The cave rumbled as the glowing red eyes moved forward, each step making the ground vibrate beneath us. Pebbles bounced. Trees shook.
The villagers hid behind bushes so thin they might as well have been hiding behind hope.
Yue remained completely unbothered.
She dusted her sleeves. "Master, if this thing destroys the path again, you're fixing it."
A deep growl echoed from the cave.
Something huge emerged, fur like midnight fog, claws long enough to slice a house in half, horns twisting like blackened iron. Its presence pressed against the forest, heavy and ancient.
A Shadowhorn Devourer Beast.
A creature that could terrorize empires.
That could destroy armies.
That could swallow mountains.
It stepped out into the light… and froze.
Its massive body trembled.
Then–
It turned around.
Trying to retreat back into the cave.
Yue sighed. "Ah, It sensed your aura."
"Come out," I said.
The beast stopped mid step.
Slowly. Very slowly. It peeked over its shoulder at me.
I gestured. "I would like to fight."
The villagers collectively died inside.
The beast let out a whimper. An actual whimper. Then it backed into the wall, trying to merge with the stone like a guilty cat attempting invisibility.
I blinked. "Did… it just try to hide?"
Yue nodded calmly. "Yes, Master. It has high survival instincts."
I stepped toward it.
The beast screamed.
Not roared. Screamed.
The villagers fainted.
"MASTER! STOP SCARING IT!" Yue grabbed my sleeve. "If it panics, it might rampage and then you'll get excited, and if you get excited, we lose the entire forest!"
"That sounds like an exaggeration."
"It's happened before."
I ignored the accusation.
Instead, I crouched in front of the beast.
Its massive head lowered fearfully like a dog that knew it had chewed on the wrong immortal's shoes.
"I only need a spar," I told it.
The beast shook its head so violently its horns clacked together.
"No?" I asked.
It shook harder.
Yue narrowed her eyes. "Master, perhaps"
Suddenly, the beast's eyes widened. Not with fear this time.
With recognition.
It saw something behind me.
Before Yue could react, the beast lunged not at me, but at her.
The villagers shrieked.
I moved instantly—
But I didn't need to.
Yue didn't even look up.
She simply raised one hand.
A thin strand of silver-white energy flickered from her fingertips like a lazy ribbon.
It struck the beast.
The enormous creature flew backward, crashing into a boulder and embedding half its body inside it like a lawn ornament.
Silence.
Absolute, stunned silence.
I stared.
The villagers stared.
The forest stared.
Yue lowered her hand with the same expression people had while shooing away mosquitoes.
"Ugh. Annoying."
The beast twitched.
"Yue," I said slowly, "when did you learn that technique?"
"Born with it," she replied casually. "Didn't you ever wonder why the Immortal Realm assigns me to supervise you?"
"…I thought it was a punishment."
"It was," she said. "But they also needed someone who could tank your disasters kindly."
She walked toward the embedded beast and flicked its horn.
The entire boulder cracked.
The beast whimpered again.
Yue sighed. "Master, this beast is too weak. If you fought it seriously, it would stop existing."
"That sounds disappointing."
"Yes. So let's not do that."
The villagers finally peeked out from their hiding spots.
"O-oh great immortal!"
"You defeated the demon beast!"
"We're saved again!"
Yue pointed at herself. "Correction. I defeated it."
The villagers turned to her, awe-struck.
"Truly… a goddess…"
"More terrifying than the master…"
"I heard that," Yue said.
They froze.
Meanwhile, the Shadowhorn Devourer Beast struggled to pull itself from the rock, shaking.
"Master," Yue said calmly, "we should leave before this creature either cries, implodes, or tries something stupid."
Then, the beast fainted.
I clasped my hands behind my back. "Very well. This forest has proven entertaining."
"Entertaining for you," Yue muttered. "Traumatizing for everyone else."
We began walking away from the cave.
Behind us, the villagers cheered once again.
Ahead of us…
The path led deeper into the unknown.
And for the first time in a million years
I felt anticipation stir.
What else would this mortal world throw at me?
I smiled slightly.