Dawn slowly crept over Woodstone Forest.
The darkness retreated little by little as pale golden light filtered through the trees. Smoke from the battlefield drifted upward, mixing with the morning mist.
The headless corpse of the Black Wolf lay not far away, collapsed in the dirt where he had fallen.
Ivan stood a few steps away, his own sword still lowered at his side. A thin line of blood slid slowly down the edge of the blade before dripping onto the ground.
He loosened his shoulders slightly, letting the tension drain from his muscles.
But his eyes remained cold and alert, scanning the surroundings.
A true knight never relaxed too early on a battlefield.
The knight apprentices surrounding him suddenly felt something different.
An oppressive aura.
Heavy. Steady. Mature.
It was the kind of presence they had only felt before from an official knight of the territory.
They exchanged glances before one of them stepped forward cautiously.
"Young Master Ivan… have you broken through to the Lower Knight rank?"
The forest seemed to grow quieter.
Ivan looked at them.
He did not smile.
He did not boast.
He simply gave a sharp nod.
The apprentices froze.
Then shock erupted among them.
"A Lower Knight… at fifteen?!"
"That's impossible…"
"I've never even heard of such a thing!"
One of them whispered in disbelief, "Young Master Ivan is a true genius…"
In this medieval world, only a small number of people possessed the talent and foundation to step into knighthood at a young age. Most spent their entire lives unable to cross that barrier. Although Ivan had become a Lower Knight at fifteen, there were still rarer individuals in the wider world who had achieved such a realm even earlier.
But even so—
To the Thornheart Territory, this was astonishing.
Ivan slowly exhaled.
"The battle is over."
His voice was calm and steady.
"Check the surroundings. Treat the injured first. Make sure no enemies are hiding."
"Yes, Young Master Ivan!"
The knight apprentices dispersed at once.
Before Ivan could take another step, one of them hesitated, then stepped closer.
"Young Master Ivan… your wound."
Ivan paused.
The torn fabric around his shoulder was dark with dried blood. The earlier strike from the Black Wolf had cut through armor and flesh alike. Though the bleeding had stopped, the cloth remained stiff and heavy.
Another apprentice moved quickly to his side.
"We should at least bandage it before entering the cave."
"It's not serious," Ivan replied calmly.
"Even so," the apprentice insisted respectfully.
Ivan looked at him for a brief moment.
Then he gave a short nod.
"Be quick."
The apprentices immediately began working. One carefully removed the damaged shoulder guard while another brought clean cloth and water.
They wiped away the dried blood, revealing the long cut beneath. It was not shallow — but it was no longer bleeding heavily.
The cloth was wrapped tightly around his shoulder, layer after layer, firm but controlled. A leather strap was secured over it to prevent shifting during combat.
When they finished, the senior apprentice stepped back.
"It will hold for now, Young Master Ivan."
Ivan rotated his shoulder slightly. The pain was dull.
"That's enough."
He reached down and picked up his sword.
Inside the Cave
Ivan turned toward the cave entrance.
"You three. With me."
The cave swallowed light.
Only a few crude torches burned along the stone walls, casting trembling shadows across the rough interior.
The air smelled of rust, sweat, and damp earth.
As Ivan stepped deeper inside, metallic echoes rang faintly beneath his boots.
Then he saw them.
Cages.
Iron cages lined the cavern walls.
Inside them were people—thin, dirty, exhausted villagers. Some lifted their heads weakly. Others stared blankly.
A lone bandit stood guard nearby.
The moment he saw armored knight apprentices entering, his face turned pale.
"K-Knights—!"
He turned to run.
But before he could take two steps—
One knight apprentice burst forward and tackled him to the ground.
The bandit screamed.
"Mercy! Mercy!"
The apprentice dragged him forcefully to a far corner of the cave, away from the cages, ensuring the prisoners could not hear.
Only then did Ivan walk over.
"Speak," Ivan said calmly. "Why are these people here?"
The bandit trembled.
"I—I don't know—"
The apprentice struck him hard across the back.
"Answer properly!"
The bandit broke immediately.
"The boss found this place while searching for a new base! There's an open-pit iron mine inside the cave!"
Ivan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Iron mine?"
"Yes! When we discovered it, we thought we'd become rich! So we captured slaves during raids… and kidnapped villagers to mine it."
His voice shook violently.
"We were preparing to start digging soon… but you attacked before we could begin…"
Ivan stared at him silently.
Then he stood.
"Tie him up."
"Yes, Young Master Ivan."
Aftermath
The prisoners were released one by one.
When they were led outside and saw the bandits defeated, emotions burst out uncontrollably.
Some cried.
Some knelt.
Some laughed while weeping.
Freedom had come at last.
A senior apprentice approached Ivan and saluted.
"Young Master Ivan, report. Forty bandits confirmed dead. Three captured alive. Our casualties are minor. No deaths."
Ivan nodded.
"Burn the bodies to Prevent disease. Strip usable armor and weapons."
"Yes!"
Soon, a pile of collected weapons and armor formed beside the camp.
Not long after, an apprentice approached again.
"Young Master Ivan, these were found on the bandit leader."
He handed over a leather pouch and a sealed metal box.
Ivan accepted them quietly and sat near a fallen log.
The Box
Inside the pouch were coins—gold, silver, bronze.
Ivan barely glanced at them.
His attention focused entirely on the sealed box.
At that moment, Nova's voice sounded in his mind.
[Scanning…]
[Warning: First-level scan unable to penetrate object.]
Ivan's interest immediately rose.
"Oh?"
He applied force and broke the seal.
Click.
Inside lay two items.
A nearly empty glass bottle, containing only faint residue at the bottom.
And—
A silver ring set with a tiny crystal.
Nova's voice suddenly sharpened.
[Alert. Kyber Stone detected.]
Ivan blinked.
"Kyber stone?"
Nova sounded unusually excited.
[Kyber Stones are rare spatial materials discovered by the Orin Clan. They possess space-expansion properties. Essential resource for upgrading Class-1 Base to Class-2.]
Ivan's heartbeat quickened slightly.
"A stone… that manipulates space?"
[Correct.]
Nova continued:
[Kyber Stones are also key components in advanced technology such as Stargates—devices capable of spatial transmission.]
Ivan stared at the small crystal.
It looked utterly ordinary.
Yet it could bend space itself.
The Hidden Secret
Ivan examined the ring carefully.
Nothing unusual.
It looked just like any other common silver ring.
"Deep scan," Ivan ordered mentally.
Nova complied.
Seconds passed.
Then—
[Hidden inscriptions detected.]
[Residual energy present. Energy classification: Soul-type.]
Ivan frowned.
"Soul energy?"
[Affirmative. Similar signature previously detected within master.]
A thought suddenly appeared in Ivan's mind.
"Wizard…"
Fragments of knowledge from library records surfaced.
Soul energy… inscriptions… space tools…
Could this belong to a wizard?
Ivan asked quietly, "Can you use this energy?"
Nova processed briefly.
[Partial utilization possible. Authority restrictions prevent full control.]
Ivan smiled faintly.
"That's enough."
"Extract it."
Awakening
A cool sensation flowed from Ivan's palm into the ring.
For a moment—
The world shifted.
Darkness enveloped his consciousness.
Then—
A space appeared.
Roughly ten cubic meters.
Not empty.
Several vague silhouettes of objects rested within, but the details were blurred, as if covered by a layer of mist
Information flooded his consciousness.
Zero-Level Space RingStorage Capacity: 10 cubic metersCreator: First-Class Wizard Klein Mercer
Ivan's eyes snapped open.
His breathing stopped for a moment.
Wizard.
They truly existed.
And somewhere on this continent…
They still left traces behind.
The cool sensation faded.
The forest sounds returned.
In his hand, the silver ring looked no different than before.
Behind him, the knight apprentices continued working, unaware that their young master had just stepped into a far greater world.
A world beyond knights.
Beyond kingdoms.
A world of magic.
Ivan looked toward the rising sun.
And for the first time since arriving in this world—
he felt the horizon expand.