The scent of ink and the quiet hum of the monitor filled the luxurious office.
The sun filtered through the tall glass windows, casting golden streaks on the dark mahogany table.
I was halfway through another report, eyes scanning through data about beast movements across the region.
"Too many disturbances lately..." I muttered.
Just as I leaned back to stretch, my phone buzzed.
A glance at the screen told me it wasn't routine.
"Urgent: Tier 1 Beast Tide detected – Kesseln Town."
My body tensed instantly.
"Tier 1...? That's no small matter."
Without hesitation, I grabbed my coat and sprinted out.
The soldiers in the corridor barely had time to salute before I had already passed them.
I jumped into the military vehicle waiting at the base garage and barked out the location.
"Kesseln Town. Step on it."
But within minutes of the ride, frustration grew. The vehicle wasn't fast enough.
My heart pounded not just from urgency but from something deeper—an instinct.
Something strange was going on there. My gut twisted.
"Screw it. I'll run."
I opened the door, leapt out while we were still moving, and landed in a crouch that cracked the ground lightly.
Qi swirled around my body, tightly compressed in every fiber of my being.
My superpower—Qi Compression—wasn't the flashiest, but it made every movement explode with velocity.
With a low exhale, I surged forward, each step sending mild shockwaves into the earth.
The wind stung my face as trees blurred past.
Minutes passed. Then I saw it—
Kesseln Town.
Or rather, what remained outside its gates.
The battlefield was a mess of corpses—human and beast alike.
The smell of blood was heavy, and the air trembled with lingering Qi traces.
Trees had been felled in a neat line, as if something impossibly sharp had sliced them all in one stroke.
And then I saw him.
Standing amidst the carnage, eyes closed.
Tattered robes fluttering in the breeze.
Cascading white hair gleaming in the sunlight.
Blood stained his clothes, yet he stood tall, unbothered.
A single man.
The beasts around him didn't move.
Neither did he.
Until—
His hand slowly moved. With a quiet, almost gentle motion, he sheathed his sword.
The moment the blade clicked into its scabbard, the world changed.
A shockwave rippled outward. Trees several meters away split cleanly.
The mighty Tier 1 Howler Monarch—a beast that would take entire squads to subdue—was cleaved in two.
And it wasn't just it. Dozens of other beasts behind it were sliced, a thin line of destruction marking the air.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
"...What the hell... was that?"
Sword Intent. No doubt about it.
But this wasn't just regular swordplay—it carried truth.
Something deeper than technique or strength. Something rare. Elusive.
The man—whoever he was—swayed slightly.
And then collapsed.
I rushed over, caution giving way to urgency. As I got closer, I could feel it.
An aura. Ancient. Tranquil. Unshakable.
I knelt beside him, brushing aside the loose strands of hair that clung to his pale face.
His skin was cold, but not lifeless. His breathing was faint but steady.
His pulse was stable.
"He's alive... Barely."
I took a good look at him.
No insignia. No military badge. No rank. Just a stranger.
But his presence—
No.
His very existence whispered legends.
"This guy... he looks like a Sword Immortal."
My voice was a mere whisper.
Moments later, medics arrived, tending to the wounded soldiers scattered across the field.
When they saw the white-haired youth, they hesitated for a moment before nodding respectfully.
"This one fought?" one of them asked.
"He ended the beast tide," I replied quietly.
As they began treating him, I stood up and looked around.
The battlefield was eerily still. No more roars, no more howls.
Just silence, cut cleanly by a single man's blade.
A stranger with no name.
A boy with eyes closed.
A swordsman who reminded the world what it meant to carry truth in one's blade.
I turned to one of my soldiers.
"Get a stretcher. And... find out who this guy is.
I want every record, every file. He didn't just survive a beast tide—he cut it down."
As they scrambled into action, I looked at him once more.
A part of me knew.
This wasn't the last time I'd see him.
And next time... I hoped he wouldn't be just a ghost with a sword.
He'd be a name the world would remember.