The morning air was calm, carrying with it the faint scent of earth and distant greenery. Far behind, almost fading into the horizon, lay the small settlement of Duskmire Village.
Aragon stood still for a moment.
His gaze rested on the distant outline of the village, now nothing more than a blur between the lands. A quiet exhale escaped his lips.
"That… was an interesting chapter "
There was no smile on his face, yet there was something close to satisfaction in his eyes, Not pride, Not excitement, Just a quiet acknowledgment of what had passed.
Without another word, he turned away.
And began walking,
No horse…..
No carriage…..
Just his own steps moving forward across the open land. The road ahead stretched long and uncertain, leading toward the distant lands of Forestfell, still ten, perhaps fifteen kilometers away.
As he walked, his thoughts drifted.
Everything that had happened in the past few days replayed silently in his mind the dungeon, the power he had gained, the battle in the village, the Goblin General, the people he had protected.
His fingers tightened slightly,
"I've grown…"
The words were soft, almost inaudible. He could feel it. Not just physically but deeper than that. His senses had sharpened. His reactions had improved. His control over his abilities had become more refined. If he had to measure it…
"…A-rank..."
It wasn't official…..
But it was real…..
And more importantly he wasn't done.
Aragon's gaze shifted forward, steady and calm.
"If I keep pushing… if I keep fighting…"
A faint shadow flickered at his feet,
"I'll unlock more…."
More of Noir's power…..
More of what lay hidden within him.
Without realizing it, his hand brushed lightly against the ring on his finger, the silent vault that held his secrets.
And then…
He kept walking…..
Somewhere deep within a forest far ahead a figure ran,
Fast....
Her steps were light yet desperate, barely making a sound as she moved through the dense greenery. Her breath was uneven, her body tense.
An elven girl….
Her long hair flowed behind her like silver threads, catching faint glimpses of light through the trees. She wore a fitted green attire reinforced with silver armor, crafted with precision and elegance.
A soldier's attire…..
Yet her face, even in urgency, was strikingly beautiful.
Her grip tightened around the hilt of her sword.
A Mithril blade...
Sharp….. Pure…. Deadly….
She didn't look back, but she knew. Something was chasing her.
Back on the road, Aragon had moved deeper into a sparse forested stretch. The open land had slowly given way to clusters of trees, the air cooler, quieter.
He sat beneath a tree, resting.
From his bag, he pulled out a piece of bread ,the supplies given to him before he left.
"…Mira…."
The name slipped out unconsciously.
The caretaker had insisted he take more than necessary. And Bram… the village head… had simply smiled and told him the road ahead would be long,
"Two days," Aragon muttered
He took a bite…..
Simple food…..
But enough…..
For a brief moment, everything was calm.
Then a shift Aragon didn't move.
Didn't react….
But his eyes changed…..
"…I know…"
From the bushes around him, shadows stirred. Low growls followed.
One by one, figures emerged ,wolves…
Not ordinary ones,
Larger…..
Sharper….
Their eyes glowing faintly with aggression.
A pack….
One stood ahead, slightly bigger ,the leader.
C-rank…..
The rest, circling slowly
D-rank…..
Five… six of them….Surrounding him…
Aragon took another bite of his bread.
Unbothered….
"You think you're sneaky?"
His voice was calm
"I sensed you a long time ago "
The wolves tensed. And then they lunged. At the exact same moment they froze….
Mid air...
Every single one of them. Their bodies locked in place, muscles trembling but unable to move.
Shadow Bind...
Invisible chains had already wrapped around them long before they attacked.
Aragorn slowly stood up, brushing the crumbs off his hand. He looked at them.
Calm.
Unimpressed…..
"…Pathetic…"
He raised his hand slightly. A faint darkness gathered around his fingers,
"Shadow Sever…"
A whisper and in the next instant the shadows around the wolves twisted sharply,
Silent….
Clean…..
Deadly…..
Each wolf collapsed at once,
No scream…..
No struggle...
Just stillness...
Aragon exhaled slowly and for a brief moment he felt it.
A subtle rise…..
A faint strengthening…..
"…I'm getting stronger "
Without wasting time, he turned and continued walking.
Deeper…..
Closer to Forestfell…..
Hours passed…..
The forest thickened and the air changed. There was something… different about this place.
Lighter…..
Richer…..
Almost as if the very air carried energy.
Mana…..
Aragon's eyes narrowed slightly
"…So this is near Forestfell "
And then he saw it,
The boundary…..
Massive wooden structures stood tall, formed from enormous logs driven deep into the earth. They weren't like the stone walls of other kingdoms. They looked natural.
But strong…..
Unbreakable…..
Aragon looked around
"…No checkpoint?"
Strange….
Every kingdom had guards,
Security…..
Control…..
But here…
Nothing…..
He frowned slightly
"…So how do people enter?"
For a moment, he considered it,
Then, "…I'll just find another way "
He turned, planning to move along the boundary.
(BOOM...!!!!!)
A sudden explosion echoed through the area.
Loud…..
Violent...
Aragon's eyes sharpened instantly.
Without hesitation he moved.
Fast...
Through trees…..
Across uneven ground toward the source. Within moments he arrived.
A river flowed through a cliffside opening, water rushing with force below. The surrounding forest stood dense and alive.
And there…,
Near the edge….
She stood….!
The same elven girl,
Her sword raised.....
Pointed forward...….
Her posture firm...
But Aragon couldn't see her opponent , not clearly.
Only a presence…..
Something dangerous….
His Shadow Sense flared,
Warning....
At that exact moment the ground beneath her cracked ,the cliff broke.
"-------!"
The girl lost footing and fell. Straight into the river below. Aragon's eyes widened slightly.
No hesitation…..
No thinking...
He jumped....
The cold water crashed around him as he dove in. The current was strong, pulling everything downstream. His senses expanded instantly.
Searching....
Finding...
There he reached out and grabbed her.
Her body was limp….Unconscious….
The current dragged them both.
Fast…..
Uncontrollable...
Aragon held her firmly, adjusting his balance within the raging flow. From the forest above,
Eyes…..
Many eyes...
Green...
Watching...
Silent…..
Observing...
As the two figures were carried away by the river… into the unknown…..!!