The midday sun blazed down on the streets of Taranach's capital.
Hax stood before the city's eastern gate, accompanied by four members of the Crimson Hawk. Daren smiled broadly as he adjusted his backpack straps.
"You're right on time."
Hax nodded. "Punctuality is efficient."
Luca, Daren's younger brother, chuckled. "He really never jokes, does he?"
"I don't joke," Hax replied flatly.
Luca paused for a moment. "...That really wasn't a joke."
Elena, a priestess in white robes, covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a laugh. Oscar, a mage with a green crystal staff, simply shook his head.
Daren clapped Hax on the shoulder. "Alright, let's move."
They walked along the main road toward the forest to the east. Hax kept pace beside Daren while the others followed behind.
Deep in the Forest.
After an hour of walking, the trees began to thicken. The sounds of birds gradually faded, replaced by an eerie silence.
Oscar frowned. "Strange. This area is usually teeming with wildlife."
Elena nodded. "I sense something wrong too."
Daren raised his hand. Everyone stopped.
"We're close," he said quietly. "The reports say the monsters have been gathering around the ancient ruins up ahead."
Hax stared forward. His eyes—or whatever served as his vision beneath that helmet—caught something the others couldn't see.
System Notification:
[High Mana Concentration Detected]
[Source: Unknown]
[Location: 200 meters ahead]
"There's something there," he said.
Daren turned. "What do you see?"
"Not see. Feel."
Oscar raised his staff. Blue mana swirled around the crystal at its tip. A few seconds later, his eyes went wide.
"He's right. There's an incredibly high concentration of mana up ahead. This... this isn't an ordinary monster."
Daren exhaled. "So the reports were accurate."
He drew his sword. "Standard formation. Elena in the back, Oscar in the middle, Luca and me up front. Hax..."
He glanced at Hax. "Can you hold the front line with me?"
Hax nodded.
They advanced.
The deeper they went, the heavier the atmosphere became.
Daren's grip tightened around his sword.
"This is strange," he muttered.
Luca looked at him. "What?"
"Monsters usually leave traces. Broken branches. Footprints. Sounds."
Daren glanced around the silent forest.
"But this..."
He looked ahead.
"It's as if everything here is afraid to make a sound."
Hax remained silent.
He had noticed it from the moment they entered the forest.
The absence of life was not caused by fear.
It was caused by something stronger.
A predator at the top of the chain.
Or perhaps...
something that didn't belong in the chain at all.
System Analysis:
[Environmental Abnormality Detected]
[Cause: Unknown Entity Presence]
Hax slightly narrowed his eyes.
Interesting.
Even after hundreds of years, this world still managed to produce things he had never seen before.
---
They found it twenty meters later.
An ancient stone gate, half-covered in creeping vines. Before it stood a creature none of them had ever seen before.
It stood about three meters tall. Its body was made of black stone pulsing with glowing red veins. At its chest, a dark crystal pulsed faintly—like a still-beating heart.
Scattered around it were dozens of monster corpses. Wolves. Bears. Even a few Orcs. All of them had been drained—as if their very life had been sucked dry.
Luca swallowed hard. "...What is that?"
Oscar frantically flipped through his notebook. "It's not in any Guild records. This... this is an unidentified species."
The creature slowly turned.
Its red eyes locked onto them.
Then—
WHOOSH!
It moved faster than anything that size had any right to.
Daren managed to leap aside—
But the creature was too fast.
CRASH!
A massive boulder slammed into the spot where he'd been standing. Daren was thrown backward by the shockwave, tumbling across the ground before coming to a stop against a tree root.
"Brother!" Luca immediately loosed an arrow.
TWANG!
The arrow struck the creature's shoulder. But instead of piercing—it shattered on impact. The creature's hide was too hard.
Oscar raised his staff. "Skill: Fireball!" A blazing orb of fire streaked toward the creature's body. But the black stone didn't burn—it absorbed the heat instead.
Hax watched silently.
Daren's sword.
Luca's arrows.
Oscar's magic.
Elena's holy power.
Four different methods.
Four different failures.
But Hax was not surprised.
The creature was not defending itself.
It was adapting.
Every attack that struck its body was being converted into energy.
"A defensive evolution ability..." Hax muttered.
Oscar immediately turned toward him.
"You know what it is?"
Hax looked at the creature.
"Not yet."
Oscar frowned.
"Not yet?"
Hax ignored the question.
He continued observing.
"Give me a few more seconds."
Oscar's expression became more suspicious.
A normal adventurer would panic when facing an unknown monster.
But Hax wasn't afraid.
He was studying it.
Like a researcher observing an experiment.
Elena raised her hands. "Skill: Holy Light!" A beam of white light struck the creature.
The creature growled.
But it didn't retreat.
"What will it take to stop this thing?!" Luca shouted.
Hax observed.
System Analysis:
[Golem Type: Unknown]
[Weakness: Core Crystal]
[Current Status: Absorbing Mana]
He looked at its chest—the pulsing dark crystal.
"Attack its chest," he said flatly.
Daren struggled to his feet. "What?"
"The crystal on its chest. That's the source of its power."
Oscar stared at him. "How do you know?"
"Analysis."
No further explanation. Hax was already stepping forward.
The creature turned toward him.
For the first time, it seemed hesitant.
As if... it sensed something different about Hax. Something it couldn't absorb.
Hax raised his hand.
From his Inventory, he drew a longsword made from dragon bone. The blade gleamed with a cold white light.
The creature growled. Louder this time.
Not a threat.
Fear.
Hax moved.
One step.
Two steps.
The creature attacked—its stone fist hurtling toward Hax.
Hax dodged.
Not with a dramatic leap.
Just by tilting his body a few centimeters.
The fist missed.
"..."
Daren stared, eyes wide. "He dodged... without even looking?"
Hax raised his hand.
Beside him, the air shimmered.
A black crack opened—Inventory Space.
His hand reached into the void.
Then pulled something out.
A massive blade emerged from the darkness.
Not an ordinary longsword.
Not a knight's greatsword.
This was a broadsword—its blade wide and thick, designed to crush rather than pierce.
Its entire surface was pitch black, as if even light refused to cling to it.
Along the blade, dark red engravings pulsed faintly, like living veins.
No metallic gleam.
No reflection of light.
Just darkness shaped into a blade.
Luca instinctively took a step back.
"...What kind of sword is that?!"
Hax didn't answer.
He simply raised the blade.
And for the first time, the black stone creature seemed uncertain.
As if it recognized something within that blade.
Something older than itself.
Something that shouldn't exist in this world.
Hax moved.
One step.
Two steps.
The creature attacked—its stone fist hurtling toward Hax.
Hax dodged.
Not with a dramatic leap.
Just by tilting his body a few centimeters.
The fist missed.
Hax was already at the creature's side.
One swing.
The black broadsword pierced through the black stone like a knife through butter.
No sparks.
No clash of metal.
Just the sound of splitting—like stone perfectly cleaved in two.
The creature shrieked—a high-pitched, ear-piercing scream.
But Hax wasn't finished.
He pulled his blade free, then swung again.
This time, straight through the chest.
The dark crystal cracked.
CRACK!
The creature froze.
Its entire body trembled. The red veins across its surface began to dim, one by one.
Then...
BOOM!
It collapsed to the ground.
Silent.
Elena approached the corpse cautiously. She touched its stone surface.
"Still warm... but there's no mana left."
Oscar stared at Hax. His eyes narrowed.
"You... who exactly are you?"
Oscar stared at the place where the monster had fallen.
The battle had lasted less than a minute.
A monster that had defeated countless creatures.
A monster that ignored their strongest attacks.
Had been defeated by a single person.
No.
Not defeated.
Executed.
Oscar adjusted his glasses.
There was something wrong.
Not with Hax's strength.
That part was obvious.
The problem was...
Hax never looked surprised.
Never nervous.
Never uncertain.
As if he already knew the outcome before the battle even started.
"An adventurer..." Oscar repeated quietly.
He didn't believe it.
Not completely.
"An S-Rank doesn't explain a sword appearing out of thin air."
He pointed at where the black blade had just vanished into the spatial rift.
"Or the way you fight."
Hax stared at him for a few seconds.
"..."
"That's a secret."
Oscar was about to argue.
But Daren was already standing with difficulty, clutching his bruised shoulder.
"That's enough, Oscar."
He looked at Hax.
"You... you really are S-Rank, aren't you?"
Hax turned. "You know about me?"
Daren laughed softly, though his expression still winced with pain.
"The whole guild knows. That receptionist can't keep her mouth shut."
Oscar was still staring at Hax with a probing gaze.
But he said nothing more.
Luca approached his brother. "Are you alright?"
"I'm still alive." Daren smiled. "That's enough."
Elena exhaled in relief. Then her hands began to glow with soft white light—healing magic.
"Stay still," she said. "I'll heal your wounds."
Hax stood beside them, silent.
Behind his black helmet, he made a mental note.
Oscar is suspicious.
Daren trusts him.
Luca doesn't care.
Elena is focused on her duty.
"..."
An interesting dynamic.
He filed the information away.
Hax fell silent.
So his reputation had already spread.
No matter. It still fit the plan.
They walked back toward the capital in silence.
Luca kept glancing at Hax. "You're really not like ordinary adventurers, are you?"
Hax didn't answer.
Oscar, usually quiet, finally asked. "Which kingdom are you from? I've never seen armor like that before."
"Etravia."
"Etravia?" Elena frowned. "I've heard there was a war there. About the Demon King."
Hax didn't answer.
Daren glanced at him. "Were you involved in that war?"
"..."
Hax finally responded. "I was there."
"Where? On the battlefield?"
"Yes."
The four Crimson Hawk members exchanged glances.
Daren let out a low whistle. "So you actually saw the Demon King?"
"..."
Hax didn't answer.
He saw the Demon King—every day, in the mirror.
But that wasn't something he could say.
"There are many things I can't talk about," he said finally.
Daren nodded. "We understand. Adventurers always have their secrets."
They continued walking.
---
After a long conversation, they finally reached the city.
As they entered the capital, the sun was already beginning to tilt toward the west.
Daren clapped Hax on the shoulder. "Thanks for your help today. Without you, we might all be dead."
Hax nodded.
"If you need help again," Luca said, "you know where to find us."
Hax nodded again.
They parted ways in front of the guild.
Hax walked down the street toward the inn that Mimic had booked for him.
As he opened the door to his room...
Mimic was already sitting in the chair by the window.
His youthful, handsome face—a disguise—wore a faint smile.
"Mission report complete, Your Majesty."
Hax closed the door behind him. "How did it go?"
Mimic shrugged. "They won't be hurting anyone anymore."
"Are they dead?"
"..."
Mimic smiled. "That depends on your definition of 'dead.'"
Hax didn't press further.
He sat in the other chair. "Anything else?"
Mimic pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. "I found something interesting while sneaking around the palace."
Hax took the paper.
On it was written a name.
Faolan Cian Taranach.
"The second prince," Mimic said. "He's interesting. His movements... not like an ordinary noble."
Hax placed the paper on the table.
"Tell me everything you know."
Mimic smiled.
"Only observations?"
"Facts."
Mimic nodded.
"Very well."
He leaned against the wall.
"Faolan does not move like a prince."
Hax looked up.
"What does he move like?"
Mimic's smile faded slightly.
"An assassin"
The room became silent.
"He hides it well. Around nobles, he behaves like someone who was born into luxury."
"But?"
Mimic looked toward the window.
"When he thinks nobody is watching..."
"He becomes someone else."
Hax stared at the name written on the paper.
Faolan Cian Taranach.
A prince who moved like an Assassin.
Interesting.
Hax read the name.
"..."
He didn't recognize it.
But something about it bothered him.
"All too perfect for a noble."
Hax fell silent.
That wasn't a coincidence.
Someone who moved with that much training...
"Monitor him," Hax said finally. "But don't get close. I want to know more about him first."
Mimic nodded. "Understood."
He rose from his chair. "One more thing, Your Majesty."
"Yes?"
"The girl you saved. She's arrived at Black Fortress. Nocelle received her well."
Hax fell silent.
"Is she awake yet?"
"Not yet. But Nocelle says she should wake soon."
Hax nodded.
"Good."
Mimic walked to the door. "I'll return after completing the reconnaissance mission."
The door closed.
Hax sat alone in the room.
Outside the window, the sun slowly sank behind the city rooftops.
System Notification:
[New Follower Acquired]
[Name: Unnamed Succubus]
[Status: Unconscious — Recovering]
[Location: Black Fortress]
Hax closed the window.
Tomorrow, he would return to the guild.
There was much to learn about Taranach.
But for now...
tonight, he would rest.
Outside the City, on the Rooftops...
Someone stood on the highest rooftop in the capital.
Silver hair fluttered in the night wind.
Grail Silverhart gazed toward the inn where Hax was staying.
"..."
He sensed something.
Unusual mana.
Not from a mage.
Not from a monster.
But something else entirely.
He frowned.
"...Who are you?"
Grail stood silently beneath the moonlight.
For years, he had learned to distinguish different types of mana.
The mana of mages.
The mana of spirits.
The mana of monsters.
The mana of divine beings.
But the presence he felt from the inn...
didn't match any of them.
It was ancient.
Yet controlled.
Powerful.
Yet hidden.
Like a blade kept inside its sheath.
Grail's eyes narrowed.
Whoever that person was...
he was not hiding because he was weak.
He was hiding because he didn't want the world to know he existed.
But inside his room, Hax slowly turned toward the window.
Outside, the night sky was dark.
But he knew.
Someone was watching him.
He smiled faintly.
"Interesting."
At Taranach Palace.
Faolan stood on the balcony of his chambers.
In his hand, a small piece of paper.
A report from his spy at the guild.
"An S-Rank adventurer has arrived in the capital."
"Black armor. Tall. Quiet."
"Name: Hax."
Faolan read the name.
Then repeated it softly.
"...Hax."
He didn't know why, but the name felt foreign to his ears—yet strangely familiar.
Not because he'd heard it before.
But because...
he felt as though he should know it.
Behind him, on the table, a short sword leaned against the wall.
The sword was a relic from his master.
The one who taught him everything.
His master called it a "Katana."
Its blade curved, unlike the straight swords commonly used by the kingdom's knights.
And before his master left...
he said:
"If you ever meet someone stronger than me..."
"Don't fight them."
"Ask for their help instead."
Faolan gripped the paper tightly.
"Are you the one, Hax?"
No one answered.
But in the distance, atop the city rooftops, a shadow moved.
Mimic chuckled softly.
"Ah... this is going to be fun."