Die, You Fivefold Unsatisfied Idiot!!!!!

Heres's face had flushed beyond mere red, burning a dark, ugly crimson with rage.

"You fucking bitch. Don't think this ends with just that smart mouth of yours."

Heres finally seized the hilt of the sword at his waist. The screech of steel sliding free from its scabbard sliced through the twilight silence like a razor.

Right before he could fully draw the blade, one of the hulking mercenaries beside him grabbed his arm.

"D-Deputy Leader! Please, you must hold back! We're still inside the village...!"

"Shut the hell up!"

Heres violently shook off his subordinate's grip. His eyes had already lost all reason, locked solely on Thirin. The other mercenaries, however, were murmuring uneasily. No matter how far Thirin's provocation had gone, murder was an entirely different matter. There were far too many villagers here who could serve as witnesses.

One of the mercenaries bellowed at the innocent townsfolk.

"What the hell are you staring at? Get lost, all of you! You really want to see blood that badly?!"

The terrified villagers backed away, but they couldn't quite bring themselves to leave. Fear gripped them, yet some inexplicable emotion held them in place—the sight of a crazy beggar woman boldly standing up to such a violent thug.

Thirin watched them and let out a soft snort of laughter.

"Heres, Heres, you brain-dead moron. You really plan to spill blood right in front of the gods on a holy day? Don't tell me you don't even have a god you worship? Though if the gods gave you that pathetic little rat dick, I guess nothing's worth seeing anyway."

"That goddamn crazy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bitch...!"

Heres's hand moved toward his sword again.

"Listen up, you Heres-level idiot," Thirin continued. "You want your little lackeys to get divine punishment too? Stop acting like a fool and come outside. Out there, the blind gods might just pretend they didn't see whatever dogshit you get up to."

Thirin glanced down at Heres's lower half and added, "Whether that tiny... do... jo... joke of a dick gives you the courage for it is another question entirely."

The classic 'If you're so tough, come up to the rooftop' taunt worked just as well in ancient times as it did in the modern era. Thirin had simply sprinkled on some extra seasoning.

After finishing her speech, she very briefly, very carefully lowered the crude bread-bag mask she wore—just enough for Heres alone to catch a glimpse—then quickly raised it again.

"...!"

Heres swallowed hard. In that fleeting instant, he saw it. Even in the dim twilight, Thirin's face seemed to radiate its own light. The soft glow of her pale skin, the faint blush rising on her cheeks, eyes as deep and sharp as a midnight lake, a perfectly sculpted nose, and those vivid red lips. A beauty so unreal it was hard to believe it belonged to a human.

The overwhelming power of 180 charm smashed into Heres's sanity in that single moment.

Where his eyes had burned with pure fury, a different kind of desire now ignited. Not simple bloodlust, but the craving to break and possess that breathtaking beauty.

"...Fine," Heres growled in a low voice.

He shoved the sword back into its sheath and jerked his head.

"Outside the village it is."

He shouted threateningly at the gathered villagers. "Anyone who dares follow us better not plan on seeing tomorrow's sunrise!"

"Haha!"

At his words, Thirin sprang away like a shot.

"S-She's running!"

Heres and his mercenaries gave chase immediately.

Thirin glanced back at the men pursuing her. Not all of them were following. A few were staring intently in her direction but then quietly turned their steps toward a different path—the direction of their own campsite.

Thirin was genuinely baffled. Where the hell are those guys going? To get daddy? All this for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one beggar woman?

"Stop right there!"

Her thoughts were cut short. Luring the idiots was one thing, but she had gotten completely drunk on the vitality flooding her from the stat level-ups. The +500% EXP boost was applying multipliers even to simple running, inflating her agility stat like crazy in that short sprint.

Her white nape and black hair fluttered behind her in the twilight as she ran. Heres and the mercenaries followed as if hypnotized.

"Hehehe."

After running for a while, Thirin suddenly stopped with a cackle. They had reached an empty clearing beyond the village boundary. The sun had nearly vanished beyond the horizon, and the first star was beginning to twinkle faintly in the sky.

Thirin crossed her arms, breathing steadily, and sneered at the panting group approaching her.

"Oh dear, was the distance too much? Heres, it looks like your legs are short too."

"Shut your damn mouth!"

A low growl escaped from deep in Heres's throat. Though there was still some distance between them, Thirin's sharp senses could feel his killing intent as clearly as if it were pressing against her skin.

"Good lord." Thirin sighed theatrically. "The thing between your legs is short, your actual legs are short. What are we going to do about this? You probably would've gotten here faster if you'd just crawled over."

"You goddamn bitch..."

"Are your arms short too, by any chance? You're a complete fivefold unsatisfied failure. Yeah, seeing how Merye couldn't be satisfied, even your fingers must be—wait a second."

Thirin tilted her head, realizing something strange mid-sentence.

"Wait, wait just a minute. Merye's the one providing the service. She's not the one getting done to—she's the one doing it to you... So even if your five extremities are short, it shouldn't matter at all... Wait. And yet you still beat her, which means..."

All sorts of emotions flickered across Thirin's face. Realization. And then pity.

She looked at Heres with genuinely sympathetic eyes.

"Don't tell me... it's so small that Merye couldn't even... grab it with her hand...?"

"UWAAAAAAAAH!!!!"

Words were no longer necessary.

Heres kicked off the ground and charged at Thirin. In an instant his figure blurred, leaving only deeply gouged footprints behind.

This rootless mishmash of a world had all kinds of abilities to match. Mages used magic, certain knights and holy warriors wielded aura, and since real gods existed, they would sometimes grant blessings when moved by faith. Sometimes on nothing but a whim.

What Heres had received was the 'blessing' of the god with the staff and winged feet—'Swift Steps.'

Whether the god Heres served was actually the deity of staff and winged feet or simply the patron of quick-footed thieves was unclear, but thanks to that blessing, he could boast footwork twice as fast as ordinary men.

Heres's specialty was a piercing thrust that took full advantage of that acceleration. It was precisely that skill that had earned him the deputy leader position despite his garbage personality.

The sword, accelerated by divine blessing, shot toward Thirin at a speed nearly impossible to track with the naked eye, aimed to pierce a single point.

Damn beggar bitch.

Even while accelerated, Heres's mind was filled with thoughts of Thirin. I was planning to kill her, but I'll be generous and end it with that tongue of hers. It'd be such a waste to throw away a face that pretty.

The tip of Heres's blade targeted Thirin's body. He even had the luxury of deciding exactly where to stab.

Stomach? No, hitting a vital spot would be annoying. Arm? That crazy bitch wouldn't shut up just from getting stabbed in the arm. Yeah... the thigh it is.

Stabbing her in the thigh and watching her crawl around bleeding would be quite the sight. Then, after she'd properly tasted fear, he'd—

Heres's eyes widened.

His sword had definitely been aimed at her thigh. Yet somehow, without him realizing it, the tip was now digging into her side.

Thirin had moved completely outside his predictions.

"Urk...!"

Sharp pain exploded as Heres's sword sank into Thirin's flank. The sickening sensation of steel cutting through flesh and scraping bone. Pain that would have made any normal person scream and collapse. But instead of screaming, Thirin attained enlightenment.

"Ahahaha. So that's how it works."

Thirin laughed. Pain had broken her, and pain had enlightened her.

Heres couldn't understand why she was laughing or what her words meant.

Her laughter didn't last long.

With the sword still buried in her side, Thirin twisted her body in a bizarre manner. Her left hand extended ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠forward as if to push Heres away. No—it wasn't pushing or blocking. It was measuring. Her arm remained perfectly steady, fingers precisely aimed at the target. Meanwhile, her right arm was pulled back as far as physically possible behind her body. Her elbow folded sharply, and her tightly clenched fist rested behind her cheek.

Every muscle in her body twisted as if forming a spring under extreme tension, compressing power to the absolute limit at a single point, ready to explode.

Heres felt a strange sense of déjà vu. The stance looked somehow familiar. He had definitely seen this posture before. But he couldn't quite remember what it was. It wasn't a martial art he knew, and it didn't look like swordsmanship either. It was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠almost like the motion for launching something—

Before Heres could identify the source of that ominous premonition, Thirin's right arm shot forward like an explosion.

The condensed power was released at a single point.

Just like an arrow leaving the bowstring.

Thirin's fist became an arrow and drove straight into Heres's jaw.