Five Years Ago...
Kaito Solbourne was an ordinary man. Not a hero. Not a great mage. Not even a wealthy merchant.
He was simply a blacksmith in a small village called Ashenvale. Every day, he forged swords and farming tools for the villagers. His life was peaceful, simple, and full of warmth.
And what made him happiest was his wife—Kalea. A woman with long brown hair and green eyes that always sparkled.
Her smile could brighten his darkest days. Her laughter was the most beautiful music he'd ever heard. Kalea was everything to him.
They had married three years ago. A simple wedding beneath the old sakura tree behind their house. No lavish party, no important guests.
Just two people who loved each other and a few close friends. But their love was stronger than anything.
"Kaito," Kalea called one afternoon, bringing tea to his workshop.
"You've been working since morning. Take a break."
Kaito smiled, setting down his hammer. "I need to finish this order before sunset."
Kaela sighed, then sat beside him. "You're always like this. Too hard on yourself."
"Because I want to give you a better life," Kaito replied, gently stroking his wife's cheek.
Kaela smiled, her cheeks flushing. "I'm already happy with what we have now. You, me, and this little house. That's enough."
They laughed together. Simple moments like these were the most precious to Kaito. He didn't need power. He didn't need wealth.
All he needed was Kaela by his side. But fate... was far crueler than he could have imagined.
Everything changed that night. The night when the reincarnators came to their village. They arrived with arrogance, with dazzling cheat powers, with condescending looks toward the villagers they considered beneath them.
There were five of them. All were "heroes" supposedly destined to save the world from the Demon King. But they weren't saviors. They were predators.
Their leader was Aldric Reinhardt—a blonde man with a smile that appeared holy but concealed a rotten heart. He possessed a cheat skill called "Absolute Dominance"—the ability to force anyone to submit to his will.
On the first day of their arrival, they requested food and lodging. The village welcomed them warmly. But that kindness was repaid with cruelty.
They took whatever they wanted. Forced the villagers to serve them like slaves. And worst of all... they began eyeing the village women with indecent gazes.
Including Kaela.
"You have a beautiful wife, blacksmith," Aldric said one night when he and his group came to Kaito's house.
"Very beautiful. Too beautiful for an ordinary man like you."
Kaito clenched his fists. "Leave my house."
Aldric laughed. "Your house? You think this still belongs to you? In this world, the strong have the right to possess everything. And I... am far stronger than you."
Kaito tried to fight back. He grabbed an iron hammer from his workshop and swung it at Aldric. But before the hammer could connect, Kaito's body suddenly froze. Couldn't move. Couldn't resist. Aldric's cheat skill had taken control of his body.
"Don't even try to fight me, insect," Aldric whispered in a cold tone.
Then, before Kaito's helpless eyes, Aldric ordered his subordinates to tie Kaito to a chair. His hands and feet were shackled with magic chains he couldn't break.
And then... the nightmare began.
"Kaela," Aldric called in a sickly sweet voice.
"Come here."
Kaela tried to resist, tried to flee. But Aldric's cheat power was too strong. Her body moved on its own, against her will, walking slowly toward Aldric.
"No... Kaela... Resist him!" Kaito shouted with a hoarse voice.
But Kaela couldn't. Tears streamed down her face, but her body kept moving like a puppet.
Aldric sneered. "Watch carefully, Kaito. Watch how your beautiful wife will become mine."
That night was the longest and most torturous night of Kaito's life. He was forced to watch. Forced to listen. Forced to feel every second of his soul's destruction.
Kaela cried. Her body moved following Aldric's commands. Her clothes were torn. Her dignity was stolen. And Kaito... could only scream in helplessness.
"STOP! PLEASE... JUST KILL ME! DON'T HURT HER!" he shouted until his voice went raw.
But those screams were only met with laughter. Aldric and his men took turns. One by one. Night after night. Until finally... Kaela no longer cried.
Her eyes were empty. Her mind was shattered. All that remained was a soulless body that only knew one thing—the desire forced into her mind by mental manipulation skills.
The Kaela he once knew... was already dead. Three months passed. Kaito was still alive, but he was no longer human. He was just an empty shell filled with hatred.
Every night, he was forced to witness the same thing. Every day, he felt his soul dying bit by bit. Until one night, he couldn't take it anymore.
"I SWEAR!" he screamed with a voice full of fury that echoed throughout the house.
"I SWEAR I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!"
"I DON'T CARE HOW LONG IT TAKES! I DON'T CARE IF I HAVE TO SELL MY SOUL!"
"I WILL KILL EVERY CHEAT HOLDER!"
"I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE UNTIL MY BLOOD RUNS DRY!"
Aldric, hearing this, only laughed. "You still have some fight in you, it seems. Very well. In that case... let me end your suffering."
He drew his sword. And in one swing, the blade pierced through Kaito's chest. The pain was unbearable. But strangely, Kaito felt relieved.
Finally... it would all be over. His vision began to darken. His breath stopped. His body grew cold.
But just before his consciousness faded completely, he saw something. Light. A silver light so bright yet not blinding. Warm yet cold at the same time.
Then... he was no longer in his house. When Kaito opened his eyes, he was in a boundless space. No sky. No ground. Just an expanse of silver light floating in eternal darkness.
And before him stood a woman. No—not just a woman.
The figure radiated an aura so powerful, so pure, yet also so deadly. Her hair was long and dark blue, shimmering like moonlight.
Her eyes were two full moons with a violet color staring directly into Kaito's soul. Her clothing was made of light itself, flowing like water. She was Lunaris, Goddess of the Full Moon.
"Kaito Solbourne," her voice echoed softly yet vibrated through his entire being.
"I heard your oath. I felt your vengeance. And I... am intrigued."
Kaito remained silent. He didn't know what to say.
"You are dead," Lunaris continued.
"But your death is not the end. I can give you a second chance."
"A second... chance?" Kaito's voice was hoarse.
Lunaris nodded. "I am disgusted by the gods who grant cheat powers to people from other worlds without consideration."
"They create imbalance. They create monsters who hide behind the title of 'hero'."
She stepped closer.
"You, Kaito Solbourne, will become that balance. You will become punishment for those who use cheat powers for evil."
"You will become a nightmare for those losers who call themselves heroes."
Kaito stared at Lunaris. "What... must I do?"
"I will bind you to the moon. You will be reborn with power that only manifests beneath moonlight."
"When night falls, you will become Midnight Kai—a hunter who walks among shadows, a merciless purger of sins."
Lunaris extended her hand. "But remember, Kaito. This power comes with a price."
"Your soul will be bound to the night. You will never be the same person in the daylight again."
"You will never live a normal life like before. And... you will never be able to bring back those you've lost."
"During the day, you will only become someone different, filled with a mysterious aura..."
Kaito fell silent for a moment. Then, without hesitation, he grasped the Moon Goddess's hand.
"I don't need warmth. I don't need a normal life. What I need... is the power to take revenge."
"To ensure no one else experiences what I experienced."
Lunaris smiled—a thin smile that carried both sorrow and satisfaction.
"Very well. From this moment on, you are no longer Kaito Solbourne, ordinary blacksmith."
"You are Midnight Kai, the Hunter beneath the Moonlight."
Silver light exploded, enveloping Kaito's entire body. He felt tremendous power flowing through his veins. Power that didn't come from hypocritical gods, but from the moon itself—pure, cold, and merciless.
When the light faded, Kaito had changed. His hair, once jet black, now gleamed red with silver tips.
His eyes shone with moonlight. At his waist hung a long sword—Lunar Edge, a blade that could only be wielded by those bound to the moon.
And on his face, a white mask with a cracked crescent moon pattern—a symbol of destruction and rebirth. Kaito—no, Midnight Kai—now stood as a warrior of the night.
"Thank you, Goddess Lunaris," he said with a voice that had already changed—colder, sharper.
Lunaris nodded. "Don't thank me, Kaito."
"Because the path you will walk... is one paved with blood and darkness."
Midnight Kai turned, gazing at the darkness stretching before him.
"I'm not afraid of the darkness. Because I... am part of it."
Lunaris watched Kaito's transformation and instantly began to fall in love, for he had displayed the aura and symbol of the moon perfectly.
Though it came from her own power, Lunaris immediately pulled Kaito back to face her.
"Before you go... there's something I want to discuss with you."