Night.
The forest was quiet… almost too quiet.
The gentle hum of fireflies echoed around us, soft like a lullaby whispered by the woods.
We had no place to go. No roof. No bed.
Sleeping in the noble district of Solin?
Too dangerous.
You get judged even if you breathe wrong.
And even if you do work under a noble, that doesn't stop some of them from treating you like dirt.
So we walked.
And walked.
And kept walking until the city lights faded behind the trees.
Eventually, we reached a small pond hidden deep within the forest.
The moonlight danced on its surface like ripples of silver.
Tall trees surrounded us, their trunks curved in a perfect circle, like they were guarding us.
Safe. Or at least safer than Solin.
We laid a mat on the grass.
Darcy's head rested on my stomach.
My head was gently laid on Lindy's stomach, who had her head on Sarah's lap.
Sarah, meanwhile, had her head resting on one of the bags, sitting upright like a watchful older sister.
No tents.
No pillows.
Just our bodies stacked in a mess of limbs and tired breathing, making the best of what we had.
And still…
the sky looked beautiful.
The stars were clear, shining like distant promises that hadn't been broken yet.
Suddenly I remembered a poem I read in my previous life when I was studying literature..
> The moon's soft light, the stars so near,
A quiet world, no noise, no fear.
Beneath this sky, we rest, we stay,
Until the dark drifts far away.
I
I smiled.
At least in this life…
I had people beside me who cared.
Even if it was because of my powers—even if they'd obey me no matter what—I didn't feel alone.
I opened the system, scrolling quietly, my thumb moving slowly through the skill store.
We only had about 400 U-Tokens left.
Our situation was kind of pitiful.
Four people sleeping in the middle of nowhere. No food left. Just a bag, a mat, and some courage.
But in that moment… it didn't feel like suffering.
It felt peaceful.
Fire Magic – 130 U
Fire Resistance – 50 U
Magic Enhancement – 120 U
I bought all three.
The moment I confirmed it, I felt it—something warm flickering deep inside my chest.
Like a small flame had started to burn, steady and patient.
100 U-Tokens left.
I looked over.
Sarah's chest was slowly rising and falling.
Lindy looked asleep.
Darcy had her arms loosely around my waist, breathing softly.
The full moon watched us from above, silent.
And before I could even register it…
my eyes closed too.
CENTRAL REGION..CUBE ACADEMY
Christopher sat silently in his dormitory, the light from the oil lamp flickering gently on his face.
He was leaned back in a deep-cushioned chair, reading a worn-out book—leather-bound, black, with no title. The room was quiet.
But something felt…off.
He closed the book.
Dropped it on the floor without looking.
Then slowly…
he raised his head.
"Come out," he said, his voice cold—low enough to be quiet, but sharp enough to cut through glass.
A second later, three figures stepped out from the shadows, dressed in black from head to toe, their faces half-covered, each holding a sword.
One of them—a woman—tilted her head and spoke. Her voice was calm, smooth, but uncertain.
"You… since when were you aware of us?"
Christopher looked at her.
And then smiled.
"Me? You're asking me when I noticed?"
He leaned forward slowly, elbows on his knees.
"Roberta Pastel.
Born to a commoner family in the east quarter.
You failed your first Peasant Awakening Ceremony.
Succeeded in your second.
Tried to join the Church, settled for working under the local priest instead.
Now here you are… crawling around in the dark like a rat."
The woman's eyes widened.
Christopher kept going, his voice turning darker—more controlled.
"A hundred gold coins.
That's what they promised you, isn't it?"
He stood up now, step by step.
"You think gold will rewrite your past? Clean your blood? Change your caste?"
He chuckled. But there was no humor in it.
"You thought you were the hunter. But from the moment you were born—you've been prey."
"You fucker!" Roberta screamed, charging forward with her sword raised.
She didn't even get close.
Christopher vanished.
A blink later, his hand pierced clean through her stomach, blood dripping from his fingers as Roberta gasped.
The other two had already hit the floor. Slashed, broken, dead.
Christopher let Roberta slide off his arm like meat from a blade.
He raised one hand toward the ceiling, and the air around him turned black—dense like smoke, but glowing red from the inside.
His voice echoed like a curse.
> "I call the dead… from Heaven and Earth… to kneel at my command."
The bodies of the three assassins started to twitch.
Then shake.
Then rise.
Their skin was pale now, drained.
Their eyes, glowing red.
They knelt.
Bowing before him like loyal knights.
And Christopher?
He simply looked down at them.
Expressionless.
Eyes empty.
"Loyalty bought with coins… will always be cheaper than death."