Pain, fear, and resentment surged through my spine all at once.

Death was closing in, my pitiful, monotonous life flashed before my eyes.

I, Adam Hammer, was born into a family of four in a small town on the edge of the kingdom, living with my parents and younger sister.

My father had some knowledge of magic and ran a small shop selling magical potions with my mother, accumulating a modest fortune.

There were many people in town similar to me, most inherited their parents' lives, doing the same work, getting married, having children, and living out their days.

I once believed that as long as I became as diligent and gentle as my father, I could naturally lead a similarly mundane yet happy life.

Then one day, a demon arrived.

He performed a ritual in the forest, unleashing a dozen powerful magical beasts that invaded the town in the dead of night.

The town’s mages reacted swiftly, quickly driving back the beasts and sealing them in the forest, the evil demon was also slain, so, the town was largely unharmed.

Only a small area centered around my home was completely destroyed.

When it happened, I was with my mother and sister, and we managed to survive.

However, my mother was left disabled, the shop was destroyed, and most of our family’s belongings were burned in the fire, If not for being rescued by others, I would have died in it too.

As for my father, in his panic, he didn’t flee with his family but took refuge with a detestable neighbor, the two fled into the forest in their confusion and were eventually killed by the magical beasts.

His body was torn into several pieces by fangs, his frozen face etched with fear and agony.

I was heartbroken, but as time passed, the grief gradually eased and faded, replaced by a growing confusion.

My father was a diligent, upright man; the neighbor was a worthless drunk who beat his wife and children daily, yet they died together, devoid of dignity, filled with terror.

Morality, wealth, family, wisdom... these things seemed unable to determine a person’s fate, no matter what kind of life one led, it was possible to die in excruciating pain and overwhelming fear one day.

So much lay beyond human, or at least my ability to predict or control, whether one died without a proper burial or lived happily into old age largely depended on elusive, intangible luck.

A bunch of snails.

To carry on my father’s work, and perhaps to dispel my gloom, I began studying magical knowledge, spending my days and nights with herbs and books.

Whether it was because I was too busy or because I always wore a sour expression, people in town gradually grew unwilling to see me, and I slowly grew unwilling to see them.

Human.

When I finally noticed, I had essentially become an outcast.

My potion-making skills were inferior to my father’s, and my social connections were even worse. Rebuilding the shop was out of the question; even making ends meet was a struggle, forcing me to take on odd jobs to support the household.

Yesterday, my savior and mentor commissioned me to make a few simple mana recovery potions. To prepare them, I needed several plants, including moonlight vines, so I came to the forest to gather them.

The commission’s reward was quite generous, but in truth, that person just wanted an excuse to help me earn some extra money.

Besides, I had gathered moonlight vines several times before. I knew the safe route well, so it was familiar and straightforward.

So, I walked into the forest without a second thought and collected the herbs. So, when a passing noble tried to make small talk, I just stood there, brushing him off.

I continued this fragile, uneventful life until the magical beasts emerged from the woods once more, slaughtering the guards right before my eyes.

Best.

I don’t think I acted recklessly. I had already done my best.

So, the reason I was now splattered with foul blood, chased by a beast, and had broken my nose from a fall wasn’t due to anything special, just plain bad luck.

“Ah... Aaaah!”

The noble let out a shriek, flailing his plump arms as he fled past me. My mind snapped awake.

No, not yet, i don’t want to die!

I stretched out my hands, putting all my strength into pushing myself up from the ground.

But as soon as I lifted my body slightly, my forearm suddenly gave way under the pressure, twisting into an unnatural shape.

White bone pierced through muscle and skin, exposed to the air.

I stared blankly at the bone, then, pain exploded from the wound.

“Aaargh!”

Extreme agony tore through my entire body, my breath caught, my heart raced, and my mind went blank from the violent shock.

Neck.

Then, the beast crouched beside me, gripping my throat.

A cold, dry sensation lingered around my neck, panic overwhelmed me, momentarily overriding the pain.

I clawed at the beast’s limbs.

I thrashed and struggled desperately.

But the hand around my throat didn’t budge an inch.

I couldn’t breathe, a buzzing filled my ears, my vision darkened.

I’m going to die, i’m going to be eaten, to die in a dark stomach...

Damn it... Damn it! Why?!

Ignoring my shattered nails, I frantically groped the ground until I finally clutched a stone.

With my last ounce of strength, I struck the beast’s face.

Under the impact, the beast’s skin dented slightly, it curled its lips into a mocking smile.

Despair and pain completely crushed what little sanity I had left.

No! I can’t! I want to live, I want to... I, I...

Line.

Suddenly, I saw a red line appear in the center of its face.

The pressure on my throat abruptly eased, By the time I realized it, the beast had already released its grip.

I coughed violently, greedily gasping for air as countless thoughts swirled in my chaotic mind.

Thank goodness! I’m alive!

But why? Why did it let go?

Is it going to torture me further?

Clutching my throbbing throat, I looked at it in fear and confusion, it, too, seemed puzzled, trying to turn its head.

Face.

However, only the lower half of its face connected to its neck moved.

That’s when I noticed—its upper skull had already been cleanly severed.

The beast abruptly stood up, its severed head immediately wobbling and falling to the ground, dark red blood gushing from the cut.

…

It touched its cheek, letting out a series of rasping sounds.

…

Its massive body swayed weakly a few times, then toppled straight toward me.

I hastily reached out to block it, but a pale, slender arm gently caught the beast’s corpse, effortlessly tossing the massive creature into the air.

The body crashed to the ground over a dozen meters away, its wild magical energy dissipating completely, the owner of the arm stepped into my view.

It was a girl with white hair and blue eyes, she was petite, draped in a silver gown, her snow-white skin faintly visible—utterly out of place against the corpse behind her.

She stood amidst the brilliant bloodshed and sunlight, her gaze sweeping over me like an inspection of troops, her posture like that of a deity from a legendary tale.