Edward, a former necromancer and former member of the Death-Rejecting Poetry Society, now a thief, a door lock inspector, and a newcomer to the Scavenger’s Guild, walked down the dirt road.
He carried a huge bearskin bundle, packed full and clinking with a crisp sound when shaken.
Excitement was written all over his face as he strode briskly toward his secret base.
His lips kept twitching upward, and his light, cheerful steps revealed his inner joy.
Tonight, he had hit the jackpot!
Just an hour ago, he had spent considerable effort helping a wealthy merchant check the quality of his door locks and accidentally ended up inside the man’s house.
He then kindly did some free cleaning for the merchant’s home.
And our host was very hospitable, sending a whole crowd of servants to detain him.
The guy kept saying he’d take him to a dungeon for the rest of his life, but Edward resolutely refused.
A man’s ambitions should be far-reaching—how could he waste his prime years for a few meals in prison?
As an ambitious young man with aspirations, how could Edward be tempted by such a lavish life?
“Forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye. May your path be warm sand, kind sir.”
But before departing, he also picked up some unwanted junk from the merchant’s house.
“Thank you, Edward! Feel free to come again!!!”
The wealthy merchant shouted loudly at Edward’s retreating back.
‘Sigh, being too charming is a curse…’
The touching scene from moments ago was still fresh in his mind.
Edward chuckled and shook his head, then looked at the hay warehouse ahead.
“I wonder if my Little Grape is asleep. I want to show him what I got tonight.”
He muttered quietly. Little Grape was a giant horned ox he had picked up.
This giant horned ox had originally been a pack beast for the Blue Whale Merchant Company, but the caravan had later been attacked by demons.
The clever ox had taken the chance to escape and ran into Edward, who was also fleeing.
Edward grabbed a few tender branches and fed them to the ox, and the ox latched onto him.
No matter what, the ox insisted on following him home. Left with no choice, Edward hid it in an abandoned hay warehouse.
Right now, his biggest wish was to fatten up the ox and sell it to the next caravan that came to town.
After all, a giant horned ox could fetch a good price—enough for a nice stone cottage.
In this world, most people lived in thatched huts; only the rich and powerful had stone houses.
And Edward would soon join their ranks, becoming someone the commoners looked up to.
Then he’d marry a pretty wife, have a few chubby kids.
Sit in a rocking chair by the fireplace, watching pitiful souls struggle through the snow outside.
Take a slow sip of warm fruit wine, and laugh about the harshness of the world.
Such a wonderful life was right at his fingertips!
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion jolted Edward from his daydream.
“What the hell?!”
His eyes shot wide open as he stared at the warehouse door.
The door had been shattered from the inside by an immense force, and a giant beast charged out!
Edward quickly raised his hand to shield his face from the flying splinters.
Then a heavy impact slammed into his torso, sending him tumbling across the ground several times.
“Ptoo! Ptoo!”
He sat up groggily, spitting out the dirt that had gotten into his mouth.
He looked up at the galloping beast—there was a faint figure on its back.
Edward sat there frozen, like a wooden stake.
He didn’t snap out of it until the beast and the figure disappeared into the dark night.
“No! My Little Grape!”
“My bull! Don’t go!”
A heart-wrenching wail tore from Edward’s throat, echoing through the forest.
He fell helplessly to his knees, stretching his right hand forward as if trying to grasp the beast’s retreating figure.
But the beast was long gone—not even a shadow remained.
“My house that I never got… my wife I never met… my children that were never born…”
Edward clawed at the ground, crawling forward, leaving scribbled marks in the dirt like a child’s doodles.
“All gone… my perfect life…”
With the giant horned ox’s departure, his dream shattered.
A few hot tears slid from the corner of his eyes, dripping onto the soft soil, darkening the ground in circles.
—
“What was that noise?”
Feilin, walking through the forest, twitched her large ears. She thought she heard something strange.
“What’s wrong, Big Tail Rat? You’re not thinking of running away again, are you?”
Sensing Feilin suddenly stop behind her, Vivian turned and asked.
Her dark red eyes stared warily at Feilin, as if trying to pierce through her.
“How could that be! As your little plaything, I’m not that stupid to run when I’ll just be caught.”
Feilin seemed offended by Vivian’s distrust, her face flushing red with anger.
“I just heard some unusual sounds and got curious.”
“Sounds? Which direction?”
“Right ahead of us.”
“Oh? Could it be something bad coming our way…”
Derek, who was walking at the front, overheard the conversation behind him and interjected without turning around.
He then pushed aside the bushes in front of him, checking the path ahead.
But there was nothing there—not even a wild chicken.
“There’s nothing ahead. Probably just a bear in heat making a mating call.”
Derek turned back and said casually to Vivian and Feilin.
“You probably misheard. Those big ears of yours are useless.”
Vivian reached out and pinched Feilin’s large ear, speaking flatly.
“I hope so. I don’t want any more trouble tonight.”
Feilin grabbed her ear back, holding her head in grievance.
After that little interruption, the three continued walking toward the hay warehouse.
As they journeyed on, they grew closer to their destination.
Then, the ground began to tremble, and the surrounding leaves shook uncontrollably.
“Something’s coming. Get ready to fight.”
Derek pulled out his holy emblem and clutched it tightly, assuming a defensive stance.
“The horny bear is coming!”
Feilin let out a sharp shriek, sliding on her knees to Vivian’s feet and hugging her plush thigh tightly.
“Save me, Lady Vivian! I don’t want to mate with a bear!”
“Get lost.”
Vivian stomped on her face, kicking Feilin into the bushes.
“Moo!”
A thunderous beastly roar followed, and a giant ox-shaped monster appeared before Vivian.
Its limbs were like stone pillars forged from iron, smashing the ground as it charged forward with brute force.
“Holy crap! What the hell is that?”
Derek couldn’t help blurting out his true thoughts.
Then he saw Vivian’s petite figure step in front of him.
Vivian stood steady, her expression calm.
She slowly extended a slender finger and gently pressed it against the beast’s massive forehead.
The unstoppable charge came to a sudden halt.
THUD!
The beast seemed pinned by that finger, unable to move.
Its hind legs lifted off the ground, its entire rear half rising high.
Under the immense inertia, the rider on its back was flung off without warning.
He tumbled through the air several times before crashing heavily into the mud in front of Vivian.
“Oh, if it isn’t Sir Nolan? Only half a day gone and you’ve already got such a special way of making an entrance?”
Vivian smiled as she looked down at Nolan lying at her feet, teasing him.