After entering the town, Aino spent the entire day wandering around.

She had been in this world for some time, but up until now, she’d been in the forest. Although the towering, exotic trees and the strange magical creatures had their charm, the sight of a town—something so different from the wilderness yet somewhat familiar—filled her with nostalgia.

Although she didn’t know much about it, this place resembled the image of a medieval European town in her mind, though perhaps more primitive.

The buildings were small, the church was overgrown with vines, and there was a tall, seemingly purposeless tower covered in dust. People along the streets wore a variety of clothing, and the occasional horse-drawn carriage would rumble past.

With Aino’s stamina, this leisurely stroll didn’t even tire her, so she explored with interest for hours.

Now, however, she was feeling hungry.

For her, starvation wasn’t a real threat. But if she went without meat for a day, the hunger would become almost unbearable, akin to the feeling of skipping a meal as a regular human.

It wasn’t dangerous, but the craving was relentless, gnawing at her.

A big reason for this hunger was that she’d seen so many tempting foods on her way through town.

Creatures like insect beasts or low-level magical creatures, though decent in power, held no appeal for her—they simply lacked the allure of proper sustenance due to her bloodline.

Even the most ordinary humans, untrained and unenhanced, appeared appetizing to her.

Those with a bit more strength, with their vibrant vitality, looked even more delicious.

In her memories, Tananorn had constantly sought out strong humans, battling them, defeating them, and savoring their taste.

But at that level, worthy opponents were few and far between, and such humans were rarities among rarities.

As Aino made her way through town, she saw plenty of ordinary people, and occasionally one or two who seemed vigorous, their blood pulsing strongly.

Mmm… she could almost feel the urge to tear into their throats, to taste…

She quickly stifled the impulse.

She needed to find a solution for her food situation, or things might take a bad turn.

Thinking this, Aino began to consider her options, mindlessly following the road.

Suddenly, she caught a particularly rich scent of blood from a small shop nearby, drawing her attention at once.

With a hint of excitement, she headed toward the shop. The shopkeeper, a man in his forties or fifties, had shelves filled with various herbs, forging materials, and other rare items.

Her senses led her to a bottle of red liquid, casually placed among the wares, but Aino recognized it instantly.

The seemingly ordinary vial radiated an enticing aroma… definitely something she could enjoy.

In novels she’d read in her past life, this was the part where she was supposed to feign interest in other items before casually asking about the price of the blood, so the shopkeeper wouldn’t realize how much she wanted it.

That was what both novels and her elders taught her… otherwise, she might get horribly overcharged.

But Aino had no clue about the market prices in this world, let alone what might count as a rip-off.

“How much is this?” she ended up asking bluntly.

Haggling… she really couldn’t bring herself to do it.

All she could hope was that the shopkeeper was honest and named a fair price.

Then again… price… she didn’t have a single coin on her, did she?

She’d been living in the forest until today; there was no way she’d have any money on her.

This was bad! She was completely stuck! Even if the shopkeeper asked for just a single coin, she wouldn’t have anything to offer. He’d probably think she was playing some kind of prank and throw her out.

Besides, without any knowledge of prices, she couldn’t even tell if a given price was reasonable.

She’d acted before thinking.

“That’s essence blood from a magical beast with draconic lineage. Five silver coins.”

In this world, dragons were one of the most ancient and powerful species; anything even remotely related to them was bound to be strong, and the closer the connection, the greater the power.

To Aino, this essence blood was like a steaming bowl of soup to a starving person.

But… she had no money.

She set the bottle down awkwardly, pretending she’d lost interest.

The shopkeeper merely glanced at her, looking slightly bemused, but said nothing. Aino quickly turned and left the shop.

Parker was a local troublemaker in Dante Town, often getting into mischief with his friends—stealing from stores, picking pockets, bullying the weak and elderly.

He and his friends had planned to meet up for a late-night party, so for now, he was idling in familiar streets, waiting for them.

His mother had abandoned him when he was young, leaving him with a drunken father. Neither of them worked; they spent most days roaming the streets.

As a result, he didn’t really go “home.” He didn’t even think of it as a home. If he needed a place to sleep, he’d find a tavern, or one of his buddies would offer him a place to crash. And if all else failed, he’d just curl up in his clothes and sleep in the streets—it was almost comfortable by now.

It was deep into the night, and the bustling streets of the day had grown quiet. Only a few late vendors remained, packing up their stalls.

A strange figure caught Parker’s eye.

A girl was wandering down the dimly lit, deserted street, glancing around as though searching for something. The scene struck him as eerie.

Parker swallowed, instinctively edging closer to the brighter part of the street while keeping his eyes on the girl.

Watching her carefully, Parker noticed her striking black hair and crimson eyes, her delicate features like those of a porcelain doll.

She was more beautiful than any woman Parker had ever seen, far surpassing those in the brothels, and desire welled up within him.

Such a beautiful, helpless lamb surely wouldn’t last long in this grim city. How pitiful.

Swaggering towards her, Parker approached with a smirk. “Hey, walking alone at this hour? Want some company?”

“…”

The girl looked at him, seemingly at a loss. Her crimson eyes gave away nothing.

The scrawny man leered, reaching out to touch her face as he muttered vulgar words.

“What, did your family leave you alone, or are you just out here because you couldn’t wait to find some company?”

Unlike what he expected, the girl didn’t dodge; his hand landed right on her face, her skin cool and smooth under his fingers, almost distracting him.

“…What the hell is wrong with you?”

Parker drew back in confusion, as though startled.

“What, are you actually…?”

Before he could finish, he heard a familiar voice beside him.

“Hey there, slick, picking up a girl on your own?”

A few thugs came closer, led by a tall, muscular youth with a stoic face. He was imposing, his physique powerful but not bulky, his eyes cold with a kind of indifference that looked down on everything.

The one speaking was a burly man, though still shorter than the young leader by at least half a head. If the youth was a sleek, deadly leopard, this man was a hulking gorilla.

As he spoke, the burly man casually pulled Parker aside, and the group of thugs burst into laughter.

“…”

Parker didn’t respond, but quietly moved aside, grinning at the cold-faced youth as he explained, “Boss, I just found this girl wandering the streets, don’t know where she’s from…”

He hadn’t finished when a fat man in the group interrupted with a snicker, “Hey, this chick’s a looker. Boss, let’s have some fun here; it’s been too long!”

As he spoke, the fat man made an exaggerated gesture toward his lower body, causing his companions to laugh even harder.