Kalin clearly understood that he had made a huge mistake this time.
He had been too focused on gathering information about the witch. In his mind, simply discovering her location would give him a huge advantage.
But after facing her in person, he realized the terrifying gap between them.
Whether it was physical strength or magic, the difference was overwhelming.
If he had to describe it, it was like the distance between heaven and earth.
Kalin coughed up blood as pain surged through his body. Blood slowly trickled from his ears as if his entire body was being crushed by an invisible force.
His vision flickered between light and darkness as consciousness began slipping away.
"Argh!"
A painful groan escaped his mouth as he struggled desperately, trying everything he could to break free from the witch's spell.
But nothing worked.
The only way to stop the spell was to reach the witch or damage her.
And right now, that was impossible.
Kalin understood it perfectly.
There was no way for him to escape this situation.
Regret slowly filled his heart.
Back in his previous life, he had always dreamed of entering a world like this—one filled with magic, monsters, and adventure.
Yet now that dream was about to end like this.
What a foolish mistake...
Kalin had no hidden trick left to save himself.
Slowly, he accepted the fact that he would die at the witch's hands.
But then—
Something unexpected happened.
At the moment Kalin had completely surrendered to his fate, something unexpected happened.
A shadow suddenly appeared beside the witch.
At first it was nothing more than a vague silhouette, but it slowly solidified, taking the shape of a human.
A middle-aged man with silver hair and a black suit emerged inside the cave.
Kalin tried to focus his blurry vision to see the man's face, but he couldn't. His sight had already begun to fade.
Swish!
The man's sword gleamed as a faint aura coated the blade. Without hesitation, he swung it in a single motion.
The movement was so fast that the naked eye could barely follow it.
Kalin only realized the attack had landed when the sharp sound of steel slicing through flesh echoed in his ears.
Thud.
The witch's head rolled across the ground.
Kalin was still barely conscious. The damage he had suffered earlier was severe, and his body refused to respond.
Still, he managed to hear the man's firm voice.
"You are reckless. And foolish."
The tone was calm, yet cold.
"You should think before acting. Next time, I won't save you."
As soon as he finished speaking, the man disappeared without a trace, like smoke dissolving into the air.
Kalin didn't even get the chance to thank the person who had saved his life.
His consciousness finally faded into darkness.
The man who saved him was Geron.
Geron was the Viscount's right-hand man. An expert in assassination and intelligence gathering, he was feared and respected by many nobles. Some even tried to recruit him to their side.
But Geron had never shown interest in any of them.
His loyalty belonged to only one person.
Viscount Cyrion.
If anyone else had been asked, there would have been no reason to save Kalin after everything he had done.
But Cyrion had personally entrusted Kalin to him. Geron could not betray the man who had once pulled him out of the darkness. In his mind, saving Kalin now was simply returning that favor.
Geron knew that Kalin had once been a kind child.
Everything changed after his mother died.
At first, Geron ignored Kalin's misbehavior, believing it was simply the boy's way of grieving. Losing someone so important could easily break a person.
But years passed, and the grief never faded. Instead, it slowly turned into habit.
Kalin began acting recklessly, no longer caring if his actions hurt others.
The moment Geron saw Kalin killing the wolf earlier, smiling while the creature screamed in pain, he finally realized something troubling.
The boy had changed far more than he expected.
"He's going to be a headache," Geron muttered under his breath.
Standing quietly at the entrance of the cave, he kept watch over the surroundings.
The strong scent of blood from the dead wolf lingered in the air. It was only a matter of time before other monsters caught the smell and came to investigate.
Inside the cave, Kalin remained unconscious.
And Geron had no choice but to guard him.
-
Several hours passed before the man lying on the ground slowly opened his eyes. The faint glow of the magical stones scattered around the cave immediately told him where he was.
He was still inside the cave.
Realizing this, Kalin quickly tried to move, his mind racing with the thought that the witch might still be nearby.
"Argh!"
The moment he shifted his body, a wave of intense pain surged through him. The witch's attack had crushed several of his bones, and even the slightest movement sent sharp agony through his body.
The pain also brought back the memory of what had happened earlier.
Gritting his teeth, Kalin forced himself into a seated position and leaned his back against the cold stone wall. His breathing was heavy as he tried to steady himself.
Then he saw it.
Not far from him lay the witch's body, her head separated from it.
Kalin bit down on his lower lip so hard that it began to bleed. Frustration burned inside him. He had nearly lost his life without being able to fight back. In front of the witch, he had been no different from a helpless child.
If that mysterious man had not appeared, his body would be lying here just like hers.
That was something he could not accept.
Thud!
His fist slammed into the ground as the memory of his reckless decisions during the journey through the forest replayed in his mind.
"Where is he?"
Kalin looked around the cave, scanning every corner, but there was no trace of the man who had saved his life.
The cave was silent.
Whoever that man was, he had already disappeared without leaving a single clue behind.
...
After resting in the cave for a couple of minutes, a thought suddenly crossed Kalin's mind.
How had that man managed to save him?
To be more precise, the man had appeared at the exact moment Kalin was about to die. That timing was too perfect to be a coincidence. In the original story, the one who was supposed to kill the witch was Zev.
Kalin understood that the future could change because of his intervention. Still, the man's words and his calm behavior during the fight suggested something else. It was as if he had been watching from the very beginning.
One name immediately surfaced in Kalin's mind.
Cyrion.
If Kalin remembered correctly, his father had supposedly decided not to interfere with his punishment. Yet that no longer seemed to be the case. Cyrion had clearly sent someone to watch over him, someone strong enough to step in if things became truly dangerous.
Kalin had believed that leaving the mansion meant he would finally be free from his father's watchful eyes.
Apparently, he had been wrong.
No matter what he thought of Cyrion, one fact remained undeniable.
He was still alive because of his father's decision.
To be honest, Kalin didn't know much about Cyrion or the people who served under him. The story had mainly focused on Zev and his companions, leaving little information about other powerful figures.
Because of that, Kalin had no idea who Cyrion's subordinates were or how strong they might be.
The only thing he clearly remembered was how his own story had ended.
In the original timeline, Kalin had been beheaded by Zev after slaughtering innocent people.
Ding!
Kalin's attention snapped to the screen that had appeared right in front of his eyes.
[You have completed the Quest!]
[Rewards are being distributed!]
+4 to all attributes
+1 Spiritual Energy
As the rewards registered in his mind, he could feel the subtle change in his strength. But there was no time to dwell on that—another screen appeared immediately.
[Would you like to open your new skill?]
The skill would be random, but Kalin was hoping for something offensive. After all, raw power was exactly what he was missing.
"Yes."
He didn't hesitate. He opened the rewards.
A golden light suddenly filled the cave as an old book materialized before him. Its pages turned on their own, as if the book were choosing the skill he was to receive. The brilliance was so intense that Kalin had to cover his eyes.
Ding!
When he opened them again, the light was gone, and a new piece of information glowed in front of him.
[You have unlocked: Creation Magic Skill]
Kalin's first instinct had been to hope for an elemental skill—fire, ice, or lightning—something that would give him direct combat power. But Creation Magic was far from disappointing.
He allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. The skill would be immensely useful, not only for survival but also for helping the village recover from its hardships.
Creation Magic – Allows the caster to create objects or structures using imagination and available materials. High mana consumption.
He didn't plan to use it immediately; the forest was dangerous, and his mana pool was still limited. Any careless casting could easily knock him unconscious.
"I should head back," he muttered to himself.
Kalin pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the lingering ache in his body. He couldn't afford to linger in the cave until nightfall. Before leaving, he collected all the treasures and magic-related books he could carry.
The defeat he had suffered at the hands of the witch still lingered in his mind. It drove home a single truth: he couldn't rely only on the knowledge from the story. He needed to understand the world he was living in now—its rules, its dangers, and how power truly worked.
And for that, he would need every advantage he could find.