The morning mist still clung to the earth as our caravan rolled away from Ashwood’s familiar forests.
For the first time in my life, there was no village behind me.
No training ground.
No wooden house waiting for my return.
Only the endless road ahead.
I looked back one last time.
Ashwood had already disappeared behind layers of trees.
“…Goodbye.”
Grandma Mira’s smile flashed through my mind.
Hunter Milo’s strict lessons.
Bran’s terrible jokes.
Ellis silently correcting my stance.
Even Elder Rowan’s mysterious eyes.
Everything had become memories.
The wagon shook rhythmically beneath me.
Merchants chatted while guards remained alert.
Lyra sat opposite me, lazily reading another old book.
“Still thinking about home?”
I nodded.
“A little.”
She smiled without looking up.
“That’s normal.”
“Everyone who leaves home believes they’ll return unchanged.”
She finally closed the book.
“They never do.”
Those words stayed with me.
By noon the peaceful forest had begun to change.
The trees became taller.
Older.
The sunlight struggled to reach the ground.
Even the birds had gone silent.
One of the guards raised his hand.
“Everyone stop.”
The entire caravan froze instantly.
Garrick rode forward.
“What happened?”
The scout crouched beside the road.
“There are tracks.”
I climbed down quietly.
Large claw marks.
Deep enough to split solid stone.
“Spirit Beast?”
The scout nodded.
“Fourth Rank…
maybe Fifth.”
The merchants immediately turned pale.
A Fifth Rank beast could wipe out an ordinary caravan.
The air suddenly felt heavier.
Without warning—
Buzz…
The Origin Core vibrated.
Not with fear.
With recognition.
A familiar blue screen appeared before my eyes.
Origin System
Unknown Origin Energy Detected
Distance: 3.2 kilometers
Direction: Northeast
Compatibility: 81%
Recommendation:
Investigate
My heartbeat accelerated.
Another Origin relic?
Already?
Lyra noticed my expression.
“What happened?”
“…Nothing.”
Not yet.
I couldn’t explain the Origin Core.
Not until I understood it myself.
The caravan continued cautiously.
Every guard had drawn their weapons.
No one spoke loudly anymore.
Hours passed.
Then—
A scream echoed through the forest.
“Help!!”
The caravan instantly stopped.
Another scream.
This time closer.
“It came from the east!”
Several guards rushed toward the sound.
Garrick frowned.
“It could be a trap.”
Before anyone could decide—
Covered in blood.
“No…
please…”
He collapsed before the caravan.
Behind him…
Heavy footsteps.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
The ground trembled.
Trees snapped apart as something enormous emerged.
A massive black bear.
Nearly four meters tall.
Its crimson eyes burned with madness.
Dark spiritual energy leaked from countless wounds across its body.
One glance was enough.
This wasn’t a normal Spirit Beast.
It was corrupted.
The Origin Core flashed violently.
Warning
Corrupted Spirit Beast Identified
Name:
Iron Mountain Bear
Rank:
Peak Fourth Rank
Corruption Level:
73%
Recommendation:
Avoid direct combat.
The guards tightened their formation.
One whispered,
“…We’re dead.”
The bear roared.
The sound shook the forest itself.
Merchants dropped to their knees.
Horses panicked.
Even experienced cultivators stepped backward.
I tightened my grip on my spear.
The Guardian’s Resolve within me stirred.
Not from courage.
From instinct.
The Origin Core whispered only one word—
Fight.
The Iron Mountain Bear slammed both forepaws into the ground.
BOOM!
The earth cracked apart.
The shockwave threw two guards several meters backward, sending wagons rocking violently.
“Formation!” Garrick roared.
The guards quickly formed a defensive line, their spiritual energy weaving together into a faint barrier.
The corrupted beast didn’t hesitate.
Its crimson eyes locked onto the frightened merchants.
It charged.
The forest itself seemed to shake beneath its weight.
One guard stepped forward with a battle axe.
“I’ll stop it!”
His axe glowed with golden spiritual energy as he swung with all his strength.
CLANG!
The blade struck the bear’s shoulder…
…and shattered into fragments.
The guard stared in disbelief.
The bear answered with a swipe.
CRACK!
He was hurled into a tree, unconscious before he hit the ground.
The remaining guards paled.
“This monster is too strong!”
I tightened my grip on my spear.
The Origin Core was pulsing faster with every second.
Suddenly—
Origin Analysis Complete
Weakness Detected
Corruption Crystal embedded behind the neck.
Destroying the crystal will reduce combat strength by over 60%.
Estimated success rate…
27%.
Not good.
But better than zero.
“Lyra,” I whispered.
She glanced at me.
“I know how to stop it.”
Her expression changed instantly.
“You do?”
“There is something behind its neck.”
She didn’t ask how I knew.
Instead, she looked toward the beast, studying its movements. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“…I can create an opening.”
“You’ll only get one chance.”
I nodded.
“That’s enough.”
The bear roared again and lunged toward the caravan.
At that instant—
Lyra moved.
Her sword flashed from its sheath like a streak of moonlight.
One elegant step.
Then another.
She appeared beside the beast in an instant.
Moonlit Flash!
A brilliant silver arc sliced across the bear’s face.
The attack wasn’t meant to wound.
It blinded the beast for a heartbeat.
The bear roared in fury and turned toward her.
“NOW!” she shouted.
Origin Step.
The world slowed.
Every movement became clear.
I sprinted beneath the beast’s swinging claws.
One strike missed me by inches.
Another slammed into the ground where I had stood a moment earlier.
Dust exploded around us.
My heartbeat echoed in my ears.
Closer…
Closer…
I reached the creature’s back.
There!
Hidden beneath matted black fur…
A jagged crimson crystal pulsed like a second heart.
“So that’s the source…”
The beast sensed me.
Its enormous body twisted with terrifying speed.
Too fast!
A claw swept toward me.
There was no time to dodge.
Without warning—
The Seal Rune on my hand erupted with blue light.
A translucent barrier appeared for the briefest instant.
CRASH!
The claw smashed into the barrier.
It shattered immediately…
But it had bought me a single heartbeat.
One heartbeat was enough.
I thrust my spear forward with everything I had.
“Break!”
The spear pierced the crimson crystal.
CRACK!
The crystal fractured.
A deafening scream burst from the bear.
Black mist poured from the wound like smoke escaping from a furnace.
The beast staggered.
Its crimson eyes slowly returned to their natural amber color.
For a moment…
It simply stood there.
Then the enormous creature looked at me—not with hatred, but with exhaustion.
There was gratitude in its fading gaze.
It lowered its head.
And collapsed.
The forest fell silent.
The Origin Core chimed softly.
Mission Updated
✓ Corrupted Spirit Beast Purified
Synchronization: 40% → 42%
New Reward Acquired:
Origin Essence ×1
Hidden Title Unlocked:
Purifier of the Fallen
No one spoke.
Every guard…
Every merchant…
Even Garrick…
Stared at me in stunned silence.
Lyra slowly sheathed her sword, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
“You keep surprising me, Kael.”
Before I could answer, the Origin Core pulsed once more.
A faint blue arrow appeared in my vision.
It pointed deeper into the forest.
Toward the same mysterious location it had detected earlier.
Distance Remaining: 2.6 kilometers.
Something was waiting there.
And somehow…
It had been waiting for me.