Kazuki stood in the middle of the training grounds, his gaze vacant, cold, and detached. The sun had barely risen, yet magical energy was already swirling around him like a violent storm. His mind, now unchained from the memory suppression curse, recalled every theory, every spell, and every absurd idea he had created in his previous life—his one escape, his sanctuary.

  He extended his hand and whispered.

  “Teleport.”

  In an instant, he vanished and reappeared at the opposite end of the field.

  “Transmission.”

  His body flickered from one side to another, bouncing between remembered locations like a ghost caught in a loop. Then he raised a single hand to the sky.

  “Dimensional Forecast.”

  A dome-shaped barrier engulfed the area. It glowed faintly, humming with power. “A trap spell,” Kazuki muttered. “Undetectable… reflective… and irreversible.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Status screens began popping up in rapid succession.

  > [Skill Acquired: Teleportation]

  [Skill Acquired: Transmission]

  [Skill Acquired: Dimensional Forecast]

  [INT stat increased from 90 → 150]

  [All other stats increased above 700]

  [Title Gained: Intellectual Mastery]

  [Swift Swing upgraded to: Silent Death]

  He looked at the glowing screens with the same blank expression as always. His eyes scanned his new stats, but no excitement followed.

  Then, he vanished again, leaving behind a crater of magical residue and cracked ground.

  Moments later, Garron arrived at the training grounds, jaw slack, staring at the battlefield of chaos—ripped soil, flickering mana residue, and the faint shimmer of spells recently cast.

  “Kazuki? What… What happened here?”

  Kazuki appeared behind him silently, making Garron flinch. With a gesture, the earth trembled, and everything returned to its original state.

  “Why are you here?” Kazuki asked flatly.

  Garron composed himself. “A quest came in… urgent. There's been signs of an onslaught near the Duke’s territory. The guild wants us to investigate and exterminate any hostile monsters near the border.”

  Kazuki nodded once, without a word.

  Scene Shift — Duke’s Territory

  The battlefield was a mess.

  Drake gritted his teeth, his blade shaking against the weight of the higher orc’s club. Knights around him had fallen, wounded or worse, and only two remained standing. The orc towered over them, roaring, ready to swing its weapon down and finish the boy off.

  But then—

  Slice.

  The orc’s body fell in two, its upper half toppling off with clean precision.

  Drake blinked.

  Kazuki stood where the orc had been, his dagger already back in its sheath. His cloak fluttered in the wind, and his aura pulsed like a void of emotionless power.

  Drake stared, wide-eyed. “...Kazuki?”

  Kazuki didn't respond. He simply turned his cold eyes toward the rest of the monsters emerging from the forest.

  “Extermination... begins.”