Standing confident,
he's way stronger than even prime me.
Man, what the heck is this?
Even though I was shocked,
I teleported right to his face and said,
"So you survived, huh? Good to see you here."
Then I just walked away.
He was like,
"What the heck?
Was that teleportation?
No… could it be his speed?"
I didn't say anything else, just left.
And now, the famous killer Alpha had someone protecting him.
No one knew the full scenario —
but yeah, people know Alpha does things for a reason.
Alpha looked at me and asked,
"Was it a good idea to let him suspect us?"
I said,
"Nah, he'll keep it to himself.
We both know he's wiser than he looks."
Then we dipped out.
---
Day 3.
I was out for a walk,
and guess what I saw?
Someone was on a date —
Zephyr and Layla.
They looked chill.
But yeah... whatever.
I was stalking them —
and not just me,
even the king was doing it too.
He wasn't as good at it though.
They were out having fun at a lucky game shop,
and me and the king were sitting on the rooftop watching them.
Then he asked,
"Tell me about her boyfriend.
I already knew you two were friends."
So I told him everything.
But I said,
"Don't ask about his past —
he's not the type to open up."
And the king just smiled and said,
"That's the kind of man I like."
Then he opened up:
> "When I was a kid, I was a crybaby.
All I dreamed about was money and women.
My father scolded me every single night.
Eventually, they stopped giving me money.
So I ran away. Stole some coins and dipped.
But a few days later, I got beaten up
and ended up as a slave.
> Back then, slavery was different.
Now they call them 'workers' —
illegal people working off their debt through labor.
At least now they get paid.
But in my time? Nah.
They just shipped you like you were an object.
> My big brother found out.
He followed them into a forest,
destroyed the carriage, and busted the door open.
I ran.
> It took me a while,
but I got far enough.
Deep into the woods.
> Then I met a stinky hyena.
Its poison works by smell.
I fought for my life.
And the moment I killed it —
I felt something:
satisfaction.
> That's how I became who I am now —
the strongest around.
> I like men who've been through stuff.
I never played 'royal.'
I played hero, soldier, and fighter.
> And now, that's the kind of guy my daughter found.
I'm proud.
> What about you?"
I answered,
"Me?
I'm just an ordinary lad from Korean lands.
I used to be a beggar,
lived on the streets,
never trusted anyone.
So I ran here —
to act normal,
live a quiet life.
Start over."**
He looked at me and said,
"Well…
if anything ever bothers you,
just ask me."
Well that's damn right I will ask him
Then I said,
"I'm planning to go visit someone,
so please let me go for now."
He laughed and said,
"You were never controlled.
I never saw you as a slave.
I saw you as the protector of my family—
the one who saved our legacy and honored my father's name."
Then he continued,
**"I never dared to ask for help from people outside the kingdom.
Doing so would've been seen as weakness.
Right now, we still don't know anything about our true enemy…
and since no one has dared to attack us yet,
we've handled everything as 'normal.'
Turns out, my general was secretly bringing in outsiders—
slaves not from our country.
That's probably how you and the others came into this."**
I nodded and said,
"Well, now that the serpents won't attack anymore,
you guys should start rebuilding the wall.
And don't forget to reinforce the basement, don't you think?"
He said,
"Yeah, we'll do that.
But be ready —
there's going to be another war.
This time with the demons.
They won't stop until we're finished.
But we'll keep pushing forward."
I grinned and replied,
"Right back at you, Your Majesty."
We kept talking for a while until we eventually got caught by the couples,
and things turned kinda awkward 😅.
We even met the grandson —
the one who holds rivalry and anger toward Zephyr.
His name's Fysal,
and the girl who doubted me earlier?
Her name's Hana.
That's how the king left,
the couples went off on their way,
and I ended up spending the night enjoying the kingdom's view
from the top of the mountain.
I've always loved that place.
Peaceful. High above everything.
---
Now back to training.
The 3-day countdown to the duel between Fysal and Zephyr had ended.
Fysal had challenged Zephyr earlier,
and now — it was finally time.
The duel rules:
"Use whatever you want. Anything goes."
We were all ready to watch.
Everyone was hyped.
But no one realized…
my boy Zephyr was about to face the strongest disciple in the kingdom.
And even crazier —
Zephyr himself was the next strongest without even knowing it.
---
The duel began.
Fysal got ready —
he raised his hand,
and sand balls started forming in the air.
When he pointed at Zephyr,
they launched all at once.
But Zephyr, smart as always,
started dodging them instead of wasting barriers.
Still, the sand balls turned around and chased him —
so he finally used one single barrier
and blasted them apart in a burst.
They both didn't wanna look like they were trying too hard,
but you could feel it —
they were both eager to go all-out.
Zephyr smirked and said,
"My turn."
Just as he was about to launch his barrier attack,
a hidden sand ball hit him from behind.
He turned to Fysal and said,
"Yo, that's not fair. What are you doing?"
Fysal just laughed and said,
"This is a duel.
What, you never been in one before?"
Zephyr stood back up.
In seconds,
he created a bunch of small red barrier bombs.
Fysal kicked the ground hard,
and dozens of stone balls shot up from the earth.
Then —
clash.
The barrier bombs and stone balls collided mid-air,
exploding everywhere.
The fight was on.
The arena shook as they both charged in,
ready to attack each other head-on.
They clashed —
a spear made from stone
versus
Zephyr's strongest barrier.
The tension hit its peak when, out of nowhere,
Zephyr threw a punch that lit up the battlefield.
A flashy strike —
returning his debt in style.
But it wasn't about skill anymore…
this was all hate.
Raw emotions.
Then Fysal stood up and shouted,
"Earth Magic: Universal Realm!"
Layla jumped up screaming,
"Don't you dare, bro! Don't release it!"
That's when it hit me:
Was I watching someone who could actually use a Realm?
No way.
He's special.
What the hell is going on…?
Suddenly, the entire landscape shifted —
massive, thick stone pillars shot from the ground,
the battlefield turned into a maze of jagged hills.
Fysal stood tall and called out,
"Upside Hill."
And just like that,
the earth began dancing — violently.
Why was it called Upside Down?
Because now, the earth itself was attacking.
Zephyr said,
"Good. For a magician."
He dodged the chaos skillfully,
but just as he was about to retaliate,
he got hit — hard.
Blood. Broken bones.
We rushed in and pulled him out.
But Fysal, still in his Realm, still standing, said:
"I'm not done yet."
Everyone yelled at him to stop.
That's when he pointed at me and said,
"You're next."
I leaned toward Zephyr and whispered,
"You would've beaten him…
if it wasn't for your past trauma."
Then I looked Fysal dead in the eyes and said,
"I lose. You win."
I turned to walk away.
But he shouted,
"I said come here!"
Two hills launched at me.
I teleported instantly —
landed a taijutsu kick right to the back of his neck.
He dropped like a falling star.
Only this one was being scraped across the ground.
He got back up, face covered in blood,
and attacked again.
I said,
"Magic and aura are cool…
but experience wins fights."
Then added,
"And don't get cocky just because you won today.
You only won because he wasn't mentally ready.
Got that?"
He kept pushing,
and then shouted:
"Upside Down: Reversed Earth Ruin Shatterfall!"
Suddenly, stone serpents formed,
slamming and twisting everywhere.
The earth flipped again,
duplicating the battlefield into something unreal.
I was lost for a second —
confused which ground was real.
But no matter how hard I trained…
I couldn't use Realm arts.
No Eternal magic.
Just raw power.
So I dashed to one of the King's guards,
grabbed a sword,
came back and said:
"You wanna play serious?"
My eyes lit up.
Sigma's aura activated.
He was one of the strongest hunters.
A lot happened to him after he became one —
especially thanks to that woman.
Now he doesn't even need teleportation or dash.
But I still do.
So I used it.
Then I said:
"Hundred Fangs."
My breath smoked.
My eyes turned dark red.
In that split second,
I was slashing everything down,
cutting through the battlefield,
headed straight for Fysal.
I was about to blow his head wide open—
until the King stopped me mid-air,
standing between us.
He said,
"You could've killed him!"
I replied,
"Well, he tried to do the same.
You don't hit someone you think is weak with a Realm move.
Even after seeing what I could do,
he still underestimated me.
He needed this lesson."
I turned around,
eyes glowing red,
a grin on my face.
The King stared at me and said,
"You…
what the hell are you?"
I smirked.
"Just a free lad living a sh*t life."
Then I walked off,
hands in my pockets.
Fysal was still laying on the ground.
Truth is,
some of my attacks hit him.
They had to heal him.
Zephyr watched me and said,
"He really is a mystery.
He must've been through hell…
to fight like that and survive alone."
As I walked out,
Hana blocked my way.
She said,
"Why'd you have to do that to him?
That's just how he is…
you know that."
I looked at her and said,
"I have my reasons.
Breaking his ego…
was the only way to save his ass.
There's another story going on behind all this."
Days later, I received a classified list of the kingdom's generals…
and with it came the truth —
some of them are traitors.
It's already been declared:
The Demon Emperor is sending his underlings to reclaim the land.
This land, though —
it rightfully belongs to the kingdom now.
They rebuilt the walls, added it to their map,
and considered it part of their ancestral territory.
So yeah —
they're in the right.
But some of those working inside…
have already sold themselves to the demons.
Alpha came to me, whispered everything:
names, the plan, and the day it all goes down.
Today.
---
After I scared the hell out of Fysal —
the supposed "next strongest" —
he left the kingdom and went off adventuring.
He told me something before he left:
> "I realized how weak I truly am when it comes to survival.
I always won duels, 1v1s.
But I couldn't even kill a wolf my size.
I gotta get stronger."
Hearing that humbled him.
And made me think.
---
Later, I went to the King.
I said,
"Next week, expect a full-on attack.
Not a sneaky one.
A straight siege on the land we just claimed.
Be ready."
He asked,
"How do you know that?"
I replied,
"My teleportation helped me spy in.
And…
we have traitors here."
He stiffened.
"Who?! What do you mean?"
I said,
"Listen.
I'm not here to accuse — I'm here to warn.
You make your plan.
Announce an attack for next week.
Act first — don't wait.
Let your generals handle the details."
"And after that?"
"Leave the rest to me."
There are over a hundred strategies to win this war.
But I'm going for the most effective one.
The traitor, the mastermind…
he thinks he's a genius.
And that's exactly what'll make this easier.
---
The King looked at me and asked:
"Tell me your real plan."
I smiled.
"It's already begun."
He narrowed his eyes.
"So… hurting Fysal.
That was part of it?"
I answered,
"He's out there now, fighting hard,
pushing his limits,
hunting, surviving.
It's shaping him.
You've been watching too, huh?"
He nodded.
"He reminded me of my younger self.
Now I know how it feels,
watching someone change from the sidelines."
Then the King took a deep breath.
"I believe in you.
But be honest with me…
Are you a spy?
Are you really not here to harm us?"
I looked him in the eye and said:
"I have no ill will.
I just came to thank you…
and soon…
I'll be leaving.
Because the curse I brought?
I need to end its consequence too."
He paused… then smiled faintly.
"Surprisingly enough…
You're not lying.
I believe you."
---
The plan was set.
The general, the one who brought us here as slaves —
he was the one who organized the battle strategy.
His job:
Protect the castle from inside.
Sit tight.
Meanwhile,
the King himself would lead the outside army,
just like in the old days.
Me
, Zephyr, Fysal, and Hana —
we were assigned to protect the princess,
stay by her side, in her room.
We all agreed.
And so —
the war began.