Looking up at the towering cliffside I had fallen from, I debated my options. Should I search for a way around, or take the direct approach and climb straight up? The thought of wandering aimlessly for a natural path seemed like a waste of time—time I didn’t have.

I decided to climb.

With a concentrated thought, I formed two climbing axes in my hands, their edges glowing faintly with energy. Testing their strength, I dug one into the cliffside. It sank into the hard surface with surprising ease, anchoring me firmly.

I started cautiously, my movements deliberate. But as I adjusted to the rhythm, confidence built within me, and I found a groove. Each swing of the axes and each pull of my arms brought me closer to the top. My pace quickened, the climb becoming less a challenge and more a test of endurance.

The rocky surface crumbled slightly under my boots, but the axes held steady, anchoring me securely with each swing. With every meter I climbed, the cliff seemed a little less daunting, its towering presence no longer as intimidating.

Confidence fueled my movements, and my speed increased as I found a steady rhythm. Before I realized it, my hands gripped the edge of the summit. With a final pull, I hoisted myself over the top and onto solid ground.

Looking around, I tried to recall the way back. My thoughts raced until an idea sparked. Wait, I can just ask Neuro!

“Neuro?” I called out instinctively, but the silence that followed made my heart sink.

Oh... right, I realized, patting my pockets. I don’t have my glasses with me—the ones her code was stored on. A wave of concern washed over me before logic took hold.

“Let’s see,” I muttered to myself, trying to stay calm. “Her data was backed up to the servers back at the Shadow Phoenix base on Raid 6 for redundancy, so she should be fine.”

The reassurance steadied me, though the absence of Neuro left a strange void. “Alright then,” I muttered, scanning my surroundings. “From the looks of it, I’m near the route we took to get here. I should be able to get to the village from here.”

With the path forming clearly in my mind, I instinctively dropped into a sprinter’s pose. Without thinking twice, I launched forward with blinding speed, the world around me dissolving into a blur of motion. I vaulted over fallen logs and slid beneath hanging branches with fluid precision, not allowing anything to slow me down.

After a short while, I eased my pace, ensuring I was still on the right track. Coming to a small clearing, I stopped to take in the scene. In the middle of the area was the faint remnant of a campfire, hastily snuffed out, with footprints littered all around it.

Before I could inspect further, a presence behind me sent a chill down my spine. A knife pressed firmly against my throat.

“Hey, lady,” a gruff voice growled in my ear. “You best not put up a fight. Be a shame if something happened to that pretty face of yours.”

Laughter erupted from behind me, the voices confirming there were several others.

“Yeah!” another voice chimed in. “The boss even took down one of the elite soldiers of the Order of Caliber! You don’t stand a chance, hehe.”

Ah, I thought, a faint smirk tugging at the corners of my lips. They must be the bandits Elli mentioned. This might be a good chance to test this transformation’s strength.

With a swift motion, I drove my elbow into the man’s abdomen, sending him flying backward. He skidded to a stop, clutching his stomach, wide-eyed and gasping. Turning to face the rest of the group, I saw their faces twist in shock and horror.

“W-What the hell is that!?” one of them shouted, his voice trembling.

“It must be some monster in the form of a woman! Kill it!”

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One of the six men stepped forward, conjuring a flaming bow and notching an arrow of pure fire. He loosed it with a sharp whistle.

I sidestepped nimbly, the arrow barely grazing me before it collided with a rocky outcrop behind me, reducing it to dust in an instant.

Huh, they’re packing more firepower than I thought, I mused. Better finish this quickly.

Without hesitation, I launched myself at the nearest bandit, who had unsheathed a longsword in a desperate attempt to defend himself. My fist connected squarely with his chest, and the impact was catastrophic. His body crumpled around my punch like tinfoil, the sickening crack of shattered bones echoing through the clearing.

The force of the blow sent him flying, slamming into a nearby tree with a dull thud. His body went limp, sliding to the ground lifelessly.

“Draven! Damn it!” barked the man who had held a knife to my throat moments ago. His voice was laced with rage and disbelief, but I could see the fear creeping into his eyes.

The remaining bandits hesitated, their bravado wavering as they glanced between each other and the body of their fallen comrade.

One of them stepped forward, raising a large hammer that glowed faintly with an ominous blue energy. “Don’t just stand there! It’s one freak! Overwhelm it!”

The other bandits snapped out of their daze, drawing weapons or conjuring spells. I didn’t wait for them to coordinate. Instead, I darted toward the man with the hammer, my enhanced speed allowing me to close the distance before he could react.

His hammer swung in a wide arc, but I ducked under it with ease, countering with a devastating uppercut. The weapon flew from his grasp as he fell backward, his jaw dislodged and coughing up blood.

“Your turn,” I said, my voice low and even as I advanced toward the remaining bandits.

The terror etched in their wide, darting eyes spoke volumes—they knew they were facing something beyond them, a force they couldn’t hope to overcome.

Without hesitation, I summoned twin shortswords, their gleaming blades catching the faint light filtering through the trees. A low hum of energy emanated from them as I gripped their hilts.

In an instant, I moved, and before they could react, I shot past two of the bandits, the arc of my blades whispering through the air. Their heads toppled from their bodies with eerie precision, blood spraying in dark, crimson arcs as their lifeless forms crumpled to the forest floor.

Flowing like water, I turned to the next target, plunging my blades into his arms with brutal efficiency. His scream was cut short as I wrenched the blades free, severing his limbs. With a powerful kick, I sent him hurtling backward, his body crashing through the underbrush before disappearing into the dense forest.

Spinning on my heel, I hurled both swords at the second-to-last bandit, who had begun conjuring a swirling orb of flame between his hands. The weapons struck true, embedding themselves in his chest and stomach with a sickening crunch. The fire spell fizzled out as he collapsed, gasping his final breaths.

The clearing was eerily silent, save for the sound of rustling leaves as the mutilated body of the bandit I’d kicked tumbled into the forest. Blood spattered the ground, mingling with the soot from the half-burnt campfire.

The final bandit, the self-proclaimed ringleader, stood frozen in place. His bravado had all but evaporated, replaced by a growing sense of dread. His grip tightened around a menacingly curved blade that shimmered with faint energy, though his hands visibly trembled.

“You… You monster!” he spat, attempting to mask his fear with anger. “You think you can just—”

Before he could finish, I darted forward, my movement a blur. His instincts kicked in, and he slashed wildly, aiming for where he thought I’d be. But I wasn’t there.

Reappearing to his side, I grabbed his wrist and twisted it sharply. The blade clattered to the ground as he let out a strangled cry of pain.

“Monster?” I echoed, my voice calm but laced with an edge of menace. “You’re the one preying on the weak. I just happened to cross your path.”

With a flick of my wrist, I sent him sprawling to the ground. He scrambled backward, his expression a mix of terror and desperation. “W-Wait! Don’t kill me! I can give you information—gold—anything you want!”

“Unfortunately for you, I don’t care for any of that. you’ve sincerely ticked me off.”

And with that final remark, I materialized a kunai, which I threw so hard that It pierced his skull and flew out the other side.

The ringleader’s body collapsed to the ground with a dull thud, his lifeless eyes staring blankly at the canopy above. The kunai embedded itself into a tree behind him, quivering slightly before coming to a rest. The clearing fell into an oppressive silence, broken only by the rustle of leaves in the wind.

I let out a slow, measured breath, flexing my hands as the tension ebbed away. "Preying on the weak… That’s unforgivable," I muttered, more to myself than anyone else. Though I didn’t quite know where this emotion I felt was coming from.

Glancing around the blood-soaked clearing, I felt a pang of unease. This power… It was overwhelming, intoxicating even, but I couldn’t deny the ruthlessness it brought out in me. Had I gone too far?

No, I decided. These men chose their path, and they had paid the price for it. They had probably committed worse atrocities themselves.

With one last look at the grim scene, I took off for the village once more.