Logan turned the cover page slowly. An image filled the parchnt.
A man stood there, his presence almost leaping off the page. He looked intimidating — calm, cold, and absolute. Long hair was tied neatly behind his head, revealing a sharp, hardened face. From behind both shoulders, the hilts of two swords erged, angled slightly outward as if they were a natural extension of his body.
The clothes he wore were simple, yet they could not hide the solid structure of his muscles. Every line of his physique spoke of battle, of endurance, of countless trials survived.
He looked no older than his thirties. Yet his eyes...
They carried weight.
Logan felt his breathing slow. "...This is him," he murmured.
He turned the page.
’Seika Solwyn.’
The words beneath the na were blunt. rciless.
’His mother died during childbirth.’
Logan’s fingers paused for a mont before he continued reading.
’It wasn’t even five years before his father married again. The woman was from a wealthy family. But though she was from a wealthy family, her heart wasn’t rich. Seika was a polite, sensible boy, but still his stepmother despised him.’
The lines grew colder.
’The woman didn’t want any other kid; that wasn’t her. Through manipulation and conspiracy, she forced Seika’s father to abandon him. The child was driven out of the house and erased from the family.’
Logan couldn’t help as his jaw tightened. He hated these kinds of people. He continued to read.
’With nowhere to go, Seika wandered the town aimlessly.’
The book did not soften the truth.
His life beca suffering. He was beaten often. Mocked. Kicked aside like trash. Without money, he was forced to steal food from shops. Sotis he succeeded. Most tis, he was caught. When caught, he was beaten.’
The words were simple, but the cruelty behind them was heavy.
’Slowly, he began to lose the will to live. Five more years passed in the blink of an eye.’
Logan leaned back slightly.
His pathetic life continued to unfold at the sa pace. Until one day. He refused to steal for soone who bullied him. And the person who wanted him to steal wasn’t happy with that. Seika was beaten nearly to death and was left alone on the street. Abandoned.’
Logan’s fingers curled without him even noticing.
’But soone saved him. The person brought him to a nearby infirmary. He regained his consciousness after two days.
When he opened his eyes, the ceiling ca into view.
mories surged back all at once. How others treated him when they realized he had no one to rely on. How his own father abandoned him without a second thought.
How his stepmother conspired against him, her cruelty hidden behind false smiles.
He couldn’t even rember his mother’s face.
Pain twisted in his chest.
He was only ten years old — yet the suffering he endured was far beyond what a child of that age should ever have had to face.
That night, Seika Solwyn made a decision.’
Logan continued.
’He would beco strong. Strong enough to punish those who bullied others.
He was not a saint.
He had no intention of saving or helping others.
He simply believed that those who deserved punishnt should receive it.’
Logan felt a strange pull in his chest. As he continued to read, he felt sothing familiar. He couldn’t put it into words, but he felt as though he was witnessing so of his own long-forgotten mories.
"...So this is how it began," he whispered.
He turned the page.
’Seika chose a sect he would try to get admitted into. It was one of the top five sects during that ti.’
The book described the mont with calm clarity.
’But he had to wait another two years before he could apply for the test. After two years, he stood before a massive gate of a sect. Above the gate, the sect’s na was carved boldly into the stone, standing out clearly:
"Savage Star Sect."
Today was the sect’s selection day. Thousands had gathered. More than ten thousand people stood before the gate.’
Logan imagined it easily.
Both boys and girls were filled with hope. So were wearing lavish cloths, clearly indicating they were from wealthy and influential families. So in old, shabby, and tattered cloths, a sign of the hardships they had to endure.
Seika joined the crowd.
A middle-aged man stood before them.
The man’s voice echoed as he started explaining everything.
"There will be three tests.
Those who pass all three will be accepted into the sect."
Then the first test was revealed.
"The first test is survival. You will enter a forest. You will be given no food. You must survive for five days."
The rules were rciless.
"Each of you will be given a crystal. If you believe you cannot continue, crush the crystal. You will be teleported out."
Then ca the warning.
"But rember — hunger is not your only enemy. Other candidates are. And so are the beasts inside the forest. So try not to die. Or you will beco food."
Murmurs rippled as he continued.’
Logan swallowed slowly. He turned the page.
’After the middle-aged man was done explaining, a gate to the forest opened.
Everyone entered the forest. Each person chose a different direction. The strong moved confidently. The prepared smiled.
Then...
Seika Solwyn stood still.
While others entered with full stomachs and strong bodies... His belly growled.’
The book did not exaggerate. He was already hungry. Already weak.
Minutes passed in silence. Only after so ti did he begin to move.’
Logan read on.
’The next five days would be filled with danger. But the rage burning inside him...
Was far more dangerous.’
Logan stopped reading to ease his mind a bit. The silence of the Grand Library pressed in around him. He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.
"Monarch of the Seventh Upper Heaven," he muttered. "Seika Solwyn. I am quite sure, he’s the one the golden dragon fought against the other deities for."
Not a chosen noble. Not a blessed prodigy.
But a boy abandoned. Broken.
Forged by hunger, pain, and rage.
User Comments
0 comments from readers