On a dark and cold night in the exile zone of Titan City, torrential rains lashed the earth, accompanied by thunder that tore through the sky. A fierce wind blew, carrying the stench of blood and death to the inhabitants of this region.
In a desolate corner of a ruined building, sat Raven, a sixteen-year-old boy with pale white skin and black hair. His body was emaciated, and his clothes were tattered and filthy, stained with blood. But what distinguished him were his sharp, golden eyes, which seemed to have witnessed the tragedies of life at his age. He clutched a short sword, carefully wiping away the blood that coated its cold metal. The sword was the only precious thing he possessed, a symbol of the hope and vengeance that remained within him.
Raven had lived a tragic life, marked by hardship and loss. His only companions were the ghosts of a bygone era, victims of the monsters. His home was a dilapidated building nestled amidst ruins, the crumbling remnants of structures standing as silent reminders of a beautiful, forgotten past. Looking at his dwelling, it hardly deserved to be called a home; its walls offered little protection from the harsh realities of the outside world. With no one to stand by him, Raven had learned to rely on his wit and instincts to survive in a world that showed him little mercy.
His clothes were torn, and his body was riddled with wounds. Raindrops soaked his skin, mingling with the blood that covered him completely. Despite these injuries, his eyes remained clear, as if he had lived through this situation many times. "Looks like they won't let me go this time!" Raven sighed, his expression dark as he watched the sounds approaching from afar with a sly glint in his eye.
He was breathing heavily, his thin frame straining from the injuries and exhaustion. "I have to finish this right here... my body can't endure a long fight or a run." He had to treat his wounds quickly and stop the bleeding.
From a distance, voices approached Raven's hideout, shouting angrily, "I don't think you realize what you've done, boy."
"You've done something you shouldn't have done. You'll pay dearly for it."
"Just surrender, and come with us obediently. The leader might forgive you." There were three of them, shouting angrily and loudly, trying in vain to find him. Raven was hiding on a small, broken bridge connecting his house to a ruined building on a narrow road, watching the three who were now below him.
A sharp, cold look crossed his face. He knew that if he didn't kill, he would be killed. So he took a deep breath and, without hesitation, gripped his sword tightly and leaped toward one of the three who was walking alone behind him.
As the three of them walked on, grumbling, they heard a crash and a loud scream behind them, which caught the attention of the two in front. Looking back, they saw a young man standing over a dead body. The sword had pierced his back, tearing out his heart and pinning him to the ground. Despite the intense darkness of this ominous night, they could see everything clearly thanks to the lightning that flashed across the sky every second. Shock and fear were etched on the face of the man who had died without knowing how he was killed. He didn't stop. Raven, by decapitating the man, acted instinctively, leaving no room for doubt when he killed.
The other two were completely stunned by what had happened. All three were seasoned fighters; they knew how ruthless this child was, renowned for his skill and brutality. But what they were certain of was that he wouldn't kill any of them, being seasoned killers themselves. This child was nothing to men like them. But what had happened now...? Just like that, one of them was killed!
Raven tried to take advantage of the other two's shock to quickly retreat and hide. He knew how weak and frail his body was, so he always hit and ran. But as he retreated, he felt something pierce his shoulder, and a sharp pain made him stumble a few steps, but he quickly regained his balance. Upon closer inspection, he saw he had been pierced by a small sword.
One of the three was a bald, white man with a massive build. He threw his sword at Raven, then drew another, smiling menacingly. "You think you can escape, you filthy rat?!"
"Tsk, he has incredible reflexes and fighting instincts. For a body this big, I thought he was brainless," Raven muttered, taking a few steps back and pulling the sword from his injured shoulder. He didn't panic, however. He shifted his shoulder slightly to assess the damage, then raised his sword, ready to fight the other two.
"Let's attack him together!" one of them shouted.
The two men rushed towards Raven, unleashing deadly blows. Raven dodged the first attack and attempted a strike to the second man's neck, but the bald man blocked his approach and pushed him back several steps. The two continued their relentless assault. The clash of swords echoed loudly in the night. Raven began to retreat, sustaining some wounds. Despite the pressure, he remained unharmed, avoiding serious injury by allowing himself to be cut by the two men's blows.
It was clear that the two men were superior to him, or perhaps his accumulated injuries were gradually weakening him. Raven's expression shifted to one of panic and confusion, with a hint of fear in his features.
When the second man saw Raven breathing heavily and barely able to block the blows, and witnessed the look of fear and dread on his face, he became excited. He realized that the child had lost his strength due to injuries and the long fight, so he rushed forward alone. A terrified Raven screamed, "Hahaha, you little brat, you'll die by my hand!" The man was certain he would kill Raven, so he left the bald man behind and seized the opportunity to kill Raven. He wanted to claim the victory for himself; after all, this kid's head was wanted by a hunter, and it wasn't easy to get a hunter's confession in this brutal place.
When the man reached Raven, Raven's expression changed drastically; he returned to his usual cool demeanor.
With a scornful smile, he looked at the man before him. "You're an idiot. You shouldn't have left your companion and rushed off alone." As the man's sword approached Raven, he didn't deflect it. Instead, with swift, agile steps, he backed away slightly, then with a simple left movement, he completely dodged his opponent's sword. Raven now stood to the man's right. The man, terrified, tried to flee, but to no avail. With a powerful sword stroke, Raven severed the man's hand. Another powerful blow tore through his knee, and the man collapsed to one leg before Raven, screaming in pain. Raven placed his foot on the shoulder of the kneeling man, who raised his head to look up in terror. He saw only cold, golden eyes staring back at him as if he were an animal about to be slaughtered.
"There's no place for fools in this world." Then he spat in the man's face, swung his sword, and it fell, severing the man's head beneath it. The man's head rolled away from his body to the ground.
This had been his plan from the start. He feigned fear and anxiety to make his opponent believe he was terrified. He wanted one of them to make a mistake and advance to kill him, because he understood that fighting two at once would only lead to their deaths. His absolute confidence that one of them would take the bait stemmed from Raven's understanding of the greedy nature of humans. He was certain that one of them would take the bait, and that's exactly what happened.
In the distance, the bald man's expression became menacing as he assumed an attacking stance. He was completely focused. He realized that the boy before him was strong and cunning. "No wonder they call you the Evil Angel. With your skill and cunning, you could join any guild or clan if you hadn't been born in this isolated place."
"Oh, that title! Your leader gave it to me after I cut off his tail. Is he still bitter...?" Raven chuckled maliciously as he looked at the bald man.
The man's expression turned revolting. "Young man, you shouldn't mess with a hunter. You've done something you won't be able to handle, and now everyone in this damned region is targeting you at his command. Your death is certain."
He didn't finish his sentence as the bald man launched a rapid and powerful attack on Raven. The force of his blows sent Raven stumbling back several steps. Raven struggled to parry the powerful strikes; the difference in physical strength between them was vast.
As the fight continued, Raven's breathing became increasingly labored, making it harder to block the blows. One of the strikes he managed to block left his hand with a deep gash in his abdomen. "Damn it, he's so strong... and this damned body... if this continues, I'll die. But I can't retreat now."
After blocking a powerful blow, he used the momentum to propel himself backward, dodging the fight as if trying to escape at any opportunity.
"You think I'd let you get away after killing two of my men...?"
Having dodged most of the attacks and the bald man unable to kill him, he became even more ferocious in his assault, and even angrier at not being able to kill this kid yet. This was exactly what Raven wanted; he wanted the bald man to lose his mind for a moment through rage, to create a weakness in his defense that he could exploit.
"Hey, bald man, why are you so angry?! You'll burn what little brain you have left, you idiot! Or maybe you inherited your stupidity from your mother!" Raven was trying to provoke him, but he didn't have much hope that these childish provocations would work. Who was provoked by such childish insults?
What he didn't expect was that the bald man flew into a rage because of what he said about his mother. He loved her so much that he killed his father because he used to beat her, and now this little brat was insulting his mother!
He charged frantically at Raven and unleashed a powerful sword strike, but Raven managed to dodge it. However, the bald man anticipated this and launched a kick aimed at his chest.
Raven expected this blow and retaliated by stabbing him in the leg. The man endured the pain and struck Raven hard, knocking him to the ground, but he quickly rose. The bald man, elated, leaped towards Raven, believing the fight was over. He aimed his sword at Raven's chest, but as he drew closer, Raven hurled a pile of red powder, which he had concocted himself from some caustic substances, at the bald man's face. In truth, this tactic wouldn't have worked, but given the bald man's enraged state, certain of his victory and lowering his guard, it had a slight effect. The moment he closed his eyes for even a moment, Raven's sword pierced the bald man's chest, severing it to the neck.
But Raven didn't escape unscathed, as the man's errant sword slashed through his abdomen, leaving his entrails slightly protruding.
The bald man collapsed to the ground. Unable to believe what had happened, a single moment of carelessness had caused his injury. "What—what kind of treachery and deceit is this, and his brutal, savage nature, even towards himself? He took a fatal blow just to kill me...?" He regretted accepting the mission. He wanted to get up quickly and leave, but he saw a shadow standing over him. He looked up to see Raven's sword descending towards him, severing his head.
Raven fell, his back against the wall. His intestines were outside his body, and he was in excruciating pain, nearly losing consciousness. His breathing was labored, and he couldn't move because of his injuries and his emaciated body, which lacked proper nutrition. He cursed as he assessed his condition. "Looks like I'm going to die..." He paused, looking down. On the ground, blood mingled with the rain, staining it red.
He sighed, looking away. He often found himself gazing at the distant silhouette of the tower hanging in the sky, the World Tower. It was a beacon of hope in a world shrouded in darkness, a symbol of power and prestige. After a strange incident in the past, what are called Gates appeared, releasing monsters that threatened humanity's extinction. But this giant, ethereal crystal tower appeared out of nowhere, shrouded in mystery. Years later, it was discovered that anyone chosen by the tower would have a tattoo on their body, usually on their left arm, to challenge it. Upon completion, they would gain a certain power. Needless to say, anyone who obtained this power would be given the title of Hunter and attain a high social standing, as the number of Hunters is very small.
"Am I not worthy of entering it?" Raven always thought and dreamed of entering the World Tower. It was his chance...
Alone to escape this filthy place
"Don't joke with me, you bastard! Do you think I'm incompetent? If I hadn't been born in this cursed place, do you think I'd die like this? Damn you! Damn you! I won't die! I won't die! I'll kill everyone, everyone who caused their deaths..."
Raven's loud screams toward the tower were terrifying. His savage, ferocious gaze refused to accept death. He was stubborn, still clinging to life. He wasn't ready to let his miserable life end like this, but his body was failing him. He felt his body growing colder and colder, his vision blurring, his eyes becoming empty. He felt his soul leaving his body. He fought desperately, banging his head and trying to get up, but he couldn't. Finally, he collapsed from the bleeding.
This is what it means to have great talent in a fragile body!