As usual, he started his day by running around the village, following the same routine he had slowly become accustomed to.
This time, however, things were different.
The moment Ank stepped onto the village streets, he immediately noticed the change.
The same villagers who had once looked at him with doubt and mocked him now greeted him with smiles.
Some waved at him, some thanked him, while others openly praised him for risking his life to save the little girl from the mountains.
Word of his actions had spread throughout the entire village.
To them, Ank was no longer the strange boy who was weaker than a seven-year-old child.
He was now the boy who had run toward danger when everyone else had hesitated.
Even the children who had once mocked him came running toward him.
Their faces were filled with embarrassment as some lowered their heads and quietly apologized, while others awkwardly tried to start conversations with him.
One of the children even offered Ank a piece of candy as an apology.
Yet Ank paid little attention to any of it.
The praise, the gratitude, and the apologies did not matter much to him.
Once, entire universes had praised his name, and countless civilizations had worshipped him.
Compared to that, the words of a few villagers should have felt insignificant.
Yet, for some reason, they did not annoy him.
Instead, a faint feeling of warmth appeared in his heart, a feeling he was still unfamiliar with and could not completely understand.
After finishing his run around the village, Ank returned to Old man’s house.
The smell of breakfast greeted him the moment he entered, and he soon sat down to eat together with old man and Maya.
After breakfast came training, and as usual, Maya showed him absolutely no mercy.
The rest of the day passed in exhaustion.
After training, Ank rested until the next day arrived, and then the same thing happened again.
Slowly, a routine formed around his new life.
He would run around the village, eat breakfast with Old man and Maya, train until his body could barely move, and then rest before repeating everything the next morning.
Ank’s life had become peaceful for the first time in a very long while.
It was simple, ordinary, and almost normal.
Without even realizing it, he had begun enjoying it.
The days continued passing peacefully.
But one day, everything changed.
Ank was now standing inside a dungeon, surrounded by monsters from every direction.
Sharp claws and terrifying fangs filled his vision while deep growls echoed around him.
Death seemed to be waiting only a few steps away.
He desperately dodged attacks coming from every corner.
One monster swung its claws toward his head, and Ank barely managed to duck beneath the attack.
Another charged from the side, forcing him to jump away, while a third attacked from behind and made Ank roll across the ground to avoid being torn apart.
His heart pounded violently, and his breathing became heavier with every passing second.
At that moment, only one thought remained in Ank’s mind.
Why did I come here?
Two days earlier, Marek stood outside the village, waiting patiently.
After speaking with Ank several times, he had learned that Ank usually ran around the village at this hour.
He had arrived early and simply waited near the road Ank normally used.
Ten minutes later, Ank appeared.
The moment Ank saw Marek standing in the distance, he immediately turned around, pretended not to notice him, and started walking back toward the village.
“Boy.” Marek’s voice stopped him.
Ank froze.
“You’re running away after seeing me.” “No,” Ank denied immediately.
Marek raised an eyebrow.
“Then why are you suddenly going back to the village?” “It’s just…” Ank paused, desperately trying to think of an excuse, but not a single believable answer appeared in his mind.
Marek grinned after seeing Ank’s expression.
“Good.
Then come with me.” Before Ank could refuse, Marek grabbed him and began dragging him toward a horse standing nearby.
As they walked, Marek finally removed his hood, allowing Ank to clearly see his face for the first time.
He possessed striking golden hair and deep black eyes.
Unlike his sister’s cold and violent nature, Marek appeared calm and easygoing, and his smile often made people instinctively lower their guard.
Yet behind that gentle appearance stood one of the Empire’s strongest warriors, a prince respected by both the people and the army.
Marek climbed onto the horse before looking down at Ank.
“We’re going to explore a dungeon.” Ank’s eyes widened.
“What?!” Meanwhile, two days earlier, when Marek and Seraphina had returned to the Empire, Marek immediately resumed his usual lifestyle.
He spent most of his time relaxing, avoiding responsibilities, and meeting his friends whenever possible.
He had already made his decision long ago.
He had absolutely no desire to become Emperor.
Unfortunately for him, Seraphina entered his room.
She was the First Princess of the Diamondheart Empire and wore a long crimson gown that flowed down to her feet like liquid blood.
Her beautiful red hair reached down her back, while her crimson eyes carried a coldness that made most people afraid to meet her gaze.
Her smooth white skin gave her an elegant and beautiful appearance, making her seem more like a noble painting than a living person.
Unlike her, her elder brother possessed golden hair and black eyes.
The two looked completely different from one another.
Yet throughout the Empire, there was one title that overshadowed Seraphina’s status as a princess.
The Blood Princess.
It was a name earned through fear and bloodshed.
Years ago, an army from the Central Continent had crossed entire sea filled with monsters to capture Diamondheart.
Thousands of elite soldiers and countless experts had marched together, forming a force large enough to threaten entire nations.
Yet Seraphina had faced them alone.
When the battle ended, not a single invader remained alive.
The rivers ran red with blood, and the earth itself had been stained crimson.
From that day onward, the world gave her a new name.
The Blood Princess.
It was a title feared by her enemies and respected by her allies, yet it was also a title Seraphina had never cared about.
“Marek.” Her voice echoed throughout the room.
“You have to do something.” Marek immediately frowned.
Whenever Seraphina said those words, trouble always followed.
“Our other brothers have already gone to explore the dungeon,” Seraphina explained before tossing a scroll toward him.
“If you don’t go as well, you’ll fall behind in the race for the throne.” The scroll landed directly on Marek’s face.
Marek sighed before opening it half-heartedly.
It was a dungeon map.
At first, he looked completely uninterested.
However, the moment his eyes landed on the location marked on the map, his expression suddenly changed.
A smile appeared on his face.
“I’m going.” Marek immediately stood up and ran toward the door.
Seraphina blinked in surprise.
The sudden change in his behavior had surprised even her.
Before leaving the room, Marek turned around and shouted, “Tell everyone I don’t need servants or guards.
This is going to be a boys’ trip.” Seraphina stared at the empty doorway for several moments.
“Boys’ trip?” she repeated quietly.
She had absolutely no idea what that meant.
Then her gaze slowly moved toward the dungeon location marked on the map.
At that moment, she immediately understood.
Marek was planning to meet Ank.
For some reason, a sharp pain suddenly appeared in her chest.
Badump.
Her heart beat heavily.
Seraphina frowned and instinctively placed a hand against her chest.
She did not understand what was happening to her.
Why was she feeling this way?
Why did the thought of Ank keep returning to her mind?
The strange feeling irritated her.
As the First Princess of the Diamondheart Empire, Seraphina quickly suppressed those thoughts.
She had no interest in strange emotions, no interest in unexplained feelings, and definitely no interest in a weak village boy whom she had only met once.
So she chose the one thing she had always been good at.
Killing monsters, clearing dungeons, and forgetting everything else.