“Sis, we’ve gone a little too far in. The old men said there are monsters deep in this forest!”

The little boy, with snot running from his nose, spoke with a worried look. He clearly didn’t want to come all the way out here.

“Don’t be scared. If we just stay out of the danger zone, we can pick some berries.”

The girl had tan skin and a few freckles on her face.

She’d come here to gather berries.

The delicious berries deep in the forest sold for several times the price of ordinary fruit.

She needed money now. Only with enough money could she cure her mother’s illness.

All along the way, she’d carefully avoided the areas where magical beasts often appeared.

She only needed to gather a few more, then she could take them back and sell them.

She thought about how she’d soon be going home with lots and lots of money.

The little girl couldn’t help humming a tune as she skipped along.

“Sis! There’s a huge berry over here!!!”

Nearby, the little boy stared at the giant berry hanging in the bushes in the distance, stamping his feet with excitement.

It was the biggest fruit he’d ever seen.

And there was even a brown cord tied around it, making it easier to carry.

The little girl was picking berries on the other side.

She saw her little brother standing not far away, waving at her.

He confidently wiped his nose, as if waiting for her praise.

“Locke!!! Get away from there!!!”

The freckled girl’s pupils suddenly shrank. She screamed at her little brother with all her might.

That wasn’t a berry. It was the tail of a cunning magical beast.

They weren’t very strong, but they were clever.

They used their tails to lure ordinary people who came to gather berries.

Then, once their prey entered their hunting grounds, they pounced and killed them in one move.

But the girl had shouted too late.

She saw the magical beast roar as it burst out of the bushes and pounced.

The girl collapsed to the ground. She didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t save her little brother......

Whoosh.

A dark figure suddenly appeared beside the little boy.

The figure swept an arm around him, shielding him in their embrace, then swung a mighty punch at the magical beast’s head.

The magical beast was still suspended in midair, with no time to adjust its body.

A blow with the force of a train slammed into its head.

In an instant, blood burst into the air. Brains and blood sprayed everywhere.

The magical beast was sent flying dozens of meters without even letting out a single scream. It landed on the ground and lay motionless.

The little girl, who had witnessed everything, covered her mouth.

Her eyes wide with shock, she stared at what had just happened. Scarlet blood spattered across the woman.

Yet it didn’t make her look unsettling. If anything, it only added an alluring beauty to her.

“This is......”

The little girl stared blankly at the woman who had saved her little brother, dazed for a moment.