?In a secluded alleyway off the commercial street.

  ?The small figure wearing a tattered cloak looked somewhat despairingly at the thick wall ahead. Inadvertently, she had wandered into a dead end.

  ?"Why is it like this... There was clearly a path here before."

  ?An anxious expression appeared on the girl's pretty little face. She looked to both sides; there was no way out.

  ?"Hehe, let's see where you can run now, little thief?"

  ?"Out of options, aren't you? To actually dare to steal our Brotherhood's goods, you really have some nerve, little girl." Several burly men with cold sneers blocked the intersection behind her. Looking at the girl forced into the corner, their expressions were full of malicious delight.

  ?"This commercial street is our Brotherhood's turf. We've patrolled here countless times. Did you really think you could shake us off just by running around blindly?" One burly man crossed his arms, licked his lips, and looked at the girl, who cast a reluctant, downward glance.

  ?"Boss, stop wasting time with her. Let's just grab her and hand her over. I want to get back to drinking," a slightly scrawnier man said.

  ?"Before drinking, don't you guys want to do something else first? Even though this little thing is a lowly demon half-breed, she's really quite fresh and juicy. I really want to see how she looks begging for mercy beneath me," the burly man said with a lecherous smile.

  ?The girl's hood had long been blown off by the wind while she was running, revealing her smooth, long silver hair. Although her delicate and pretty face was smeared with soot, the burly man, who had spent years mingling with women, could tell at a glance just how cute and beautiful the face hidden underneath was. Moreover, just from her exposed, fair and tender arms, one could see how pale and soft this little one's skin was.

  ?"Boss, now that you mention it, I don't think I've ever played with a demon girl before," the scrawny, monkey-like man said, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

  ?"I wonder how different it feels compared to playing with other women."

  ?As he spoke, he also sized up the girl with a burning gaze.

  ?Listening to their unbridled, vulgar words, the girl's wine-red eyes carried a hint of humiliated anger. She pulled a dagger from her coat and gripped it in her hand.

  ?"Hahaha... Boss, is this thief joking? She actually thinks she can fight back with a tiny dagger like that?" Seeing the girl pull out a dagger and take a defensive stance against him, the scrawny man clutched his stomach and laughed. Their other companions also let out exaggerated bursts of laughter.

  ?"This little thing probably still hasn't figured out who she's provoked." The burly man similarly grinned widely, but his gaze toward the girl grew even more heated. "But I like conquering little girls with personality like this. I just hope she can hold out a bit longer and not get broken too easily. I still need to sell her to a brothel afterward."

  ?Saying this, the burly man suddenly stomped the ground, his body shooting forward like an arrow. He spread his large hand, fingers splayed, and grabbed directly toward the girl!

  ?His explosive movement was like thunder, incredibly swift. The girl only saw a flash before the large man's figure was looming right in front of her. If she hadn't been weaving through the crowds in the bustling downtown area earlier, and if the large man and his organization hadn't been afraid of making too much of a scene on the commercial street, she would have been caught ages ago.

  ?This sudden burst of speed startled the girl. Instinctively, she thrust the dagger in her hand toward the burly man's abdomen. A trace of mockery flashed across the burly man's face. A burst of battle aura light suddenly erupted from his hand as he grabbed directly toward the girl's dagger without dodging or evading.

  ?The girl felt an immediate sharp pain in her hand, and the next moment, the dagger was snatched away from her. Just as she tried to retreat, a heavy kick slammed into her abdomen, sending her entire body flying backward.

  ?"Cough, cough..."

  ?Taking a heavy blow to her abdomen, the girl instantly cried out in pain. Clutching her stomach, she curled up on the ground, completely unable to get back up for a moment.

  ?Meanwhile, the burly man sneered, crushed the dagger in his hand into a ball, and casually tossed it onto the ground, producing a crisp clatter.

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  ?"You thought you could hurt me with this shoddy little knife? You demonic half-breed, you should know that this is no longer the era from thousands of years ago when demons ruled the world. The battle aura cultivated by humans possesses a powerful strength you cannot even imagine. But don't worry, I pulled my punch with that kick. You won't suffer any serious injuries. After all, I still have to properly love on you later. If I kick you until you're broken, this uncle will feel heartbroken too." As he spoke, the burly man cast a greedy look at the girl crawling on the ground.

  ?Tears flowed from the girl's wine-red eyes, whether from pain or fear. As the tears streaked down her face, they washed away the soot marks, instantly revealing a patch of fair and tender skin on her cheek, making the burly man's mouth go dry at the sight.

  ?"I'll give you money... Can you let me go..." Fighting back tears and pain, the girl barely managed to scramble up from the ground, but immediately slumped back down onto her rear due to exhaustion. She stared fearfully at the approaching burly man.

  ?Her hands instinctively protected her chest. From the men's earlier words, she could already guess what her fate would be if she was caught by these guys.

  ?"Give us money?" The burly man couldn't help but laugh. "How much money could you possibly give us?"

  ?Gritting her teeth, the girl pulled a white gold coin card from her coat. It was clearly the card she had stolen from Loren earlier. "I have five thousand gold coins. That's enough to compensate you, right? And I'll return the things I stole before. Just let me go."

  ?Seeing the five thousand gold coin card the girl produced, the burly man snatched it away. After examining it, he couldn't help but reveal a look of pleasant surprise. Then, he looked at the girl with a playful expression. "What else do you have? Take it all out. If I'm in a good mood, maybe I'll let you go."

  ?"Didn't I already give you a gold coin card?" The girl looked at the burly man with some anger.

  ?"A single gold coin card isn't enough to buy your life. Besides, with goods like you, I can make even more by selling you to a brothel," the burly man said coldly.

  ?An expression of humiliation crossed the girl's face. She gritted her teeth tightly as tears flowed from her eyes.

  ?I... didn't want to kill anyone...

  ?This thought flashed through her mind.

  ?Meanwhile, the burly man grinned, completely oblivious to his own situation. Baring his white teeth, he looked at the girl on the ground with the gaze of someone assessing prey. "Besides, little girl, you gave me this gold coin card voluntarily. I never promised you anything, did I?"

  ?Saying this, the burly man reached out to touch the girl's chin, but the girl turned her head away to dodge it.

  ?Having lost face, a dark expression immediately appeared on the burly man's face. "You little bitch, are you refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit? If you don't cooperate, don't blame me for showing no mercy later."

  ?Covering her ears and lowering her head, the girl's tears fell continuously onto the ground. Her body curled up, trembling slightly.

  ?No one noticed that a bloody light was gradually beginning to spread within her wine-red eyes.

  ?"Don't..." she said, her voice trembling slightly.

  ?"It's not up to you to decide whether I do or not." The burly man revealed a disgusting, lecherous smile and leaned in closer to the girl.

  ?And just as the bloody color in the girl's eyes was about to completely replace the wine-red...

  ?"...Oh my, did I wander into the wrong place?"

  ?"How strange, it seems I've hit a dead end."

  ?From the back of the alley, a somewhat surprised voice rang out. Soon, a youth walked over from that direction.

  ?Following this, the youth and the several dark-faced thugs found themselves face-to-face.

  ?Upon seeing the thugs surrounding a helpless girl sitting on the ground, the youth seemed to show a somewhat astonished expression, as if realizing he had stumbled upon something serious.

  ?"You guy..." The thugs initially wanted to throw out some harsh words upon seeing Loren. However, upon noticing the Valoran Academy student uniform Loren was wearing, their pupils shrank. They swallowed back the words they had planned to say, though a cold glint flashed in their eyes.

  ?"You're a student from Valoran Academy, right? What are you doing in a place like this?"

  ?The burly man standing next to the girl stared at Loren for a good while before asking in a cold voice.

  ?As for the girl who had been keeping her head down, upon hearing the commotion, she lifted her head in surprise and looked at the black-haired youth outside. Of course, by this time, the bloody light in her eyes had completely dissipated.

  ?Furthermore, upon seeing Loren, the girl couldn't help but reveal a somewhat timid expression. This was the third time she had seen Loren. She also remembered that she had stolen the five-thousand-gold-coin card from this youth. But in order to survive, she had no choice but to do so.

  ?"If I said I got lost, would you guys believe me?"

  ?The black-haired youth who had arrived was none other than Loren. Wearing a somewhat innocent expression, he spoke.

  ?"Kid, are you playing with us? Getting lost leads you to a place like this?"

  ?The burly man spoke with a dark face, while feeling somewhat guarded inwardly. For a Valoran Academy student to suddenly show up at a time like this, he couldn't help but be cautious. However, he also couldn't understand why this demon girl would have any ties to someone from Valoran.

  ?"Hmm... It seems you guys aren't entirely stupid... Alright, since your intelligence is normal, I won't spout nonsense. Actually, I came here to catch a thief." Seeing the angry expressions on the men's faces, Loren changed his tune. "Earlier on the main street, some blind fool stole a gold coin card from me. I followed the magic mark on the gold coin card all the way here."

  ?"A gold coin card?"

  ?Startled, the burly man couldn't help but think of the gold coin card with a five-thousand limit he had just snatched from the girl, which was now sitting in his pocket.

  ?Five thousand gold coins—that was a massive sum of money, enough for him to enjoy several top-tier women at the largest brothel in the imperial capital. Naturally, the burly man wasn't willing to let this fat piece of meat slip away so easily once it was in his grasp.

  ?So, he looked at Loren with a blank face and said, "A gold coin card? What gold coin card? Kid, if you still want to play games with us, even if you are from Valoran Academy, we'll have to teach you a lesson."

  ?As he spoke, the burly man subtly made a hand signal to his companions.

  ?...