Auren and Kaelin stepped out of the cave, the cold air biting at their faces. Freedom felt strange after the suffocating darkness within, yet it brought no comfort only a rising sense of caution.
A few steps ahead, a half-human boy suddenly collapsed before them, dust scattering with his fall, tears of pain streaking across his face.
"Help… please…" he whispered weakly, as if apologizing for his own helplessness.
Auren did not hesitate. He nodded toward Kaelyn.
"Kaelyn… heal him."
Within moments, her energy flowed into the boy's body, mending his wounds and restoring his strength bit by bit.
The boy awakened, eyes wide with lingering fear, drawing in a trembling breath.
"My name… I'm from Foren Village… you… you saved me…"
Auren wasted no time.
"What's happening? Why were you out here?"
The boy, only partially recovered, looked upward with eyes filled with terror.
"An attack… orc scouts… our village…"
Auren clenched his fist, resolve blazing in his gaze.
"Then we move. Now."
Smoke blanketed the sky.
When they reached the village, there were no battle cries only cries of loss.
Burned houses. Collapsed walls. The scent of charred wood mixed with the metallic tang of blood not yet dry.
A man's corpse lay near an alley entrance, a child shaking his body uselessly.
A woman sat beside a shattered well, staring into nothingness, as if her mind had already fled.
This wasn't a battle.
It was a message.
A scouting wave.
And its cost was heavy.
The half-human boy ran through the chaos, stumbling over debris.
"Elina!!"
A girl's voice cut through the smoke.
A thin girl with red, tear-swollen eyes rushed toward him and embraced him tightly.
"Brother… I thought you were dead!"
He froze for a moment before whispering:
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"Where… is Father?"
The girl went still.
Her voice dropped to a near whisper.
"Father… died in the attack. He held the gate. He didn't let them break through… until he fell."
Time seemed to stop.
Auren saw the fracture in the boy's eyes.
"Mother died when we were little…" the girl continued, her voice breaking.
"Father raised us alone… He always said we would live in peace…"
The boy clenched his fists until blood seeped from his palms.
His pain wasn't from wounds.
"I'm weak…" he muttered.
"If I were stronger… if I had died instead of him…"
"No!" his sister cried, clutching his clothes.
"Don't leave me too!"
Her words pulled him back from the edge.
His eyes hardened with bitter resolve.
"I won't die.
I'll protect you… even if it costs my life."
Kaelyn watched in silence.
Her expression did not change.
"Nothing has changed," she said calmly.
"Death and fear… always the same."
Auren did not answer.
He saw everything.
The fallen father.
The grieving child.
Villagers dragging bodies to the roadside.
But words… were not enough to describe what he felt.
It wasn't anger.
It wasn't sorrow.
It was something deeper.
" Auren," Kaelin murmured.
He turned toward her.
His gaze was cold.
Not burning with rage
but calculating.
Thinking.
The next step.
A faint side-smile appeared on Kaelin's lips as she understood.
Auren spoke quietly.
"Kaelyn… gather the villagers. Heal the wounded. Take them somewhere safe."
"Understood."
She studied him carefully.
"What will you do?"
A faint smile touched his lips.
"I'll go… check on the orcs."
Kaelyn sensed it beneath his calm.
Killing intent.
Not reckless.
Measured.
"Don't act rashly. There may be a high-ranking orc."
He smiled steadily.
"I'll scout from a distance. I won't engage."
Auren approached the half-human boy and placed a hand on his head.
"What's your name?"
"Rael," he answered firmly despite his pain.
"Good, Rael. I'm counting on you to protect the village."
The boy straightened.
"I promise."
Auren withdrew his hand and turned to the village chief.
"Where are they?"
The old man pointed toward the eastern forest.
"They set up a temporary camp there."
Auren entered the forest.
Every step was silent.
He opened the system interface while walking.
[Level: 10]
[Strength: 12]
[Mana: 18]
[Intelligence: 5]
"My mana has increased…" he murmured.
But his face remained serious.
"I can't use Ignis recklessly from the start. My control is still limited… I'll injure myself more than I hurt them. And it consumes mana like madness."
A new tab appeared.
[Rewards – Cave Beast]
He selected it.
[Congratulations!]
[You have obtained: Black Dagger]
A dark blade formed in his hand, cold and heavy, devouring the light around it.
A skill appeared.
[Black Dagger – Level 1]
[When injuring a target, it causes temporary sensory loss]
Auren smiled.
"Good… this suits me."
He stopped before a tree.
"Let's test my progress since the cave."
He punched the trunk.
His fist left a deep imprint in the wood.
He stepped back, surprised.
"Oh… good."
He tested his speed.
He dashed between the trees, movements light and balanced.
"Not bad."
As he neared the orc camp, rough laughter echoed through the woods.
A group of weaker orcs chatted carelessly, unaware of his presence.
He drew the dagger.
Moved.
Fast.
Silent.
A slash across the neck.
A stab through the heart.
One fell before he could scream.
[Level Up]
[Level: 12]
He didn't stop.
Another fell.
Silence returned.
Auren felt nothing.
No pity. No regret.
Only a cold gaze as if life and death had become an equation he solved calmly.
There was no anger in his eyes.
Only understanding.
This world showed no mercy.
And those who did not kill… were killed.
His eyes were devoid of compassion
not cruel…
but chillingly indifferent.
Then
The ground trembled.
Heavy footsteps approached.
From the shadows emerged a massive orc, clad in crude armor, scars covering its body, its eyes filled not with stupidity but experience.
Not like the others.
A guard.
Auren tightened his grip on the dagger.
And smiled.
