The forest had long since lost its natural silence.
What remained was destruction.
Charred earth, shattered trees, and a massive crater that looked like a wound carved into the land itself—this was the aftermath of Yang Kai's eruption. The air still carried traces of that violent, crimson-black energy, faint but suffocating.
Standing at the edge of that enormous crater was Princess Zoya.
She hadn't realized how far she had wandered from the others until now.
Her gaze swept across the devastation, her expression as calm and unreadable as ever—but her thoughts were anything but.
So this is where it happened…
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she examined the terrain.
The radius… the depth… the destruction pattern…
Even for someone with spiritual awareness like her, the scale didn't make sense.
That explosion… it shouldn't be survivable.
Yet he walked out of it like nothing happened.
Her grip tightened slightly around her daggers.
And more importantly…
I couldn't sense any spiritual energy from him before that.
That was the part that unsettled her the most.
No cultivation aura. No rank. No detectable presence.
And yet—he produced something that rivaled, or even surpassed, high-tier combatants.
What exactly are you… Yang Kai?
Lost in thought, she didn't notice the subtle shift in the air behind her.
Until—
Crunch.
A faint sound of footsteps.
Light.
Unhurried.
But carrying something… wrong.
Zoya's instincts flared instantly.
Her body reacted before her mind fully processed it.
She spun sharply to her left, both daggers flashing into her hands in a single fluid motion.
"Who is there."
Her voice was cold, steady—but beneath it, tension coiled tightly.
From the shadows of the forest, a figure slowly emerged.
A boy.
Wearing Korean juvenile prisoner clothes, stained with dried blood.
His posture was relaxed.
Too relaxed.
And then—
He laughed.
A low, excited laugh.
"Interesting…"
He stepped forward, his voice carrying a twisted curiosity.
"A little girl like you… did something like this?"
He glanced toward the crater, then back at her.
"It kinda makes me excited."
The moment he fully stepped into view—
Zoya's pupils shrank.
Her breath hitched ever so slightly.
His eyes.
Pitch black.
Not dark.
Not deep.
But completely black—like a void that swallowed light itself.
And within that darkness—
White pupils.
Sharp.
Cold.
Inhuman.
A chill ran down her spine.
What… the fuck is this…
Before she could react further—
A pressure descended.
Boom.
It wasn't an attack.
It was presence.
Pure, overwhelming spiritual pressure crashed onto her like a mountain.
The ground beneath her feet cracked instantly, fractures spreading outward in jagged lines.
Her body trembled.
Her muscles screamed.
It felt like her entire being was being forced into the earth.
Zoya gritted her teeth, her legs straining to stay upright.
Her spiritual energy surged instinctively, pushing back against the crushing force.
Even then—it was barely enough to keep her standing.
Sweat slid down her chin.
Her calm expression cracked… just slightly.
Who… is this monster…
The boy stopped a few steps away from her.
Hands casually tucked into his pockets.
Completely at ease.
As if what he was doing… wasn't even worth effort.
"I'm Park Gun."
His voice was flat. Simple. Direct.
Then he tilted his head slightly, those void-like eyes locking onto hers.
"Now tell me…"
He raised a finger, pointing lazily toward the crater behind her.
"Are you the one who did this thing?"
Zoya didn't lower her guard.
Didn't relax her stance.
Her daggers remained raised, her energy still resisting the suffocating pressure.
"Why do you want to know."
Her tone was controlled—but cautious.
Park Gun didn't hesitate.
"Of course…"
A faint smile crept onto his lips.
"To defeat him."
The simplicity of his answer made it worse.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Just certainty.
Zoya's senses sharpened further as she analyzed him.
The flow of energy around him…
The density…
The control…
Her eyes widened slightly.
F-Rank… 3 Star…
That realization hit hard.
This wasn't just someone strong.
This was someone far beyond the current battlefield standard.
"You are already a F-Rank 3 Star…"
Her voice lowered, more serious now.
"Why do you want to fight a mortal?"
Silence.
Park Gun didn't answer.
He just stared at her.
Those black eyes… gleaming faintly.
Predatory.
Hungry.
As if her question itself had no value.
And in that moment—
Zoya understood.
This wasn't about logic.
This wasn't about fairness.
This wasn't even about the test.
This was instinct.
A predator… seeking something interesting.
Her grip tightened on her daggers.
Her heart beat slower.
The air near the crater remained tense—thick with killing intent and invisible pressure.
Princess Zoya stood firm despite the crushing weight of Park Gun's presence, her daggers raised, her breathing controlled.
And then—
A blur.
A shadow cut through the forest behind her.
Before her senses could even register it—
A figure landed beside her.
Softly.
Soundlessly.
Too fast.
Zoya's instincts exploded in alarm.
Someone… got this close… without me noticing?!
Her body reacted immediately. She shifted her weight and leapt to the right, trying to create distance—
But the moment her foot moved—
There was nothing beneath it.
The crater.
Her footing slipped.
Her body tilted backward—
And just as she was about to fall—
A hand caught her wrist.
Firm.
Steady.
She was pulled back in one smooth motion.
Her feet landed safely on solid ground again.
"Miss, are you alright?"
The voice was calm. Gentle.
Almost… refined.
"I think I scared you. My bad."
Zoya steadied herself and looked at the one who had just intervened.
A boy.
No—
A man with an almost unreal beauty.
His features were sharp yet elegant, his long hair tied neatly behind him. His expression was relaxed, but his eyes held clarity—awareness.
Beside him rested a spear.
Its surface… stained a deep, dried crimson.
Xia Niu.
Zoya adjusted her stance slightly, regaining composure.
"Thanks for that."
Her tone returned to its usual calm, though her eyes still held vigilance.
Xia Niu smiled faintly and released her wrist.
A small, courteous gesture.
But—
Not everyone was distracted.
Park Gun had been watching everything.
Every movement.
Every reaction.
His black eyes shifted slightly, locking onto Xia Niu.
"Is he the one you're talking about?"
His voice remained flat—but the curiosity in it deepened.
Zoya and Xia Niu both turned toward him.
Zoya answered first.
"No. He is not."
Xia Niu's gaze sharpened as he observed Park Gun more carefully.
Something about him…
Was off.
Very off.
Without hesitation, Xia Niu reached behind his back and drew his spear in one smooth motion. The weapon gleamed faintly, stained with the blood of countless kills.
"I don't know what you are talking about…"
He took a step forward, positioning himself slightly ahead of Zoya.
"…but I can't let you hurt a beautiful young lady like her."
His tone was calm—but firm.
Protective.
Zoya glanced at him for a brief moment.
Then she stepped forward again.
"No."
Her voice cut through clearly.
"Mister, I'm grateful that you saved me…"
She moved past him, her daggers spinning lightly into a reverse grip.
"…but this is not your matter."
Her stance lowered.
Balanced.
Lethal.
"You can leave this to me."
Now she stood directly facing Park Gun.
An assassin's posture.
Precise.
Efficient.
Deadly.
But even then—
The pressure didn't lessen.
Park Gun simply watched them.
His expression unchanged.
Yet—
There was a flicker.
Interest.
Meanwhile…
Far from the crater…
High above the forest floor—
Yang Kai lay stretched across a thick tree branch.
One leg hanging loosely.
The other bent.
His arms behind his head.
But his mind—
Was anything but at rest.
His eyes stared at the sky where the numbers continued to fall.
003,0xx,xxx…
Every second—people died.
And yet—
His thoughts were somewhere else entirely.
Messy.
Fragmented.
He exhaled slowly.
"Tch… I can't even rest properly."
His body had recovered significantly thanks to the forest's strange healing effect—but his mind remained restless.
Then—
A realization struck him.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
I reached F-Rank 3 Star…
But…
I didn't learn any technique.
He clicked his tongue softly.
"I'll probably get one after the test…"
His gaze sharpened.
"…but that's useless right now."
He couldn't afford to wait.
Not in a battlefield like this.
Not when weapon holders and monsters were roaming freely.
Then—
A memory surfaced.
Deep.
Ancient.
From his past life.
His eyes flickered slightly.
Absolute Death.
A technique he had mastered as Xuan Yuan.
Simple.
Brutal.
Efficient.
He closed his eyes briefly, recalling its mechanism.
Convert spiritual energy…
Into Death Qi…
Inject it into the target…
Instant death.
No struggle.
No resistance.
No mercy.
His lips curled slightly.
"It's perfect…"
But then—
His expression turned serious.
It only works on targets weaker than me.
That limitation mattered.
A lot.
Against mobs—
It was devastating.
Against elites—
Useless.
Still…
In a battlefield filled with thousands of weaker opponents?
It was a slaughter tool.
A method to thin numbers instantly.
His eyes opened.
Sharp.
Focused.
"Good…"
A faint, dangerous smile formed on his lips.
"…this will make things easier."
The branch beneath him creaked slightly as he shifted his weight.
His mind finally—
Began to settle.
Not into peace.