The moment they stepped out of the dungeon, Eric practically dragged Kairo toward the guild.
"Serin! Serin, do you know? Kairo just leveled up!" The shout tore through the guild hall.
Kaya flinched, her fingers darting out to tug Eric's sleeve. "Eric… don't shout."
But damage was done. Serin stood behind her desk, quill hovering over parchment.
"Are you serious?" The words came out barely above a whisper. Her eyes locked onto Kairo's face, searching for the joke. "He just reached level two recently! How can he level up again so quickly?"
She laughed, "Are you joking?"
Eric opened his mouth, grinning like a fool about to deliver the punchline.
But Kairo said nothing. His expression remained flat, empty of humor.
Serin's smile crumbled, her hand trembled as she reached beneath the counter, pulling out a stats scroll.
"Place your hand," she said, voice barely audible now.
Kairo stepped forward. The crowd pressed closer, adventurers abandoning their posts to witness. He pressed his palm flat against the scroll's surface.
Light erupted across the parchment. Runes twisted and formed, glowing gold before settling into stark black text.
Serin snatched the scroll before Kairo could pull away. Her eyes scanned the first line, then widened, then widened more.
Her mouth opened, closed, and opened again.
"GUILD MASTER!!!" The shriek tore from her throat. "GUILD MASTER!!!"
She sprinted toward the back offices, robes billowing behind her, clutching the scroll like it might burn her fingers.
Murmurs erupted immediately, "What happened?"
"Did something go wrong?"
Kairo stood frozen at the desk, feeling the weight of a hundred stares boring into his back.
Eric leaned against the counter, arms crossed, looking insufferably pleased with himself.
Heavy footsteps thundered from the back, and a door slammed open from deep inside the guild.
The guild master burst through, a man in his fifties with iron-grey hair plastered to his forehead, sweat beading at his temples despite the cool air.
"Who's the one who hit level three in two months!?"
Eric thrust his thumb toward Kairo like presenting a prize pig at market. "I wish it were me… but it's him."
The guild master's gaze swung to Kairo. Swept over his thin frame, his hollow eyes, the way his cloak hung off narrow shoulders.
"This… this child?" The words came out strangled, disbelieving.
Adventures whispered, looking at the scene, "Did she say record broken?"
"Level three in two months?"
"That's faster than Azrael!"
"Is this kid real!?"
"No way!"
"Let me see the scroll!"
Bodies pressed forward, hands reached out, voices overlapping into meaningless noise.
Kairo's chest tightened, the walls closed in. Too many eyes. Too many voices. Too much attention.
He shoved the ore pouch into Eric's hands.
"You get the reward." The words scraped out rough and low. "I'm going to the tavern."
"Wait, Kairo—"
But Kairo already moved. He slipped between bodies, ducked under reaching arms, ignored the questions thrown at his back. The guild doors swung open and he vanished into the street beyond.
Behind him, the roar of excitement swelled.
...
Later that day, Eric and Kaya pushed through the tavern doors.
Eric spotted Kairo immediately at a corner table, hood pulled low, staring at nothing.
He pulled out a chair, "Why'd you run?! This is huge!"
Kairo didn't look up.
Eric sat anyway, Kaya sliding into the seat beside him. "The whole kingdom will know your name!" His grin stretched wide, infectious. "You'll probably get scouted by the royal knights!"
Kairo's fingers curled against the table's edge. "…I don't want to be famous."
Eric blinked and stared, "You're so weird."
He pulled a coin pouch from his belt and slid it across the table, "Your share."
Kairo's hand moved automatically, tucking it away.
Eric leaned back in his chair, balancing on two legs. "So, what's the plan now?"
Kairo's eyes lifted, something dark moved behind them, "I'm going to Aldoria Kingdom. I'm saving money for that."
"And before that… I'm going to deal with the ones behind the summoning scrolls. But at my level, I'm not strong enough yet."
Kaya's brow furrowed, she leaned forward, "We reported to the guild. Let them handle it."
Kairo clenched his hands into a fist, "No, I will kill them."
Eric and Kaya went still.
Kairo's voice dropped lower, trembling with barely contained rage, "I won't let even one of them live. Anyone trading those scrolls—anyone responsible—I'll give every one of them a painful death."
Eric finally stood, his chair scraped back. "...alright. See you tomorrow, get rest now."
Kaya rose with him, casting one last worried glance at Kairo before following Eric out.
Kairo stared at his untouched drink, watching torchlight dance across its surface.
His reflection stared back, hollow-eyed and unrecognizable.
...
Across the Kingdom, the News Spread.
In Elysara City, inside a vast clan hall built from white marble and gold, a breathtaking woman sat on a throne of silver. Her beauty could make kingdoms fall, with sharp cheekbones, eyes like polished jade, and black hair cascading past her shoulders.
A guard knelt before her, head bowed so low his forehead nearly touched the stone.
"My lady, a new record has been set. A boy from Sun City reached Level 3 in two months."
Silence stretched.
Then her lips curved into a soft smile, she was intrigued, "How interesting."
...
Far in the northern plains, atop a snowy mountain, a giant of a man meditated shirtless beneath a stormy sky. His body bore the marks of countless battles, scars crossing scars, burns layered over old wounds.
A guard approached, boots crunching against snow. He whispered the news, voice nearly stolen by howling wind.
The man didn't react.
But his aura stirred faintly, pressure building in the air around him. Like a slumbering behemoth flexing claws in its sleep.
The guard retreated quickly.
...
Deep underground, within a cavern lit only by red crystals pulsing like diseased hearts, a figure in a white mask entered.
Four others wearing red robes and grotesque masks turned toward him in perfect synchronization.
The white mask spoke; he whispered news of Kairo.
Grins formed beneath every mask.
"How delightful," one rasped.
"Fresh meat," another crooned.
Laughter echoed through stone corridors, wrong and hollow.
...
In the Hinora royal capital, within the knights' training grounds, swords clashed with bone-jarring force. Steel sang against steel, sparks flying with each impact.
A rugged, muscular man knocked a young opponent flat on his back. The youth gasped.
Before the older man could laugh, someone sprinted across the yard. "Sir Stein! Sir Stein!"
The Dragon-Slayer wiped sweat from his brow, "What is it?"
The messenger skidded to a stop, panting. "A boy… broke Azrael's record. Level three in two months."
Stein's eyebrows rose. He glanced down at the young man still struggling to stand, dark hair plastered to his forehead.
"Someone beat your record, kid."
Azrael's jaw clenched, his hand tightened around his sword's grip until his knuckles went white.
Stein chuckled, low and rumbling. "Better train harder."
...
Back in Sun City, Kairo lay awake in his inn room.
What am I even doing…?
The question circled endlessly.
He rolled onto his side, pulling the thin blanket tighter.
Sleep didn't come.
...
The Next Morning, Kairo approached the guild through streets already bustling with merchants and early risers.
Whispers followed him like ghosts.
"That's the boy!"
"Record breaker!"
"Unbelievable…"
"Doesn't look like much, does he?"
He pulled his cloak hood lower, shadowing his face.
The guild doors loomed ahead, he pushed through and stopped.
On the notice board, dominating the entire central section, hung a giant parchment. His face stared back at him, a sketch. Bold letters proclaimed: "THE FASTEST TO LEVEL 3 IN KINGDOM HISTORY"
His stomach dropped.
Kairo walked straight to Serin's desk, ignoring the eyes burning into his back.
"Can you remove that notice?"
Serin looked up, "Kairo! That news is historic!" She gestured at the board like presenting a masterpiece. "Aren't you happy?"
"No." His voice came out flat, "Everyone staring at me… I hate it."
Her enthusiasm deflated. She studied his face for some time. Finally, she sighed. "Alright. I'll talk to the guild master."
Kairo nodded once. "Thank you."
Serin leaned closer, dropping her voice below the ambient noise, "I found some information about the summoning scroll…"
Kairo's entire body went rigid.
Serin continued, "The knights questioned the Heaven Clan. But… they shut everything down with money. And the masked man who robbed you is part of the Red Shade group."
She paused, making sure he understood. "Red Shade is a terrorist organization, Kairo. They're notorious, you're lucky to be alive."
When reporting their mission, they'd mentioned the masked man had robbed the summoning scrolls and escaped, but Kairo had burned them after. The others concealed the truth since Kairo had saved their lives; they owed him that much.
Kairo's fists clenched at his sides. Knuckles cracked.
Serin watched the rage build behind his eyes, "You're lucky to be alive, Kairo. Truly."
Kairo said nothing.
But inside, something cold and terrible settled into place.
Heaven Clan, Red Shade.
He committed the names to memory, carving them into his bones.
I'll kill every last one.