The corpse of the elven woman lay abandoned in a filthy corner, her glassy eyes frozen in shock—never understanding why her life had ended like discarded trash. Dried blood soaked into the dirt, her fragile body butchered beyond recognition.
Shun stood completely still.
His fists clenched so tightly that his nails pierced his own skin, blood trickling down his fingers unnoticed.
Mye knelt on the ground, sobbing helplessly, her tiny frame trembling under the weight of her grief. Around them, the Red-Light District remained unchanged—drunken laughter echoed, careless footsteps trampled over sorrow, and the hollow gaze of those enslaved watched in silence.
No one cared.
No one stopped.
Just another dead spirit, forgotten in filth.
Shun lowered himself, placing his hand on Mye's head. He didn't speak soothing words, didn't offer comfort…
His cold gaze swept over the crowd—disgusting men grinning, guards pretending not to see, beasts dressed as humans preying on the weak.
-"Which one of you… murdered her?" he whispered, knowing no answer would come.
No one looked back.
No one flinched.
They were all guilty.
Every last one of them was rotten.
Yet… there was nothing he could do.
No name.
No face.
No evidence.
Just his suffocating rage, locked inside his chest like a chain tightening around his heart, his weakness bleeding through every vein.
Bowing lower, Shun leaned closer to Mye's ear.
- "Raise your head...."
Tears streaked down her cheeks as she hesitantly looked up, her eyes glistening with broken innocence. But there was no pity in Shun's gaze—only the silent steel of fury and something far more terrifying: purpose.
-"This world is a cesspool," Shun said quietly, his voice steady and sharp. "But I am not someone who will kneel and cry over the dead. I don't forget. I don't forgive. And I will bury every last bastard who forced you to live like this."
He didn't shout.
He didn't scream.
His words fell like iron, heavy and absolute.
Standing tall, Shun stared out at the filth around him, swallowing every drop of rage.
Not now…
But one day…
He would burn it all to ashes.
-"Remember my words, Mye… one day, with these hands, I will crush every chain… and wipe out the sickness that forced you into this life."
There were no tears.
Only hatred.
And an icy resolve that promised revenge.
In the suffocating silence of the grim forest, Shun knelt down, his steady hand gripping Mye's small, trembling fingers. She had nothing left—no home, no family, no money, no one in this rotten world who would care for her. At that moment, Shun understood—whether he was strong or not, from now on, he would be the only support she had left.
-"Let's go," Shun whispered. No grand promises, no empty words. Just action.
Under the faint light breaking through the canopy, they buried Mye's mother in a quiet corner of the woods, far away from the filth of that cursed district. No priest, no mourners, only two people shoveling earth with their bare hands. Mye's tiny fingers clawed at the dirt, her tears long dried, her eyes red and swollen.
-"You won't go back there," Shun said firmly after the final mound of earth was set. "No more selling your body, no more kneeling before cruelty. From now on… you live for yourself."
When they returned to the simple camp, Myria opened the old wooden door without a word. Her eyes swept over Shun and rested on Mye. No judgment. No questions. Just quiet acceptance.
- "A new companion?" she asked softly. Shun nodded, his expression needing no further explanation.
Myria didn't push the subject. She simply turned back to preparing the evening meal.
And then… the silence broke.
A mischievous, playful voice echoed through the camp.
Noct, the sly black rabbit, came hopping around in circles, his golden eyes sparkling with mischief.
-"Ooooh~ So the hero picked up a cute little orphan, huh~? Rescued her from the gutters, adopted her on the spot, huh~?"
Shun ignored him entirely, not sparing even a glance, calmly helping Myria with the meal. His silence only made Noct laugh harder, rolling on the dusty ground in amusement. But Shun knew—inside this little tent, with just the three of them, was the only peaceful corner left in a world drowning in cruelty.
Dinner that night was simple, but warm. They didn't speak much, but Shun knew… Mye would never be alone again.
After a simple yet warm dinner, Shun sat beside Mye near the small crackling campfire. The little spirit girl shared fragments of her memories—small, scattered pieces of a life that had been cruelly taken from her. In the flickering firelight, Shun didn't see a lowly spirit, but a little sister abandoned by the world. From this moment on, he knew—he would never let anyone hurt Mye again.
Far off in the night, Noct had already left, his black fur vanishing into the shadows. He had gone to investigate, scouting for missions that would suit the current strength of Shun's little group. The atmosphere around the camp grew eerily quiet.
Myria remained seated in the corner, calmly stirring a pot of medicine with an old silver spoon, light herbal aromas wafting through the air. Shun glanced over, feeling a rare sense of peace, even if it was only temporary.
Hours drifted by until, around 11 p.m., the door of the wooden shack creaked open, followed by a familiar playful laugh.
-"I'm back ~" Noct announced, hopping in while waving a crumpled piece of paper.
-"There's a job waiting for you tomorrow morning," he said, grinning mischievously. "At exactly 6:20 a.m., you need to be at the West Effingham Farm. Someone will give you your assignment there."
Shun narrowed his eyes slightly.
- "What kind of mission?" he asked curtly.
But Noct only snickered, his golden eyes glinting with mischief.
-"Oh-ho, now that would ruin the surprise, wouldn't it? It's more fun this way."
Myria merely raised an eyebrow but didn't press further, returning to stirring her potion. Mye sat quietly, curiosity flickering in her young eyes, though there was still a faint hint of fear.
Shun sighed softly, realizing the road ahead would be anything but easy… but this time, he wasn't alone anymore.
Early the next morning, Shun's group set off right on schedule. Noct and Myria stayed behind at the small cabin since, thanks to the contract, Shun could summon Myria at any time if the situation became dangerous. This time, only Shun and Mye traveled together, heading west as instructed in their assignment.
Before them stretched a vast, snow-covered mountain range—gloomy and desolate. The northern winds howled endlessly through the cliffs, bringing with them a biting cold that pierced through flesh and sank deep into the bones. A thick fog blanketed everything, reducing visibility to just a few meters, making the world around them feel suffocatingly small, as if they were walking through the ruins of a forgotten land.
Shun walked with steady, focused steps, every sense on alert. He quickly realized the peculiar nature of this region—the climate was so harsh that very few creatures could survive here. Even low-tier monsters rarely roamed these lands, and powerful predators like dragons avoided it altogether, simply because there wasn't enough food to sustain them. The biting cold, the barren soil, the absence of plants and animals—all combined to create an unsettling silence, both peaceful and oppressive.
Both Shun and Mye wore multiple thick layers to fight against the freezing winds. Shun donned a heavy fur-lined coat Myria had given him the night before, reinforced with protective enchantments to block out some of the brutal cold. Mye also wore a similar set of clothes, her small figure almost swallowed by the thick fabric, yet her bright, innocent eyes still sparkled with a trace of excitement as she traveled beside Shun.
In this frozen, colorless world, only the sound of their boots crunching on snow echoed in the vast emptiness. Their breath turned to mist, vanishing into the gray haze as they pressed forward. A new journey had begun—harsh and unforgiving, but necessary.
Even though the entire region was blanketed in thick snow, Shun and Mye managed to keep on course thanks to the subtle markings Noct had left during the night before. The invisible signs guided them through the white wilderness like quiet whispers in the wind.
Shun couldn't help but think to himself with a hint of sarcasm, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
-"For a small rabbit, that little guy's pretty good at handling snowstorms…"
After trekking a few more hundred meters, the duo stumbled upon a natural cave nestled between jagged cliffs, hidden beneath layers of snow. The entrance was narrow, but once inside, it opened up just enough to shield them from the biting wind. Grateful for the brief shelter, they decided to rest, letting their bodies recover from the exhausting march through the frozen wasteland.
Shun quickly gathered some dry twigs scattered inside the cave and lit a small fire, the soft crackle of flames filling the silence. The warmth seeped into their frozen fingers, easing the stiffness in their muscles. From his travel bag, Shun took out a modest amount of smoked meat that Myria had packed for them—simple, yet enough to replenish their energy.
They sat in silence, sharing the food, letting their bodies thaw as the faint glow of the fire flickered on the cave walls. Shun stretched his shoulders, eyes glancing toward the narrow entrance where the howling wind continued its mournful song outside.
- "We'll rest here for a while," he murmured to Mye. "No point pushing ourselves. Our task doesn't start until three in the afternoon anyway."
Mye simply nodded, her cheeks rosy from the warmth, her small hands clutching the last piece of meat. For now, the mountains remained silent, but Shun knew… the real challenge hadn't even begun.
Shun constantly asked himself a lingering question during their journey—could he actually communicate with or even resurrect the dead? His power was tied to the spiritual realm; he could sense the faint traces of lingering souls and feel the sorrow etched into the land. Yet, every time he brought up the idea, Myria coldly dismissed it, her sharp eyes gleaming with warning:
-"You're far too weak to touch those high-level spells, Shun. Every use would chip away at your soul and mind. If you want to protect the living, don't recklessly meddle with the dead."
Shun could only clench his fists in silence, swallowing his frustration. He knew… he was still too weak to challenge the laws of life and death.
As for Mye—the little spirit girl—Shun still wasn't sure what her true abilities were. Myria had mentioned briefly that spirits, though physically weak, possessed a deep connection to nature. They had talents in purification, healing, and sensing surrounding energies. Mye was inexperienced, but her clear, gentle eyes could see things no ordinary person ever would.
Time passed quickly, and before long, it was nine in the morning. The sunlight pierced through the thick clouds, breaking apart the lingering fog and revealing a vast, open wilderness ahead of them.
The group pressed on.
Along the path, they came across many frozen corpses—humans and animals alike—curled up and lifeless in the snow. No one could tell if they had died from the cold, starvation, or something far more sinister lurking within the mountains.
Finally, after pushing through the harsh terrain, they arrived at the edge of the mountain range. And what unfolded before them… was breathtaking.
In the distance, a massive Kingdom sprawled across the lowlands. Winding rivers carved through the land, creating a vast network of waterways that covered nearly 60% of the entire Kingdom. Water wheels spun lazily, irrigation canals snaked through the fields, and the fresh, clean air gave the illusion of peace.
But Shun knew better.
He had read about this place in Myria's book—the brutal social hierarchies, the relentless oppression of the weak, the countless bloody wars masked beneath a thin veil of civilization. Behind this beautiful façade was cruelty… and corruption.
Shun and Mye spent thirty minutes exploring the bustling Kingdom—visiting crowded markets, watching the busy docks, and observing the expansive aquaculture farms. This Kingdom, as Shun learned, was the largest fishery hub in the Western region, feeding tens of thousands of people.
Once their short tour ended, they returned to their main objective.
Ahead of them, situated on fertile plains, stood a large military outpost. Reinforced wooden barricades encircled it, solid barracks lined the grounds, and heavily armed guards patrolled the perimeter.
At the entrance stood a middle-aged man in sturdy armor, sharp eyes scanning their approach.
- "So… you two finally arrived," the man said, his deep voice calm but firm. His gaze swept over Shun and Mye, as if measuring their worth.
Shun stepped forward, his determination unwavering, ready to face the next challenge in this unforgiving world.
The man pointed towards the distance, to an old wooden house on the outskirts of the farm, visibly damaged by years of harsh weather. He instructed Shun's group to repair and restore the house to working condition. Shun accepted the mission, noting the reward—one thousand Aus, the currency of this world (1 Aus roughly equaled ½ USD on Earth).
Shun couldn't help but question it in his head: "Why is someone that big and muscular hiring others to do basic repair work instead of doing it himself?" But as expected, when they approached the house, the structure was more than just weather-worn—it was half-collapsed, the roof broken, and the walls nearly rotted away. Right beside it was… a fenced-in hippo ranch?
Shun blinked in disbelief.
-"This world even keeps hippos as pets?" He sighed heavily but resigned himself to the job.
Shun took charge of repairing the walls, lifting and reassembling the wooden planks, while Mye wandered around the surrounding area, gathering edible fruits and cleaning out the dusty, decrepit kitchen and storage room.
But then—just as Shun was reinforcing one of the sidewalls—one of the hippos broke free from its enclosure, its massive form charging straight toward Shun, with Mye screaming in horror nearby.