The other students were still sitting inside the village hall. They had not yet fully recovered from the events in the cave and from the tension that had arisen since the village chief and William had left to check on Raven outside the village.
But soon, a shadow moved closer from the darkness. Heavy, rhythmic footsteps could be heard from the direction of the village road. The torch in front of the hall swayed in the night breeze, revealing the figure walking with the group.
Raven...
His gaze was cold, his steps calm, as if nothing had changed even though the world around him felt like it was falling apart. Behind him, William and several village guards followed with tense expressions. As Raven stepped closer to the front yard of the village hall, soft voices began to be heard, quiet, almost like the whisper of the wind.
His body was covered in dried bloodstains. Parts of his clothes had hardened, sticking stiffly to his skin. A thick, pungent smell preceded his arrival, stinging sharply as he approached.
Several students reflexively stepped back to make way.
Someone spontaneously covered their nose with their sleeve. Others turned their faces away, fighting nausea.
"That's... Raven."
"He's really still alive..."
"Look at his clothes... is that blood?"
The whispers were nothing more than nervous murmurs seeking confirmation. Dried blood still clung to the hem of Raven's shirt, some on his arms, some on the edge of his pale face illuminated by the torchlight. Some stared at Raven with a mixture of fear and disbelief, as if finding it hard to accept that the person standing before them was the same friend they had known just a few days ago.
Riana followed behind him, accompanied by the village chief, who looked serious. The old man spoke in a deep, firm voice.
Riana bowed her head, listening intently, then turned to face the others.
"The village chief said... for now, this place is safe," she said softly.
"He also expressed his condolences for those of us who lost our friends... and his deep gratitude to... Raven."
All eyes turned back to her.
"Thank you?" whispered someone, almost in disbelief.
"What are they thanking him for?"
"Just look at his body... all that blood..."
"Maybe it's the blood of the people in the cave."
"What did he actually do?"
"Did he kill them?"
"Slow down, if he hears how..."
The whispers collided with each other, soft but enough to spread unease..
But the man said nothing and just stared straight ahead, as if they were just shadows passing through his eyes.
Riana continued, "The village head also asked us all to rest tonight. Tomorrow morning, he said, he will explain something."
After that, the village chief and several village guards gave a brief salute before leaving them. The sound of their footsteps slowly faded away amid the sound of crickets and the rustling of the night wind.
Silence fell again, all eyes still fixed on Raven.
The silence felt suffocating, a mixture of fear, confusion, and disbelief that weighed heavily on the air around them.
Finally, Raven broke the silence.
"If there's nothing else," he said flatly, "I want to rest."
He turned slowly, about to step out of the village hall, but no one responded. Not Karin, not Kyle, not Lisa, not even Hana. Kevin, who was standing near the door, could only stare without daring to speak. Everyone was silent, as if afraid that their words would trigger something they didn't understand.
Suddenly, a voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Hey, Raven!"
A female student's voice rang out, full of emotion. All heads turned reflexively.
"Uh... Elena, don't—" someone whispered in panic.
"Elena, come on..." said another, trying to calm her down. "Don't make the situation worse."
"She was closest to Nayla," whispered someone in the back row. "It's natural that she can't accept it yet."
"Elena, think about it first," added another, almost pleading. "Now is not the time."
But Elena continued to step forward.
Her face was tense, her eyes red with unresolved emotion. Her clothes were wrinkled and dirty, but her posture was upright, as if she were holding back a burden she had been carrying for too long.
"Nayla is dead," she said with a trembling voice, staring straight at Raven.
"And you... how can you remain so calm?"
Several hands tried to hold her back. She pushed them away without turning her head.
"Tell me the truth... who are you?" she asked sharply, demanding an answer.
The atmosphere froze. No one dared to interrupt.
Raven stared at her coldly.
"How could you kill those bandits so easily?" Elena continued, her voice rising almost to a shout.
"How could you be that strong?"
Several other students stared at Raven with question marks in their eyes. They were afraid, but also curious. They could no longer see him as just a classmate.
Elena began to grit her teeth, her hands clenched at her sides. Her voice trembled as she continued.
"If only... if only you had acted from the beginning..." Her voice broke, tears slowly falling from her eyes.
"...maybe Nayla... Nayla wouldn't have died..."
Her body trembled, her tears finally breaking free. The atmosphere in the village hall suddenly fell silent. Everyone bowed their heads, holding back their own emotions.
Meanwhile, Raven stood motionless, expressionless. Only his gaze grew darker, unreadable.
Seeing that a commotion was about to break out, Adriana and William immediately moved. They tried to calm the situation before it got completely out of control.
"Elena, please... stop. I know you're hurt, but anger won't change anything," Riana said softly, her hand outstretched, trying to calm her student.
"Yes, that's right," William replied firmly.
"Fighting won't solve anything. We all have to be calm—"
"Stop, fighting, you say?" Elena turned quickly, her eyes wide. Tears continued to flow down her desperate face.
"Who do you expect to be calm here, huh?"
Riana fell silent, while William took a deep breath to answer. But Elena didn't give him the chance.
"Nonsense! You don't understand... you don't know what it's like to lose someone close to you!" Her voice broke, full of anger and hurt. She turned to William with a sharp gaze.
"What right do you have to tell me to be quiet? You weren't even in the cave at the time! You didn't see what we went through!"
Her words were like a whip that silenced William. Riana also stopped, unable to speak.
Elena looked down for a moment, her shoulders shaking, then looked back at Raven with red, tear-filled eyes. "All I need is one thing... an explanation from Raven. How could he be that strong? How could he kill those people so easily? And why... didn't he act sooner?"
The atmosphere became increasingly tense. The other students, who had previously been sitting weakly, began to gather around them. Their eyes were filled with anxiety, curiosity, and fear as they stared at Raven. Even his closest friends, Hana, Kyle, Lisa, and Karin, fell silent, waiting for an answer.
Everyone waited.
Raven stood tall in the middle of the circle, his face expressionless. His silence only intensified the pressure, as if the entire room was holding its breath, waiting for him to say something.
The stares of the people around her made Raven take a deep breath. Those stares were familiar, just like how people used to stare at her with fear and anxiety when she was known as the Heavenly Demon. A chill ran down her spine.
"Again. The stares that always followed me in the past," she thought vaguely.
He looked at Elena with an emotionless face. His voice was flat, cold. "I have no obligation to explain."
"Are you kidding?" Elena was shocked, her voice almost breaking.
"You... what do you think our friends' lives have been worth all this time? They died because of you, Raven!"
Raven stepped closer slowly, but every word he spoke made the air around him tense.
"My fault?" he replied briefly.
"I did what I had to do. I killed them before they killed us." His eyes were sharp, without pity.
"Since we entered this world, each of our lives has been our own responsibility. Since when did that become my responsibility?"
Those words hit like a punch. Elena took a step back, her breath catching. The pressure from Raven's words and gaze made her waver, the tension on her face turning into real fear.
The crowd fell silent. No one dared to add anything, not because they didn't want to, but because they feared the consequences. They all understood, at least in their hearts, that challenging Raven now would only invite danger. The atmosphere changed from demanding to anxiously silent.
Riana and William exchanged glances, holding back their emotions, while Raven's other friends looked down, choosing to remain silent. Only one thing was clear that night: something had changed between Raven and them, and the gap felt cold and deep.
"Raven, they are your friends. Please, don't be like that and try to listen—" said Riana.
Before she could finish her sentence, Raven's gaze pierced straight through her. Those black eyes were sharp, stabbing like a dagger. Adriana's knees immediately went weak. Her body fell to her knees, unable to hold herself up. It was as if an invisible aura was pressing down on her.
"I'm not done talking," Raven said softly.
"So don't interfere."
William immediately stepped forward, spontaneously placing himself between Raven and Riana. His body was tense, as if to say, enough.
"What's wrong with this kid? There's something coming from him... a bad feeling, a dangerous aura", William thought. Cold sweat dampened his temples.
The students who were watching fell silent. Some unconsciously backed away, even Raven's own friends. The cold night air seemed to pierce even more, adding to the heavy atmosphere.
Raven turned to William. A faint smile crossed his face. "You... are quite something."
Then he shifted his gaze to all the students, looking at them one by one. "All right, I'll say it again. From the moment we set foot in this world, your lives are entirely your own responsibility."
Some students swallowed hard, some clenched their fists, and others trembled unconsciously.
"There are no rules or modern laws in this world, because there is only one rule the weak will die. So get rid of any thoughts of going home, throw away your old ways of life, and learn to survive. In Murim, strength is everything. If you are not ready to kill... then be prepared to be killed."
Those words were not just empty threats or advice. They were the bitter truth forced upon them that the world they now stood in was no longer their original world.
Raven took a short breath. "I think that's enough."
He turned slightly, as if the conversation was over.
"I hope that when we meet again... you'll all still be alive."
"Huh... What do you mean, Raven?" Theo exclaimed in panic.
"It's obvious," replied Raven without turning around.
"I'm leaving this place. We're going our separate ways."
"Why are you suddenly like this, Raven?" asked William, his voice more controlled, but clearly holding back his anxiety.
"It's better to be together, isn't it?"
Theo quickly continued. "That was our goal from the beginning!"
Raven laughed softly. His laugh was cold, without a hint of warmth.
"Goal?"
"Huh... thinking about grouping with hypocritical and naive people like you will only hinder me."
He paused for a moment, then added flatly, "And so far, staying in the group has not given me any clear benefits."
Those words hit them harder than they realized. Some students tensed up, others looked down, unable to respond. No one dared to interrupt.
"But—" Theo tried to speak again.
"Don't waste my time," Raven cut him off curtly.
Silence fell. Only the heavy breathing of a few people could be heard. And in the middle of the village hall, the distance between Raven and the others felt even greater, colder than the night air.
Raven turned slowly. His footsteps echoed clearly on the hard ground of the quiet village. Every movement seemed to increase the distance between him and the others.
"Raven, wait!" Kyle shouted, his voice hoarse with anxiety. He wanted to go forward, but William held his arm back.
"Let him go," William said softly.
"We can't force him."
Kyle looked at William in disbelief, but the guiding look in his eyes made him fall silent.
Adriana was still lying on the ground, her face pale, her eyes trembling as she watched Raven's back recede into the distance. The tears she had been holding back finally fell, uncontrollably.
"Why... why does it have to be like this..." she whispered.
Elena, who had previously been opposed, was now silent. Her anger had faded, replaced by fear and bitterness. She was silent, her face gloomy and lost, trying to hold back the tears she didn't want to show in front of the others.
Several students whispered frantically to each other, as if they had lost their footing.
"If Raven leaves... who will protect us?" whispered a student with a pale face. The others just looked down. No one dared to answer.
On the other side, Erik and Leon stood watching the situation. Their faces were equally tense, but unlike the others, they chose to remain silent and observe.
"Hey, Erik," Leon whispered softly,
"do you think... Raven really has the power you said she had in the cave?"
Erik turned his head briefly, looking uncertain. "Huh? I'm not sure... but I don't think so."
"What do you mean?" Leon furrowed his brow.
"Didn't you say that when we're stranded in another world, there's usually someone who's given special powers?"
"Yes, that's right." Erik sighed, then stared at the ground as if searching for words.
"But when I saw Raven in the cave... he still felt like the usual Raven. Nothing had changed. But after he came back from outside the cave when everyone was worriedly looking for him for some reason... I felt that he was different and no longer the same Raven."
"Different?" Leon looked at him questioningly.
Erik nodded slowly, his hand rubbing his chin, trying to remember. "It's hard to explain... but his personality felt different. The way he spoke, his gaze, even the way he looked at us... it was just different from the usual Raven."
Leon fell silent, his eyes fixed on the spot where Raven had been standing. In his head, Raven's words echoed again about each person being responsible for their own life. His heart fluttered uncomfortably.
"Different, huh..." Leon muttered softly. His gaze sharpened.
That question haunted his thoughts. The stories from his friends about how Raven had slaughtered bandits in the cave only added to his doubts and curiosity.