Hearing that voice, Serelith stopped what she was doing for a moment, then turned around. She saw a man dressed in black and white staring at her with a strange expression.
Realizing something was off, the girl immediately stood up and threw away the head she had just been holding. She then hurriedly wiped her mouth. "Samael, why are you here? How did you get here?"
The sound of Samael's footsteps grew closer, making Serelith turn her back toward him and stretch out one hand in front of him. "No, Samael, don't come closer. You won't like what I'm doing."
"Princess—"
"Stop, Samael!"
Serelith's ears no longer caught any sound behind her. When she finally gathered the courage to turn around, Samael was still there—standing motionless, staring at her.
At that moment, Serelith could only lower her head and fidget with her fingers. "I'm a monster, Samael. Stay away from me."
"Yes, I know."
A strange feeling swirled in her chest as she heard Samael say that. Slowly, she lifted her gaze and saw the man's sincere smile—which only made Serelith frown in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Samael took two steps forward, and this time Serelith didn't move back. She allowed the man to approach her.
"The most important thing you gained from the Island of a Thousand Blades wasn't strength, new skills, or great talent. It was your true self."
"My true self?"
With gleaming eyes, the man nodded. "Your true self. In three hundred years, the Assassin Guild has never again had a blood-eater assassin. But now, I stand here as a witness that the blood-eater assassin still exists—and that person is you, Princess."
It took a while for Serelith to process everything Samael had said. The girl wasn't stupid—she understood his words. But she still couldn't grasp why being a blood-eater was something to be happy about.
"But what's so special about that? I drink human blood, Samael. That means I'm a monster—I'm terrifying. Aren't you afraid of me?"
Samael's gentle shake of the head shattered Serelith's earlier thoughts.
"No. Because I know only a monster can defeat a monster. But you're not something to be feared. In the Assassin Guild, you'll be the first in three hundred years to be revered. You—were born a blood-eater, and you're special. Because that means one day, you won't just drink human blood—you'll purge the blood of evildoers down to the roots."
"So— I'm not a monster?"
"You are a monster. But precisely because of that, you'll be the one to reunite what's been divided in this world. If you can destroy, then you can also unite. That's what makes a blood-eater special."
Their eyes met—Samael's gaze filled with pride and emotion, while Serelith's was full of doubt and uncertainty.
"I'm not sure," Serelith murmured, lowering her head.
"That's fine. You can borrow my conviction."
They remained like that for a while, letting the wind brush against their skin and toss their hair. Then a long exhale escaped Serelith's lips.
The girl lifted her head and looked at Samael with determination. "I'll believe you. But I have to do something to increase my strength."
---
"Hunting monsters? Are you sure?"
"Why? You don't believe me?"
Samael shook his head. "I never doubt your abilities, Princess."
Hearing that, Serelith could only roll her eyes in annoyance and click her tongue. "I already told you to stop calling me Princess. Can't you use a more casual title?"
"Sorry, I'm just used to it. You used to force me—and everyone else—to call you that. If we didn't, you'd punish us. I didn't think you'd change so much in twelve years," he said with a faint smile. Whether it was a disappointed or relieved smile, she couldn't tell.
But that touched Serelith's heart and made her feel guilty. She swallowed hard and averted her gaze. "Just call me by my name."
"What?" Samael shouted, making Serelith jump in surprise. "No, Princess! How could I do that to my superior? If the Leader finds out, I might be punished for being disrespectful."
"But the Guild is gone now. Without a Guild, there's no hierarchy anymore. I'm no longer the Holy Princess of the Assassin Guild. Samael, we're starting everything over again. Right now, we don't know if those traitors are still lurking around or not. To prevent that, we can't reveal our identities carelessly. Just between us, okay?"
Again, their eyes met, but with different meanings behind them. A moment later, though slightly disappointed, the man nodded slowly.
"So what should I call you then?"
"Just Serelith."
Samael swallowed hard. "Se—relith?"
The girl smiled in relief and nodded, then spontaneously patted the man's head. "Good boy. Alright, let's begin."
Without Serelith realizing it, that simple gesture sent butterflies fluttering in his stomach. Even when Serelith had already walked ahead, Samael was still frozen in place, smiling.
Only when Serelith shouted did Samael snap out of his daze and run after her. "I'm coming, Serelith!"
The two of them walked together into a dense forest, one deeper than the one the girl had used to rest in the previous night.
The surroundings looked dark, both because of the thick canopy blocking the sunlight and because it was already late in the day. Serelith's eyes scanned the area, observing the vines sprawling everywhere.
They even had to push away the vines several times to keep them from touching their bodies.
"Why aren't there any monsters here?" Serelith asked, breaking the silence between them.
"Usually, monsters start appearing once it gets dark. Still, there are some that are afraid of sunlight."
Just after he said that, Serelith suddenly stopped when her foot stepped on something soft and jelly-like. Seeing that, Samael also stopped immediately.
"What is it, Serelith?"
But the girl placed her finger against her lips. "Ssstt!"
Though puzzled by Serelith's behavior, the man kept quiet and stopped talking. Still, his head turned in every direction to ensure their safety.
"System," Serelith whispered in her mind.
But before the system could respond, her body shook along with the ground beneath her. Seeing that, Samael reflexively grabbed Serelith and jumped with her to a safer spot.
"Are you alright, Serelith?" Samael asked as he released her.
The girl nodded, but her eyes were fixed on something behind him—a two-headed snake monster.
Seeing her frozen like that, Samael followed her gaze. His eyes widened when he saw the monster before them.
[Analyzing monster...]
[Analysis complete!]
[Slimefin Serpent lv 2]
[HP: 55/55] [MP: 30/30]
[STR: 20/20] [AGI: 30/30]
[Passive Skills]
[Poison Slime lv 1: 5 MP]
[Venomless Bite lv 2: 3 MP]
After reading the glowing board before her, Serelith nodded in understanding. But her calm faded when Samael was already preparing to attack, while the serpent raised its fin-covered tail to strike them.
"Samael, watch out!" Serelith shouted.
In a swift motion, she grabbed Samael's hand and pulled him toward safety, causing the serpent's tail to strike a nearby tree instead.
[Poison Slime lv 1]
[-5 MP]
[Slimefin Serpent lv 2]
[HP: 55/55] [MP: 25/30]
[STR: 20/20] [AGI: 30/30]
They rolled across the ground until Serelith dug her heels into the earth to stop. Panting, she stood up and helped Samael to his feet.
"That's a Slimefin Serpent, level 2. Its fins are coated with poison slime, so we have to be careful. Don't let them touch you," Serelith explained, her gaze still fixed on the creature.
Then, without another word, she dashed forward and slashed the serpent's body with her twin daggers, leaving a long gash that oozed blood.
[Hit! 5 damage!]
Not stopping there, Serelith stabbed her daggers into the creature's body, then jumped onto its back to dodge its counterattack. She slashed again, this time deeper.
[Hit! 10 damage!]
The serpent twisted violently, flinging Serelith off its back. Fortunately, she stabbed both daggers into the ground, stopping her from being thrown too far.
Not standing idly by, Samael drew his sword and charged toward the serpent's body to slash its head. But the serpent lunged first, forcing him to leap onto its back and drag his blade across it—right near its fins.
[Hit! 12 damage!]
Both of them stepped back, watching as the serpent roared in pain. Then, before they could react, it slithered away, trying to escape.
"Let's chase it!" Serelith shouted and sprinted at full speed to catch up.
Unable to keep up with the serpent, she shouted when she was less than three meters away. "Shadow Step!"
[-5 MP]
A black shadow emerged, and in an instant, Serelith appeared right in front of the serpent. Without hesitation, she locked eyes with it. "Silent Stare!"
[-5 MP]
The serpent froze completely. It didn't move or use any skill. Taking the chance, Serelith leaped high, heels scraping the ground and sending a visible burst of energy.
"Wound Carve!"
[-10 MP]
Serelith shouted as she crossed her twin daggers, slashing through both of the serpent's heads at once. The creature collapsed, its body twitching in agony.
[Hit! 40 damage!]
[Slimefin Serpent lv 2]
[HP: 0/55] [MP: 25/30]
[STR: 20/20] [AGI: 30/30]
[Congratulations! You have defeated Slimefin Serpent lv 2!]
[You've earned 65 stat points!]
[Would you like to share them with your partner?]
From afar, Samael could be seen running toward her. He looked exhausted, though he didn't admit it.
The girl nodded. "I'll give 15 points to Samael. Distribute the rest evenly across all my stats."
[Request accepted!]
[Points successfully distributed according to request!]
"Good work, Samael," Serelith said, praising him.
The man, still panting and wiping the sweat off his forehead, shook his head slightly. "No, Serelith. You did an amazing job—I barely knew what to do."
"Then let's find a safe place to spend the night. It's getting dark, and we need to recover our strength in case more monsters show up. But before that, I need to do something first."