The wind blew fiercely. The sound of crashing waves was soothing, gently rocking the wooden ship that had just docked at the royal fleet port. A man stood from his seat, holding a cup of beer while gazing out at the sea. Moments later, he turned around and picked up the backpack lying nearby.
Passengers began disembarking one by one.Creak… Creak… Creak… — the sound of footsteps echoed across the ship's deck. Voices grew louder. People pushed and shoved, struggling to be the first to step onto the dock.
Several guards stopped the passengers, checking their IDs and passports before allowing entry into the Kingdom ofElysiumrion.But one person passed right by the guards — unnoticed by anyone. He began walking slowly. Not long after, he bought a piece of bread and ate it as he walked.
Time passed… He kept walking all day, passing through district after district. The scorching sky gradually turned dark. Streetlights began to glow, and the roads grew quiet.
Eventually, he entered a district that fell silent at night.Two patrolling guards spotted him and immediately gave chase, suspecting the man to be a criminal or a fugitive.
But the figure vanished into a swirl of dark smoke that cloaked the street.The guards lost his trail — all that remained were unconscious bandits lying in the middle of the road. Around them, traces of a brief battle could still be seen, with magical residue slightly damaging the surroundings.
The figure continued on his way, gazing at the royal palace while tightly gripping a mysterious brochure in his hand.
He searched for a place to stay, and eventually found a place called "Yong's Hotel."
He rented a room for one week, using the money he had taken from the bandits he defeated.
Without wasting time, he quickly took a shower and went down to the cafeteria.
There, he ordered a burger and a glass of beer for dinner. After sitting at an empty table — not long after, a man sat across from him while sipping a cup of coffee. The man wore a neat suit, exuding a flashy rich-man vibe. His skin was pale, and his hair was neatly styled.
Without much small talk, the man immediately treated him to dinner. Although he initially refused, the man insisted with a wide smile.
The man then stood up from his seat and said,"Nice to meet you, young man. I'm the owner of this hotel.""I'm also one of the wealthiest people in this city," he said, smiling and showing his teeth."I'm very interested in you... join this city's Magic Academy," he added, raising both of his hands.
The guy simply nodded, not particularly interested, and thanked him for the meal.
The man began to walk away, jogging a little while waving in a goofy manner."Keep the card, alright? I'll be waiting for you!" he shouted.The man then smiled again, showing his teeth, and gave a thumbs-up gesture as he introduced himself,"My name is Ivan Yong."
Letting out a deep sigh, the guy returned to his room.
He lay down on the bed, pulling out the crumpled brochure he had held earlier. He raised his hand and slowly unfolded it, staring at it intently.
["Join the Eternals Magic Academy. A place where your talents will be tested."]
He then placed the brochure back on the bed and fell asleep.
The next morning, he wandered through the main district, observing his surroundings while searching for the items he needed.
By the roadside, an old merchant was seen offering weapons displayed on the wall of his shop. The merchant glanced at him and spoke with a faint smile,
"I can tell... you're planning to go to the Magic Academy, aren't you? Take this dagger — you might need it."
"Sorry, Uncle. I don't need that weapon… and I'm not planning to go to that Academy," he replied, then walked away, leaving the old merchant who only smiled faintly.
He continued down the main district, passing through the crowd. When he let his guard down, suddenly…
Brukkk!
Someone bumped into him.A girl fell, along with a large cardboard box she was carrying. Books scattered across the ground.
He quickly helped the girl to her feet, then quietly began picking up the books that had fallen.
The girl suddenly ran off without saying a single word.As he turned his body back, a group of bandits rushed past him, running in the direction the girl had gone.
He merely watched — then continued on his way, indifferent.
The girl kept running, but her strength was fading. Her breathing became heavy, and her legs began to tremble.Eventually, she hid in a narrow alley, her body nearly collapsing from exhaustion.
She had no choice but to rest; she could no longer walk.
Before long, the bandits arrived in the area. They spread out, searching every corner of the alley.
One of the bandits approached her.Panicking, the girl held her breath, trying not to be discovered.
Suddenly, a small rat ran toward her...
"Kyahhh…!" she screamed in panic, her body drenched in sweat.
The bandit nearby immediately noticed. He glanced toward the corner where the girl was hiding, then shouted,
"I found her," he said with a wide grin.
The other bandits began to gather. Fearfully, the girl started crawling backward.But the path behind her turned out to be a dead end. She panicked, backing away further.
The bandits approached with wicked smiles. One of them laughed and said,
"Where do you think you're going, little lady?"
"Excuse me."
—Suddenly, someone walked up to them. Calmly, he passed through the group of bandits and stood in front of the girl.
"What's going on?" he asked.
The girl responded frantically,
"I… I don't know. They were chasing me and trying to catch me."
He asked again,
"Do you need my help?"
"Yes, please help me," said the girl as she wiped her tears.
Without hesitation, he lifted her into his arms, then jumped with incredible speed.Their bodies soared through the air, passing over the stunned bandits.He gently set her down behind him.
With a cold gaze, he looked at the bandits and said,"Leave — or die."
The bandits burst out laughing. One of them scoffed,"What's a kid like you gonna do?"
Several of the bandits began to activate their magic. Some were already whispering incantations under their breath, while others drew their enchanted weapons — daggers, magic staffs, and swords radiating with magical auras.
The air around them started to tremble, their magical energy slowly turning the atmosphere oppressive.
One of the bandits squinted at the figure in front of them, then whispered to his comrade,"Boss… isn't that the guy who beat us up yesterday?"
With a shocked expression, one of the bandits tried to shout at the others to stop him.But it was too late...
That person struck down the bandits once more with blinding speed.
Bukkk!!! Bukkk!!! Bukkk!!! Bukkk!!! Bukkk!!!
The bandits lay sprawled across the ground, blood staining the narrow alley.What was once a quiet place had turned into a horrifying scene.
The man walked away slowly, leaving the girl behind without saying a word.
"Thank you so much!" the girl shouted at the top of her lungs.
He simply waved his hand briefly, then vanished into the dark alley.
The girl collapsed weakly to the floor, her breath still heavy and uneven. After thinking for a moment, she decided not to report the incident — the brutal defeat of the bandits — to anyone.
The man continued wandering through the main district. His eyes soon locked onto a large building ahead of him — a grand library standing between rows of shops.
Without hesitation, he stepped inside.The library was quiet, filled with tall shelves stacked with books. He approached the front desk and asked,
"Do you have any books about this kingdom?"
The librarian nodded, offering him several books.But after flipping through them, none seemed to catch his interest.
So, he decided to search on his own. His eyes scanned the rows of shelves, until they stopped at an old book hidden on the very top shelf.
It was tucked behind a row of other books, its surface dusty and worn.
On the cover, faded words could barely be read:"History of The World."
Without a second thought, he took the book and began reading it.
As he read, he was shocked to discover that this land — the City of Elysiumrion — held a reputation as a symbol of peace. The book told that this city was once like paradise: beautiful, tranquil, untouched by conflict or war.Until, eventually, Angels and Demons descended to Earth to wage war.
On the next page, it was written that this region remained connected to the surrounding kingdoms. Atlas was mentioned as the center of power, surrounded by five great kingdoms:— Elysiumrion, the symbol of peace— Sorowfall, the symbol of suffering— Ruinsgard, the symbol of destruction— Shadia, the symbol of darkness— Lunario, the symbol of light
He kept turning the pages, but many were damaged and unreadable.Growing suspicious, he quietly took the book and brought it home. He realized this book was one of the secrets the kingdom was trying to hide.
"Thank you for stopping by," said the librarian.
As he stepped out of the library, he passed a girl wearing an eye cover, her hair cut short, and holding a pink teddy bear in her arms.
Once he returned to the hotel, he placed the book on the bed. Then, he boiled some water, poured black coffee powder into a cup, and added the freshly boiled water. With a cup of coffee in hand, he sat on the edge of the bed and began reading the book once again.
Just as he was about to open the book—Knock! Knock! Knock!—someone banged on the door loudly. He quickly hid the book under the bed, then walked over and opened the door.
To his surprise, a detective was standing before him, flanked by four armed soldiers.
He immediately thought he was going to be arrested for the bandit massacre.
But the detective showed his identification card.
Then, the detective asked directly, "Did you steal something from the library?"
The man calmly replied, "Ah... I don't know what you're talking about."
"At one o'clock this afternoon, I received a report from the library. There's suspicion of theft," the detective said, eyes sharp and piercing.
The man clenched his fists, trying to come up with a backup plan."It's true that I was at the library... but I didn't steal anything."
The detective subtly gestured to the soldiers.
The man instantly readied himself, gathering magic into the palm of his hand.
"Search the room, now," ordered the detective firmly.
Just as the soldiers were about to step inside, the man was ready to strike.
But suddenly...
"Hey!!! What are you all doing causing a commotion? I don't recall giving you permission to come in here," Mr. Yong interrupted with his usual relaxed smile.
The room instantly fell silent at Yong's words. Everyone stood still for a moment.
The detective tried to speak, wanting to explain. But before he could say a word, Yong continued,"He's a good kid. There's no way he'd steal anything. I'll handle this. You may leave now."
The detective paused again, sighed, and lit a cigarette. Without saying anything more, he and the soldiers turned and walked away.
Yong then shouted, "No smoking in here!"
The detective, already walking down the hall, turned his head and yelled back, "Oh, my bad!"
After they left, the man turned to Yong and said, "Thank you."
Yong chuckled and replied,"Well, even if you were actually guilty... I wouldn't tell anyone."
The man stared seriously at Yong. "So… you already know everything?"
"I even know all your little criminal activities since the moment you first stepped foot in this city," Yong said casually.
The man looked puzzled, then asked, "What do you mean?"
Yong let out a deep sigh and began to explain,"Well… you entered this city in secret without going through any identity or passport checks. Then you beat up a bunch of bandits — though, to be fair, I can let that one slide… but the worst part is, you killed them. And to top it off, you stole a book from the library."Yong winked. "Although honestly, I don't even understand how that book ended up there in the first place."
The man fell silent. Shock and panic were clearly written all over his face.
Yong gently patted his shoulder and said in a calming tone,"Relax… I'm on your side."
"I'll keep this secret… as long as you agree to join Eternals Academy," Yong said firmly.
The man paused for a moment, then gave a short reply,"I'll think about it."
Yong gave a small smile, then slowly walked away, saying,"Think it over carefully… I hope you accept. Because this offer… might not be something you can refuse."
Yong headed down the stairs.
But suddenly, he rushed back up, shouting,"Heyyyyyy!"
He stopped right in front of the man and asked,"You haven't introduced yourself… what's your name?"
The man calmly looked at Yong and answered,"Sir, you may call me… Aruma."
Yong went silent for a moment, then stared into Aruma's face seriously...
To be continued…