Ryan could not recognize what grade of magical defensive fabric this was, but the fact that it could block an attack from an epic-tier weapon meant it was at least of rare grade or higher.

  With his current level as a Ninth-tier Magic Apprentice, there was no way he could break through that layer of defense.

  He stopped thinking about the sheer slip's grade and instead took the torn pieces of the gown, wrapping them around Evelyn one by one.

  From her ankles to her wrists, he bound her tightly until she looked almost like a mummy, leaving only her nose and eyes exposed.

  When he finished, Ryan couldn't help pinching Evelyn's delicate nose, though his mind was still racing. She couldn't be killed, yet he couldn't release her either. This woman was nothing but trouble.

  Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. If her heart was protected, what about her head? Surely there was no defensive fabric covering that.

  Without hesitation, Ryan raised his fist and threw a heavy punch toward her head.

  But the instant his fist was about to touch her skin, an invisible barrier burst open. Pain shot through his wrist, and he was thrown backward by the rebound, crashing to the ground and almost twisting his ankle.

  "Damn it! What kind of magical defense is this?" Ryan hissed, clutching his aching wrist.

  He simply could not understand how even her head was protected.

  Furious, a dark thought crossed his mind."If I can't kill you, then maybe I can…"

  But before the words left his lips, he forced himself to swallow them.

  Eight lifetimes of death had taught him one thing—Evelyn was no ordinary woman. Even powerless and unconscious, she was far too dangerous to provoke.

  At that moment, Evelyn's body twitched slightly. Her eyelids fluttered as though she was about to wake.

  Ryan's heart tightened. He quickly stepped forward and struck the back of her neck with the side of his hand again.

  This time, he controlled his strength. From his earlier experiments, he had learned that as long as his attacks were not lethal, Evelyn's defensive mechanism would not activate.

  Watching her fall back into unconsciousness, Ryan exhaled in relief. A sly smile crept across his face."I'll take you back to the village first. Then we'll settle everything slowly."

  He hoisted Evelyn onto his shoulder once more and ventured deeper into the forest, marking his path while searching for traces of magical beasts.

  By dusk, he finally encountered a Flamefang Beast in a nearby valley.

  With his Ninth-tier Magic Apprentice strength and mastery of movement magic, Ryan quickly brought the beast down.

  Using vines, he tied the Flamefang Beast's carcass to his back, holding the creature with one arm while supporting Evelyn with the other as he made his way toward Shrouded Village.

  When he returned, the sky had already dimmed.

  The magical protection barrier at the village gate shimmered with a faint green light. Most of the villagers stayed inside their homes, while a few children peeked curiously through the cracks of their doors.

  "Everyone! Come out! There's monster meat tonight!" Ryan shouted at the top of his lungs.

  The moment his voice echoed through the village, doors creaked open one after another.

  Families emerged, helping the elderly and carrying the young. When they saw the massive Flamefang Beast on Ryan's back, their eyes immediately filled with hunger and awe.

  That was the flesh of a beast infused with pure magical energy—something they hadn't tasted in a long, long time.

  Yet strangely, no one rushed forward to grab any.

  They just stood there, frozen in place, as if something held them back.

  The villagers did not hesitate because they feared Ryan's strength, but because their bodies and spirits no longer allowed them to act otherwise.

  Years of magical energy exhaustion had left them too weak to even raise their arms, and their simple, honest nature—passed down through generations—kept them from ever taking what was freely given by another.

  "Don't just stand there!" Ryan waved cheerfully, pointing toward the Life Tree at the center of the village."Tonight, we'll have a bonfire under the tree. There will be plenty of beast meat for everyone!"

  Shrouded Village was small. Counting the elderly and the children, there were fewer than a hundred people in total. The massive Flamefang Beast would easily provide enough food for all of them.

  Besides, Ryan still had the wild birds and rabbits he had caught earlier, perfect for roasting into skewers for the children.

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  "I'll leave the meat to you all. I have something else to take care of," Ryan said, setting the tightly bound Evelyn on the ground and untying the birds and rabbits from his belt."Can anyone lend me an empty house?"

  The villagers turned their eyes toward Evelyn, curiously studying the mummy-like figure with only her nose showing.

  None of them knew that beneath those bindings lay the once-feared Grand Magus Evelyn. They merely thought she was some unfortunate magician Ryan had found lost in the forest.

  "You really found food for us!" A hurried voice came from behind. Barret, the village elder, rushed forward. When he saw the Flamefang Beast, the birds, and the rabbits, his whole body trembled with excitement before suddenly dropping to his knees before Ryan.

  "Village Chief!" Ryan was startled and quickly reached out to help him up.

  But as soon as he did, the villagers behind Barret all knelt as well, even the children copying the adults and bowing their heads to the ground.

  "Please, everyone, get up!" Ryan called out in panic."I just did what anyone should do. I can't accept this kind of gesture!"

  It took him quite some effort to lift everyone back to their feet. Looking at the villagers' grateful faces, Ryan suddenly felt a warmth spread through his chest.

  In his past eight lives, he had either been hiding in fear or fleeing desperately from Evelyn's pursuit. Never once had anyone looked at him with such genuine gratitude.

  The children surrounded him, chattering excitedly, asking when the beast meat would be ready, their little faces glowing with anticipation.

  Ryan chuckled and ruffled a boy's hair."Soon. Go wait under the tree. I'll come once I'm done."

  "I have an empty house!"

  "Use mine! I just cleaned it yesterday!"

  The villagers immediately began arguing over who could offer Ryan a place to stay, eager to give him their best room.

  In the end, Ryan followed Barret to a small wooden hut on the edge of the village. It wasn't large, but it was clean and tidy. There were no blankets, only a wooden bed covered with dry straw.

  "I'm afraid it's a bit simple. Tomorrow I'll have my wife bring you some bedding," Barret said apologetically.

  "This is already more than enough. Thank you," Ryan replied with a smile. After seeing Barret off and closing the door, he turned toward Evelyn, who lay bound on the wooden bed.

  His smile faded, replaced by a cold, calculating look.

  The shadow of his eight deaths clung to him like a curse. Even with Evelyn powerless, he could not bring himself to fully relax.

  He couldn't kill her, but he couldn't release her either. Perhaps there was another way to make her pay the price.

  From his robe, Ryan drew a small porcelain vial. It contained a shapeshifting potion that could temporarily alter one's appearance—a disguise often used by low-level mages.

  He poured a few drops onto his face and turned toward the cracked bronze mirror in the corner. The reflection showed a sallow-skinned man with sharp cheekbones, a few black moles on his chin, and a face so ugly it resembled a swamp goblin.

  "This will do." Ryan smiled with satisfaction.

  He had no desire to face Evelyn with his true face. If she ever regained her power, she would hold her grudge against this hideous one instead.

  He stepped to the bedside and pulled the cloth strip from Evelyn's head.

  But as the last piece fell away, his grin froze in place.

  Evelyn's eyes were wide open.

  She stared at him coldly, her gaze filled with murderous fury and unbearable humiliation.

  Ryan saw the cold gleam in Evelyn's eyes and instantly realized she had been awake for some time, silently watching and waiting for an opportunity to strike.

  "Well, beauty, looks like you can't escape now." Ryan grinned lewdly, and with that hideous, goblin-like face of his, the expression was especially revolting.

  Evelyn's eyes filled with disgust. In her tens of thousands of years of life, it was the first time anyone so repulsive had dared to speak to her in such a tone.

  "Touch me, and see what happens," Evelyn said coldly.

  "What's stopping me?" Ryan sneered as he leaned closer."Even if I do something to you today, what can you do about it? You're just a powerless human now."

  Evelyn glared at him, the killing intent in her eyes so sharp it almost took form.

  Just as Ryan's face was about to touch her lips, he sensed a flicker of danger and instinctively tilted his head aside.

  A hair-thin needle shot from Evelyn's mouth and embedded itself in the wooden wall behind him.

  The next instant, frost spread rapidly from the point of impact. The entire wall froze solid in seconds, cracking apart with a sharp sound.

  Ryan froze in shock, cold sweat running down his back. Had he moved even a heartbeat slower, he would have been an ice sculpture by now.

  He forced himself to stay calm and threw a heavy punch at Evelyn's head.

  But the moment his fist touched her skin, an invisible barrier burst forth, sending him flying backward.

  Using the momentum, Ryan spun and dashed toward the door. He knew Evelyn couldn't cast large-scale spells at the moment, but who knew how many deadly tricks she still had hidden?

  Yet when he reached the edge of the barrier, he found it shrouded in a green magical glow—completely impenetrable.

  Panic struck him. He turned and darted into another empty hut nearby.

  Pulling out the shapeshifting potion, he quickly wiped the disguise from his face, restoring his real appearance, then threw on a loose homespun robe he found hanging by the door, wrapping himself tightly inside.

  "Good thing I used a disguise just now," Ryan muttered, breathing a sigh of relief."Otherwise, I'd really be dead this time."

  He bet that Evelyn had already forgotten his true face. After all, in his previous two lives he had always used disguises; she might not even recognize him now.

  Straightening his robe and composing himself, he stepped out of the hut casually, glancing subtly toward the one he had left.

  A sudden explosion split the air. A surge of sword energy erupted from the hut where Evelyn had been bound, tearing the structure apart. Splinters and shards of ice flew in every direction.

  The wave of sword energy crashed into the magical barrier surrounding the area, ripping open a small hole before the Life Tree released a surge of green energy to repair it.

  "Come out and die!"

  Evelyn's furious voice echoed through the village.

  She strode out from the wreckage, the cloth bindings gone, a blue gown swirling around her as she scanned the village with eyes full of murderous rage.

  The villagers working near the Life Tree froze. They stared at her in terror—at the sword energy that had shredded a house and the crushing magical pressure radiating from her body.

  "Are we going to be slaughtered?" someone whispered, trembling as panic spread among them.

  Ryan, however, remained calm. After countless battles with Evelyn in his past eight lives, he knew her temperament well.

  She never killed innocents without cause. Unless provoked, she would not harm ordinary people. That was precisely why he had dared to bring her back to the village in the first place.

  Still, a new thought formed in his mind. If he couldn't kill Evelyn or control her, perhaps he could make use of her.

  Shrouded Village was under threat from undead creatures—if he could convince Evelyn to help, they might finally eliminate the danger once and for all.

  Evelyn stood before the ruined hut, her gaze sweeping across every villager, but she did not see that ugly face.

  When her eyes finally landed on Ryan, she paused for a moment. The young man in the homespun robe gave off a faintly familiar aura, though she couldn't recall where she had felt it before.