Slowly, the dust began to settle. The hunters' wagon lay in ruins, crushed into splinters along with the two horses that had pulled it. Blood stained the ground in dark patches.
Kael pushed himself up, wincing as pain shot through his knees from the shove that had saved him. In his mind, the moment replayed—the rough hand on his shoulder, the desperate strength that hurled him aside just before the claw struck.
His gaze drifted back to the mangled corpse among the wreckage.
'That hand… was it Father's?'
The thought stabbed at him, sharp and unbearable. Had his father traded his life for his?
Kael's gaze locked onto the shattered wagon. His breath caught.
"Wait… someone died. Who is that?" he murmured, narrowing his eyes.
Among the wreckage lay a mangled corpse, torn in half and surrounded by a spreading pool of blood. One of the elites dismounted and examined the remains. His grim silence told the truth before words did.
It was Kael's father.
Disbelief froze Kael where he stood. His chest tightened, his face twisted in sorrow. He showed no outward emotion. Inside, though, a cold knot of unease coiled in his stomach—a remnant of memories he didn't fully understand, or perhaps a faint whisper of regret.
Was he… the one who pushed me out of the way? Did he trade his life for mine?
The sun dipped lower, bleeding orange light across the clearing. Near the spot where the monster's claw had fallen, the ground was soaked in blood — two horses lay dead, along with Kael's father. As evening crept in, the elites barked orders, commanding the miners to reboard the surviving wagons and return to the kingdom.
Kael climbed aboard in silence. The wagons rattled across the dirt road, wheels creaking under the weight of weary bodies and salvaged tools. No one spoke. The only sounds were the steady clop of hooves and the faint groans of the wounded.
Kael sat stiffly, staring at the ground as the landscape blurred past. His thoughts kept circling back to the ruined wagon… and the lifeless body left behind.
Half an hour later, the towering walls of the kingdom came into view.
As an assassin in his previous life, death had become something natural, almost ordinary. Yet… when he thought of the monster, of its grotesque form and the sheer helplessness it inspired, a strange discomfort gnawed at his heart.
As they rolled back inside the walls, Kael noticed a line forming. Miners climbed down from the wagons, and he followed, stepping into place.
One by one, pouches were handed out—payment for the day's labor. Some miners clutched theirs tightly as they chatted about the attack, heading toward the lower-class district. Others climbed back into the wagons without a word. Kael slipped into the walking crowd, half-listening to their scattered conversations.
Minutes later, he arrived at his hut, exhausted. Sweat clung to his skin, his body reeking of labor. Dropping onto his mat, he opened the pouch he'd been given.
"Three silver coins… and six copper," he muttered, frowning. "I wonder what that's worth here."
At the end of each day, workers received their pay in small pouches of coins.
He knew little about the currency of this world, only that workers were paid daily in small pouches of coins as an immediate reward for their toil.
*Knock-knock*
Though the door was unlocked, someone rapped gently against it. Kael rose and pulled it open.
It was Uncle Dennis, his father's old friend. His face was warm, carrying a soft smile. "Lad, where's your father?"
Kael's lips tightened, his eyes falling. "Father is dead."
Dennis froze, his face draining of color. His body trembled as though the ground had given way beneath him. The warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by a hollow, broken stare.
"Lad… was it a monster that killed him?" His voice cracked, trembling with a mix of anger and disbelief.
"Yes…" Kael whispered.
Dennis's breath hitched. His lips quivered, and tears slipped free before he could stop them. He turned abruptly, unwilling to let Kael see the full weight of his grief. His shoulders sagged under an invisible burden, every step away heavy and uneven, as though he carried a mountain of sorrow on his back.
The light in him seemed to dim, leaving behind only the shadow of a man crushed by loss.
Kael wore a mask of sorrow, though inside, he felt nothing. He stepped outside, cupping cold water from the well and splashing it over his arms and face. The icy chill washed away the sweat and dust clinging stubbornly to his skin, and for a fleeting moment, he felt almost human again.
Hours slipped by, and soon evening settled in. Dinner was served as usual—a bowl of soup with rice and a simple salad. But this time, Kael did not sit inside. Instead, he settled near the earthen stove beneath the dim glow of twilight, eating quietly, the silence heavier than the meal itself.
As Kael quietly ate his meal, a shadow fell across the stove. Someone sat down beside him.
He turned his head slightly. "Is everything alright, Uncle Dennis?" Kael asked, his voice calm, his expression unreadable.
"I'm fine, lad… it's just—" Dennis's voice faltered. His eyes were dull, shoulders slumped. "I know what it feels like to lose those close to you… I've lost everything at this point."
His voice was low and heavy with sorrow. He spoke of the wife who died giving birth, and the child he lost on his very first job outside the walls. With each word, his grief grew deeper.
"Your father… he gave me hope again," Dennis whispered, his hands trembling as he clasped them together. "But now… now he's gone too."
The silence that followed hung heavier than words.
Dennis spoke softly, "I know you've forgotten your past memories… and that your father said not to speak of them to anyone. But if there's anything you want to know—anything at all—you can ask me."
Kael nodded and asked, a hint of confusion on his face, "Is there mining again tomorrow?"
"No… tomorrow is the lumberjacks' turn," Dennis replied, his voice tinged with sadness.
In this world, workers alternate between mining and chopping wood, ensuring both essential resources are always gathered.
Kael nodded thoughtfully, digesting Dennis's words. He didn't have any more questions for now.
Dennis gave him a small, tired smile. "Rest well, lad. Tomorrow will be another long day."
With a quiet nod, Kael stood and made his way back to the hut. The evening breeze brushed his face as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Yet, his choice had already been made.
Inside, the room was dimly lit by an oil lamp. His father's shoulder bag hung in the corner. Kael retrieved it and carefully examined the poster he had received from the chief.
Hours slipped by as he studied every detail, committing the information to memory—the entry was before 9:00 a.m., and all the tests were physical.
Lying on the ground, using the bag as a pillow and a cloth to cover himself, he thought: If becoming a hunter is the only way to escape this life of endless labor, where all one does is mine until death comes, then I have no choice. I will become a hunter.
Kael also discovered coins hidden in the small inner pocket of his father's shoulder bag. He counted them: 19 silver coins and 8 copper coins. Adding today's wage and yesterday's gamble, his total came to 23 silver coins and 19 copper coins.
This much money was enough to survive for a month in the lower-class district.
Kael couldn't fall asleep quickly, his mind replaying the day's events. He remembered the monster's scream before dying, and how his body had frozen—numb, unmoving, as if he had become a statue.
It had been terrifying to watch the monster's claw hurtle straight toward them, and feel utterly powerless, unable to move an inch.
Lost in thought, Kael glanced at his pocket watch.
"It's almost midnight… I should sleep soon and wake early for tomorrow's hunter test," he murmured.
The oil lamp was dimmed, adjusted for sleep. Kael's eyes grew heavy as he watched the pocket watch tick closer to midnight. Just as drowsiness began to pull him under, a sharp ping echoed in his ears. It rose in intensity, drowning out every other sound until only the piercing tone filled his mind. Then—suddenly—a translucent screen flickered to life before his eyes:
[ ECHO SYSTEM ACTIVATION COMPLETED ]
[ EXP ACUMULATED 1000+ ]
[ LEVEL UP ]