Chapter 3
Chapter 3: The Unknown Evil Creature
On the forest path, young Branny walked with a light, cheerful step—truly the picture of an innocent, carefree little girl.
Li Kainan followed behind her, his gaze instinctively sweeping the surroundings.
By now the 2 of them had strayed further and further from that peaceful village, and the forest on either side was growing denser and more forbidding.
What's more, deep within the thick trees on all sides, there was an unmistakable feeling that crept in—cold, eerie, spine-chilling!
An old woman living alone in a place this far removed from the village, and her family was actually comfortable letting a young girl like Branny come visit by herself?
That made no sense.
But if this was the trigger cutscene for a story mission, then it made perfect sense……
And it was right at this moment that Li Kainan's brow suddenly furrowed, his eyes sharpening as they cut toward the dense trees flanking the path.
He hadn't detected any movement, yet his instincts were telling him something was off—as though a gaze filled with malice was fixed upon him……
As it turned out, Li Kainan's instincts were not wrong!
The red velvet cloak Branny was wearing suddenly flickered with a burst of red light.
The red light was not blinding or harsh—rather, it carried a warmth reminiscent of the first rays of morning sunlight.
Though it was only a brief flash, it cast a faint glow into the dark and deathly silent forest on either side of the path!
The next moment, the malicious gaze lurking within the trees was startled by the red light.
The undergrowth within the dense forest suddenly rustled, followed by the sound of rapid footsteps—as though something was fleeing in a panic.
Li Kainan's eyes hardened, and nearly on instinct, his combat reflexes kicked in.
He drew the ornate knight's sword at his waist—the one that had crossed over with him and had yet to be sharpened—then his arm erupted with force as he hurled it with full strength toward the dense forest ahead.
The longsword cut through the air with a shrieking whoooosh, tearing through the atmosphere with an ear-splitting riiip.
A thunderous crash rang out from the impact, followed by a burst of agonized, wretched howling from somewhere within the trees ahead.
Whatever that thing was, it let out a muffled groan of pain—then, impossibly, faint and rapid footsteps sounded once more from within the forest.
It could still run?
Young Branny had no idea that something in the forest had just set its sights on them, nor did she notice the strange red light that had briefly flared from her cloak.
Instead, she had been startled by Li Kainan's sudden throw of his sword, and she patted her still-trembling chest with one hand while asking:
"Lord Kainan, what just happened?"
"Something was hiding in the forest just now—it seemed like it was trying to ambush us……"
Li Kainan answered Branny's question, then strode quickly into the dense trees on the side of the path.
The ornate knight's sword he carried was clearly no mere decorative piece.
It had been forged using modern craftsmanship—the kind of high-end piece that cost tens of thousands per sword!
By ancient standards, it would absolutely qualify as a peerless legendary weapon.
Though it had yet to be sharpened, the current Li Kainan was practically a human machine—capable of several tons of force with a single hand—which made the destructive power of the thrown sword absolutely terrifying!
Within the dense forest, Li Kainan found his knight's sword buried deep in the trunk of a massive tree.
Skewered on the ornate blade was a thick, severed arm covered in long gray fur, still dripping with blackened, foul-smelling dark blood!
Li Kainan examined the rough, jagged wound at the severed end of the arm, brow furrowing.
Whatever creature that was just now, it must have first been pinned hard against the tree by his thrown knight's sword.
But the thing had been ruthlessly decisive—in that moment of crisis, it had simply torn off its own arm to escape……
The thought gave Li Kainan pause, a trace of wariness rising in his heart.
Its physical strength was clearly no joke, and on top of that it was cold-blooded and decisive to this degree.
Something like this—either never provoke it at all, or once provoked, eliminate it completely. Otherwise it really wasn't something one could feel at ease leaving alive.
What a pity he hadn't known he'd be transmigrating, or he would have grabbed his compound bow from home on the way out.
If he'd had a bow, with his level of archery, whatever that thing was would never have gotten away……
……
Young Branny had followed him over as well, and when the somewhat gruesome scene before her came into focus, the color drained instantly from her pretty face.
Li Kainan pulled his knight's sword free from the tree trunk, then held the arm still skewered on the blade up toward Branny and asked:
"Branny, do you know what creature this arm belongs to?"
Having a severed arm—still bloody—thrust in front of her face was simply too frightening for an innocent, naive young girl like Branny.
She stumbled backward in fright, lowered her head to bury her face against her own chest and refused to look again, then said in a trembling voice:
"S-sorry, Mr. Kainan, I don't know……You could ask my grandmother—she might know!"
Li Kainan nodded, and noticing that Branny had been given quite a fright, he moved the gray-furred arm away.
After this incident, Branny no longer had any girlish urge to skip and play as they walked.
She immediately led Li Kainan onward, continuing along the forest path.
Passing through the dense stretch of trees ahead, the light brightened once more.
A small, cozy-looking wooden cottage with a garden suddenly came into view!
Something stirred in Li Kainan's mind, and he came to an abrupt stop.
He stepped back a couple of paces and looked ahead again—only to see nothing but a deep, dark forest. There was no sign whatsoever that a small cottage was hidden just beyond.
A concealment spell?
No—given the aesthetic of this world, shouldn't it be called magic?
Li Kainan narrowed his eyes slightly, standing there and turning the thought over for a moment.
Meanwhile, Branny's steps grew light and sprightly once more as she called out in a clear voice:
"Grandmother, I'm here!"
The door of the cottage swung open, and an elderly woman with a kind face—though with an unnaturally flushed complexion—walked out, greeting Branny with a warmth filled smile.
And it was at this same moment that Grandmother noticed Li Kainan standing at the doorway. Alarm bells went off in her heart at once, and she instinctively moved to shield Branny behind her.
Because of her injury, her magical power had weakened—even the protective magic guarding the village had developed a gap.
And the old hunter, her friend who could have come to her aid, had not yet arrived in time. This was the moment she was at her most vulnerable!
If an evil creature came to her door now, she likely had no strength left to resist—and even her beloved granddaughter might die here alongside her……
At this moment, Grandmother was tense and on guard to the extreme—she had already steeled herself to fight to the death if it came to that.
But when she got a clear look at Li Kainan standing in the doorway, she couldn't help but pause.
Li Kainan at the doorway was dressed in magnificent, dashing gilded engraved armor, with a striking red cape at his back—the very image of noble distinction……