Kalm clutched the wound on his right side, pressing down hard as he forced himself upright. His bones groaned, and his body screamed in protest—
Despite having taken only a few hits, they had been more than enough to leave him teetering on the edge between life and death.
Slowly, he raised his left hand and touched the yellow earring hanging from his left ear.
It was cold between his fingers, sending a chill of memory through him—
A mixture of beautiful and painful fragments from a past long gone.
His lips curved into a faint, bitter smile—part sorrow, part regret, and a hint of pity for himself.
*"Seems like… my time is up."*
He thought the words sarcastically.
It sounded like the kind of dramatic line one would say aloud in a cheap play—
Not that he'd accomplished anything meaningful in his life.
But still, he said it…
With nothing but desperate resignation.
His gaze shifted back to the beast, now charging at him like a lance splitting the wind.
Kalm had been ready to die for a while now.
From the moment he stood before the strange gate of the Trial,
His mind and heart had accepted death as inevitable.
After all, what chance did a gutter rat like him have?
Dreams were never meant for someone like him—
So he refused to raise his hopes.
The grotesque creature opened its jaws wide, fangs glowing as it prepared to devour him and end his story.
Kalm didn't move—
Not out of bravery, but because he simply didn't know what to do anymore.
He stood still… staring death in the face.
He didn't even blink as those black fangs drew closer.
His heart skipped a beat—
It was over.
There was no escaping it.
He'd been lucky just to have lived this long.
But now…
Luck had finally run out.
It was time to face reality again—
That cold, merciless reality that had trampled him again and again.
In his heart, he cursed—
And silently thanked those who deserved it…
Though, in truth, there hadn't been anyone worth thanking.
All he'd ever known were monsters in human skin.
And just as the Harshish's fangs were about to tear into him—
It stopped.
Frozen, mere centimeters away.
Thick, disgusting saliva dripped onto the ground.
Its three glowing eyes burned with madness,
A low, furious growl escaping its throat.
But it didn't move an inch.
Time itself seemed to halt.
A strange chill rose through Kalm's body—
Then he felt it.
A soft, gentle hand resting on his shoulder.
Followed by a voice.
Smooth.
Elegant.
And somehow… it touched his soul.
**"Well done, my little Kalm… Your perseverance moved me deeply."**
He turned his head toward the Queen—
Her eyes darkened slightly,
Yet she remained poised, graceful, and utterly beautiful.
Not a single drop of sweat marked her radiant skin.
She was…
Overwhelming in every sense of the word.
Kalm looked away from her, his eyes drawn to the battlefield around them.
And his body froze.
He had been so focused on surviving,
He hadn't noticed the silence—
The lack of roars or screeches.
The leaders of the swarm…
Their kings…
Every last one of them—
Slaughtered.
Some were sliced cleanly apart.
Others, crushed into a mangled pulp—
As if a mountain had stomped them into the earth.
And she…
She had done all of that in just a few minutes.
Kalm's heart pounded in awe and dread.
*"Just… how strong is she?"*
He wondered, a corner of his eye fixed on her.
As thoughts whirled like a storm inside his mind,
The Queen lifted her hand from his shoulder and ruffled his hair playfully.
Kalm flinched, startled.
**"W-What are you doing, Your Majesty?"**
He stammered.
She let out a quiet laugh.
**"What? I'm happy I've found someone brave enough to inherit my power."**
She tousled his hair once more, then stepped forward, raising her palm.
A stream of shadows gathered into her hand—
Forming a sleek, beautiful black sword.
She turned and held it out to him.
**"Go on. End it.
Killing it will help you grow stronger—physically, and mentally."**
Kalm looked at her for a moment,
Then down at the black sword.
His gaze lingered.
He reached out with his left hand and took it.
As he stepped forward,
The Harshish collapsed to the ground, shrieking and thrashing.
Kalm raised the sword above his head, its edge pointed at the beast's last remaining eye.
With everything he had—
He brought it down.
The blade pierced through the eye and sank deep into the creature's brain.
The Harshish let out a final, agonizing roar that made Kalm's ears ring—
Then fell still.
Its voice silenced.
Its life extinguished.
A message echoed in Kalm's mind:
> \[You have slain a Stage One Monster: Black Harshish.]
Then another followed:
> \[You have received an Element.]
Kalm tilted his head, confused.
The voice…
It sounded just like the one he heard when he first entered the Trial.
Was it announcing his kill?
That wasn't the strange part.
But what did it mean—
"You have received an Element"?
What exactly was an "Element"?
And how was he supposed to use it?
It was clear Kalm still knew almost nothing about this mysterious voice…
This world.
For now, he decided to rest.
Later, he'd try to figure it out—
Or maybe… just ask the Queen.
But just before he moved, something stirred deep within him—
A faint, almost imperceptible sensation…
A feeling that he was growing stronger.
It was small, subtle—yet undeniably there,
Buried in his bones, his body, and even his soul.
Like a single drop added to a cup…
He turned toward the Queen, who was watching him with a soft smile.
Not wanting to remain completely ignorant, he asked hesitantly:
**"Your Majesty… does killing monsters make you stronger?
I mean… physically. Not just mentally."**
The Queen didn't answer immediately.
Her gaze drifted to the monster's corpse.
After a moment, she walked toward it, expression composed.
A dagger of shadow formed in her hand—
A display of power that made Kalm silently envy her incredible strength.
With a smooth motion, she sliced open the creature's belly,
As if she were cutting bread instead of armored flesh.
A few seconds later, she pulled something out—
A small, glowing gem, barely large enough to hold between two fingers.
She extended it to Kalm and spoke calmly:
**"Humans and monsters both possess a core—or essence.
Call it what you will.
It's where our power gathers.
The source of our abilities… and much more."**
She paused briefly, then continued with a more solemn tone:
"When you kill a monster under normal circumstances,
you can only benefit by absorbing its core into your soul.
The higher the monster's rank,
the more powerful and larger the core becomes.
Some monsters even have more than one.
That's how monster cores work—
a fast, though dangerous, method of growing stronger…
and maybe even ascending to a new stage.
But unfortunately—
It's the only path available in this world."
The Queen glanced at the monster's corpse from the corner of her eye.
Her expression darkened slightly, and she sighed.
"But things are different for humans.
We also have cores—
Some gifted individuals even possess more than one… like me.
However, killing a human won't grant you a core the same way monsters do.
Our cores vanish with our souls.
They cannot be claimed."
Kalm raised an eyebrow, puzzled by something she'd said.
**"Your Majesty… you said 'under normal circumstances'?
Are there… abnormal ones?"**
The Queen raised a finger and pointed to her head.
**"The Voice of the World—you heard it when you killed the monster, didn't you?"**
Kalm nodded slowly.
"My world doesn't use it.
In fact… I prevented it from spreading.
When you kill a monster—or an awakened human—
part of their soul's power is transferred to you,
while the rest disperses into the world...
That means there are *three* ways to grow stronger:
Slaying monsters and absorbing their cores,
killing awakened humans,
and… absorbing what lingers of their strength."
Kalm stood in stunned silence.
His hands trembled slightly at the terrifying revelation.
So… killing monsters wasn't the *only* path to power.
Which meant—
Humans would start killing *each other* too.
All in pursuit of advancement.
It meant…
Everyone would become like monsters.
Kalm laughed bitterly in his heart.
'Since when were humans not monsters?'
He listened carefully to everything she said—
Every word might help him survive later.
But without realizing it, he collapsed to the ground,
A small cloud of dust rising beneath him.
All the pain he'd ignored came rushing back at once—
His body locked up, his breathing ragged.
Fighting that grotesque monster hadn't just drained him physically…
It had rattled him mentally as well.
Who would expect a bug the size of a grown man to leap at them in a dark cave?
Certainly not Kalm.
Luckily, the Queen seemed to have taken an interest in him—
Otherwise, he probably would've died right at the beginning.
He closed his eyes and took a long, slow breath, trying to refocus—
But his body refused to move.
It demanded rest.
Even his wounds began to sting more than before…
The Queen approached him, her gaze steady and concerned.
**"Looks like you need rest, little Kalm.
You've never fought before, have you?"**
He tried to give a polite smile and replied in a soft, broken voice:
**"I'm sorry, Your Majesty…
I'm more used to trickery, running, or talking my way out of things…
I've never seen a monster in my life."**
She laughed gently—her voice soft and musical.
**"Well, I'd say…
Not bad for a first time.
Many warriors freeze in fear during battle—
Even awakened ones aren't immune."**
Her eyes swept the area.
With a wave of her hand, the shadows cleared away all nearby corpses.
She bent down slightly, took his hand, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, helping him to his feet.
Kalm felt a bit embarrassed being so close to her…
And also a little wounded in his pride—
Even if he was just a teenager, not a man.
But he didn't say anything.
His body and mind were both in chaos.
And… he didn't really have a choice anyway.
The Queen carefully guided him to the wall and helped him sit down.
Kalm leaned back, letting his body finally relax.
After a short pause, her voice reached him again.
**"You can rest now, Kalm.
I'll watch the area until you're ready to move."**
He looked at her from the corner of his eye.
Trusting a stranger to guard you while you sleep was foolish—
But deep inside, Kalm felt something strange and powerful…
Something telling him to listen to her.
So without wasting another moment,
He closed his eyes…
And let the darkness of sleep take him.