Juben Slot was the young master of the Slot family. His elder sister was exceptionally gifted. His father was a Demon Summoning-level powerhouse; his mother had reached the peak of the S Realm.

And him? Weak. Pathetically weak.

Born with less Mana talent than his sister, he ranked at the bottom even among noble children his age.

Timid and cowardly, he was often bullied at noble gatherings. Though his sister Xiamu protected him, she couldn’t be by his side every moment.

Unlike the Slot family’s glory, Juben was looked down upon by many. Though his parents treated him kindly, he sensed their faint disappointment.

He buried himself deep, constantly agreeing with others, silently enduring the bullying, tasting loneliness.

He’d grown used to obeying—living like a puppet without a self. All because of his shame. Because—

*I’m worthless.*

Just follow others’ wishes. No self needed. That was safest. The best.

But change can come easily. Juben’s change began at a gathering he’d never have imagined attending.

…

"Xiao Shi, hurry! We’re going to the Liz family estate this time. They’re holding the party at their forest villa!"

Xiamu’s voice called from outside his room. Juben was seven; Xiamu was nine. Their mother was taking them to the regular noble gathering.

"Coming, sister."

Juben adjusted his clothes and stepped out.

"Hmm, not bad!" Xiamu nodded approvingly at his outfit. "So handsome, Xiao Shi. Just be a little assertive—you’ll have girls swooning over you."

Juben only smiled. At gatherings, he merely followed routines, nodding along to other children’s chatter. When mocked, he stayed silent.

Soon, their mother took them to the Liz villa.

Juben had never been here. He’d heard the Liz child—also six—would attend. But it meant nothing to him. Just watch.

Inside the villa, adults mingled while children formed their own groups. Xiamu left after instructing Juben, joining peers her age. Juben slipped into a familiar cluster, uttering two timely words, then matching his expressions to the mood.

Even when mocked, he just smiled.

"Hey everyone! My Mana’s almost D-rank! I’ll break through within a year or two!"

"Lucky! I’m still far from D-rank."

Even children loved flaunting strength—and Juben was always the comparison.

"Say, Juben. I heard Sister Xiamu reached D-rank a year ago. How about you?"

"I’m... weak. Just barely E-rank. Nothing like my sister."

"Hah! Of course! Sister Xiamu’s beautiful *and* talented. So enviable!"

As always, Juben answered plainly, happy to hear his sister praised while he was mocked or ignored.

He felt no jealousy. He knew his sister worked hard. Her popularity made him glad.

So this gathering would be no different.

"Hey!"

A hand slapped his shoulder. A girl’s voice rang out.

Juben turned. A pink-haired, pink-eyed girl beamed at him—adorably cute.

A stranger. The Liz daughter, probably.

"Hello," Juben greeted. The girl patted his shoulder again, smiling.

"Little guy, a favor? I’ll introduce you to friends later. Being alone is boring, right?"

Juben was startled. She’d seen through him instantly—even in a crowd, he had no friends. But he was used to obeying. He nodded.

"Easy! There’s a redfruit tree north of the villa. I’m swarmed right now and can’t go pick any, but I really want some. Will you help?"

Her sweet smile made Juben think: *Angels aren’t only in heaven.*

"Okay. I’ll go."

This gave him an excuse to leave alone. He agreed without hesitation.

"Wonderful!"

The girl clapped, her smile dazzling. She waved and skipped back to her group.

*The Liz young miss is lovely,* Juben murmured to himself. But soon he’d learn: *demons aren’t only in hell...*

Juben left the villa, walking north until he found a tree. He didn’t know "redfruit trees," but he recognized redfruits. This one stood ten meters tall—seven meters of sheer, smooth trunk. His heart sank.

*"Can’t pick them"? She meant "can’t climb"!*

He couldn’t return empty-handed. He tried scaling the trunk.

But the bark was slick. He couldn’t even reach one meter.

Use magic to knock one down? He only knew Wind Orb—and his version had no power. As he puzzled over this, another girl’s voice came from behind.

"Someone here?"

Juben turned. A blue-haired girl with twin tails and golden eyes stared at him. He instinctively wanted to shrink back.

"H-hello."

His voice tightened. Her tone wasn’t gentle.

"So this is the redfruit tree? Interle’s just too lazy to come herself."

She glanced at Juben, then muttered complaints, ignoring him completely.

Juben sighed inwardly. *Another one tricked by the Liz miss.* He was used to being ignored.

The redfruits were huge—watermelon-sized. The girl eyed one, then faced Juben.

"Hey!"

"W-what?"

"I’ll blast it down. You catch it."

*That’ll kill me!* Before Juben could protest, instinct and her commanding tone made him nod.

He found himself under the tree. The girl pointed at a fruit.

"Aqua Shard."

No chant. A tiny water orb shot out, severing the stem. The redfruit plummeted toward Juben.

"Wah—!"

His arms screamed in pain. He crumpled to the ground, cushioning the fruit. It remained intact.

"Tch. Weakling. Couldn’t even catch it properly. Is the fruit damaged?"

*You try catching it!* Juben seethed but stayed silent. He lifted the redfruit for her to see.

Seeing it unharmed, she grinned—a bright, pure smile unlike Luris’s. Juben’s heart skipped a beat.

"Perfect! Interle owes me a Magic Stone now. Hey, you. Grab the fruit. Let’s go."

*Asking my opinion?* Juben sighed inwardly but nodded, following her.

Suddenly, a black shadow leaped from the bushes—a meter-long black dog. An E-rank Magical Beast. Weak, normally.

But its eyes burned crimson, locked onto them.

"Crap! Redfruit juice attracts low-rank beasts!"

The Liz villa’s grounds were cleared of strong beasts. Children could handle E-ranks if careful. Who’d wander this far anyway?

But Juben couldn’t.

The girl sneered. She’d toyed with dozens like this. As the dog lunged, she sidestepped lightly.

Yet the dog didn’t target her. It pounced at Juben.

Juben was the exception. Freshly E-rank, his magic harmless—he was prey.

Fear exploded in him. He watched, frozen, as jaws snapped toward his throat.

"Aaaah—!"

Juben shrieked. His legs refused to move. The beast crashed into him.

"Idiot!"

The girl hadn’t expected him to freeze. She aborted her dodge, leaping to shove Juben aside. His eyes widened in terror—he saw her pinned under the beast’s paws.

The redfruit thudded to the ground. The dog ignored it, sinking its teeth into the girl’s shoulder!

"Aaaaaah—!"

Her scream tore through the air. Blood flooded the earth beneath her. She channeled Mana to shield the wound, but the bite would tear through soon. Juben sat paralyzed, trembling, mind blank.

"What are you waiting for? RUN!"

Her voice mixed pain and fury. She’d saved a worthless coward. At six and seven, they couldn’t overpower a fast beast with bare hands.

"I... I..."

Tears streamed down Juben’s face. He watched the teeth sink deeper, her face twisting in agony. Her free hand clawed the beast’s head, tears streaking her cheeks, still screaming: *"Run!"*

*Obey her. Run. I’ve always done that. Run. Just run.*

But she would die...

A life spent reading others' expressions. Accepting his own weakness. Admitting his powerlessness. Living on with this unshakable guilt...

*I’m weak. So they’ll forgive me, right?*

**Coward! Spineless worm! Piece of trash!**

*I can’t do it! I can’t! I CAN’T!*

Juben’s body shook violently. Suddenly, he remembered the girl’s eyes as she shoved him away—steady, unwavering. Though they’d just met, she’d saved him.

*So what am I hesitating for?!*

For the first time, the boy who always obeyed others defied the voices that had always ruled him.

**"AAAAAAGH—"**

Juben screamed, snatching red berries from the ground and hurling them at the black dog’s skull!

**THUD—!**

*"Let her go! Let her go! DIE! JUST DIE!"*

His arms trembled. His legs quaked. But his fists never stopped flying.

*"Whimper... whimper..."*

The black dog’s cries turned pained. Its head dripped crimson—blood or berry juice, impossible to tell.

He lost count of how many times he struck. When berries shattered, he wrapped his fists in feeble mana and kept pounding.

Again. And again...

Only when he came to his senses did he realize the dog lay utterly still. It was just an E-rank beast, after all—naturally frail.

*"Stop! It’s long dead! Just pull me out first, okay?!"*

The girl gritted her teeth against the agony in her shoulder. Even with mana desperately sealing the wound, she wouldn’t last much longer. Seeing Juben still madly pummeling the corpse—*had he really killed a Magical Beast barehanded?*—she yelled urgently.

Juben snapped back to reality. He shoved the dog aside and carefully lifted the girl. Blood soaked her shoulder, oozing from torn holes. Her pretty aqua-blue hair was half-stained crimson—her own blood or the beast’s, he couldn’t tell.

*"I’ll carry you. Stabilize the wound with mana. We’ll be back soon."*

Before she could reply, Juben hoisted her onto his back and bolted toward the villa. He didn’t even notice the self-doubt in his voice had vanished.

No time to register the warmth of her body against his. Juben sprinted with everything he had. Only one sensation cut through the panic: her head resting softly against his shoulder.

Though only seven, mana’s nourishment accelerated their mental growth.

In that moment, Juben made his vow: *Never again will she be hurt for my sake. I will stand before her. I will protect her.*

From that day forward, Juben trained like a madman. Poor mana aptitude? He’d practice longer. Weak physique? He’d train harder.

He pushed himself until battered and bruised, biting back tears. For her sake, he *had* to grow stronger.

...

Now, facing the crushing aura of the Demon Ascended Bone Dragon, the boy named Juben—body trembling to its core—raised his weapon.

And stood before the girl named Luris.