Chapter 97 – Only I remember...
Kaden was now inside a cave, his back resting against its cold, hard wall. The space was small and damp, and the oxygen inside was so low a normal person would’ve been out of breath in less than a minute.
But Kaden didn’t even notice.
He was staring at the new title he’d just obtained.
’Death Envoy, huh...’ Kaden thought inwardly—but even with all the titles he’d gathered so far, he felt nothing.
Only Child of Blood, or maybe Transcendent, held any meaning to him. The others? Worthless.
He didn’t see the point in them, or the reason The Will handed them out in the first place.
But he also knew one thing for sure, The Will never did anything for nothing. If it gave him a title, it meant something.
Something important.
’I just don’t know it yet... and even when I asked my parents, they didn’t tell me.’ Kaden added, his thoughts drifting toward his family.
He’d spent so much time here, and he didn’t even know how they were doing back there.
Were they okay?
Did the Cerveau make a move?
Is anything new happening?
Multiple questions pulsed through his mind, and this wasn’t the first time. But Kaden had learned to push those worries down and focus solely on his mission here in Fokay.
Only now, with the end so close, with his return to Darklore within reach, he couldn’t suppress them anymore.
Or rather... he didn’t want to.
There was also another reason.
Kaden’s Perception had already surpassed the limit. His instincts and his awareness weren’t just sharper than most. They were on a different level altogether.
Even among Intermediate-ranked fighters, his perception would be something only a handful could match.
And paired with his extreme skill, his perception wasn’t just enhanced, it was different.
So every time he thought about his family, a faint but unmistakable sense of dread rose inside him.
And as someone who trusted his instincts above all else, Kaden knew something was wrong.
’I have to finish this quest fast. That bad feeling... it’s been getting worse since yesterday. It’s becoming clearer. Something is happening.’ Kaden thought, crimson-red eyes glowing with fierce, intent light.
He looked up, gaze settling on the small gap in the cave’s ceiling, where moonlight leaked through. The half-moon hovered silently in the sky. He calculated the time in his head and realized he had about two hours left before night ended and the Empire’s sun would rise, marking a new day.
Only two hours.
But even now, Kaden had a bold thought.
He’d previously estimated that it would take him three full days to clear the forest.
But actually...
’I was still underestimating myself.’ he thought grimly.
Three days?
Even two were too much.
One day was more than enough.
And so, inside his mind, Kaden made the decision: he would finish the quest in the remaining two hours and return to Darklore immediately.
He stood up slowly, dusted the grime off his clothes, and began walking calmly and purposefully intending to resume his silent slaughter.
And he did.
Reditha grew sharper with every kill, more precise with every motion, her control honed like a weapon forged through chaos. As if now she could adjust the sharpness of her blade on a whim—razor-thin silk, or a dull kitchen knife.
But not just her blade—her control over blood had become exceptional. Better than Kaden’s, even. Because Reditha was more connected to blood than he ever was.
So right now, the monsters weren’t facing one predator, they were facing two. Two monsters, not hunting for flesh, but thirsting only for blood.
And that was the Warborn advantage.
They never fought alone.
Never.
They always fought with their weapons, as one, in unison. That bond made them even more terrifying.
And Kaden was showing exactly why.
No matter where he walked, death and bloodshed clung to him like a lover, Reditha following with her own rhythm of violence, killing without mercy.
She moved on her own now, slicing through enemies with her body and blood manipulation—even without Kaden’s command. She danced through slaughter. And Kaden, on the other side, killed with his body alone.
Time passed like that. The momentum built. The blood deepened.
And soon only thirty minutes remained out of the two hours he’d given himself.
Now, Kaden stood still, a deep frown on his face as he tilted his head slightly.
He’d killed every beast in the middle zone, silently, without alerting a single soul.
And now only one beast was left.
How did he know?
Instinct. That was enough.
But that wasn’t the point.
The point was—
he recognized the beast.
It was the same shadow panther he had fought before being killed by that majestueux slime.
"You... we meet again." Kaden said, staring down the creature.
The beast just stared back, silent and unknowing.
Of course it didn’t remember.
Kaden had rewound time before even encountering it.
He didn’t forget it.
But the beast did.
And that was fine. It was just a monster. But what if... what if it was a human? Someone he’d gotten close to?
Someone he’d laughed with, fought beside, touched, and then had to rewind time before ever meeting them because of some reason?
Would he have the heart to rebuild it all from zero?
Would he even be able to?
Because forging deep connections... it’s never guaranteed. Sometimes it’s just a twist of fate, a shared moment, a fragile alignment of circumstances that brings people together.
So what would he do then?
Kaden didn’t know.
And he didn’t want to know.
Not now.
’Ah...let’s focus, Kaden. Let’s focus.’ Kaden added in his mind.
So, missing the opportunity to act cool in front of a beast that should’ve known him, he simply decided to finish this.
Even if the creature in front of him was Master-ranked.
Two whole ranks ahead of him.
But Kaden didn’t flinch.
He was confident.
So, without hesitation...
"Let’s finish this, shall we?"
...
Meanwhile, in the northernmost part of Fokay, inside a house made of blue rock that looked like ice but wasn’t quite, inside a quiet meeting room, Meris sat calmly on an ornate sapphire-blue chair.
Lari stood just behind her, silent and sharp-eyed, both of them watching a middle-aged man with a water-drop marking on his forehead, black hair, and piercing blue eyes.
The man looked calm on the outside.
But inside, he was panicking.
’The Elamin’s heir?’
He couldn’t believe it. For a family of ice manipulators like theirs, the Elamin had always been the family they both envied... and feared.
And now their heir was here.
That couldn’t mean anything good.
Standing beside him was a younger man with similar features, his eyes fixed on Meris with a strange, unreadable glint.
"Miss Elamin, could you please tell us the reason for your visit?" the older man, Lionnel Blueheart, asked, voice polite, respectful... and just barely trembling.
Meris didn’t answer right away.
Her face remained neutral. Cold. Expressionless.
She scanned the room slowly, her gaze slicing through every presence. And when her eyes settled back on Lionnel,
"I heard your family knows a way into the Forbidden Zone, the Glacier of the Moon," Meris said.
Then, with a soft, polite smile that carried a chill beneath its surface,
"Might I know that way... please?"
—End of Chapter 97—