The Mysterious Girl

A golden slash burst from Sui Ming’s hand, threading cleanly past the copper tiger’s armored hide—

and straight into its eye.

The resulting scream shook the heavens.

The wrath of a forest tyrant condensed into something almost tangible,

coiling like a vengeful curse around Sui Ming.

“Crap… boss entered phase two.”

His earlier efforts to hide his killing intent meant nothing now—

the beast had locked on.

And once a killer’s position is exposed?

All that follows is pure bombardment.

The [Gold Tier] behemoth unleashed its full strength.

An attack brimming with killing intent that easily rivaled a second-tier Gold-rank creature,

its final gift to the human who dared offend it.

A gift potent enough to kill him ten times over.

“Dammit, Crow! This is all your fault!!”

Too bad—no one could hear Sui Ming’s screams.

[Inscribed Law — Order Eternal]

In that instant, all of existence seemed to halt.

Leaves froze midair.

Clouds hung motionless.

Even the buzzing of insects went silent.

Then—she appeared.

A girl bathed in blue light entered his view.

Her waist-length hair shimmered like the clearest ocean, and her athletic outfit fit her frame perfectly—

though she radiated a palpable aura of “Don’t talk to me.”

She glanced at Sui Ming with calm, sapphire eyes,

about to speak—

when a claw attack shattered the silence.

“ROAR!!!”

“…Annoying.”

With a single raised hand, she murmured—

[Inscribed Law — All Shall Submit]

A pulse of cyan light rippled outward,

magic surging like a tidal wave.

All those blade-like beams filling the sky?

They froze in midair as if the laws of gravity had simply… stopped applying.

Sui Ming stared in disbelief.

“Goddamn… did Truck-kun ram my coffin and send me to the wrong genre?!”

The girl casually waved her hand.

The frozen slashes moved again—

but not toward her.

Instead, they turned.

And in the next breath,

the Purple-Copper Tiger was engulfed by its own devastating barrage.

Its howls became a horrifying symphony, each note a chilling echo across the forest.

Sui Ming shivered despite himself.

As he watched the tiger collapse in the distance,

his first thought wasn’t “Thank you, noble maiden.”

No—he bolted.

Ran for his life.

Because who the hell knew if this overpowered mystery girl might turn on him next?

Especially with a bounty of 100 million Fal still hanging over his head!

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Her cold voice stopped him cold.

He froze—

his body no longer his own,

as if submerged in the depths of an ocean.

Even Inch Force wouldn’t activate.

“Goddammit. Physics always loses to magic…”

“L-Lady Hero… we have no grudge between us… right? No need to go this far, right?”

“…Just need to confirm something,”

she replied coolly.

She walked up, lifted his chin with a delicate finger,

and studied his face—

as if searching for something.

Her face, flawless like it had been sculpted by gods, stared intently at his.

Anyone else probably would’ve fallen head over heels in that moment.

But not Sui Ming.

He was a proud, resilient member of the 21st-century’s largest oppressed demographic:

The single men.

Immune to beauty.

No shame.

No pride.

Only defense mechanisms.

“Pervert! Hands off the goods! Crow! Where the hell are you?! Save me!”

That was his inner monologue, of course.

On the outside, he didn’t dare make a sound.

Because no amount of lock-on hacks could save him from someone who just broke physics like a twig.

“…It’s not him,” she whispered.

She let go.

Sui Ming didn’t hesitate—

he bolted like his ass was on fire.

The girl remained still,

watching him flee with a long, thoughtful sigh.

But in her eyes—there was something… warped.

“Sui Ming… I’ll find you. I swear it.”

“Holy hell… I almost died back there,” Sui Ming muttered, panting.

“You have no idea how close I was to crapping my pants, Crow!

That stupid lion thing was about to turn me into roadkill!

And that freaky girl—what’s with her grabbing my face like that?! That’s harassment!

I demand justice! I want my human rights!

Where’s the Transmigrator’s Association?! I want to file a formal protest!”

“…So, uh, can you get me off the cauldron now?”

the crow, currently tied up like a sticky rice dumpling, asked dryly.

“Nope.

You’re the main ingredient in tonight’s Black Chicken Stew.”

Sui Ming grinned evilly.

“Wait, wait! Let’s talk this out! It was just a little misunderstanding, right?

How was I supposed to know that tiger was the forest boss? I’m just a poor, innocent little bird—”

“And as for that girl,” Sui Ming interrupted, “

If she hadn’t shown up, I’d be dead meat!

You’re seriously ungrateful.”

“Besides, I just suggested it.

You’re the one who charged in headfirst!”

The crow flailed its wing, flinging boiling water from the pot.

“…Okay, maybe you’ve got a point.”

“Like hell you do!

You knew everything from the start, didn’t you?! You scumbag!”

“Ehe~”

“Ehe your damn feathers!”

“Hey, hey—look outside,”

the crow said suddenly.

Sui Ming peeked through the curtain—

and what he saw left him speechless.

Their carriage rolled past a towering fortress wall that reached toward the clouds.

The scenery changed from wild forest to militarized order.

The walls, like polished jade, shimmered faintly with gold patterns—

an enchanted defensive formation, no doubt.

Under the sun, rows of soldiers stood like statues,

their spears glinting with a cold silver light, ready to skewer any intruder from afar.

“This,” said the crow proudly,

“is the beating heart of the empire.

The fortress of justice.

The unbreakable bastion—Mingxi City.”

“And your next battlefield.”

“…Battlefield?

Feels more like a slaughterhouse to me…”