Lucy wasn't sure what to do in the current situation because she didn't have many clues about the identity of the people approaching her. From what she understood from their shouts, they had a camp nearby, so it's possible they are a group of hunters. But what if they were thieves hiding in the woods from the long arm of the law? What would they do when they found a very beautiful girl alone in the middle of the forest? And even if they weren't criminals, there was a high chance that they might have ill intentions toward her. Who would hold them accountable when there were no witnesses?
'I didn't want to encounter people so soon. I wished to spend a few more weeks in the forest to raise my level even further, so I could handle any situation I might face in the future unharmed. With beasts, you know what to expect, but with humans, it's harder to deduce what truly lies in their minds. Who knows what macabre thoughts may hide behind an innocent smile? So, should I hide and follow them to see what they do? But what if they have someone on their team who can detect me? In that case, the chances of a friendly meeting would drop close to zero. Who would be willing to talk to a person who follows you from the shadows? Anyway, I think I'll first check their levels and then make a decision...'
As they approached, Lucy activated her ocular ability, which allowed her to see their levels, and she began to analyze the group of four individuals who hadn't discovered her yet.
'Hmmm, it appears they are indeed humans, not another humanoid race. They are four men, all around 30 years old. The one who shouted first is at level 34, making him the strongest. The others are at levels 29, 27, and 24. Considering they all have swords as weapons, and the strongest one is fully armored, I can deduce that they are not here for hunting. Yes, this is not hunting equipment. They seem more like adventurers or mercenaries... Anyway, even in the worst case, if they attack me directly when they see me, I believe I can easily escape using the Steps of Light skill, so it's not such a great risk to wait for them here and try to gather some information about the world I find myself in. Plus, I have enough time to set the stage in my favor...'
After deciding to meet the group of men, Lucy immediately bought 200 meters of steel wire and 10 explosive papers from the Ninja Shop. Then, she started attaching the steel wire to the surrounding trees, following the instructions from the manual she had read while having breakfast.
'Yes, it turned out very well. In case the group of men doesn't have good intentions, I can immediately activate the trap to capture them, and then I'll have enough time to flee...' Lucy thought after finishing attaching the steel wires and seeing that everything seemed to be in order.
In less than a minute after Lucy finished her work, the group of four men managed to spot her among the tree trunks and headed towards her with their swords drawn.
"Look what we have here, boys. Seems like we hit the jackpot..." said the massive man dressed in armor, who was walking in front of the group and had the highest level.
Lucy didn't like his tone, but it was too late to change her decision now, so she had no choice but to wait for the group of men to reach her.
"Huh, isn't she a lionkin? What the hell is a catgirl doing in a place like this? Does anyone in the camp have a catgirl as a slave?" the man with the highest level asked the other three behind him.
"I don't think so. If there was such a beauty with us, I'm sure I would have noticed..." one of the three men replied.
"Hey, boss. Isn't that Jacky's corpse next to that dead lizard?" one of the other men asked after taking his eyes off Lucy and looking behind her to see if anyone else was in the area.
"Yeah, that's Jacky... Haha, he died with his pants down. I told you he's an idiot. What kind of hunter gets taken by surprise by such a big lizard..."
Realizing how he died, the other three men followed their leader's example and started laughing and mocking Jacky, remembering all the foolish things he did while accompanying them in the forest.
After a minute of laughing at Jacky's pathetic death, the four men turned their gazes back to Lucy, who was still standing in the same spot where they found her, without saying a word.
"Boss, what should we do with this catgirl? Do you think her master is nearby? He probably killed the lizard..." one of the men from the back asked their leader.
"Take a closer look, she doesn't have any slave collar. Probably the lizard was killed by some lionkin, and she got left behind to butcher the prey. Seems like we got lucky. We can gather information about the location of the lionkins' village and have some fun at the same time. Hehe, this time I'll be the first. You won't find such beauty even in the capital's brothels."
"But boss, the employer said to deliver his goods as intact as possible. He clearly specified not to touch any females..."
"He said not to touch any liongirls, right? Do you see any liongirl around here? So shut up and let me do my thing if you want your turn with her when I'm done...", said the man in front of the group to one of his subordinates who interrupted him and then began taking off his armor.
As the four men in front of her discussed how they would use Lucy to satisfy their sexual needs, she looked at them with such a cold gaze that it could freeze the flames of hell.
'What does this mean? What are these bastards saying? Slavery? Having their way with me? Who do they think they are? Thinking they can do whatever they want without any repercussions? They're truly disgusting... worse than wild animals. No, Lucy! You mustn't run away! You must do something! You can't allow such people to exist. If they leave here alive, who knows how many innocent people will fall victim to their cruelty. Yes, I have to do something. In my previous life, I didn't have the chance to make the one who took my parents and my leg pay, and even if I had managed to put him in jail, true justice wouldn't have been served. But right now, I can create true justice with my own hands. Yes, true justice can only be done before the crime... They think others' lives are worthless, they think they're superior. They believe the strong can do whatever they want with the weak's lives... Such trash shouldn't live. Maybe if someone else had been brought into this world instead of me, they wouldn't have had the courage to do this... but I am capable. I can sleep better at night knowing that I made the world a better place...'
Yes, Lucy had no intention of running away. She couldn't allow such people to remain alive. Wasn't this what she always wanted? Didn't she always want to be able to deliver justice with her own hands? Why would she hesitate now when she had the chance to do it? No, she wouldn't hesitate. She was ready to stain her hands with human blood. So Lucy reached out and grabbed a section of steel wire in front of her, and after activating the Wind Blessing skill, she pulled it with force, turning the trap, initially meant only to slow down opponents, into a deadly weapon.
'Kill them, Lucy! Kill them all! Remove such bastards from this world!'