Chapter 126 – Overcoming The Trauma
“Are you ready?” I asked Len.
“Just a moment. I need to deactivate some magic tools,” she replied, her eyes narrowed in concentration as her fingers danced over invisible runes.
The next morning, we set out at last, both of us fully geared. Len had even made me a matching red magic bag, the same shade as hers, like a quiet promise that we were doing this together.
“All set. Let’s go.”
We cast one final look back at our wooden home before turning south.
It took us four hours to reach the transparent barrier, and the sheer travel time alone was proof of how massive the safe zone truly was. The air near the edge felt different.
“Once we step out of this barrier, we must stay vigilant”
“Understood.”
And then we stepped beyond the safe zone.
The moment we crossed the boundary, Len lifted a finger to her lips, warning me to keep quiet. Even our footfalls felt too loud in the forest, so we relied on Unified Voices instead, letting silence swallow every unnecessary sound while we moved.
(“It is coming. Two C-Ranks, one o’clock.”)
After nearly an hour of careful trekking, Len’s Mana Detection caught them first. We stopped at once, bodies still, eyes scanning through the trees until two shapes slid into view between the trunks.
“Grrr…”
“Red Wolves…”
I whispered, and the words tasted like old blood. In an instant, memories of past encounters flooding back, the sight of them killing other slaves and nearly killing me.
My hands trembled before I could stop them.
Len’s hand found mine, warm and steady, her grip gentle but firm enough to anchor me.
(“Are you okay?”)
No. I’m not okay.
But I had to do this.
If I ran from the sight of them forever, then they would keep owning a piece of me.
<”Let me handle them.”>
I did not pretend I was fine. I asked for this, because I needed to tear my fear out by the roots with my own hands.
Len squeezed my fingers once, then let go, giving me space while still staying close enough to catch me if I fell.
(“Stay calm. I believe you can do it. You are not alone anymore. I’m here with you.”)
Her words slid under my ribs like armor, tightening everything into something solid. If I failed, Len would save me. And more importantly, she believed I could stand on my own.
I called up the wolves’ status, forcing my gaze to stay sharp instead of drowning in memory.
Name: -
Age: 45
Race: Red Wolf
Title: -
State: Normal
Mana: 2043/2043
Vitality: 2121
Strength: 2203
Magic Power: 1524
Mental Power: 875
Agility: 3210
Dexterity: 2573
Magic Resistance: 1623
Mental Resistance: 1024
Status Point: 43
Element: Fire
Active Skills: -
Passive Skills:
- Mana Detection(4)
*You need the target’s consent to manipulate the target's status
*Target does not meet requirement for Immortal Bonds
Name: -
Age: 43
Race: Red Wolf
Title: -
State: Normal
Mana: 2313/2313
Vitality: 2402
Strength: 2107
Magic Power: 1378
Mental Power: 1204
Agility: 2880
Dexterity: 2120
Magic Resistance: 1175
Mental Resistance: 805
Status Point: 30
Element: Fire
Active Skills: -
Passive Skills:
- Mana Detection(5)
*You need the target’s consent to manipulate the target's status
*Target does not meet requirement for Immortal Bonds
They were weaker than me. Still, I could not afford arrogance. I refused to become Ignava.
(“No need to worry about the loot.”)
Len’s reminder was quiet, but it hit exactly where it needed to. This was not about trophies. This was about survival, about reclaiming myself. It meant I did not need to hold back.
I drew my sword, the familiar weight settling into my right hand. Hellfire aura rose around my body and blade like a living storm, hungry and hot, while my legs filled with a blend of fire and light, ready to launch.
“Rawr!!”
The wolves charged, muscles coiling and releasing with savage speed.
I dashed forward to meet them.
I kicked my fire aura hard to the left, a sudden flare meant to drag their instincts away, and surged to the right with a burst of light, slipping into the first form of Flamelight Footwork.
Their eyes snapped toward the danger, attention yanked the wrong way for the smallest moment. But it was enough.
I cut across to their left.
Slash!
My blade cleaved through the first wolf, and hellfire caught in its fur like a curse given shape. It collapsed with a choking snarl, burning from the inside out.
The second wolf jerked toward me, startled, furious, and for a single heartbeat our eyes met.
Then I disappeared.
Slash!
I reappeared behind it and severed its neck in one clean motion. Its head tumbled into the leaves, blood spraying in a bright arc before the hellfire swallowed it, turning the forest air sharp with heat and iron.
My lungs dragged in a harsh breath. My heart slammed against my ribs like it was trying to break free.
I had killed them. The monsters that had once nearly ended my life.
Tinkle Tinkle!
Hmn!
Pom!
Pii…!
Alfia, Nyxia, Luna, and Noir echoed their congratulations through our shared connection, their voices wrapping around my chest.
<”Thank you.”>
I turned toward Len with a grin I could not fully control, the aura around me starting to fade as I walked back to her.
Len ran to meet me… then she drew her sword!
(“Trust me.”)
Even so, my heart skipped. A certain thought flashed through my mind.
Is she… going to betray me too?
In the next instant she lunged past me.
Stab!
“Huh?”
Her blade flashed so close to my head that the wind of it brushed my hair. I spun around, stunned, and met the wide, disbelieving eyes of the first wolf.
It was still alive.
It had been holding on through sheer hatred and instinct, half-charred and trembling, launching itself at me in a last desperate strike.
Len’s sword was already buried in its throat midair. The wolf’s body went limp, and she slammed it down into the ground with a sharp, final motion.
Only then did I realize that I had been saved again.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was still alive…”
Len did not answer with words. She stepped in and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me close, one hand patting my hair the way you would soothe someone after a nightmare.
“You did a great job.”
The warmth of her shoulder pressed into my cheek, soft and real. I closed my eyes, letting the tremor in my body finally show.
“Un.”
“It must have been frightening.”
“Un. I was so scared.”
Even if it looked easy from the outside, it was not. I had not only fought the wolves. I had fought the part of myself that still remembered being powerless, and Len had seen every crack in my courage.
“But you did it. You killed them.”
“I only killed one of them, though.”
The words slipped out before pride could catch them. She chuckled.
“How do you feel? Breaking past your trauma.”
“I feel like I could slay a dragon right now.”
I joked, forcing a laugh through the last of the fear.
“What a cheeky brat.”
“This cheeky brat is your lover, though.”
“That’s why I am rewarding you right now.”
Her embrace tightened, not painful, just firm enough to make me feel safe.
“But I want a reward more than this right now.”
“Too bad for you. We can’t do it until we reach the town.”
“Every time you want to do it, you do it right away without my consent. Yet when I want to do it, I need to wait for next year. Isn’t it unfair?”
“It can’t be helped. Instead, I will drink you a lot later.”
“It seems I have no choice but to endure it.”
We traded playful words until the edge inside me dulled. Leaves rustled above us, and the clean scent of trees filled my lungs, washing away the taste of old fear.
When I finally felt steady, I eased out of her arms and looked at the fallen bodies.
“What should we do with these corpses?”
I had already extinguished the burning aura, leaving only scorched fur and cooling heat.
“We can’t use the fur, but the meat is still good. Let’s have it for lunch to celebrate your first victory against monsters.”
“Sounds good.”
【Meat!】
Azadia chimed in again, practically vibrating with excitement.
And just like that, with blood on the earth and my fear finally cut open, the beginning of our journey truly started.