Three strangers stood around his campsite with drawn weapons, but Hajin held zero interest in listening to their excuses.
He watched the brutal battleaxe whistle toward his collarbone, noting the wide, telegraphed arc of the sloppy swing.
'Running is easy... but running teaches me nothing about this reconstructed body.'
The reconstructive surge from the previous night restored his ribs, cleared his ears, and filled his muscles with light vigor.
He perceived the subtle twitch in the adventurer's shoulders and the shifting gravel beneath three pairs of feet.
'Senses sharpened overnight... let's see if my reflexes keep up.'
Jonas lunged forward with arrogant fury, bringing the wide steel blade down in a brutal, diagonal cleave toward the boy standing in his path.
Hajin stepped inside the lethal arc rather than jumping backward, ducking beneath the thick shaft with fluid grace.
The surprise registered in the attacker's eyes before Hajin drove a bare right fist into his exposed jaw.
The crack of bone echoed through the morning canopy, startling three black crows from their perches in the high pines.
The adventurer's head snapped sideways, his wild swing falling apart while Hajin pivoted smoothly on his front heel.
'Since when do my bare hands hit with that kind of crushing weight...?'
Jonas stumbled backward through the weeds, spitting a mouthful of dark blood while rubbing his throbbing, bruised chin.
The embarrassment on the large man's face quickly eclipsed his pain, turning his reddened cheeks dark with venomous anger.
"Stay right there, you little gutter rat!" Jonas snarled, spitting a mouthful of dark blood as his face darkened with venomous fury.
The broad axe came around in a desperate backhand sweep, seeking to sever the boy's legs at the knees.
Hajin parried the weapon's shaft with the flat of his dull sword, deflecting the momentum harmlessly into the loam.
He drove his bruised left shoulder into the man's chest, breaking his balance before driving his pommel forward.
The steel pommel shattered two front teeth, sending bloody saliva flying into the air with a wet thud.
Hajin kicked the inside of the man's right knee joint, dropping the large warrior onto one trembling knee.
He finished the combination with a sharp elbow strike against the man's temple, sending him sprawling into the dirt.
'This is ridiculous... I move twice as fast as a two-Shard fighter in full plate.'
The slum brawls of his youth taught him dirty leverage, but this divine body multiplied every ounce of speed.
He spun his notched sword with a flick of his wrist, watching the larger warrior struggle in the weeds.
Jonas pushed himself upright with trembling arms, blood dripping from his split lips onto the trampled forest moss.
"I was taking it easy on you," Jonas wheezed, wiping bloody drool across his sleeve with trembling fingers. "Now you die!"
The ambient mana in the clearing turned turbulent as both yellow Shards flared violently around the man's raised forearm.
A jagged yellow aura engulfed the broad axe blade, preparing to unleash a lethal, concentrated adventurer weapon technique.
'There it is... the raw power gap between classes in this world.'
He recognized the preparatory stance from academy drill books, knowing the destructive blast could cleave boulders in half.
He braced his feet against the damp earth, timing his movement to slip beneath the impending shockwave.
Before the armored warrior could release the gathered strike, Cassie blurred across the clearing at astonishing, blinding speed.
"Are you trying to commit suicide, Jonas?" Cassie barked, her palm striking the back of his neck with sharp, surgical discipline.
Her palm struck the back of the man's thick neck, disrupting his mana channels with surgical precision.
The gathered yellow aura vanished instantly, and the large adventurer collapsed face-first into the mud, unconscious on the spot.
The quiet forest returned to peaceful stillness, leaving only the gentle whisper of wind through the high pine boughs.
Cassie turned toward Hajin and executed a formal bow, dipping her head with practiced, elegant imperial etiquette.
"I apologize for my companion," Cassie said, dipping her head with formal, practiced etiquette. "His greed was inexcusable."
Hajin kept his notched sword raised, studying the young mage with cautious, calculating eyes beneath dark bangs.
'Clean strike... she carries far more discipline than her loud partner.'
He lowered his notched blade by three inches, keeping his balance centered in case the third companion attacked.
"Didn't have to knock him out on my account," he replied with a dry smirk, lowering his notched blade by three inches. "I still had questions for him."
"He was about to unleash an overcharged cleave," Cassie explained calmly, resting her staff against her hip. "That would force a lethal outcome."
She rested her polished staff against her hip, watching his defensive posture with quiet, respectful intelligence.
"Fair enough," he conceded with a slight shrug. "Take your sleeping buddy and clear out of my camp."
Cassie straightened her posture, her perceptive eyes studying the strange golden ring rotating faintly around his pale right wrist.
'His mana radiates quiet supremacy... yet he wears the torn rags of a beggar.'
She tapped her staff against the earth, hesitating before asking the question that burned inside her thoughts.
"What guild holds your contract... if I may ask?" Cassie asked, her perceptive eyes studying the strange golden ring rotating beneath his fraying cuff.
"None," he answered plainly, leaning his weight onto his back foot. "I work independent."
The straightforward answer startled her, creating a brief flicker of genuine surprise across her composed, aristocratic features.
'An unattached fighter with that mana... must be an exile from a high house.'
She took half a step forward, keeping her empty left palm raised to show peaceful intentions.
"Our guild has open rosters," Cassie offered, extending an open palm. "Would you consider joining our next expedition?"
"No," he replied without hesitation, shaking his head. "Got my own business to settle."
"An independent who dismantles a two-Shard vanguard with bare hands won't stay unnoticed for long in the capital province," Cassie warned with sincere concern.
She adjusted the strap of her travel satchel, offering a practical piece of advice rather than an empty threat.
"The Knight Guild at the eastern gate has tightened border registrations this week due to irregular Gate activity in the foothills," she added, adjusting her satchel strap.
"Unregistered hunters caught carrying high-grade monster cores are being detained under suspicion of contraband smuggling."
Hajin's lips curved into a faint, dry smirk as he quietly absorbed the useful warning.
"Appreciate the tip, scholar," he said with a faint, mocking grin, touching two fingers to his brow in a half-salute. "I'll make sure to take the scenic route through the brush."
Toby hoisted Jonas's limp torso over one shoulder, grunting under the dead weight of the unconscious warrior.
"You should listen to her, kid," Toby grunted, hoisting the unconscious man across his broad shoulder. "Out here, talent without a noble crest gets you buried under false charges by the first patrol that spots you."
"Already lived through one noble family," he replied in a level murmur, his jaw hardening. "Once was plenty for a lifetime."
Cassie weighed his calm refusal for two silent breaths, recognizing the unyielding stubbornness in his eyes.
"I understand," Cassie replied with a respectful nod. "Fortune on your journey, then... though you clearly make your own."
"Never rely on fortune anyway," he retorted with a dry smirk. "Only quick reflexes and a sharp edge."
"Take care on the road, stranger."
Toby grumbled under the immense weight, dragging the unconscious warrior's heels through the damp grass and thorny undergrowth.
"Try not to kick any more travelers in the chest," Toby grumbled with a pained grimace as he staggered under Jonas's dead weight.
"Tell him to keep his hands off my crystals," he called back with a wicked smirk. "And he gets to keep his teeth."
Cassie offered one final, respectful nod, turning around to lead the quiet retreat down the winding mountain wagon path.
The shadows of the three adventurers vanished gradually into the morning woods, leaving behind only dragged footprints in the mud.
Hajin stood motionless until the sound of their retreating steps faded into the natural murmur of the woods.
He sheathed his notched sword, rolled his aching left shoulder, and let out a long, weary sigh.
'Two fights in two days... not a single copper earned for the trouble.'
He scooped up the two purple monster crystals from the dirt, wiping the sticky loam clean against his trouser leg.
The dense violet glow warmed his calloused fingers, promising at least twenty silver coins at the nearest trading post.
"Twenty silver coins," he murmured, tossing the warm stones lightly in his palm with a pleased grin.
"That buys forty loaves of coarse bread, a dry room at the inn, and a proper whetstone for this notched steel."
He retrieved the last strip of roasted venison from the flat river stone, tearing into the seasoned meat with ravenous hunger.
The savory fat restored warmth to his tired limbs, banishing the lingering exhaustion that clung to his bruised muscles.
'Never waste cooked meat in the wild... tomorrow might bring an empty stomach and an even longer road.'
He finished the venison quickly, then turned his attention toward the faint interface hovering in the corner of his eye.
A flashing notification pulsed quietly beside his peripheral vision, drawing his focus away from the empty campground.
[ Stream ]
[ Status: Active ]
[ Viewers: 1 ]
[ Comments: 1 ]
He stared at the floating viewer counter in mild disbelief, blinking twice to confirm the numbers remained real.
"One watcher stayed through all that noise," he chuckled, raising an eyebrow at the floating counter. "Someone on Earth likes watching bare-knuckle brawls."
"Hope you enjoyed the show, friend," he added, tossing a pebble into the smoking pit. "Next time, hit that donate button before the fists start flying."
'Still zero stream credits... earth viewers are apparently very stingy with their copper.'
He tapped the flashing comment icon with his thumb, expanding the single message sent across the dimensional void.
[ CringeSlayer91: what is this cringe bs ]
[ CringeSlayer91: wait is that blood actual practical effects? ]
[ Lurker_01: camera quality is wild. what render engine is this ]
He read the strange foreign words twice, having never encountered such bizarre terminology in any imperial textbook back home.
'Render engine... either an advanced dwarven loom on Earth, or another word for stagecraft.'
He shook his head in amusement, leaning closer to the floating letters with a dry, mocking grin.
"You watched a registered guild warrior lose two front teeth for free," he remarked directly to the floating screen with a wry grin. "Call it morning entertainment."
The realization that an entire civilization across the stars viewed his desperate survival as an elaborate theatrical performance felt absurd.
Yet every second those strangers spent staring into his perspective produced faint, tingling warmth in the core of his chest.
The system panel confirmed that their attention accumulated Soul Energy, feeding the dormant spark of the ancient goddess asleep within his lineage.
Even if they believed his bruised knuckles and notched steel were mere illusions, their curiosity provided the foundation for his future growth.
He secured the two purple monster gems inside his belt pouch, tying the drawstring tight against his hip.
He kicked damp forest loam over the smoking campfire pit, crushing the remaining embers beneath his heels.
The tracks left by the retreating adventurers cut deeply into the muddy trail, heading directly north toward the imperial highway.
'Taking the main highway guarantees running into another guild squad... or a checkpoint clerk asking for travel papers I don't own.'
He studied the surrounding ridgeline, identifying the narrow game trail that wound southeast through the rocky pine valley.
The valley path was rougher and frequented by wild beasts, but it bypassed the toll stations and led directly into the southern slums.
In the lower wards of the capital, an unregistered vagrant with monster cores could trade freely without noble guards asking inconvenient questions.
He adjusted his travel pack over his shoulders, rolling his bruised left arm to ensure his sword arm remained loose.
"Stick around, viewers," he muttered under his breath, adjusting his pack with a determined smirk. "The walk to the capital is long, but I guarantee the next fight won't be in the mud."
He turned away from the abandoned campsite and set off down the ridge trail, his feet moving in steady, lethal silence through the tall pines.
As the dense evergreen canopy gradually thinned along the descending bluff, the distant horizon opened into a breathtaking panoramic vista.
Miles to the south, the colossal white stone ramparts and gleaming spires of the imperial capital rose proudly against the morning sky.
High above the eastern gate bastions, the crimson and black hawk banner of House Flint fluttered faintly in the mountain breeze.
Three years ago, the family elders stripped his lineage and tossed him into the gutter like broken furniture.
Today, he returned to those same towering walls with an ancient golden ring revolving silently beneath his fraying cuff.
A dangerous smirk touched the corners of his mouth as he picked up his pace along the rocky downward slope.
The city of his disgrace awaited him below, and this time, he carried no intention of asking anyone for permission to survive.