"Arg! It hurts so much!"
'Stop complaining, you foolish woman.' Kensei, now annoyed with Arvani, hit the black-haired woman on the head.
"Agh!" Arvani pretended as if the hit had an effect on her.
Currently, Arvani, Kensei, and the two different-gendered individuals who had attacked her earlier were near a tall rocky hill. The place was also hidden among dry trees.
In this challenge area, there was a day-night cycle, and it was now nighttime—a suitable time for ambushes or similar tactics.
After enduring the pain in her lower left back, which was bandaged, Arvani looked at the twin siblings. Kensei had said that miracle holders had better healing abilities than normal people. That was why she let Lena and Rian's wounds be exposed to fresh air.
She was still annoyed about being stabbed from behind. However, what Arvani didn't know was that the healing process differed depending on how strong the miracle holder was.
The deep slash that Lena suffered might have been a small matter for Kensei, but not for others.
As for the poison, Arvani was able to handle it easily thanks to her experience. She had lived for over 10 years consuming various poisonous plants and animals.
Arvani stood up and began inspecting the two bodies. She took anything that seemed usable.
Kensei quickly looked away when Arvani casually undressed Lena.
'If you want my advice, injure his legs. Makes it harder to run when he wakes up.'
"Oh, good idea. Just a sec."
Arvani found the poisonous black knife that Rian had used. Casually, the black-haired girl stabbed the knife into both of Rian's ankles.
As for Lena, the woman already had a large wound, so she would have difficulty moving once she woke up. More precisely, she wouldn't wake up unless treated immediately.
"Hmm... 5 poisoned black knives, 2 first aid kits, 2 phones, some rations, and 2 bottles of water. Quite a decent supply," said Arvani after robbing them both.
'That proves they've had military training, but they might just be the weakest members,' Kensei commented.
"Military, huh... Do you remember the miracle holder with the cherry blossom emblem who attacked me in Gotan City? Will they become an obstacle?"
Hearing that, Kensei paused. He recalled his homeland—a place where people casually turned his soul into an alternative energy source.
Unconsciously, Kensei chuckled. 'No need to worry about them for now.'
.
.
.
Hot. That was the first thing Rian felt as his consciousness slowly returned. Just as he opened his eyes, Rian realized he had failed to kill the Red Rabbit.
When the corner of his eye caught sight of the Red Rabbit calmly eating his rations, Rian immediately leaped back to create distance. That sudden movement not only made him dizzy, it also caused his body to collapse.
A burning, painful sensation gathered in both of his legs.
"Damn it, the Red Rabbit poisoned my wounds," he thought.
Rian was also shocked to see his twin sister, Lena, lying unconscious near the Red Rabbit.
'Crap, I need to run, but... my body can't move.'
On the other hand, Arvani, enjoying the sweet flavor and hard texture of Rian's ration biscuits, whistled inwardly in admiration.
'Impressive. Still trying to act cool when even standing up must hurt.'
'Hey, how long do you think he'll last?' Arvani asked Kensei without turning around.
Kensei looked at the blond man and snorted lightly. 'Five minutes tops before the poison spreads.'
Arvani decided to continue enjoying her biscuits. She ignored Rian, who was busy thinking whether he should flee alone or with the unconscious Lena.
Whatever he chose, Rian guessed Arvani could easily kill both him and Lena, since she had all their equipment. In truth, Arvani had no intention of killing the twins.
Rustle!
At the sound of grass being stepped on, a black panther immediately lunged at Rian, pushing the blond man away from where Arvani sat.
The monster was an evolved black panther whose body could emit black smoke to obscure its enemy's vision.
Grrr!
The panther growled at Arvani. The girl herself didn't reach for her weapon and continued finishing her food. When the biscuit was gone, Arvani finally stood up. The panther roared, and Arvani merely stood, staring at the monster in silence.
'Stupid woman...' Kensei called out, 'are you so scared you don't know what to do?'
"Yeees," Arvani replied while silently crying.
Kensei sighed in exasperation. He had expected this. Though she had become slightly stronger, Arvani was still a weak girl who could die from a minor hit by a high-level monster.
Even so, Kensei noticed that Arvani always managed to avoid major dangers. She was like a dry leaf carried by the wind, away from the flames. Kensei realized he was one of those winds keeping her safe.
'Annoying,' muttered the white-haired man.
His translucent body began to take form. Kensei then released an intense killing aura toward the black panther, causing the beast to growl and back away.
"Whew, that was close." Arvani finally let out a relieved sigh.
Kensei looked at his palm. The energy he had gathered kept draining when he was inside Arvani's body.
'If I tell her the truth, this weak woman will just trouble me even more,' Kensei thought in frustration.
"Cough!"
That coughing sound drew Arvani's attention. It came from Rian, who had struggled to return after being knocked away by the black panther.
From where he had landed, Rian could feel the terrifying killing aura—one that had frozen him in fear.
"That killing aura even drove away a black panther... Lena and I completely misjudged the Red Rabbit," Rian thought, cold sweat running down his back.
"Oh, you're still alive? Why didn't you run away?"
The thoughtless question from Arvani pierced Rian's pride.
Thud!
The blond man dropped to his knees. "Please spare Lena's life! You can do whatever you want to me, but please, spare my sister!"
'Owh, such a nice sibling bond,' said Kensei, back in his ghost form.
Arvani almost refused Rian's offer, but thinking it over, she realized she could make Rian her subordinate. In most movies she'd watched, the main character always had a loyal servant—like a guard dog.
"I don't mind, as long as you become my guard dog."
Arvani said it in such a friendly tone that Rian's entire body shuddered.
Guard dog it meant pet, which in Rian's mind was just another word for slave. The blond man with blue eyes glanced at his sister's condition.
Rian gulped. "Alright, I will become your dog, and if I may, please allow me to treat Lena's wounds first."
"Oh, go ahead. I thought her wounds would heal on their own."
Rian was once again reminded of the power gap between him and Arvani.
Arvani sat down again. She also let Rian use the first aid kit she had taken. After all, they originally belonged to him and his sister—that was Arvani's reasoning.
After treating his twin's injuries, Rian looked at Arvani with the determination of a man ready to face death.
He stood up, walked toward Arvani, and pulled out a contract paper, piquing Arvani's curiosity.
"What's that?"
"A contract paper for our agreement."
"You applying for a job or something?"
"..." Rian froze at Arvani's strange question.
Having lived in the world of miracle holders, contract papers were one of the most basic pieces of knowledge.
Kensei, seeing Arvani's behavior, chuckled inwardly. Neither he nor the others at the guild had ever taught her about this.
Mariposa was busy teaching her technology. Ardi was focused on teaching her how to fight monsters. Daniel taught her how to read and write. Kensei himself had stayed quiet not because he didn't want to help—but because he forgot.
"You must be joking," said Rian.
"Joking? Do I look like I'm joking?"
"Your face isn't visible, Master Red Rabbit."
"..."
"..."