Succubus

...

At the edge of the Black Pine Forest, the trees gradually became denser.

Sunlight filtered through the overlapping branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. The air was filled with the scent of damp earth and a faint smell of pine needles.

The deeper he went, the dimmer the light became, and the quieter his surroundings grew. The only sounds left were the rustling of the wind through the leaves and the crunching of Ye Chuan's footsteps on the fallen leaves.

A Tier 3... Demonic Wolf...

Ye Chuan tightened his grip on his iron sword, observing his surroundings with vigilance.

He was already far from the town's safe zone, which meant he might encounter highly powerful monsters.

He knew very well that he usually only bullied slimes. Against a Tier 3 Demonic Wolf, he had absolutely no chance of winning.

He appreciated the kindness of the mayor and the residents, but he couldn't just walk away like this.

Angelina.

After spending a few months together, Ye Chuan had come to regard her as family.

Ye Chuan didn't even want anything in return. Just coming back from hunting slimes every day, seeing her trot over with a smile, and having her pour him tea and prepare his bath made all the exhaustion of the day seem to vanish.

Even seeing her once emaciated body gradually gain a little weight gave Ye Chuan an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

If only I could find a helper... Ye Chuan muttered to himself.

He felt the few silver coins in his pocket. This little bit of money was nowhere near enough to hire an adventurer capable of hunting a Tier 3 monster.

Just as he was frowning in distress, the sound of rolling wheels and horse hooves came from a small forest path not far ahead.

Ye Chuan's heart skipped a beat. He quickly hid behind a thick tree and peeked out to look.

He saw a wooden carriage pulled by two fine black horses slowly heading deeper into the Black Pine Forest.

The carriage cabin was tightly covered with thick black canvas, making it impossible to see inside.

Surrounding the carriage were six guards in black martial attire, with fierce expressions on their faces. Each held a gleaming scimitar, and magical daggers were tucked into their waists.

The strangest thing was that muffled whimpers and sounds of struggle occasionally came from inside the carriage, as if some living creature was locked away in there.

Are there... people inside?

Ye Chuan frowned. Those sounds were definitely not made by animals or monsters.

One look at these people's attire told him they were up to no good. A normal merchant caravan wouldn't bring so many ferocious-looking guards, nor would they cover their goods so tightly with black cloth, let alone have such noises coming from them.

Could they be slave traders?

Ye Chuan's heart sank.

Angelina had told him that Holkin originally wanted to sell Angelina to human traffickers.

He had even taken her to the black market, but because Angelina was too skinny, looking as if a gust of wind could blow her over and like she could die at any moment, no one wanted her.

At that time, when Holkin found out, he even broke Angelina's arm. Finally, he held her head underwater in a pool until she passed out, and then threw her into a corner to fend for herself.

Slave traders... with so many guards, I shouldn't get involved in this.

I don't have the strength to play the hero right now.

I'll just go tell the town guards.

He subconsciously took a step back, wanting to leave quietly and find someone to help.

But as soon as his foot landed, he stepped on a dry branch.

Crack!

The crisp sound of the snap was exceptionally clear in the silent forest.

Who's there?!

The leading man with a scarred face immediately shouted, turning his head sharply to look in the direction where Ye Chuan was hiding.

He raised his right hand, and a cold ice spike quickly condensed. With a whistling sound of the wind, it shot toward the back of the large tree!

Ice Arrow!

Oh no!

Ye Chuan's expression changed, and he quickly dodged to the side.

The ice spike flew past, grazing his shoulder, and pierced deeply into the tree trunk behind him, sending ice shards flying.

Come out! Hiding around is a coward's game! the scar-faced man shouted coldly, giving a meaningful glance to the guards beside him.

The five guards immediately spread out, forming a fan shape as they closed in on the tree. The scimitars in their hands gleamed coldly in the dim light.

Ye Chuan knew he couldn't hide anymore. He had no choice but to grip his iron sword tightly and step out from behind the tree.

I'm just passing by, I didn't see anything. Ye Chuan tried to keep his tone as calm as possible. I'll leave right now, I won't bother you.

Passing by? The scar-faced man looked Ye Chuan up and down. Seeing his worn-out clothes and the rusty iron sword in his hand, a disdainful smile appeared on his face.

The depths of the Black Pine Forest are crawling with magical beasts. A poor brat like you, without even a decent weapon, is just passing by? I think you've been intentionally following us, eyeing the goods on our carriage!

I'm really just passing by, Ye Chuan said with a frown.

He didn't want to cause any more trouble.

Cut the crap! Since you saw us, don't even think about leaving! A flash of ruthlessness crossed the scar-faced man's eyes. Brothers, kill him! Throw him to the beasts!

The five guards immediately let out a roar, brandishing their scimitars as they charged toward Ye Chuan.

Ye Chuan had no choice but to raise his iron sword to meet them.

Ye Chuan was no murderous demon; even killing Holkin had taken a psychological toll on him. But these guards were desperate outlaws, and every strike was aimed at his vitals.

A scimitar sliced through Ye Chuan's clothes, leaving a white scratch behind.

Huh? The guard was stunned to see that his blade hadn't even pierced Ye Chuan's skin.

Meanwhile, another guard kicked Ye Chuan squarely in the chest.

Ye Chuan let out a muffled groan, stumbling back several steps until he crashed into a large tree.

Immediately after, a fireball spell slammed into his back, scorching his clothes.

What's going on?!

Is this kid's body made of iron?!

The remaining three guards also rushed up, raining blows down on Ye Chuan with their scimitars. A magic-wielding guard continuously launched fireballs and ice spikes at him.

But something bizarre happened.

Whether it was the sharp scimitars, the blazing fireballs, or the freezing ice spikes, landing on Ye Chuan felt like nothing more than a tickle.

The scimitars only left faint white marks, the fireballs merely charred his clothes, and the ice spikes shattered upon contact.

Ye Chuan himself was a bit bewildered.

What the hell! What kind of monster is this?!

I can't cut him! I can't cut him at all!

Magic is useless too! Just who is this kid?!

The more the five guards fought, the more alarmed and terrified they became.

They had used everything they had, yet Ye Chuan stood there completely unharmed. Instead, they were the ones panting heavily, barely able to lift their arms anymore.

The scar-faced man's expression grew increasingly ugly.

He originally thought this was just an ordinary poor kid, but unexpectedly, he had hit a tough wall.

A bunch of useless trash! You can't even handle a wet-behind-the-ears brat!

Raymond, the Tier 3 swordsman who had been standing by the carriage watching the show, finally lost his patience.

He sneered, his face full of disdain, and slowly drew the fine steel longsword from his waist.

"Step aside, I'll do it."

The swordsman's figure flashed, instantly appearing in front of Ye Chuan.

With a slight movement of his feet, a faint yellow glow emanated from his body. Two spells, Speed Boost and Strength Blessing, were instantly cast upon him.

"Kid, you've got some skill to withstand so many of their attacks," the swordsman looked coldly at Ye Chuan. "But in front of me, that little bit of skill is far from enough."

As his voice fell, the longsword in his hand brought a howling wind, slashing viciously toward Ye Chuan's head!

This strike was fast and ruthless, carrying the full power of a Tier 3 swordsman. He obviously intended to cleave Ye Chuan in half with a single move!

Ye Chuan subconsciously raised the iron sword in his hand to block.

"Crack!"

A crisp sound echoed.

The rusted iron sword was instantly chopped into two pieces by the fine steel longsword.

The swordsman's smile widened. "Trash! Without a sword, let's see how you block this!"

Taking advantage of Ye Chuan's momentary daze, he raised his foot and kicked viciously at Ye Chuan's chest with all his might!

He believed that with this kick, even a bull would have its ribs broken!

"Bang!"

A dull, loud thud.

Immediately followed by a heart-wrenching scream.

"Ah—! My leg!!"

The swordsman's body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the ground.

His right leg was twisted at a bizarre angle, the bone piercing through the skin and exposed to the air. Blood gushed out as he clutched his broken leg, rolling on the ground in agony and screaming incessantly.

Everyone was stunned.

The smile on the scar-faced man's face instantly froze.

A Tier 3 swordsman kicked someone with all his might, and as a result, his own leg broke?! This was even more absurd than Ye Chuan's invulnerability just now!

Ye Chuan was also taken aback, looking at his fist in bewilderment.

He had just subconsciously thrown a punch to block, never expecting to actually break the opponent's leg.

Could it be... that his defense and strength were exceptionally high?

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" The scar-faced man snapped back to reality, his face deathly pale as he shouted.

He knew they had messed with the wrong person today! This seemingly unremarkable kid was actually a hidden monster!

The remaining four guards scrambled to help the swordsman up from the ground. Abandoning even the carriage, they ran toward the depths of the forest without looking back, vanishing into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

Ye Chuan watched their fleeing figures and did not give chase.

He was worried this might be a trap.

He picked up the fine steel longsword left behind by Raymond on the ground and tested its grip; it felt much better than the rusted sword from before.

Then, he walked over to the abandoned carriage and reached out to pull back the black canvas covering the cabin.

When he saw the scene inside the carriage, Ye Chuan froze—

The carriage was piled with cold iron cages, and inside each cage was locked a young girl.

They all had pointed ears and a black tail trailing behind them. They were stunningly beautiful, yet dressed in rags, their bodies covered in scars and bruises.

Their eyes were filled with fear and despair. Upon seeing Ye Chuan, they were so frightened that they shrank into the corners of their cages, trembling.

"Are these humans?" Ye Chuan was taken aback, but then he noticed the tails.

"Succubi?"