"I washed it yesterday morning..."

One day, and he’s already like this. Just like I was before… so… pathetic.

Aino felt a wave of empathy.

She hadn’t paid much attention to this man before, but now he seemed vaguely familiar.

A slight paunch, hair plastered down in greasy strands—overall, he looked disheveled.

The struggle with oily hair had been a constant issue for Aino in her past life; if she went a day without washing, it would get greasy, and with hair loss, cutting it short hadn’t been an option.

Her former self had been a sad sight.

She almost laughed, finding a strange sense of camaraderie with Parker—a “brother in shared suffering.”

Smiling faintly, Aino began to respond to his plea.

“The people you know here in this city—what kind of influence do they have?”

Parker thought briefly and answered, “Our boss is the son of a high-ranking city official. He’s pretty powerful, can do whatever he wants around here.”

“Do whatever he wants and powerful…”

Aino guessed he was the one who had “tasted” so good.

She hesitated, unsure if her mindset was that of a mundane modern person or a ruthless black dragon. Her impulse made her rational mind tremble.

She didn’t want to stir up trouble, to avoid attracting attention, especially if she planned to stay in this human town and with Uncle Carter.

Yet, suppressing her urge to act was growing tiresome, especially when Alea shared her frustration.

This tiny town… it’s honestly dull. Molly was recovering, and maybe she and Carter wanted to live their own life together. She and Alea staying with them wasn’t entirely fitting.

The conclusion became clearer: it would be better to eradicate these villains and let Parker and Molly continue their lives in peace.

Maybe it was her disdain for those men or the resentment Alea had expressed that spurred her on. Regardless, she was ready to act.

With her mind made up, Aino looked at Parker, who was waiting expectantly.

“Come with me. Let’s prepare and end this once and for all.”

They headed toward Carter’s house, and Aino felt a bit dazed.

It seemed she’d made a sudden decision, one that would completely change her current life.

Wasn’t this going against everything she’d said to Alea?

Well, she was always one to follow her whims. She hadn’t wanted to take drastic action for people she didn’t know or in situations she didn’t fully understand.

But now she knew enough about these people and had thought through her options.

Carter, Molly, Alea, and even greasy-haired Parker—killing these villains would benefit everyone.

Besides, she wanted to leave, to explore the wider world.

It was sudden, and after a brief conversation, Molly and Carter were left in shock, while Alea, though puzzled, accepted it quietly.

I hope everyone stays safe.

Oddly enough, thinking about the slaughter to come made her feel hungry.

…

That day, Parker witnessed a nightmare.

It was like watching a reaper at work, without a word wasted, moving with mechanical precision.

Some were crushed with fists, others torn apart by claws, or incinerated by bursts of flame—each death was different.

These people, the ones he’d been around so often, now reduced to sheep in a slaughterhouse.

She was almost wasteful, killing each one only to eat a portion—the organs or a few bites from the arms.

As a child, Parker had heard tales of flesh-eating monsters, of intestines hanging from trees, bones scattered on the ground…

This was surely hell.

“Monkey!” A furious voice echoed. Parker’s head ducked instinctively at the sound.

The voice was unmistakably Sheval’s. To Parker, only a few words came to mind about him.

Cold, ruthless, a genius, bloodthirsty.

Sheval was both a madman and a prodigy.

Powerful adventurers and cunning leaders alike had fallen prey to Sheval’s schemes, eventually reduced to broken, humiliated wretches before he killed them.

He relished every moment.

Parker genuinely feared him.

Sheval’s call of “Monkey” referred to his brother, a skinny, monkey-like man.

He was the weakest of their trio, an unremarkable figure who’d be average in both physique and willpower compared to most men his age.

Yet somehow, he’d become like a brother to Sheval and Black Mountain.

Both brothers protected him fiercely. Sheval showered him with money and women, and anyone who crossed “Monkey” was dealt with.

But now…

With a flick of her wrist, Aino tore open Monkey’s abdomen, spilling his organs onto the ground, blood flowing like a creek.

“Aaaaaaahhh!” Sheval’s rage exploded, his fury like an erupting volcano. Parker had never seen him this emotional, a man typically colder than ice.

Aino casually tossed Monkey’s corpse aside, glancing at Sheval.

Sensing his opponent’s power, Sheval’s rage subsided into eerie calmness, though he still breathed heavily. Muscles rippled across his body, and Parker could almost see “killing intent” radiating from him.

“Black Mountain… was it you who did that too?” Sheval’s voice was calm, yet filled with boundless hatred. If not for the monster beside him, Parker knew his fate today would be worse than death, for he was well aware of Sheval’s penchant for torturing people.

“Hehehe…” Aino chuckled, as if amused by something absurd.

“Garbage. Dead is dead.”

What…? Parker couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She wasn’t simply taunting him; she genuinely viewed them as trash.

Sheval didn’t respond, his body tensed like a drawn bow, his eyes bloodshot, and he looked like a bull ready to charge.

Never before had he been humiliated like this, his brothers slain as if they were nothing.

He swore to subject these two to a hundred tortures, a fate worse than death, to avenge Black Mountain and Monkey.

Suddenly, something flashed before him.

Sheval’s body dropped to the ground like a dismantled doll, limbs severed, with only his torso and head remaining, still wearing that icy expression.

“Garbage, just like the others,” Aino said dismissively.

“No… impossible… why… are you…” Sheval’s voice was filled with disbelief as realization struck him. For the first time, the so-called genius felt utterly powerless, like he could do nothing.

Her slender, white hand reached into his chest, extracting his heart and bringing it to her mouth.

“Tastes just as good as I expected.”

“Let’s go,” she said, turning to Parker.

Together with Alea, who was waiting outside, the three of them left the city, leaving behind a gruesome scene of shattered bodies.