blue fire ignited in her palm.
She hurled it towards one of the bandits.
The bandit was blasted off his horse—half of his body burned black.
"… Damn," Orion whispered, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple.
He was having bizarre thoughts about her.
'My kink is getting out of hand now.'
Lilyan didn't stop, though. Spell after spell flew from her hands, and bandits fell one by one.
Soon, only eight remained.
Then—
One came from behind while she was focused ahead.
Her reflexes were inhuman. She twisted at the last moment—but the blade still pierced her shoulder.
"Ahhh!"
She fell to one knee, clutching the wound.
The bandit who struck her grinned.
"Not so tough now, are you, bitch? Hahaha!"
The remaining bandits laughed, their eyes filled with filth and greed.
One of them pressed his sword handle against her wound.
"Aghhh!" she screamed in pain, but she still had her dignity.
"Kill me now," Lilyan snarled through the pain. "I'll be healed in no time, and once I am, every last one of you is dead."
"Tch, you damn hero brats with your damn powers... boys, finish her off," said the older bandit. Deciding not to take chances, they abandoned their filthy plans for her and raised their swords to finish her.
"Looks like it's time for me to become a knight in shining armor," Orion muttered.
He knew he was at a disadvantage—he couldn't reveal all his abilities in front of her.
He used Appraisal.
Most were C-rank. One was C+.
If things get messy, I'll go all out, he decided.
Then he glanced at the woman. I'll make an excuse for her later.
Just as the bandits swung their blades—
Flash Movement.
Orion appeared behind one of them and sliced cleanly through his neck.
Blood sprayed across Orion's body, his face.
Ever since coming to this world, he had wondered what it would feel like to kill another human—because he knew it would eventually happen. He expected the first time to be a horrible experience. He thought he would feel sick.
But instead…
He enjoyed it.
Without realizing it, his dragon aura leaked out in excitement.
His face was soaked in blood, his eyes cold.
The bandits knew instantly—they were finished.
They turned their horses and tried to flee.
Orion didn't let them.
He used Flash Movement again to appear in front of them. And unleashed his dragon aura fully.
The horses collapsed in terror.
All the bandits kneeled in front of him
"P-Please! Let us go!" one bandit begged. "We'll give you gold! Diamonds! Women—anything!"
Orion smiled. He was enjoying their pleas for their lives.
He swung his sword toward one bandit.
His head fell.
The rest tried to fight back, but it didn't matter anymore. Orion slaughtered them methodically, almost curiously—testing which strikes spilled the most blood.
When it was over, the ground was soaked red.
Orion stood among the corpses, drenched in blood.
Max and Axl stared at him in horror.
Lilian watched silently as her wound finished healing.
Orion stared at his trembling hands.
'When did I become like this?'
Just a month ago, back on Earth, he had been a normal boy.
So why did killing feel so natural now?
'Must be my new race,'
That explanation was good enough for him--for now.
He walked over and offered Lilyan his hand.
She took it and stood.
Then she removed her helmet.
"What the fuck…"