Chapter 55

“No, please! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

The pioneer drew his blade, and the woman’s head hit the ground in a pitiful bow.

Without hesitation, the pioneer spat on her.

“Tch. You two really know how to piss people off as a couple, huh? Now, why didn’t you finish the quota?”

“I-I wasn’t feeling well this morning…!”

“Oh, so you’re feeling sick, huh? Poor old man’s not doing too well, is he?”

The pioneer’s grin twisted as he leaned down and lightly tapped the bruised man’s body, mocking him with a false air of concern.

“Where does it hurt, old man? Here? Maybe here? Or… how about right… here?”

Press.

“Gaaah!”

The man screamed as the pioneer’s thumb sank into his abdomen—the exact spot where he had been kicked earlier.

The pressure alone would have hurt, but with the pioneer’s overwhelming strength stat, the damage was catastrophic. The depth of the press suggested his internal organs might have suffered serious injury.

As the man writhed, unable even to scream anymore, his wife clung to the aggressor’s leg, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Please! Please, just spare him! I’m begging you!”

“Hmm? What was that? You want me to kill him? That’s what you’re asking for?”

“N-no! I’m sorry! That’s not what I meant! I’m sorry!”

Their terror had driven them past the point of rational thought. They were broken, reduced to begging incoherently for mercy.

Just as the pioneer reached for the woman’s hair, intending to escalate the abuse, a voice cut through the chaos.

“Hey. That’s enough.”

Rachel stepped forward, her voice firm and cold.

“What bastard—oh, it’s you.”

The pioneer’s irritation disappeared when he recognized her. But her expression remained unmoved.

“What’s the point of this? Did they insult you or something?”

“No, they failed to meet their mana stone quota. They’re two stones short!”

“…Just two?”

“Yeah, so what?”

His smug attitude made Rachel’s blood boil, but before she could lash out, the woman suddenly grabbed her leg.

“Please, miss, save my husband! Please, I’m begging you!”

Her eyes shone with the desperate hope of someone who had just stumbled upon a savior in the depths of hell.

“He didn’t mean to fail! Please, talk to him! Please, help us!”

The word “miss” wasn’t just a casual address—it carried the weight of submission, the plea of someone who had fully accepted her inferiority.

For a brief moment, Rachel felt sympathy rising in her chest.

But then she recognized the woman.

She had been one of the settlers who had blocked her and her team from using the shop back when levels were low—one of those who had accused her of hoarding mana stones instead of sharing them with others.

“You’re low-level, and you’re hiding stones for yourselves! I bet you’re keeping extra for your little clique!”

The memory extinguished any hint of compassion.

As Rachel’s expression turned cold, the woman’s face paled, realizing she had been recognized.

“I-I’m sorry! Please, I was wrong back then!”

“Get lost.”

With a dismissive gesture, Rachel shook off the woman’s hands and turned away.

The settlers’ screams echoed behind her.

“You bastards dare beg her instead of me?”
“Please, have mercy…!”
“Forget it. Let’s just kill him and be done with it.”
“No! Noooo!”

Splurt.

The sound of brutality behind her made Rachel falter for a second—but only for a second.

With a soft sigh, she kept walking.

‘How did things get this bad?’

After sending her exhausted teammates home, Rachel made her way through the village, determined to confront someone.

Fortunately, her target was at home.

“What the hell? Rachel? What brings you here?”

Lucas, a rugged pioneer and the current leader of the village, greeted her with mild curiosity.

Before she could speak, she heard the sound of muffled sobbing from inside the house.

‘I can already guess what happened there.’

Despite the evident signs of abuse, Lucas looked at her with the casual indifference of someone who didn’t see anything wrong.

“You usually avoid me. What’s up?”

“Would I be here if nothing happened? I have news.”

“What kind of news?”

“I met someone from another safe zone today.”

The moment those words left her mouth, Lucas’s demeanor changed instantly.

His lazy expression sharpened like a predator locking onto prey.

“Explain. In detail.”

She calmly laid out the events: how they had stumbled into the gnoll territory because of their incompetent former leader, how she had been rescued by someone she knew from their old world, and how that person had offered to help their group level up.

By the time she finished, Lucas was smirking in disbelief.

“Level 20? Do you seriously expect me to believe that?”

“He’s not the kind of person who would lie about that. And his strength matched the claim.”

“How strong are we talking?”

“One magic missile took out half a gnoll’s skull in one shot.”

“…!”

His amusement vanished. If that was true, they didn’t stand a chance against him.

“So why are you telling me all this? We’re not exactly on friendly terms.”

“I’m not here to make friends. I just don’t want misunderstandings when we cross paths. You were planning on moving into the gnoll territory soon anyway, right?”

“Yeah. We were actually thinking of going there tomorrow.”

“Then if you see us hunting, don’t interfere. This is just someone offering us help out of goodwill.”

“Fair enough.”

Lucas nodded, understanding her reasoning—she didn’t want to be accused of colluding with outsiders.

And frankly, her growing strength wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. They might not get along, but a strong pioneer was still better than a weak one in their faction.

“One question, though. You’re not thinking of switching sides, are you?”

“Of course not. If anything, he seems more interested in coming here than the other way around.”

“Really? Why?”

“Their settlers are nearly as bad as ours used to be.”

That single statement made everything clear to Lucas.

‘Yeah, if I had to deal with that kind of trash, I’d want to switch too.’

If stronger pioneers like that joined their side, it would only make their faction stronger.

“Well then, go ahead and level up. You’re too strong to be stuck at such a low level anyway.”

“I planned on doing that. Just make sure the others know not to pick fights with us during hunts.”

“Of course. I’ll spread the word.”

Relieved by the smooth exchange, Rachel turned to leave.

As soon as she was gone, however, Lucas’s smirk vanished.

“Still, can’t be too careful.”

He knew Rachel had issues with the current state of the village. The only reason she hadn’t left yet was that there hadn’t been any alternatives.

But now, there was another option on the horizon.

Even if she didn’t leave, the possibility of leaving was a problem.

“Time to have a little chat with David. Now, where the hell does that idiot live again?”