In Terra, a Hunter and a Bad Woman

"Hm?"

"Those things... were taken away by a group of Great Beasts..."

The system excitedly relayed its information, doing its best to prove its usefulness to Maria.

What it did not know was that Maria suddenly froze upon hearing those words...

"Beasts..."

"Hm?"

"So that's it... I had wondered why this world was plagued by so many disasters... If that's the case, then everything can be explained."

What Great Beasts? Those things... were clearly a group of Outer Gods!

This world had been corrupted by the Outer Gods too!

And she had foolishly been studying why this world had Catastrophes...

How laughable...

Taking a deep breath, Maria decisively rose to her feet.

"Huh? Boss, what are you doing?"

The system was somewhat confused by Maria's actions.

Maria merely lowered the brim of her hat and spoke in a cold yet resolute voice.

"Retrieve the Umbilical Cord, then... slaughter those Great Beasts!"

With her head lowered, her gray-black eyes gleamed with a sharp, unwavering light from within the backlight.

Though she looked so gentle and beautiful, every movement Maria made carried an aura of decisive elegance.

The system was completely stunned by the sight.

Holy shit... What a cool big sister!

I want to be Miss Maria's dog!

Of course, that was only a thought. Whether it could become her dog would depend on what happened next.

Even at a time like this, the system did not forget its duty as a working system.

Before departing, its boss's words—"If you won't do it, there are plenty of systems that will"—still echoed in its ears.

No!

Even if you're insanely strong, you should at least show me some respect, right?

I'm your golden finger, you know?! Your cheat.

Aren't you going to use me?

I'm useful! The first time is free, the second time costs nothing, and the third time comes with a discount—you can still freeload!

Gathering its courage, the system suddenly felt filled with strength.

It immediately opened its mouth.

"Boss, this humble one has a plan!"

"Hm?"

Though the phrasing was strange, Maria still gave this strange system sufficient respect.

After a brief silence, she looked over as well.

"What plan?"

"Well... although I don't know why exactly you want to do this, your goal is to hunt those Great Beasts, right?" The system spoke cautiously, just like a diligent chief eunuch serving its emperor.

"Then... since you're hunting Great Beasts, you surely need strength, right?"

"No, no, no, I'm not saying you're weak. It's just that... your body might still need a little something extra. Isn't there an old saying? Ninety-nine percent is the same as zero."

"Although, Boss, your strength is extraordinary and unmatched throughout the ages, and when you make a move, you're like heavenly soldiers descending upon the world, invincible wherever you go... having a little more insurance, just a tiny bit, wouldn't that be nice too?"

The system practically used everything it had learned in its life, trying to instill its idea without angering her.

"So, I think... you could try this humble one's abilities."

"Your abilities?"

Maria frowned in confusion.

The system immediately planted its hands on its hips with all its might.

It had grown bold!

"That's right, me!"

"The Lifelong Regret System!"

I Will End Your Pain

"..."

There were truly far too many wonders in this world that she still did not know about.

By the time Maria woke again, she had already arrived in an unknown forest.

And by her ear, the voice belonging to the one calling itself Little Regret rang out once more.

"This is my ability... I can send you into a fragment of the past. You only need to complete the assigned task, and then it'll be over... As for the rewards, we'll make an overall evaluation based on what you did in this fragment."

"Tasks? Evaluation?"

For Maria, who had always been fighting and had lived entirely in a savage era, Little Regret's words were simply too difficult to understand.

Unfortunately, before Maria could ask anything further, the other party's voice vanished completely.

Maria could only face the current situation alone.

She stood up and looked around.

The emerald forest was filled with reassuring colors, and vibrant flowers freely bloomed their beauty throughout the world.

Very good green. It made Maria's eyes spin.

That said, although this did not seem like a safe place either, it was far better than the previous place, which looked uninhabitable at a glance.

This made the eyes hidden in Maria's shadow reveal a rare hint of a smile.

Though this world was filled with disasters, it seemed that not everywhere was swept by endless yellow sand...

Of course.

Satisfaction would not fill her stomach. Having suddenly arrived in an unfamiliar environment, she still needed food to replenish her energy and a campsite where she could rest.

After thinking for a moment, Maria turned and gradually walked deeper into the forest...

An hour later.

Maria dragged a sheep-like creature back to her temporary campsite and lit a small campfire.

"This thing... should count as food, right?"

Having arrived in another world for the first time, Maria did not understand many things.

She could only hunt according to her instincts.

As for whether it was actually edible, she would only know after it had been thoroughly cooked.

Without any survival guide, she could only make do and try things this way.

After pondering for a few moments, Maria casually waved the sharp Stone in her hand, slowly yet steadily cutting the mutton before her.

At the same time, she considered her current situation.

"This truly is a world completely unfamiliar to me. There are many things I cannot understand."

"Under these circumstances, perhaps I can only trust that being called Little Regret."

"But... simply surviving in this place may not be what it wants."

Food was not a concern, since Maria was skilled enough.

The problem was that, even now, Maria did not understand what that strange system calling itself Little Regret wanted to do.

She did remember it saying, when it introduced itself, that it wanted the host to interact with all sorts of people and leave behind her mark.

But Maria truly had no way of understanding what it meant by lifelong regret.

In her understanding, lifelong regret should refer to lovers who were unable to be together because of an accident, shouldn't it?

Then... did it want her to fall in love with all kinds of girls?

"Can women and women be in love? I cannot understand..."

This world really had fallen apart beyond recognition.

Shaking her head, Maria skewered the sliced strips of meat and held them near the fire as she wrestled with her thoughts.

The rising flames made the pale fat contract. Fine, golden oil slid over the exquisite chunks of meat, releasing an enticing fragrance.

Maria silently waited for the food to cook.

"Rustle—"

A faint stirring sound came from nearby.

"Hm?"

Maria raised her head and looked to the side.

Behind her, a foolish-looking girl was holding two small branches against her head, staring hungrily at Maria.

No... this child seemed to be looking at the food...

Was she hungry?

Maria fell silent for a moment before looking at the little girl before her again.

She looked no older than a teenager, with a pair of slightly reddish amber eyes like the sun.

Her messy warm-yellow hair hung over her body, and her vacant little face was full of innocence.

She was filthy.

"Are you human?"

Maria asked in confusion.

The little girl before her seemed to realize she had been discovered and immediately panicked.

After taking several helpless steps back, she seemed to recover and stepped forward instead, putting on a fierce expression.

"Grrr—!"

As if declaring that she was not someone to be trifled with.

But Maria merely continued staring at her.

"Just like a little dog..."

Without realizing it, Maria smiled.

Her exquisite black hunter's attire paired with her sculpted features made her seem especially elegant.

"If you're hungry, come have some too... There isn't much, though."

For Maria, who in the past had either been tearing open the hearts and lungs of lunatics or tearing open the hearts and lungs of Beastification patients every day, encountering a normal, healthy person she could communicate with was incredibly rare.

Thus, even though the girl had shown hostility toward her, Maria still faced her gently.

At least she was human.

Yet the Puppy girl before her did not appreciate her words. Instead, she stared at Maria with great tension.

More precisely, she was looking at the sharp Stone in Maria's hand.

"Are you afraid of it?"