I launched myself toward him with all the force I could muster, aiming to strike—
But before my blade could even come down, he vanished from my line of attack, his body flickering like a shadow darting out of my reach.
"You're fuckin' slow too," he barked, his voice filled with ridicule as it cut through the air like a whip. "You seriously thought going on adventures was some easy-ass game? You came out here with that cheap-ass sword and some laughably mediocre—hell, not even mediocre, downright garbage—swordsmanship?! What, you thought adventuring was all about picking up chicks or something?!"
Every slash I threw at him was brushed off like it meant nothing—
Like I wasn't even worth his effort.
It was humiliating.
To him, I was nothing but a joke.
A stepping stone.
A bug under his foot.
Not a single hit.
Not even a graze.
The realization settled in my chest like a weight—I was useless.
Completely fucking useless.
But even so, even with the burning shame twisting inside me, I kept swinging.
I kept fighting.
"Agh… This is really getting boring now."
With a grunt, he twisted his blade, using its momentum in one fluid, mocking motion.
The force of his upward slash crashed into my defense, blasting my arm away as if I had no bones.
And before I could even react, a brutal kick slammed into my stomach with bone-shaking force, driving the air out of my lungs and sending me flying like a ragdoll across the field.
"Sirius!"
I heard Cecilia and the Goddess scream my name in unison, their voices strained with panic.
But they were trapped, surrounded by snarling Gray Wolves. They couldn't help me.
They could only watch.
"Look at you," he sneered, striding toward me like a predator playing with its prey. "You're just a fuckin' poser, aren't you? A pathetic loser trying to look cool, hoping to surround yourself with girls in your little adventurer party. What's this, your idea of building a harem? Shit, even someone like me would feel ashamed of that!"
His eyes were filled with disgust as they bore into me—
Judging, belittling, and condemning.
And right now… he wasn't wrong.
I was pathetic.
Still, I gritted my teeth, forcing my trembling arms to lift me up.
Every muscle screamed.
My palms shook from the effort.
My elbows buckled under my own weight.
But I refused to stay down.
Then—WHAM!
Something smashed into my back, cracking like a thunderclap and sending a fresh wave of agony pulsing through my spine.
"Guahhh!"
"You're fuckin' useless," he spat, standing over me with that same cruel grin. "You're trying to get up? Seriously? That's rich. You don't have the skill. And you sure as hell don't have what it takes."
He shoved his boot onto my head and pushed down, hard.
The gritty earth scraped against my cheek as his sole dug deeper into my skull.
"Stop it! Don't do that!" Cecilia shouted, her voice filled with desperation.
"Don't do what, exactly?" the bandit leader sneered back. Then, as if something clicked in his mind, he turned his gaze toward the two of them. His lips curled upward into a perverse smirk.
"…Ah, I see now. That's what this is about."
His eyes gleamed with malicious amusement.
"So that's why the two of you are putting up with this useless piece of shit. Though I still can't figure out why exactly you'd tolerate him. But now I get it… You two fuckin' love this guy, don't you?!"
He looked down at me again and started grinding his boot against the back of my head.
The pressure burned against my skin, the dirt and stones digging into my jaw.
He was humiliating me, breaking me.
"How 'bout this," he said with a sinister laugh. "I'll eat the two of you up real nice… and then I'll let the boys eat you too. And when I'm done fucking both of you—while you're crying, screaming, and being devoured—I'll kill this bastard slowly, piece by piece… while the Gray Wolves tear him to shreds!"
"You're evil!" Cecilia screamed, her voice cracking in fury and horror.
"Evil?" the bandit leader barked out a laugh, throwing his arms open as if welcoming the sky. "Being called evil is a fuckin' praise to me!"
He stood there, eyes wild, intoxicated by his own madness.
"Aaahhh… this feeling—this power—fuck, it's glorious! I feel like I'm becoming a god! Yes… that's it! A god! With the Beast Tamer's Blessing, I'll become a real god! I'll conquer everything! Build an empire of monsters! Tame dragons! Command them to crush kingdoms and empires under my feet! I'll rise above all—and I'll become the god of this whole damn world! Not even the Demon King will be safe from me!"
He kept ranting like an absolute maniac, his voice cracking with twisted delight as he laughed madly, a cruel glint in his eyes and his arms thrown wide like a self-proclaimed king drunk with power.
"I'm starting by conquering this kingdom! The Valtierra Kingdom falls first, and then I'll crush the next one after that, and the next! I'll feast on the princess of Valtierra—oh, and the Queen too! I'll fuck them both, then parade their broken bodies through the city square for the filthy commoners to see! This is fuckin' delicious!"
"You're fucking mad," I muttered, teeth clenched, my voice low but sharp with hatred.
"Huh?" His voice dropped to a dangerous growl as he dug his boot harder against the back of my head, grinding it cruelly into the dirt. "And just what right do you think you have to question me, huh?! Me—a god?!"
The pressure intensified.
I could feel gravel biting into my cheek, warm blood pooling near my lips as the weight of his boot crushed down mercilessly.
"I'm done waiting," he snapped.
With a sharp click of his fingers, a chilling breeze swept across the field—and without warning, I was suddenly surrounded.
A pack of hounds, their eyes glowing with hunger, formed a circle around me, growling, baring yellowed fangs dripping with saliva.
"Wait!" the Goddess cried out, desperation in her voice as she lunged forward.
But the hounds lunged faster—intercepting her path with violent snarls, their massive bodies forming a snarling wall of flesh and teeth.
"What? Wait?" the bandit leader grinned devilishly, his teeth bared in a twisted smile. "I don't wait."
Then the beasts closed in, leaping onto me with force that felt like a landslide.
Their weight crashed down, slamming me back into the ground, pinning me like prey about to be devoured.
The bandit leader stepped off my head at last, turning away with casual arrogance as he began striding toward the two women.
"What are you going to do?!" I yelled, forcing the words out past the pain.
"What else?" he sneered. "I will ravish them!"
"I can't let you do that!"
"Why not?!" He barked out a laugh. "It's not like you can do anything about it!"
I tried to lift myself, body trembling and arms shaking.
My vision was blurred from blood and dirt—
But I had to stand.
But the wolves wouldn't let me.
They snarled, pushing down on me, their paws heavy and unrelenting. One of them suddenly sank its fangs into my shoulder.
"Ghh—ghhhh...!"
Pain exploded through my upper body, white-hot and searing.
My jaw clenched so tightly it hurt.
"You're going to be eaten alive!" the bandit mocked, his voice echoing with twisted joy. "And while you're dying—I'll fuck those girls in front of you!"
"You can't do that!"
"Lady Goddess, stay behind me!" Cecilia's voice rang out, trembling with resolve.
The blonde girl moved in front of the Goddess, trying to shield her with her own body as she raised her sword, assuming a stance.
Her hands shook slightly, but her eyes were resolute.
But a Gray Wolf lunged with a vicious snarl, slamming into Cecilia and pinning her down with a loud thud.
"You really think that pathetic swordplay means shit to me?" the bandit leader growled. "What are you gonna do? Shake your fat tits and hope I'm distracted while you swing that dull toy? Just like that other fucked bastard over there? Maybe I should just start fucking you first!"
"Get away! Don't move any closer!" the Goddess cried.
"You too!" the bandit barked, pointing toward the Goddess.
Another Gray Wolf responded instantly, pouncing onto her and driving her into the ground.
In seconds, both women were pinned.
"You really thought you could stop me?" He gestured around, chuckling darkly. "Look around! No one's coming. This place is a grave, and you're all buried in it."
"Ngh...!" the Goddess whimpered, powerless.
The bandit leader approached them, step by step, unhurried like he was savoring every second like a predator closing in on its prey.
"STOP!" I roared, fury boiling in my chest. "Fuck you! If you touch them—I swear, I'll kill you!"
He turned, glaring at me, then let out a snort.
"And what the fuck can you even do, huh?! Look at you! You can't even stand!"
The wolf's jaws clamped harder on my shoulder.
I could feel the flesh tear as hot blood soaked my shirt.
Pain blurred my senses.
I tried to fight—tried to throw them off—but they were just too damn strong.
They were monsters.
"Now then..." the bandit smirked, undoing the buckle of his pants. "Time to take the two of you at once."
No. No, no, no. I can't let this happen. I won't let him take them. I won't.
Then suddenly—something flickered in front of my eyes.
A glowing panel appeared in the air, suspended like a divine screen inches from my face.
————————————Status—
Name: Sirius LaskerAge: 18Blessing: Goddess's MasterLevel: 1
Strength: 15Agility: 30Vitality: 30Intelligence: 77Defense: 10MP: 0Potential: 100Assign Points — 0
Skills:Presence Detection (lvl. 1) — Elemental Affinity (lvl. 1) — Limit Break (lvl. 1) — Unparalleled Instinct (lvl. 1) — Quick Step (lvl. 1) — Combat Intuition (lvl. 1) — Basic Appraisal (lvl. 1) — Observation (lvl. 1) — Balance Control (lvl. 1) — Efficient Breathing (lvl. 1) — Tension Sense (lvl. 1) — Clean Strike (lvl. 1) — Light Hands (lvl. 1) — Mental Clarity (lvl. 1) — Adaptation Protocol (lvl. 1)
Special Skills:Resonant Link (lvl. 1)———————————
What... was this?
Wait. The Goddess—she mentioned this.
This must be it.
I didn't know how it would help me, or what to even do—but I had to try.
I focused—and activated Limit Break.
———————————Limit Break (lvl. 1)
Effects:
• Temporarily boosts Strength, Agility, and Vitality by 50%• Duration: 30 seconds• The user ignores pain and exhaustion during this time, allowing him to move freely even with injuries• Enables basic "instinctual" counterattacks
Drawbacks:• Once ended, user suffers extreme fatigue, cutting all stats by -30% for 10 minutes• Overuse may cause muscle tears, dizziness, or unconsciousness———————————
I didn't care about the consequences.
I didn't care about the pain or exhaustion waiting afterward.
I activated it.
And suddenly—a surge of unfamiliar energy coursed through my body, almost overwhelming.
————————————Status—
Name: Sirius LaskerAge: 18Blessing: Goddess's MasterLevel: 1
Strength: 15 + 7.5Agility: 30 + 15Vitality: 30 + 15Intelligence: 77 + 38.5Defense: 10 + 5MP: 0Potential: 100
Assign Points — 0
—Activated Skills—Limit Break (lvl. 1)———————————
It felt like I had turned into something else—something greater.
"ARGHHHHHH!" I roared, adrenaline flooding my veins as I shoved myself off the ground.
The wolves were flung away like rag dolls, their heavy bodies tumbling mid-air.
"Grrrrr!!"
"RRGHHHH!"
They snarled and lunged again—but something deep inside me had already awakened.
My body moved on its own—faster than thought.
———————————Unparalleled Instinct (lvl. 1)
• Grants the user the ability to react almost instantly to danger, even before fully understanding it.———————————
I sidestepped one of the wolves before its jaws even snapped—twisting, pivoting, and slamming my fist directly into its ribs.
The beast crumpled.
Another leapt at me—but I shifted again, caught it mid-air, and smashed it into the ground with raw force.
The bandit stared at me now, frozen in place.
"What the hell…?" he whispered. "So you were hiding something, huh? I actually thought you were nothing but a worthless piece of trash."
He stopped unbuckling his belt, eyes narrowing.
"I guess you're not fucking around anymore."
I said nothing.
Limit Break (lvl. 1) was active—and I had just 15 seconds left.
I had to finish this.
Now.