Zen and the others stood at the edge of the cliff, staring down at the ruined town.
It wasn't just a small part that had burned.
The entire town had been reduced to flames.
It looked as if someone had deliberately set the whole place ablaze.
Bandits?
The thought crossed his mind.
But how could normal bandits do something like this?
It was impossible.
Zaki's voice broke the silence.
"Wh… what is going on? Why is the town on fire?"
No one answered.
It wasn't like they knew any better.
Zen finally spoke.
"I don't know."
Zaki hesitated, then asked, "Then… should we check? Help the villagers?"
Zen turned to look at her.
Her hands were trembling.
His expression didn't change.
"No. We can't."
A brief pause.
"If someone can do this to an entire town… then they're far beyond us."
His gaze shifted back to the burning ruins below.
"We wouldn't be able to do anything."
Zaki knew it too.
But her sense of righteousness was too strong to let it go so easily.
Zen understood that.
He knew she was kind-hearted.
But kindness didn't mean she could afford to be naïve.
"I know how you feel," Zen said calmly. "But we're in no position to help anyone."
Zaki lowered her gaze.
She knew it.
They were powerless in this situation.
Still… accepting it was another matter.
Zen looked at her for a moment, noticing the struggle on her face.
Then he turned away.
After one last glance at the burning town, he walked off.
"Red," he called out internally. "Are you there?"
"I am, host," Red replied.
"Do you have any idea what's going on?"
There was a brief pause.
There was a brief pause.
"Any idea what's going on?" Zen asked again.
Red replied flatly, "How should I be capable of knowing that?"
Zen's expression didn't change.
"Useless."
Zen stepped away from the group.
He needed a closer understanding of what was happening.
Silently, he extended his shadow.
It slipped across the ground, weaving through trees, stretching forward until it reached the front gate of the town.
Through it, he could sense fragments.
There was fighting.
Violence.
Something… wrong.
But he couldn't extend it any further.
Then—
Something shifted.
From within the town, someone sensed it.
A presence.
Unnatural mana stirred.
It hadn't been there before.
Now it was.
That figure turned.
Directly toward Zen.
Miles away—
And yet, it felt like they were standing face to face.
Zen froze.
His instincts screamed.
Something was looking at him.
Not just looking—
Locking onto him.
Like a predator fixing its gaze on prey.
Cold.
Sharp.
It felt like enormous eyes were staring him down from the darkness.
The pressure hit.
Overwhelming.
A chill ran through his entire body.
Sweat drenched his back in an instant.
His breathing broke.
Heavy. Uneven.
His chest tightened as if something invisible was crushing it.
He felt small.
Insignificant.
The gap between them—
Was absolute.
His vision blurred.
His body trembled.
He couldn't endure it.
Zen staggered—
And vomited onto the ground.
"Hey—host!"
Red's voice rang out urgently.
"Are you okay?!"
It felt like something gripped his heart—
And squeezed.
Hard.
Zen's body gave out.
He collapsed onto the ground, strength leaving him completely.
Darkness crept in at the edges of his vision.
His senses faded, one by one.
The last thing he heard—
Was Red's voice.
Slowly, Zen regained consciousness.
His eyes opened, but his vision was still blurred, everything drowned in a dull haze.
He brought a hand to his head, gripping it tightly.
"Fuck… it hurts," he muttered under his breath.
"What the hell was that…?"
Fragments of memory surfaced.
He had only been observing.
Just checking the situation.
But—
Something had noticed him.
His expression darkened.
"What… was that thing…?"
The image flashed again in his mind.
A pair of eyes.
No—
Two pairs.
Watching him.
Like prey.
A chill ran down his spine.
"Fuck…" he exhaled softly. "Just thinking about it gives me chills."
Suddenly, Red's voice rang out in his mind.
"Hey, host! Are you fine? Hello—can you hear me?"
There was urgency in his voice.
Concern.
Zen took a slow breath.
"Yeah… I think I'm fine. For now."
A pause.
"But what happened to me…?"
His brows furrowed slightly.
"I don't get it."
Red replied, his voice steady,
"I believe they noticed you. They were tracing your presence… pinpointing your location."
A brief pause.
"You couldn't withstand it."
Zen stayed silent.
"Your will was too weak to endure their pressure," Red continued. "Their intent alone was enough to overwhelm you."
Another pause.
"In the end… your mind collapsed under it."
"Huh…?"
Zen was stunned.
Just from that…?
From their probing alone… their intent…?
His mind had collapsed?
A chill crept back into his spine.
"Fuck… that was dangerous."
voice was low, shaken.
"Just from their intent…? How can someone do something like that?"
Red replied calmly,
"Yes. At higher levels, intent alone can overwhelm others."
A brief pause.
"We call it Will."
"It is the manifestation of one's presence when they reach a certain level of power."
Zen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So that means… that person is far above my rank?"
Silence.
Then—
"What the fuck is someone like that doing out here… in the countryside?"
"I have too many questions…"
Zen ran a hand through his hair, frustration creeping in.
"How can someone just… decide things with their intent alone?"
His jaw tightened.
"And if they could do that—"
A brief pause.
"Why the hell did that guy leave me alive?"
Silence lingered.
Regret hit him a second later.
"Fuck…"
He exhaled sharply.
"I shouldn't have done something that reckless."
"Red… I need to know. How do they do it?"
Red answered calmly,
"Think of it as intent given form."
A brief pause.
"If they wish… they can force you unconscious. Or even kill you—depending on your ability to resist."
Zen went still.
"If the gap is too large… lower-ranked individuals may simply die from it."
A chill ran down his spine.
"What the fuck… just from intent?"
His voice lowered.
"Isn't that overpowered?"
Red replied,
"Not everyone can manifest it."
"Some unlock it early under specific conditions, but it is rare."
A slight pause.
"It requires an exceptionally strong will."
Zen's eyes sharpened.
"Are you saying… I can manifest it too?"
"If I meet those conditions?"
"No… before that," Zen said, his voice lower now. "How did I even survive?"
A brief pause.
"Why did that guy let me live?"
Red responded calmly,
"There are a few possibilities."
"First… he simply didn't intend to kill you."
A slight pause.
"Second… you weren't a threat worth eliminating."
"Third… your will was strong enough to resist, at least partially."
Silence lingered for a moment.
"However," Red added, "the first possibility is the most likely."
"I think so too…"
Zen let out a slow breath.
"If he really wanted to kill me… I'd be dead already."
A faint, bitter smirk appeared.
"Fuck… I just walked straight into a death trap and somehow survived."
He paused for a moment, then asked,
"Red… can I manifest this so-called overpowered Will too?"
"Yes… you can manifest it," Red replied. "If you meet the right conditions."
Zen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"And what are those conditions?"
Red answered calmly,
"They differ from person to person."
A brief pause.
"No two individuals walk the same path. Each must reach it in their own way."
"So there is no fixed requirement. No predetermined method to unlock Will."
Silence lingered.
"However…" Red continued,
"If I had to say—"
"You would need to overcome your greatest obstacle."
A brief pause.
"And possess the will to keep moving forward… no matter what."
"Ho… I see. Overcome an obstacle and the will to live on," Zen thought, letting the weight of Red's words settle in.