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Near the territory of our household is a massive forest that stretched for miles. This forest was known as the Bloodleaves forest, and in case the name alone didn't raise flags in your head, this was one of the most dangerous spots in the entire Empire...one could even say that it's one of the deadliest places in the world
There are two reasons for this
One is that the place was infested with monstrous creatures, big and small, that had developed a taste for human flesh. The other is that the place was one of the favorite hangout spots for deadly bandits and criminals all around the world
After all, the forest was far too massive and infested by deadly beasts to be constantly patrolled by the Imperial paladins and guards. So anyone who was foolish enough to traverse through these woods would often end up staining the trees and plants with their blood, hence the gruesome name that it has today...
My father would often scold us siblings for even thinking about going through these woods, and my mother would often gently talk to us and tell us that we'll be good girls and boys if we steer clear of it
But I don't really want to be a good boy, so I would run around the forest every night ever since I was a child
I mean seriously? This was like the perfect training ground for a healthy young boy aspiring to be the strongest. The monsters here are no pushovers, which means that they would provide me with an amusing challenge...like this guy right here...
"Grrrrrr..."
"Well, hello there big guy"
In front of me was a muscular giant that had the body of a man and a head of a bull. A minitour, so to speak. This big guy is considered to be one of the deadliest monster species in the entire world. Even without the use of magic, these things were capable of cracking skulls using their fingers and running at blinding speeds
Normally, it would take a few paladins to take down one of these giants
But the thing that makes them the greatest threat is the fact that these big fellers hunt in groups in the wild. Yup, these guys prefer to hunt in packs. And they're one of the most effective ambush hunters out there...
So while there was only one of them standing in front of me, I could sense that there were ten more hiding in the bushes...
"Hehehe, well aren't you guys just adorable?"
The first time I saw them, It was a near-death experience. But now that I'm used to monsters like these, I just find them to be like cute little animals...who are capable of splitting a human into two with their bare hands
"Groaaaaaaahhhh!"
The minotaur at the very front screamed and began their attack
He shifted down his body and began to charge at me with their big and massive horns at the ready. A direct hit from one of those is capable of decimating a human body, and ordinary people who come against this would usually have their lives flash before their very eyes
But to me, it just seems slow and sloppy
I took out my sword and activated my magic
"Let's dance"
Crimson flames began to embolden my blade along with my entire body. The temperature suddenly rose to an astonishing degree, to the point that the nearby trees began to set ablaze. The charging minotaur saw this and halted in its own tracks, I could also sense the ones who were hiding falter for a moment...
They may be beasts, but their instincts were probably screaming that pushing forward was dangerous
And I don't blame them
These flames were different from the ones I would use whenever me and my sister would have our little bouts. These flames are ones that I meticulously crafted using my own magic. They're capable of burning far more intensely than any ordinary flames made by either normal means or through magic.
They're capable of burning even when doused with water, and they will continue to burn stronger until I willed them to stop. This was my bread and butter. The result of my efforts in studying the arts of magic, a unique spell that only I could wield...
I call it...the 'Hellfire'
And I took inspiration from the final boss of that one game I played as a child, the one that started the first sparks of my desire. His attacks would usually have a flame like this being included in them, which looked cool, so I adopted it as my own...
Now then, as for its destructive power...
I quickly charged at the man-bull in front of me to test it out. It seems that it hasn't realized I moved yet as it was blankly staring at nowhere...He may technically be part bull, but right now he looks more like a deer in the face of headlights
"Grraaaah!" And he let out a loud scream the moment my blade was able to make contact with his head
And would you look at that, I was able to slash him and half, and the crimson flames doubled down the damaged and began to roast him down to the ground like charcoal. Within seconds, the once proud and tall man-bull was now dust being blown by the wind
This was one of the reasons why I hold back and prefer not to use techniques like this against my sister...for now at least
"Hmmm...the output is far stronger compared to when I started it a few years ago, but I just know I could make it better..."
I turned to the rest of the man-bulls who were hiding with a wide grin on my face
"Let's test it all on you folks!"
I screamed as I quickly charged toward them
"You first!"
I picked the one that seems to be the strongest and readied my sword. The man-bull was able to react, and he sent a punch aimed directly at my face. I stopped his fist with my left hand which seemed to surprise it...
"Hehe, you expect your punch to obliterate me, huh? Well you're wrong"
I crushed his fist with my bare hands as I plunged my sword deep into its chest
I then activated 'Hellfire' which caused the crimson flames to combust inside its body. It fell down to the ground, and I had the unfortunate experience of seeing its eyes melt down...eww...
Anyway, he turned to cinders just like the other one, and I continued to hunt them with my flaming sword. The screams of the man-bulls resonated throughout the forest like a twisted orchestra, and I myself am not sure whether or not to feel good about this
In the past, I used to come here in order to beat up some strong monsters. But I may have been overhunting them. As of right now, the only strong monsters that I'd usually encounter in my night walks are these Minatours, and they're just not enough to satisfy my bloodlust anymore...
"G-Groaaah..."
I let out a sigh as I removed my blade from another one of them...
By this point, most of the others had already run out deep into the forest. And I thought that the yield for hunting them down was just not worth it so I decided to leave them be. I wiped the blood off my ebony blade...This bad boy right here is a sword that I specifically worked hard to commission from some big-wig blacksmith in another country, and I would hate for it to rust anytime soon
Once cleaned up, I continued to run around while looking for more prey to hunt down
There were a lot of other dangerous monsters that I encountered while on the way. Like this one giant spider that has venom so deadly that it could literally melt a human being like butter. Or this one big bear that has fur capable of withstanding the swings of most swords. And one of my favorites, which is a group of white rats that hunt people by the thousands and slowly eat them from the inside out...
But none of them really posed a threat to me so I killed all of them and continued to leisurely walk around
Until...
"Oh?..."
I spot a nearby caravan
I quickly ereased my presence and began to spy on them from afar. There were about thirty of them in total, and all of them were armed to the teeth. But upon observing them more closely, they didn't seem to be Imperial paladins or guards who are on patrol...If anything they seem to be...
"-! Bandits!"
My eyes practically sparkled as I saw them in all their glory
Like the monsters around this area, ever since I began my nightly walks, the bandits and criminals roaming around this place began to slowly dwindle over time. So me seeing them right now, was like watching a near-extinct animal roam around...
I wanted to be sure of myself so I carefully observed them and looked for evidence pertaining to them being criminals, and would you look at that...their wagons are all carrying cages! And in the cages were human beings!
"Oh dear, oh dear...slavery?! Now that's just unacceptable. That's against imperial law, hehehe...Sorry, guess I have to slaughter you all now and take all of your loot in the name of justice!"
With a smile, I readied my sword and charged at the group