The wind blowing through the forest no longer felt cold.
Raijin had lost track of how long he had been walking.
His body had reached its limit.
With every step, his muscles strained, his breathing grew heavier, and the memories colliding inside his mind gave him no peace.
Aegis Covenant… six people.
His fingers unconsciously curled into fists.
They were not ordinary warriors.
They were trained, organized, and sent specifically to kill him.
During that battle—
For the first time, he had truly felt the power of the Mortal Realm.
Just remembering it sent a faint shiver down his spine.
That power had not felt like a blessing.
It had come—
breaking his bones.
He had felt it clearly.
The bones in his hands had cracked. His ribs had caved in. The pain had been so intense that his mind had gone numb for a few moments.
And then—
They had healed.
Stronger than before.
But at a price that could not be put into words.
After that, he had never allowed himself to stop.
Day or night—
Run.
Strike.
Fall.
Get back up.
Every time, his body broke.
Every time, it changed a little more.
And as if that wasn't enough—
There had been that Monster.
That fight had not been necessary.
But he had not been able to stop himself either.
Now, everything had come crashing down on him at once.
Raijin tried to steady himself against a tree.
His hand trembled.
His vision began to blur.
He made one last attempt to keep himself standing.
But this time, his body refused to obey.
The tree before his eyes began to fade into a blur.
"Not yet…"
His lips moved.
"I still have so much to do…"
But the body had its own limits.
His consciousness slowly sank into darkness.
His knees gave way.
And the next moment—
Thud.
The forest floor swallowed him.
---
A Little Later—
"There!"
A panicked voice echoed through the forest.
Three figures hurried forward.
Sofia was at the front.
Relief and fear were mixed across her face.
"This is him… the same man."
Ishan and Kade reached the spot behind her.
The moment they saw Raijin's condition, all three stopped.
His clothes were torn.
Dried blood covered his body, and his breathing was extremely faint.
Sofia hesitated for a few moments before approaching him.
She knew this was the man who had stopped the Monster by himself.
But the person lying before her now didn't look like some terrifying warrior.
He simply looked like an injured human being.
Sofia slowly sat beside him.
She first checked his breathing.
"He's alive…"
She let out a relieved breath.
Ishan looked at his wounds.
"He's in terrible condition."
Kade clenched his teeth.
"Did someone leave him like this?"
"No."
Sofia shook her head.
"He's the one who saved us from the Monster."
Without thinking any further, she took a piece of cloth and some herbs from her bag.
She crushed the herbs in her palm and applied them around his wounds.
Ishan asked in surprise,
"When did you learn all this?"
Without looking at him, Sofia replied,
"People who travel have to learn a lot of things."
Then her eyes returned to Raijin.
"And sometimes… they have to learn how to save others too."
She gently cleaned his wounds with the cloth.
"They won't stop the pain for long," she said, "but they'll slow the bleeding."
After a while, they lit a fire.
A small flame flickered in the darkness of the forest.
Raijin was still unconscious.
The night grew deeper.
---
The warmth of the fire slowly reached his face.
Raijin's fingers moved.
Suddenly, his eyes opened.
The next moment—
He jerked backward.
"You people—!"
His voice was hoarse.
His hand immediately reached for his sword.
But he didn't have enough strength to draw it.
Within seconds, his eyes had already scanned the entire area.
A fire.
Three people.
No weapon pointed at his throat.
No hidden person nearby.
Even so, his body did not relax.
His fingers tightened around the sword's hilt.
This wasn't merely habit.
It was a warning that remained buried within him—
Trust no one.
For a moment, he looked into Sofia's eyes.
There was fear there.
But no hostility.
Raijin slowly removed his hand from his sword.
"Wait!" Sofia said immediately.
"We're not going to hurt you."
She quickly explained everything.
How they had found him.
How badly injured he had been.
And how they had helped him.
Raijin's breathing gradually returned to normal.
He remained silent for a while.
Then he quietly said—
"…Thank you."
It was a small word.
But it was sincere.
Sofia held some food out toward him.
"Eat."
"No."
He immediately refused.
At that exact moment—
Grrr…
His stomach betrayed him.
Silence fell for a few seconds.
Ishan pressed his lips together to suppress a laugh.
A faint smile appeared on Sofia's face.
Raijin looked away.
Then he accepted the food.
He took the first bite slowly.
Then another.
After that, his pace gradually increased.
He hadn't even realized how hungry he was.
Sofia silently watched him.
She said nothing.
Didn't tease him.
Didn't ask questions.
She simply pushed another portion of food toward him.
Raijin's fingers stopped for a moment.
He couldn't remember the last time someone had done something for him without expecting anything in return.
"Thank you…"
This time, his voice was even quieter.
---
After eating, there was silence for a while.
Then Raijin asked,
"Where are you from?"
"The Elf Kingdom," Sofia replied.
Raijin's expression froze for a moment.
That far away…
He mentally went over the map of the world.
Five continents.
Leone Continent.
Elf Continent.
Dorf Continent.
Beast Continent.
"And last"
Demon Continent.
The remaining two—
He only knew their names for now.
"Why travel this far?"
Sofia smiled faintly.
"I like adventure."
She looked into the flames.
"Being locked inside the same room all the time… that wasn't a life."
Raijin nodded.
Then he said,
"I'm from the north of the Leone Kingdom. A small village."
His voice grew slightly heavier.
"There… there was a Lord."
He paused for a moment.
"Tired of living under his terror, my friend and I went to kill him."
Old images appeared before his eyes.
Then he lowered his gaze.
"But…"
His fist tightened.
"I was betrayed."
Sofia didn't ask any questions.
Perhaps she had seen the boundary in his eyes and understood that it wasn't the right time to cross it.
Raijin breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
He couldn't tell anyone yet—
Not about his previous life.
Not about the other consciousness.
And not about the power that had brought him back into this world.
For now, it was enough that he was alive.
The rest of the truths…
Would reveal themselves when the time came.
"I'm sorry," Sofia said quietly.
Raijin looked at her.
"There's no need to feel sorry for me."
His voice was calm.
"It doesn't matter anymore."
But perhaps even he knew—
It still mattered.
---
The night had grown quite deep.
Ishan and Kade were asleep.
Only the soft crackling of the fire could be heard.
Raijin was still awake.
Sofia looked at him.
"Don't you sleep?"
"Rarely."
"Why?"
Raijin stared into the fire for a while.
"Because a person is at their weakest while sleeping."
Sofia remained silent for a moment.
"Do you suspect everyone?"
Raijin looked at her.
"Almost."
A faint smile appeared on Sofia's lips.
"Then don't trust us either."
Raijin was slightly surprised.
"What?"
"Trust isn't something you ask for."
She placed another piece of wood into the fire.
"It is earned over time."
Raijin said nothing.
He looked back at the flames.
He had come from another world.
Betrayal and hatred had almost completely erased his ability to trust.
But perhaps somewhere deep inside him, there was still someone—
Someone who wanted to trust another person.
Someone he wouldn't want to lose.
And he couldn't understand whether that feeling belonged to him—
Or whether it was the influence of some lingering consciousness within this body.
---
The Next Morning—
Sunlight filtered through the trees and fell across the ground.
The fire had gone out, but its warmth still lingered in the air.
Raijin woke first.
He walked some distance away and drew his sword.
One straight strike.
Then another.
A third.
His body was still in pain.
But the pain no longer stopped him.
He controlled his breathing.
He focused on his Nexus Seed.
A faint warmth rose inside his chest.
Raijin immediately opened his eyes.
"A response this quickly…"
He looked at his palm.
"Perhaps the recovery isn't limited to my body."
He returned his sword to its sheath.
"I need to understand this."
A slight movement came from behind him.
"So soon?"
It was Sofia's voice.
Ishan and Kade were awake as well.
The three began gathering their belongings.
Kade looked at Raijin.
"You're really coming with us?"
Raijin thought for a few moments before answering.
He had nowhere to stay.
No money.
No proper clothes to wear.
And most importantly—
He didn't currently have the strength to manage on his own either.
"Yes."
His voice was calm.
"At least for now."
A faint look of relief appeared on Sofia's face.
But she tried not to show it.
Perhaps she had already understood that Raijin was more comfortable with distance than trust.
They began walking east.
---
For a while, no one spoke.
Then Ishan broke the silence.
"So… are you always this quiet?"
Raijin looked at him.
"Maybe."
Kade laughed.
"Maybe?"
"Yes."
"You're a strange guy."
Raijin didn't respond.
Sofia looked back at the two.
"Don't bother him."
Ishan raised his hands.
"I'm just trying to make friends."
For the first time, Raijin studied them carefully for a few moments.
All three were different.
Ishan was talkative.
Kade was straightforward and somewhat stern.
Sofia was quiet—
But she cared about others.
Strangely enough, he didn't find it difficult to be around them.
Several hours later, Raijin glanced toward the path disappearing behind them through the forest.
Aegis Covenant.
They hadn't come there by coincidence.
Six people.
It was no accident.
They knew his location.
They knew something about him.
And the most dangerous part—
They had come to kill him while Raijin himself still didn't understand what he had truly become.
If they can reach this place…
He thought silently.
Then the city won't be safe either.
He looked at Sofia and the others.
He didn't want to put them in danger.
But for now, he had nowhere else to go.
---
After a while, the trees began to thin.
The forest opened up.
And then—
Walls.
Tall stone walls gleamed beneath the sunlight.
Guards stood on top of them.
They carried spears, with small Nexus Crystals hanging from their belts.
People entering and leaving were being inspected.
Merchant carts entered the city one after another.
Some adventurers were returning with Monster horns and hides.
A group of children played near the wall.
The city was not ordinary.
Warriors, merchants, mages, and travelers all existed together here.
Raijin watched everything for a few moments.
For the first time in many days, he felt something—
The world had continued moving without him.
They entered the city.
And at that exact moment—
Raijin stopped.
A sudden chill ran down his spine.
He slowly looked back.
Crowds.
Merchants.
Travelers.
Horses.
No unusual faces.
And yet—
He could clearly feel it.
Someone was watching him.
Not just one person.
It was as if his presence was being sensed from somewhere far away.
Raijin narrowed his eyes slightly.
"That feeling again…"
For a moment, the same dark eye appeared in his mind—
That same enormous, black eye.
He immediately shook his head.
"Not now."
"What happened?" Sofia asked.
Raijin looked at her.
"Nothing."
He continued walking.
But the feeling remained inside him.
---
A little later, they reached the Adventure Guild.
The Guild building was different from the others.
Wide.
Sturdy.
And on the large sign outside, dozens of names were engraved.
There was constant activity inside.
Some adventurers were discussing missions.
Some were submitting their weapons.
Others had returned injured.
The woman sitting behind the counter looked up.
"Sofia?"
She recognized her.
"Did you complete the job?"
"Yes."
Sofia nodded.
"And… a new companion too."
The woman's eyes moved toward Raijin.
She stared at him for several seconds.
"Name?"
"Raijin."
"Weapon?"
"Sword."
"Experience?"
Raijin remained silent for a moment.
"Enough to stay alive."
The woman showed no particular reaction.
She simply pushed a stone tablet toward him.
"Place your hand on it."
Raijin placed his hand on the tablet.
It glowed faintly.
The woman's eyebrows rose slightly.
She looked at the crystal tablet again.
Her finger stopped on one of the readings.
"This is strange…"
Sofia asked,
"What happened?"
The woman immediately turned the tablet toward herself.
"Nothing."
Then she looked at Raijin.
"Have you ever had a Nexus test before?"
"No."
The woman remained silent for a few moments.
"Good."
"Why?"
Looking at the tablet, she said,
"Because if I'm interpreting your reading correctly…"
She stopped without finishing the sentence.
"You still have a lot to learn."
Raijin looked into her eyes.
He could clearly tell—
She was hiding something.
The woman looked back at the tablet.
"Temporary Rank: B."
Raijin picked up the tablet.
"B?"
The woman nodded.
"Not because of your combat ability."
She pointed toward the tablet.
"Based on your physical condition, Nexus response, and that reading."
"But your true ability isn't clear yet."
Her tone became serious.
"So this rank is temporary."
"If you fail the test, it will be lowered."
Raijin asked calmly,
"And if I succeed?"
For the first time, a faint smile appeared on the woman's face.
"Then perhaps even B will prove too small for you."
Raijin said nothing.
He kept the tablet with him.
There was no applause.
No celebration.
But—
He was no longer alone either.
He turned around and looked at Sofia, Ishan, and Kade.
Sofia simply gave him a slight nod.
Raijin returned the gesture with an equally small nod.
It wasn't a great vow.
Not friendship.
Not complete trust.
Just a small acknowledgment.
Perhaps… he could walk a few more steps with these people.
---
At that very moment—
A person stood on the rooftop of one of the city's tallest buildings.
His eyes were fixed on the entrance of the Adventure Guild below.
"So this is him…"
He spoke quietly.
"Raijin."
Meanwhile, inside the Guild, Raijin suddenly stopped.
That same cold shiver ran down his spine again.
He looked behind him.
There was nothing.
But this time—
Alongside caution, there was something else in his eyes.
Curiosity.
Because now he understood—
His journey toward the east wasn't simply a journey toward a new city.
He was moving toward something…
Something whose name he did not yet know.