The dizziness was as uncomfortable as a hangover.
Time outside of sleep was precious; if his mind wasn't clear, he couldn't fully capture inspiration. Thus, he liked neither medicine nor alcohol.
He patted his face and found it covered in water stains, so he lifted his robe to wipe them away.
He must have been sweating. It was quite a mess; it would be wonderful if he could take a hot shower right now.
Heh, such a thought was truly an excessive luxury.
Luke squeezed his face hard with his fingers, and before long, he felt much more awake.
His memory still lingered at the moment he absorbed that green soul.
"So, did it succeed?"
Luke swung his arm; there seemed to be some progress, yet this ambiguous feeling left him very doubtful and uneasy.
"Right!"
Where was that girl?
Luke looked around and soon found Little Red Riding Hood sitting under a tree behind him.
Little Red Riding Hood sat there quietly, watching Luke the whole time. As Luke turned his head, their gazes met.
After a moment, the girl spoke.
"If you're fine, then let's go."
Little Red Riding Hood closed her eyes slightly, stood up, and began walking in a certain direction.
This distressed Luke slightly. Her leaving like this meant he couldn't verify the effectiveness of absorbing that green soul, nor could he figure out what happened after he lost consciousness.
Seeing her walking away, Luke quickly stood up. It was only then that he noticed how vivid and strikingly out of place her back looked amidst the lush greenery.
He realized what she looked like... like a lone beagle drifting through the wilderness.
That sense of loneliness was pitiable, yet unapproachable.
Luke unconsciously quickened his pace until he was walking side by side with her.
The girl's gaze flickered over, but Luke didn't back down, naturally occupying the space beside her.
In any case, he wasn't afraid of being bitten, so he was naturally fearless.
"..."
Little Red Riding Hood didn't say anything, clearly having no objection.
True friends must be in a state of equality in all aspects.
If not, they could only be considered... followers.
Little Red Riding Hood, Red Hood—she was very special.
Possessing powerful abilities, a mysterious past, and knowledge of many untold secrets... for an author, focusing these traits on a living person was like the most poisonous poppy.
Luke didn't intend to become anything to her; he just wanted to observe her to extract inspiration... Good, after adjusting his pace, they were perfectly in sync, and Luke relaxed.
A major breakthrough, a complete victory!
After declaring victory in his heart, Luke immediately mocked himself severely.
Heh, truly showing such an ugly side. That's enough!
A long time had passed as the two walked along the forest path.
During this time, they encountered several monster attacks. Unfortunately, the monsters were quite weak. Luke put in some effort, and in the end, it was a perfect conclusion.
By then, Luke knew he had indeed absorbed that green soul, as his physical attributes had increased accordingly.
The second one he absorbed afterward was a red soul, symbolizing'Strength.'
For some reason, Little Red Riding Hood stayed far away during the absorption. Fortunately, it went quite smoothly this time, and Luke didn't even feel anything.
A thick vine by the roadside was full of wildness; seeing someone approaching, it swung back and forth in the air before whipping straight down.
Little Red Riding Hood walked away decisively and watched from the side, her eyes hidden in the shadows.
Luke couldn't see this, nor did he have any complaints.
He realized something had happened, but now was not the time to investigate.
Easily dodging the heavy blow, he reached out and grabbed the thick vine, stabbing his knife into it. Then, the blade moved quickly forward to the root. Luke pulled out the knife and slashed furiously, killing the monster completely.
Luke hadn't expected his fighting style to be so crude... perhaps it was the wildness in his heart calling out to him.
Before long, a blue flame emerged—the soul symbolizing 'Fortitude.'
Luke reached out and touched it, and the soul disappeared instantly.
He looked back at Little Red Riding Hood, waited a moment, and said, "Time to go."
"..."
Little Red Riding Hood didn't respond, only walking forward slowly. As she passed Luke, she said softly, "Let's go."
Luke frowned slightly. He felt her wariness toward him had increased, yet on the other hand, she seemed to have certain expectations of him.
Perhaps this meant she had made a choice and had finalized her plan.
For a moment, Luke's feelings were very complex.
A cooperation where each gets what they need might be what the girl required. It was realistic, yet very practical.
And in the final analysis, the current situation was also caused by Luke's own choices.
Whenever faced with a choice, he was always reckless and too self-centered, to the point of losing the capital for negotiation in the present.
"I've always been indifferent..."
Luke quickened his pace to follow her.
Descending along the mountain path, the view suddenly opened up. A ray of sunlight spilled down. Looking back, layers of white mist wrapped around a mountain forest.
Continuing forward, the ground seemed much flatter, yet the road was strewn with corpses, as if a massacre had taken place. Going deeper, he saw several deep pits in the distance, and not far away, a dilapidated tent.
Luke surveyed the surroundings. There were cracks in the ground as if it were about to cave in, and those deep pits were all pitch black, seemingly bottomless and very eerie.
Little Red Riding Hood didn't care about these things at all and walked straight toward the tent. Luke wanted to stop her but didn't know what to say, so he could only follow.
Lifting the tent flap, he found the interior was not dilapidated. Iron pots, wild fruits, wood, and a bucket of fresh water were arranged on both sides. Further inside were various wooden boxes, their contents unknown.
Looking past Little Red Riding Hood in front of him, he realized there was someone lying inside... er... a gracefully posed... devil?
No, it should be the legendary... Succubus.
The Succubus's gaze drifted and found Luke. Her wings vibrated slightly behind her back, and her posture changed from tense to soft and graceful. Her red lips curled up slightly into a smile.
"Mhm~ Long time no see, how have you been?"
She seemed happy as she greeted the girl.
"Same as usual," Little Red Riding Hood responded calmly.
"Is that so..."
The Succubus raised an eyebrow, looking at Luke and then at her.
"No! Today is very different!"
"Hmm?" Little Red Riding Hood was somewhat puzzled.
The Succubus's eyes grew teary, and her face almost pressed against Little Red Riding Hood's. "A man! You've finally come to your senses! Actually, this is exactly what I wanted!"
"Regrettably, I have no right to do that."
Little Red Riding Hood took a step back and shook her head, her tone very polite. "Eva, as usual, I need some supplies."
"Eh~ So that means there's nothing more between you two?"
Eva walked past her and hugged Luke's arm. "Then that is truly wonderful news..."
She looked up slightly, her eyes curving into a sweet, cloying smile. As she spoke, she hugged tighter, so much so that Luke's arm touched her peaks, pressing against a patch of warm softness.
Just this level of intimacy felt like ascending to heaven—excessively comfortable, even causing a sense of crisis as if he were about to fall.
In an instant, Luke wanted to pull away, but his arm was stuck as if glued. After that, he had no further chance; his whole body lost its strength.
Legend has it that Succubi suck away a man's essence.
"Yes... you are mine. I've already given up on this world, but finding you is enough. Let's go, let's continue that story together..."
Their gazes met, and those eyes capable of ruining nations seemed filled with sincere emotion, faintly revealing a hint of infatuation.
He also wanted to fall into obsession; he should just agree. He could do it with a simple nod... yet his soul was restless. It was unease. That only free thing was throbbing, and something hidden deep in his soul was about to become uncontrollable.
"I refuse."
Luke responded calmly and firmly.
As the words fell, a line of blood splashed before his eyes. As the droplets of blood fell, a crimson figure appeared in front of him.
"You! You're truly lowly and ignorant. How dare you, how dare you ruin my good plans?!"
Eva retreated several meters. There was actually a deep wound on her arm, and blood wouldn't stop flowing. She was both shocked and furious, her face contorted. Though she possessed a different kind of beauty, her demonic nature had already overflowed, making people want to flee.
Little Red Riding Hood looked at her coldly, her eyes without a single ripple. Her action was naturally beyond unreasonable, yet she felt no shame at all.
"He said he refuses."
Yes, Luke had indeed said so, so she had done so.
"How dare you be so overbearing..." Eva calmed down and brushed her hand over the wound, which healed immediately. She mocked coldly, "Every time I see that exquisite, stinking face of yours, I feel disgusted. Figures, after all, you really are unlikable."
"You are such an existence... hated by others, abandoned by family. You are a natural-born jinx. In your short life, only the color of blood will spread, and no matter what you do, you will never find redemption."
Little Red Riding Hood said nothing. She still held her knife, blood dripping from it bit by bit. Just by standing there, her aura was not the least bit weaker than her opponent's.
It was a clash of titans. Clearly, their relationship was not good, but despite the intensity of the current situation, it hadn't reached the point of losing control. Perhaps they still had an understanding.
"Fine, fine~ The old rules, right? I get it!"
In the end, Eva compromised, gave up the confrontation, and began rummaging through the boxes in the back.
Little Red Riding Hood didn't say a word, but she sheathed her knife.
A bag was tossed over. She caught it and opened it to confirm.
"Well? It's correct, right? Top-quality goods!"
Eva stared at Luke, her eyes shining, looking somewhat eager to try again.
"Want to reconsider?"
Luke couldn't be bothered to talk and glanced at her. "You're disgusting."
The short and vicious words turned into the sharpest poisonous arrow, exploding the moment it struck. The pain was continuous.
"I..."
Eva's tears suddenly gushed out like a bursting dam, completely unstoppable. Yet her face remained stubborn. After several sobs, she finally managed to speak clearly.
"Could you... just a little bit... show me some respect...?"
Luke shook his head and asked back, "Have you ever respected me?"
After saying that, he turned and left, waiting outside the door.
Once he was out of sight, Eva's tears finally stopped. As if nothing had happened, she turned to look at Little Red Riding Hood.
"A small reminder: this Forest of Mist has already been invaded. If you can't take effective measures, then this place will eventually be swallowed by darkness as well."
"How much longer?"
Little Red Riding Hood was clearly very concerned about this topic.
"Who knows~"
Eva smiled slightly; it was beautiful, but also appeared malicious.
Little Red Riding Hood wasn't surprised by this. The two of them had this kind of relationship. If they weren't both in a desperate situation, they would probably have stabbed each other dozens of times.
After the inventory was complete, Little Red Riding Hood threw back a bag. Eva weighed it, opened it to look, and found it full of various souls. She nodded.
"This should be enough for a while~"
Then she waved her hand with a fake smile. "I won't see you out!"
Little Red Riding Hood didn't respond, only turning to leave. Once out of the tent, she and Luke exchanged a look. This time, it held a bit more complexity.
"Let's go."
She spoke up of her own accord but just stood there blankly.
"Mhm." Luke nodded.
Having received a response, the two continued forward.
A hazy layer of pale white wrapped around a fierce fire.
It burned with crackles and pops, the flames soaring into the sky, causing bursts of screams and wails.
"Little Red Riding Hood... where is she?" A black armored soldier sat on a horse, his long spear hoisting a monster. He questioned the other party in a low voice.
The monster chattered and gibbered, simply out of fear.
"You don't know?" The Black Knight looked at the other gloomily, but there was still no answer.
"No good..." He shook his head.
"Where... on earth is she?"
Unwillingness and anger ignited his engine, and flames constantly erupted from within his armor.
"Little Red Riding Hood... ugly... must... kill her..."
He was somewhat [agitated], his spear swinging in a wide arc in the air before chopping down. With a 'pa' sound, he whipped the monster into two pieces.
Flesh and blood stuck to the horse's hooves, leaving a trail of blood.
"Little Red Riding Hood... Little Red Riding Hood..."
Things that lost their value would be discarded, left in the forest to wait for natural decomposition because they had no meaning, no necessity for existence.
His only purpose was to hunt Little Red Riding Hood. If even this purpose was replaced by a dog, then he would be useless, a piece of trash.
As for what would happen after killing Little Red Riding Hood, he didn't think about it at all.
After all, he was such a thing, such an existence.
Seeing the flickering firelight from afar, it was a magic fluctuation similar to his own origin. The Knight said nothing and immediately clamped his legs against the horse's back, charging forward.
So-called loyalty—he didn't quite understand it.
So-called faith—he also didn't quite understand it.
So-called strategy was an even more incomprehensible thing.
He only wanted, when this body burned out, to take something different with him.
That way, perhaps it could be said... that he had once lived.