One month
It had been a month since Yuto Kurogane nearly died in the living dungeon.
One month since he bit the throat of a deformed Goblin Boss and heard his own jaw crack.
One month since he was rescued by a girl who looked like she'd stepped out of a fairy tale but with a dagger hidden in the hem of her skirt
Now, he ran.
His heavy boots crunched on the leaf-covered ground as the cold forest air filled his lungs. He dodged branches, jumped over logs, and laghed-yes, laughed-when he nearly tripped and fell into a stream.
"getting fast,huh?" Lianne shouted in the background, panting.
"I'm not a dying piece of meat anymore, am I?" he replied with a wry smile
She laughed too. A light, clean laugh. Something that, deep down, bothered Yuto more than he'd admit.
because it was good.
It was warm.
And he didn't know how to deal with it.
Lianne was... strangely constant. After the shock of their first meeting, they began to live together as if they'd known each other for years. She cooked, tended to his bandages, talked too much, and laughed at his frowns. He trained, hunted small monsters, strengthened his body and listened.
He listened to her tell storios of the village that no longer existed, of a brother who disappeared during a hunt, of how people began to disappear after "those chosen ones" arrived.
He listened. Always with the same hardened look, but deep down...
Deep down, it was peace.
And peace, he was beginning to accept.
At times, he even believed he could truly start over. A new world, a new chance. No one knew his past. No one knew about the leap.
The emptiness.
It was an absurd idea.
Too hopeful.
But comfortable.
"Hey, idiot." Lianne tossed him an apple. "Eat this or you'll fall flat on your face again during practice."
"You call me an idiot, but you're the one who tripped over the same root twice." He took a bite and laughed.
She stuck out her tongue.
In that instant, he thought: *Maybe... just maybe... I can live here.*
**[AHH... what a touching scene.]**
Yuto stopped.
The sound of the forest faded.
The apple fell from his hand.
**[A whole month without hearing my voice. Did you miss me, Yuto?]**
He clenched his fists.
"No... You..."
Lianne turned around worriedly.
"Yuto?"
He ignored her. The voice was only in his head
**[Very well. Your vacation is over. Time to get back to work.]**
"Work?"
**[Mission started: *Extermination -- The Shadow Knight*.]**
**[Objective: Eliminate the Shadow Knight.]**
**[Recommended Level: 50.]**
Yuto froze.
His heart punded as if trying to escape his chest.
"What...?" he whispered.
**[Good luck, Executioner. You have two weeks. Or there will be penalties.]**
"WHAT DO YOU MENA, LEVEL 50?! I'M STILL ON THREE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
Lianne eyes widened.
"Yuto! What's going on?"
He fell to his knees. His head throbbed.
The system screen pulsed before him like an ultimatum.
**[Countdown started: 14 days.]**
**[Failure will result in a random penalty: physical, mental or spiritual.]**
"You've got to be messing with me..." he growled, his eyes twitching. "You want me dead. That's it, isn't it?"
**[Oh, don't exaggerate. You love a challenge. And between you and me... the Shadow Knight is a very interesting guy. You'll like him.]**
"I'm going to kill you."
**[You've tried... remember the building?]**
Yuto swallowed hard.
**[Look, I'll be fair. You can start preparing. Hunt, train, evolve. Level up. But don't forget: two weeks. The clock is already ticking. And the knight won't wait for you to get strong.]**
The screen faded.
Silence fell like a blow.
Lianne knelt beside him, worried.
"Yuto... you're pale. What's wrong?"
He looked at her. For the first time, with a fear that wasn't physical. It was existential.
"I have to kill someone..."
"What?"
"A monster. Something called a Shadow Knight. Level fifty," he whispered. "And I... I'm level three."
She fell silent. The color drained from her face.
"Who gave you this mission?"
He hesitated.
"The system. That... voice."
Lianne lowered her eyes
"So it's true. You're one of them."
"One of them?"
She nodded.
"One of the 'chosen ones.' The ones who receive the system. Who come from somewhere else."
He took a deep breath.
"I didn't choose anything."
Lianne didn't answer.
He stood up slowly. The world was spinning. His legs felt like lead.
But he knew what he had to do.
"If I fail... something very bad will happen. And not just to me."
She stared at him.
"I'll help you."
"You don't even know what you're getting into..."
"Then explain it to me. But you won't do this alone."
Yuto closed his eyes.
For the first time since arriving in this world... he wasn't alone.
But that only made everything more dangerous.
For her.
For him.
For everything.
Time was running out.
And the Shadow Knight waited.