I was standing in front of an invisible wall.
The air was cold, the surrounding was dark, and a random barrier appearing in the middle of the forest was way too suspicious. Thinking about what I should do, something clicked in my mind.
I contemplated my choices because I was thinking of taking no risk but fell before my own curiosity.
I placed my hand over it, closing my eyes and Slowly, the surrounding dulled as multiple binary digits flowed into my mind. I grasped its essence and looked at its formation. It was quite well-structured. A smirk rose on my face.
It's hard to crack, but not for me...
I gathered my mana, rewriting its own structure, and with just one change—
"Shatter."
It crumbled into dust. And then a beautiful scenery emerged in front of my eyes.
A flower field with a small house standing in between the grassy field full of lavenders as the bright sun shone in the orange sky. Looking bewildered at the image, I muttered—
"What's a house doing in the middle of the forest?"
"Arc, what's this place?"
[Sir, that will be 100 EXP of yours.]
"It's darn expensive, but that's okay. It's way less than that."
[It's a spatial space made from spirit essence, and the spirit spell used to create it is an advanced spell. The enemy or the person must be an A-rank adventurer.]
"We'll see, but first, let's move in and see what this place is."
[Be careful, this might be dangerous.]
"What are you worrying about? You know me, right..? And… since when did you start to care for me?"
[You are my money bank. If you die, how am I gonna earn?]
"You know, right? I will kill you for that."
[If you dare try, hahaha.]
Gulping down my anger, I took my steps in, sensing something amiss. I muttered to myself,
"Is this place really dangerous? Ahhh, just don't let something absurd happen. I don't want any trouble. But in case…"
I activated my spatial sense. It was like a detection skill, which I gained from hunting 200 wolves, but it would help me detect any danger within one meter of my radius. And with that, I teleported toward the house, taking my steps in.
I opened the gate gently.
Creakkk.
"Why does this shit make this much sound…"
I glanced sideways just to be sure and entered the house. I raised my senses, my eyes grew cold, my steps were heavy as I prepared myself for any surprise attack.
The atmosphere was cold, the surrounding was dark, and the smell of extinguished wood felt uneasy—but that didn't startle me. I kept moving deeper into the house until I reached a room.
***
In front of my eyes was a small, spacious dining table. The walls were made from furnished wood and decorated with flowers and candles. Everything was clean.
Feeling something's off, I looked around, and just then my instincts screamed—
A sharp dagger flew toward me like a piercing jet, and in that fraction of second, my hands moved on their own, my eyes were enveloped in blue aura, and before it could hit me, I caught the dagger mid-air with my bare hands.
But because of that, I wounded my palm; blood flowed from it like dripping water.
As I shouted, looking toward the direction of the attack—
"Who's there!?"
Sensing someone behind me, I moved quickly as a flying kick almost struck my back.
I shifted my foot, swung my hands, and grabbed the attacker's leg, throwing her away. The surrounding cracked from the impact, accessories shattered into rubble, and part of the wall burst apart. The attacker, saving herself from the impact, backflipped and landed on her feet.
In that moment, a few blue strings stretched out from my back, glowing faintly as the surroundings hummed. 0s and 1s floated toward my hand, embedding themselves into the air as the wound vanished like it never existed.
Looking surprised, the attacker spoke,
"Who are you?"
And with a playful expression, I replied,
"Well, I'm just a wandering adventurer. But you—who are you, miss? What's a cute girl doing in a secluded forest?"
As I said those words, I moved closer to her, and before she could react, I grabbed her hand, pinning her down on the ground.
"Wait… ugh?"
"Now, let's play a game. You answer some of my questions, and I'll leave you alone. But if you force me to act…"
Crack.
"Aaugh."
"I won't be as merciful as I am now."
Sensing a look of fear in the girl's eyes, I released her and stepped back.
"Now, tell me—what are you doing in the middle of the forest!?"
She hesitated a little, then replied,
"I-I'm hiding from the church."
"What do you mean by that?"
"The church… they're hunting people who disobey them."
"You're hiding something. Can you be more clear?"
Rubbing her fingers, she replied again,
"All the people of Midgar are under the control of the church, and those who aren't—they're hunting them."
"If that's the case, then I would be hunted too. What are you hiding? Tell me."
I moved closer, looking menacingly into her eyes.
Looking scared, she turned her face and finally replied again,
"Otherworlders. The church summons people from different dimensions to give them the role of hero and behold their power by controlling them. But some otherworlders are immune to their control. Still, they're overwhelmed until they give up, and if someone escapes, they're hunted by the apostles of the church. I'm one of them too."
"So you're an otherworlder, am I right?"
"Yes…"
"Hmm, well, that's all. Sorry for threatening you. I had no intention of harming you. But I have one more question—why did you set up that barrier? You said it's to hide from them, but I still don't understand. Can't they breach it?"
"No. It's a spirit barrier, so they couldn't track me down. But now that it's broken, I'll soon be hunted."
Looking down, she said it hesitantly.
I looked at her with a worried gaze and replied,
"Don't worry, I'll help you. But is there a chance we sit and talk? You seem quite shaken."
We moved to the dining table as she brewed me some tea and sat in front of me.
I gulped some tea and said,
"So how much time before they track us?"
"If I were to be outside the area, they would've tracked me instantly. But the spirit essence is still left in the air, so probably an hour or so."
"Fhew, I thought we'd have to run away. I guess I can chill for now."
"What do you mean? We can't escape their grasp. How will you escape?"
"Well, don't worry. I have something up my sleeve. Just worry about yourself."
She blushed, her face slightly flushed, and turned away.
Looking at her behavior confusingly, I said,
"Why are you tilting your face down?"
"Ahh—no, nothing!"
"Did I startle her? Whatever."
Suddenly, I felt a chilling sensation run through my spine. My expression grew cold again as I looked around.
"What's this feeling…"
My heart throbbed harder as if telling me to run away. I stood up in panic.
"What's happening…"
I tried to ignite my spell, but the formation broke.
Uneasiness rose on my face as I tried to figure out what's happening. My instincts kicked in.
I jumped, holding the girl in my arms, and activated a barrier around me—
BOOM.
The shockwave ripped through the room like a beast. Wooden planks splintered, and the lavender scent in the air turned to dust and smoke. The light outside dimmed, replaced by a swirling haze of debris. Everything caught on blazing fire, and in the middle of that destruction, I stood surrounded by burning debris while the rough smoke covered me like a wall.
The girl was sitting inside the barrier, still confused, as I spoke,
"Listen, stay here and do not interfere."
She nodded in response, but the worried look was still on her face.
I wiped the dust off and walked out of the rubble, searching for the origin of the attack. But my mind wasn't as calm as it seemed on the surface.
I'd be dead meat if I hadn't overwritten the rules. Thankfully, I put up the barrier—but why did they came so early? I thought I could chill for a few more minutes.
Ahh, what should I do...
***
I slowly found my way out of the debris, pretending to be affected by their magic obstruction. As I couldn't risk my identity to be revealed, so I casted an illusion around my body and wore a blue-lined black mask to hide my face.
After that my gaze shifted to the dusty sky, and with a short boom I jumped off the ground—soon, meeting the attacker floating above the ground.
A man in a black robe almost in his mid-twenties, sleepy eyes, messy hair, and bright red eyes like a blazing sun. A Christ locket hung around his neck. I stood still, watching him, until he spoke in a deep, dark tone,
"Oh, so someone survived. Who are you, boy?
Well, You're not our target, so leave this area quietly."
I looked at him with an indifferent gaze and shouted loudly,
"So you're the scumbag who disrupted my precious time!"
"Hey, boy, I don't have time to hear your canonical nonsense. If you want to fight, then come on—don't waste my time."
As he spoke those words, I muttered to myself,
"Is this a new type of villain? Don't villains usually love to yap whatever?"
I kicked my foot against the ground as a broken metal piece wiggled and rolled into my hand.
"So if you say so, then..."
I vanished into thin air, reappearing behind the man.
He turned with a calm expression, though a flicker of shock flashed in his eyes as he easily parried my attack.
"So that's all you got?"
"Huh. It's just starting."
I dashed across the ground with inhuman speed, vanishing again from sight and reappearing behind him—but he parried once more. I kept attacking from multiple directions, but he didn't move an inch from his spot.
The fight was intense, but all my attacks were just a bluff. In between the clashes, I was secretly working to bypass the barrier they had created; one that trapped us inside and blocked our magic.
I landed on the ground, ready for one final leap. But then—
A sound echoed in my head.
The surroundings twisted. The world pulled itself apart. Everything turned crimson.
The man's voice broke through the chaos, deep and cold.
"Hey, listen. Now I'm getting annoyed. You've wasted enough of my time."
My heart throbbed in fear. My eyes widened as the world around me warped. He stared at me with a menacing, almost disgusted gaze—then simply, He waved his hand.
In that instant, my body was torn apart. Blood gushed like bursting water.
Until—
I broke out of the illusion, gasping.
"What… was that?"
I looked cautiously at the man, tightening my grip. Finally, I decided.
"So… I guess I have to take this seriously."
And with that, I took my final leap, an eerie smile rose on my face like a demon as I muttered…
". . ."