Dawn spread slowly along the horizon. The air had thickened with the scent of damp soil and rotting leaves, yet beneath that decay, life pulsed—raw, vibrant, the breath of a newly born morning.
The village gradually awakened: birdsong filtering through the crowns of the trees, the crackle of newly lit fires, and the muffled voices of goblin guards.
But Noa remained inside the hut.
The voices inside him grew even stronger—terrifying whispers rising from the depths of his heart, granting him no respite.
They're back again. How much longer?
"Damn it," he muttered under his breath as he slowly rose to his feet. His eyes were still lost in darkness—he saw nothing. Yet every sound, every vibration reached him with crystal clarity. The world now spoke to him not through sight, but through the symphony of his ears.
Noa stepped out of the hut. Sunlight brushed across his face. The warmth seeped into his skin, beginning to melt the ice around his heart.
"The sun… it feels as though it hasn't touched me for centuries…"
He took a few aimless steps, as if seeking even the slightest relief from the heavy weight crushing his chest.
The goblin guards standing along the path merely watched him.
One guard grumbled to another:
"He came outside…"
The second replied,
"The chief said not to touch him. No one is to lay a finger on him."
Noa continued walking. Each step was calm, yet storms roared within him.
Suddenly, he stumbled into something hard.
"What… again?"
His hands groped blindly. A cage.
Muffled voices came from inside—women's voices.
One woman: "Who is this? White hair… eyes covered… does he have horns too?"
Another whispered:
"He looks about fifteen… but a child in a goblin village?"
Noa stood silently. One of the women approached, her voice a mix of hope and caution.
"Hey… kid. Can you hear me?"
Noa tilted his head slightly.
"I can hear you. Don't think I can see."
Sara fell silent for a moment. Her voice became more cautious.
"Get us out of here. I'll reward you."
"Reward?"
"Crystal."
"What is that?"
"Something valuable."
Noa let out a short breath.
"Valuable… to whom?"
Sara placed her hand on the bars.
"To those who use magic."
Noa shrugged.
"I don't need it."
One of the other women in the cage asked,
"Hey, kid… what's your name?"
Noa tilted his head slightly.
"First tell me who you are."
Sara glanced behind her before fixing her gaze on Noa again.
"I'm Sara. Listen, kid—if you free me from this cage, I'll give you a crystal."
Noa's thoughts became tangled.
Crystal? A woman in a cage among goblins… strange. But why is she asking for help from me?
Noa answered in a cold, flat tone:
"What exactly is a crystal?"
Sara's voice softened as she began to explain.
"Something mages use. It's rare. Priceless."
Noa shrugged.
"I'm not interested."
He turned to leave.
Sara hurriedly raised her voice:
"Wait! This isn't an ordinary crystal. It's a pure crystal. It can do many things—valuable things."
Noa stopped.
A captive woman in the village… So goblins keep humans as slaves. A woman in a cage… I have nothing else to do right now. At least I'll occupy myself with something.
He thought and replied:
"Fine. How do I free you? As you can see, I'm blind."
He pointed to his eyes.
Sara's thoughts became confused.
They don't see him as a threat because he's blind…
Hope ignited in her voice:
"Three steps forward. Then twenty-three steps to the left. The cage key is in that hut—on the ground, to the right."
Noa nodded. "Understood."
He walked as directed. Every step was adjusted to the finest sounds—the whisper of the wind, the rustle of leaves, the rhythm of his own breathing.
He reached the hut and gently opened the door.
The goblins stirred. "Noa-sama!? What are you doing here?"
Noa spoke in a calm tone:
"Give me the cage key."
Doubt and fear flashed across their faces, but none dared refuse. They handed him the key.
Noa left without another word, returned to the cage, and bumped into it again.
"Here's the key. Now the crystal."
Sara asked cautiously:
"Key first."
Noa said firmly:
"No."
Silence stretched between them.
Then Sara took a small crystal from the bottom corner of the cage and tossed it toward Noa. It landed at his feet.
Noa picked it up and held it in his palm.
In an instant, a surge of raw energy burst from his heart—his senses sharpened like blades. Every sound, every vibration in the air, even the woman's heartbeat thundered in his mind.
Then the sensation vanished just as quickly.
Noa threw the key in the direction of the woman's voice.
Sara caught it. At that moment, Noa turned and walked away.
Sara spoke to herself with satisfaction:
Should I reward my enemy? After all this humiliation… he's here among them, so he's one of them too.
The black crystal, however… is poison. Once it enters the body, it kills in seconds.
Just as she was about to insert the key—a hand as hard as iron seized her wrist.
"Trying to escape, fool?"
Sara flinched. The key fell to the ground.
She didn't need to look—she recognized the voice…
A silhouette emerged from the shadows.
Rion.
He had heard Noa leave the hut, followed him, and listened to the entire conversation. Now he stood beside the cage.
"So… you've been helping the prisoners…"
His gaze was not on the woman, but fixed on Noa walking away in the distance.
A strange unease stirred in Rion's chest—what was changing inside Noa?
Noa raised his voice, not even knowing who he was speaking to:
"Someone take me back to the hut!"
Gobuta came running.
"Are you alright, Second Master? I'll escort you."
Noa, with his jaw clenched:
"No extra words needed. Just take me."
Gobuta saw Rion in the distance and answered energetically:
"Yes, right away…"
He escorted Noa to the hut. Noa entered and sat down. He turned the crystal between his fingers.
This crystal is not ordinary… When I held it, my senses sharpened for a moment. The world appeared clearly in my mind. But only for an instant…
He took a deep breath.
He recalled a page from the book he had read during his royal days, which stated that mana crystals could increase or decrease mana, and in some cases could even lead to death.
Could this kill me? But then again, I don't love life anyway.
Noa clenched his fist tightly and pressed hard.
Dark energy flowed out, enveloping the quiet hut.
Black light poured from his skin, as if his body were burning. His breathing quickened, his heart thundered—then everything plunged into emptiness.
A burning pain surged through Noa's body.
He collapsed instantly and lost consciousness.
He opened his eyes. The sky was an endless void, but at its center burned a purple sun. Clouds drifted, shimmering in flowing shades of purple, animated by its light. Below lay an endless, mirror-like water surface.
"This place… is familiar."
He walked. His feet touched the water but did not sink—only ripples spread.
After a few steps, he found a stone resembling a monument. Glowing letters on its surface displayed his statistics:
[Artifact: Stone of the Abyss]
User: Noa S. Dragon
Age: 5
Strength: 10
Endurance: 5
Speed: 12
Intelligence: 120
Mana: None
Ability: False Aura
Level: Beginner — 1
Life Fragmentation: 25%
Noa touched the stone. It was ice-cold.
"Almost no changes… Only 'Intelligence' at 120. Does this mean I'm truly intelligent, or is it because I read books as a child?… This space isn't appearing for the first time…"
And Life Fragmentation has increased again.
But why 25%?
The void trembled. A voice rumbled from the darkness—like thousands of people laughing at once:
???: "Hahaha… You don't even recognize yourself, do you, Noa?"
Noa spun around sharply.
"Who's there?! Show yourself! Are you the cause of the voices in my head?!"
He shouted, but the voice drew closer—cold, savage, sharp:
???: "You called me, boy. Now you can't escape… hahaha!!!"