The Lanceheart estate lay behind him like a monolith carved out of arrogance and tradition. Massive banners bearing the symbol of the crimson heart fluttered in the wind, watching him leave as if amused by his insignificance.
No farewell.
No escort.
Not even a servant sent to hand him travel supplies.
That was how little they expected of him.
Fine.
The fewer eyes on him, the better.
Luice walked with measured steps, boots crunching softly over the gravel road that stretched into the darkening forest. The world outside the capital felt colder, rawer, almost untouched by civilization's ego.
Wind rustled through old trees like whispers of unseen spirits.
Distant beast calls echoed from the valley below.
Magic particles drifted in the air like faint motes of starlight.
This land was alive — and far more honest than his family ever was.
A carriage waited at the foot of the road. Not the elegant, enchanted carriages the duke's children usually traveled in. No armored escorts or mana steeds. Just a simple wooden wagon hitched to a single, tired horse.
Luice didn't hesitate. He climbed in, sat down, and stared at the interior of the carriage — plain, dusty, and devoid of any comfort.
The driver, an old man with a hunched back, didn't even look at him.
"Destination?" he asked flatly.
"Farling Hollow."
The driver stiffened slightly.
A few seconds of silence.
Then he clicked his tongue. "Tch. Another one being sent there, huh?"
Luice raised a brow. "Another one?"
"Don't worry about it," the old man muttered and whipped the reins.
The carriage began its slow journey forward.
---
THE FIRST MISSION
Only after they left the estate grounds did Luice open the shimmering screen again.
A translucent golden interface hovered before him, the faint hum of ancient magic radiating from it.
[Royal Pass — Season 1]
Tier 1 Mission: Claim land with your own hands.
Reward: ???
Penalty for Failure: None
The interface was infuriatingly vague.
Luice clicked mentally on the reward.
[Unknown — Locked]
Of course.
This wasn't meant to be simple. A relic tied to the First Monarch wouldn't hand out cheap prizes.
Still, something about the mission's wording nagged at him:
"Claim land with your own hands."
Most abilities in this world were straightforward — fire manipulation, beast taming, aura enhancement — but this felt like a riddle. Like the system wanted him to build something, not just fight.
A kingdom couldn't start without territory.
Perhaps the Pass wanted him to establish sovereignty the moment he arrived.
That meant one thing —
Farling Hollow wasn't a punishment.
It was a starting point.
And if the Royal Pass truly gave rewards each time he completed a mission, then every month meant a hundred opportunities to grow — skills, troops, land, influence.
The more he thought about it, the more obvious the truth became:
This ability was not weak.
It was dangerous.
Maybe that's why the crest hesitated earlier.
Maybe that's why the room fell silent.
This ability wasn't useless —
it was world-breaking if used correctly.
And the Lanceheart family, with all its tradition and ego, was simply too stupid to understand it.
---
THE DRIVER SPEAKS
Hours passed before the driver broke the silence.
"You really headed to Farling Hollow, boy?"
"Yes."
"…You don't seem scared."
Luice glanced at the old man. "Should I be?"
A dry laugh. "Everyone else who goes there is."
"Everyone?"
The old man's hands tightened around the reins.
"Those sent to Farling Hollow… don't usually return. Monster attacks, famine, missing villagers, strange lights at night. The previous steward was found—"
He cut himself off.
Luice finished for him.
"Dead?"
The old man swallowed. "Let's just say he didn't die peacefully."
Luice leaned back.
Calm.
Unshaken.
Fear was pointless.
Calculation was better.
"Tell me something," he said. "Why hasn't the duchy sent real knights to clean the place?"
The driver scoffed. "Because it's not worth the effort. No noble wants to inherit that cursed wasteland. It's basically a forgotten corner of the continent."
Perfect.
A forgotten corner meant:
No surveillance.
No restrictions.
No interference.
A perfect place to build something dangerous.
---
NIGHTFALL
As the sky dimmed, the stars emerged — countless pinpoints of light stretching across the heavens. Asterion's night sky wasn't normal. Some stars moved. Some pulsed. Some flickered like dying embers.
And some… were not stars at all.
Luice watched a bright streak arc across the horizon.
A shooting star? No.
The air shook.
The ground trembled faintly.
A beast, then.
A massive one.
The driver flinched. "We're near the Beastveil Woods. Keep your head low, boy."
Luice didn't move. "What kind of beasts live here?"
"The kind that turn armored knights into scraps." His voice was tense. "Even duke families avoid this region."
Another tremor rumbled through the earth.
Branches shook violently.
A distant roar burst through the night.
Not a normal roar.
This one carried mana.
Deep, ancient mana.
The forest vibrated with the aftershock.
The horse neighed in terror.
The driver struggled to keep control.
Luice simply observed the darkness.
"…Interesting."
Danger meant opportunity.
Opportunity meant missions.
Missions meant rewards.
Rewards meant power.
Even a child could see the chain — but Luice wasn't a child. He was the one person in his family capable of following it all the way to the throne.
As the carriage rattled deeper along the winding road, the Royal Pass chimed again.
DING!
[New Side Mission Generated]
"Survive the first night in Farling Hollow's territory."
Reward: Tier 1 EXP + Bonus Chest
Penalty: Death"
Luice's smile returned — sharp, dangerous, and completely unfitting for a boy the world called talentless.
"Now this," he whispered, "is getting interesting."