Tap. Tap. Tap.
A young man ran at breakneck speed, desperate to escape whatever was hunting him. The path ahead was swallowed by a darkness so thick it felt like a physical weight, hindering his every step.
"Catch that brat!" "Don't let him escape!"
A group of pursuers followed close behind, clad in black and white—the traditional vestments of cathedral priests. Yet, instead of offering prayers or tending to the faithful, they were obsessed with hunting the boy down, their intent clearly murderous.
Yujin Baek pushed his body to its absolute limit, but he was no match for the priests' speed. It was obvious why: they were coating their legs with Aether, making their strides unnaturally light and swift.
And him? He could feel the Aether flowing, but he couldn't absorb it.
Memories of his first visit to a guild flashed in his mind. To register, he had to undergo a ritual to check the quality of his Magic Core. Instead of the expected glow, the ritual triggered no reaction. All he saw were faint, erratic sparks flickering from his own body.
The testers had stood in stunned silence. Some were indifferent, but most grew tense. One had even rushed out of the room in a panicked hurry.
Soon after, the insults began. They called him a freak, a useless defect. Some even cursed him to his face.
As he had hurried to leave, a group of priests entered. Instead of crosses, they carried strange objects he had never seen before.
THUD!
Yujin tripped, the harsh impact jolting him back to the reality of the chase.
"There he is!" "Kill him on sight!"
Arcane circles manifested in the air, pointing directly at him. They condensed Aether into a searing fireball that streaked toward his position. Yujin managed to dodge with agile grace, but a sudden bolt of lightning caught him off guard, leaving him heavily wounded.
As he fell, he gripped a stray current of Aether and slammed it into the ground, creating a veil of smoke to cover his retreat.
Damn it, how long will they keep coming? Do they really want me dead that badly?! Yujin hissed through gritted teeth, his breath coming in ragged gasps as his pace began to falter.
The priests dispelled the smoke with a burst of energy, clearing their vision to resume the hunt. As they ventured deeper into the forest, the air grew frigid. At night, the ambient Aether thinned—a disadvantage for both sides if the pursuit continued.
Yujin’s situation went from bad to worse when his path was cut off by a yawning abyss. The cliff was so deep he couldn't even see the bottom.
"Got him!" "Fire, damn you!"
They showed no mercy. Without a second thought, they prepared to unleash their most powerful spells.
But in a split second—the magic suddenly vanished, extinguished by a violent gust of wind so powerful Yujin felt he might be swept away. The priests' faces turned pale with terror. Yujin felt it too: a massive, overwhelming surge of Aether.
Run.
The thought screamed in his head. Without looking back, he bolted in the opposite direction along the cliffside, leaving the frozen, terrified priests behind.
Time blurred. Yujin had been running for so long that his body was on the verge of total collapse. He finally slumped against a large tree, using its trunk to shield himself from view.
Sighing deeply, he stared at the glowing window floating before his eyes. Its pale blue light was blinding in the dark of the night.
[You are under observation! Threat detected.]
The message was irritating. If it stayed like this, he’d never get any peace.
Ugh, damn it... this window is making me nauseous. Yet, he knew that without this system window, he probably wouldn't have survived his first day in this world.
He remembered the words of the old man who had saved him back then: "Live your life as usual, even if you have nothing," the old man had said.
Thinking of that decaying wooden shack brought a sharp ache to his head. Yujin felt a wave of bitterness and tried to force the memory away.
Rustle.
He heard a sound from the bushes to his right. Reflexively, Yujin stood up and clenched his fists, ready to fight despite his exhaustion. Minutes passed, but nothing happened. Frustrated, he sat back down, wondering if he was starting to hallucinate.
He drifted back to thoughts of the old man. They had lived alone in the woods, with only firewood and oil lamps for light. His days were quiet, filled with chores—until he tried to register at the guild. Everything had shattered then.
He became a fugitive, branded a "freak," made worse by the fact that people saw his face as a blur.
The pitter-patter of rain brought him back to the present. Even in the pitch black, Yujin decided to keep moving. At least the "under observation" status had finally disappeared. He caught some rainwater in his palms and drank. Even such a small thing felt like a blessing.
As he walked, he heard voices and the sound of stone grinding against stone. Curiosity got the better of him. He approached the source and found an ancient, moss-covered building overgrown with wild vines. A heavy flow of Aether pulsed from within.
Suddenly, a group of people burst out of the massive gates in a total panic. Some fell over themselves in their desperate haste.
What did they do in there?
His question was answered when a towering figure of stone emerged. It was humanoid, made of solid rock, and four times the size of a man. He watched in horror as a woman from the group was crushed by its massive hand. Despite its mossy, ancient appearance, the creature was as agile as an athlete.
He wanted to help, but he knew he was weak. His body felt more fragile than that of his frail, elderly grandfather.
Tsk... if only I knew what that thing was.
[Name: Elyndor] [Race: Stone Golem] [Type: Tier I Sacred Creature]
The system answered, but it only raised more questions. A Sacred Creature? What the hell is that? The old man had never mentioned such things; he’d always gone silent whenever Yujin asked about the world’s monsters.
The Golem raised its glowing arms and slammed them into the earth, triggering a massive tremor. It was clearly enraged by the five adventurers who had trespassed into its domain. The cracks in its head glowed a furious red.
As the Golem began to vacuum in the surrounding air for a massive attack, Yujin moved. He dashed toward the adventurers, snatched a discarded sword from the ground, and hurled it at the Golem's head. The attack failed to do damage, easily swatted aside, but it broke the monster's concentration.
Yujin’s legs trembled. He couldn't believe he was interfering in a life-and-death struggle.
Damn it, how do I kill this thing?
As he racked his brain, one of the adventurers handed him a dagger. It was worn, but sharp.
"Take this. It's better than being unarmed."
A girl in the group stood up, offering a magical enhancement. "I’ll help you!"
Yujin barely heard them. He was focused on finding a weakness. Targeting a weak point is more effective than mindless striking... That voice echoed in his head again. He turned to the adventurers.
"Why were you bothering that Golem?" "W-we didn't mean to! Our superiors told us to avoid it, but it suddenly attacked us!" "Do you know its weakness?"
The man hesitated, face pale from the battle. "Our boss said the weakness is the head. But the Golem is smart—it protects its head better than anything else."
Yujin’s pupils dilated. This was going to be difficult.
"Who can use long-range magic?" "..." "Nobody?" "I can," a woman in tattered clothes raised her hand. Her shimmering blonde hair marked her as a magician. "Then follow my lead."
Yujin bolted toward the Golem, aided by a speed buff from a green-haired girl. But then, he felt something draining from his body.
[Trait: 'Mana Leakage Syndrome (1)' is reacting!] [All Aether-based constructs will be expelled.] [Acceleration Buff has been negated due to Mana Leakage Syndrome.]
Yujin froze in shock, his body stiffening. The Golem capitalized, swatting him away. Though he tried to block, the Golem's sheer mass sent him flying.
The adventurers screamed in panic. But Yujin wasn't done. He realized now that he couldn't rely on anyone's magic. He charged again, signaling the magician to fire.
BOOM!
A fireball exploded, veiling the Golem’s vision. Seizing the opening, Yujin leaped toward the weak point—the markings on the back of its head. With one clean thrust, the dagger sank in.
The Aether within the Golem dissipated as the creature crumbled into a heap of stone. The adventurers rushed to Yujin, bowing in gratitude.
"What's your name?" "Just call me Yujin." "Yujin, thank you so much. We owe you our lives."
Uncomfortable with the attention, Yujin prepared to leave. "I'm heading out. Maybe we'll meet again."
He hurried away, leaving them behind. He was too exhausted for social interaction. But after a few minutes, he stopped dead in his tracks.
Ah... damn it. I forgot to ask them where the nearest kingdom is.
He stood there in the silence. It was too late to go back. His social anxiety had finally come back to bite him.
So... where the hell do I go now?