Chapter 52: Reyna’s Past (1)

"Being born in a peaceful land is a blessing. War only brings suffering to innocent people."~Reyna Theria

***

"Reyna, attack!"

Raven’s voice echoed from beside her.

Reyna spun her spear, bent her knees, and darted toward a two-meter-tall wild boar monster.

"Die!"

Her spear glowed brightly as she raised it high before hurling it.

Whoosh!

Like a shooting star, the spear flew straight toward the boar and pierced its stomach.

"Oik!!"

The boar cried out in pain. Its huge body stumbled from side to side before it finally lost its balance and collapsed.

Its breathing slowly weakened before stopping completely.

"Success!"

Reyna raised her fist in joy.

Raven walked over to her and patted her on the head.

"Good job."

"Hehehe..."

She squirmed happily, enjoying his touch.

Ever since Raven captured her, Reyna had stopped hiding who she really was.

Of course, she only acted that way around him. In front of everyone else, she still kept her usual cold and distant attitude.

"Extract it now. We’ll rest afterward."

Reyna nodded enthusiastically and walked toward the monster’s corpse.

Opening her left palm, she muttered, "Extract!"

Buzz!

A star-shaped symbol appeared on the back of her palm.

Then, a one-meter-wide green magic circle appeared beneath her. Slowly, the monster’s massive body was absorbed into a blue light that flowed into the magic circle.

A few minutes later, the monster’s body had been reduced to a pile of bones.

Reyna closed her eyes and smiled contentedly.

"I’m almost level up!" she exclaimed, turning toward Raven with a happy expression.

"That fast?" Raven’s eyes widened in surprise.

"Mhmm!"

Reyna walked over to him and proudly patted her chest.

"I only need two thousand more experience points before I reach level 15."

Raven fell silent. He had underestimated the power of the Origin Absorption class.

"Good job."

He gently patted her on the shoulder.

"Sooner or later, your level will surpass mine. When that happens, I’ll be living off you," he joked.

"Pfft!" Reyna couldn’t help but laugh. "Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you and give you everything you want."

Her eyes sparkled with affection.

Raven cleared his throat, feeling a little embarrassed. Reyna’s affection was starting to feel a bit overwhelming.

"Let’s take a break."

He led Reyna to a small stream not far from where they were standing.

Raven started preparing lunch.

Reyna wanted to help, but Raven stopped her. The woman had never once set foot in a kitchen. He was sure that instead of helping, Reyna would only make a mess.

"By the way, Reyna. Would you tell me about your past?" Raven asked.

Reyna, who was soaking her feet in the stream, was taken aback.

"Do you really want to hear it?" she asked hesitantly.

Raven lit the firewood and hung a pot of water over it.

He then walked over to her and sat down beside her.

"Of course. Why not? I’m really curious about your past. But if you don’t want to tell me, I won’t force you."

"N-No, that’s not it. I want to tell you!" Reyna said quickly.

Raven laughed and patted her on the head.

"Just kidding. Come on, tell me about your past. I want to hear it."

The system had only told him that Reyna was a spy for a certain country. As for the name of the country or how Reyna ended up becoming a spy, Raven had absolutely no idea.

Reyna lowered her head, her eyes filled with nostalgia.

"Back then..."

...

"Hahaha! Chase me!"

A little girl ran energetically through the village.

"Hey, Reyna, wait! You’re too fast!"

A few kids shouted as they chased after her.

But they couldn’t catch her and eventually lost the game of tag.

"Hehehe! I won!" little Reyna said proudly.

The other kids were panting as they glared at her in frustration.

"How can you run so fast? Even I can’t catch you."

The one who spoke was a tall boy with an ordinary-looking face.

Reyna shrugged.

"I don’t know. I just feel so light, so I can move really fast."

Her casual answer annoyed the others. But they didn’t press her about it and simply continued playing.

Just like before, Reyna kept winning until the other kids got really frustrated.

Before they knew it, the sky had started to darken, and the kids decided it was time to head home.

"Just you wait! I’ll beat you next time!" the tall boy said, tears welling up in his eyes.

Reyna stuck out her tongue before turning away with a cheerful skip.

***

I lived in a small suburban town that bordered the world’s largest desert.

My life went on as usual. Every day, I helped my mother with the housework, ate, played, and slept.

My father was a fairly well-known merchant, so we lived a comfortable life.

But that peaceful life didn’t last long. A conflict broke out near the town where I lived.

Since our town was so close to the fighting, we soon got caught up in it.

One day, a missile hit the outskirts of town, destroying everything in its path and killing many innocent people.

The aftermath was terrible. The town’s economy came to a standstill, and the government ordered everyone to evacuate.

My family and I were among those ordered to evacuate. The comfortable life I thought would last forever came to an end right then and there.

During our time as refugees, I went through a lot. There was barely enough food or clean water.

Even when we managed to find some, there was never enough to go around. We often had to fight with other refugees just to get our share.

I ran into some of my old friends, but the smiles on their faces were gone. It was as if their happiness had vanished along with the missile that destroyed the town where I was born.

I have no idea how long we were displaced. A year? Two years? Or even longer?

All I remember is that both my parents passed away when I was just seven years old. One died from cancer, while the other succumbed to mental exhaustion.

What a tragedy...

...

CRACK!

The sound of burning wood filled the silence between Raven and Reyna.

The smile on Reyna’s beautiful face had vanished, replaced by an indifferent and cold expression.

Raven took a deep breath as he processed everything she had just told him.

"She has quite a tragic past," he muttered.

Now he finally understood. It seemed that the beautiful women chosen by the system all had dark pasts, just like Claire and Reyna.

He didn’t know if Rose had one too, but the chances were pretty high.

Regaining his composure, he splashed some water on his face before asking, "So, what happened to you next?"

Reyna fell silent for a moment and closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, sadness and nostalgia filled her gaze.

"I was adopted by a mysterious man who later trained me to become a spy for a government agency."