Tonight, Denia had experienced so many tragic scenes. Starting from a big explosion, the appearance of monsters in the city, to the scream of terror.

Yet, as if all the tragedies weren't enough, another explosion occurred in the commercial district.

It didn’t end there, the fire from the explosion spread to surrounding areas, causing a series of fires. Without immediate action, dozens of buildings may be burned down.

Little girl Clara was present when the second explosion occurred. However, she cannot afford to worry about it, because…

"B-bro, Bro Bear! Look!"

A bear-like man, Bernardi, still ran very fast although burdened by Clara, the pub owner, and owner’s son.

He stopped for a moment to see what was making Clara so worried. His eyes followed her finger that pointed into pub ruin.

There, among the blazing embers, a silhouette of a man was visible.

"You must be kidding..."

"How can he still be Alive!"

"Don't ask me."

Bernardi then forced his feet to run faster.

He had been in life and death situations many times before, but this time might have been the most thrilling. Not that he was afraid of death; he was not, but because he had to protect three people on his arm.

"Don't chase us. Don't chase us. Don't… ah fuck."

His prayers proved meaningless because upon realizing their presence, the silhouette began to chase them.

"Why! Just leave us alone!"

The thought of running away from a bald man covered in wounds and without a single cloth on his body was strange and horrifying. That was like something came from the wildest dream yet now Clara experienced it firsthand.

Honestly, that crazy guy was pretty amazing to be running that fast considering his severe injuries. At this rate, he would surely catch up and kill them.

"Run faster, Bro Bear!"

"I can't! This is my limit."

"Put me down, big boy, I can delay him a bit," said the pub master.

"Don't make a scene, master! We will escape for sure."

"Awawawa what should we do... Go-go away!"

When the Crazy guy almost catches them, Clara shoots her magic but it can easily be dodged. Still, it was good enough to delay the crazy guy.

She began to think about sacrificing her body to cast tier-three magic. Losing one or two arms shouldn't be a big deal compared to dying… or not. Well, let's just reconsider it when there was no other choice.

The distance between them became close again and she could see that crazy bastard's creepy smile. Honestly, it looked like something out of a horror movie.

Clara was ready to cast another spell when she noticed a skull in the crazy guy’s hand. Somehow she felt like deja vu.

"Don't tell me he will throw that skull…" she thought.

And sure enough, she was right.

The crazy guy stopped and then threw the skull like a professional baseball player.

"Watch out!"

The skulls are already right behind them and Bernardi did not have time to react. Soon, the skull would explode and roast them like grilled meat.

"Ah… Over…"

Time seemed to slow down. Clara recalled all of the memories with her father and many other memories that she couldn't recall when it was.

Ah, this is what they call the moment before death, isn't it?

"If there's another life, Clara would prefer to be born as a flower, dancing in the wind with the other flowers in an isolated field..."

Ka-Boom!

The skull explosion was a bit small but still destructive enough to be able to kill Bernardi and others.

The crazy guy paused for a moment to witness his masterpiece. He then thought about what he ought to do next.

He might have to hide and recover first. Afterward, he can refill his ammunition and take revenge on the bastards who make him in this condition.

Or maybe he could regroup with the other criminals and take revenge together.

Whatever the plan, he had first to gather the bodies of people who tried to escape so that they could serve as emergency ammunition.

However, life never goes as we expect.

When the smoke had completely dissipated, he didn't find dead bodies. Instead, there was an earthen statue full of cracks. The statue was posed like a mother protecting her children. It was likely a tier-three magic, "Earth Guardian".

The crazy man hastily scanned the surrounding area to find the track of his prey.

"Where are you running… There!"

He then pursued them again more fiercely. This time, he definitely would finish them off.

He chased his prey from one corner to another.

But, something felt wrong. Rather than running down to the main road, his prey chose a small alley. It was like, he was being led to a specific place.

Sadly, his brain didn't have enough reserve energy to think straight. What he can think right now was just to end all of this quickly.

He kept chasing until finally cornered them at a dead end. There is no other way to escape. It was the end.

However, there was one thing he failed to understand...

"… Ah?"

He was not the predator.

"My arm?"

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He was the prey, that was guided into a trap.

After that, four people emerge and surround him. Judging by their appearance, most likely they are adventurers.

"5-star criminal, Kila K. King. Surrender or die!" declared one of the adventures.

Surrender?

The amount of sin he had committed meant his life could not be spared. Despite looking like a maniac, he was still sane enough to realize that fact.

He too wouldn't have any chance to escape from this place because of his severe injuries.

So, if the choice was whether he died now or got executed later, then it was better to fight until the end.

"GRAAAAH!"

Live by the explosion.

"Activate the magic circle!"

Die by the explosion.

"Oh wow. He's still able to put up a fight with those injuries."

"Art... Is an explosion!"

"Watch out!"

Ka-Boom!

"He-he blew himself… insane."

One of the 5-star criminals, had been dead.

He was Kila K. King. His whole life can be summed up with the words of exploding this, exploding that, exploding this place, and exploding that thing.

Since young, he had been used by the underworld society because of his unique ability to make parts of living things into bombs.

When he was only ten years old, the number of his victims had already reached four digits.

One day, he finally gets fed up with all of this and then blows up the people who exploit him.

He was not a thing.

He is a man.

A free man.

That is why, he must destroy everything that snatches his freedom away.

Including this nasty world.

****

"It's over."

Clara, Bernardi, and some others watched the death of the crazy guy from a distance.

To sum up what happened, one of the adventurers protected them with earth magic when the skull exploded.

Then the other adventurers pulled Bernardi and others away while another adventurer created illusions to replace them and lure the madman into a trap.

The rest was the final battle that ended the crazy guy's life.

Fin.

They still have to take care of post-battle matters though. Fortunately, Clara was still a minor so she won't be involved in any troublesome things.

"It's been a tough night, isn't it?" said one of the adventurers.

"Yeah..."

Clara knows this man.

Wearing a cowboy hat, brown jacket, and a bow as a weapon. He is none other than Pedo, ahem, Pedro, the Head Hunter.

"Let's head back to Lauren," Bernardi said.

He hurriedly left without waiting for the others. The owner and his son also followed him. It was clear Bernardi was worried about his brother, Carrado, despite not showing it.

After the adventurer who seemed to be a priest finished praying, they too went to Lauren.

When they arrived, many people were already fighting the fire that had spread everywhere.

Luckily there were also a few mages among them so the process of extinguishing the fire wasn't difficult.

"Carrado!"

Clara's eyes immediately fell on Bernardi who was walking on the Lauren ruin. He was looking for his brother who may or may not survive.

Oh, the sister—what's her name again?—had returned too. It seemed she was the one who brought many people here.

Some people were looking for survivors, but they all realized the likelihood was extremely low.

Carrado's body was found not long after. As expected, he does not survive.

"CARRADO!"

"No, no, no… You… Why… Brother…"

The two siblings embrace the remains of what was once their brother. The attending Sicilia family members were also mourning.

Clara too feels their pain. She only knew them overnight, but somehow the pain of discovering Carrado's death was so deep.

Just a few hours ago they were just chatting and now, he is gone for real.

"It's over… Clara survived... But at what cost...?"

Tonight, was a nightmare.

Clara sat on the ground and asked God, "Why must all of this happen? Is this Clara’s punishment for being a bad girl?"

No answer. Yeah, she already guessed good wouldn't answer her question. However this time, she needed the answer…

She was still floating in the sea of uncertainty when she felt a big hand lightly patting her head.

It was the red-haired adventurer. He was a warrior in his early twenties.

"It must be tough for a girl of your age, watching all this mess.” He then asked, “Was one of your family a victim?"

Clara shook her head a little.

Of course, she and Bernardi had become very close. Bernardi even risked himself to save her life. But they are still people she met a few hours ago.

"Then you have nothing to cry about."

"Huh?"

Clara immediately turned her head to this adventurer in disbelief.

"It's a bit cruel, but what do you have to cry about? You don't know them anyway."

"... Shut up."

Those indifferent words were awfully irritating.

Yes, she may not know them very well. But without their effort, Clara couldn't have made it out of that hell alive.

Moreover, Corrado was a close acquaintance of her father and sworn brother of Bro bear. It was only natural for her to grieve over them.

"No, no, you misunderstood. I didn't mean for you not to be sad. What I meant was, there is no need to mourn like the world is over."

Clara still doesn’t understand. What was the real purpose of this person saying those heartless words?

"Hmm. Let’s change the perspective. Don't you want to be an adventurer?"

"... How did you know?"

"Ehe. I overheard you whining this morning at the headquarters."

Clara went to the Adventurer's Alliance headquarters to register this morning but got rejected because of the age limit. That was why she whined.

What does all this have to do with it?

"So...?"

"Get used to it."

Clara stared blankly at the young man.

"This is just my guess, but after getting rejected, don’t you still want to go on an adventure on your own? You want to hitch a ride with a merchant, don't you? Otherwise, a little girl like you wouldn't be out so late at night at this specific pub."

Clara widened her eyes. She was surprised this young man could guess that far.

"No need to be surprised. It's obvious. Now the question is, do you still want to walk on this path after witnessing all of this?"

"Walk, on this path…?"

"That's right. If you still want to become an adventurer, then you should quickly get used to tragedy and make peace with death. Otherwise, your spirit will die even before your body."

Clara fell silent.

From the moment she got to the city, there was no turning back. She was the one who had chosen to go on this path, so she must walk till the end.

Right, there is no time to waste. After all, she only had ten years left.

As Clara reached the conclusion, a cold voice came from the opposite side of the young man.

"There's no need to listen to him, girl. If you want to cry then cry. If you want to laugh then laugh. Follow your heart. That's what it means to be an adventurer. Don't be a useless adventurer like him."

“That so mean!”

Clara looked at the woman who wore a pure white priest's attire. She had beautiful black eyes and hair of the same color.

The young man on the left and the woman on the right were like angels and demons whispering two different things to Clara.

However, Clara understands that both of them want to convey the same point, don't let anything distract you from the path you choose. Follow your heart.

"Thank you. Clara understands now."

"In that case, good."

Afterward, the woman returned to guide the soul of the dead into the afterlife. While the young man was still there… huh, was his true intention to come here just to slack back.