Clang!
Lyle raised the iron sword just in time. The sharp, gray-black strike collided with it, emitting a deep, metallic thud.
Creeeak—Clink!
The blade cracked in several places upon contact. The force of the blow numbed Lyle's arms immediately.
The attacker—a blur of silver—seemed surprised its strike had been parried and momentarily halted its assault.
The Great Forest of Tob.
Shrouded in perpetual mist and shadow, this vast woodland pulsed with life—and danger. The calls of wild beasts, shrieks of unseen birds, and occasional rustles of movement filled the air like a natural symphony… though the melody tended toward the unsettling.
But danger was relative.
For most people, the Great Forest was a death trap filled wit...
With the arrival of a new class, Lyle squinted at its passive ability—and for the first time in a while, found himself genuinely stumped.
“What the hell is this even supposed to be?” he muttered.
The passive skill felt... useless. Or at least, that was his first impression.
“Maybe it makes more sense in the context of the full class tree,” he said, shaking his hea...
The three surviving members of Six Arms didn’t hesitate for even a second at the question posed to them.
“A—Alive…”
“Alive!”
The feeble voices came in unison.
The strongest of them, Zero, had been slaughtered like a chicken. Davernoch and Malmvist had followed him into the afterlife one after another.
Frankly, they had all thought they’d be nex...
Among the infamous Six Arms, only one had managed to evade Lyle’s relentless barrage of attacks—the so-called “Undead King,” Davernoch.
“Figures. Undead racial traits, huh.”
Lyle looked up calmly at the floating figure suspended in midair. The undead, as one of the most twisted and unique races among heteromorphs, came with a suite of overpowered passive traits: immuni...
A deafening explosion rolled through the courtyard.
Lyle stood alone on the immaculately trimmed lawn, the shadows of his hood obscuring his face as his gaze settled on the grand European-style manor ahead. The once-proud front gates now lay in ruins, thick black smoke billowing out like the breath of some dying beast.
"All wiped out in one blast? Impressive," he murmured, almost ...
Morning.
As the golden six-petaled tulip hanging high in the sky slowly unfurled its radiant bloom, the secluded valley awoke to a new day.
The first ray of golden light spilled into the quiet landscape like the gentlest of wake-up calls.
On the second floor of a quaint little tavern, nestled in a rustic guest room—
"Hermione, rise and shine!" Ino nudged the girl l...
Slytherin Dormitory
With Draco's concerns finally put to rest, the atmosphere in the Slytherin dorm returned to its usual, cool, composed normalcy.
"Get to bed already! We've got classes tomorrow!"
As the clock struck midnight, Ino quietly drew his bed curtains shut. Lying back on the familiar softness of his mattress, a wave of calm washed over him.
Telling Draco ab...
At Hogwarts, curfew officially began at 10:30 p.m.
That might sound generous at first glance, but in reality, it only applied to students in Fifth Year and above.
For those younger than Fifth Year, the curfew was an hour earlier—by 9:30, they were expected to be safely tucked away in their common rooms.
At precisely ten o'clock, Ino exited the Headmaster's office.
...
Inside the train's private compartment, as the conversation drifted toward the topic of Prefects, Ino couldn't help but recall that magazine Draco had once run.
Maybe it was due to budget cuts—or something else entirely—but for such a grand castle, Hogwarts was shockingly understaffed.
That, perhaps, was why the Prefect system had endured for so long.
Starting from fift...
The hall was thick with the rich aroma of roasted meats, exotic spices, and aged wine. A lazy, luxurious haze hung over the room, making it feel more like a den of overfed lions than a command center.
Thud. Thud.
Zero the "Battle Demon" lounged across a plush velvet couch, legs spread, gnawing hungrily on a glistening meat shank in each hand. His deep bronze skin and thick limbs g...
The four assassins stood on edge. Ahead of them stood Imirna, calm as still water, her eyes sharp and cold. Behind them loomed a black-cloaked figure whose appearance gave nothing away—Lyle.
The air itself seemed to tighten, like it, too, was holding its breath.
Bang! Bang!
In a flash, the assassins exploded into action. Two darted toward Imirna, the other two veering tow...
Leinas had long since decided that the kingdom's nobility were, in a word, idiots.
Compared to the pragmatic, iron-clad policies of the Empire, the aristocrats here were like spoiled cats—lounging on velvet cushions while the house burned down around them. The contrast was enough to make her wince.
But even so, she had no regrets about leaving the Empire. Not one.
Especia...
Re-Estize Kingdom
Royal Capital
September 12th, Month of Falling Fires
Nearly four months had passed since the conclusion of the Royal Martial Tournament, yet the buzz around Gazef Stronoff hadn’t quieted one bit. In fact, his name was hotter than ever.
Traditionally, the tournament's victor would be promptly knigh...
Go Gin mistook the power of the “Dark Wave” as a form of magic.
Lyle had no intention of correcting him.
After all, the abilities displayed by high-tier professions were entirely different from the martial techniques of this world. It was only natural they’d be mistaken for magic.
“I underestimated you earlier,” Go Gin said, drawing in a deep breath and suppressin...
Go Gin’s steps came to a complete halt.
The air fell into a heavy silence. His breathing grew rough, and the massive green figure slowly turned around. Cold white eyes locked onto Lyle.
"Are you deliberately trying to provoke me, human alchemist?"
Go Gin opened his mouth. His deep, gruff voice carried a tone that was difficult to define.
He didn’t seem visibly ag...
Crack!
With a heavy groan, the massive gates opened.
Warlord Go Gin, standing over three meters tall, loomed like a green wall of flesh and muscle, casting a colossal shadow over Lyle. White, beard-like hair bristled with each breath he took.
Sharp tusks jutted from the corners of his mouth, and a pair of penetrating white eyes bore down, creating an indescribable pressure ...
Leinas and Imina had already departed that very night.
After all, annihilating two of the Empire’s most powerful noble houses in one fell swoop wasn’t exactly a low-key affair. It was only a matter of time before Leinas became a target. The sooner she left the Baharuth Empire, the better.
Of the tasks Lyle had assigned the two women, Leinas's was the more complicated. But if e...
The moonlight poured down without a hint of cover.
Splash, splash...
The fountain in the center of the courtyard burbled gently, its silver-tinged waters glistening under the night sky. The atmosphere in the garden was unusually calm.
Leinas stood quietly beside Lyle, a rare look of ease softening her normally sharp expression.
Not far off, Imina leaned against a mar...
Lyle glanced at Imina. Her usually icy expression was now lit with righteous indignation—and oddly enough, that flash of emotion made her look... almost cute.
"We shouldn't waste our time playing games with these petty conspiracies," she said sharply.
"When the sun rises, even the darkest shadows disappear."
Lyle chuckled softly, his tone unexpectedly gentle. "Besides... ...
As a thin morning mist settled over Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, the annual return to school arrived right on schedule.
Gradually, the golden rays of morning began to warm the old platform, and the lingering fog quietly melted away.
Of all the days in the year, today was the only one that made this ancient station feel truly alive again.
11:00 AM.
A long, echoin...
“I demand an explanation! This is your idea of a magical getaway? You lied to me with that pathetic excuse!”
Mrs. Granger glared at Hermione with a stony expression.
Clearly unable to hold back her anger, she picked up the newspaper and swatted her daughter over the head.
“Ah! Mum, just let me explain—”
Hermione clutched her head dramatically. The paper had...
As the most influential newspaper in Britain’s wizarding world, The Daily Prophet had its gears turning at full speed—and it showed.
Outside Flourish and Blotts...
Ino had just arrived when he was stopped by a somewhat familiar face—Rita Skeeter, the ever-persistent journalist.
“Hermione, go ahead and buy the books without me. Don’t forget my list, though,” Ino ...
In the valley.
The moment Ino appeared, Hermione dropped her head like a guilty child caught red-handed.
“I didn’t mean to! I just touched it—and it fell off!”
She pointed at a towering red windmill perched in the valley below. The massive blades of the mill spun silently, despite the still air.
Hermione had honestly thought the branch looked sturdy. One poke...
Change—a simple word, yet it hides two very different meanings.
To change is to alter form, nature, or state.
To transform, however, suggests a more fundamental, even irreversible evolution—like turning one thing into something entirely new.
The valley had undergone both.
It wasn’t just altered. It was transformed—utterly and irrevocably.
After Ino lef...
The transformation of the valley stirred a faint sense of wonder in Ino’s heart.
To be honest, when alone, he couldn’t help but feel that Professor Hans had been somewhat biased.
After all, when the pages of the storybook were torn, the miracle that once allowed him to step into the tales disappeared with them.
It would be a lie to say he felt nothing about that. He was...
Unlike Austria’s temperate broadleaf climate, the Scottish Highlands are rooted firmly in a temperate oceanic climate.
By late August, the average temperature in the Highlands hovers above 15°C—more than warm enough for most folk, yet the chill in the air had little to do with weather.
Inside the Transfiguration Office at Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall sat silently at her des...
Recruiting?
Lyle hadn’t expected Leinas to bring that up out of nowhere. After a moment’s thought, he shook his head.
He had far too many secrets. Joining the Adventurers’ Guild had always been about convenience, nothing more.
“Sorry,” he replied simply. “I’m not looking to recruit anyone.”
“…I see.”
Leinas looked visibly disappointed. Sh...
Lyle scanned over his updated status screen. Among the usual shifts in numbers, two particular changes caught his attention—"Total Resistance" and "Special Attributes."
To begin with, his Total Resistance had skyrocketed from a pitiful 0 to a solid 150. Meanwhile, Special Traits had climbed from 20 to 60.
The spike in resistance was no doubt thanks to his newly acquired traits...
Lyle stared at the mysterious scale that had shifted from jet-black to a pale gray. The cursed energy it once held had been completely devoured by him.
The oppressive aura that once filled the narrow stone crevice had now vanished without a trace.
"Two whole level-ups in one go… Just what kind of creature did this scale come from?"
With a lift of his hand, the giant scale...