At that moment, a little girl froze in fear on the road.
Seeing the giant Troll about to stomp down on her, Chris’s face changed drastically.
If the Troll stepped on her, she’d undoubtedly be crushed into pulp.
Whizz!
Without hesitation, Chris shot forward with incredible speed, scooping up the girl and whisking her away just in time.
Boom!
As Chris leapt away with the child, the Troll’s foot came crashing down, leaving a massive crater in the ground.
Seeing this, Chris’s anger flared.
“You beast! How dare you act so recklessly!”
He placed the little girl down and roared, drawing his Dragon Slayer blade before charging at the Troll.
Chris slashed at the Troll’s foot, and the monster let out a deafening roar of pain.
“Roar!”
The Troll retaliated, stomping fiercely toward Chris. But Chris was quick, dodging the attack and countering with another strike to the monster’s enormous body.
However, the Troll’s defense was astonishing. Chris’s attacks had little effect.
Fortunately, the Troll’s massive size made it clumsy and slow. Chris relied on his speed to evade its relentless attacks.
Nearby, a young woman in a striking red dress watched as Chris attacked her Troll. Her face twisted with fury.
“How dare you hurt my Stone? Kill him!” she screamed.
“Roar!”
“Roar!”
“Roar!”
The Troll roared in response, launching a frenzied assault on Chris.
Overwhelmed, Chris shouted, “Stripes, help me!”
“Roar!”
“Roar!”
“Roar!”
Hearing Chris’s call, Stripes, his loyal companion, let out a series of thunderous growls and charged at the Troll.
Together, Chris and Stripes launched a coordinated attack. Under their combined assault, the Troll howled in agony.
Seeing her beast faltering, the red-dressed girl leapt from its back, her face livid.
“You bastard! How dare you attack my Stone! Do you even know who I am?” she shrieked at Chris.
Chris sneered. “I don’t care who you are. You’ve brought your monster into the streets, endangering innocent lives without a shred of remorse. Someone needs to teach you a lesson!”
With that, Chris lunged forward, grabbing the girl by her arm.
“Let me go, you brute! What are you doing?!” she screamed in panic.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Chris’s hand came down in a flurry of slaps.
“You hit me? You dare hit me? You’re dead! You’re so dead!” she howled, unable to believe what was happening.
Chris stared at her coldly. “I’m doing what your parents should have done. Teaching you some manners.”
Smack! Smack!
Another round of slaps landed, leaving the girl stunned.
For the first time in her life, someone had dared to lay a hand on her.
Moments later, she burst into tears.
Chris froze, startled by her sudden sobbing. He released her, his expression turning stern.
“Well? Do you dare act so recklessly again?”
Through her tears, the girl glared at him. “You brute! How dare you! I’ll tell my father! He’ll never forgive you!”
“Your father?” Chris hesitated, a chill running down his spine.
Could this red-dressed girl be royalty?
Clack-clack-clack.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the distance.
Chris turned to see a group of heavily armed guards approaching rapidly.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Chris didn’t waste a moment. He grabbed Stripes and fled.
The guards arrived shortly after, kneeling before the young woman with utmost reverence.
“Your Highness!”
The girl, still fuming, clenched her teeth as she watched Chris’s retreating figure. “Back to the palace!”
—
Back at the inn, Chris let out a bitter laugh.
He never imagined he’d end up hitting a princess. This was sure to bring trouble.
Just then, a message arrived from the mission hall. They had located Mara Wainwright.
According to the report, Mara Wainwright was indeed the daughter of the Wainwright family, but her mother had been only a concubine.
After her mother’s death, Mara lost all standing within the family. Eventually, Mrs. Wainwright had driven her out, along with her loyal servant, Billy.
The two had been cast out with nothing, forced to live in the slums of Pinkshire.
Hearing this, Chris immediately set out for the northern district of Pinkshire, where the slums were located.
The slums were a sprawling maze of low, ramshackle huts.
Those who lived there were powerless commoners, struggling to survive in a world where strength was everything.
The conditions were deplorable-unsanitary, overcrowded, and rife with violence. Murders were a common occurrence, and the city guards rarely intervened. To them, the lives of these people were worthless.
Knowing Mara Wainwright and Billy were living in such a place filled Chris with unease.
—
In front of a small, thatched hut stood a young woman.
Despite her simple attire, her beauty was undeniable. She was Mara Wainwright.
Tears streamed down her face, her eyes red from crying.
She could hardly believe she had been cast out by her stepmother.
Clack-clack-clack.
The sound of footsteps approached, and Mara quickly looked up.
“Billy!”
She cried out in relief as Billy walked through the door.
But then, he began coughing violently.
“Billy, you’re hurt!” Mara exclaimed, rushing to support him.
Billy’s face was pale, his injuries obvious.
“What happened?” she asked urgently.
Billy sighed. “I went to the Celestial Peaks to hunt beasts, but…”
He explained that since they’d been banished from the Wainwright family, he had been forced to hunt magical beasts in the nearby Celestial Peaks to earn Essence Stones for their survival.
But that day, he’d encountered a Fifth Grade beast far beyond his ability to defeat. He had barely escaped with his life.
From his pocket, Billy pulled a few Essence Stones and handed them to Mara.
“These are all I managed to earn today, Miss,” he said weakly.