Inside the dimly lit hut, Chloe Bennett struggled against the thick ropes binding her to the wooden post. Her wrists burned with raw pain, the rough fibers cutting deeper into her skin every time she twisted. She knew that if she didn't free herself soon, whatever the witch planned would be far worse than anything she had faced so far.
Her breathing was uneven. Every second that passed made it harder to think clearly. She needed to free her hands — even a small opening would be enough.
Bad luck had followed her from the moment she was transported into Pandemonium. She had first landed in the middle of a goblin camp and barely escaped with her life. Not long after, she had fallen into the hands of the werewolves and been dragged here.
The Dark Witch turned around and noticed her struggling. With an ugly smile, she stepped closer and roughly pulled the gag from Chloe's mouth.
Chloe coughed hard, then glared up at the witch with pure hatred.
"Why are you doing this to me, you rotten hag?"
The witch let out a low, rasping laugh. Her withered finger traced along Chloe's cheek.
"Why else, child? You have something I need. The others before you were weak… useless. But you—" her eyes gleamed with greedy interest, "—I can smell power in you. You'll serve me well."
Chloe gritted her teeth. While the witch was speaking, she quietly activated her class skill.
[Velvet Command]
A subtle wave of influence spread from her, aimed at the witch's mind. She tried to plant a simple order — untie the ropes — hoping the woman's will was weak enough to be swayed.
For a brief moment, the witch's eyes flickered. Then she suddenly stepped back, her expression twisting into amusement rather than anger.
"Oh…? So you're not ordinary after all." The witch laughed again, this time with clear interest. "Marvelous. You actually tried to command me."
Chloe's heart sank. The witch clearly had some form of mental resistance. The skill hadn't worked.
Before she could think of another plan, a series of loud howls pierced the silence outside the hut. Chloe's head snapped toward the entrance, a faint spark of hope rising in her chest. Someone — anyone — might be coming.
The Dark Witch clicked her tongue in annoyance and turned back to her.
"It seems we don't have time to waste anymore."
She reached for the crude syringe filled with dark liquid and stepped closer.
Chloe's eyes sharpened. This was her last chance.
She twisted her body with all her remaining strength, ignoring the pain in her wrists, and focused everything on creating even the smallest opening in the ropes.
Meanwhile, outside the hut—
The scarred leader werewolf suddenly lifted his head, nostrils flaring. A deep, guttural growl rolled from his throat as he turned toward the treeline.
"Intruder."
The other werewolves immediately tensed. Their eyes glowed with savage light as they bared their fangs and flexed their clawed hands. Low, threatening howls rose into the crimson night air.
From the edge of the twisted forest, Lucas stepped out into the open.
Voidreaver rested casually across his shoulders. His long black coat swayed slightly with each unhurried step. A faint, cold smile curved his lips as his blue eyes swept over the group of werewolves.
"Well then," he began, voice calm and almost playful, "shall we—"
He never finished the sentence.
One of the faster werewolves exploded forward from the pack. Its powerful legs launched it across the clearing in a single bound, claws extended and aimed straight at Lucas's throat. The air whistled as the strike came in with lethal speed.
Lucas didn't flinch.
[Dominion Field]
A dark, oppressive aura burst outward from his body. The surrounding air thickened like invisible chains, pressing down on the charging werewolf. Its movements suddenly lagged — just for a fraction of a second — as if it had stepped into heavy water.
That single moment was all Lucas needed.
He stepped forward, shifting his weight smoothly, and brought Voidreaver down in a clean, horizontal arc. The massive greatsword cut through the air with a sharp, heavy whistle.
SHHNK—!
The blade tore straight through the werewolf's neck and upper torso. Half of its head and a large section of its chest were severed in one brutal motion. Dark blood sprayed outward in a wide arc, followed by ruptured organs spilling onto the pale grass. The two halves of the corpse hit the ground with heavy, wet thuds.
Lucas slowly lowered the blood-stained blade, the tip leaving a thin trail across the dirt. His faint smile never faded.
"As I was saying…"
The [Dominion Field] continued to expand around him. Due to his increased level and the various buffs he had received, the domain's effects were far more oppressive than before. The corpses of the fallen werewolves had already begun to wither, their flesh darkening and shrinking as faint strands of abyssal energy drifted toward Lucas.
He raised his eyes to the remaining werewolves. They had frozen in place, staring at the bisected body of their companion. The sudden, effortless kill had clearly shaken them.
Lucas tilted his head slightly, voice still calm.
"Shall we begin?"
The scarred leader werewolf let out a deep, furious growl. He threw his head back and howled toward the crimson sky.
[Alpha Howl]
A wave of dominant will spread across the clearing. The mental pressure from Lucas's Dominion Field weakened the three remaining minions. Rage quickly overtook their fear. Their eyes turned bloodshot as they snarled and charged forward together.
One came straight at Lucas with both claws raised. The other two split to the left and right, trying to surround him.
Lucas didn't retreat.
He stepped forward into the first werewolf's attack, tilting his body just enough for the claws to scrape past his coat. At the same time, he drove Voidreaver upward in a rising diagonal slash.
CRACK—!
The greatsword smashed into the creature's collarbone and continued through, splitting its upper body open. Blood sprayed across Lucas's face as the werewolf's momentum carried its dying body past him.
Before the corpse even hit the ground, the second werewolf lunged from the side, jaws wide open.
But just before it could reach him, its fur suddenly prickled. A deep, instinctive racial fear flooded its body. The werewolf's eyes widened in pure terror as it slowly turned its head—
Only to see a massive set of jaws descending from above.
CRUNCH!
The Nyxclaw's maw closed around the werewolf's entire head with brutal force. Bone and flesh crushed instantly. King shook its massive head once, then flung the headless corpse aside like a ragdoll.
Lucas wiped a streak of blood from his cheek with the back of his hand, still smiling.
"Good timing, King."
Only one minion remained, along with the scarred leader.
The last regular werewolf hesitated, its earlier rage now mixed with genuine fear after watching two of its pack die in seconds. The leader, however, no longer looked calm. His single good eye burned with killing intent as he finally drew both curved swords.
Lucas rested Voidreaver on his shoulder once more and glanced between the remaining two enemies.
"Two left…" he murmured. "This shouldn't take long."
Inside the hut, the Dark Witch was just about to drive the syringe into Chloe's abdomen while muttering a low spell. Suddenly, she froze mid-motion.
Her withered body trembled. Dark eyes darted around the dim interior as she hissed through clenched teeth.
"Come out, you vile thing… How dare you try to control my mind?"
Chloe, who had been struggling against the ropes with ragged breaths, stopped. Confusion filled her eyes as she looked around the tent.
What the hell are these binds? I can't even use my mana properly…
Whatever little energy she had left had already been spent on her earlier attempt with [Velvet Command]. The witch, however, completely ignored her now.
The old woman set the syringe aside and picked up her skull-topped staff. She pointed it toward the shadows.
"Come out before I force you out."
Silence.
The witch gritted her teeth. She possessed a rare-grade artifact that alerted her whenever someone attempted mental-type skills nearby. It had already warned her once when Chloe tried to command her, and now it was reacting again. Yet she couldn't sense anyone inside the hut. That only made her more uneasy.
Before she could cast another spell, the sounds of battle outside suddenly stopped.
The witch's dark eyes narrowed. She called out the name of the scarred werewolf leader.
No reply.
She refused to believe the pack could have been wiped out so quickly. Even if the intruder was strong, a peak E-rank werewolf leading its pack should have been more than enough to handle most threats in the Outer Frontier.
As she hesitated, weighing whether to flee or fight, slow footsteps echoed outside.
The wooden door creaked open.
A dark-haired young man stepped inside, dragging a massive greatsword along the ground. The blade left a thin trail of blood behind him.
The witch's eyes widened in disbelief. She had expected many things — but not a human. And an F-rank fledgling at that.
The fact that he was walking in so calmly meant the werewolves were already dead.
"Who are you?" the witch demanded.
Lucas didn't even glance at her. His blue eyes went straight to Chloe, who was staring at him with wide, stunned eyes.
A faint smile curved his lips.
"I never expected our first meeting would be like this, Chloe Bennett."
The witch's grip tightened on her staff.
"Impudent brat! How dare you ignore me?!"
She thrust the skull staff forward.
"Dark Ray!"
A black beam of condensed energy shot toward Lucas.
In the same instant, his body dissolved into shadow.
[Shadow Step]
He reappeared right beside Chloe. With a few precise swings of Voidreaver, the ropes binding her wrists and ankles were severed cleanly. Before the witch could react, Lucas scooped Chloe up into his arms and dashed out of the hut.
The witch roared in fury and tried to cast another spell, but a sudden, subtle pressure struck her mind. Her concentration wavered for just a moment — long enough for Lucas to escape.
From the shadows, the Imp's low, mocking laughter echoed.
The Dark Witch stormed outside, expecting to see Lucas fleeing into the forest with the girl.
Instead, he stood calmly in the open clearing with Chloe in his arms.
It didn't take long for the witch to understand why.
Standing behind him like a living mountain was the massive Nyxclaw Ursus. Its violet eyes locked onto her with cold indifference, as if she wasn't even worthy of being considered prey.
The witch's face drained of color. She took an involuntary step back.
"Abyssal beast…" she muttered in disbelief.
Her withered hands tightened around the skull-topped staff until her knuckles turned white. A cold, crawling dread spread through her chest, seeping into her bones.
Impossible…
Her mind raced, struggling to process what she was seeing. A Nyxclaw Ursus — an abyssal predator that even mid-tier demons avoided — was standing calmly behind a human. Not bound by chains. Not forced into submission. It was simply… there.
How can a human control something like that? Especially an F-rank fledgling…?
Her earlier arrogance evaporated like mist under the sun. The werewolves she had carefully cultivated as guards were gone — wiped out in moments. The scarred alpha, who had served her for years, hadn't even lasted long enough to call for help. And now this massive beast was staring at her as if deciding whether she was worth the effort of killing.
I need to leave. Now.
The witch's heart pounded against her ribs. Escape routes flashed through her mind. The forest. The old teleportation circle she had prepared just outside the camp. The emergency artifact hidden in her sleeve. Any of them would do — as long as she put distance between herself and that creature.
But her legs refused to move.
The oppressive weight of the Nyxclaw's presence pressed down on her like a physical force. Her instincts, honed through decades of survival in the Outer Frontier, screamed a single, merciless truth:
If I run, it will chase me down.
A thin sheen of cold sweat formed on her wrinkled forehead. Her breathing grew shallow. For the first time in years, the Dark Witch felt true, bone-deep fear.
And the young man holding Chloe simply watched her with that same faint, unreadable smile — as if he already knew exactly how this would end.