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Absolute Power — or Predestined Power.
Strangely enough, there's a sharp difference between the two.
If you were to ask a thousand people which they would choose, "absolute power" would likely win by a landslide. That says one thing — those people don't understand the weight of such power.
Now, for those who would choose predestined power, the story changes completely. What is a predestined power? Simple — it's a power meant to accomplish something: defeat a Demon King, prevent a catastrophe… maybe even stop the end of the world itself.
Those born with a predestined power are lucky. It means their entire life has already been mapped out — all they have to do is follow it. They know exactly why they have that power, and for what purpose. And if they ever forget, everyone around them will remind them. Even if they stray or lose their way, someone will guide them back onto the right path.
But those born with absolute power… what's left for them?
They don't want to slay Demon Kings or avert tragic futures. Rule the world, maybe? That's how villains are born. But honestly, in this world, no matter how strong you are — or how vast your power may be — conquering it is impossible. Sooner or later, you'll face someone with a predestined power or another being with absolute power greater than yours — and with better morals.
In other words, you'll die. And when you do, no one will even remember your name.
That's why those born with this kind of power feel empty. They seek connection.
They need a reason — otherwise, they're nothing more than indestructible shells.
And that's even worse for someone who never had power, and suddenly gains it one random day.
What's your goal? Why do you even have it?
Maybe you don't truly possess absolute power.
To be absolute goes far beyond destiny or prophecy.
Those who are not bound by fate… are the true monsters.
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Three months passed.
Sitting on a bench with his legs stretched out, Victor tapped his fingers impatiently against the armrest.
His red eyes were lighter than usual, scanning the guild hall, waiting for some signal.
His black hair had grown longer and straighter — he didn't care anymore. A single long fringe fell from his forehead, curving left and blending with the rest.
He was tall — very tall — now around 1.80 meters.
The adventurers in that guild glanced at him cautiously, afraid to irritate him. He noticed the looks but didn't care.
"Excuse me…"
A black-haired elf approached, holding a small chest in her hands.
"Here's your payment, sir."
Victor took it, opened it, and checked inside.
A chest filled with fifty gold coins. Just one glance, and he already knew the exact amount.
"Thank you. Have a good day, Linna," he said, standing to leave the guild.
Linna hesitated for a moment — her gaze trembled — but she took a breath and called out again.
"A-ahm… could I have a bit of your time?"
"Yes?"
When he turned and his eyes met hers, she looked a little uneasy.
"It's just that… since you've been taking so many hunting missions for us lately… I wanted to ask if you'd accept a special mission?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"A special mission?"
"Yes. It's a Class (A+) hunt. It's been available for a while, but no one's managed to complete it. Now no one wants to try anymore…"
"Give me the details."
"Y-yes, sir!"
Linna explained the situation for about fifteen minutes.
The mission was to stop a certain magical artifact — an ancient armor once belonging to a legendary vampire hunter, Elden Varnhald.
He owned lands neighboring Eldoria. His mansion had been purchased by nobles after his death, near an old sanctuary of the Holy Church.
But last month, locals started hearing strange noises coming from the sanctuary — and when they investigated, they saw it: a massive white hunting armor moving on its own, attacking anything that entered its path, though never leaving the sanctuary.
Frightened, the nobles fled and reported it to the Eldoria Guild, the closest city.
Since then, many adventurer groups had gone to try eliminating it, but they all fled — the armor wouldn't chase anyone who left the sanctuary.
"Class (A) and (A+) teams couldn't do much either," Linna continued.
"We even thought about increasing the reward, but the nobles are pressuring us… and after the incident we just went through, our finances aren't great. You know our funding comes from the government."
"I see. So, I just need to recover or destroy that thing, right?"
"Y-yes! And if you destroy it, please bring its core so we can confirm the job."
He narrowed his eyes and smiled faintly.
"Hm. Alright."
She smiled back. "Thank you so much!"
Then he stood and left the guild, absorbing the mission slip into dark smoke.
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Victor stopped by the apartment he shared with his friends. Burst and Jane weren't home — they had said they were escorting a group of fishermen across the Mist Sea, so they'd be gone for a few days.
They could handle themselves. With the three of them working so much, money wasn't an issue anymore. But for Victor, it was different — it wasn't just about earning gold.
He only took hunting missions to fight as much as possible — it was the only way to trigger his innate adaptation ability. That way, he could grow stronger.
Right now, he was five… no, ten times stronger than the day he fought Niyx — but it still wasn't enough.
Even if he were fifty or a hundred times stronger, he still wouldn't stand a chance.
It ate him up inside, deep down.
That's why he wouldn't stop training — not until he surpassed that metamorph.
'You won't get me out of your head…'
Her voice echoed in his mind constantly, reminding him of why he sought power.
And the worst part — she was right.
Maybe it was revenge. Maybe it was just his metamorph instincts screaming.
He didn't know why, but… he wanted to fight her again.
It was like that desire guided him every morning.
"Hey! Victor! Earth to monster!"
He blinked, jumping in surprise and letting out a strange noise.
"Wah! Merlin!" he froze mid-pose, startled.
"What's with you, weirdo? I've been talking to you for ages. Still thinking about that metamorph?"
Victor knew about Merlin's mind-reading ability. She'd gained it after evolving, but she never used it on him — or anyone — unless necessary. It was like invading privacy. Still, sometimes things slipped through.
"Yeah. Sorry…"
She sighed. "It's fine. But don't be like that. You've been so distant from Jane and Burst, you know? They miss you."
He blinked in surprise.
"They… do?"
"Of course! You didn't notice? Your evolution changed you a lot. It's been a while, you know…"
Merlin was about to say you haven't gone back to normal, but held herself back.
Just like she'd changed after evolving — afraid, quiet, even crying for no reason — Victor had changed too.
He evolved mid-battle against Niyx.
That meant, in a way, he became deeply connected to her — maybe even inherited part of her personality, since she represented the "power" he sought.
But he should've recovered by now.At least a little. Yet he still acted strangely. He smiled, joked, sometimes even reacted like a child when teased — but the aura around him was still gray to Merlin's eyes.
"Let's drop that. What'd you come here for? Going to train again, or are you watching TV with me today?"
A mission slip appeared in his hand, wrapped in black smoke. He handed it to Merlin.
"Linna gave me this special mission, apparently. Nobody's managed to complete it, and the guild's having trouble."
He walked to his wardrobe, looking for his spare combat outfit — the one he'd been using was in ruins.
"I'm going to hunt this thing."
"It's a Class (A+) mission. Sounds dangerous. I'm going too, okay?"
He looked at her. Normally, he'd refuse — he wanted to go alone so the challenge would make him stronger.
But this was Merlin. There was only one answer.
"Alright."
She smiled brightly. Victor turned away, scratching his cheek awkwardly.
"Ah! Look what I bought for you!"
A set of black clothes flew toward him.
"This is…"
"Yep! You said you wanted to focus more on your body and abilities, right? So I thought these would suit you perfectly."
A tight black long-sleeve shirt.
Wide black pants with a red stripe running from the waist to the thigh, fastened by golden buttons.
And white boots with black details.
When he put them on, Victor felt satisfied.
"Thanks, Merlin. How do I look?" he asked, spinning around.
"You look really handsome!"
He chuckled softly, warmth flickering beneath his usual calm.
Merlin soon put on her own combat outfit — a white tank top and black pants.
With that, the two left the apartment together.
"It's been a while since it's just been the two of us," Merlin said, hugging his arm.
"Yeah. Last time, you were still a floating sphere."
She laughed.
One thing was certain — even after everything, those two were still inseparable best friends.
And so, they set off on their new mission together.
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