The impact sent Haruto crashing into the wall with terrifying force, the stone shattering on contact as his body was thrown straight through it. He tumbled into a hidden chamber beyond, the world spinning violently before he hit the ground hard, the air knocked out of his lungs.
For a moment, everything went dark.
When his vision slowly cleared, he found himself lying in the middle of a shadowy room. His body was in terrible condition burns covered his skin, his breathing was weak, and a sharp, unbearable pain shot through his legs.
He tried to move, forcing his body to respond, but nothing happened.
A massive piece of broken stone had collapsed over his lower body, pinning him in place.
A faint groan escaped his lips. "…No…"
His vision trembled as he forced himself to look up.
The dragon was coming.
Each heavy step echoed through the chamber, shaking the ground beneath him as the distance between them disappeared little by little. Haruto's heart pounded wildly in his chest, fear tightening around him like a cage.
This was the end.
Then, suddenly, a faint green light flickered beside him. His gaze shifted weakly, landing on a small stone lying near his right hand, glowing with a soft, pulsing light. His thoughts barely worked through the pain as he stared at it.
"What… is that…?"
He didn't have time to think.
The dragon was already above him, its massive head lowering until it hovered just inches from his face. A wave of scorching heat poured from its breath, hot enough to burn his skin even without touching him.
Haruto's vision blurred, his mind going blank.
His hand moved on instinct.
He reached out—and grabbed the stone.
The moment his fingers touched it, the glow intensified, spreading rapidly until it illuminated the entire chamber. The dragon opened its mouth, flames gathering deep within its throat, ready to strike.
But before the attack could be released
The light swallowed everything.
Haruto's body went limp, and his consciousness faded into darkness.
Hours later, his eyes slowly opened.
Pain hit him instantly, spreading through his entire body as he groaned and pushed himself up. His thoughts were hazy, his vision unclear, until something soft brushed against his hand.
Grass.
He froze for a moment, confused, before quickly looking around. He was outside. The dungeon entrance stood in the distance, silent and unchanged, as if nothing had happened at all.
"…How…?"
Haruto looked down at himself, his expression shifting.
The injuries were gone.
The burns, the pain in his legs everything had disappeared completely, as if it had never existed. His mind immediately returned to the glowing stone.
"…That thing… saved me."
A teleportation item… and healing as well.
He clenched his fist slightly, still trying to process what had happened. After a moment, he forced himself to stand, his body still feeling weak, and began walking toward the city.
The Adventurers' Guild was as crowded as ever, filled with noise and movement.
But the moment Haruto pushed open the door, something felt off.
The noise faded.
Dozens of eyes turned toward him at once, and for a brief second, the entire room fell into an uneasy silence. Haruto ignored the stares and walked straight toward the reception desk.
"I want to report something," he said, his voice firm despite the exhaustion.
The receptionist looked at him carefully.
"What is it?"
Haruto took a breath before speaking.
"Sōta Minamoto… Nanami Okamoto… Kaito Yamazaki… and Akihiro Takeda."
"I want to file a complaint against them."
The moment those names left his mouth, the atmosphere changed completely.
Shock spread across the room.
Before Haruto could react, several soldiers rushed forward and grabbed him.
"Hey wait! What are you doing?" he struggled, confusion rising. "I didn't do anything!"
They didn't respond.
Without a single word, they dragged him outside as the people inside the guild stared at him like he was already guilty.
They took him to the center of the city, where a large crowd had gathered in a wide circle around something on the ground. As Haruto was forced forward, the people stepped aside, making way for him.
Then he saw it.
Four bodies.
Covered in cloth.
His breath caught in his throat as one of the soldiers stepped forward and pulled the cloth away.
Sōta.
His lifeless face was revealed.
Haruto's eyes widened in shock. "…What…?"
One by one, the others were uncovered.
Nanami. Kaito. Akihiro.
All of them were dead.
Haruto's mind went blank, unable to process what he was seeing.
"How… are they…?"
Murmurs began to spread through the crowd.
"He's the only one who came back…"
"He must have done it…"
"He killed them…"
Haruto shook his head desperately, panic rising inside him. "No… that's not true! I didn't—"
No one listened.
The soldiers tightened their grip on him, and the judgment in the crowd's eyes became absolute.
From that moment on, everything was taken from him—his home, his belongings, and his place in the city.
By nightfall, Haruto was thrown out.
Beyond the city's edge, an invisible barrier stood, separating him from the only place he had known. He stopped in front of it, staring silently as the realization slowly sank in.
People like him… criminals…
were no longer allowed to return.
And just like that
Haruto lost everything.
Again.
In present
Haruto sat alone inside a crumbling room, the wooden walls cracked and worn, as if the entire house could collapse at any moment. A cold draft slipped in through the gaps, brushing against his skin, but he didn't react.
Slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded letter.
It was the only thing he had left from his father.
His fingers trembled slightly as he opened it. He had read it countless times before, yet his eyes still blurred the moment he looked at the familiar words. A tear slipped down his cheek, falling onto the paper, but he didn't wipe it away.
He just held it there… quietly.
This was his life now—a small, forgotten village, far from the capital and deep within the forest, life had fallen into ruin. The houses were old and broken, the streets nearly empty, and hunger claimed lives almost every day.
Those who still had the strength had already left in search of a better future, leaving behind a place where survival meant stealing, fighting, or even killing for a piece of food.
At the far end of the village stood Haruto's house. Older than the others. Frailer. Barely holding against the years.
In this world, every person received a skill at birth, and people were judged by that skill before anything else.
Haruto had been born with the ability of a beast tamer — a lower-class power that people considered worthless. Others laughed at it, scorned it. Useless, they said. He had never truly belonged anywhere.
His thoughts drifted to the past. Not just humans, but beasts had taken everything from him. The endless war between humans and demi-humans had made life even harsher. Both sides fought without trust, trapped in a cycle of hatred he couldn't break.
The hunger, the loneliness, and the memory of that day fed the hatred growing inside him.
That was why the hatred inside him continued to grow
A desire for revenge.
Not just the beasts… he wanted revenge on anyone who had ever taken from him kill them, enslave them, make them suffer
Realizing that the village was no longer safe, Haruto began packing his belongings. A sudden knock sounded at the door, but he ignored it and continued to move faster. The knock turned into a violent kick.
"Open the door!" a voice shouted from outside.
Haruto moved toward the window. It was closed, but there were small holes in the wooden frame. He looked through one of them.
Several men were standing outside.
They looked like bandits. There were at least ten of them.
If he opened the door, they would take everything he had — or kill him.
Without wasting another second, Haruto grabbed his bag and quietly opened the back window. He slipped out and jumped to the ground.
One of the men noticed the movement.
A bandit ran to the back of the house and saw Haruto running toward the forest.
"He's escaping to the back!" he shouted to the others.
Haruto ran into the trees.
The bandits followed him.
Haruto ran as fast as he could.
He was running for his life. He couldn't fight them.
He rushed deeper into the forest and glanced back. The bandits were still chasing him, swords and bows in their hands.
After several minutes, he reached the edge of the forest where a wide river blocked his path. If he could cross it, he might survive. He moved toward the water, but an arrow suddenly struck his right leg from behind. Stumbling, he tried to keep going, only for a second arrow to pierce his chest. The impact threw him to the ground.
The bandits quickly surrounded him, laughing as they took his bag and searched inside. Finding only a book, spare clothes, and a little food, they threw the useless items back into his face and demanded money he didn't have. Haruto, unable to move, begged for his life through the pain, but the bandit leader stepped forward with a cold expression and declared that wasting their time was reason enough for him to die.
His hands and legs were bound tightly with rope while he cried and pleaded, his voice ignored by everyone. Just before they threw him into the river, the leader stopped them, emptied Haruto's bag, and filled it with heavy stones before forcing it onto his back. Then, without another word, they threw him into the water, and the weight dragged him down into the darkness as he began to drown.
Haruto was sinking, the stones pulling him down as the river's current dragged him forward. Water filled his lungs, his body screamed in pain, and water around him had begun to tinge red with his blood. He thought he was done — then, a soft, blue, holographic window appeared before him. A voice echoed:
[Beast Tamer Re-Awakening Activated]
[Level Up]
Haruto thought it was too late. It doesn't matter now… I'm going to die, he told himself as he slowly closed his eyes, everything fading to black.
Again, a voice echoed:
[Beast Tamer Re-Awakening Activated]
[Hidden Class Unlocked]
[Unique Skill: Absolute Domination]
[You can tame intelligent beasts.]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]x3