The notice board hadn't changed.
That alone made it strange.
In Blackwood Town, jobs vanished quickly. Either someone took them, or someone died trying. Empty spaces appeared overnight.
But this one remained.
Lin Chen stood before it in the early morning, eyes calm as he read the faded parchment nailed at the center.
Wanted:Entry into the Fallen Stone RuinsReward: Three Spirit StonesNo guarantee of returnNo escortNo questions
Three spirit stones.
The amount was laughable to sect disciples—and a fortune in Blackwood Town.
People passed by without stopping. Some glanced at the notice and immediately looked away. Others scoffed, muttering under their breath.
"Still there, huh?"
Lin Chen turned.
An old man sat nearby, repairing nets with slow, careful hands. His back was bent, his eyes cloudy—but not dull.
"No one takes it," the old man continued. "Smart ones don't."
"Why?" Lin Chen asked.
The old man chuckled dryly. "Because the Fallen Stone Ruins don't kill you quickly."
Lin Chen studied the notice again.
No name. No seal. No deadline.
"Who posted it?" Lin Chen asked.
The old man shrugged. "Does it matter?"
It did.
Jobs in Blackwood Town always mattered.
"What's in the ruins?" Lin Chen pressed.
The old man tied a knot and finally looked up. "Things that don't fit into realms."
Lin Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Like me," he thought.
"You planning to take it?" the old man asked.
"Maybe."
The old man laughed softly. "Then don't tell anyone."
Lin Chen turned away from the board.
He did not tear the notice down.
That would attract attention.
Instead, he memorized every detail—the handwriting, the age of the paper, the way the nail had been driven in. Deliberate. Confident.
Someone wanted people to see it.
But not too many.
Back in his room, Lin Chen sat cross-legged on the bed. He closed his eyes and turned inward.
The cold energy reacted immediately to the thought of the ruins—tightening, stirring, pressing against his flesh as if responding to a distant call.
"So that's it," Lin Chen murmured.
"It recognizes the place," the voice said slowly."Or something within it."
Lin Chen exhaled.
"Will it kill me?"
A pause.
"Possibly."
"Will it make me stronger?"
A longer pause.
"…Yes."
Lin Chen opened his eyes.
Outside, Blackwood Town was waking up. Merchants shouted. Blades were sharpened. Deals were made that would end lives by nightfall.
Lin Chen stood.
Then sat again.
He waited.
Because the most dangerous notices were never taken immediately.
They were takenwhen no one was watching.