‘Hmm... This is troublesome... I went through so much effort to gather these prey.’

Swish—

As I severed the head of a monster, these thoughts crossed my mind.

Things weren’t going as planned. To clear this tutorial, I’d realized it was impossible to succeed with just my own strength. I’d suppressed my urge to kill and had planned to use these people as meat shields. But then, I failed to notice the monsters lurking behind the bushes, and now here we are.

“Ha... I should have just done it earlier instead of holding back.”

The thought of giving up on my carefully collected prey annoyed me.

When I first opened my eyes in this place and received guidance, I was thrilled. A world where strength rules above all! How many times on Earth had I suppressed my urges, hiding my actions to avoid being caught?

Compared to that, this world was paradise.

Here, no one cares if you kill someone. After all, there are no CCTV cameras or police. If no one is watching, you can just kill.

And speaking of prey... I still had one left.

The one that constantly jabbered and grated on my nerves had followed me here.

“Haah... Haah...! Byung-ok, wait for me! Can’t you slow down just a little?”

‘Well, this situation is already ruined. Haha... I might as well kill her. She’s useless anyway.’

“Kyung-sil, are you okay? Shall we rest here for a bit?”

“... Oh, thank you, Byung-ok. Who would’ve thought a monster would suddenly appear there? It’s a relief you’re here. Huff... Huff...”

“... Kyung-sil, you have the food supplies, right?”

“Hoo... Of course! Don’t worry about it. I’ve got everything. You just protect me from the monsters, okay? I’ll handle the supplies.”

This woman was, without a doubt, the dumbest human I had ever encountered. An old lady who didn’t even bring a weapon when running for her life?

Her judgment was garbage. While others might have been useful in some way and worth observing for later, this woman had been marked for disposal from the start.

“Haha... Kyung-sil, I’m not Byung-ok.”

“Huh? What are you talking about? If you’re not Byung-ok, then who—what...?”

Swish—

“AAAAAH! My... my leg! Hic...!”

“Puhaha! What will you do now, losing your precious leg like that?”

“Hic... Byung-ok... Please, spare me! Why... why are you doing this all of a sudden? Please, let me live...”

“My name isn’t Byung-ok. It’s Chan-ho. Why do you keep calling me the wrong name? How rude of you, haha.”

Watching her squirm in pain was delightful. I had wanted to do this every time she opened that mouth of hers.

I knelt down, meeting the tear-filled eyes of the writhing insect on the ground.

“You know, don’t you? There’s no surviving once you’ve lost a leg. Puhuhu...”

“Please... Please don’t do this! Chan-ho, I... I was wrong!”

“As expected... even when dying, you’re still stupid. If it were me, I’d curse my killer instead of begging.”

I stood up, reversed my grip on the sword, and aimed it at the pathetic, squirming insect.

“Don’t worry. In your next life, you’ll be reborn as a bug that suits you better.”

“Hic... Wait...! Spare me—”

Thunk!

With a downward thrust, the pitiful life trembled once more before falling completely still. I loved this feeling—it reminded me that I was truly alive.

“Khh... Perfection.”

It was unfortunate that my plans had fallen apart, but it didn’t matter. I could always gather more people, and as for the monsters, I’d kill or outrun a few if necessary.

As I wiped the blood from my sword and prepared to leave, I heard footsteps. Then, a figure appeared.

“... A woman?”

It was a woman. She carried a spear, and her appearance was striking—stunning, even. Long black hair and a beauty beyond anyone I had ever seen in my life.

The woman spoke.

“As expected... You’re still trash, Cho Chan-ho.”

I flinched.

‘She knows my name...?’

How she knew my name, I had no idea. But the situation was clearly bad. I was holding a sword, and at my feet lay the corpse of the woman I had just killed.

“Haha... This is a misunderstanding. She attacked me, trying to steal my food. I had no choice. But... do you know me?”

Glancing at the corpse, the woman replied, “No need to explain. I know you’re a psychopathic killer.”

‘What’s with this woman...? How does she know me? Have we met on Earth?’

Even if we had met on Earth, there was no way she’d know I was a killer. Not even the police had caught me. I had always been meticulous, erasing evidence and leaving no trace.

‘It doesn’t matter if she knows me or not... Her looks aren’t bad at all.’

“Hmm... You seem to know me. But what brings a woman like you here, alone and unarmed in a dangerous place like this? Puhuhu...”

“Ha... Don’t worry. Things won’t go the way you think. Anyway, I have something to ask you.”

“Confident, aren’t you? What do you want to ask?”

“Do you know Lee Yoon-sung?”

“... Why are you looking for him?”

‘What’s this? Do they know each other?’

It didn’t matter. Preparing to strike, I answered, “Yes... I know him. But why should I tell you?”

I slowly maneuvered into a better position to swing my sword.

“Where is he?”

“Haha... And why should I tell you?”

“If you answer, I’ll kill you painlessly.”

“... Haha... Hahahaha!”

Her words made me laugh, but she remained silent, unfazed.

“Is that so? That’s a generous offer. Well then, try me!”

With that, I lunged forward. The distance was perfect, and the woman hadn’t even raised her spear yet.

Whether she was inexperienced or overly confident, it didn’t matter.

“Fine, I’ll spare you... but you’ll lose a limb first!”

It happened in an instant. She dodged my swing by ducking and delivered a sharp kick to my exposed abdomen.

‘What the hell...?! What kind of movement is this?!’

I barely managed to block her kick with my free arm.

Crack!

“AAAAARGH!”

The force of her kick broke my arm. Wracked with pain, I screamed and stumbled backward, gritting my teeth to endure it.

“Damn it... What is this?!”

How can a human kick have such destructive power?

I couldn’t understand it. Breaking my arm with a single kick defied all logic.

“You managed to block that, huh? I was aiming to cripple you completely.”

“You... crazy bitch!”

I had to stay calm. This woman was on a completely different level from the prey I had hunted so far.

“Hoo... Alright. You wanted to know the location of Lee Yoon-sung, right?”

“Yes, where is he? You must’ve met him.”

“... If I tell you, will you let me go?”

“Fine. If you tell me, I’ll let you go. Now, answer me.”

“........”

“Speak.”

“......... Puhaha... You have no intention of letting me go, do you? You’re planning to kill me.”

“.......”

It was obvious that her promise to let me go was a lie. As someone who’s killed countless people, I could tell just by looking at her expression. It was the same expression I wore when I lied to my prey, pretending to spare them.

“Tch... You... crazy bitch...”

The idea of me, the predator, being treated like prey was unacceptable.

Gripping my sword, I moved toward the corpse nearby. There was no way I couldn’t win. That woman didn’t know it, but I had a unique trait. And thanks to the woman I just killed, the conditions were perfect.

Touching the pool of blood, I felt the pain gradually subside. My broken arm wasn’t fully healed, but the pain had all but disappeared.

“Hoo... This is great. I can see why you’re so confident.”

“Ha... Drop the formal tone, why don’t you? Seems like you only slip into casual speech when you’re in a hurry.”

Ignoring her taunts, I slowly approached her, observing her movements carefully. Rushing in recklessly like before would only end in failure.

As I walked toward her, I spoke, gauging her reaction.

“By the way, I’m curious. Why are you looking for Lee Yoon-sung?”

“What does it matter to you?”

“No reason... I was just wondering if it’s something sentimental. If so, that’s unfortunate. You see, I already sent Lee Yoon-sung to the same place as that old lady over there.”

At my words, her expression twisted with fury.

“... I know you’re trying to provoke me, but damn, it’s infuriating.”

The moment she finished speaking, she grabbed her spear and kicked off the ground. I panicked. Her speed was incredible.

‘Damn it! How is she this fast?!’

I quickly swung my sword to deflect the spear aimed at my leg.

Clang!

‘Ugh... What are her strength and agility stats?!’

Even though I only blocked the attack, the shock numbed my arm.

Before I could react, she disappeared from my sight and suddenly swung her spear from behind.

“You... crazy bitch!”

I struck out with my sword several times, but none of my attacks landed. While I was struggling to block her strikes with all my strength, she dodged my attacks with ease.

‘Now!’

Amid the exchange, I noticed an opening at her side. Her spear was locked with my sword in her right hand, and now her side was exposed. With her spear tied up, I aimed a kick at her ribs.

“What the...?!”

But the result was the opposite of what I expected. Instead of her falling, I was the one sent rolling across the ground. Before my kick could land, she had twisted her spear to trip me, sending me crashing down.

Thunk!

“Gaaaah!”

Her spear pierced the arm holding my sword, forcing me to drop it from the pain.

“Ghh... Damn it...”

“Stop whining. So, are you ready to answer now? Where is Lee Yoon-sung?”

“Khhaha... That bastard? I cut off his limbs and fed him to the monsters long ago—”

Slice!

“AAAAARGH! You crazy bitch!”

“Next will be your wrist, not your finger. I’ll ask again. Where is he?”

“Ugh... I told you already... I killed him—”

Slice!

“AAAAAH!”

“Where is he?”

“Khh... Damn you...”

The forest echoed with the sound of flesh being torn and a man’s desperate screams.