[Dungeon Entrance – Drastoria Kingdom]
"Excuse me. You don't look like you're from around here. May I see your ID?" the guard asked, his eyes suspicious.
Standing before him was a man clad entirely in black, roughly six feet tall, with golden hair and piercing red eyes. A strange combination that made him seem either a member of a noble family or someone here on an important mission.
"Aah… sure. Here's my ID," the man replied.
The other guards whispered among themselves:
"Do you think he'll make it this time?"
"Who knows… it's already failed five times."
The guard examined the ID closely.
"Name… Arthur Jo. Age 23. A-Class adventurer. Not bad. I thought he'd be a noble, but he's an adventurer… from Arvelion Kingdom, no less."
Relaxing slightly, he asked,
"So… are you from Arvelion? And why are you here in Drastoria? Guild mission, or personal business?"
Arthur answered directly,
"For a guild mission. The Diliha Guild is planning a major raid in two weeks. I'm here to participate."
"Alone?"
"No. My party members arrived earlier. I was delayed due to another mission."
"Alright… you may proceed."
[World Overview]
This world is home to sixteen kingdoms:
Arvelion, Drastoria, Myreholm, Velkaris, Thornveld, Esmarion, Oakharath, Zyrentha, Lucavell, Falrunia, Krevendor, Solwyn, Varenthal, Atherion, Nimravia, and Gharondor.
Of these, Drastoria conducts the most dungeon raids. Yet one dungeon—Sleeping Ghost—has defeated all attempts in the last five raids.
Curiously, despite numerous noble families attempting it, no one has died. Drastoria harbors a dark secret that 90% of its citizens are unaware of.
[City Streets – Evening]
Smoke hung over the crowded streets as people hurried past.
Arthur noticed a small boy, about 13–14 years old, wearing torn clothes and unkempt hair, as if he hadn't bathed in months.
"Hello, sir," the boy said softly. "Are you new here? I can get you a room at Chip Price Hotel… and the food's good too."
"No thanks," Arthur replied, without stopping. "I'm already staying at a hotel."
"You need a guide? I know Drastoria like the back of my hand."
"No thanks."
[Hotel Entrance]
Arthur approached the hotel with the signboard he had been told about.
"Hello, is there a guest named Joseph staying here?" he asked.
The receptionist checked the records.
"Yes, one guest registered under the name Joseph. You are…?"
"I'm his party member."
"Room 6, straight up."
Arthur nodded and climbed the stairs. At Room 6, he knocked a few times. The door opened to reveal a boy, about 5'6", with black hair, slightly wary.
"Who are you? What do you want?" the boy asked, his tone defensive as if he had argued with others inside.
"I'm Arthur… are Joseph in there?"
Inside, Joseph stood up from a chair and said,
"I see… Arthur."
The unknown boy muttered angrily,
"I'm leaving, Joseph…"
Joseph composed himself and spoke calmly,
"Alright, Karaku, if you change your mind about the raid, let me know."
Karaku left in anger.
Arthur sat on the bed.
"Who was he? Is everything alright? He seemed… extremely powerful," Arthur murmured.
Joseph calmed himself, sipping some water before speaking.
"Karaku is strong. That's why I invited him to the party. His past isn't great, but he can help. I told him our plan; he was okay at first, but in the end… he struggled with it."
Arthur stopped him.
"Did you tell Karaku everything about the mission? Can he be trusted?"
"Do you think I'd share our mission lightly? I invited him because he also seeks revenge," Joseph said firmly.
[Society Hierarchy]
The Crown Sovereign – King
Prime Nobles – 1st Class Nobles
Greater Nobles – 2nd Class Nobles
Merchant Order – Business handlers
Dwellers – Workers
The Lost Ones – Orphans
[Karaku's Past]
Karaku was born into the **Dweller class**, a family that owned nothing except the will to survive.
When he was still very young, his father died. With his death, the little stability their family had vanished. From that moment on, Karaku's mother became the only pillar holding their lives together. To provide food, education, and even basic necessities—things that were no longer free in this world—she began working at **Kilioa's shop**.
She worked endlessly. Days turned into months.
For six months straight, she endured exhaustion and humiliation, believing that as long as her son could eat and learn, it was worth it.
Then came the day that did not merely change Karaku's life—
it **destroyed it completely**.
---
### The Night of Rain
That night, heavy rain poured from the sky.
Karaku's mother had left home without an umbrella, and it was already getting late. She still hadn't returned. Worried, Karaku took an umbrella and decided to go to the shop himself.
He was only **six years old**.
It was **10:30 PM**.
The streets were almost empty. A few people were closing their shops; most had already locked up and gone home. Karaku knew the way well—he had walked it many times with his mother. Normally, it took fifteen minutes.
That night, it took more than thirty.
He was small.
The rain was relentless.
When Karaku finally reached the shop, he saw a **"Closed"** sign hanging on the door. But the door wasn't locked.
He placed the umbrella beside the entrance and stepped inside.
The shop was dark. Every light was off—except one.
A faint glow leaked from the **storeroom**.
Guided by that dim light, Karaku walked deeper into the shop. The storeroom door was slightly ajar.
He pushed it open.
---
### The Scene That Never Faded
Inside, his mother lay on the floor.
Naked.
Motionless.
Dead.
Blood covered the ground around her.
Three men stood nearby, calmly discussing how to dispose of the body.
For a moment, Karaku didn't understand what he was seeing.
Then reality struck.
He ran to his mother, falling beside her, screaming and crying.
"**Mother! Mother!**"
The cries echoed through the room.
One of the men stepped behind him.
A knife pierced straight through Karaku's back, passing clean through his small body.
Even after the blade was pulled out, Karaku kept screaming his mother's name.
For three… four seconds—
Then the sound stopped.
---
### Thrown Away
Two of the men grabbed both bodies and threw them into the river.
They believed the child was dead.
But fate had not finished with Karaku yet.
As the bodies drifted downstream, an old **merchant** was camping near the riverbank. When he went to fetch water, he noticed a child's body floating unnaturally.
He rushed into the river.
Karaku was still alive.
Using the limited medical supplies he had, the merchant treated Karaku as best he could—but it wasn't enough. At dawn, he carried the child to **Thornveld**.
Karaku remained unconscious for **one full month**.
---
### Thirteen Years of Survival
When Karaku finally opened his eyes, he was inside a stranger's home.
At first, he didn't even remember his own name.
Slowly, piece by piece, his memories returned.
And with them—the nightmares.
The screams.
The blood.
The knife.
They never left him.
The merchant who saved him was already very old. He couldn't offer much help beyond shelter, food, and care—but he gave Karaku something far more valuable:
**A second life.**
For **thirteen years**, the old man looked after him.
When Karaku turned twenty, the merchant died of a heart attack.
Before his death, he said only this:
The three men who ruined Karaku's life had bought their way into power.
Money and influence turned criminals into Greater Nobles.
---
### Revenge and Gratitude
Karaku wanted revenge.
Only revenge.
He knew the truth—taking revenge against **Greater Nobles** was not easy. It could cost him his life. But Karaku didn't care.
His life had only one purpose now.
To kill those three men.
Yet, even with a heart burning for vengeance, Karaku could not abandon his savior in old age.
For him, revenge was a goal—
but **gratitude was a duty**.
Every day, he trained. His hands grew stronger.
Every night, he relived that rain-soaked nightmare.
And the fire inside him burned hotter.
For thirteen years, that fire did not merely burn—
**It forged Karaku.**
---
### Back to the Present
As Arthur listened to Karaku's story, the night grew deep.
Outside, rain began to fall again.
At the sound of it, Arthur felt a strange ache—his own past stirring within him. But Joseph kept speaking, grounding him in the present.
A knock interrupted the silence.
Joseph stood up and opened the door.
A hotel staff boy stood outside—about seventeen or eighteen years old, neatly dressed in a T-shirt and pants, around five foot four.
"Hello, sir," the boy said calmly. "The manager asked me to inform you that dinner is ready."
Joseph nodded.
"Alright. We'll come shortly. Prepare the table."
The boy left. Joseph closed the door.
Arthur was still sitting on the bed, lost in his thoughts.
"Dinner's ready," Joseph said.
Arthur snapped back to reality.
They went downstairs.
Several guests were already eating. Joseph and Arthur took an empty table. Soon, the same boy returned with their meal—rice and curry.
As they ate, Arthur overheard conversations from a nearby table.
"I heard Durk Karmish from the Karmish family is joining the raid."
"Yeah, not just them—other Greater Noble families too. No official confirmation yet, though."
"They say Durk Karmish is incredibly strong. Fifth strongest in Drastoria."
Dinner ended.
They returned to their room.
Joseph told Arthur to sleep—he'd traveled far. Tomorrow, he'd show him around Drastoria.
They wished each other good night.
But Arthur couldn't sleep.
His thoughts lingered on Karaku…
and slowly drifted toward his own past.
Staring into the darkness, Arthur asked himself:
"Can I really complete my mission?"