Chapter 10.
"This will be your new home from now on… my dear child."
A deep male voice spoke to thirteen-year-old Rowan. Rowan looked up at the man standing before him. He wore noble attire like any ordinary noble, composed and distant.
The surroundings, however, told a different story.
The buildings were old, their clay walls cracked and peeling. The streets were dry and lifeless, as though even rain and grass had abandoned the place long ago. Rowan slowly shifted his gaze toward the building he was being sent to. It was large like a noble's mansion and yet aged like a haunted house.
"Don't worry," the man reassured him. "They will take good care of you. I'll visit from time to time."
Rowan said nothing.
In front of the doorway stood a young woman, perhaps eighteen years old. She wore a gentle smile as she waited.
"Now go on," the noble urged.
Rowan did not hug him. He did not speak. He simply began walking toward the female.
"Hi there, young sir," she said softly as she knelt down to meet his eyes. "I'm Theresa, your new guardian angel. Shall we go inside and meet the others you'll be living with?"
Rowan only nodded.
She turned and gestured toward the noble before leading Rowan into the mansion. The heavy doors creaked as they opened.
Inside, everything felt… dead.
The walls were silent. The children were silent. Even the air felt heavy.
"Alright, everyone," Theresa called gently. "Please welcome our new member and be kind to him. Why don't you introduce yourself?"
"Rowan," he replied dryly.
"Good. Now—"
"Will be your new home."
A different voice interrupted from the staircase.
Rowan turned.
A woman around forty-five years old stood there, her expression cold and sharp.
"Rowan," she said loudly. "Do you know why you are here?"
He did not answer.
"You were brought here because you are weak. Helpless. And above all… a burden."
Her words struck harder than any physical blow.
"You have been left here to die alone. If you wish to live, you must prove to me the value of your existence."
And that was where it all began.
Rowan tried stealing food. He got beaten. He endured days without eating. Sometimes one day. Sometimes two. But he never stopped trying.
After a month, he had adapted.
Survival became instinct.
He learned how to move quietly. How to fight back. How to endure pain without crying. Eventually, he stood on equal footing with the others in that house.
Three years later, he met Celestia.
She was the one who helped him leave that place for good.
Present Day — Inside the Dungeon
"That's right…" Rowan thought as the bear's massive claw descended toward him in slow motion.
"I've always lived in survival mode. I lived believing survival was everything."
His teeth clenched.
"And just because I spent two peaceful years with her… I forgot."
Rage flared inside him.
"How could I be that much of an idiot?"
His eyes sharpened.
"No… no… not again."
The claw was inches from his face.
"I won't make the same mistake."
His body moved.
"I will survive!"
He tilted his head sharply, narrowly evading the attack. The claw tore past him, slicing air.
"Even if it means I die trying!"
He countered instantly, slashing the bear's paw. The blade cut slightly into its flesh.
The beast roared and stepped back before launching another strike.
Rowan rose and stepped aside, but his injured ankle gave out and he dropped to one knee.
"This is nothing compared to what I've survived," he muttered, staring directly into the bear's burning eyes.
"So bring it on!"
Back at the Academy
Yohan's punch was frozen midair, caught effortlessly by the mysterious figure. Ethan lay unconscious on the ground.
"Why did you stop me?" Yohan asked coldly.
"You do realize it's against the rules to brawl like that?" the figure replied calmly.
"Wasn't he the one who started it?" Yohan shot back. "He broke the law first by releasing his great sword."
The figure locked eyes with him. Golden light glowed with contained fury.
"Who knew Yohan had combat skills like that?" a female spectator whispered.
"That was almost an overkill," a male added.
"Why aren't you angry?" Yohan suddenly shouted. "You know just as well as I do that everything he said was a lie!"
"And you thought killing him in front of everyone was the solution?" the figure replied.
"No," Yohan said quietly, pulling his fist free. "That was only the beginning."
He turned and walked away.
"He may have meant nothing to all of you… but he meant something to me."
With those words, he vanished from the arena.
The mysterious figure stared at Ethan for a moment before disappearing as well.
Back in the Dungeon
Rowan stood despite the pain in his ankle. He exhaled and adjusted his stance. Injured leg behind. Good leg forward. Daggers raised.
"Time to see if the technique really works," he thought.
The bear attacked again, its speed noticeably increased. But this time, Rowan's mind was clear.
The first strike came — he leaned down and dodged.
The second — he twisted his upper body aside.
He countered with his left dagger, carving a vertical slash across the beast's chest. He pivoted, spun, and followed with a horizontal cut from his right.
Before he could finish the combo, the bear leapt back.
Blood dripped onto the stone.
Rowan froze.
"I did it…"
His chest rose heavily.
"So they were right. The trick works."
The bear roared in fury. Flames intensified. Its white fur slowly turned crimson.
Heat skyrocketed.
Rowan's eyes widened.
"No… it's using its special move."
The beast charged again.
Rowan dodged the first strike, blocked the second, and skidded backward. His nose began bleeding. His skin felt as though it was being peeled away by heat.
"Damn it… it's happening too fast."
He activated healing again.
Then he charged.
He slashed relentlessly. The bear blocked some attacks, but others landed. The beast injured him as well, yet each wound healed moments later.
Realizing its disadvantage, the bear began retreating.
"No, you don't," Rowan muttered, chasing it.
But its speed now surpassed his.
His healing drained him. The heat drained him. He could no longer attack and heal simultaneously.
His ankle twisted again.
He fell.
"Damn it… I can't lose now. Not after all that…"
"Get up… get up… get up…" he whispered to himself.
He forced himself upright.
"I will win. I will conquer this dungeon."
He lifted his head.
Their eyes locked.
Rowan's eyes glowed a deeper blue than before. His skin regenerated faster. The Atherion around him intensified.
He shifted his stance, injured leg back, good leg forward. One hand extended toward the beast, the other angled behind him.
He exhaled slowly.
"Here goes nothing."
The bear roared, trying to instill fear.
It failed.
Rowan threw his dagger.
The wind bent with its motion, obeying him. The bear tried to melt it midair with heat but instead, the energy enhanced it.
The dagger pierced its chest.
The bear released one final roar before collapsing.
The flames vanished.
The temperature cooled.
Rowan walked slowly toward the fallen beast. From the shadows, other beasts revealed themselves, watching him in fear. They could see his overwhelming Atherion until it suddenly disappeared.
Rowan collapsed onto the bear's body.
The surrounding beasts seized the opportunity and charged—
But a small figure appeared in front of Rowan and the corpse, standing protectively.
And then…
Silence.