The man…
Lay helplessly before us.
His body covered in wounds, his breath faint… yet still there.
Still breathing.
A miracle—or perhaps a mystery—how he was even alive after emerging from such a terrifying cave.
We didn't know what to do.
We were just children.
No one ever taught us how to deal with someone on the verge of death.
And yet, curiosity began to grow… slowly overtaking our fear.
> "Who is he…?"
Vivi whispered, covering her mouth with her hands.
> "Is he a Dragon Hunter…?"
Luna asked, eyes glistening with worry.
Zein gripped his wooden stick tightly, as if trying to be brave.
Slowly, he stepped forward.
> "I'll check."
> "Zein… wait!"
cried Nino Kyelish—our friend clad in light armor, always serious and cautious.
But Zein was already standing before the man.
Carefully, Nino joined him and knelt down.
His hand trembled as he reached out and touched the man's shoulder.
> "Be careful…"
I whispered reflexively.
Nino swallowed hard, then slowly rolled the man over so we could see his face.
We all held our breath.
And—even though his face was bloodied and bruised—we could make out glimpses of what he looked like.
But…
> "...I don't know him."
Zein said quietly.
---
We all slowly gathered around the man's body.
My heart was pounding.
Luna clung tightly to my arm, trembling.
Vivi held her supply bag close to her chest, as if it could protect her.
We were just kids.
But at that moment, for the first time,
we felt like we were part of a real-world story.
No one knew…
That right at that moment—our fates had changed forever.
> And worse…
We had no idea that the cave behind us was a Level 10 Dragon Nest.
---
The highest-tiered nest… and the only one of its kind in the world.
A place known by one terrifying name:
> "The Nest of Death."
Countless great Dragon Hunters had entered that cave—
But not one ever returned.
Level 10 was more than just a number.
It was the boundary between life and death.
Between legends… and graves.
But recently, strange reports had begun to surface around the area.
Several high-ranking Dragon Hunters who scouted the outskirts of the Nest of Death reported anomalies in the mana structure.
An aura that was once savage and feral… now felt unstable.
There were signs of a great battle.
And—most shockingly—the traces of Law Mana within the nest had started to disappear.
It didn't make sense.
Law Mana is the world's punishment made manifest.
It cannot vanish.
Unless… something is defying it.
Or worse—has conquered it.
---
Luch Lambreg, leader of the Hunter Guild in the Kingdom of Reinhart, couldn't ignore this.
As a Level 8 Dragon Hunter, he understood all too well the danger that lurked inside the Nest of Death.
But the reports he received made his skin crawl.
> "...Impossible. No one can make it out of there alive."
"If something really has changed… then we may be facing a power never before recorded in history."
Without hesitation, Luch Lambreg led an expedition directly to the site.
He wasn't alone.
An elite squad of Level 6 Dragon Hunters accompanied him.
All fully armed.
Ready to face whatever nightmare might emerge from that inferno.
They moved swiftly—toward the Nest of Death—
Unaware that what they would find wasn't a dragon.
Not a monster.
But a group of village children… sharing cookies in front of the cave.
---
A name not registered with the Hunter Guild.
A name unknown to the public.
But in the underground world, he was whispered with one title:
> "The Shadow of the Dragon Nests."
He explored Dragon Nests alone—no license, no party, no affiliation.
An illegal hunter.
Many looked down on him.
But those who had witnessed his power…
> Never lived to tell the tale.
Because they were all dead.
---
William Shirone was a living legend.
Yet no one truly knew who he was.
No one knew that William was the reincarnation of the very first Dragon Hunter from ancient times—
The first to ever raise a weapon against the dragons, thousands of years ago.
But his past life didn't end like a hero's.
He was betrayed, destroyed, erased from history.
But the world—cruel and fair—did not let his rage disappear.
He was born again.
As a child from a poor family, in an unknown village.
He grew up nameless.
Grew up with a rage he didn't understand.
Grew up with power that couldn't be explained.
> "I… must find the answer.
Why I was destroyed.
Why the world turned its wrath upon us."
Fueled by unquenchable determination, William began exploring the Dragon Nests one by one—
Searching for the truth hidden beneath ruins and curses.
Until finally…
He entered the Level 10 Dragon Nest.
> The Nest of Death.
A place where no Dragon Hunter had ever returned.
But he returned.
Wounded.
Silent.
With no answers.
And barely clinging to life.
He dragged himself from the depths of that darkness…
And collapsed in front of a group of village children playing by the cave.
---
After observing the man for a while, we finally started to argue.
"I think… we should help him," Zein said, his face serious—unlike his usual self.
"Maybe he knows how to get us out of this forest."
Luna immediately shook her head.
"That's too risky! What if he's dangerous? Or… a monster in disguise?"
Vivi agreed.
"He came out of that cave, Zein. That weird one that isn't even on any map. We don't know who he is."
The debate heated up—
Until all of them looked at me.
As if leaving the final decision to me.
Me—Theo Feinard.
The weakest of our group.
The most frightened.
Only one thought crossed my mind:
> "I just want to go home."
Reflexively, I sided with Zein.
"…Let's help him," I said quietly.
Luna and Vivi groaned in frustration.
But in the end—perhaps to avoid further arguing—Luna relented.
She sighed and knelt beside the man.
"I'll check his wounds," she said.
"But if he wakes up and attacks… we run."
That's just how Luna was—scared, but unable to ignore someone who was hurt.
She was my most precious little sister.
Even as a child, she had a passion for plants and potions.
Now, at age 10, she was already skilled at making basic remedies.
---
A few minutes later, we sat in a circle not far from the man.
Still cautious, but no longer panicking.
We chatted softly, discussing how to get out of the forest.
Suddenly—
"Khh…!"
The man coughed. We all jumped in shock.
He slowly opened his eyes, still weak, but… conscious.
"Who… are you?" he asked faintly.
We instinctively stepped back, but… he didn't move at all.
Even speaking looked painful.
His gaze was gentle.
There was no hint of malice in his eyes.
Zein approached first, as usual.
Then the rest of us followed.
We told him who we were, that we were lost and looking for a way home.
The man simply gave a small smile.
Warm… but also sorrowful.
"Thank you… for saving me," he said softly.
---
We sat together, offering him what little food we had.
Though hesitant at first, we eventually invited him to eat with us.
But we were out of water.
Unlucky.
As we began to panic, the man pulled a small bottle from his cloak.
A glowing, reddish-golden liquid shimmered inside.
"You're thirsty, right?" he said.
Without knowing any better, we accepted it and drank together.
It tasted… warm. Strange, but calming.
We didn't know…
That the liquid wasn't ordinary water.
It was—
> Ancient Dragon's Blood Elixir.
We joked and laughed, sharing our remaining cookies.
Pretending everything was fine.
Pretending we weren't lost in a mysterious forest.
Even the man smiled with us.
But in the middle of his faint laughter… he suddenly froze.
His gaze turned blank—
As if staring at something only he could see.
Then—
> "AARGHHH!!"
He screamed.
His body shook, eyes wide, breaths frantic.
We all panicked.
Terrified.
The man—whose name was William—had survived the Nest of Death…
But his body was already dying.
The mana within that nest was too wild. Too evil. Too savage.
No ordinary human could endure it.
And now, that pain returned.
The mana inside him rampaged.
Tormenting him.
Tearing his body apart from within.
He clenched his teeth, trying to endure it.
But he was too far gone.
Finally, with his last breath, William looked at us.
> "You… kids are good people…"
"If I don't make it… please… bury me under that tree… okay?"
We couldn't say anything.
And in that moment…
His body fell limp.
His breath ceased.
William, the mysterious man who emerged from the Nest of Death—
was truly gone.
We stood frozen.
Our only hope of escaping the forest… had vanished.
We cried.
Silently, without sound.
Crying from fear, from loss, from not knowing what to do.
But we kept our promise.
With our small, dirty hands, we dug a grave near the large tree beside the cave.
Not very deep.
But deep enough to bury him with respect.
We prayed.
Apologized.
And hoped… that angels would carry him to peace.
The sky darkened.
The night wind blew gently.
Its sound like a whisper… from someone we couldn't see.
We sat hugging our knees.
Exhausted.
Too tired to cry again.
And just as all hope seemed truly lost—
> Rustle… rustle…
We heard it.
From behind the bushes.
Footsteps—rushed, fast, and getting closer.
We jumped to our feet.
Terrified.
Could it be…?
> A monster?
> A ghost?
> A demon?
> Or… a dangerous human?
We huddled together.
Too afraid to move.
And from behind the bushes—