Rahhhgga...
Yhazem yawned deeply, trying to make sense of the dreams he had seen that night, but it didn't matter right now. After all, he had a much bigger problem: a private meeting with Maver—the giant man who served as the bodyguard of Princess Julia of the Swordborne dynasty.
After waking from the dream, the door to his room opened, and servants escorted him to a large chamber. And there he was, in all his glory:
Maver… also known as "The Rhino," an S+ rank hunter.
He had learned some information from the servants before arriving. There were many legends about him. After all, he was the "Rhino" of the Swordborne family, and the main reason Julia was still alive. Even though he tried to stay away from political affairs, his older sister constantly pressured him.
The city I currently live in—Graham—is a small town 160 km from Tahari, near the Danish border. The reason Julia stays here is because of the 1st Princess, Aida.
I closed my eyes and bowed.
"Greetings to the great warrior Maver."
The large man winked at the servants. They nodded and left.
"Maver, stand up," he said.
When I answered, "At your command," my whole body trembled. It felt like a cold shower. And soon I understood why: a heavy force pressed down on me, as if a rhinoceros was standing on my back. Ironically, my body was crushed instantly. I trembled as that weight pinned me down for a full minute. When it finally lifted, I gasped, covered in blood, and grinned at him.
Maver rose from his chair and asked:
"What is this called?"
Of course, I knew the name—thanks to Shroud. I smiled.
"This is called… Aura."
His grin widened.
"You're like an ungrown sapling. Too much potential."
He narrowed his eyes. A heavy tension filled the room for a few seconds. Then he finally spoke:
"I need your help, Yhazem."
Ah, shit. I'm screwed now.
I stood and asked,
"Mr. Maver, how do you expect someone like me to help you?" I narrowed my eyes.
"It's simple. You need to win the tournament. Otherwise, Julia will die."
My eyes widened.
"Wha–"
Before I could speak, he continued:
"Aida is working with the 2nd Prince. If the 1st Prince weren't here, Julia would already be dead. The only reason she's alive is because of him. But since Aida is supporting the 2nd Prince, Julia is in danger. As of yesterday, there have been twelve assassination attempts this month. I've stopped them, but this tournament… has a huge problem."
I narrowed my eyes further.
"What is it?"
"Caester from the Han family. He's also in the tournament."
"I don't know him. Who is he?"
He sighed.
"The second son of the Han family, the greatest clan in Asia."
"Alright, alright, I get that. But you're one of the five great clans. What can I possibly do? I don't even know how to fight."
He laughed.
"You'll learn. Don't worry."
He continued:
"Our hands are tied. Monster attacks have increased everywhere. Security in the castle is low. And the elders in the clan are preventing the family head from intervening. Without the 1st Prince, Julia would be alone. But even he can't help anymore because of Aida and the 2nd Prince, Osiris. Those who want to exploit this situation plan to use the Han family to start a war."
"Who would exploit it?"
He answered anxiously:
"The Leviathan clan. One of the five great clans. Allies of the Han family. If Caester wins the tournament, he'll join us. The elders would never reject it because they approved the tournament. And because he changed his appearance, the council knows his real identity but doesn't care. They have leverage."
"So why did you accept the tournament?"
"Why? Because my duty changed. The number of fronts is increasing, and holding the gates is getting harder. I'll leave in a month. That means only Caester and Julia will remain. And if you plan to hide her—impossible. Her location is always shown by the tattoo the council gave her."
"Ugh…"
He rubbed his head.
"Yhazem, help me. I'll strengthen you and prevent your execution. If you win the tournament, we'll take care of your brother. If he joins us, he'll get even better opportunities. You have my word."
"As proof, you'll have access to the library. Do you accept?"
It was logical. I would accept anyway—otherwise I'd die. I nodded.
"But I have one condition, Lord Maver."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Train me. And give me a skill." I bowed.
He grinned.
"Very well. Your training begins tomorrow. We'll handle the skill tomorrow as well. You may go to the library now."
We arrived.
"This is the library, Master Yhazem. Do not go to the lower floors. Your time limit is eight hours. We'll be outside—just shout."
They left and closed the door.
The library was massive, built in a gothic style. I immediately began exploring…
Hours passed like water. I read many books: the history of dynasties, aura usage, monster biology…
I already knew most of it, but I still learned a few things. For example, monsters were divided into eight groups:
1. Mutants – classic monsters with strong physical traits.
2. Savagers – psychic attackers.
3. Titans – gigantic monsters of land, sea, or sky.
4. Tyrants – intelligent leaders of monster groups.
5. Forms – living mountains or oceans; massive conglomerations.
6. The Dead – ghosts, skeletons.
7. Demons
8. Cosmic Horror – ???
Every monster ranged from rank F up to SSS. The highest was SSS+, the "catastrophe" class.
Those were my learnings. But one book caught my attention. I had taken it earlier but hadn't read it. So I took it with me and left the library.
Later that night, I lay in my bed. I was hungry, so I ate the döner I had with me. After a few bites, it was gone. I washed my face and returned—but the book was now on my bed. I was sure I had left it on the table.
I sat and looked at the title:
"The Saga of Morgoth"
I opened it and read and read… It was strange. It spoke of a wizard named Morgoth and his sacrifices.
At the last page, I saw a sentence—written in strange symbols:
"Unub nayuko somornu dirbihisa."
After reading it, I closed the book and lay down to sleep.
But the moment I closed my eyes, all sleep vanished.
"Master Yhazem… Morgos greets you."