I ran.
AAWOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
'It is behind me!'
I heard its howls and growls as I ran with all my might. The beast hellbent on killing me.
My small body was already enhanced to my current limit, making me glow like molten metal while my Aura flared around me, enhancing my body as much as it could.
But my Aura was only recently unlocked. Right after I somehow woke up in this world that was once fiction. This meant that I did not know how to properly handle this newfound power of mine.
Worse yet, I have no memories inherited from this current body which might have provided context on why I woke up in the middle of a campground stripped of all its valuables and full of dead bodies, which were also stripped of everything valuable.
I wanted to shake my head to get rid of that horrific image of those dead bodies, some of which, specifically the women and even some men, probably suffered terribly before their death, given the state of their bodies.
But I cannot afford to be distracted for even a single second.
Suddenly, I saw a shadow from the corner of my eyes. A shadow with its face hidden behind a bony white mask. Its baleful crimson eyes glaring into my very being.
That was distracting enough to send me tumbling to the ground as I tripped over something.
The beast, the creature of Grimm, did not even hesitate for a second and pounced on me.
The last thing I remember is the loud bang of a gun and the squeals of the beast before I passed out from fear and despair.
—————————————————————————————
I woke up with a start. My Aura flaring in response to my emotional turmoil before I forced it back under control.
'Another nightmare.'
With a sigh, I got up from the bed and looked at myself.
My shirt is completely messed up by the cycle of sweat soaking it, and then my sweat evaporating it repeatedly under my emotional distress.
It stinks terribly.
Walking towards the bathroom attached to my modest room, I went through the morning rituals before going to my wardrobe and putting on my usual clothing.
A plain white shirt, black pants, and black boots. Then, I put on the travel cloak that hid everything underneath it from everyone. A common piece of clothing that basically everyone in Mistral's frontiers wears.
Then, I took my travel bag full of my gear and spare clothes and headed out, heading straight for the reception manned by a teenager who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.
Yet, I am not fooled by his act.
If he really was as lazy as he portrayed himself to be, he would never have survived in the underworld to even reach his teenage years.
Something that is quite apparent by the tattoo on his neck, one of a lotus with its petals shaped like blades. The Hana crime family.
I placed the room keys on the desk and nodded at the teenager, who simply placed the keys back according to their room number, not even bothering to say anything to me as I left.
But this behaviour is not rude. In fact, this kind of anonymity, where they don't care who comes and goes in their establishment while also providing the best security possible in the underworld is the reason why the Hana family's hotels are so frequented by people like me.
With the hood of my travel cloak up, I walked through the familiar streets of this frontier town of Mistral called Yamamura. A small town situated in the mountains of Mistal's border.
An untamed wildland just like the rest of Mistral, sharing the same kind of rules as everywhere else in this wretched nation.
A nation where I woke up nearly two years ago because I answered a stupid CYOA that mysteriously arrived in my work mail.
Two years, where it felt like I lost everything that made me who I was and turned me into a being that my former self would have hated to the bone.
Two years in this absurd world that should not exist.
'No use thinking about all of that. Especially right now.'
I forcefully suppressed my emotions and continued walking forward, ignoring the turmoil that was about to erupt in my mind at the mere thought of home.
It is not healthy to do something like that, but I have no choice.
I have no time to think about the past. I have no time to mourn the loss of my life.
No time to grieve the loss of everything that was taken from me.
Right now, this world demands that I remain logical lest I become another victim in this vast darkness that disguises itself as 'civilization'. So, I will remain logical as much as possible.
Soon, I arrived at the familiar establishment that I've been frequenting for the past two years, ever since I was saved by one of their own.
Not because he was kind-hearted, but because he thought I would be a valuable asset.
Honestly, if I really were a child, I might have ended up idolizing that wretched man for saving me.
But I am not a child. At least, mentally, I am not. I hope.
Sometimes, it is hard to tell for me, given how much my body influences my mind, especially now that I have started to hit puberty again.
With a sigh, I walked into the establishment, the guards not even acknowledging my presence since they were all too familiar with me by now.
With practiced ease, I walked up the stairs to the second floor, arriving in front of the office of my current 'client'.
The moment I knocked, the feminine voice from behind called out lazily.
"Come in."
Opening the door, I stared at the woman with a somewhat good figure, blond hair, and blue eyes with a beauty mark under her right eye.
Honestly, she looked pretty good for her age and might have gotten any man she wanted in this scummy place if not for her choosing to remain single, from what I heard.
Although if said man will even remain by her side after spotting the large spider tattoo on her left shoulder is another matter altogether.
The moment she saw me, her eyes lit up and motioned me to sit down.
"Ah! Mr. Ruben! What a surprise! I was expecting you later in the evening."
'Damn! If there were Oscar awards in this world, I have no doubt that you would have at least been nominated for one. I know that you knew I was coming the moment I set foot outside the hotel room.'
Still, I kept silent and simply nodded. It is something that I've picked up in the two years I've spent in this monstrous place.
Most of the time, it is better to remain as silent as possible if you want to live without having to look over your shoulder all the time.
The woman who goes by Lil' Miss Malachite was not phased by my silence, probably having gotten used to it by this point, and took out a stack of lien, pushing it towards me.
"Payment for yesterday's scouting mission and a little extra for dealing with an ancient Grimm that was out of your contract specifications."
I silently took the money and placed it into my bag, not caring that her bodyguards saw what was inside.
They may be criminals that won't bat an eye while carving open an innocent child and might even take pleasure in the act, but they are all goons under Malachite's strict control.
They know the consequences of crossing her all too well, and she is nothing if not professional.
That is how the Spiders became what they are today in the first place.
She leaned into her fist and smiled down at me with a motherly expression. The same kind she uses to interact with her daughters, from what I've seen.
An expression that I know to be fake.
"Incidentally, we have received an extermination request from our associates in Kuchinashi. It's a standard Grimm extermination job. Pay is three times the regular since they suspect the numbers to be in the dozens instead of the regular stragglers. Interested?"
I shook my head, rejecting the job.
I am not stupid enough to touch that filthy city with a ten-mile pole.
If she was surprised by my response, she did not show it and continued smiling as I got up and left.
Another day, another trap avoided while earning some money.
Another day of my life as a mercenary for hire in this wretched world that I hate with all my being.