Start of Chapter Eight
Zerothrax entered the bar.
The first thing he saw was Romeo—completely drunk, tears in his eyes, singing loudly.
Romeo:
"Repent, repent, O drunken night…
From burning love, from aching dreams, from the love of my soul—repent, repent.
From tearful eyes, from a shattered heart, from aching dreams—repent—!"
Zerothrax:
"That's enough. We're leaving."
Romeo:
"O human… why is your heart so cold?
Why don't you care about my pain?"
Zerothrax:
"If you keep this up, you're going to turn into the Divine God of Poets. Hah."
He grabbed Romeo's arm.
"Get up. Don't you want your power back?
Right now even a normal human could beat you to death."
Romeo:
"…Alright, alright. I'm coming."
Zerothrax:
"This is your new home. From now on, you'll live here.
Go sleep. After you wake up, register at the Adventurers' Guild."
Romeo:
"Okay."
Five hours later
Romeo woke up.
"…Huh? What was that dream?"
"I dreamed about a leaf."
He sat up slowly.
"I'm starting to forget it…
I should give it a form.
A picture."
He picked up a pencil.
"…Even as a drawing… it's beautiful
Romeo registering as an adventurer
Romeo stood at the counter of the Adventurers' Guild.
Clerk:
"Alright, you need to fill out this form."
Romeo:
"Okay… what do I do?"
Clerk:
"Everything. Name and age first."
Romeo paused for a moment.
"Name: Yami.
Age: 17."
He murmured to himself:
"Yami fits me better than Romeo."
Clerk:
"Next—skills.
Are you a Divine being?"
Romeo:
"No."
Clerk:
"Martial artist, archer, mage, healer, swordsman, or elite?"
Romeo didn't hesitate.
"Swordsman."
Clerk nodded and pointed to another section.
"Swordsmanship rank list:
SSS
SS
S
A
B
C
D
E"
Romeo glanced at the paper.
"Since I don't have any real power right now—and I'm not allowed to use it in this country…
I'd be somewhere between C and B."
He exhaled.
"…Put me at B."
Clerk wrote it down.
"Do you want to adventure solo, or with a group?"
Romeo answered calmly:
"I'd rather be in a team than alone.
I don't have my power right now—being with others is better."
The clerk smiled faintly.
"Alright. The form is complete."
He stamped the paper.
"Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild."
Romeo:
"Alright… I received a request from an adventurer party called Lunaclaw.
They're Rank B.
Perfect for a start."
Romeo entered the tavern where the party was waiting.
A moment later, five figures walked in together.
A wolfkin stepped forward.
Wolfkin:
"Hey, you must be the new member, right?
Welcome to the team. I hope we'll enjoy working together."
He smiled confidently.
"I'm the leader of this group. Name's Roger.
On nights of the full moon, I transform into a wolf—so when that happens, stay away from me."
A young snakekin raised her hand.
Snakekin:
"I'm a snakekin.
I'm 12 years old and the archer of this group.
You can call me Lina."
A calm woman stepped forward next.
Healer:
"I'm the healer of this party.
A Divine of Healing.
My name is Elisa. Nice to meet you."
A tall tigerman crossed his arms.
Tigerkin:
"I'm Young.
I'm about 25 years old.
I'm the warrior of the team—and I also handle most of the planning."
Finally, a man with a staff nodded.
Mage:
"I'm the mage. Name's William.
Nice to meet you."
Romeo spoke quietly.
Romeo:
"I'm Yami.
I'm 17 years old.
I'm a swordsman—Moon Divine Style.
Swordsmanship Rank B.
Nice to meet you all."
Roger raised an eyebrow.
Roger:
"Moon Divine Style, huh…
I've never seen anyone here who uses that style."
He scratched his chin.
"They say it's so rare you can count the users on one hand.
But all of them are usually SS to A rank."
He glanced at Yami.
"At Rank B, I don't think you're that strong."
William crossed his arms.
William:
"Alright, what's the plan?
We should do a power check first.
I don't want Yami holding us back if a giant beast jumps us."
Yami:
"…"
Young nodded.
Young:
"First, we head into the forest.
We hunt a giant beast there."
He continued calmly.
"Then we use the reward money to raise our rank.
After that, we can take missions like hunting drakes… maybe even dragons."
Yami thought to himself:
A country ruled by a Dragon Divine…
Can people really hunt dragons here?
Roger grinned.
Roger:
"Alright then.
Let's move."
Yong:
"Alright, here's the plan. You see those white tigers?"
Elia, you surround them with fire so they can't escape.
Roger, you and Romeo attack head-on.
Alisa and Lina, provide support from the rear.
I'll conserve my energy—if anything goes wrong, I'll step in.
Alright then… everyone ready?
Everyone:
"Yes."
The forest grew unnervingly quiet.
Ten white giant tigers emerged from between the trees, their massive frames moving with terrifying discipline. These weren't wild beasts—they were hunters, veterans hardened by countless kills.
Their silver fur reflected the faint moonlight breaking through the leaves.
Romeo stepped forward.
He drew his blade.
The Moon Sword hummed softly, pale light flowing along its edge like liquid silver.
Young whispered,
"Ten at once… this is bad."
Roger narrowed his eyes.
"Don't interfere. Let's see what he does."
The tigers moved.
Not one by one.
All at once.
Two charged head-on. Three circled wide. The rest vanished into the trees, their movements silent.
Romeo exhaled slowly.
His stance shifted.
Divine Moon Style — First Form: Lunar Flow.
The world seemed to slow.
The first tiger leapt.
Romeo stepped aside by a hair's breadth, the Moon Sword tracing a clean arc.
The blade didn't clash.
It passed through.
The tiger landed behind him—then collapsed, its body split cleanly in two.
Before the blood hit the ground, another tiger struck from the side.
Romeo spun.
Second Form: Crescent Reversal.
A half-moon slash burst outward, cutting deep into the beast's shoulder and sending it crashing into a tree.
Bones snapped.
A third tiger came from above.
Romeo bent low, slid beneath its claws, and drove his sword upward.
The moonlight flared.
The tiger's roar cut off instantly.
Roger clenched his fist.
"…So precise."
The remaining beasts adapted.
They attacked in pairs now, timing their strikes to force mistakes.
Romeo took a hit.
Claws tore across his ribs.
Blood spilled.
Alisa gasped.
"He's injured!"
Romeo gritted his teeth—but didn't retreat.
Instead, he planted his foot.
Third Form: Full Moon Guard.
Moonlight wrapped around him like a thin veil.
The next strike glanced off, deflected just enough.
Romeo countered instantly.
Two fast cuts.
One tiger fell.
Then another.
The forest floor was soaked red.
Only three remained.
They hesitated.
Romeo raised his sword, pointing it at the sky.
The moonlight intensified.
Fifth Form: Falling Moon Severance.
He vanished—not through teleportation, but sheer speed.
He appeared behind the first tiger.
One strike.
Behind the second.
Another strike.
The third tried to flee.
Romeo's blade flew from his hand, spinning like a crescent of pure moonlight.
It pierced straight through the tiger's skull and embedded itself in a tree.
Silence.
Romeo stood still, breathing heavily.
Blood dripped from his wounds.
He retrieved his sword.
"…I really went too far."
Young stared at the corpses.
"Those were elite beasts…"
Roger la
ughed under his breath.
"And you're supposed to be B-rank?"
Romeo shrugged.
"They were just predictable."
The team exchanged looks.
They all understood now.
Yami wasn't weak.
He was restrained.
And one day—
that restraint would break.