In outer space, stars vanish with every strike of a sword and every burst of power. Worlds shake from the earthquakes of war—Gods and Demons, blood and fire, the screams of the innocent.
From the darkness, shadows appear. Faceless, nameless… yet possessing strength capable of defeating holy beings and monsters.
And in the middle of the chaos, a man faces the Celestial Realm. No fear, no hesitation. With a snap of his fingers, powerful beings fall before him. God-King Azarion—everyone. With a smile, he walks through the remnants of war.
The scene shifts to a man.
At the foot of a massive mountain, in the middle of a quiet forest, a man stands staring at the sky, as if feeling the world around him. The sun stands high in the heavens, and cold wind brushes against his face.
"Ahh… so this is what it feels like. I can't remember the last time I felt this again…" the man whispers with closed eyes, savoring the silence.
His name is Ren. He has average height with an athletic build, black hair, and eyes like the night sky. His clothes are simple—he looks ordinary.
While walking through the dense forest, he suddenly hears growling and rustling. When he looks, a group of goblins appears before him—small ones and large trolls, with pale eyes and sharp teeth, holding spears, seemingly talking among themselves.
"Looks like my first day here is unlucky," Ren mutters as he observes the goblins.
"Well, this is fine too. Maybe they have money or gold," he whispers, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Ren approaches the goblins' camp. He merely raises his left hand and snaps his fingers.
"Boom!!! "
The heads of the goblins and trolls explode, blood flowing onto the ground as their bodies collapse.
One goblin remains, sitting on the ground, trembling in fear, unable to process what happened.
Ren picks up a gold coin from the ground and shows it to the lone goblin. Due to the goblins' lack of intelligence, the creature can only tremble in fear.
"Where?" Ren asks, releasing terrifying pressure toward the goblin.
Overwhelmed by fear and pressure, the goblin moves its arm and points toward a cave.
Ren looks in the direction the goblin indicates.
"So that's where you hide your treasure," he mutters to himself
"Hmm…"
As Ren walks toward the pointed direction, the goblin prepares to attack him from behind. When it gets close—
"Boom! "
Its head explodes, and its lifeless body falls to the blood-covered ground.
"Tsk. Idiot," Ren replies coldly.
He enters the cave and is greeted by a massive amount of gold and jewelry.
Smiling while holding the gold, he says,
"So there's more than I expected."
Ren stops when he notices a glowing stone behind the pile of gold resting on a container. He approaches it and sees that it is a Sea Stone—a valuable gem used in staffs or swords to allow the use of water elements even without skill. Magicians and warriors fight over it.
He also notices human bones piled together in one corner.
While collecting the gold, he thinks, "…I don't have a container." He finds a small pouch nearby and puts the gold inside, then burns the remaining gold.
"This will do, even if it's little," he mutters while watching the burning pile of gold and human bones.
He exits the cave and sees that the sun is setting. He smiles while looking at the clouds
Nightfall
It is night. The forest is quiet except for insects and owls. Ren decides to rest under a large tree. He uses dry grass and branches for a temporary bed. He also catches a wild boar along the way.
"Where should I start?" he whispers to himself while looking at the stars. He hears animals moving and sounds all around.
"Whatever… wherever my feet take me. Maybe… I still need to find what I want and what I'm missing.
The Next Morning
As he walks out of the forest, he feels the cold air and the weight of endless adventure. At the end of the narrow road, he sees a small town with walls and gates, guarded by soldiers holding spears. He smiles.
"Finally… there's a town."
As he enters, he passes a group of armed men and women—mercenaries obvious from their armor and weapons. Their leader, a woman, has cold and sharp eyes. They briefly look at each other, but the group ignores him and continues on.
At the gate, guards stop him.
"Who are you?" one asks. "And where are you from?"
"A traveler," Ren answers. "I came from the forest. May I enter and rest?"
The two guards look at each other, then nod.
"Fine. Just don't cause trouble."
Ren nods and enters. He is greeted by an ordinary scene—wooden and stone houses, lively merchants, and people going about their daily routines. A simple place, enough to rest.
He quickly finds an inn in the center of town. It is clean and well managed.
When he opens the door, a waitress greets him with a smile and confident eyes.
"Sir, what do you need?"
"I want a room. And… do you have food?" Ren replies.
"Yes, sir. We'll bring the food to your room."
Ren nods and follows the waitress upstairs. They walk quietly through the narrow but clean hallway until they stop at a door.
"Sir, here." She opens it politely.
"This is fine. Just bring the food here," Ren replies.
"Yes, sir," the woman answers respectfully before leaving.
Ren sits on the edge of the bed, watching the sky through the window.
"Looks like I'll need information and important items for what I want," he whispers to himself.
Later that night, Ren leaves his room to ask where he can buy a map for his journey. He decides not to use his powers so the adventure won't be meaningless.
While Ren walks through the crowded street, a child suddenly runs into him from behind, deliberately bumping into him, causing Ren to step back slightly.
"I'm sorry!" the child shouts while running away.
But before the child can escape, Ren moves.
With a quick and silent motion, he grabs the child's arm—firm and precise, as if he has done it countless times before.
The child's eyes widen.
"Where are you going, kid? Looks like you're holding something that isn't yours."
"Huh? What do you mean, mister? I don't know what you're talking about," the child says nervously.
"What's this?" Ren asks, holding the pouch.
The child freezes when he sees it.
"Huh? How? I was holding it just now?" he thinks in disbelief.
The child receives a hard knock on the head.
"Ow! That hurts!"
"And don't call me mister! I'm not that old!" Ren replies.
"You came at the right time. I have something to ask. Follow me."
The child reluctantly follows after being hit.
"Boss… where are we going?" the thief asks.
Seeing an empty bench nearby, they head there.
"S-sir… what are we doing here?"
"I have a question. If you lie, I'll cut off your hand. Do you know where I can buy a map?"
"Huh… a map?" the child asks in surprise.
"Yes."
"You'll let me go if I tell you?"
"I'll think about it. So where?"
The child looks disappointed.
"I think there is."
He looks around as if searching.
"There… at the end of the corner, near the bar…"
"At first glance, it looks like an ordinary bar, but I often see hunters, mercenaries, and nobles entering it."
"I also heard they sell things not found in public markets… like a black market," the thief explains. "I don't really know what black market means."
"Hmm… good observation," Ren says while looking at the bar.
"Sir, can I go now? I told you everything I know. I still have a sibling waiting. They're my only family. If I disappear, what will happen to them?"
"Alright, you can go. Make sure you don't steal again," Ren warns.
Ren throws the gold pouch to the Kid.
"Huh… what is this?"
"It's yours. And don't steal again," Ren replies.
"Thank you…" the child says tearfully.
"Why are you crying?" Ren asks.
"I'm not crying. I'm just happy, because I can buy my sibling's favorite," he replies while wiping his tears.
As Ren walks away, the child suddenly shouts,
"Sir! What's your name?"
Ren glances back and smiles slightly.
"I'm Idric, and I'll never forget your kindness!" Idric shouts.
As Idric walks home, he thinks about Ren's face and how he will tell everything to his sibling.
"Family?" Ren mutters to himself as he walks toward the bar.