The wind was cold, but my body didn't feel it anymore.
My steps were soundless against the dirt road, cutting through the forest where even monsters feared to tread.
I didn't rest.
Not for a day.
Not even for an hour.
Every time I blinked, I was already somewhere new — crossing rivers, cliffs, and plains that stretched endlessly to the north.
A month passed. Then two.
And in that time… I fought everything.
Lizards with molten skin that spat lava from their mouths.
Wolf packs with silver fur that shimmered under the moonlight — their fangs sharp enough to break metal.
Flying serpents that screeched from the skies, their scales reflecting fire.
Every encounter ended the same.
With silence.
My sword, carved from the bone of a fallen beast, glowed faintly from the mana that bled from its cracks.
Each swing tore through monsters like paper.
> "Too easy…"
I muttered under my breath, staring at the dismembered remains of a Thunder Lizard — its level flashing faintly before fading.
[Thunder Lizard — Level 47 — Defeated.]
[Exp Gained.]
The system tone echoed faintly in my mind, and I felt that familiar rush — that warmth that spread through my body.
But this time, something else followed.
A flash.
[Skill Draw: Activated.]
[New Skill Acquired — A+ Rank: Aura Blade]
I blinked as the words burned into my vision.
A bright light flowed from my hand to the sword — energy, raw and violent, bursting like fire through every vein in my arm.
When I swung it, the air itself split.
The blade wasn't just metal anymore — it was alive, surrounded by a golden flame of pure mana.
The mountain ahead was cut in half.
> "...Aura Blade, huh?"
The moment I spoke, I felt the power rushing inside me — dense and controlled, like a raging beast obeying its master.
The energy around my sword burned brighter, turning the surrounding air hot and distorted.
I swung again.
A wave of golden light erupted, slicing through a group of low-level creatures approaching from the mist — Abyss Hounds, Forest Lizards, and a Shadow Viper.
They all fell before they could scream.
[Aura Amplification Active — Damage Multiplied x5]
The ground trembled. The smell of ash filled the air.
And for the first time in months, I smiled faintly.
Everything — the monsters, the fight, the danger — it all felt too light now.
My body moved faster. My reflexes sharper.
Every kill felt like routine.
The island that once felt like a prison had become my hunting ground.
But even with all that power, one thing bothered me.
No matter how far I walked, no matter how many monsters I defeated — I never saw another person.
No cities.
No kingdoms.
Nothing.
Only me…
and the endless north.
The air in the north had grown thin.
Even the monsters here were scarce now.
Each step I took, the soil cracked beneath my boots, scorched and brittle from the battles I'd fought.
I had lost count of how many days had passed.
Weeks, maybe months.
But I could feel it — my growth had slowed.
[Level: 53]
No matter how many beasts I slaughtered, the blue glow of level-up had dulled to a faint flicker.
> "It's getting slower…"
I clenched my fists, feeling the weight of exhaustion creep in.
When I opened my Status Window, the numbers glared back at me — evidence of the power I had built with blood and pain.
---
Name: Haru Villamor
Age: 23
Job: Warrior
Level: 53
Title: The Lone Survivor
Strength: 107
Intelligence: 100
Agility: 92
Vitality: 100
Sense: 130
Remaining Points: 18
I had poured every remaining point — all eighteen of them — into Strength and Vitality.
The moment I did, my body roared like a furnace igniting.
My veins pulsed; my heart raced.
It was like power itself was tearing my body apart just to fit inside.
Then, the world froze.
A red light enveloped my vision, and the system interface flickered before me, trembling as if something great was awakening.
---
[Main Quest Activated]
Quest Title: Awakening of the Crimson Calamity
Details:
> A follower of the Demon King has infiltrated Myrran Academy — their ritual has revived a creature sealed for centuries beneath the Empire of Azarin.
The Dragon of the Old War… Rhazakar, the Crimson Death.
Level: 80
Estimated Threat: Catastrophic
Objective:
> Slay the Dragon Rhazakar.
Reward:
>
1 Epic Chest
1 Legendary
1 Hidden Skill (??? Rank)
1 Title: Dragonslayer
---