Redfern Village lay situated a thousand miles from the nearest active battlefield. Nestled beneath the imposing shadow of the Willow Mountains to the north and bordered by a sheer, jagged cliff on the opposite side, the settlement was naturally fortified—easy to defend and nearly impossible to assault.
However, barren soil and scarce resources rendered the village strategically worthless for military checkpoints. The nearest outpost was located fifty miles south, and its soldiers only cared enough to visit at the start of each month to collect their mandatory quota.
Consequently, the Willow Mountains had long served as a sanctuary for deserters who banded together to survive.
They never dared to openly kill villagers or pillage indiscriminately, as such chaos would draw the military's gaze and the swift retaliation that followed, but they employed other methods to take exactly what they wanted.
Precisely this scenario was unfolding now.
A band of riders navigated their horses through the dusty main path of the small village, heavy beast-skin coats hanging from their broad shoulders.
The muffled cries of women and children drifted from between the houses, creating a grim atmosphere. Leading the group was a massive man with a giant axe resting casually against his shoulder.
This was Rigel, the head of a small bandit faction hiding within the recesses of the Willow Mountains.
"Boss, word is the fellow on the outskirts married three women," one of his men whispered with a lecherous grin.
Rigel barked out a rough laugh. "Which idiot is that? Does he not fear being drafted into the military?"
"I think he is just horny. Men these days."
"Well, if he has three wives, I suppose there is no trouble in letting seven of us enjoy the night." Rigel chuckled darkly, steering his mount toward the solitary house at the edge of the village.
Before he could even reach the threshold, a rich, savory aroma of meat drifted into the air—mouth-watering and heavy with spices.
"What meat is that?" one of his men shouted, sniffing the air.
"I have never smelled anything like this." Another bandit rushed to the door and began knocking continuously. Rigel remained mounted, though he turned his head sharply when he heard a faint squeak nearby.
What was that? A hamster? Rigel licked his lips. Might taste good.
He nudged his horse forward just as the door flew open. A young man stepped out, his face etched with undisguised dissatisfaction.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
Rigel shivered involuntarily at the words. The young man's voice carried something sharp and dangerous.
It was something menacing. Rigel felt intimidated for a fleeting breath, and the sudden embarrassment scorched his pride.
He had unlocked his Strength attribute. It was already sitting at five. Even military soldiers respected that number. To feel threatened by a mere weakling hurt his ego more than any physical wound.
Rigel refused to believe the young man possessed an attribute. If he did, he would have already left this God-forsaken area to train in safety.
No, the brat was bluffing. Rigel's irritation spiked when he noticed his own men trembling.
He opened his mouth to curse, but then a halfling stepped out from the doorway.
"Husband, what happened?"
Rigel grimaced at the sight of the wolf girl. Halflings were considered untouchable due to their tainted blood. He felt nothing but revulsion.
But then, his expression shifted drastically when he saw she was followed by an elf and a human woman.
Rigel's eyes bulged. His breath hitched in his throat. The beauty of the two women made him gulp. His mouth nearly drooled until the elf snapped at him.
"Stare any longer and I will gouge your eyeballs out." The elf studied him with pure, unadulterated disgust. Rigel swallowed hard and hurriedly wiped the hunger from his face.
Little bitch. I will see just how arrogant you are tonight.
He forced a slimy smile. "Little beauty…"
"Nibble, Nubble, break his limbs. Do not kill him." The young man spoke the words casually, as if commenting on the weather.
Rigel froze and looked around in confusion. There was no one else there.
"Boss, I think he is bluffing," one of his men whispered as he stepped closer.
A sudden sound rustled from the right. Two furry balls bounded rapidly toward them.
Rigel's lips twitched in amusement.
"Peasant, are these your meat ba—"
Shoo.
"Ahhhhh…!"
* *
Judas was already in a foul mood. Moments ago he had been sandwiched between his wives, the rare perfect moment where even Luna and Ezra had stopped resisting and actually leaned into him.
Such moments were sacred. Holy. Worth more than gold or divine artifacts. Then someone knocked on the door like they owned the house, and his beautiful scene shattered.
He grumbled inside his mind. It was hard enough getting Luna to stop calling him hooligan and Ezra to stop analysing him like he was a puzzle.
And just when all three were warm and soft in his arms, someone dared to interrupt. Judas decided calmly that he would tolerate none of this nonsense.
He activated Intimidation.
A heavy dark pressure rolled out of him, spreading toward the door like a silent wave. It pulsed with his Intelligence attribute, grabbing the air and twisting it to his will. He wanted the troublemakers to run away before they even saw his face.
"No one ruins my moment," he muttered and yanked the door open.
Judas froze.
Seven men stood there. Rough, filthy men. Beast skins hung off their shoulders, rusted weapons strapped to their belts, and an unholy stench rolled off them. It was written all over them.
Bandits.
His annoyance sharpened into anger, and he pushed Intimidation harder, letting the pressure slam into them.
Six of the men collapsed immediately, their knees hitting the dirt as they clutched their chests and gasped for breath.
Only the man on the horse remained standing, mostly because he was far enough that the brunt of the skill did not crush him entirely.
Behind Judas, his wives reacted instantly.
"Stare any longer and I will gouge your eyeballs out," Luna snapped with her usual sharp tongue.
Her chin lifted in arrogance, but Judas caught the slight tremble in her fingers.
Inside she was screaming, 'He looks strong. Will he hurt us?.'
Ezra inhaled sharply. Her eyes stayed trained on Rigel but her thoughts raced, 'Someone with Strength. Lucky he has no skills. If he does something stupid, I will move. I just hope I am stronger.'
Judas's eyes twitched. He felt a little shock of jealousy. In his previous life he had not unlocked a single attribute.
And yet here stood this barbaric smelling mountain of a man carrying one.
"So this bastard has Strength," Judas muttered, 'since Ez can find it, she might have an appraisal skill.'
Nina hid behind Judas entirely, gripping his shirt with shaking hands.
Judas's anger boiled. How dare these filthy men. First they ruined his moment. Now they scared his wives.
He gritted his teeth and his voice turned cold, lazy and indifferent, as if the bandits were insects crawling too close to his home.
"Nibble, Nubble, break his limbs. Do not kill him."
After ordering that Judas pulled his wives into his arms again, holding all three tightly.
"Do not be scared, babies. I am here."
Nina's eyes instantly watered.
Affection: 30 (+20)
Luna huffed, "How can these pitiful men scare me?" but she did not push him away. Instead she leaned a little closer.
Affection: 35 → 40
Ezra hesitated, then allowed his hand to rest on her waist. Her cheeks warmed. 'He is comforting us even now… but what is Nibble and Nubble?'
Affection: 38 → 45
Nina suddenly pointed to the right. "Husband, what is that!"
Two furry spirit creatures bounced toward them like angry little meteors, their round bodies shaking with fury.
Judas smirked. "My new subordinates."
Nibble and Nubble roared their anger, sharing their master's frustration, and launched themselves at the bandits. They hit Rigel's group like cannonballs.
Then the chaos began.
For five whole minutes nothing but screaming, bone crunching, and mud splattering filled the air.
The spirit monsters rolled, jumped, punched, and slammed the bandits in every direction. When the dust settled, the bandits lay half-dead on the ground, groaning.
Judas stepped forward with a calm expression.
"Scram. Next time it will be a death sentence."
The bandits scrambled away, tripping over each other in their panic as they fled down the road.
Judas closed the door behind him and looked at his wives with a warm smile.
"Now… where were we?"