When the mother creature turned to leave, I turned too. My legs moved on instinct as I was tired beyond tired.
Then out of nowhere, I stumbled upon a cave opening. I didn't stop to wonder what was inside and just… kept moving.
But just as I reached the entrance, a voice called out.
"Hey, kid."
I was startled and as turned to look, a man stood nearby, half-hidden in the shadows. His tone wasn't threatening, just firm.
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
I answered honestly. "We're on an exercise."
He squinted, like he was studying me. "What year are you?"
"Second year." I answered.
"Then you're way off, you're supposed to be on the eastern side of the forest and this is the center." He paused fixing his glasses. "You're standing at a dungeon entrance."
His tone, his posture and the way he held himself, it was obvious he was a professional, maybe even a hunter.
He called me over, and I stepped closer.
"Where's your CoreLink?" he asked.
"Dead," I replied.
He sighed and motioned for me to sit.
"Might take a while," he muttered, pulling a tablet from his bag and swiping across the screen.
I sat down beside him. My muscles ached the moment I relaxed.
"What time is it?" I asked.
"Two in the morning."
My eyes widened.
Two…? That meant I'd been walking since morning—maybe longer—without sleep, without rest. No wonder the forest had felt so dark for a long time.
I had no way of tracking time.
"You might want to set up a tent," he added.
As I moved to do just that, he glanced sideways and asked.
"Strange… how come your system is still independent?"
"What?"
"All student systems are supposed to be dependent on CoreLink sync. Yours keeps going off because it hasn't been officially registered to you yet. Without proper assignment, it locks and unlocks itself—for guild data privacy."
That didn't sound like an accident.
If I was the only one this happened to… there had to be a reason.
Just then, someone approached.
His build was massive—like a boxer. He said nothing. Just walked past us with heavy, confident steps.
Still staring at his tablet, the man beside me muttered,
"You're late, Kai."
But Kai didn't reply. He just walked straight toward my tent.
"That's not your tent," the man—Yanagi—called. "I haven't set yours up yet."
Kai didn't break stride.
"Whoever it is," he said, stepping in, "he can use mine. I'm tired."
And just like that, he vanished inside.
Yanagi was about to argue, but I stopped him.
"It's okay. Let him have it."
Yanagi adjusted his glasses for what felt like the tenth time and nodded.
"I didn't introduce myself. Yanagi Hayashi."
That name… Hayashi.
Sounded like Ike's last name. Or maybe I just didn't remember clearly.
"How long will it take?" I asked.
"A moment."
But I wasn't sleepy. I stayed seated, letting the night air wash over me.
Suddenly, Kai burst out of the tent, and the air around us changed—heavy, like gravity itself had thickened. Yanagi didn't even flinch.
"Kai," he muttered tiredly, "whatever it is, just talk it out."
But Kai wasn't listening.
He walked straight toward me, his eyes glowing red, rage simmering in every step as he groaned.
I held still. Something about him... felt dangerous.
He bent forward, holding a piece of paper between two fingers.
"Was it my sister who wrote this?"
My heart skipped. "What?" I blinked. "I don't know who your sister is."
He didn't like that. The glow in his eyes brightened—real, not imagined.
"Don't play dumb with me. I know she wrote it."
Then why was he asking?
Yanagi spoke up again, calling him away, gently urging him to walk it off.
Kai didn't answer. He just left—quiet, tense—with the note in hand.
But something about that moment stuck with me. That guy… he'd entered my tent on purpose. He was looking for something.
"I'm done," Mr. Yanagi said, snapping me out of thought.
I tapped my wrist and watched as my CoreLink finally came to life, projecting a small holographic display.
As I glanced at Mr. Yanagi, I realized I'd lost count of how many times he'd adjusted his glasses. Was it a habit—or were they loose?
He stood and began setting up a second tent.
Apparently, they were spending the night here too.
"Don't worry," he said. "These dungeons are cleared. It's safe for tonight."
It seemed like he knew me. But I didn't know him.
I turned off the screen and laid back.
The day was finally done, and all I had to show for it was one Essencia Core.
No clue how much XP it was worth.
I'd check in the morning.
The next day...
The morning sun filtered faintly through the trees, but I hadn't woken inside the tent.
I lay right where I'd been the night before—on the grass, the same spot Kai had left me.
Somehow, I hadn't even realized I'd slept here. But I wasn't cold.
Someone had covered me.
My eyes flicked toward the tent. Kai was still inside—my tent, not his.
Mr. Yanagi had set up two, but Kai had ignored the second.
Maybe he figured I was too tired to be moved. Maybe he just didn't care. Either way, he hadn't woken me. He'd just thrown a cover over me.
I stood, pushed a hand into the tent, and pulled out my gear quietly.
Kai didn't stir, though I was sure he was awake.
He didn't say anything.
Neither did I.
I walked away, leaving the spare tent behind.
As I moved east, the CoreLink flickered awake on my wrist. A familiar hum vibrated against my skin.
> "Good morning, Nageya."
"What time is it?"
> "9 a.m."
I glanced at the screen. The interface was cleaner now—responsive. Stable.
That's when I thought, Maybe I should stop calling it 'system.' It needed a name.
> "You may assign a reference tag."
"What do you suggest?"
Names scrolled—Raven, Blaire, Sloane, Scarlett, Taryn, Rowan, Lexa...
Lexa felt easy.
"Lexa," I said.
> "Acknowledged. You may call me Lexa."
Then she asked,
> "Shall we return to your initial start point?"
"No," I said. "I still have something to finish… with a shadow."
It was already 9 a.m., and I hadn't received a notification of any supplies.
I was getting thirsty.
As I kept moving through the woods—clear and bright—I heard a scream.
But barely. Like someone's mouth was covered as they screamed.
When I moved closer, I noticed a student standing, looking down at someone lying on the ground.
Their hands were tied behind them, and their mouth was closed tight with a cloth.
The person on the ground kept screaming, but the voice could barely reach.
The guy just stood there, staring at her.
When I moved closer to get a clear look, I recognized the girl lying there.
She was the same girl who always seemed talkative in class—the one who asked questions again and again like she didn't understand the first three times.
But I had forgotten her name.
The guy standing beside her was a Class A student.
The very same one who had come for me and Kaito during the coffee incident.
The girl kept screaming—I guessed even her throat was hurting.
On her thigh, she'd been stabbed with a knife. She was bleeding a lot.
The knife was still intact in her body.
Whatever was happening… was none of my business.
So I continued walking.
Then suddenly, the guy spoke up.
"Look, Saki, your hero isn't interested in saving you."
That caught me off guard.
It was like he had seen me before I even saw them.
And it felt like a trap—he thought I would come to save the girl. But I clearly had no reason to. I just kept walking, acting like I didn't hear.
Then he turned to my side and called out my name.
"Nageya."
But I didn't turn.
I wasn't interested.
He picked up a stone and threw it at me.
The stone was aimed right for my ear—but I instinctively shifted to the side slightly, and it passed through the air with a sharp rush.
I could feel its speed.
I finally stopped and looked over to his side.
"You're trying to ignore me, aren't you?" he said.
"Are you really going to leave a girl in need, with a knife in her thigh, and just walk away?"
Whatever he was talking about… it still wasn't my business.
And I didn't care.
If he really wanted to help her, he should've done it himself.
"Then wait for me," he said coming closer.
Saki kept screaming, tears in her eyes.
But seriously, she didn't earn any mercy from me.
It seemed like whoever stabbed her had done it some time ago.
The blood on the floor had already begun to dry—on her body too.
The way she was dressed…
I was still wondering why she was in the middle of the woods wearing a short skirt.
Then the guy spoke again.
"Nageya, I'll give you two options. Fight me. If I lose, I'll leave you be. If I win—you transfer your XP to me."
I didn't even know until then that we could transfer XP.
I wasn't interested in a fight, so I told him I'd exchange XP instead.
That would make him leave me alone.
But I didn't have any XP.
The only exchangeable I had was still in my backpack.
I hadn't dissolved it into my system yet to gain XP, so I barely even knew how much XP it had.
He agreed and nodded.
"Fine."
But it felt like he wasn't satisfied.
He wanted more.
I took off my backpack and held out the Essencia Core.
It was still warm.
He looked at it and muttered,
"Why do you have an Essencia Core in your backpack instead of dissolving it into your CoreLink?"
I didn't respond. That was none of his business to know.
He held it and brought it closer to his arm.
His CoreLink was still in a watch form, still visible.
When he brought it close, a circle projected outward.
He dropped the core in, and it projected a holographic screen.
It was sending a notification that the Essencia Core was from a Flightless Guardian.
He had gained XP: 63.
"Not bad," he said.
"I'll leave you off for now."
I really didn't expect that to be worth 63 XP.
It looked too weak.
When he walked off, I closed my backpack and walked off too.
Then Saki started kicking—shouting even harder.
I let out a sigh and walked back to her.
I leaned in—close to her face and muttered,
"I can clearly tell you want to say something.
But if it's to ask me for help… trust me, I'm too hungry to even help myself.
So how about you just lie here quietly and wait for the next person who will pass by?"
She slowly pointed at her bags.
There were two bags lying on the floor.
One was a side bag. The other was a backpack.
The side bag was slightly open.
It had fruit in it—and lunch boxes.
I was sure there was roasted food or something in there.
I muttered, "You want me to help you… in exchange, you'll give me something to eat?"
She nodded.
But I could tell she was in pain—her eyes were even tired of crying.
I breathed in deeply as I sat her up.
I took off the scarf around her mouth.
She finally took a deep breath as I untied her arms.
The knife was still stuck in her thigh.
I wondered what I should do with it.
Then I remembered the Mother Creature.
She had been a nice person, and I was sure she would help.
I told her, "I'll carry you, you carry your bags. I'm gonna take you somewhere."
Although… I was sure I could've fallen at any moment, carrying her through the woods.
I was starting to feel dizzy.
I held Saki slowly in my arms and asked her to grab her bags.
She placed them on her belly.
I walked slowly with her—but I had already forgotten the directions.
Suddenly, I heard a snore.
Faintly. Like someone in the distance.
When I looked at my arm, Saki had dozed off.
It seemed like she hadn't slept all night.
And now that she was relaxed in my arms… she was gone.
Her hands loosened. Her bags almost fell down.
I called out to Lexa and asked, "Can you still remember the route back to the cave where the Mother Creature took me?"
She said she remembered clearly—every spot I had been the whole of yesterday.
She kept giving me directions—step by step—until the cave entrance finally came into view.
When I reached close, the kids were playing outside, near the entrance.
When they saw me carrying someone, they were frightened and moved backward.
But one stood still, just watching me.
I waited—watching them too—to see if they would welcome me… or chase me away.
Then one of them gestured, calling me in.
I walked inside and laid Saki down.
She was fast asleep.
It was like she couldn't feel the pain anymore.
I asked them where the other creature was.
But it seemed like she had gone out.
They called me further in.
It looked like they stayed near the entrance during the day—but when night came, they went deeper into the cave.
There were layers below.
Plants. Glowing fruits. Strange things.
A lot of stuff. Like a real home.
They showed me a bud—or maybe that's what they called it.
To me, it looked like a glowing plant.
Soft. Huge.
And that's where I laid her.
The children eventually left the inner cave and returned to the entrance, waiting for their mother.
I stayed behind, leaning back against the cave wall near Saki as she slept, her breathing now soft and steady.
Somewhere in the silence, my eyes grew heavy—and I dozed off.
That's when I saw her.
Or maybe it was a memory.
Or a dream.
Or something else entirely.
She stood in the middle of a snowy forest—elevish ears, white-silver hair cascading to her waist, no taller than a child, maybe fourteen.
She wore a long, traditional dress, its patches of red and white stitched like royalty or ritual.
She didn't move like a child. She commanded, and those around her bowed—without hesitation.
Her voice was clear and cold, but everything else blurred—like snow falling on glass.
I couldn't see her face.
I couldn't hear what she said.
But I remembered it.
And then—snap—
I was awake.
Except… I wasn't lying where I had been.
I was on my stomach, my shirt off.
And my back—it was glowing.
The mark… it pulsed in waves, shifting through colors.
Red. Blue. Green. Gold. Violet. White.
Each color brighter than the last, flickering like the elemental lights of Generation users—but all at once, all tangled.
I blinked. My chest felt tight. My skin buzzed like static.
The children stood nearby, frozen, staring—eyes wide, lips parted.
Saki was now sitting up, her legs dropped down over the ledge. Her thigh had been bandaged with something—leaves? Cloth? I couldn't tell.
But then I saw her.
The mother creature.
She was beside me, reaching out with trembling hands.
The moment her fingers touched my skin—
Crack!
A bolt of thunder snapped through the air.
She recoiled instantly, hand shaking.
Again, she reached.
Crack!
Thunder surged again, like something was warning her to stay away.
I tried to speak, but my voice wouldn't come.
Everything felt distant—my hearing muffled, my vision tinged with light.
Was I still dreaming?
Or had I just stepped into something I wasn't ready for?