Jade's arrow had already struck.
For a brief moment, Kelvin remained suspended in the air, his attention still fixed on Jade.
Then—
A thin line of blood appeared across his body.
Kelvin froze.
He slowly lowered his gaze.
Blood.
His blood.
It was the first time Jade had managed to injure him during their entire confrontation.
The realization struck Kelvin harder than the wound itself.
"...What?"
He touched the injured area with trembling fingers.
When he pulled his hand away, crimson blood stained his fingertips.
Kelvin stared at it.
Then slowly turned toward Jade.
The black-haired teenager was already walking away.
His God Body had disappeared.
The crimson flames surrounding his body had vanished.
Even the two shadows that had wrapped around his weapon were gone.
Jade walked as casually as though nothing significant had happened.
As though he hadn't just injured someone who had spent the entire battle humiliating him.
As though Kelvin weren't standing behind him with seven corpses under his control.
Kelvin's expression twitched.
"What the hell just happened?!"
He finally understood.
The attack hadn't come from Jade directly.
It had come from Ant Demon.
Throughout their confrontation, Jade had maintained a mental connection with his companion. While Kelvin concentrated on Jade, the Awakened Ant Demon had quietly prepared her strike.
Kelvin had been so focused on his opponent that he hadn't noticed the threat approaching from another direction.
And that was his first mistake.
His second mistake had been underestimating the arrow.
Ant Demon was an Awakened creature.
Kelvin, despite his frightening abilities, was still an Initiate.
Under ordinary circumstances, Ant Demon's attack might have been somewhat predictable. She possessed considerable strength, but simply firing an arrow wouldn't necessarily have been enough to penetrate Kelvin's defenses.
Jade had understood that.
He hadn't relied on Ant Demon's strength alone.
He had infused the arrow with his destructive blood flames.
Then he had wrapped two shadows around it.
The flames increased its destructive power, while the shadows compressed around the arrow, sharpening its edge and accelerating its flight.
By the time Kelvin noticed the attack, it was already too late.
The arrow had pierced his defenses before he could react.
Everything had happened in the blink of an eye.
Kelvin's eye twitched violently.
He had been played.
Completely.
And the worst part?
Jade hadn't even stayed to admire his work.
"YOU!"
Kelvin exploded forward.
His figure blurred through the air before landing directly in front of Jade.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
He stretched out one arm, blocking Jade's path.
"You tricked me!"
Jade stopped.
For a moment, he simply stared at Kelvin.
Then he looked at the arm blocking his way.
Finally, he raised his eyes toward Kelvin's face.
"...What?"
"You tricked me!"
Kelvin's voice grew louder.
"You deliberately distracted me!"
Jade tilted his head.
"Did I?"
"Don't pretend you don't know what you did!"
Kelvin's expression had become increasingly ugly.
He had agreed to the deal because he believed the outcome was already decided.
Jade was weaker.
Kelvin possessed seven powerful corpses.
He had a superior physical advantage, a dangerous God Body, and the abilities of a Necromancer.
Under those circumstances, he had believed the agreement was practically a guaranteed victory.
He hadn't expected Jade to exploit the rules so ruthlessly.
He certainly hadn't expected an Awakened creature to be the one to draw his blood.
Jade sighed.
"I didn't trick you."
Kelvin stared at him in disbelief.
Jade continued calmly.
"You agreed to the deal."
"You accepted the conditions."
"And you lost."
He shrugged.
"That's your problem."
Kelvin's mouth opened.
Then closed.
Then opened again.
"You—"
Jade stepped forward.
Kelvin instinctively stood his ground.
But Jade didn't attack.
He simply drove his shoulder into Kelvin's side and shoved him out of the way.
Kelvin stumbled several steps.
His eyes widened.
The audacity!
Jade had just injured him, defeated him according to their agreement, and now he was treating him like an obstacle blocking a corridor.
Kelvin stood frozen as Jade walked past.
He turned his head slowly.
His expression was a mixture of disbelief, fury, and humiliation.
"...I swear..."
His voice trembled.
"I swear I'll—"
Suddenly—
A terrible headache exploded inside his skull.
"AHHH!"
Kelvin clutched his head.
The pain was immediate and overwhelming.
It felt as though something had burrowed into his mind and begun tearing it apart.
His vision fractured.
The world spun.
He tried to remain standing, but his legs refused to cooperate.
"What... is..."
He couldn't finish.
His knees buckled.
THUD!
Kelvin crashed onto the ground.
His consciousness disappeared almost instantly.
At the same moment—
The seven corpses standing behind him began to collapse.
One after another, their enormous bodies struck the stone floor.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Their movements ceased.
The dark essence surrounding them dissipated.
The oppressive atmosphere that had filled the chamber gradually vanished.
Within seconds, the entire battlefield became quiet.
Only Jade's footsteps remained audible.
He didn't even turn around.
He already knew what had happened.
Little Black had attacked Kelvin's mind.
And it had done so without needing to touch him physically.
That was the difference between the two of them.
Kelvin possessed greater physical prowess.
His God Body, swordsmanship, and Necromancer abilities made him a terrifying opponent in direct combat.
But Little Black was an Awakened creature whose greatest strength lay elsewhere.
Its mental prowess.
Against ordinary opponents, the little black cat could rely on its physical form or transform into something far more intimidating.
Against Kelvin, neither was necessary.
A single mental attack had been enough to overwhelm him.
The seven corpses had depended on Kelvin's control.
Once he lost consciousness, that control collapsed.
And so did they.
Jade finally glanced over his shoulder.
Kelvin lay motionless among the fallen corpses.
For a moment, Jade considered returning to check whether he was still alive.
Then he shook his head.
He wasn't interested in killing Kelvin.
Not yet.
There were still too many unanswered questions.
Especially one.
Jadeborn.
The word continued lingering inside his mind.
Kelvin had spoken it with such certainty.
As though it were a fact Jade should already have known.
As though his ignorance were something worthy of ridicule.
Jade frowned.
"Who exactly are you?"
He wasn't sure whether he was asking about Kelvin or himself.
Perhaps both.
After a moment, he continued walking.
He had already wasted enough time in this citadel.
It was time to leave.
---
The mysterious citadel was unusually quiet as Jade approached the exit.
The ancient stone corridors stretched before him, illuminated by faint blue lights embedded within the walls.
Every step carried him farther from the chamber where he had fought Kelvin.
He had entered this place searching for a treasure.
Instead, he had discovered a mysterious altar, an ancient race he had never heard of, and an opponent who seemed to know more about his own identity than he did.
It was almost irritating.
Jade scratched the back of his head.
"I came here to get stronger."
"Why does everything have to become complicated?"
No one answered.
He sighed.
"Of course."
As he reached the entrance, the atmosphere suddenly changed.
A tremendous pressure descended from somewhere deeper inside the citadel.
Jade stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
The Shadow Knight.
He hadn't forgotten that terrifying guardian.
Even after everything that had happened, the creature remained a threat he wasn't prepared to confront directly.
Jade slowly looked toward the darkness beyond the entrance.
For a moment, he considered returning.
He had improved considerably since first encountering the Shadow Knight.
His God Body was stronger.
His combat experience had increased.
He had even managed to injure Kelvin, who had spent most of their battle dominating him.
Perhaps he could fight the Shadow Knight now.
Perhaps he could even win.
But Jade shook his head.
"No."
The word came out quietly.
He wasn't going to let a moment of confidence destroy his judgment.
He still remembered the overwhelming pressure of the Shadow Knight's aura.
He remembered how the creature had bowed its head when Little Black transformed into its Ebony Tiger form and released its terrifying aura.
Even then, the Shadow Knight had only reduced the effect by bowing.
It hadn't fled.
It hadn't panicked.
It had simply endured.
That alone told Jade enough.
The creature possessed instincts and a level of strength that demanded respect.
He wasn't going to challenge it recklessly just because he had become a little stronger.
Jade glanced toward the depths of the citadel one last time.
"I haven't even explored all the rooms here."
His gaze lingered on the ancient structures.
The forgotten chambers.
The mysterious transportation formations.
The relics hidden behind sealed doors.
This place was far more interesting than he had initially expected.
Apart from the Shadow Knight problem...
He actually liked it.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"When I become an Elite..."
"I'll come back."
This time, he wouldn't arrive as an exhausted Initiate with damaged essence pathways.
He would return with enough strength to explore the citadel properly.
And perhaps, by then, the Shadow Knight would finally consider him a worthy opponent.
Jade adjusted the strap of his travel bag.
"Until then..."
"...I'll leave you alone."
He turned away from the entrance and continued toward the wilderness.
The mysterious citadel gradually disappeared behind him.
---
Several hours later...
Jade finally stopped beside a rocky outcrop overlooking the surrounding wilderness.
The sky above the Spiritual Realm was beginning to darken.
He had deliberately traveled far away from the citadel.
Not merely a few kilometers.
Far enough that returning to it would require a considerable journey.
He didn't want to encounter the Shadow Knight again by accident.
More importantly...
He needed to recover.
Jade sat down and summoned his profile.
A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.
He studied it carefully.
His essence reserves were already halfway full.
That was encouraging.
However, the damage to his essence pathways remained a serious problem.
The destructive attack Kelvin had landed earlier had damaged them badly.
Although the leakage had slowed, it hadn't stopped completely.
Jade could feel it.
Whenever he circulated essence, a small portion escaped through the damaged pathways.
The loss wasn't rapid enough to threaten his life immediately.
But it was still dangerous.
If he continued fighting powerful creatures without addressing the damage, his reserves would gradually become harder to maintain.
And if his essence ran out completely...
His Blood Debt flaw could activate.
Jade's expression darkened.
He remembered what corruption felt like.
He remembered losing control.
He remembered nearly killing someone he cared about.
He had no intention of repeating that experience.
"I need a healer."
He paused.
"Preferably one who won't ask too many questions."
The thought made him chuckle.
Finding such a person might be difficult.
Especially when his body contained enough secrets to make even the most experienced Master suspicious.
And he had another advantage.
Ant Demon.
Titan Devourer.
Both were still capable of evolving.
The System had explicitly confirmed it.
If he could gather enough fragments and resources for them, their evolution would increase his overall strength considerably.
Jade opened his profile again.
His gaze settled on the rank displayed before him.
Initiate.
He had spent far too long struggling to survive at the lower levels.
He was tired of being the weakest person in a room.
Tired of discovering that every new enemy was stronger than the last.
Tired of surviving battles by relying on luck, deception, or the intervention of his companions.
He wanted to become stronger.
Not merely strong enough to escape.
Strong enough to fight back.
Strong enough to protect himself.
Strong enough to return to the citadel without having to fear the Shadow Knight.
Jade clenched his fist.
"I'll reach Initiate Mythic."
He said it aloud this time.
A promise.
Not to anyone else.
To himself.
He would leave this region as an Initiate Mythic.
He would fulfill that promise, no matter how long it took.
Only then would he consider his next move.
The Awakened Trial could wait until he was ready.
There was no point challenging it prematurely and risking everything he had gained.
First, he would stabilize his foundation.
Then he would strengthen Ant Demon and Titan Devourer.
After that...
He would prepare for the next stage of his journey.
Jade slowly stood.
The wilderness stretched endlessly before him.
Somewhere beyond those distant mountains lay creatures capable of providing the fragments he needed.
Somewhere beyond them were answers to the questions Kelvin had left behind.
And somewhere, perhaps far beyond his current reach, waited the truth about the Jadeborn.
Jade still didn't know what the word meant.
He didn't know whether he truly belonged to another race.
He didn't know whether his parents had understood something about him when they named him Jade.
Could the name have been a coincidence?
Or had there been a reason?
He couldn't be certain.
But he intended to find out.
Kelvin had called him a Jadeborn as though the answer should have been obvious.
Jade would remember that.
He would remember every word.
And the next time they met...
He would be strong enough to demand the truth.
For now, however, he had more immediate concerns.
His damaged essence pathways.
His incomplete evolution.
His promise to reach Initiate Mythic.
Jade looked toward the distant wilderness and began walking.
He had left Kelvin alive for a reason.
Part of him didn't want to waste a potential future hero.
A person with that much strength and knowledge could become an important ally someday.
But that wasn't the only reason.
Kelvin had answers.
Answers Jade desperately wanted.
Until he understood what being a Jadeborn meant, killing Kelvin would solve nothing.
Besides...
There was something unsettling about the way Kelvin had spoken.
He hadn't sounded surprised that Jade possessed the title.
He had sounded disappointed that Jade didn't understand it.
Jade's eyes narrowed.
"Whatever a Jadeborn is..."
"...I'll find out."
Then he continued into the wilderness.
The mysterious citadel remained behind him, its ancient walls hidden by the gathering darkness.
For now, he would keep his distance.
He would hunt.
He would gather fragments.
He would repair his strength as best he could.
And he would evolve.
By the time he returned to the citadel...
He intended to be a completely different opponent.
The journey ahead would be long.
Dangerous.
Unforgiving.
But Jade had already made his decision.
He would not leave this region until he had achieved the rank he had promised himself.
Initiate Mythic.
And this time...
He would make certain that his strength was no longer something his enemies could dismiss.