I was caught off guard for a moment by her enchanting crimson eyes and stunning beauty, but I quickly regained my composure.
The girl inside the elevator looked at me with curiosity, mixed with a playful hint of interest. The way she stared at me made me feel strangely uneasy.
Yet beneath all of that, my instincts were screaming.
Yes... screaming in fear of this girl.
Even though I couldn't understand why, or what exactly caused it, I felt one thing with absolute certainty.
This girl is dangerous.
I narrowed my eyes as I looked at her, while she continued to observe me calmly.
"I'm a little curious... are you the new resident who moved onto the sixth floor?" the girl asked. Her voice flowed like a beautiful melody, while her eyes curved slightly.
"Yes?" I tilted my head in confusion. I had never met this girl before, so how did she know that?
As if noticing my confusion, she answered with that same charming voice.
"It's nice to meet you. I live on the same floor. I heard that someone new moved in a few days ago, so I assumed it was you."
"Renee... you can call me Renee."
She spoke again, her crimson eyes narrowing into crescent moons.
"Raven," I replied, trying to ignore the sense of danger that had mysteriously faded.
"A beautiful name," she said with a smile, giving a small nod.
"Yours as well," I answered, thanking her politely.
"also... excuse me."
I spoke as I stepped toward the elevator this time.
"Oh."
Her lips parted slightly in realization. She moved aside and stepped out of the elevator.
"Thank you. It was nice meeting you."
I thanked her as I entered and pressed my floor number.
"It was nice meeting you too, Raven," she said with a smile, her eyes curving once more.
After that, she waved lightly, turned around, and walked out of the building.
"Hmm..."
Why do I feel a little hot?
I thought about it as the elevator stopped. The doors opened, and I stepped out before heading toward my apartment.
I unlocked the door, entered, tossed aside my belongings and coat, then collapsed onto the soft bed.
"It was a long day."
I thought as my consciousness slowly began to fade.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Several kilometers away from the building where Raven lived
The very same girl he had met in the elevator stood there.
Her pink hair, streaked with a single purple strand, swayed gently in the wind. Her red eyes shone like curious gemstones, carrying an innocent charm.
She was the beautiful Renee—the kind of girl one might mistake for a princess of this world.
Yet something about her was different now.
Gone were the white clothes she had worn before.
Instead, she was dressed in a black-and-white dress with only one sleeve, while her delicate free hand held a crimson umbrella.
A few drops of blood stained her face, adding a touch of terror... yet somehow making her beauty even more captivating.
The danger Raven had sensed was not without reason.
Renee was far more than just a beautiful girl.
She possessed another name.
Whenever she carried out missions, she became the woman who left nothing behind but blood.
She had nearly finished all the tasks assigned to her tonight.
She had killed every enemy in her path.
That was how she earned another title.
Alongside her lovely face and graceful figure, she was also known as—
The Saint of Death.
A wide smile rested on Renee's beautiful face, while cold light gleamed within her eyes as she gazed at the ground.
Bodies lay scattered everywhere.
No... that would be inaccurate.
The pools of blood, severed limbs, and mangled remains painted a clearer picture of what had happened here.
Tonight, Renee had been sent on a mission.
A small gang had begun interfering with one of her organization's operations.
So she erased them.
Amid the corpses and river of blood stood one final man.
He was large and broad-shouldered. One of his arms had been severed, while the other still gripped a massive sword tightly.
His features were ordinary, his skin bronze and healthy-looking despite his condition.
"Cough..."
The man spat blood, then smiled faintly.
"The Saint of Death? I didn't think the tavern would send you for this mission."
Though he smiled, his dark blue eyes were filled with despair and rage.
The man was ranked C-Class.
By ordinary standards, he should have been stronger than Renee, judging by the aura he emitted.
But Renee did not care in the slightest.
With the same smile and complete indifference, she replied,
"Mouse warned you."
"This was your own mistake."
"Shut up! I don't care whose fault it is now! Just look at the massacre you—"
Before the large man could finish speaking, a purple thread appeared.
A beautiful, eerie thread that seemed woven into the world itself.
It emerged from empty space directly before him.
Swish.
With the sound of slicing wind—
The C-Ranked man's head fell to the ground before Renee.
Though she did not particularly enjoy killing, this fight had been entertaining enough.
She smiled softly.
Then—
A faint clicking sound came from somewhere nearby.
"Come out."
Her expression turned glacially cold as she spoke, and a terrifying killing intent spread from her body.
A crushing pink aura mixed with bloody red slowly expanded around her.
The air became heavy.
The world itself seemed to lose its voice.
Renee's presence felt as though the world supported her existence.
She was a born princess.
Though she could not truly shake the earth with her aura, it almost seemed as if the ground trembled for her sake.
Even the sky darkened.
After a loud gulp, a short man stepped out from behind a pile of trash at the end of the alley.
Cold sweat covered his face. Fear and panic twisted his expression.
The man had been one of those supporting the gang.
Renee looked at him coldly.
Her aura slowly pressed down on him until he collapsed to his knees.
"Lady Saint of Death... please, give me one more chance!"
Tears streamed down his face as he struggled to speak.
Renee listened with mild interest.
She moved her fingers slightly, and threads rose beneath his chin, lifting his head toward her.
Then she gestured elegantly for him to continue.
As though he had found salvation itself, tears poured harder from the man's eyes. A desperate smile formed on his face.
"Please, milady! It won't happen again! I'll offer all my possessions to the tavern—please show mercy!"
His broken pleas spilled from his mouth as he knelt and repeatedly slammed his forehead against the cold ground.
Several minutes passed like that.
Then the man felt the aura around him disappear.
The pink-haired princess was gone.
Renee had vanished without a trace.
A wild smile spread across the man's face. Saliva and mucus dripped from his mouth in relief.
"I survived... just wait until I—"
He never finished.
A beautiful purple thread emerged from the empty space around him.
With a sharp cut—
His head fell to the ground.
"Huh...? Was the moon always this beautiful...?"
Those were his final thoughts as his severed head rolled, facing the moonlight.
Then his eyes died.
About thirty meters away, Renee smiled faintly as she walked, opening her black umbrella.
"The mission is over," she said softly.
"And Raven..."
This time, her smile widened into a crescent moon.
"We've finally met