Steven exited the old man Dawn's shop and wanted to leave the city.
This gem had been mentioned once in his story.
It was said that during Kai's exploration of Gilmore Mountain, he encountered a cave and picked up this gem. As for the dangers of entering the cave, Kai hadn't faced anything.
But Kai found the gem five years from now.
'I must be careful when entering the cave. Even though Kai didn't encounter anything, I cannot guarantee that there are no dangers before Kai finds the cave.'
During these years, Steven had reached +B rank, yet no matter how hard he tried, he could not break through to a higher rank. He did not know what the problem was. He trained and killed many demons and monsters, but unfortunately, he could not break through.
So he ignored this problem for now. He wanted to obtain a rank-modifying tool because there wasn't much time left before entering the academy. Steven didn't want to attract attention in the academy; he only wanted to control things behind the scenes.
Many events were going to happen at the academy, and that demon was still tracking him and trying to kill him. Therefore, he had to hide his identity well.
Steven had registered an identity for himself and for Mark. In the ID, he and Mark shared the same family name. It was Mark's suggestion to register a family name for him and Steven.
Steven didn't refuse the suggestion because he didn't want to get the original owner's family name of this body, due to its sale to him.
Steven and Mark's family name was Roald, meaning "happy news."
Mark wished that only happy news would come to his small family.
Steven didn't object to the name.
Speaking of Mark, he was in constant contact with Steven through a smart watch.
Gilmore Mountain was only two days away from the Dwarf City on foot.
Steven informed them that he would be leaving the Dwarf City for a while.
He exited the city.
Since there was no one around, Steven canceled his disguise and removed his cloak while running through the forest. He encountered many monsters along the way but easily defeated them, as their ranks were not high.
He spent these two days running and defeating the monsters he encountered. Of course, he didn't forget to take the mana stones with him.
He also ate the food he had stored in his ring and found a safe place to sleep a little to regain his energy.
After that, he arrived at Gilmore Mountain. The mountain was very large,
with its peak covered by clouds,
and only a small portion of the summit showing white.
Yes, it was snow, even though it was spring.
The lower part was covered with greenery, herbs, and shrubs.
Steven noted that Kai found the cave after climbing a small part of the mountain, discovering a strange statue pointing in a certain direction, and followed it to find the cave.
Therefore, Steven now needed to find the statue.
He climbed a small part of the mountain and began searching for the statue.
After six hours of searching, he finally found it.
The statue was strangely black, shaped like a middle-aged man holding a black sword in one hand and pointing in a direction with the other.
Steven thought,
'This statue is strange… why does it look like this?'
Then he dismissed the thought.
'It doesn't matter. I need to go to the cave to find the gem.'
He walked in the direction the hand was pointing.
After an hour of continuous running, Steven finally spotted the cave.
He drew his sword and entered cautiously.
He walked through a short passage of the cave and then saw two paths: one to the right and one to the left.
'Were there two paths in the book?'
Steven became more cautious.
'I don't remember there being two paths in the story, nor that the statue was black.'
Steven frowned and decided to take the path on the right.
After walking some distance inside the passage,
suddenly, the place Steven was in changed, and the sword in his hand disappeared.
He was standing in a familiar room.
Steven looked at the familiar place and his body trembled violently.
He heard loud banging on the door and a man's shouting.
"You filthy monster, open the door now!"
Hearing the familiar voice made Steven tremble even more.
He raised his hands and covered his head. His legs couldn't hold him, and he fell to the ground.
It was a voice he hadn't heard in a long time, yet he could never forget it.
Yes, it was his father's voice.
Boom boom.
"I'll teach you a lesson if you don't open the door, you scoundrel!"
Steven's body kept trembling on the floor.
Finally, he opened his mouth and muttered in a low, shaky voice,
"N-no… I… I-I'm not a monster."
Tears fell from Steven's eyes, and he continued in a trembling voice,
"I am now Steven, not Song Won-Jo," he muttered while shaking.
"Y-yes… and I've also become stronger, r-right… stronger."
Then he looked at his trembling hands with a face full of pain.
"Then why… why am I still afraid of him?"
"I…I haven't seen him or heard his voice for years… I thought I no longer feared him… I thought I had moved on!"
Steven couldn't control his body due to his excitement and continued trembling, not knowing how long this lasted.
"Can I defeat him… but I can't even stand when facing him."
Tears fell as he trembled.
"Then… then what's the use of this power if I can't use it?"
Boom boom.
"Open the door! Open it now!"
Steven trembled; his eyes gradually went blank.
'It doesn't matter… it seems I won't be able to defeat him… whatever, I just want to rest.'
He closed his eyes in despair, almost falling asleep.
[Brother… brother…]
Then suddenly, something flashed in his mind. He opened his eyes and muttered,
"No… no, I finally have a real family."
"I must not give up; Mark is surely waiting for my return."
'I'm in a different world, in a different life, and I've become stronger. I must control myself.'
Then his body stopped trembling, and he was finally able to stand.
He stepped toward the door with heavy steps and unlocked it.
'I am no longer that weak boy. Not anymore. I must face my fears. Yes, I must overcome him to return home.'
He opened the door, and his father entered the room.
"You scoundrel, you finally opened th—"
Boom.
Steven punched him in the face forcefully, sending him flying into the wall behind him.
Steven approached him with cold eyes and grabbed him by the collar.
He punched him again, then again, and again, continuing relentlessly until his father was on the verge of death, yet Steven kept striking him.
Steven was breathing heavily.
"Hah… hah… hah… huff."
Then he took the knife his father had brought and stabbed his father in the heart.
When he stabbed his father, the surrounding area shattered and he returned to the cave.
He found himself lying on the ground, as if he had been sleeping.
Steven stood up; his heart was beating strongly, and he was breathing heavily. After a few minutes, his expression returned to cold, but for some reason, there was a sense of relief in his face.
'It was a high-level illusionary nightmare, so realistic that I didn't even feel it.'
Then suddenly, he broke through a higher rank, and impurities were expelled from his body.
Steven looked at himself in surprise.
'How did this happen?'
Then realization appeared on his face.
'Is this why I couldn't break through no matter how hard I tried?'
'Is it because of this knot in my heart?'
Steven laughed loudly.
"Hahahahaha!"
Then he looked at his hand, clenched it tightly, and blood appeared.
"Why do they hate me? I didn't do anything!"
"What did I do?"
He dispelled his pessimistic thoughts and his expression returned to normal.
"It doesn't matter; what's past is past."
Then he frowned when he smelled his own body.
'I'll endure it a little longer until I find what I want, then I'll find a river nearby and bathe.'
He then continued along the passage.
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