Morning crept toward noon beneath a drizzle that was slowly easing. Han Yu walked into the forest with an empty gaze. He briefly twisted his body backward, glancing at The Walls for the last time with that same vacant stare and flat expression. The look implied he would never return—he had something to chase. Though he lived outside The Walls, Han Yu often entered them for his own needs.
Then he resumed walking.
A few moments later, as he strolled casually, his mind began to wander.
"Come to think of it, I left without gathering any information first."
"Well… no matter. Far from The Walls, there are bound to be Rifts or aberrants. I need to grow stronger quickly… to understand the meaning of those dreams…"
Han Yu suddenly stopped.
"And… to uncover the memories of my past that are lost…"
Then he walked on.
Upon reaching his destination—his home—he pondered whether, if he could enter shadows, other objects could enter his shadow too. To test the thought, Han Yu approached the simple wooden house.
His shadow began to widen, encircling the house. Countless black tentacles sprouted from Han Yu's shadow and started pulling the house into it. Moments later, the ground was clean—no trace of the house remained. Now, Han Yu's home resided inside his shadow. He smiled faintly, realizing he could store objects within it.
After that, he continued through the forest. Gradually, his steps quickened until Han Yu was sprinting at an impossible speed—too fast for human eyes to track.
"Since I'm not part of any Order, I have no access or permission to enter a Rift. All I can do is hunt aberrants outside Rifts or find unclaimed ones."
An Order was an organization built by powerful Luminaries. It sheltered Luminaries, who could work for the Order by taking missions and clearing Rifts owned by that Order. Members received special privileges: conquering Rifts, training, earning money from completions, protection (legal, medical, social), and the backing of the Order's might.
Luminaries outside any Order were forbidden from entering Rifts owned or purchased by an Order—they had no rights. However, the first Luminary to discover an unclaimed Rift gained ownership and the right to conquer it.
"This will be difficult!"
Han Yu kept racing deeper into the forest until he emerged into a strange area beyond it. No trees—just vast, open land scarred by old battles. Han Yu surveyed it seriously.
"I've never been here before. It's far from my house. Surprising."
He pressed onward at high speed. Deeper in, he paused—three Luminaries stood ahead. They spotted him approaching and immediately grew wary.
Han Yu drew near. There were three in total. His goal was simple: information on the nearest aberrants.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?!"
The question came from a woman with long black hair and bangs covering her forehead, pitch-black eyes, tight black clothing, a short mantle, and low-heeled boots. She stood 165 cm tall. Talia Quil, A-rank Elemental Luminary—manipulator and creator of wind.
"I was walking and looking for people or places with information. I saw you, so I approached."
Han Yu answered with a blank face.
They were stunned—he had moved at blinding speed for something so trivial.
"Are you serious? Do you even know where you are?!"
The response came from a man, 181 cm tall, with wavy dark-brown hair and emerald-green eyes. He wore a large-dog-leather vest and cargo pants. Nikolas, A-rank Elemental Luminary—manipulator and creator of magma.
"No… I'm just looking for aberrants to kill and for information. Oh, right—I forgot to ask: are you from The Walls?"
They were shocked. Nikolas chuckled.
One of them—a bespectacled young man—stepped forward to answer. "We're not from The Walls. We're from The Second Walls—Solaria."
The man had straight black hair, dark-brown eyes, and wore a black vest. He stood 169 cm tall. Mateo Caldera, A-rank Physical Luminary—with superhuman strength, speed, and razor-sharp senses.
"The Second Walls? Solaria? You mean there are places besides The Walls?"
Han Yu was puzzled by Mateo's answer.
"Hah? How do you not know? There are four Walls. I'm guessing you're from The First Walls—Cyron, in the south. The Second Walls—Solaria is in the west. Then The Third Walls—Ironveil in the east. And finally, The Fourth Walls—Frosthold in the north."
"People just say 'The Walls' because it's shorter and easier—but each has its own name."
Hearing this, Han Yu began to understand. Living outside The Walls meant he missed certain knowledge.
"Thank you. That's useful information. I don't live inside The Walls—I live in the forest outside Cyron."
"No wonder. Everyone inside The Walls knows this…"
Conversation over, Han Yu turned to leave—but Nikolas stopped him.
"Can we see your Luminary card?"
Confused but compliant, Han Yu handed it over.
They were stunned: a Mystic Luminary. No wonder he seemed confident. Yet questions lingered—he moved like a Physical Luminary, and his rank was still low: C. Nikolas returned the card.
"Mystic, huh… Are you in an Order?"
"No. I'm not interested in working for anyone. I prefer freedom."
"I see… People like you usually have bright futures."
Han Yu's expression remained flat.
As he started to leave again, he paused with one more question.
"Do you know the nearest aberrant location? I want to grow stronger."
Their eyes widened—a low-rank Luminary heading alone into danger.
"You don't need to worry about me. I can take care of myself. Just give me the information you have."
Nikolas was annoyed but complied.
"Aberrant nests aren't widely known—they move. We know a couple suitable for you—low difficulty. Two in the east, about 3–4 kilometers from here. At least C-rank and up, I think."
"Alright. That's enough."
As he turned to go, Nikolas stopped him again.
"Wait."
"There's one place you must avoid. It's not far from the spots I mentioned. It's called the Inviolable Realm."
Han Yu frowned.
"Inviolable Realms are territories occupied by extremely powerful aberrants. They're nearly impossible to conquer—even for the world's strongest Luminaries—so the land and its aberrants are classified as Inviolable. There are many such realms; I'm only mentioning one. Though powerful, they never attack humans unprovoked. They only strike those who enter their domain."
"Avoid it if you value your life!"
Nikolas spoke with deadly seriousness. Talia and Mateo nodded in agreement.
Han Yu was slightly shocked—this was new. A realm so feared and untouchable.
"Important information. I'll heed your warning. Thank you."
Han Yu vanished eastward at blinding speed, leaving Nikolas, Talia, and Mateo staring after him with worried eyes. They feared he might enter the Inviolable Realm, but they couldn't force him.
Han Yu raced east, following Nikolas's directions. This time, he melted into shadow, moving even faster than before.