In the heart of the colossal Red Forest, where the crimson light of the sky slipped between the trees, and soft red snow fell like the sky itself was bleeding, a boy leaned against the trunk of a giant tree.He wore a long white robe, and a pale blue scarf wrapped around his neck.His long black hair was tied behind his head,with a few strands falling quietly over his solemn face. Beside him lay the corpse of a grotesque creature— a thin body covered in green,fish-like skin, yellow hair growing along its belly, arms, and legs. Six eyes were embedded in its chest, and its face was drowned in yellow fur… except for its forehead, where a wide mouth full of sharp, jagged teeth stretched open. A purple sword pierced its chest, glowing faintly with a black aura.
Louskas stared at the red grass below,
where blood mixed with the snow.
But his real focus was the yellow ring tied around his neck with a string.
He had spent weeks in this strange world.
He didn't know where he was,
why he was here,
or how to leave.
And yet… he felt a strange connection to this place.
As if the world itself was calling him.
Eldron had not appeared since the last time he helped him.
Since then, Louskas had faced countless beasts.
He had to run.
He had to hide.
And when he couldn't avoid it— he fought.
He had barely reached the beginning of the Yellow Core. The spiritual energy of this world was so dense
that he hadn't even needed the spiritual stones from his late father's ring.
And yet…
that ring was his most precious treasure.
It held clean clothes that made him feel human, and water— a lot of water, more than he ever expected.
As for food…
He ate the beasts he hunted.
Raw.
No fire.
No tools.
He would skin them… and eat.
At the beginning, he nearly died—many times.
But he learned.
His sword grew sharper.
His grip stronger.
He had seen monsters he could never have imagined.
Some were only level three,
but could fight warriors in the third stage.
And he…
was still in the early first stage.
He knew that advancing his core didn't give him strength directly. It only expanded the size of his Soul Sea…
five times more with each stage. That alone was not enough.
Running… he had become good at it. But if he faced a beast of level four or above, he had no hope of escape.
The dead monster beside him—
Louskas didn't kill it for food.
He had another goal.
He appeared behind it like a ghost,
right in the middle of its tribe,
and drove his sword into its chest.
The others stared, frozen in shock and rage.
And just like that…Louskas vanished with the corpse.
But he left behind traces of his energy… on purpose.
So they would follow him.
Now, he could hear them coming…their heavy footsteps pounding the earth, their furious screams shaking the forest.
He stood up.
Tightened the string around his neck,
and hid the ring under his robe.
Then vanished.
And in that same moment…the sword disappeared from the monster's chest.
Far away in the forest, he appeared again. Then vanished once more.
Suddenly….he was surrounded by a swarm of black birds. Each had one eye in the middle of its forehead, and a long, white horn.
Without a word,
the sword appeared in his hand again.
He struck.
The blade plunged into the body of one bird.
It screamed in pain.
The others finally reacted.
But Louskas vanished again…taking the corpse with him.
Roars of fury echoed through the forest.
The whole tribe was now chasing him.