"Wait! Handsome, please wait for me!"
At the sound of her voice, Merlin slowed his pace and looked back, spotting a beautiful woman.
She had an oval face with captivating brown eyes, and her long blonde hair cascaded straight down to her waist, giving her an elegant and alluring appearance.
Clad in a princess gown inspired by the medieval kingdom's style, her beauty was striking. Yet, Merlin remained unimpressed. He simply ignored her and quickened his pace.
Seeing Merlin ignore her, the beautiful woman was momentarily stunned before her anger erupted.
As the proud princess of a powerful kingdom, she was accustomed to being the center of attention, her beauty admired by all. But this bastard dared to ignore her, fueling her anger even more.
*Roar!*
The monstrous roar, accompanied by the sound of giant trees being destroyed, sent a chill down the woman's spine. Her angry expression faded instantly, replaced by a deep sense of fear.
"Handsome man! Handsome man! Please, wait for me! Don't leave me! Take me with you! I promise I'll give you whatever you want in exchange!" She cried, her voice hoarse with terror.
If she fell into the monsters' hands, her fate was sealed—death. She certainly didn't want to die like this. As a princess of high status, she could never accept such a humiliating end.
Just as she hoped Merlin would be tempted by her offer, the harsh reality struck. Not only did he reject her, but he didn't even spare her a glance. This sent a violent tremor through her body.
"You bastard! I've humbled myself, and you ignore me completely?" She muttered bitterly.
Her brown eyes burned with rage and murderous intent. If looks could kill, Merlin would have perished a thousand times over.
"No... this can't be happening! If he doesn't take me with him, I'll die!" she thought with dread.
Her gaze fell to her alluring figure, and a bold idea crossed her mind.
"If I offer it, he won't refuse, right?" Her eyes widened slightly, and her heart began to race.
Clenching her teeth, she refocused on Merlin, who was ahead of her, and shouted, "Handsome man! If you help me, I'll give you anything! Even my body!"
As her words reached Merlin's ears, he suddenly turned to face her, causing a smile of satisfaction to spread across her face.
"It worked! Hahaha! All men are the same, disgusting animals," she whispered, concealing her disdain behind her smile.
Of course, she had no intention of following through. It was just an empty promise. Once she survived, she would pretend to be a victim, preserving her innocence and saving her life.
What she didn't realize, however, was that Merlin hadn't turned to admire her beauty or entertain her offer, but to examine her status panel.
[Status]
[—Name—: Siana Rodwolf]
[—Age—: 22 years old]
[—Traits/Characteristics—: Selfish, Proud, Cunning, Cruel, Stubborn, Prone to Underestimating Others]
[—Title—: -]
[—Level/XP—: 1 (0/100)]
[—HP/Mana—: 250/150]
[—Class—: -]
[—Attributes/Talents—: 25 LCK (Unique), 28 INT (Unique), 47 CHA (Epic), 15 AGT (Common), 21 VIT (Unique), 14 END (Common), 17 STA (Common)]
[—Skills—: -]
[—Items—: -]
After reading it, a cold smile spread across his face. With just one glance, he saw that this woman was incredibly poisonous, a fact confirmed by her status panel.
Her abilities and talents were mediocre, at best. Except for her [CHA] at the [Epic] level, the rest of her stats were unremarkable and unimpressive.
Had she possessed a higher stat in any other area—[INT], [END], or [VIT] at [Legendary] level—Merlin might have considered helping her and making her an ally. It could have increased his chances of passing this test and entering the Altheran world.
But this woman didn't measure up, and Merlin saw no reason to waste any more time on her.
With a shake of his head, Merlin refocused his gaze ahead, where the safe zone was growing nearer.
Seeing Merlin's sudden shift in demeanor, the woman, Siana, felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head. At first, she was certain Merlin would accept her offer, imagining the perfect outcome that would follow. But the harsh reality shattered her fantasy.
Just as her anger was about to boil over again, a horrifying, soul-shaking roar suddenly echoed from behind.
Both Merlin and Siana instinctively turned, only to see a giant, red-colored ant with a strange crown atop its head charging toward them.
Their faces went pale, fear gripping them both.
"Damn it!" Merlin cursed loudly, his pace quickening.
*Whoosh!*
Before they could react, a powerful gust of wind blasted from the side, slamming into them with brutal force.
"Pfft!" Merlin was thrown violently, crashing into a large tree root. Pain shot up his back, radiating through his body.
His head spun with dizziness, and a thin stream of blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.
Siana, on the other hand, wasn't in any better condition. Her body had been thrown, crashing into the same tree root as Merlin. The intense pain from the impact nearly made her lose consciousness.
"Cough! Cough!" Merlin gasped as he struggled to rise to his feet. His legs felt weak, and he had trouble maintaining his balance.
His gaze quickly shifted forward, and he saw the monsters closing in.
"No, I can't die here," he muttered through gritted teeth.
The designated safe zone was only a hundred meters away, and he couldn't accept dying at the hands of these damned monsters.
"Please... don't leave me," Siana's weak voice called out from beside him, pulling Merlin from his thoughts.
He turned to find her in a pitiful state. Her once-beautiful face was pale, blood staining her forehead and nose.
Any other man would have felt overwhelming pity and would have rushed to help her. But Merlin remained unmoved, his gaze cold and indifferent.
Siana shivered under his chilling stare, but soon resentment and hatred surged within her, and she clenched her fists tightly.
Regaining control of her emotions, she struggled to her feet and pleaded, "Please save me and take me with you."
Merlin remained silent for a moment, glancing back at the approaching swarm of monsters before an idea suddenly crossed his mind.
"Do you want to survive?" Merlin asked softly.
Siana was taken aback by Merlin's gentle tone, and suspicion crept into her thoughts.
"Why would he suddenly accept my offer? Does he have some sinister plan?" she wondered warily.
But she quickly pushed the thought aside and nodded eagerly, her excitement clear.
"Yes! I want to survive! Please take me with you, and my previous promise still stands. You can do anything to me, even make me your slave," she answered enthusiastically, hobbling toward him.
"Hahaha! When I survive, don't think you'll lay a finger on me. Although you're handsome and attractive, now is not the time for such thoughts. Once I win this test, I'll be able to manipulate many handsome men in the Altheran world, turning them into tools at my command," she thought coldly, concealing her smile.
Merlin narrowed his eyes and replied casually, "Okay. But I need your help."
Siana's eyes brightened, and without hesitation, she nodded in anticipation.
"Just tell me what you need," she said eagerly.
The smile on Merlin's lips vanished in an instant, replaced by a cold, heartless grin.
"What I need is your sacrifice," he said nonchalantly.
"What!?" Siana froze, her mind struggling to process his words. Before she could react, Merlin suddenly delivered a brutal kick to her stomach.
"Pfft!" The force of the attack sent Siana flying three meters away, the sharp pain in her stomach forcing a groan of agony from her.
Without looking back, Merlin gathered his remaining strength and forced his weakened legs to run.
Meanwhile, Siana, witnessing Merlin's escape, felt her body stiffen as an overwhelming hatred burned in her reddened brown eyes.
"Damn bastard! You tricked me! Ahhhhh!" She screamed in desperation and fury. "No! I won't accept this! Don't leave me!"
She reached out, as if trying to grasp the fading figure of Merlin.
*Grrr...*
Suddenly, the growl of a monster from beside her cut off her desperate cry. Frozen in place, she realized with horror that she was surrounded by monsters.
Their grotesque, monstrous forms, massive bodies, and the hunger in their eyes made her body tremble uncontrollably.
"Wait... Please, don't eat me..." Siana stammered, trying to crawl away in fear.
But the monsters showed no mercy, immediately lunging at her with savage ferocity.
"Ahhhhh!!!"