Solaris startled at the sudden voice, quickly looking around in search of its source.
The forest was silent.
No movement. No presence.
Then his gaze slowly fell to the center of his chest—
the familiar seal glowed faintly yellow, pulsing like a quiet heartbeat.
He let out a small sigh and calmed himself, speaking to it as if this had become an everyday occurrence.
"Oh… you again, Oblivient?"
The seal pulsed once in response.
"Yes, Master. It is I—your faithful subordinate."
Solaris's face twisted into annoyance.
"Faithful? More like painful," he muttered, rubbing his chest. "Whenever you appear, my chest always starts hurting."
The glow flickered, almost as if offended.
"And also," he added with a tired sigh, "you always show up at the worst possible time. Like… right now."
The seal's yellow glow pulsed more brightly, almost rhythmically, as if it were breathing,
Carrying an almost playful tone,
"Don't be such a meanie, Master~" Oblivient's voice rang inside Solaris's head, half playful, half offended. "Truth be told, if I weren't here, you would've been gone decades ago. Reduced to dust. Forgotten."
Solaris raised an eyebrow.
"Decades ago? I'm not even that old."
"Details. Minor details." The seal dismissed it casually. "You can ask me anything—about anything. Knowledge, secrets, lost techniques, forbidden history… I contain them all. And the little price? You just have to feed me from time to time. Am I asking too much?"
Solaris crossed his arms.
"Okay then. If you're that amazing, tell me—why are you here? And who exactly are you?"
The seal went silent for a moment.
"…Umm..! Anything except that question."
Solaris's lips twitched.
"Alright. Then who created you? And why?"
The glow flickered sharply.
"I said—not that type of question."
Solaris tapped his chin, pretending to think deeply.
"Hmm… okay then. I won't ask those kinds of questions."
The seal seemed to relax slightly.
"Good. See? Cooperation is beautiful—"
"Then tell me," Solaris continued calmly, "how can I become the most usual, ordinary, normal boy in the world?"
A pause.
"And also," he added casually, "how many drops are there in the ocean?"
The forest went completely silent.
The yellow glow trembled.
Then—
"Okay, that's enough!"
The voice lost its playful tone entirely.
"I don't even know why I'm talking to you!" Oblivient snapped. "I am a legendary creation! A sealed phenomenon! If any other creature possessed me—even for a single year—they could reach the Pinnacle of Power through my knowledge alone! Kingdoms would kneel! Realms would tremble!"
The glow intensified, faint golden lines spreading slightly from the seal across Solaris's chest.
"And here you are," it continued bitterly, "asking me how many drops are in the ocean? How to become an ordinary boy?!"
Solaris looked completely unimpressed.
"…Those are important questions."
"No, they are not!"
The seal pulsed angrily.
"Just feed me a little of your mana and spare me from your infuriating brain!"
Solaris sighed dramatically.
"You're the one who said I could ask anything."
---
Solaris didn't argue further.
With a quiet sigh, he raised his hand and began concentrating mana at the tip of his fingers. A faint blue light gathered there, dense and controlled, swirling like a compressed flame.
He placed two fingers gently over the glowing seal on his chest.
The moment contact was made—
The seal reacted instantly.
The yellow glow deepened, then shifted slightly toward gold as it began pulling the mana directly from his fingertips. Not violently… but greedily.
Solaris felt it.
A cold suction.
Not just taking mana—
but tasting it.
The energy streamed from his fingers into the seal in thin, luminous threads. The faint burning pain in his chest slowly eased as the seal absorbed its "meal."
"See? That wasn't so hard, Master~" Oblivient murmured in a satisfied tone.
"Yeah, yeah…"
---
[ STATUS WINDOW ]
⚠️ Warning: Soul Points cannot sustain host condition.
System is recalibrating status…
Rank: B+ » Elite C Exp: 0.174M / 8.192M
Strength: Unknown» Unknown / 20,000 » 4,000 Rank: B+ » Elite C
Speed: Unknown» Unknown / 20,000 » 4,000 Rank: B+ » Elite C
Stamina: Unknown» Unknown / 10,000 » 2,000 Rank: B » C+
Mana: Unknown» Unknown / 20,000 » 4,000 Rank: B+ » Elite C
Attribute: Fire
Lead: Fire
---
[ STATUS WINDOW ]
Name: Solaris Void
Class: Swordsman
Title: Master Swordsman
Rank: Elite C Exp: 0 / 2.048M
Strength: Unknown / 4000 Rank: Elite C
Speed: Unknown / 4000 Rank: Elite C
Stamina: Unknown / 2000 Rank: C+
Mana: Unknown / 4000 Rank: Elite C
Attribute: Fire
Lead: Fire
Suggestion:
→ Gain 2.048M EXP to advance from Rank Elite C to B
---
"That's unfair… I only just stepped into that rank."
The glow gradually dimmed.
The golden lines receded.
The seal began fading back into dormancy.
But in that exact moment—
Solaris's expression changed.
His eyes sharpened.
He sensed something.
Something… human.
Deep within the forest.
Not undead. Not a monster tree. Not corrupted mana.
Human presence.
And not one.
Multiple.
They were running.
Fast.
Straight toward him.
---
Solaris reacted instantly.
Without making a sound, he leapt onto a high tree branch and crouched low, hiding among the thick leaves.
"I think observing first is the smart choice," he muttered to himself. "According to Father… sometimes humans inside a Dungeon can be more terrifying than monsters."
He steadied his breathing and focused his senses.
Now he could see them.
No—
they weren't approaching calmly.
They were running.
Running for their lives.
Solaris narrowed his eyes, trying to see clearly through the shaking branches.
Three figures.
One man and two women.
The man wore elaborate golden armor, scratched and dented from battle, yet still shining through the dust. He was carrying one of the women in his left arm like a sack, her body limp, clearly injured or unconscious.
Beside him moved another woman clad in light black armor. Her twin blue blades flashed repeatedly as she cleared obstacles in their path, cutting vines and fallen branches with swift, practiced strikes.
They were getting closer.
Much closer.
Then—
the ground beneath Solaris began to tremble.
At first it was slight.
Then stronger.
The branch under his feet vibrated violently.
His eyes widened.
From the far distance, something enormous crashed through the forest, tearing trees apart like brittle sticks.
A colossal skeletal dragon burst into view.
Its body was made of massive, ancient bones fused with dark earth and dungeon mana, each step shaking the entire layer. Its empty eye sockets burned with ghostly flames as it chased the fleeing adventurers, destroying everything in its path simply by existing.
And it wasn't alone.
Smaller skeletal dragons swarmed around it like hunting hounds, circling and diving toward the humans below.
Solaris's breath caught.
"…What the hell is that?"
The massive undead dragon roared—an earth-shaking sound that sent shockwaves through the forest.
The golden-armored man stumbled but kept running.
The black-armored woman slashed desperately, buying seconds with every strike.
And all of them—
were heading straight toward Solaris's position.
His fingers tightened around the branch.
"This…" he whispered, eyes sharpening with excitement and caution.
"…just got interesting."