The young woman removed the hood that covered her face, revealing her identity. Her skin was pale and unblemished, yet she had an almost ghostly appearance, as if she would dissolve into the air if I tried to touch her.

Her hair had two colors. On the outside, her long hair was a deep blue like a starless night sky, but on the inside, it seemed to be a shocking pink.

She was a beautiful woman, that much I couldn’t deny. You could make out the curves of her body through the part now exposed by her cloak. Full breasts and wide hips outlined her figure, lending her a striking femininity.

But even if I didn’t know her history, even if I hadn’t read anything about her in SSS-Class Ragnarok Legend, I wouldn’t be swept away by her beauty. And that was for a single reason—her eyes. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

No matter how beautiful she was, her eyes drew more attention than her entire body, her irises tinted a red as vivid as blood. It wasn’t just their color that made me uneasy, but the feeling that she could see inside me. I knew it didn’t apply to everything, but still, it felt like there was something I couldn’t keep secret from her.

Thankfully, I also had a way to see through her. Thanks to my Tamer Appraisal, I could see all of her stats.

[

Name: Equidna

Level: 35

Class: Hel Summoner

Title: Hel Follower

Health: 300 points

Mana: 300/340 points

Strength: 30 points

Defense: 20 points

Magic: 60 points

Agility: 30 points

]

Seeing her stats, I was truly glad I had stolen Leo’s opportunity back at the Lost Temple. If I hadn’t done that, she would be light-years ahead of my former self. The Rick of the past wouldn’t have stood the slightest chance against her, but that was no longer the case.

Even though she had more levels than me, there was still a chance I could face her. She had more Mana and Magic Points than I did, but I didn’t fall behind in any other attribute—they were on the same level as hers or even higher. It was no longer impossible to fight her.

[

Name: Diane Stollen

Level: 20

Class: Shadow Assassin

Title: Valkyrie

Master: Richard Forster

Health: 250 points

Mana: 202 points

Strength: 35 points

Defense: 15 point

Magic: 15 points

Agility: 27 points

Status Points: 0 points

]

Diane had fewer points than her, but that wasn’t a problem for me. Since her class was focused on assassination, my role in that fight was to protect her and create openings so she could deal more damage with her skills.

"I was on my way to Valleria, but to find you, Richard Forster, here... Today must be my lucky day," she said, but her posture changed as if she had noticed a slip. "Oh my, where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself."

The young woman then took the edges of her cloak as if it were a dress and made a curtsy, not caring if it exposed the dark outfit clinging to her body in the process. "My name is Equidna, a proud member of the Night Apostles and a faithful follower of Lady Hel."

Even with my weapon pointed at her, the young woman didn’t seem to feel threatened. Her gestures resembled those of a girl of noble upbringing, despite her clothes not being made of any fine fabric.

Diane, who had been on guard the entire time, stiffened her stance upon hearing Equidna’s words. Her eyebrows furrowed with anger, her eyes fixed on our enemy. Despite her threatening glare, Equidna maintained a calm tone.

"I see you’ve already heard of my group," she said, undoing her curtsy, her voice lively. "That makes my job much easier. I came all this way to bring you back to my organization. I’m sure you’ll be very useful to our cause."

When she said I would be useful to her, what would truly be of use were the writings drawn on my back. Whether I was actually alive or not was a mere technicality. In fact, to them, I would be far more useful dead.

Diane hurriedly spoke in a defiant voice, "And what if we refuse?"

"Fufu." Equidna smiled upon hearing Diane, as if she had told a joke. "Isn’t it obvious? I would have to use brute force in that case. After all, it’s not as if you have a choice. But I’m not a bad person. Your friend can choose between going whole or going without his limbs."

"I won’t allow it," Diane said, her voice full of indignation. "I will never let you take Rick."

"Eh? What are you talking about? You don’t have a say here." Equidna raised her hand, preparing for the fight that was about to begin. "Only the heir of the Forsters is necessary. You can die here, choking on your own blood."

My senses sharpened the moment she proclaimed her threat. Just as Diane wouldn’t let her take me, I wouldn’t let her hurt Diane.

Equidna must have felt the killing intent coming from me, because now her words were directed at yours truly, her tone colder. "Don’t think your blessing will give you an easy win. Thanks to Lady Hel, I’m stronger than you."

The moment she finished saying that to Diane, a bubble of dark, black liquid formed near her hand, floating in the air until it burst. From that very bubble, several animals emerged and flew in our direction.

"Caw! Caw!" a myriad of crows cawed as they flew toward us, their beaks and claws ready to wound us.

"Iron Skin!" I called out the skill I had just gained from Camula.

Even though those creatures were created with magic, they dealt physical damage, so I used the skill that would reduce the damage I’d take from them the most and stepped forward to meet their charge.

"Flash Thrasher!" After activating that attack, my next sequence of strikes cut through the crows mid-flight, their bodies turning into puddles of tar at my feet.

"Got you~," Equidna said, smiling broadly.

In a brief instant, Diane pushed me aside just as the snake emerged from the puddle. Unfortunately, she took my place.

The serpent’s body was thick and long enough to wrap around her, coiling around her legs, torso, and chest. Her arms were immobilized by the serpent’s embrace, while Diane gritted her teeth in pain.

"Now what will you do, Richard?" Equidna said maliciously. "Maybe, if you’re a good boy, I could set her free—or else..."

As she said that, the serpent wrapped around Diane tightened its grip on my Valkyrie even more than before.

"Aaaaaaah!" Diane screamed as if her body were about to be crushed.

If I attacked Equidna, Diane could be killed. Her life now rested in the palms of the Night Apostles member’s hands, and Equidna wouldn’t hesitate to kill her. No, the situation was worse than that.

"Aaaaaaaah!" Diane screamed as the snake tightened around her, and I could see the expression of pleasure on Equidna’s face.

The woman before me was a sadist who loved seeing others suffer; she wasn’t reckless enough to abandon her mission for it, but that part of her personality was deeply twisted.

I racked my brain, searching for a skill I could use. As unbelievable as it sounded, healing didn’t affect the monsters she created, and if I tried to attack, I would only put Diane at risk. And that’s when it hit me. There was a skill I could use, even though it had never occurred to me to use it that way.

"Gather," I said as I ran forward, knowing Diane was safe.

"Wh-What?" Equidna was startled, seeing that she no longer had a hostage trapped by her black serpent.

Gather could teleport a Valkyrie close to me. I had only tested it over long distances, but it seemed that even at a shorter range, I could bring Diane to my side. Diane thought quickly, not hesitating to run alongside me now that her movements were free.

"Bastard!" Equidna cursed, her fists clenched in anger.

The snake came at us again, its mouth open, exposing its long fangs.

I feinted backward while Diane rushed toward the mage. "Flame Sword!"

My sword was imbued with blazing flames. They weren’t as strong as the ones I used to kill Zalrorg, but to defeat that weak minion, they were more than enough. I narrowly dodged the serpent by jumping to its side, and with a clean cut, my sword split it in half through its open mouth.

Meanwhile, behind me, Diane sprinted at full speed toward Equidna. The mage raised her hand once more, the sludge in front of her about to shoot toward Diane. Although Diane was skilled, she wasn’t good enough to dodge the attack or complete her own.

"Gather." Using my skill again, Diane was back beside me, escaping the beast that had appeared in front of Equidna.

A smile spread across my face as I thought to myself, ’Looks like my skill is more OP than I thought.’