Is this her home?
No, that's not right.
Luke took a bold look around and saw several cubicles on the left, all sealed by iron bars. The first three cubicles each had a mirror, and inside the mirrors, it looked as if pictures were pasted, each reflecting a different place.
The third mirror showed a pitch-black forest, giving off a sense of familiarity.
The fourth room was in ruins, completely empty.
There was no warmth here, and a chilling air of slaughter permeated the space. It didn't feel like a home; it felt more like a prison cell.
"Do you work in wildlife rescue and protection?"
Luke said, half-joking.
"Perhaps." Little Red Riding Hood replied ambiguously, sounding as if she were rustling about, tidying something up.
Luke looked over and realized she was sharpening a knife. The blade gleamed with a cold, sharp light, incredibly keen, while Little Red Riding Hood's expression remained calm, her movements highly practiced.
"Nice knife. Is it the one from before?" Luke praised her, though internally he was starting to feel a bit apprehensive.
The way she was sharpening her blade made it seem as if she had cattle or sheep ready for slaughter, and he was the livestock that had just escaped the tiger's mouth only to enter the wolf's den.
"No."
Little Red Riding Hood stopped, rinsed the knife with clean water, and holding it by the spine, handed it to Luke.
"For you."
Eh... Luke took the knife and examined it.
Undoubtedly, the blade was extremely sharp, sharp enough to cut a hair by blowing on it. This meant it would be a poor choice for chopping vegetables or wood; it seemed she didn't intend for him to be a servant.
But if he were to use this knife for combat, he likely wouldn't gain much of an advantage. To face those monsters, one would need a larger, heavier weapon!
Of course, Little Red Riding Hood was stronger and had more say in the matter. Perhaps it was just Luke's lack of experience and short-sightedness that gave him this feeling.
"Thank you."
He wasn't in a position to be picky and could only express his gratitude politely.
"Mm."
Little Red Riding Hood gave a brief response and returned to her expressionless state.
Luke just stood there; he didn't speak, and she remained silent.
This couldn't go on!
"Have you eaten?"
Luke started with his universal icebreaker, trying to break the awkward tension.
"I have," the girl said flatly.
Luke was suddenly speechless. What should he do next?
Maybe he should change the subject; she probably wouldn't notice!
But what should he say... The weather is nice? How did you train those moves? What happened to your parents?
A flash of inspiration hit him. That was it!
"You asked for my help earlier—what do you want me to do? What can I do? Let's get this straight: I won't work for you for free. I have my principles. As long as it doesn't violate them, I can help you."
Continuing the previous topic and addressing what she truly cared about, Luke skipped the tedious testing and pulling and directly revealed his bottom line.
"Is that so? No problem. Follow me."
Hearing this, Little Red Riding Hood nodded. She turned and walked toward the first room, where the mirror showed a bright forest.
She reached out to touch the mirror's surface, and her figure vanished from the spot.
Luke could only watch the ripples she left behind, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.
She hadn't answered his question directly, appearing quite domineering.
Yet he inexplicably felt... she was quite pitiful.
"Heh," Luke scoffed at himself; he was taking himself too seriously.
What right did he have to pity someone else?
Clearly, he was the one drifting with the tide, lonely and... a poor wretch.
Forget it. Regardless, at this moment, Little Red Riding Hood could be trusted.
She had no reason to harm him.
And he needed her to understand this world.
Without further thought, Luke chased after her toward the mirror in the first cubicle.
"What a hassle..."
He lightly touched the mirror's surface, as if caressing another world.
The scene changed. It felt as if he had lost his weight and was floating, only to be sucked away by some giant void. Luke's consciousness blurred, and when he came to, he was in a different place.
How magical... A thin mist, like a veil, shrouded the entire forest. The trees were so crowded there were almost no gaps, leaving only a single path. The emerald grass grew with almost frantic vigor, its blades seemingly covered in a layer of fine fuzz, with bright red flowers peeking out from within.
It seems... a bit too lush, doesn't it?
Luke walked over and, upon looking closer, realized the truth.
Verdent plants were sprouting from a headless corpse, piercing the skin and spreading everywhere. And those bright red things—how were they flowers?
What hung from the tips of the vines was fresh blood, trembling slightly!
"Could it be... Little Red Riding Hood has already...?"
Luke took two steps back.
No, no! Calm down... He forced himself to settle. He was a man who had seen big scenes.
But the monster didn't seem inclined to give him a chance. Branches danced like wandering spears, lunging straight for his chest.
In a split second, Luke made a decision.
He lunged forward, the small knife in his hand spinning. With a *crack*, he severed two vines. A scarlet, foul-smelling liquid dripped onto the ground, causing smoke to rise as it scorched the earth.
In exchange, Luke's left hand was ensnared, and his abdomen was pierced by a sharp thorn.
"So what? You're too slow."
He grabbed the severed vine, trying to pull it toward him, but he found his strength fading. Looking down, he saw the vine in his abdomen swelling continuously.
"Disgusting!"
Luke was a ruthless man; he actually carved it out directly. Only then did he realize it had already taken root. If he had delayed any longer, he would have surely died.
He pulled the corpse over and severed the root system.
He glanced at the corpse. Though it was thin, it didn't look like a girl's body.
"It seems it's not her. Of course it's not."
He slumped to the ground, taking a breath.
"Are you surprised?"
A figure stepped out from the shadows. In the woods, her image was vivid—that red dress belonged to Red Hood.
"Heh..."
Luke simply lay flat on the ground and glanced at her. He wasn't surprised by her appearance. He muttered, "The monsters here seem a bit weaker."
It wasn't just a small gap. To Luke, it was the difference between one he might be able to beat and one he could never defeat.
"I suppose." Little Red Riding Hood sat beside Luke, her eyes slightly closed, which put an invisible pressure on him.
"Stop messing with me. Tell me, what exactly do you want me to do?" Luke's chest rose and fell slightly; his wound was healing rapidly.
This was proof of his inhumanity—that recovery ability far beyond normal people made him hard to kill... Of course, monsters would die at the hands of stronger, bigger monsters.
Monsters... monsters.
The girl beside him was truly, truly special.
She was strong, both in body and mind, and possessed a different aura... She seemed to carry a halo unique to the living under the sun, like hope itself.
He sat up and looked at her. She tilted her head to look back, her eyes as calm as lake water.
Perhaps they weren't quite as calm as they appeared.
To Red Hood, the man before her was very strange. Sometimes he would perform incomprehensible, extreme actions, and other times he would be overly calm, like a philosopher.
Sometimes Red Hood would overlap Luke's shadow with her own, only to find that the two were very different.
In truth, she had known of him for a very long time. Back when she was in the abandoned village settling an old score, she had encountered Luke, who had come to investigate.
Since then, she had begun to watch Luke in secret, but that surveillance had come to an end here.
"It's out."
She turned her head, staring at a certain spot.
"Hmm?"
Luke followed her gaze. Above the monster he had killed, a cluster of green flame was floating.
It was eerie, and the feeling it gave off reminded Luke of a bonfire... they seemed to have similar properties.
"What is this?"
Luke asked urgently, as he was desperate for information.
"A Soul." Little Red Riding Hood uttered just one word.
"Huh?"
Luke didn't react for a moment.
"Green signifies 'Vitality'."
Little Red Riding Hood stood up and waved her hand lightly. The cluster of 'Soul' flew toward Luke.
"This is your trophy, so it is yours to dominate."
"Dominate?"
Watching the flying flame, Luke stood up and reached out to touch it, but he stopped halfway.
"Yes, dominate it. But be careful..."
Little Red Riding Hood paused at the right moment.
"Please continue." Luke understood she paused only to emphasize the point.
"In the process of digesting a 'Soul', there is a chance your mind could be destroyed by the residual information contained within, turning you into an idiot."
"I couldn't ask for more."
Having heard her out, Luke directly reached out and touched the flame.
Like a drop of water falling onto a desert at noon, it evaporated instantly. The moment the green flame touched Luke, it vanished.
No, it didn't 'vanish'. Little Red Riding Hood, watching from the side, saw clearly that the 'Soul' was like falling into an abyss—it was devoured in an instant.
This made Little Red Riding Hood realize that he was a natural Soul Eater. This speed meant Luke was undiscriminating about the types of souls; he could digest them all rapidly.
All soul bodies contained a massive amount of useless information. If one were to devour a large number of souls at once, becoming an idiot or dying on the spot would be the better outcomes.
It was more likely that quantity would lead to a quality change—losing oneself, soul mutation, and becoming a true monster.
Luke's performance was a bit too exaggerated; he didn't seem to have any abnormalities at all.
Perhaps he could handle it... Unlike the pensive Little Red Riding Hood, Luke's mind was a complete blank at this moment.
It was like suddenly ingesting a large amount of sugar after not eating for a long time.
Refreshing! Truly refreshing!
But following that was hunger... Why... was I so hungry...?
Clearly, I hadn't felt it before... I... My vision suddenly trembled.
The scene before him turned into distorted, abstract images of various colors, with red being the most prominent.
It was like the descriptions of drug addicts, or like eating unknown mushrooms... no, perhaps even more fantastical than that.
He didn't know, he didn't understand. From this perspective, he really wanted to... liberate... All along, Luke had strictly restrained himself. His dignity as a human made him refuse to believe he was a monster.
But he could lie to others; how could he lie to himself?
In truth, he was the same. He wanted to crawl on the dark ground, wanted to eat raw flesh and drink blood, wanted to bare his fangs and claws, wanted to show his true self... He craved souls.
If only he had never come into contact with it... but Pandora's box had already been opened.
So... so hungry!!
A sudden crisis erupted. Luke lunged forward rapidly, but Little Red Riding Hood was always on alert, so she didn't lose her composure.
The distance closed instantly with extraordinary speed. Little Red Riding Hood tripped him, and Luke lost control of his body, sliding to one side.
Immediately after, Little Red Riding Hood's elbow strike came toward his face.
Luke reached out to block. There were several *cracks*; his bones must have broken.
With a *thud*, Luke fell to the ground, and Little Red Riding Hood retreated several steps in succession.
She needed to think now.
Perhaps the bizarre development prevented her from delivering a fatal blow immediately, but if she hadn't been extremely vigilant, she would likely have died at Luke's hands by now.
"What... happened to you?"
In truth, she shouldn't waste words on a traitor; she should just kill him.
Had she grown soft?
How could that be? Her knife was as sharp as ever, her hatred hadn't diminished in the slightest, and she should rightfully retaliate against betrayal... Perhaps Luke gave her a very different feeling. Suffering from her own illness, she actually cared quite a bit about her own feelings.
So, at this moment, she actually didn't loathe him; the only emotion she felt was... pity.
Luke's robe was stained with dust, adding a touch of wretchedness to his appearance. Although some ferocity remained, his image had been shattered, though to a madman, that meant little.
Like the strike of a heavy hammer, a buzzing sound continuously echoed from Luke's chest. Then, black flames began to flicker on his body, radiating around him.
Dangerous.
Seeing this, Little Red Riding Hood knew she had missed her chance. She rarely made such mistakes, but now she had to taste the bitter fruit.
Retreat.
She made the decision instantly. Just as she put weight on her ankle, she sensed something wrong behind her. The knife already drawn in her right hand stabbed backward.
But it was too late, too slow, too weak.
An afterimage struck her hand like a whip, and her arm lost its function. Her knife immediately fell to the ground. She didn't mind; this was meant to be a feint.
Her true ace was her other hand, where a massive amount of magic was concentrated, turning into scalding red flames. The surrounding vision was already distorted; there was no more hiding it!
The strategy was effective. Her fist struck Luke, and along with that scalding red flow, it blasted a wound the size of a washbasin into Luke's waist.
However, while impressive, it didn't bring victory.
Duels between different weight classes are rarely decided by technique, and monsters can only be killed by monsters.
A miracle happened before the girl's eyes.
It was exaggerated and wondrous.
At Luke's waist, the charred parts fell away, and the destroyed areas grew again, healing until they were restored to their original state.
What terrifying healing ability. However, based on Little Red Riding Hood's observations of Luke, he clearly hadn't possessed this ability before.
In other words, the one who caused him to fall into this state might have been herself.
"I see."
No regret, no fear. Facing the once-again attacking Luke, Little Red Riding Hood felt only serenity.
She wasn't quite sure where this outcome had gone wrong.
But the end result of death wasn't unacceptable. If anything, she had been waiting for it.
But if killing her meant he would carry a heavy burden, that would be a bit too pitiful... but... there was no other way.
Little Red Riding Hood closed her eyes, waiting for the moment of death, anticipating that long-overdue experience.
A long, long time passed. Perhaps she was already in hell.
She seemed to hear a voice, faint and indistinct, yet touching her soul and drawing her attention.
Little Red Riding Hood opened her eyes and found the scenery was no different than before. Keen as she was, she noticed a slight abnormality: Luke was embracing her, his head buried.
And her shoulder was soaked with tears, as clear words reached her ears... "I'm sorry."
...