Are You Here to Pick Me Up?

After parting ways with the old man, Glen followed the route he remembered, running through the wilderness at a fast pace. However, soon growing frustrated with the long detour of the main roads, he decided to cut through the mountain fields directly.

The newly acquired clothes he wore were torn and ragged from brushing against branches and thorns, and they smelled terrible. Glen didn't care—he wasn't particularly attached to the outfit, especially since it wasn't very good-looking either.

After walking for some time, Glen suddenly smelled a foul, rotting odor. Is it a corpse? His brow furrowed as he decided to investigate the source of the stench.

It didn't take long for him to come upon a small farmhouse, where the foul smell seemed to be emanating from inside. Outside, a few chickens were penned up, oblivious to the tragedy within.

There was a muddy dirt path leading away from the house, covered in disordered footprints. Holding his breath against the stench, Glen pushed the door open, already bracing himself for what he might find.

What he saw when he stepped inside immediately soured his mood completely.

A family of five—parents and their three children—lay lifeless on the floor. The oldest child looked to be around fourteen or fifteen years old, and the youngest no more than seven or eight. Every one of them had been brutally murdered.

Glen inspected the bodies. The two younger children had been strangled—there were clear marks on their necks. The others, however, appeared to have died from some kind of wasting illness, their muscles slack, their eyes hollowed out as if drained of life. It was unclear what kind of method had been used, but it was far too cruel.

Seven or eight years old... Glen took a deep breath, trying to calm his rising anger. He carefully buried the family, making sure to honor them with a proper resting place.

While he knew that such horrors weren't uncommon in a world like this, seeing it firsthand still left him enraged. In his previous life, he had witnessed far worse atrocities during his missions. Though he was restricted in what he could do back then, this world was different. Now, he had the freedom to act as he wished, and nobody could stop him.

In a massive dead tree hollow, three dark mages who had narrowly escaped a previous encounter were resting, their hands still raised in casting gestures.

"He said he encountered some kind of mishap and that the rendezvous point was moved?" one of the mages, missing an eye, asked with a furrowed brow.

"It doesn't make sense," another, a hooked-nose mage, said, his voice laced with doubt. "That place was isolated and barely used. How could something happen so quickly? Was it a knight or a mage from the Mage's Guild who found us?"

"Let's try contacting him again…" suggested the third mage, his eyes dark green, but before he could finish his sentence, his expression suddenly changed.

"There's someone coming!" the three of them said in unison.

Before they could even react, a figure shot into the hollow with such speed that they didn't have time to cast a defensive spell. Their protection spells shattered upon impact with a powerful strike to their heads, knocking them unconscious in an instant.

When the first dark mage slowly regained consciousness, he was horrified to find himself, along with his two companions, hanging upside down, bound to a dead tree. A young man dressed in ragged clothes sat nearby, roasting what looked like bird meat over a fire.

It seemed that the mage had been noticed, for the young man didn't even glance up as he spoke calmly, "That family of five... You were the ones who killed them, right?"

The dark mage froze for a moment before smirking sinisterly. "Heh… yeah, we killed them. What? Are you their relative? Or perhaps a friend? Their flesh was delicious. Want to talk about it? Hah..."

Since they'd only killed that one family recently, it was easy for him to make the connection.

Glen nodded slightly, slowly standing up. His voice remained eerily calm as he responded, "I'm not related to them, but I don't like your kind. Since I had some free time, I thought I'd come by and kill you."

"What?! You foolish, ignorant brat! We are mages! We are born above all others!" The dark mage shouted, full of indignation. "We can kill whenever we want! You, a lowly being who doesn't understand the greatness of magic, dare oppose us? You don't even deserve to speak to us!"

The mage's words were filled with arrogance and disgust, as though just speaking to Glen was beneath him.

Glen just silently listened, waiting for the mage to finish before responding calmly, "When you take someone's life, I don't think you ever consider what it feels like on the other side. So I think it's time you experienced what it's like to feel your life slowly slipping away…"

Without another word, Glen extended his claws, ripping off one of the mage's arms and creating a long gash. He quickly tied the wound with rope, letting the blood flow freely, pooling on the ground below.

The other two mages, still unconscious, began to stir at the sight of their companion's suffering.

"Despicable little brat!" one of them cursed, waking up and struggling violently. "We are mages! I order you to release us! Or else… Or else the consequences will be severe!"

"Let us go! I'll drain your life energy!" the second mage yelled, his voice filled with fury.

Glen didn't react to their threats. Instead, he simply smiled, listening as they continued to shout.

"I suggest you save your breath. You'll need it for later—there's more pain in store for you. You'll want to reserve your energy for that," Glen said calmly. He turned and walked away, his footsteps steady as he left them to their fate.

The three dark mages, now growing weaker, exchanged fearful glances. As soon as Glen's figure disappeared, strange noises began to echo around them.

A group of creatures resembling giant rats, but with long, sharp teeth, emerged from the dead leaves and hollow trees. They crawled towards the mages, making high-pitched squeaks.

In a matter of moments, the swarm had surrounded them. The three mages could do nothing but scream in terror as the first of the creatures climbed up one mage's body. More followed, overwhelming them.

The horrifying screams echoed into the night.

Glen, satisfied after dealing with the evil mages, felt much lighter in spirit. After all, making himself happy was the most important thing.

He continued on his journey, walking through the night. Occasionally, he encountered strangers along the road, mostly farmers dressed in simple clothes. They all looked at him with disdain, as if he were nothing more than a beggar.

Glen ignored their looks, not bothered by their judgment.

Based on his surroundings, it seemed he had reached the outskirts of the kingdom. The area was so underdeveloped that even buying a horse was nearly impossible. It was starting to annoy him that he had to rely on human-powered carts to get around.

As he neared the outer areas of Beyek, a luxurious carriage appeared behind him, slowing as it approached.

Without even looking, Glen could already tell who it was.

Sure enough, the carriage door opened, and a beautiful young woman with striking golden hair appeared, her features sharp and alluring. She smiled playfully and spoke, "Look, Mommy, here's a beggar dressed in rags. How pathetic."

Inside the carriage, a noblewoman sat, her eyes half-lidded as she gazed forward, her head slightly tilted as though always ready to look down on others. Her tone was commanding as she said, "Perna, don't waste time with meaningless things."

Perna was about to respond, but before she could, Glen brightened and called out, "Oh, isn't this the kind-hearted and generous Lady Perna? You've come to pick me up, haven't you? How thoughtful of you! So, where do I get in? Right here? I'm coming!"

He grinned as he hurried toward the carriage, clearly not bothered by the way she'd just spoken.