Chapter 3: A Witness
The blood pool soon increased in volume as the corpse dried out.
Gunner stared at the sparkling, bright red liquid with an intense gaze. The strong smell of rust emanated from it, making him feel sick. His instincts were screaming to run and cry.
However, even that instinct was overwhelmed by his dark thoughts.
Beautiful. So beautiful. Are humans just like cranberries?
Those thoughts swirled in Gunner's mind as his curiosity reached its peak.
He glanced at Valatina, who was picking a few cranberries beside her and eating them. Her beautiful and pure, white appearance greatly contrasted with the blood pool.
Her feminine charm was amplified as the instincts of survival awoke the instincts of reproduction.
Gunner turned away and looked through the gaps of the cranberry shrubs hiding them from the outside. There, a thin and tanned young man held a basket full of fertilizer.
He scooped them with his hand and threw them all over the base of the cranberry shrubs.
Valatina noticed his gaze and smirked. From her perspective, he looked like a curious little kid, wondering what the young man was doing.
She knew better than that as she sensed his thoughts.
Hmmm… How will I lure Uncle Al?
Gunner learned from Valatina that he needed to bathe in the blood pool to gain his first supernatural ability, and to do that, the blood pool needed more liquid.
I don't even need to give him suggestions. This kid is so fun.
Valatina playfully bit the tip of her index finger as she savored the lingering sour taste of the cranberry in her mouth.
Gunner looked at the bloodied rock he used earlier and carried it with both hands. He awkwardly walked out of his hideout.
"Uncle Al~!"
His cheerful voice which was filled with happiness reached the ears of the young man. He immediately turned his head and smiled.
He was familiar with Gunner as the women in the village loved him. There were rumors that he was a bit sadistic, but no one thought much about it as he was just a little kid.
And seeing that smile of his, Al knew that it was fabricated. After all, how could such a sadistic kid have such a pure smile? It made no sense even thinking about it.
"Gunner! You look so happy. Did something happen?"
Al placed the basket on the ground. He saw the large rock he was holding and wondered why he carried it.
"Yes! I need Uncle Al's help. I'm moving rocks out of my hideout~"
Gunner's words were not lies. They were truths hiding a fatal truth.
"Your hideout?"
Al's curiosity was piqued. He also used to have his own hideout when he was a little kid. He walked over to Gunner.
As he got close, he noticed the red stains on the rock.
"Did you use that to crush cranberries?" Al asked, unsure if it was cranberry juice.
"Is that bad?"
Gunner blinked his eyes.
Auntie Prusti was no different from a cranberry. She also makes red juices.
No one noticed his thoughts except the sensitive Valatina watching from inside the hideout. If anyone saw her smile, they would feel chills run down their spine.
"Oh."
Al was skeptical, but he paid no more attention to it. He looked around and saw the entrance to Gunner's hideout. It had a small entrance big enough for Gunner.
The surroundings were covered by overgrown cranberry shrubs.
"Uh. I don't think I can enter inside."
Al shook his head. It would hurt to try and force his way in since the branches had sharp edges.
"Please~"
Gunner bit his lower lip.
This technique was something he had learned. Any adult who saw it would do whatever he wanted.
Al was no exception. He felt bad and nodded his head. "All right."
Al crouched and moved to the entrance.
"Wait! Can I go in first?"
"Oh. Okay."
Without thinking much about it, Al moved out of the way and allowed Gunner to go inside before him.
"You may come in, Uncle Al."
Al nodded and forced his way in. The sharp branches made him wince and silently groan.
As he reached the inside, he smelled the rust, or rather, the blood.
"H-Huh?"
He paused and looked up.
"Ahh!"
As he did, Gunner smashed the large rock in his hand to his head.
He reacted quickly and reached his hand over his head, preventing it from hitting him. He shuddered and forced his way inside the hideout. He desperately needed to stand up or he would be at a disadvantage.
Valatina covered her mouth with her hand, an interested smile on her face. The sudden turn of events made her excited.
"Gunner!"
Al shouted his name. From the corner of his vision, he saw a pale foot sticking out of a pile of cranberry branches. He already guessed in his heart as to what happened.
"Urgh!"
Gunner used the weight of his small body and smashed the rock onto Al once more.
In response, Al used his arms to protect his head.
Gunner took a step back as he lost his balance. Al used this chance to step out of the entrance and stand up. He saw the blood pool, the magic circle, and the corpse hidden with cranberry branches.
His eyes dilated as a chill ran down his spine.
"You devil!" Al shouted with horror.
Gunner panicked and for the third time today, he felt fear.
"I'm sorry!"
Gunner crouched and used the rock to cover his head.
Al's hands shook as he walked towards Gunner. Adrenaline filled his veins as his heart beat fast. Since he lived in the village for almost his whole life, he had never experienced much violence.
Something like death was a rare event for him, and murder was out of his imagination. His shaking hands exposed his shaking heart.
When he neared Gunner, he stopped and reached for the rock Gunner used to cover his head.
But as he did so, a cold chill ran down his spine once again. It was different as there seemed to be someone behind him.
"Who!?"
He instinctively turned around and saw Valatina and her evil grin.
A devil!
It only took one look for him to guess her identity. He had never seen a devil before, but his instincts were screaming at him that Valatina was one of such. Her eyes contained the stars, a face of unparalleled beauty, and hair so black it embodied the abyss.
She did not fit the common description of a devil.
"Ruler of All Devils," Valatina answered, still sporting an evil smile.
The human known as Al vanished. His whole body turned to blood and splashed everywhere.
Gunner stared in a daze as the warm blood trickled down his cheek.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Yoon_Immortal
Yoon_Immortal That excited me. This is the end of the prologue
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone