Lysander pushed through the final thicket of the Abyssal Wilds. Behind him lay the chaotic, lawless jungle of monsters; before him lay something entirely different.
He stepped out onto a high ridge, and his breath caught in his throat. The horizon didn't just contain more trees—it contained a world that seemed to be built on layers of magic. The air here was different; it was thick and heavy, vibrating with a frequency that made the gold runes on his revolvers hum in response.
As he walked forward, the environment began to shift with startling speed. The wild, tangled vines of the jungle were replaced by silver-leafed trees that stood in perfect, haunting symmetry. The sky above transitioned from a clear blue to a deep, ethereal violet.
"I'm finally out," Lysander whispered, looking back at the dark woods he had called home for so long. "But this... this doesn't feel like the world I know"
He looked at the vast landscape ahead. Far in the distance, he could see floating islands and towers that pierced the clouds.
"System," Lysander commanded, his voice low. "Explain the geography. This isn't just a bigger forest, is it?"
Whirrr...
[Correct, Master. You have crossed the threshold. The Stratified Domain is a continental-scale territory divided into 'Tiers'. Unlike the Wilds, this land is governed by Order, Power, and Civilization."
"This is the heart of the world. Every major race—Humans, Elves, Demons, and Dwarves—has their own sovereign Kingdom within these layers. They do not just survive here; they rule]
Lysander tightened his grip on his belt. "A world of Kingdoms... that means politics, armies, and even stronger enemies. So, where exactly am I standing right now? Whose 'Order' am I currently trespassing on?"
Lysander took a step forward onto the silver grass, but the System immediately flashed a sharp red warning in his vision.
Ding!
[WARNING: HOSTILE TERRITORY]
[FACTION: DEMI-HUMAN CONFEDERACY]
[Master, stop. You are entering a domain where your race is a death sentence]
[The Demi-Humans do not tolerate Humans. Due to centuries of slavery and war, they view your kind as filth. If you walk in there showing your human face, you will not fight a monster—you will fight an entire army. Every patrol, every villager, and every assassin will hunt you down on sight]
Lysander paused, his hand hovering over his weapon. He looked at the vast, alien forest ahead.
a cold smirk touching his lips. "I came here to hunt a Boss, not to get stabbed in the back because of my ears. I don't have time to fight a thousand angry wolf-men"
He opened the System Shop interface.
"System, give me a disguise. Something that hides my identity completely. If they can't tell what I am, they can't hate me"
The Shop filtered through thousands of items before presenting two specific pieces of equipment designed for total anonymity.
[Item: The Void-Weave Hoodie]
[Rank: C]
[Price: 350 SP]
[Description: This isn't ordinary fabric. It is woven from the silk of Shadow Spiders found in the Deep Abyss]
[Visual: It is a pitch-black, sleeveless pullover hoodie. The fabric seems to "drink" the light around it, constantly shifting like smoke caught in a breeze. The hood is deep and oversized, designed to cast an impenetrable shadow over the wearer's face]
[Effect: [Aura dampening] - It suppresses the "scent" of the user, making it harder for beast-kin to smell that he is human]
[Item: The Iron-Wraith Ballistic Mask]
[Rank: C]
[Price: 150 SP]
[Description: A full-face tactical mask made of cold, matte-grey enchanted steel]
[Visual: It has no mouth opening, giving the wearer a silent, suffocating appearance. The eye slits are narrow and angular, covered by a one-way black glass that glows faintly purple when the user's Mana is active. It looks like the face of a machine, devoid of all emotion]
"Perfect," Lysander whispered. "If they can't see I'm human, they won't attack.
"Buy both"
ZAP.
The items materialized in a swirl of digital light. Lysander pulled the Void-Weave Hoodie over his armor. It felt cool against his skin, lighter than air. As he pulled the hood up, the shadows wrapped around his broad shoulders, making his silhouette blurry and dangerous.
Next, he picked up the Iron-Wraith Mask. It was heavy, cold, and smelled of oil and steel.
He pressed it against his face.
Click. Hiss.
The mask sealed airtight against his skin. The world turned a shade darker through the tinted lenses, but the System's HUD became sharper, integrating with the mask's display.
He looked down at his reflection in the blade of his knife. The rugged human adventurer was gone. Standing in the silver forest was a terrifying, faceless entity wrapped in living shadows, with two magical revolvers strapped to his waist.
Lysander tapped the metal cheek of his mask. It made a dull, hollow sound.
"Good," his voice came out distorted, deeper and more metallic than before. "Now, I am not a Human. I am not a Monster"
He walked into the Demi-Human territory, a ghost in the machine.
Lysander walked silently through the silver forest. The air was thick with tension. Even though he hadn't met anyone yet, he could feel the hostility in the land itself. The trees seemed to glare at him; the wind whispered warnings.
He tapped the side of his Iron-Wraith Mask.
"System," his distorted voice echoed inside the helmet. "I understand territorial disputes. Lions hate Hyenas. Wolves hate Bears. But this... this feels different"
He looked at a scratched warning sign on a tree trunk—a crude drawing of a human head with an 'X' carved over it in blood.
"Why is the hatred so deep? Why do the Demi-Humans despise human so much?"
Whirrr...
[TOPIC: THE GREAT BETRAYAL (500 YEARS AGO)]
The System's voice was cold, reciting facts that sounded like a tragedy.
[It began five centuries ago, during the Second Descent of the Demon King]
[At that time, Humanity was on the brink of extinction. The Demon armies were unstoppable. Desperate and weak, the Human Kingdoms went to the High Forest and begged the Beast-Clans for help. They formed the 'Grand Alliance'. Humans promised land, gold, and eternal brotherhood in exchange for the Demi-Humans' strength]
Lysander narrowed his eyes behind the black glass. "And I'm guessing they didn't keep that promise"
[CORRECT]
[The Humans were cunning. During the decisive battles, the Human Commanders kept their own armies in the backlines, using long-range magic and siege weapons]
[They sent the Demi-Humans to the front]
[For three years, the Beast-Kin were used as meat shields. They were the vanguard. They took the brunt of the Demon King's wrath. They died by the millions to protect the Human mages hiding behind them]
[By the time the Demon King was defeated, 70% of the Demi-Human population had been wiped out. Their Kings were dead. Their strongest warriors were corpses rotting in the mud]
[But the Humans? The Humans were fresh. Their armies were intact]
[Instead of honoring the alliance, Humanity saw an opportunity. They saw that the Beast-Clans were broken and leaderless. So, they didn't give them rewards. They gave them chains]
[They enslaved the survivors. They fractured the Great Clans, forcing them to flee into the Stratified Domain—this hostile land where no one else wanted to live]
Lysander stopped walking. He looked at his gloved hands. He was a human, a descendant of the people who had done that
"They didn't just betray them," Lysander whispered, realizing the gravity of the situation. "They used them as cannon fodder and then kicked them when they were down"
"That is why they hate human, Master. To a Demi-Human, a Human is not a neighbor. A Human is a liar, a coward, and a slaver"
"The Clans are still fractured today. The Wolf-Kin do not trust the Cat-Kin. The Bear-Kin isolate themselves. They are weak and divided because of what Humanity did 500 years ago"
Lysander adjusted his hood, pulling it lower over his mask. The story left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"I can't fix history," Lysander said, his voice hard. "And I'm not here to apologize for ancestors I never knew"
He checked the load on his revolvers.
"But I understand the rules now. I am the villain in their story"
He started walking again, his footsteps silent on the silver grass.
"Fine. If they want a villain... I'll wear the mask."
"I am just a hunter passing through"
Lysander frowned behind his mask. "But they are warriors. They have superior strength and speed. Why didn't they fight back? Why didn't they take revenge on the Humans?"
Whirrr...
[They couldn't, Master. Revenge requires an army, and they had nothing left]
[With 70% of their population dead, the Demi-Humans faced total extinction. The survivors were mostly children, the elderly, and the wounded. They didn't have the numbers to besiege human cities]
[Worse, the defeat broke their unity. The Wolf Clan blamed the Tiger Clan for failing the vanguard. The Bird-Kin blamed the ground forces. Starvation and fear turned them against each other]
[Instead of uniting to fight Humanity, the clans fractured into small, isolated tribes fighting over scraps in this dangerous forest]
[They didn't choose peace, Master. They chose survival]
Lysander nodded slowly. "So they are still broken today"
"Correct"