As they walked through the dense woods after leaving the Diamond Kingdom, they encountered a grisly trail of dead beasts. Someone—or something—was slaughtering them. Leon and Draken followed the trail to the heart of the forest, where a small camp had been established.
As they approached the camp, the earth suddenly began to tremble. A massive wall of rock rose from the ground, blocking their path. Seconds later, two more walls erupted from the sides, and a final one sealed their rear, leaving them trapped in a stone box.
A small section of the wall slid open like a door, and a young man walked in. Leon took a brief look at the stranger and realized he knew exactly who it was. It was his former classmate, Connel van Luis, an elemental user who had now reached A-rank. He appeared much more mature and well-put-together than Leon remembered.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" Connel asked. He didn't recognize Leon, as the hood covered most of his face and his physique had greatly improved since their school days.
"We saw a trail of dead beasts that led us here. We were wondering what caused it," Leon said calmly. "It seems it's your work. I have no objections."
"Is that all?" Connel asked. Then, he suddenly recalled the burgeoning rumors of a traveler dressed in white who carried a mysterious beast with him. "Wait! Are you the one they call the 'White One'?"
"Yes, I am," Leon answered. "Though I wonder what rumors you've heard about me."
"Quite a lot, if I'm being honest," Connel said, folding his arms. "Some call you a demon, some call you a hero, and some even say you're a monster. I don't intend to judge you. I passed through the village you rescued earlier; they spoke of the wonderful things you did and how you saved all the missing children. You truly are remarkable."
"Well, that's good to know. At least someone spoke well of me," Leon said, turning to depart. "Anyway, my apologies once again for the intrusion. We'll take our leave."
"Not yet..." Connel said. Leon paused. "You saved all the children from that dark organization... except one."
Leon froze. He was certain he had saved everyone in that lab before destroying it; there was no way he had forgotten someone, and the villagers had failed to mention anyone being left behind.
"What do you mean by that? I rescued everyone. None remained in that cave," Leon replied, turning back to Connel.
"If you have time, I'll fill you in on the details," Connel offered.
"Alright." Leon walked toward him. Connel snapped his fingers, and a table and chairs made of earth manifested in front of them. They both took their seats.
"Now tell me," Leon asked, "what do you mean by 'one was left behind'?"
"A child was left behind; his name was Frey Lucien. He is an orphan from the village you rescued. He was the first to go missing, but no one cared about him—or even bothered to raise an alarm—until their own children began disappearing one by one. He was taken to a different place, separate from the other children," Connel responded.
"How could they leave out such information? I guess the villagers aren't such good people after all," Leon muttered, his voice tinged with a cold disappointment. "But I do have a question: why was he separated from the rest of the kids? Was it just because he was taken first?"
"No... certainly not. It is believed that he possesses a Primordial Skill, and that is why they separated him," Connel replied.
"He possesses a Primordial Skill? Which one?" Leon asked, his interest piqued.
"We don't know yet, but since we can account for the others, we believe it is either the Primordial Skill of Life and Death or the Primordial Skill of Theft. Either one is deadly when exploited to its fullest. The sins of Lace Freeman still echo within the school walls, even after seven years," Connel replied.
"Tell me... which do you think it is?" Leon asked.
"The Primordial Skill of Life and Death is a disaster. It might not be the most powerful, but it is the most potent, and only a few can survive its effects. If that were the skill he possessed, the villagers would have known; he would have accidentally killed or resurrected someone. Since none of that happened, it leads me to believe that he is the user of the Theft skill," Connel responded.
"A Theft Skill user? Lace was the user of that power, and I remember rewriting his innate skill. If Lace no longer uses the Primordial Theft Skill, then another could be born. Given the timeframe, the current user would be young—at best, six or seven years old," Leon thought to himself.
"Hey, are you still here?" Connel asked, disrupting Leon's internal monologue.
"Oh, apologies. I was lost in thought. Tell me, do you have any leads?" Leon asked casually.
"Yeah, I do. I believe they are creating a human-monster hybrid by using the Primordial Skill to its full potential. I fear they might create a disaster much greater than the Dragon King or even Lace Freeman. I am on a mission to stop the birth of such a monstrosity," Connel replied.
Leon drifted into his thoughts again. "For the organization to create a perfect monster, they would have to gather all the rarest species of monsters and merge them with the Primordial Skill user, making him a perfect host for infinite skills..."
Suddenly, a realization hit him. He remembered the ambush on the way to the village and the fact that the bandits only wanted his monster. Then, he recalled the Diamond Kingdom's Royal Advisor, Luke Vernis, who also coveted Draken because he believed the creature was a rare species.
"I think I know who is behind the shady organization," Leon said, his face tightening with sudden clarity.
"Wait, you've figured it out already? Who is it!" Connel asked, standing up as if he were ready for war.
"On my way to the village, I was attacked by bandits who wanted nothing but my monster. Bandits are usually after gold or valuables, but it was strange that they only wanted Draken. They were easy to handle, but when I returned, the Advisor to the King also tried to buy my monster. He was ready to pay five hundred gold coins, and the King even mentioned I could request anything for it," Leon explained.
"Wait... don't tell me you believe the King and his Advisor are in charge of the shady organization?" Connel asked in total disbelief.
"I don't know about the King, but I'm certain the Advisor is involved. I believe he is the 'Big Bad Boss' behind it all," Leon replied.
Suddenly, Leon's senses picked up a lethal spike in mana. He moved instantly, casting a reinforced shield dome over the three of them. A split second later, a massive fire blast incinerated the entire landmass around them. The solid rock walls Connel had built were obliterated, leaving only Leon's dome standing amidst the scorched earth. The impact site looked as if a nuke had just detonated.
"Well, well, well... what do we have here?" Luke Vernis said calmly, standing at the edge of the smoking crater. "I have come for my prize."