"Huuuu..."
Running in a rush, terrified of what's following from behind.
RUFF! RUFF!
Running.
Hunter 1 (Male):
"Where is the healer?! We need help!"
Grinding his teeth, facing a bear head-on in hand-to-hand combat. He holds its hand and slams it with his forehead.
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
Hunter 2 (Female):
"Bad news! The healer ran off!"
Her eyes crying… her teeth shaking like the waves on a beach.
Her hands trembling, her legs unsteady.
Hunter 3 (Male):
"We can still make it! Just focus on atta—"
A bear slapped him. He got thrown away and rolled on the ground.
Hunter 4:
"No way... A giant black bear?! What is it doing here?!"
So terrified at the fact that it's a giant bear.
His legs shaking like a leaf dancing with the breeze.
His eyes wavered and slowly blurred.
He collapsed, terrified.
Hunter 2:
"Help! I don't wanna die! Help...!"
Biting her nails, not knowing what to do.
She cried in terror, unable to control herself.
---
Meanwhile…
I was eating inside the old man's house—well, my new house now.
"Hey old man, the food was awesome."
I sat cross-legged on the ground, satisfied.
Old Man:
"Shh... Do you hear that?"
He stood up from the chair and closed his eyes. As soon as he opened them, his eyes widened.
"Monster attack..."
I already knew what was going on.
"Better not get out, old man. You'll die."
While licking my fingers—
Old Man:
"Don't underestimate me."
He went into a homemade cabinet and opened one of the parts.
A shimmering, dust-like thing flew with the breeze, sparkling.
The old man pulled it out. The covered object that sparkled when he touched it was a long, thick Excalibur.
I smirked at him.
"I'm not underestimating you. If you wanna save them that badly..."
I stood up and walked to the door, holding the handle.
"Then come with me. I'll show you how we can save them."
---
He followed me.
In front of the house there was a huge broken rock.
It felt more like stairs than a ball-shaped stone.
It was so huge we could walk on it.
The landscape was downward, like a valley, but from down there it was upward.
The house was on the hill. We climbed a hill.
From there, we could see the hunters being ambushed by a giant black bear.
It wasn't just a bear—it was possessed by a demon.
"Artifact Hand."
I extended my arm, aimed at the bear's head, curled my index finger slightly, then pointed it sharply toward its forehead.
"Target acquired... Fire."
"Flash Jet!"
A massive attack burst out—sharp and fast—striking the bear's head.
BOOM!
The bear didn't just die—it disintegrated.
I extended both arms and fired a volley of artifact blasts, wiping out the entire wolf army around the area.
I calmly walked downhill.
The old man's face said it all—shocked, amazed, speechless.
Old Man:
"What are you... and who are you?"
I smiled back at him...
The way I fired it didn't seem like magic—it seemed mechanical.
The reason was simple—it smoked in my hand like burning metal cooling down.
My hand was another suspicious thing as well.
"I'm Jace. Just a normal kid who is an artifact... We can't call that normal, can we?"
Old Man:
"This is no ordinary 'you'... you're a living weapon."
The old man was shocked and stood speechless...
I walked back into the house and continued eating my food.
---
The old man followed me, trying not to exaggerate things.
I sat down and began to eat soup with bread.
I had just finished eating, but now that I used my powers, I felt so hungry.
The old man looked at me very cunningly.
It kinda irritated me—he was staring way too much, making me feel like my colors would fade anytime soon.
"What... Something going on, old man?"
Old Man:
"Ohhh, sorry, go ahead and finish eating. By the way… you're not a mage or a knight. Explain yourself. I'm not about to take you in without knowing it!"
I stopped eating and got serious, leaning forward a bit, adjusting my tone.
"I don't know how... the backstory or anything related to it, but it's my body. I'm perfectly made of flesh like you guys... still I'm different. A blue crow—the one that could talk—once told me not to show this power to anyone."
Old Man:
"A talking crow? So it's the Bishop's crow that spoke to you."
I was so surprised that I jumped off the bed.
"You know the crow?"
The old man returned to his usual poker face.
"It's the only one in the entire world. That's why I knew."
But something felt off. How did he know it belonged to the Bishop?
The old man sighed.
"Haaa..."
"My name is Zane Thronebel. I am the father of the current king. I am the True King of the kingdom."
"Ohhh... So you are a king."
My reaction wasn't what most people would expect...
As someone who isn't into politics, I don't know much about the kingdoms.
The old man noticed this—it was almost perfect to say "King Zane."
A very interesting thought appeared in his head.
"After analyzing it, his reaction wasn't that expected. Maybe he is telling the truth. Maybe he actually doesn't know much about cities."
---
He told me a short story…
The Bishop was once a powerful mage—a dark mage who used demon powers.
He tried to kill Zane during a war.
After that war, the Bishop was seen speaking to an undead demon.
Suspicious. Dangerous.
Soon after, he manipulated the prince—now the current king—using dark magic.
But King Zane caught on. The crow told him to fake his death and escape, rather than fight the Bishop directly.
They faked the king's body. The Bishop, thinking he was dead, stopped searching.
That's how Zane knew the truth.
"The underground… it's not just catacombs. It's an experiment ground."
Zane didn't know the full reason behind the Bishop's actions—only that it was about power and wealth. Maybe more.
He told me not to dig deeper... at least not yet.
He looked me in the eyes.
Zane:
"How about you become my disciple? Be my disciple."
Laughing, "Hahaha... That's it... that's it... You don't even need to ask."
---
That's how years passed and I learned under the king for almost five years.
I was 10 years old.
But things don't stay quiet, do they…?
Not for someone like me—someone who is a weapon against his will.