Meeting her again

Kaden walked towards the direction of the commotion and he soon saw the scene unfold before him. Three figures loomed over two women who had fallen to their knees, their clothes torn and dirtied, their breathing ragged.

One of the two women was shaking and screaming at the top of her lungs while the other one simply stared back at the man coldly.

Kaden immediately recognized the cold woman. Her silver hair betrayed her identity even if her face was dirtied and her body was lined with injuries.

Kaden also recognized the men surrounding her. They weren't ordinary thugs. Their leather armor bore jagged insignias—a mark he knew all too well.

Grimfang Marauders. A gang that quickly rose to power in his past life.

He felt a rush of cold fury settle deep in his chest. This gang had terrorized small villages in his last life, running rampant in the chaos that followed the first wave of system awakenings. Kidnapping, torture, and worse.

And now, they were here. Ready to start their work all over again. The barrier was just about to go down as well and the tutorial was going to end. It was no surprise that these bastards were already out of the barrier and ready to play.

Kaden's first instinct was to ignore them. His goal was clear. The egg sac was the priority, and if he wasted time here, he might lose his only chance to destroy it. Also, when it came to that woman, he did not want to meddle with her path any more than he already had.

But… to see the priestess hailed as the savior of thousands in such a pathetic state… He clenched his fists in hesitation.

However, the next second, his black eyes flared with a cold gleam as he watched the biggest of the three men step forward, grabbing the other woman's arm roughly and yanking her up. She cried out in pain, struggling uselessly.

"You should feel honored," the man sneered. "We don't normally have time for entertainment out here."

That was it. Kaden didn't hesitate. In an instant, he moved, covering the distance between them in a matter of seconds. The nearest marauder barely had time to look up before Kaden's fist slammed into his face. The man screamed, staggering back, blood pouring from his nose.

Kaden drove his knee into the man's gut, sending him sprawling. The second marauder barely had time to react before Kaden snapped his fingers—Thorn Whip lashed out, coiling around his ankle and yanking him off his feet.

The third man—presumably the leader—stumbled back, shock plastered across his scarred face. "The hell—?"

Kaden didn't give him a chance to finish. He lunged. His fist slammed into the man's jaw, sending him skidding across the dirt. Kaden landed smoothly, rolling his shoulders as he surveyed the aftermath.

Two of them were out cold. The third was still screaming.

Kaden spat at them. Pathetic. 

He turned toward the woman. She was staring at him, wide-eyed, her breath coming in quick, uneven gasps. "You alright?" he asked. She flinched at the sound of his voice but nodded quickly.

"Good," Kaden said. He then turned to the silver-haired priestess who barely even looked at him. She had changed since the last time they met. In just a few days, she had hardened. She didn't flinch. She didn't react. She simply observed him.

"What about you? Are you fine?" Kaden sighed.

The priestess nodded.

"Not even a thank you?" Kaden smiled but once again, no response.

The other woman was still shaking, staring at the unconscious marauders as if she couldn't believe what had just happened. The priestess, however, remained unfazed.

Kaden did not want to waste any more time and came right to the point. "Do you want to kill them yourself or do you want me to kill them?" This finally made the priestess react and she looked at him a little differently as if she was surprised.

She still did not say anything but the other woman once again screamed. "Kill them. Kill them, please. Men like that don't deserve to live." She shivered.

Kaden arched a brow at the sheer desperation in the woman's voice. Her face was pale, her entire body trembling as she stared at the unconscious marauders like they were still a threat. Fear. Rage. A deep, overwhelming terror. He had seen this before.

He turned his gaze toward the priestess. She had not spoken, had not moved. But there was no mercy or kindness in her eyes. "I don't care," she finally said.

"Fine. This makes everything easy." Kaden didn't plan on spending any more time here and quickly finished the three men one after the other. As the last one dropped dead, silence fell over the clearing. 

The only sounds were the distant rustling of leaves and the heavy, uneven breathing of the woman who had begged him to kill them. Her hands clutched her arms tightly, her entire body trembling with the weight of everything that had just happened.

The priestess, however, stood still. Her silver hair, matted with dirt and streaks of dried blood, barely moved in the soft wind. She watched Kaden work with the same cold detachment she had shown before.

Kaden scratched his head awkwardly and then turned to leave. "You're free to go," he said simply. "Make sure you get out of here before more of these bastards show up."