[Abyssal Demon], Are creatures that embraced the power of Demon Lord, These entities are the nightmare of all races on the continent.

Whenever Abyssal Demon appears, the various races of the continent set aside their differences and join forces to combat this terrifying disaster.

these brutal and bloodthirsty Demons tear apart and devour all living things, bringing death, curse, and other disasters to the entire continent.

Everyone is filled with terror and wishes to eliminate them as quickly as possible.

However, the power of Abyssal Demons is not something ordinary people can match.

Even trained armies and knights of the church must pay a painful price to defeat them.

Faced with these creatures, most people have only one choice: [ run for their lives].

But where did these Demons come from?

Initially, the people on the continent had no knowledge.

They only knew that these creatures first appeared thousands of years ago in the icy Winter Forest in the north. 

After generations of sacrifice and hard work to investigate Winter Forest, the mystery was finally unveiled.

[Demon Temple]

This ancient Temple deep in Winter Forest is the source of all evil.

The Temple contains strange and eerie black energy, which gives birth to Abyssal Demons.

Ordinary monsters or animals in Winter Forest, when exposed to this black energy, become extremely bloodthirsty and ferocious, hostile to almost all living things, and their power increases.

These creatures infected with Shadow energy are known as Abyssal Demons.

Abyssal Demons originate from Demon Temple, and it is the evil power within the Temple that brings them into existence!

The scholars on the continent quickly reached this conclusion.

With the announcement of this finding, the entire continent erupted into chaos. 

To end the tragedy caused by Abyssal Demons, all major races and empires formed a grand coalition, marching toward Winter Forest with the goal of finding Demon Temple and destroying it.

However, People underestimated the number of Abyssal Demons Inside the Forest. 

Abyssal Demons harbor deep enmity toward other species and instinctively launch attacks on areas where people gather.

When the coalition army confidently entered the forest, it inevitably drew the attention of countless Abyssal Demons.

Among them, some Abyssal Demons had reached the terrifying level of a Demon Kings

(demon kings = 8th level).

In the end, the coalition army was defeated, and less than one-tenth of the people who entered the forest returned alive.

Since then, the various forces on the continent no longer dared to actively assemble troops and enter Winter Forest.

At most, they sent small teams of three to five people to infiltrate and attempt to complete the "beheading mission" without attracting the attention of other Abyssal Demons.

Of course, these actions usually resulted in all members being declared "missing."

As a result, the major forces decided to switch to defense, building fortifications outside Winter Forest to prevent Abyssal Demons from leaving.

In this way, hundred years passed "peacefully."

However, three hundred years ago, the major empires and races made an astonishing discovery.

The number of Abyssal Demons found around the forest was rapidly decreasing!

While there used to be more than forty sightings of Abyssal Demons every month, a hundred years ago, there were only a dozen or so per month, and now there are fewer than ten per year.

This naturally raised suspicions that something had happened in the Winter Forest, causing the decline in Abyssal Demon numbers.

[Perhaps the strange energy within the Demon Temple was weakening? Did this mean that the danger of entering the cold and frosty Winter Forest had decreased?]

As more and more speculations arose, elite teams from various forces gathered the courage to venture into the cold land once again.

They had only one objective: [Demon Temple].

In Winter Forest, near Chegwa Glacier, a team of five adventurers sat quietly, preparing themselves while cautiously guarding against sudden Abyssal Demon attacks.

The five-member team was composed of strong and sturdy people, wearing white robes with rare golden threads embroidered on them, forming a symbol resembling a pair of wings. If there were others present, seeing this distinctive pattern would easily know their identity.

They hailed from Asumos Church, the most powerful Church on the entire continent.

Led by the brave hero Pix, one of the 10 apostles, the team of five had been dispatched by the Pope as "special forces" to investigate Winter Forest.

However, among the team of five, there was an exceptionally unusual presence—a little girl dressed in tattered clothes, delicate and cute, with beautiful gray double ponytails and bright, lively eyes.

Her young, innocent face combined with her slender and petite figure couldn't help but evoke sympathy.

Despite her youth, the little girl was undoubtedly a rare beauty, promising a bright future.

Yet, her beautiful face, side by side with her shabby clothing, emitted an uncanny aura.

The little girl seemed out of place before the hero, Pix, causing him to furrow his brow in confusion.

'Something seems strange...'

'Judging by her attire, this little girl is undoubtedly from a poor family. Could she be one of the wild children from Morra village? But how can a child from such a place have skin as fair as the North's glistening water?'

Pix began to doubt the girl's true identity.

However, no matter how he observed her, he couldn't sense any trace of magic, aura, energy, or the unique power of Abyssal Demons' [Shadow] emanating from the little girl.

'Is she just an ordinary girl? An ordinary little girl in this cold and big Winter Forest? How is that possible?'

Pix's watery blue eyes filled with confusion and suspicion.

While contemplating the girl's identity, Beckham, a tall man sitting next to Pix, stood up and approached the little girl, holding a piece of bread in his hand.

Amid the team's strange gazes, Beckham smiled and squatted down in front of the little girl, offering her the bread.

"Here you go, little one. This bread is for you."

"Really? Thank you uncle!"

The little girl looked up with joyous eyes at the black and burly man before her.

"Hehehe~ Eat slowly."

Receiving Beckham's nod, the little girl excitedly took the bread, holding it in her hand like a precious treasure, gradually lowering her guard around the group.

Observing this, Beckham smiled with satisfaction and noticed the simple wooden hairpin adorning the little girl's head.

The hairpin itself was roughly crafted, lacking artistic value, but it stood out due to the two delicate and exquisite white little birds with red crowns standing atop it.

This amused Beckham, and he asked the little girl with curiosity,

"Are these two little birds your pets? What are their names?"

"Butterfly and Crystal," replied the little girl.

As Beckham played with the two small little birds, he sat next to the little girl, his actions carrying a hidden meaning.

Seeing the girl's lack of reaction, he even reached out and patted her shoulder, his smile gradually turning lecherous...

His four teammates, including Pix, couldn't help but display looks of disgust.

Of course, Beckham paid no mind to his companions' disgusted stares. His attention was fully fixated on the little girl's beautiful face and youthful body.

Certain pervert thoughts were constantly breeding in his mind...

Seeing that the girl was not uncomfortable or unhappy with his arm around her shoulder, Beckham became even more reckless, his massive body sticking closer to the little girl.

'This little beauty is just what I was looking for~~'

"Little one, why did you come to Winter Forest alone? Even the outskirts are very dangerous."

"I came here to find food. Dangerous? Is it really dangerous here?"

The little girl blinked curiously, her emerald eyes full of innocence.

As he looked into the innocent eyes of the little girl, Beckham became even more excited.

"That's only natural; this is the Winter Forest. With your small body, encountering an Abyss Demon would surely be dangerous. Oh, wait a minute, Uncle will take you back. Where is your home?"

"No need, Uncle, I can go back by myself. But, isn't it dangerous here? Why did you come here?"

"Haha, Uncle and his team are elite forces under the" Sunlight" squad of Asumos Church. We came here to Find the legendary 'Demon Temple' "

Beckham laughed and said, intending to use his identity under the Sunlight squad of Asumos to gain the trust of this innocent girl.

However, the moment he spoke, the smile on the little girl's face gradually disappeared, replaced by an indescribable killing intent.

Her emerald eyes also emitted a strange red light, and the surrounding atmosphere became even colder.

"Looking for Demon temple? You... are looking for my Mother too?"