Tav Ryn Holt POV
"He tried to eat me after beating me so badly I couldn't even move. When he clamped his jaws around my leg, I used that one chance I was waiting for… I activated my skill. The tiger was caught off guard, injured its mouth, and blood started dripping. That's how I survived."
Hearing the boy's words ..... how he survived the Shadowmist Tiger, a B+ ranked monster .... the only thing I could do was laugh.
Yes, I laughed.
Not because I thought he was lying or something... no, he was telling the truth. I laughed because of my luck.
The girl who also survived the tiger, lost only her arm. I asked my father for a high-ranking potion, one that could regrow any limb. Thanks to that monster, the wound was cleanly severed with mana, so healing wouldn't be a problem.
The potion worked .... her arm regrew perfectly.
But there was a problem.
Her mind.
The trauma from that incident had broken her. When I called the village's best doctor, he shattered my last hope ..... he said her mind had become unstable, and it would take at least a year for her to recover.
My Family chances of rising in noble rank were gone, washed away like sand in the wind.
I couldn't help but regret it all.
If only I had listened to Sister Mariya and gone to the forest myself, maybe I could have found another candidate. But now, all that work was futile.
I was village road walk alone.
The villagers who once respected my family now looked at us with hatred .... and why wouldn't they? Because of me and my father, their children had died in that wretched compitition.
As I walked through the village, praying for some kind of miracle, one of the gate soldiers came running.
"Lord Tav! Another child from the forest has survived!"
I arrived fast.
When I saw him .... a boy with black hair and rare crimson eyes ... I paused. Red eyes… uncommon among humans. Could he be a hybrid? That was my first thought.
And when I saw him using mana ... using skills ... I was stunned.
Just a few minutes ago, I had lost all hope. But now, seeing this boy, who not only survived but had already awakened his mana core a single day ago…
I stopped laughing.
"So, what's your name, kid?" I asked.
"It's Tyler Dreven, Lord Tav," he replied politely.
"Oh? You've got manners. Your parents must have taught you well," I said, impressed by his courtesy.
He hesitated ... as if my words had hit a sore spot.
"I don't have parents, my lord. I was raised in the Orphanage of the Goddess of Light." His tone was soft, sad.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
"No, Lord Tav, you don't need to be sorry. It's fine," he said with a small smile.
I looked at him, feeling a strange connection. "I know what it's like… to lose a parent. I lost my mother when I was young."
He nodded silently.
"Well, kid, you survived the forest and even faced the tiger. But that doesn't mean you've won the competition I organized. I can only take one of you to the ducal city ... and since we have two survivors, I'll need to think about it. Go rest. We'll talk tomorrow morning."
Truthfully, I had no choice but to take him. The girl was in no condition ... and even if she were, this boy clearly outclassed her. Still, I couldn't let him think I needed him. He had to believe he needed me.
Then the boy raised his hand and showed me something ... the flag.
The same flag I had hidden by the waterfall.
He knew the rules. I wasn't surprised ... but still, it impressed me.
"Well, you've won. But even if all the others had survived and brought this flag, I'd still need to think about who deserved the position of knight," I said. "Still, take this. You've just awakened ... you'll need it."
I handed him a book from my storage ring.
After giving him his reward, I left.
What a happy day.
Tyler Dreven POV
He just left… but I clearly brought the flag. That means I won, right? So why he handing me a just a book.
After standing there for a moment, I slung the book over my back and walked into the village.
It looked like something straight out of a medieval story ... stone-paved roads, brick and wooden houses. I passed by shops: a weaponry, a potion shop, a bookstore, a monster part shop, and a tailor.
People stared at me as I walked.
I glanced down at my torn, bloodstained clothes and sighed.
I wanted new ones, but I didn't even have a single coin.
Then I spotted the monster shop. Wait… you can sell monster corpses and cores there, right?
Perfect.
I was about to enter when a man's voice barked at me.
"Where do you think you're going, demon? This isn't a place for beggars. I've got no coins for you .... now get lost!"
Again Demon.
He looked to be in his mid-30s.
"No, sir, I'm not a beggar! I came to sell the monster I killed in the forest," I said quickly.
"Don't lie, demon! This shop doesn't buy rabbits and rats. Leave before I lose my temper!"
"Please, sir, I'm not here to sell small prey. Just hear me out!" I pleaded.
"You're testing my patience...." he began, but I interrupted him.
"Just look first! That's all I ask. If it's worthless, I'll leave."
He paused, frowning.
"Fine. But if this is a prank, I'll throw you out myself ... and don't ever come near my shop again."
"Okay! Deal," I said with forced cheerfulness.
He led me inside. The shop smelled of iron and blood .... monster parts lined the walls in jars and crates.
He guided me to the back room. "All right, show me. But if you're wasting my time—"
Before he could finish, I summoned the bear's corpse.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"In the name of the Twelve Gods… you hunted that?! And how in the world do you have a spatial ring big enough for it?"
"I found it dead in the forest. Someone else must have killed it and don't take his body," I lied smoothly. "As for the ring… it's a family matter."
He eyed me warily, but didn't press. "Fine. It's in good condition. An E-rank beast, well preserved. I'll give you 500 silver coins."
"Isn't that a little low?" I said .... though I had no idea what it was worth.
He grunted. "550, final offer. And honestly, you should take it before the villagers decide to kill you."
My expression froze. "Wait....what?"
He looked at me with genuine pity. "You really don't know? You and Jesse were the only ones who made it out alive. The other eighteen children… all dead. The families are furious. They'll blame someone .... and you're the easiest target."
"But I didn't kill them! It was the Baron who—" I stopped. "Why are they angry at me?"
"Because they can't touch the Baron. So they'll take it out on the one they can ..... the so-called demon child."
I frowned. "Then why you help me?"
He shrugged. "You didn't do anything to me. My father's is away, so I'm running the shop.if he was here you can't even come inside, But honestly, I think business is only thing who don't see bad and good."
He held out his hand. "So, do we have a deal or not?"
"Six hundred silver."
"Five-fifty. Final."
"…Fine. Deal." I can even Bargain.
He handed me the coins, then pushed me gently toward the door.
"Now go ... and don't ever come back."
"Hey, don't touch me! I can walk myself," I said ... but he shoved me harder this time, right through the door.
And then I saw them.
Dozens of villagers, glaring at me with hate.
"Oh… shit. Sorry, kid," the shopkeeper muttered before slamming the door shut.
A man shouted, "Why don't you die too, demon?!"
"He must've made a deal with the monsters!" cried a woman, tears streaming down her face.
"You monster! I always knew your kind were cursed!" yelled another man.
"Let's avenge our children!" shouted a young man, raising a spear.
I placed my hand on my sword hilt.
"Please, listen to me! I'm sorry for your loss, but I didn't do anything .... I was just a victim too!"
"Shut up, demon!" someone yelled, throwing a rock. I dodged easily.
Another voice spat venom. "That cursed child should've died like his whore mother did .... killing herself and leaving this filth behind!"
Something inside me snapped.I see some vision flashed in my mind ... and before I knew it, my fist connected with his face. The man flew backward, crashing into a wooden wall.
Silence fell.
"He… he's awakened!" someone whispered in fear.
"No way! Only a handful in this village are awakened!" another said.
"It's his demon blood ..... it's activating!" a girl older than me cried.
The man with the spear stepped forward. "Don't worry! I'm an E-rank awakened too!" He began to cast a spell ... but before he could finish, I vanished using Shadow Step and appeared behind him, grabbing his shoulder and throwing him aside.
"Anyone else want to try—?"
SLAP!
I froze. A woman stood before me .... blonde hair, calm eyes filled with pain.
Who is this Nun.
"Stop it, Tyler," she said, her voice trembling with pain.
"You're becoming what they want you to be."
I looked up .... and the moment I saw her, I knew who she was.
Sister Mariya.
The nun from the Orphanage of the Light.
To me .... or rather, to the previous owner of this body ... she was like a mother.
A woman who had raised the orphans as if they were her own, gentle yet unyielding when it came to what was right.
Her voice cut through the rage. I lowered my head.
"I'm sorry, everyone. This is my failure as his teacher," she said, facing the crowd. "I know your pain .... I lost one of my own children from the orphanage too. But hurting another child won't bring them back. We all know who's truly at fault. But we can't defy the ones above us."
Her words struck the villagers like lightning.
The shouting stopped.
"Let's go, Tyler," she said, taking my hand.
Than one voice from crowed of the villager.
"Why should we listen to her? She's in league with the demon!" someone shouted.
And then — Dark Pressure.
Every villager dropped to their knees, gasping as if gravity itself had multiplied.
The skill activated on instinct ... my anger surging again. Sister Mariya's voice echoed in my head. I realized then… this wasn't entirely my body.
The memories ... the emotions ... they were resurfacing.
"Tyler, stop this," she said.
And I did.
The pressure vanished. The villagers trembled, but none dared speak again.
"Let's go," she whispered. I followed.
What the hell is happening to me…?
[ The host has recovered 50% of the previous owner's memories.]