It was a normal day. Or at least, it was supposed to be.
However, Logan didn't know why, but an uneasy weight sat in his chest, refusing to fade.
His mind ran through the events of the novel he had written, flipping through them again and again, but he couldn't find anything remotely dangerous tied to this day.
Nothing that should have felt like this.
Pushing the thought aside, he moved through his morning routine.
As soon as he was done, a soft chime echoed in his mind.
[Congratulations on completing the daily mission. You have received 3 attribute points.]
Logan didn't pay much attention to Astra. Instead, his focus shifted almost instantly to the most interesting part of his day.
It had been like this for the past three days.
Meeting Evelyn.
An expectant glint flickered through his eyes as he quickened his pace, leaving behind the staring crowd without a second glance.
…
In no time, he reached her room.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
His hand moved with steady, measured rhythm.
Logan waited.
A moment later, the door opened with a faint squeak.
On the other side stood the most beautiful woman Logan had fallen for across both his lives.
"Evelyn…" Logan said softly, a warm smile forming without effort.
Evelyn returned it, her lips curving into a soft, almost shy smile, dimples appearing.
She didn't know why, but lately, she too had begun looking forward to their training sessions.
She refused to believe she had fallen for a youth old enough to be her son.
However, her heart, and her behavior, said otherwise.
"Should I come in?" Logan asked, noticing the brief stillness in her.
"Oh, yes. Come right in," Evelyn said, pulling herself out of her thoughts.
"Your progress over the past days has been nothing short of surprising. I thought we'd need about a month to delve into using the sword, however… it seems we'll use it sooner than expected," Evelyn said with a light smile.
"Should I bring—"
"No." Evelyn cut in gently. "We'll start with a normal wooden sword, before moving to something more later on after you're used to the basics."
"Here."
She tossed him a wooden sword, shaped like a real blade, only its edges were blunt.
Logan caught it, his grip steady, his eyes lingering on her for a brief moment.
Then, the lesson began.
"Swordsmanship is divided into a couple of moves. It all has to do with the movement of your body. You need to learn to follow the rhythm of your opponent, lead them on, and silently eliminate them."
As she spoke, she moved.
Graceful.
Each step flowed into the next without resistance, like water finding its path.
It felt less like combat and more like watching a living painting unfold.
Logan couldn't look away.
His heartbeat picked up, loud in his ears, as he watched her move.
She thrust forward. Smooth. Controlled.
An upward strike followed, clean and precise. A silent parry. A swift vertical slash that cut through the air with a faint hiss.
Her movements continued, seamless, unbroken, for a full minute.
Then she stopped.
She turned to Logan, a soft smile on her lips, dimples returning.
"Can you display what you've learnt?"
Logan replayed everything in his mind.
Despite the distraction, despite the way his attention had drifted to her, he had still grasped more than he expected.
He stepped forward.
And began.
Evelyn watched closely, her gaze sharpening as his movements unfolded.
Silent surprise flickered across her expression.
'He has already mastered more than sixty percent? What an abnormality.'
The thought lingered as she watched him.
Thinking of Logan representing her in the Origin Academy, she couldn't help the faint curve of her lips.
'Why am I smiling?'
The question rose, but her smile didn't fade.
At that moment, Logan's movements slowed, then came to a halt.
"What do you think, Master?" Logan asked, placing deliberate emphasis on the last word.
A faint blush crept onto Evelyn's cheeks.
"It's okay for now. You still have a few more things to grasp. After that, you'll be good to go."
As she finished speaking, she moved again.
The second time Logan demonstrated the technique, he had already grasped more than eighty-five percent.
The third time, it was nearly flawless.
Just as he was about to begin the fourth attempt.
Bang!!!
A violent explosion tore through the air, followed by sharp, panicked screams.
Both Evelyn and Logan froze, then turned instantly toward the source.
"What's going on?" Evelyn murmured, a faint flicker of lightning dancing within her eyes.
Logan said nothing.
His thoughts moved fast, connecting fragments, searching for something that fit.
Nothing did.
He turned to her.
"Should we check out what happened?"
Evelyn nodded, already moving.
The moment they stepped out of the room, chaos greeted them.
Guests ran in every direction, faces pale, movements erratic.
No order. No destination.
Just fear.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Explosions continued to echo through the hotel, each one heavier than the last.
Logan's unease deepened, settling into something colder, sharper.
His expression, however, remained calm.
Controlled.
They moved toward the source.
As they neared the reception area, a suffocating aura pressed down on them without warning.
"There you are!!!"
The voice tore through the noise, crashing directly into their minds.
Swoosh!
A sharp rush of wind.
A figure dropped from above and slammed into the ground before them, cracks spreading beneath his feet.
Dust rose.
Then settled.
Logan's pupils shrank.
A soft chime echoed in his mind.
[New mission received: Save Evelyn from the crisis.]
[Mission details: Evelyn's life is endangered. Please save her from the death crisis. Rewards will be distributed based on mission completion rating.]
Logan ignored it.
His focus locked onto the man before him.
A spear rested in his hand. Lightning coiled around his body, crackling faintly.
Recognition hit instantly.
'Kael… what's he doing here?'
His thoughts spiked.
Tracking them here should have been impossible.
Yet Kael stood in front of them. In the exact hotel. At the exact moment.
Which meant only one thing.
He hadn't just found them.
He had followed them.
'The city has a barrier that blocks divination and detection-based origin abilities. It's impossible to track anyone inside…'
Logan froze.
The answer surfaced.
'The night I went to find Evelyn… we were both outside the city.'
A chill slid down his spine.
He forced his breathing to steady, lifting his gaze.
Kael's grin stretched wide, exposing a neat row of teeth.
"We meet again, sister-in-law."
Shing!
Without hesitation, he thrust his spear forward, aiming straight for Logan.
Clang!
A streak of lightning struck the spear, knocking it off course at the last instant.
"You—"
Shock flashed across Kael's face as his gaze snapped to Evelyn.
"How did you recover your origin path?"
Confusion flickered behind his eyes, followed by something darker.
Nothing in the world should have been able to stop the corrosion of dark origin energy.
"Kael…" Evelyn's voice dropped, steady, cold.
Hatred burned in her eyes.
"I've had sleepless nights dreaming of killing you…"