[Mass Release: 9/10]
...
"Damn it! It must've been one of the scouts we captured last time—they gave away our location!"
"They keep searching like this, and our territory will be exposed sooner or later!"
"Damn humans!!"
In the dim forest, three Ice Wolf Tribe sentinels crouched among the trees, their eyes fixed on the Jioral Kingdom scouts patrolling nearby. Fear and anger mingled in their hearts, but none more so than the smallest among them—a petite, silver-haired girl with sharp, determined eyes.
Frigid aura gathered in her hands, solidifying into claws of gleaming ice. As the scouts drew nearer, her mind was consumed by a single thought: kill.
"Die, humans!"
The moment a scout stepped too close, Setsuna lunged. As one of the tribe's strongest warriors, she'd slain countless monsters—every strike swift and fatal, every motion clean and precise. But what she lacked was raw stats.
Even though her speed was impressive, it was nothing compared to the seasoned scouts before her. One twisted his body and rammed the blunt end of his spear into her stomach.
Thud!
The heavy blow sent Setsuna flying, slamming her to the ground and knocking the air from her lungs.
"Hahaha! Found one! An Ice Wolf demi-human!"
The scout's excited shout echoed through the trees as his comrades closed in. The two remaining sentinels leapt from hiding to help her, but their resistance was futile. The Jioral scouts, elite in both training and numbers, overwhelmed them with ease.
Watching her comrades fall one after another, tears welled in Setsuna's eyes—not from pain, but from powerlessness. She hated humans, but more than that, she hated her own weakness.
Despite her natural talent, her level cap was only seven. No matter how hard she trained, she could never grow stronger.
Even now, these weren't knights or soldiers—just scouts—yet she couldn't even land a blow.
"Ahhh!!!"
Her roar of defiance tore through the air as she forced her trembling body to rise again. But to the scouts, her effort was nothing but a joke.
"She's trying to fight back?"
"Hahaha! Look at her—she can barely stand! She'll fetch a good price though."
"Yeah, let's get this over with. If we find the Ice Wolf settlement before the other teams, we're rich."
Their laughter rang out amidst the forest.
Setsuna, in despair, swung her icy claws one final time. But before her attack connected, one of the scouts raised his fist to end it all.
Then—
Splash!!!
A crushing weight slammed down from above. In an instant, the man's body was flattened into a pool of blood and bone.
Everyone froze.
The remaining scouts turned, horrified, staring at Setsuna as if she were some kind of monster. Even Setsuna herself looked stunned. Did I… do that?
Before she could think further, her consciousness faded, and she collapsed.
As her vision dimmed, she caught a glimpse of two figures descending from the sky.
With Freya in his arms, Takumi landed gracefully, his calm gaze sweeping over the carnage. "Looks like I made it just in time."
The scouts instinctively formed up to fight—but before they could even move, Takumi flicked his finger.
The air trembled. A purple gravity ring expanded outward like a tidal wave.
Boom!!!
In an instant, the ground cracked and buckled as the remaining scouts were crushed into red pulp.
[Ding! Randomly acquired Trait: Nimble Steps (White), Strength of a Bull (White)
"Useless traits," Takumi muttered, dismissing them.
When he turned his gaze toward the two surviving Ice Wolf warriors, they screamed and bolted into the woods.
"…Am I that scary?" Takumi sighed. "I did just save them."
Freya knelt beside the unconscious girl, gently lifting her into her arms. "No, Lord Takumi isn't scary. They're just too timid. This poor girl though… she looks pitiful."
Takumi glanced over, and his Emerald Eye gleamed.
[Name: Setsuna]
[Class: Ice Wolf Warrior]
[Level: 7 (Lower)]
[Traits: Bloodline of the Ice Wolf King (Blue), Beast Instinct (Blue), Combat Genius (Blue), Blessed by Fortune (Blue)]
[Bloodline of the Ice Wolf King] (Blue): Inherited power of the Ice Wolf royal line—an unparalleled potential lies dormant within.
[Beast Instinct] (Blue): Sharpened intuition that allows one to react faster than sight or sound.
[Combat Genius] (Blue): A natural-born warrior gifted in learning and adapting to combat.
"A full set of blue traits… together, they're stronger than most purple ones," Takumi mused. "She's got real potential—Not bad at all. Just limited by her level cap."
That, however, was a problem easily solved.
He walked up to the unconscious girl and lifted her effortlessly, taking her into the [Interdimensional Realm].
Inside the lush new landscape, he laid her on a bed to examine her closely. Her silvery hair shimmered like snow, a pair of fluffy wolf ears twitching atop her head. Her small, lithe frame radiated a wild charm, a striking contrast to her delicate skin and rough furs.
Her wrists and legs were lined with soft white fur, and her long, fluffy tail rested behind her like a banner of innocence and danger intertwined.
A perfect wolf-girl… what a sight, Takumi thought, resisting the urge to reach out.
Suppressing his impulses, he uncorked a healing potion and fed it to her under Freya's watchful gaze.
Setsuna's wounds weren't severe, and within seconds, her body began to heal. Her breathing steadied—and then her eyes fluttered open.
"You're awake!" Freya said in surprise.
Setsuna blinked in confusion, then her expression hardened. The last thing she remembered was the scouts—so naturally, the man before her had to be the enemy.
With a sharp motion, she lashed out at Takumi. But to him, her attack was soft as a breeze.
He caught her wrist effortlessly, twisted, and pinned her down in one move.
"Let me go! What did you do to Setsuna!?" she shouted, struggling beneath him, cheeks flushed red.
Before Takumi could respond, Freya's anger burst out. "What are you doing!? Why are you attacking Lord Takumi!?"
Setsuna froze. "Huh? Wasn't he the one attacking me?"
"Of course not! He saved you! Is this how you repay him!?"
Setsuna's defiance faltered, her voice trembling. "That can't be… You're lying."
"I'm not lying!"
As the two girls bickered like children, Takumi sighed and gave Freya a look that made her instantly fall silent.
...
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