The ruin door opened with a groan.
Sunlight spilled in, blinding for a moment. Kael raised his hand instinctively, shielding his eyes as he stepped forward—out of stone, out of trial, and into the world of Exarune.
He expected a forest. A wasteland. Ruins.
What he found instead… was a battlefield.
Two forces clashed in the open field beyond the ruin entrance. Knights in dark armor fought against men in runed robes. Arrows flew. Magic surged. Blood sprayed the grass.
At the center of the chaos stood a single obelisk—half-cracked, glowing faintly with ancient light. Carved at its peak was a floating emblem:
Flag Marker.
So this is what they fight over.
Kael crouched behind a half-buried stone to observe. His eyes scanned everything.
Three armored factions. Standard war formation. Melee at the front, mages at the rear. Summoners holding the flanks. But no real coordination. No battlefield vision.
No one was leading.
They were all just trying to claim the ruin's power. Without understanding what it meant.
I just walked out of it. I understand more than all of them combined.
Then he saw it.
A youth—barely older than he looked—dashing toward the marker.
Alone.
Reckless.
A red crest on his chest. A noble family? He was trying to "capture" the flag alone.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
Ah. So it's like a real-time war game. Capture the marker, inherit its bounty.
A scout spell fired from the right flank—aimed directly at the rushing boy.
Too fast. Too late to dodge.
Kael moved.
One step.
Two steps.
A rune beneath his foot pulsed.
The spell curved unnaturally. It veered away and struck the dirt beside the youth.
He turned in surprise, just in time to see Kael step into the open.
"You—! Are you trying to die?!"
"No," Kael said calmly. "I'm making sure you don't die… before I use you."
The boy scowled, pulling his sword. "Who the hell are you?"
Kael ignored the question and looked past him.
More enemies were coming. Two from the west, cloaked. Assassins, based on the weapons.
"Duck," Kael ordered.
"What?"
"I said duck."
The boy hesitated—
Kael kicked his leg, forcing him down just as a dagger whistled through the air, barely grazing his hair.
Kael spun, grabbed the fallen dagger mid-air, and hurled it back.
Straight through the enemy's throat.
The boy stared in disbelief.
"W-Who are you…?"
Kael turned toward the Flag Marker, eyes narrowing.
"I'm the one who understands the rules of this world."
Above them, the flag's glow intensified. Runes swirled in the sky like birds of light.
[ Claiming Process Initiated ]
[ Marker Activated: Tier I Ruin Site – Mind-Class ]
The battlefield froze.
Everyone stopped.
All eyes turned to Kael.
Someone screamed from the back: "Stop him! That ruin's unstable! You'll collapse the zone!"
Kael raised his hand, palm open, rune flickering across his skin.
"I am the ruin," he whispered.
The ground shook.
The obelisk flared—and then absorbed into Kael's chest like a blade plunging through silk.
Silence.
Then:
[ Flag Captured ]
[ Mental Domination: Zone Awareness Granted ]
Kael saw everything.
Their names. Their mana signatures. Their formations.
Like data. Like units on a map.
Control the ruin. Control the battlefield.
He turned back to the stunned boy still crouching.
"What's your name?" Kael asked.
"…T-Tairen. Second son of House Rozen."
"You owe me a debt, Tairen Rozen."
"Y-Yeah, obviously. You saved my life and stole a ruin in front of five armies."
Kael stepped forward, brushing dust from his robe.
"Good. Then you'll help me win the next one."
In the distance, horns sounded. New forces arrived—sharper armor, banners with lion crests. One of the continent's noble legions.
And in the sky, above it all, something shifted.
A golden eye blinked open—then vanished.
As if something… or someone… was watching.
So this is the game board…
Flags. Zones. Factions. Deities.
And I just made my first move.
Kael stood still, his eyes locked on the glow emerging in the far distance. The ruin pulsed — faint, rhythmic, like a heartbeat long forgotten by time.
He didn't know it yet, but that single pulse would awaken more than ancient magic.
Far across the ocean, in the Kingdom of Vireinhold, storm clouds gathered above golden towers. Inside the royal palace, a seer clutched his staff and pointed at the glowing war map before him.
"Another activation," he whispered.
Princess Elira Virein stepped forward, her sapphire robes trailing behind her like waves in the wind.
"Which ruin?" she asked, calm but sharp.
"No known name. Blue-class. But… it's unregistered."
A chill passed through the chamber.
"Then someone has entered a ruin that no kingdom claims," Elira muttered. "We may have an unbound player."
Far above the clouds, where the Floating City of Aerathuun drifted among thunder and light, the Aetherlight Council gathered. The half-elf apprentice stood with wide eyes, holding a glowing scroll in shaking hands.
"It's not just an echo," she said. "It's a signature match."
The oldest mage turned toward her slowly, his long beard brushing against enchanted runes. "A match to what?"
She hesitated.
"To a soul that should no longer exist."
Elsewhere, within the scarred training grounds of Runeblade Academy, a boy sat motionless in meditation. Kaien opened his golden eyes as a crystal orb dropped into his hands. His master, a cloaked man missing one arm, didn't speak.
Kaien looked toward the south and murmured, "He's finally returned."
Deep beneath the sands, within the hidden chambers of the desert guild, Lady Zaphira gazed at a tattered prophecy etched on snake-skin. The words burned with eerie clarity.
"It is not a man who enters the ruin. It is a weapon who once dreamt of being human."
She smiled. "Let the ruin test him. We will see what rises from its dust."
High in the wastelands, warlord Skarvek let out a low, growling laugh as flames danced across his blade. "So… another begins the game. Let him come. Let the ruin bleed him dry."
And back on the cliff's edge, Kael watched the light with quiet resolve. He didn't speak, didn't move.
But across the world, thousands did.
The game had begun.
[ END OF CHAPTER 3 ]