The forest at noon was gloomy and sweltering, taking on the feel of a rainforest.

"Hnnn..."

A soft, drawn-out sigh escaped Ziwan. Dressed in a thin, pale blue crop top adorned with classical patterns and a pair of short shorts, her shoulders and neck damp with sweat, she walked alone through the woods. Her legs moved with the steady stride of an athletic girl.

Bow and arrow gripped in both hands, a short knife tucked at her waist, Ziwan scanned the surroundings warily.

She’d slipped away from camp before dawn. For this sunny, adventure-loving girl—who adored traveling and rock climbing—such a reckless act had once been unimaginable.

But after witnessing the nightmare that was the Leviathan and the vicious, cunning Goblins, she knew the true danger of this world.

"I can’t stay stuck anymore! If even a girl like Feier can awaken as a mage, why should I hide in camp, a useless burden? Even if Lin Luo doesn’t need my protection now… at least I want to fight alongside him!"

"Otherwise… I’ll never truly belong near Lin Luo again. They discuss magic, hunting strategies, how to fight monsters—all risking their lives for survival. I don’t want to just watch from afar, feeling like even a single word from me would be out of place."

From behind, Ziwan’s short shorts occasionally revealed a glimpse of the lower curve of her firm, healthy backside. Her legs radiated a raw, primal vitality.

The purple-haired girl pressed deeper into the suffocating, shadowy jungle, driven by a resolve only she understood.

...

Jiang Xiang lay in the woodshed at the camp’s edge, carried there by others.

"Class rep, how is he?" Lin Luo asked, stepping forward.

The Holy Maiden wiped sweat from her brow. "Hah… I did my best. He’ll live, but his wounds are too severe. I can’t fully heal him."

"Oh." Lin Luo glanced toward the shed, his tone casual.

Beside him, You Xun lowered her head. Silky strands of hair cast soft shadows, hiding her expression.

"Hmph."

Only half of Lin Yuxun’s words were true.

Even ignoring her Holy Maiden image, her conscience wouldn’t let her abandon Jiang Xiang. But giving him her all? That was wishful thinking. Of course, his injuries were so grave that even a full effort from a first-rank Holy Maiden like her wouldn’t heal him in a day or two.

Her healing had merely kept him from dying.

*Jiang Xiang… the other world is dangerous. Thinking you can bully your way through like on Earth, relying on your build and family name? One misstep, and you might be crippled for life. Consider this a lesson.*

"Class rep! Lin Luo! Have you seen Ziwan?" Yi Kexin ran over, breathless.

"Huh?" Lin Luo froze.

"I haven’t seen her since morning! We were supposed to practice archery together!" Yi Kexin’s eyes darted around anxiously.

Lin Luo had woken late, distracted by the commotion over Jiang Xiang’s half-dead crawl back to camp. Now he realized—he hadn’t seen Ziwan all day.

"What’s going on? Where’s Ziwan?" You Xun’s worry cut through her usual calm.

They searched the camp frantically—Lin Luo, You Xun, Feier—but Ziwan was nowhere.

"I saw her heading into the forest early this morning when I went out to pee," said a bespectacled boy in archer’s robes. "I thought she was just relieving herself too. Didn’t think much of it."

*No. Could she have gone into the forest alone?*

Lin Luo’s blood ran cold. He hadn’t expected any classmate—let alone a girl like Ziwan—to be so bold.

Without a word, he bolted toward the camp’s edge, his speed blurring.

"Lin Luo!" Feier called after him.

"Don’t follow. I’ll find her." He met her gaze, resolve hardening his eyes. Then he vanished into the trees.

As the God Emperor, Lin Luo could easily locate Ziwan with a mere thread of divine power. He found her within moments, beside a stream over ten miles away.

*That reckless girl… she came this far?*

He’d been careless.

Lin Luo leaped upward, soaring above the treetops toward Ziwan. A shadow streaked across the sky, sending a flock of wild geese scattering in panic. Reaching her would take only an instant.

"Don’t… don’t come closer!"

On the stream’s shallow bank, several Goblins armed with stone clubs and crude spears closed in on Ziwan.

Her hands trembled. Her body felt hollow, as if sleepwalking. She loosed one arrow. Then another. Both thudded weakly into the earth at the Goblins’ feet.

"Heh heh heh. The scent of a young human girl after a frantic run… delicious," one Goblin hissed.

They didn’t attack immediately. They stalked her, wearing her down, savoring her fear.

Ziwan scanned the endless, gloomy woods. Dark clouds choked the sky.

No one would save her.

Panic. Regret. Despair.

*Will I die here? That stone club will shatter my legs, and then…* She couldn’t finish the thought.

*Lin Luo…*

*No. Why did I come here? To be nothing but trouble? I don’t want that…*

As the Goblins advanced, Ziwan’s chest heaved, her sweat releasing a scent that drew monsters like moths to flame. Yet within that scent simmered something primal.

Lin Luo landed silently on a tree branch above her. He could intervene—but hesitated. Beyond her terror, something else stirred within Ziwan. Something extraordinary.

*Crash—Boom!*

Lightning split the sky. Thunder roared.

"Grab her!"

The thunder startled the Goblins—but also ignited their bloodlust. They lunged.

"Finally! A taste of young human flesh!"

They charged, cackling. The nightmare was upon the desperate girl.

Rain poured down, drenching Ziwan’s glistening skin.

*I don’t want…*

*I don’t want…*

Deep within Ziwan’s darkness, a place unknown and vast—

*Whoosh.* A tiny spark flickered to life.

*I refuse to be his burden!*

Ghostly blue flames ignited in Ziwan’s pupils.

*Twang!*

The arrow shot forth. *Sss-sss-sss!* It sliced through fat raindrops, spinning slightly as it flew.

*Thud!*

The arrow pierced two Goblins clean through, impaling them against the rock face.