The air in the Draven Estate was different today.
Heavier.
Not from mana pressure.
But from sothing far more dangerous.
Authority.
The kind that didn’t need to be shown—it was simply felt.
Every servant walked faster with their heads lowered.
Even the elders avoided speaking too loudly.
Because Darius Draven had risen from his throne.
And when he did…
Sothing always died.
Inside the grand war hall, a massive map of the empire floated above a crystal table.
Red markings spread across it like blood stains.
Reports lay scattered beneath it.
Kael Draven.
Survived Darkwood Forest.
Killed an enforcer.
Destroyed an elite squad.
Escaped multiple assassination attempts.
Each report felt more impossible than the last.
An elder finally spoke carefully.
“This level of progression is abnormal.”
Another nodded.
“He shouldn’t even be able to survive Rank-1 beasts… yet he’s killing trained assassins.”
A third swallowed hard.
“…Sothing is wrong.”
Darius Draven stood at the center of the hall.
Silent.
Still.
Then he spoke.
“…No.”
The room went quiet.
Darius turned slightly, his eyes cold as steel.
“There is nothing wrong.”
A pause.
Then—
“He was simply wasted before.”
The elders froze.
Wasted.
That word carried weight.
It ant one thing.
Kael had always had potential.
And they had failed to see it.
Or worse…
Had deliberately ignored it.
One elder stepped forward.
“My lord, should we increase the bounty? Or deploy the Execution Knights?”
Darius raised his hand.
“No.”
The room tensed.
Then he said sothing that made everyone go silent.
“I will go.”
No one spoke.
No one breathed.
Even the air felt frozen.
An Execution Knight finally whispered.
“…My lord, that is unnecessary. We can handle—”
Darius turned his gaze toward him.
Just a glance.
The knight stopped speaking imdiately.
Because he understood.
This was no longer about orders.
It was personal.
Darius Draven spoke quietly.
“If a stain cannot be removed…”
“Then I will erase it myself.”
anwhile — Empire Capital, Outer District
Kael stood in front of a large stone gate.
A new place.
The Empire’s Central Academy.
Massive towers rose in the distance, surrounded by floating mana platforms and glowing inscriptions.
This was where nobles trained their heirs.
Where geniuses were born.
Where power was refined.
Kael adjusted the hood over his head.
He looked… ordinary again.
But inside him—
Sothing was anything but ordinary.
The system flickered softly.
====================
New Main Objective Available
Infiltrate Central Academy
Objective: Grow stronger without revealing identity
Reward: System Evolution Key Fragnt
Warning: High-level enemies detected within academy
====================
Kael exhaled slowly.
“…Of course there are.”
He stepped forward.
But before he could enter—
A voice called out.
“Hey.”
Kael stopped.
A girl stood nearby, holding a stack of admission docunts.
She had long silver hair tied neatly, calm blue eyes, and a presence that felt refined but not arrogant.
She looked at Kael carefully.
“You’re here for the entrance exam too?”
Kael didn’t answer imdiately.
He studied her.
She didn’t feel like the others.
Not hostile.
Not afraid.
Just… observant.
“…Yes.”
She nodded slightly.
“Good. Don’t die in the first test.”
Kael blinked.
“…Is that normal advice here?”
She shrugged.
“It depends on the examiner.”
A brief silence passed.
Then she added:
“My na is Lyra.”
Kael hesitated slightly.
“…Kael.”
Sothing subtle changed in her expression.
Not shock.
Not fear.
Just curiosity.
“Kael…”
She repeated it softly.
“Strange na for soone standing this calmly outside a place like this.”
Kael looked at the academy gates.
“…I’ve been in worse places.”
Lyra studied him for a mont longer.
Then turned away.
“Then maybe you’ll survive here.”
She walked toward the entrance.
Kael followed after a brief pause.
The system flickered.
====================
New Entity Detected
Na: Lyra
Emotional Stability: High
Threat Level: Unknown
Relationship Potential: Evaluating…
====================
Kael frowned slightly.
“…Relationship potential?”
He ignored it.
For now.
The gates opened.
And the academy welcod them in.
Far Away — Draven Estate Borderlands
A massive gust of wind tore through the forest edge.
Darius Draven stepped forward.
The ground beneath him cracked slightly with every step.
An Execution Knight stood behind him.
“My lord… shall we proceed with coordination?”
Darius didn’t answer imdiately.
His eyes were locked forward.
“…No.”
A pause.
Then he added quietly:
“I want to see him myself.”
The knight lowered his head.
“Yes, my lord.”
Darius moved forward.
And with that single step…
The hunt truly began.
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