chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Man Who Smiled Too Easily

The forest felt strange today.

Seren noticed it right away.

The air was colder than before. The trees stood very still, almost like they were watching. A thin mist covered the ground and moved slowly around the roots.

Far away, a creature howled.

It did not sound angry.

It sounded like a warning.

Seren walked carefully through the forest.

Ever since the system appeared in her life, her senses had become sharper. She noticed every small sound. Even the movement of leaves felt important.

Suddenly, a glowing blue window appeared in front of her eyes.

[System Notice]

Path Progress: 17%

Unknown Territory Detected

Seren frowned slightly.

“Unknown territory…?”

She had been following the path markers that the system sometimes showed her. But now everything looked different.

The trees here were much taller. Their bark was dark, almost black. Silver vines wrapped around their branches like thin snakes.

Then Seren heard something.

Voices.

She stopped moving immediately.

People.

That could be good… or very dangerous.

Seren slowly crouched behind a fallen tree and looked through the leaves.

Three people stood in a small clearing.

Two of them looked rough and tired. Their clothes were old and their weapons were not in good condition. One held a rusted spear. The other carried a curved dagger.

The third person looked very different.

A young man stood calmly in front of them.

He wore a long dark coat and leaned lightly on a wooden staff. His black hair fell over his eyes. Even though two armed men surrounded him, he looked completely relaxed.

Seren listened carefully.

“Hand it over,” the man with the spear growled.

The calm man tilted his head slightly.

“Hand what over?”

“Stop pretending,” the dagger wielder said angrily.

“We saw the glow. You found something.”

The calm man sighed.

“You people should really learn some manners.”

Suddenly, the two attackers rushed forward.

Seren’s heart jumped.

But the fight ended almost immediately.

The calm man moved so fast that Seren almost missed it.

His staff spun once.

Crack.

The spear broke into pieces.

Before the second man could react, the staff moved again.

The dagger flew out of his hand and landed far away.

Both men fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

The entire fight lasted only a few seconds.

Seren’s eyes widened.

He’s strong…

Much stronger than anyone she had seen in this world.

The calm man brushed some dust off his coat. Then he slowly turned his head toward the trees.

“Watching from the trees is rude, you know.”

Seren froze.

He noticed me.

Slowly, she stepped out from behind the fallen tree.

The man looked at her quietly for a moment.

Then he smiled.

It looked friendly… but there was something dangerous behind it.

“Well,” he said, tapping his staff lightly on the ground.

“That’s unexpected.”

Seren stayed alert.

“What is?”

“Someone surviving alone in this part of the forest.”

His eyes moved toward the faint blue glow near Seren.

“Especially someone with a system.”

Seren stiffened.

“You can see it?”

“Of course.”

He smiled slightly.

“Not everyone can.”

Seren became even more cautious.

“Who are you?”

The man made a small dramatic bow.

“Kael.”

He straightened up and spun his staff casually.

“Traveler. Opportunist. Sometimes a problem-solver.”

Seren narrowed her eyes.

“That doesn’t explain much.”

Kael chuckled.

“Fair enough.”

He pointed at the two unconscious attackers on the ground.

“These two were following me for half an hour. They thought I found an artifact.”

Seren looked at him.

“Did you?”

Kael shrugged.

“Maybe.”

Seren crossed her arms.

“You don’t seem worried about them.”

“They’ll wake up later.”

His eyes returned to Seren.

“But you are more interesting.”

Seren didn’t like the way he said that.

“Why?”

Kael slowly walked around her, studying her carefully.

“You’re new here.”

Seren stayed silent.

“You don’t understand the paths yet.”

Still silent.

“And yet,” Kael continued thoughtfully, “you already survived at least two system trials.”

Seren’s eyes widened.

“How do you know that?”

Kael tapped the side of his head.

“Observation.”

Then he leaned slightly closer.

“And instinct.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

The forest grew very quiet.

Finally Seren asked the question that had been on her mind.

“You know about the system, don’t you?”

Kael’s smile faded a little.

“Yes.”

Seren looked directly at him.

“Then tell me something.”

Her voice became serious.

“What is this world?”

Kael slowly looked up at the sky.

The sky was still strange and broken, with faint cracks of light spreading across the darkness.

For the first time, his face became serious.

“This world…”

He paused for a moment.

“…is a prison.”

Seren felt a cold chill.

“A prison?”

“For people chosen by the eclipse.”

Her thoughts started racing.

“The eclipse… brought me here.”

Kael nodded.

“Exactly.”

He looked back at her.

“Everyone here arrived the same way.”

Seren tried to understand everything.

“Then the paths… the artifacts… the monsters…”

Kael nodded slowly.

“They are trials.”

“Trials for what?”

Kael hesitated.

For the first time, he looked unsure.

“No one really knows.”

Seren stared at him.

“You’re lying.”

Kael smiled again.

“Maybe.”

Before Seren could say anything else, the system window suddenly flashed bright blue.

[System Alert]

High-Level Entity Approaching

Threat Level: Unknown

Seren’s heart skipped.

Kael quickly looked up.

“Well…”

He spun his staff once.

“That’s not good.”

Suddenly the forest began to shake.

Birds flew out of the trees in panic.

A deep, heavy sound echoed through the forest.

Something very large was moving.

The ground trembled beneath Seren’s feet.

“What is that?” she whispered.

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

“A guardian.”

Seren looked shocked.

“A what?!”

Kael smiled again, but this time his eyes showed excitement.

“Looks like you’re about to face your first real trial.”

Another loud roar echoed through the forest.

Trees cracked somewhere in the distance.

Whatever was coming… was huge.

Seren clenched her fists.

“Can we defeat it?”

Kael glanced at her.

Then he laughed.

“Oh no.”

The ground shook again.

And Kael said calmly,

“We’re going to run.”

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