Chud.
Vivian caught a Black Nake by the head with her hand.
Splat!
She squeezed tightly, causing the eyeballs, blood and guts of the snake to burst out of its orifices.
Thud.
She released the snake and it fell to the ground as she swept her gaze around.
Even after killing quite a few....
I still haven't encountered any Peon…
She turned to her left.
Let's try going here…
Vooom!
She burst out into a run.
Hopefully, I won't get lost…
I think I'm already several kilometers away from the city…
She noticed a Treebark up ahead.
Whooosh!
She swung her sword as she passed by the Treebark without even looking back.
This time around, she noticed two Sunkiss monsters.
Whooosh!
Whooosh!
Just like the Treebark from earlier, she simply swung her sword at each of them as she passed them by.
Vivian suddenly stopped.
This…
She exited the forest and found herself in the middle of a dirt road.
So the roads aren't paved…?
She shook her head.
Stupid…
Why are you expecting that in a world set in the Medieval era…?
She turned to her left.
It was nothing but an endless view of the dirt road and plant life on the sides.
She turned to her right.
From a distance, she noticed a carriage led by an animal that looked like a cow. To be specific, it looked like a cow but was thicker and covered in long brown fur, and its hooves were also larger. The carriage was parked in the middle of the road and there seemed to be a group of armed men surrounding the carriage. And slowly but surely, one by one, the people inside the carriage were stepping out.
Vivian raised an eyebrow.
Hmm…
There can only be 3 explanations…
There's a nearby house or inn there where travelers can stop by and rest…
That's an excavation or expedition team looking for some secret treasure or monster…
Or that's a robbery…
Vivian's lips curled up into a smile as she massaged her chin.
Isn't this a perfect plot for a hero…?
A hero comes in and saves a damsel in dis--…
She suddenly recalled something.
Right…
I'm a woman right now…
And plus...
What would be the point of saving a damsel in distress…?
I wouldn't even do that if I was still a man…
Unless they're my family member or I know that there's a guaranteed reward that I like that I can get…
She squinted her eyes.
That's obviously a carriage alright…
But it doesn't seem special…
So not rich…
Also, there seems to be too much luggage on top…
She shook her head.
Whatever…
Let's check it out…
I'm in the mood of punching people anyway…
Vooom!
She burst out into a run, but then stopped after just a few meters.
Wait…!
Can I take them…?
I mean…
If they're brave enough to rob people -- and assuming it's actually a robbery -- wouldn't that mean they're also strong…?
And I'm a woman…
And a beautiful one…
Gory images of herself in the hands of faceless men flashed inside her head.
"Yeah... No, thank you..." she said and then turned away.
"KYAAAHHHH…!!!" a female voice shrieked.
***
At the carriage.
"Hurry up!" a male bandit in his late 20s wearing an old set of leather armor and carrying a sword shouted.
Behind him and also surrounding the carriage were 7 male bandits who were more or less dressed in the same attire as him but carrying different weapons such as daggers, clubs, spears and whatnot.
One of the carriage doors opened and four people dressed in civilian clothing climbed down -- a woman in her mid-30s, a 15-year-old female, a 13-year-old female and a 10-year-old boy. They all tried to wear a brave face, but the fear was too evident that some of them were trembling.
There was also the coachman, a man in his mid-30s dressed in civilian clothing, and another man in his mid-20s who was wearing a set of leather armor but was unarmed. They were both standing on the side with their hands up in the air while being guarded by two male bandits.
Wooot-wooo~!
One of the bandits whistled when they saw the two female teenagers.
"Looks like we got lucky, boys!" another bandit said while greedily eyeing the female teenagers.
"We sure do!" another bandit said and licked his lips but his eyes were locked on the 10-year-old boy.
"Please, I beg you, take whatever you want, just don't harm my family…!" the coachman or the man in his mid-30s said.
Bam!
Thud!
One of the bandits swung his club to the stomach of the man in his mid-30s and he fell on his knees.
"Shut your mouth!"
"Dear…!" the woman cried out.
"Father….!" the children cried out as well.
As for the man in his mid-20s, he flinched for a moment, wanting to do something. But after remembering the situation they were in, he stopped and gritted his teeth in silence.
Shing!
The bandit leader brandished his sword forward, preventing the woman and children from moving.
"Don't move or I'll chop off the old man's head in front of all of you!"
Seeing that the woman and children complied, he shifted his gaze towards his other four companions.
"You boys know what to do."
His companions nodded and then began unloading the luggage and also the animal pulling the carriage.
MOOOO~!!!
As one of the bandits was removing the reins on the cow-like animal, it suddenly raised its two front hooves as it let out a panicked moan and then let out a couple of gallops as if it was trying to break away from its reins before finally running away.
The four bandits already backed a couple of steps away and were speechless.
"What the fuck are you idiots doing?!" the bandit leader said.
The four bandits turned to him.
"Go! Chase it!"
They looked at each other for a moment.
Vooom!
Vooom!
Vooom!
Vooom!
And then chased the runaway carriage.
The father and the man in his mid-20s carefully watched the running speed of the four bandits. When they were already several meters away, they made their move.
The man in his mid-20s cast a Class Magic spell.
[Whistle].
A string of musical notes made out of white aura flew out of his mouth and then flew over to the closest bandit beside him.
He didn't know if his spell worked because the way [Whistle] works, it prevents a target from casting any skill and spell for 5 seconds. However, aside from the fact that it already has a low success rate, the higher the Magic Force of the target compared to the caster, the lower the success rate becomes.
Nevertheless, he still followed it up with a skill.
[Power Fist].
Pa-riiip!
The skin and tissue on the right side of the bandit's face were shredded into pieces, leaving the bones exposed.
Chak!
Without missing a beat, he grabbed the dagger in the bandit's hand and then stabbed it into the bandit's throat.
Meanwhile, he father activated a spell.
[Poison Strike].
A green water-like aura appeared on his right hand.
Psssh!
He touched the nearest bandit beside him and a green mist exploded.
"Ugh…" the bandit moaned as leaned forward and felt his grip around his club loosen.
[Power Fist].
Pa-riiip!
Thud!
The old man punched the left side of the bandit's face with the skill and the bandit's skin only turned red at best but he still fell to the ground.
"Useless stupid fuckers," the bandit leader said under his breath as we watched the scene unfold.
[Lesser Chaos Transformation].
Blaaak!
An ethereal pale grayish liquid appeared on the face of the second bandit in the blink of an eye and his injuries were completely healed, and then he immediately got up.
"Demon-worshippers…!" the woman said.
"Robbie…!" the 15-year-old female said.
"Father…!" the 13-year-old female and the 10-year-old boy said.
The bandit leader focused on the first bandit. After noticing that there was no movement, response or whatsoever, he scoffed.
"The stupid fucker died," he said and then turned to the man in his mid-20s. He was about to rush over when he suddenly noticed something in the corner of his eye.
Psscht!
A 15-inch arrow made out of lightning was heading straight at him and he avoided it.
"Hmm… Really useless…" a female voice said.
Everyone turned to where the voice came from.
Up ahead about 10 meters away, a woman with long purple hair and red highlights wearing a Brown Cloak and a golden necklace with a sun pendant, and holding a sword on her right hand was studying her left hand.
It was none other than Vivian.
"If the trajectory speed of the spell doesn't change, then what's the point…? I might as well just rely on melee attacks…"
She lifted her gaze and turned to them.
"Or pin the target first before casting a range spell..."
She focused on the two remaining bandits, mainly on the bandit leader, and then tilted her head to the side.
"Don't you agree?" she said with a smile.
The bandit leader focused on her Brown Cloak and the sun pendant of her gold necklace for a moment before returning his gaze to her face.
"A bitch Priestess?" he said and then licked his lips. "You will be a fine offering to my Master."
Vivian raised her left hand forward.
"Come at me, you're the only one left that I haven't yet measured," she said and beckoned him with her fingers.
The bandit leader grinned.
Vooom!
And then burst into a run. However, instead of rushing towards Vivian, he turned his back and rushed over to the woman and children.
Tch!
Vivian clicked her tongue as she viewed the world in slow motion.
Just as expected…
However…
At least now I know that he's also slower than me…
She noticed Robbie, the man in his mid-20s, rushing forward to get in between the bandit leader and the woman and children.
He's still slower compared to the leader…
She also noticed the old man and the other bandit engaging with each other once again.
Got to move now before it's too late…
She began rushing towards the leader.
By the time she reached the bandit leader, the bandit leader and Robbie were about to make clash.
[Lesser Chaos Enchant].
A light red lightning appeared on the bandit leader's sword.
[Power slash].
The light red lightning coiling all over the bandit leader's sword seemed to get absorbed by an invisible force wrapped around the sword and it was getting bigger.
[Whistle].
A string of musical notes made out of white aura flew out of Robbie's mouth and then to the bandit leader.
Vivian, who was behind the bandit leader, thrust her sword forward.
Sluuurp…!
Her blade entered the back of the bandit leader's neck and came out of his throat.
"Umph…!" the bandit leader's widened as he made a choking sound.
Crack!
Vivian twisted wrist and the bandit leader's neck made a cracking sound.
[Lesser Chaos Transformation].
Blaaak!
An ethereal pale grayish liquid appeared around the body of the bandit leader and Vivian suddenly felt as if she was yanked off the ground.