"Do we really have to?"
The question was quiet.
Too quiet.
And beneath it, fear was unmistakable.
The third man's jaw tightened.
"If something truly landed there, someone will be sent."
"Then let someone else be sent."
"That is not our decision."
Again, silence.
The first man slowly looked toward the south.
Toward the dead battlefield.
Toward the place where two monsters had vanished once for months, and a god's light had fallen now.
He exhaled.
But the fear inside it reached all three.
For a moment, the table seemed to darken.
A red light flashed in their eyes.
And memory returned.
A red sword.
A flash of blood.
Heads falling from shoulders before their owners even understood they had been cut.
Comrades.
Friends.
Fools who once thought they could fight the new king, his orders, or investigate his secrets.
The three men shuddered.
They had been standing in the crowd that day.
Far enough away to survive.
Close enough to see.
Xalier Lear had not looked at the ones he killed.
No.
His eyes had moved through the crowd.
Toward them.
For one terrible instant, all three had felt the same thing from those merciless red eyes.
'You are the prey. I am the hunter.'
One of the men unconsciously jolted back.
"Blood Red Flash..."
The title left his mouth in a shaking whisper.
Xalier Lear was young.
Too young.
Less than a thousand years old when the previous king had handed over power and entered seclusion.
Yet few questioned that decision openly anymore.
His talent was monstrous. A being who appeared once in a hundred thousand years, some said. His own generation had never stood a chance against him, and now even the older generation had begun to fear his blade.
Not respect.
Fear.
Because many who tried to uncover his movements had not returned.
Especially those who investigated the southernmost battlefield.
Especially those who looked too deeply into the territory he and that Olendriant woman ordered as a forbidden zone, where many who still went there died to strange arrays and traps.
The three men looked at one another.
"...Shouldn't we report this to the Patriarch first?"
This time, no one argued.
"Yes."
"Yes, we should."
"We should definitely report it first."
They treasured their lives more than any mission.
A moment later, the three disappeared into the shadows of the village.
...
"Ugh..."
Temorsth opened his eyes.
For a few seconds, he only stared at the ceiling.
Then he blinked.
"Huh?"
He was in his bed.
Again.
"Uh..."
A tired sigh escaped him.
"Why do I always end up knocked out after something happens?"
His voice was not physically exhausted.
Not exactly.
It was the tiredness of someone who had grown very sick of his own weakness.
'How much time passed this time?'
[Not much.]
Aidana's answer appeared quickly.
[This time, the Host woke before even a full day passed.]
Another line appeared after it.
[For a first breakthrough, that is actually impressive. Most people would have been unconscious for at least a few days. Some for weeks.]
'It feels like you're trying to comfort me.'
[I am.]
'...Thanks.'
Temorsth tried to push himself up.
His palm pressed into the mattress.
Crack.
His hand sank straight through it.
"..."
He looked down.
The mattress had torn, and one of the wooden slats beneath it had snapped.
"What the..."
At that moment, the door opened.
"What happened? Are you alright, sweetheart?"
Elah stepped inside quickly.
Temorsth looked up at her.
His hand was still stuck through the bed.
His eyes were wide.
His expression looked terribly innocent.
"Mom..."
Elah froze.
"I broke my bed."
For a moment, she only stared.
Then her whole expression softened.
"Oh, sweetie."
She hurried over.
"Wait. Mommy will help."
...
A few minutes later, Temorsth was free.
The bed was not.
'What is my current Realm?'
He asked while following Elah out of the room.
"Let's eat something," Elah said gently. "It is already lunchtime."
Temorsth followed her like a little duck following its mother across the road.
[The Host is currently at the Peak Stage of the Mortal Body Realm.]
'Oh. I did get—'
He closed the door behind himself.
Crack.
The door nearly came off its hinge.
Temorsth froze.
Elah turned around.
"..."
"..."
The door hung sadly from one side.
Temorsth slowly looked at his hand.
'Why is this happening? I have become stronger many times before. Why can't I control it now?'
[Because most previous increases were bonuses.]
Aidana's answer came quickly.
[Bonuses can be activated, adjusted, or suppressed more easily. Cultivation is different. It is part of the body's natural state.]
Another line appeared.
[The Host advanced too many stages too quickly. It is normal that control is unstable.]
"What?"
The word left Temorsth's mouth louder than intended.
Elah's eyes moved from the broken door to him.
"Yes?"
"Ah..."
Temorsth blinked, then pointed vaguely at the door.
"Nothing, Mom. I was just talking to my System."
Elah looked at him strangely.
"Talking to your System?"
"Yes. Sorry."
For a moment, Elah seemed like she wanted to ask more.
Then she did not.
If Temorsth wanted to tell her, he would.
If he did not, she would not force him.
At least not over something like this.
Temorsth quietly looked away.
'I advanced from Mortal Middle Stage to Mortal Body Peak... That is insane.'
[Yes.]
Aidana's answer was unusually dry.
[It would have gone even further if I had not interfered. Your parents helped as well.]
'Further?'
[Yes.]
Temorsth looked down at his hands.
That did not make him feel as happy as it should have.
"Dorothy!"
Elah called toward the hallway.
A moment later, the housekeeper appeared.
She looked like a short black-haired elven woman in a maid uniform, with calm features and plain beauty. Her expression was neutral, and her movements were precise.
"I am here, Mistress."
"Change Temorsth's bed and repair the door. Also, remind me to enchant the furniture with greater durability."
"Understood."
Dorothy's voice had no rise or fall.
She was, after all, a golem.
Temorsth watched her go.
Then looked at the broken door again.
"...Sorry."
Elah smiled and patted his head.
"It is only a door, baby."
Temorsth looked at his hand.
Then at the door.
"Apparently, it was a weak door."
"It was a normal door."
"That sounds like the door's fault."
Elah laughed softly.
"Come eat."
...
At the dining table, Xalier sat with a strange piece of petrified-looking wood in his hand.
He was carving something into it.
A talisman, maybe.
Or part of the barrier repair.
The food had not arrived yet, but water and fruit were already placed on the table.
Temorsth sat down carefully.
Very carefully.
After breaking both his bed and the door, even sitting felt like a dangerous activity.
The chair creaked beneath him.
Temorsth froze.
Xalier looked up.
Elah looked at the chair.
The chair survived.
Temorsth slowly exhaled.
"...Good chair."
Xalier's mouth twitched.
Elah covered her smile with one hand.
For a moment, the house felt warm.
Then Temorsth remembered what he wanted to ask.
"Oh, right. Mother. Father."
Xalier set the carved wood down.
"Yes, son?"
"I want to ask for something."
Elah already looked cautious.
"What is it, sweetie?"
Temorsth sat a little straighter.
"Can I go hunting?"
The room became silent.
Then—
"What!?"
"What!?"
Both parents reacted at the same time.
Temorsth continued quickly.
"I want to try my new weapon and my strength properly."
"No."
Elah answered immediately.
"No way."
"Mom—"
"No."
Her voice was not angry.
Only frightened.
That made it harder to argue with.
"Baby, you have to understand. It is too dangerous."
"I know it is dangerous," Temorsth said. "But can't we go somewhere I can fight monsters? I can't use my spear's skills on Mother or Father."
"You absolutely cannot," Xalier said.
Temorsth ignored that part.
"I do not need something too strong. Just monsters around my level."
Xalier leaned back slightly.
"Son, we are not always home."
"I know."
"The only reason we can return here quickly is that there is a teleportation spell connected near this place. Even then, we cannot be beside you every second."
"Then take me somewhere and leave me with monsters at my level. I want at least a small challenge."
Elah's eyes sharpened.
"Leave you?"
Temorsth immediately realized that he had used the wrong word.
"I mean..."
"No," she said.
"But—"
"No."
Xalier's voice remained calmer, but his eyes did not waver.
"The closest place where monsters would not simply kill you is over a thousand miles away. If something happened, even with preparation, it would take more than two hours to reach you."
Temorsth frowned.
"Two hours..."
"Two hours is a long time when someone is dying," Xalier said.
Temorsth knew that.
That was the problem.
He knew they were right.
He also knew he hated it.
His fingers tightened around the edge of his chair.
Crack.
The wood split slightly beneath his grip.
Temorsth looked down.
"..."
Elah looked at his hand.
Xalier looked at the chair.
Temorsth slowly released it.
"Sorry."
"It is only a chair," Elah said softly.
"Apparently, it was a weak chair."
"It was a normal chair."
"That sounds like the chair's fault."
Elah almost smiled.
Almost.
But the fear in her eyes did not leave.
Temorsth looked down at the table.
"If I never go out..."
His voice lowered.
"I will be like someone raised in a greenhouse."
Neither parent answered.
"I do not want to become arrogant and useless just because everything around me was controlled. I do not want to think I am strong only because I never faced anything real."
The room became heavier.
Temorsth continued, quieter now.
"I know I am weak. I know I need protection. I know I almost broke myself just by advancing too quickly."
His eyes lifted.
"But I have to learn eventually."
Xalier and Elah looked at each other.
They knew he was right.
That was what made it difficult.
Training with parents was not the same as fighting monsters.
Sparring was not killing.
Safety was not experience.
But there was almost no one they trusted with knowledge of their son.
No one they could ask to watch him.
No place close enough.
No simple answer.
Elah reached across the table and gently touched his hand.
"Baby..."
Before she could say more, the scene elsewhere had already begun to move.
...
In a dark canyon far from the ancient tree, a black and red castle rose from stone like a wound that refused to close.
Inside its deepest hall, blue light illuminated only the bottom of a few steps leading up to a throne shrouded in darkness.
Three men kneeled beneath that light.
"Good."
The Patriarch's deep voice descended from above.
"Proper rewards are due for you three. For now, go there and find what you can."
The three lowered their heads at once.
"As the Patriarch orders!"
Their voices shook slightly, though they tried to hide it.
A moment later, they disappeared from the blue light.
Silence returned.
Then the Patriarch spoke again.
"Leyla."
"Yes."
A woman appeared at the edge of the chamber.
She stood just beyond the light, so only her silhouette was visible.
Perfect proportions.
Long hair.
A body still enough to seem carved from shadow.
Only her glowing red eyes revealed her race.
"Inform Antanasia," the Patriarch said. "Order her to search the southernmost battlefield. Something fell from the sky. I want to know what it was."
Leyla lowered her head slightly.
"And tell her to be careful. The young Lear may still be in the area."
A pause.
"Also inform those three old bones. If this truly concerns that battlefield, I want more than one hand reaching for it."
Leyla's eyes moved slightly.
Then she vanished without a word.
The blue light dimmed.
The hall fell almost completely dark.
Only the Patriarch's red eyes remained.
"At last..."
His voice became softer.
Almost amused.
"You seem to have made a mistake, young Lear."
A faint chuckle moved through the dark.
"What will it be, then?"
The unseen fingers of the old man tapped once against the throne.
"Will this become your downfall?"
Another tap.
"Will this be the loss of a throne..."
The red eyes narrowed.
"...that should never have been yours?"
...
Back at the house, the argument had not improved.
"No way," Elah said again.
Her voice had risen slightly, but she still was not yelling.
"It will not happen. It is too dangerous, baby. You have to understand that."
"I do understand."
Temorsth looked between them.
"But understanding does not change anything. I need real experience."
"Then we will give you real experience here," Xalier said.
"With what? Training dummies?"
"With me."
Temorsth stared at him.
Then at Elah.
Then back at him.
"Father."
"Yes?"
"You are not a monster at my level."
Xalier crossed his arms.
"I can pretend."
"You are bad at pretending to be weak."
Elah almost smiled despite herself.
Xalier looked offended.
"I am excellent at acting."
"You forgot to turn off regeneration when I scratched you."
"...That was one time."
Temorsth sighed.
The small humor faded quickly.
"I do not mean I want to run into the world alone. I know that would be stupid."
"Good," Elah said.
"But I need something real. Something that does not stop because I am your son."
That landed.
Xalier's eyes lowered slightly.
Elah's hand tightened around her cup.
Temorsth looked at them and understood something.
They were not simply saying no because they thought he was a child.
They were saying no because the world around them was not normal.
If he were born somewhere peaceful, maybe they could take him to a small forest and let him hunt weak monsters.
If he were the child of ordinary parents, maybe a tutor or guard could be trusted.
If the war had not scarred the land around them, maybe there would be places nearby.
But he was not.
They were not.
And this place was not peaceful.
Temorsth lowered his eyes.
"...Is there truly no one you trust?"
Neither parent answered immediately.
That was answer enough.
Xalier exhaled.
"There are people I trust with my life."
Temorsth looked up.
Xalier's face was calm, but his eyes were serious.
"But trusting someone with my life and trusting someone with yours are not the same thing."
Elah nodded.
"There are people I trust to fight beside me. There are people I trust to keep secrets. There are people I trust to die for me."
Her voice softened.
"But you are different."
Temorsth became quiet.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
Then Xalier's fingers tapped lightly against the petrified wood on the table.
"However..."
Elah turned toward him.
"Xalier."
"I know."
He raised one hand slightly.
"I am not saying we let him go alone."
Temorsth's eyes sharpened.
Xalier looked at him.
"But he is right about one thing. If all his danger is measured, arranged, and softened by us, he will not learn properly."
Elah did not like it.
That was clear.
But she did not deny it.
"So," Xalier continued, "we find a compromise."
Temorsth leaned forward.
"What compromise?"
Xalier smiled.
A dangerous smile.
"The world cannot come to you."
He picked up the carved talisman.
"So we will bring a small piece of it here."
Temorsth blinked.
Elah stared at him.
Then sighed.
"...You already had this idea."
"I was considering it."
"You were carving the talisman for it."
"I was preparing possibilities."
Elah closed her eyes.
"Of course you were."
Temorsth looked between them.
"What does that mean?"
Xalier placed the talisman on the table.
"It means we can build a controlled hunting ground inside the barrier. Not freedom. Not the outside world. Not yet. But real monsters. Real danger. Real killing."
Elah's eyes opened.
"Low-level monsters."
"Of course."
"Separated zones."
"Naturally."
"Emergency suppression arrays."
"Already planned."
"Tracking spells."
"Obviously."
"Paralysis failsafe."
Xalier paused.
Temorsth looked at him.
Elah looked at him.
Xalier coughed.
"I will add that."
Elah's expression became flat.
"You were going to make a monster hunting ground for our son without a paralysis failsafe?"
"I said I will add it."
Temorsth slowly raised a hand.
"Can I say yes before Mother adds so many protections that the monsters apologize before attacking?"
"No," Elah said.
Xalier smiled faintly.
"And do not misunderstand, son."
Temorsth looked at him.
"This is only the first step. A hunting ground inside the barrier will give you experience, but it will still be our world. Our rules. Our control."
Temorsth's excitement faded slightly.
Xalier's expression became serious.
"If you want to truly go outside one day, then there is one more condition."
Elah's eyes changed.
Temorsth sat straighter.
"What condition?"
Xalier looked at him for a long moment.
Before he could answer—
The scene elsewhere had already moved again.