"Holy cow, where the heck am I?"

Kuber strolled through a dense forest. He squinted up at the sun. One thing was certain—he’d been heading west toward the setting sun the whole time.

Since leaving Alpha City, he’d spent nearly a week in the Black Forest. He’d thought the map stored in his guild card would keep him safe. But to his surprise, it only covered terrain near Alpha City. Once he strayed too far, the map function died completely.

His rations in storage were almost gone. If he couldn’t find a city or village soon, he’d have to hunt to survive.

Kuber reached a small stream. Sunlight glinted off tiny, scale-like ripples on the water. Schools of finger-sized fry darted past, making it crystal clear. He cupped his hands, took a small sip. Mmm, sweet and refreshing. Then he filled his waterskin with the clean water.

Even if Kuber was invincible, he’d still die without food or water.

"Help! Someone help me!"

Suddenly, Kuber heard a cry nearby. His eyes lit up. He sprinted toward the sound and instantly spotted the source—a young beastkin girl.

She had short brown hair with two dog-like ears poking out. A tiny button nose and large, cat-like eyes. She wore a plain gray short-sleeved shirt and brown shorts. A small bamboo basket on her back held herbs. Her arms and legs were covered in soft brown fur, making her look fluffy and incredibly cute. Kuber guessed she was a wolf beastkin child.

The little wolf beastkin girl trembled violently, frozen on the ground.

Facing her loomed a black bear the size of a small hill. Drool dripped from its jaws as it growled, stepping closer to its prey.

"No!" In desperation, she grabbed a handful of sand and threw it. Useless—it only enraged the beast further.

"ROAR!" The bear reared up, its massive paws slamming down toward her.

At that split second, Kuber burst out and punched the bear square in the face. The huge beast flew away like a cannonball, vanishing into the trees.

Kuber dusted his hands off with relief. He flashed the girl a warm smile. "Phew~ Made it just in time. You okay, little sister?"

"Mommy! A human! A human!!"

But things didn’t go as Kuber expected. The wolf beastkin girl looked far more terrified of him than she had of the bear. Her weak limbs suddenly surged with energy. She scrambled away on all fours in a frantic crawl, fleeing like she’d seen a ghost.

Kuber’s face darkened. Rude! Was he really that scary? This little girl clearly needed some "education."

In a second, he caught the sobbing wolf beastkin girl and held her tight. He wiped drool from his lip, grinning wickedly. It’d been ages since he’d played with a little wolf beastkin girl.

"Hehehe, little one, do you know what happens next?"

"W-what are you doing? I’ll bite you, I swear!?"

"Eh? No! Stop! Don’t touch there! Help!"

Ten minutes later, the wolf beastkin girl lay on the ground, covering her face and sobbing. "Waaah… I-I’ll never get married now!"