The road beyond Poverty Town stretched like a scar carved through dying earth.

  Nothing grew here.

  Nothing thrived.

  Only cracked dirt and bent, rusted fence posts.

  Tii walked in silence, Nyx drifting through his shadow with predatory calm.

  The screams of the villagers still echoed faintly behind them — praising the church, cursing Tii, damning him for saving their children.

  Tii kicked a stone and muttered,

  “…This world is stupid.”

  Nyx rumbled.

  “This world is broken.”

  By late afternoon, the dirt path faded into tall grass and wheat fields — a shift from dead land into something that at least resembled life.

  That’s when Tii smelled it.

  Iron.

  Rot.

  Blood.

  Nyx surfaced halfway from the shadow, hackles standing high, teeth bared.

  “Something is close… more than one. Strong. And one of them… is wrong.”

  Tii followed the scent and found a wagon overturned in a ditch, wheels snapped, the wood cracked like bones. Blood drenched the grass.

  Families lay scattered across the ground — farmers, workers, even two pets — all slaughtered. Chests caved in. Throats torn. Limbs missing.

  Tii crouched beside a fallen farmer, jaw tight.

  “…Why?”

  Nyx sniffed.

  “Raiders. Orcs. And something darker leading them.”

  That was when the arrow came.

  THE AMBUSH

  A glint of metal —

  Tii leaned left on instinct.

  thwip—

  An arrow sliced the air where his head had been.

  Nyx vanished instantly into the nearest shadow.

  A heartbeat later—

  CRASH!

  A screaming body flew from a treetop, hurled by Nyx, tumbling at Tii’s feet.

  An orcish archer, armor dented, bleeding from a massive claw slash across his chest.

  He groaned once—

  Tii didn’t hesitate.

  He stepped down on the orc’s throat until the cartilage gave way.

  CRUNCH.

  Silence.

  Tii whispered, “One.”

  Laughter echoed from the trees above.

  A human archer, face twisted and fanatical, twirled a knife.

  “We found the beast-child the church wants dead! The Mu brat!”

  He hurled the knife.

  Tii caught it mid-air, flicked his wrist, and sent it back.

  thud — right into the man’s sternum.

  The archer screamed, grabbed the knife—

  Tii stepped in and stomped his skull like rotten fruit.

  SPLSHK.

  “Two.”

  Nyx emerged again, growling deep.

  “They are many. And their leader…”

  He paused, growl turning uneasy.

  “A demon. Battle form.”

  Tii looked up.

  Six orcs.

  One remaining human archer.

  And one towering demon — horns curled forward, skin obsidian black, ribcage exposed like bone armor, long fingers ending in talons.

  He smiled at Tii.

  “You’re the Mu child,” the demon rasped. “Worth a fortune. Worth prestige. Worth favor with the High Church.”

  Tii sighed.

  "I've been on the surface for like three days. Can you people NOT?"

  The demon clicked his claws.

  “Kill the boy. Keep the body intact.”

  The orcs roared and charged.

  Nyx split into shadow and firelight, teleporting between darkness as the orcs swung.

  Tii swung Falcon Staff — which immediately shifted shape into a simple woodcutting axe.

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  He smirked.

  “Let’s chop some trees.”

  ORC #1

  A massive axe swung at his head.

  Tii ducked, stepped in, and chopped the orc’s forearm off mid-swing.

  The orc howled, stumbling—

  Tii pivoted, brought the axe back in a brutal rising cut, and shattered the orc’s knee, splitting bone from flesh.

  He collapsed screaming.

  ORC #2

  Charged with a hammer.

  Tii kicked the wounded orc into him—

  They tangled—

  The hammer missed.

  Tii lunged and split #2’s face open with one clean diagonal cut.

  The orc fell backward, skull peeled apart like fruit.

  ORC #3

  Leapt over the fallen bodies, swinging a spiked mace.

  Tii didn’t move.

  He waited—

  Watched—

  Stepped aside by half an inch—

  And hurled the axe.

  CRACK.

  It buried in the orc’s face.

  He toppled like a dropped statue.

  Tii walked over and yanked the axe out with a wet pop.

  Nyx, meanwhile, was ripping throats and crushing skulls on his own. Two orcs lay headless. One had a hole punched straight through his torso.

  Together, they faced the demon.

  The demon smiled wider.

  “You two are impressive… It makes this next part more satisfying.”

  His shadow twisted.

  Bodies rose.

  Tii froze.

  “…Those are Beastmen.”

  Twelve corpses — single-bred Beastmen, long-dead, preserved by dark magic — lurched upright with jerking, unnatural motions.

  Hyena, bear, bird, serpent, lion, boar…

  All hybrids or old pure-bloods.

  All filled with hatred.

  They charged.

  THE NECROMANCER’S HORDE

  This was no simple fight.

  Every Beastman corpse was stronger than an orc, faster than a trained soldier. Even dead, their instincts were sharp.

  Tii fought barehanded.

  He refused weapons when taming beasts — and this felt similar enough.

  But these weren’t beasts.

  These were corpses pushed beyond natural limits.

  A hyena corpse slashed across his chest — deep.

  A serpent corpse bit into his thigh — venom burned through his muscle.

  A boar charged and broke two of his ribs.

  Nyx was thrown, slammed, ripped, nearly impaled.

  His shadows flickered dangerously — he was losing stamina.

  They must have fought for ten minutes.

  Or an hour.

  Or a lifetime.

  Finally, ten bodies lay crushed, broken, torn apart — but they always tried to rise again, twitching with that disgusting necrotic pull.

  Nyx limped to Tii’s side.

  Tii spit blood.

  “Okay… so killing the bodies is pointless.”

  Nyx growled weakly.

  “We kill the necromancer.”

  Tii nodded.

  Eyes burning with exhaustion, blood covering his arms and chest.

  “…How though?”

  Nyx’s eyes flashed.

  “Follow my lead.”

  They pretended to lose.

  Slowed their movements.

  Hesitated.

  Let blows land.

  Let themselves fall, bleed, crawl.

  The demon laughed, delighted.

  “Ahhh… there it is. The despair.”

  He stepped closer.

  Four meters from Tii.

  Nyx whispered—

  “Now.”

  Tii leapt onto Nyx’s paw.

  Nyx threw him.

  Tii shot into the air, flipping, spinning, gathering wind and pressure, drawing storms into his palms.

  Below, Nyx teleported 48 meters away—

  Then instantly teleported back.

  He emerged behind the demon, jaws locking on one leg, claws digging into the other.

  He dragged the demon’s legs halfway into the shadow beneath him — trapping him, immobilizing him.

  The demon screamed.

  Tii plummeted like a comet from the heavens.

  Falcon Staff extended into an enormous executioner’s axe.

  Wind wrapped around him like a drill.

  Essence crackled through the clouds.

  Tii flipped twice — and roared:

  “BEAST STYLE — WIND STYLE — ROLLING THUNDER… CRACK!!”

  The axe struck the demon’s skull.

  Wind detonated inside the demon’s body — compressing and expanding in a violent explosion.

  The demon’s upper half erupted, shredded into mist, gore, and shattered bone.

  The necromancy broke instantly.

  The twelve corpses fell lifeless.

  Silence.

  Tii staggered. “Well… that wasn’t very har—”

  He collapsed.

  Blood pooling beneath him.

  The world faded.

  Nyx dragged him into the Bond Realm to heal.

  Tii floated in darkness.

  Warm. Quiet. Peaceful.

  His wounds closed like reverse blossoms, ribs stitching, venom dissolving, torn muscles reweaving through gentle currents of spiritual essence. This was the Bond Realm — where Nyx’s shadow-energy mixed with Tii’s wind essence, creating a cocoon-like recovery chamber.

  A low rumble echoed in the void.

  Nyx’s voice.

  “You nearly died… again.”

  Tii blinked awake, sitting up groggily.

  “…Yeah. But like… nine times is normal, right?”

  “No.”

  “…Ten?”

  Nyx stared.

  Tii shrugged.

  “I’ll try for eight next time.”

  The big tiger exhaled slowly, clearly reconsidering every life choice that led him here.

  Tii awoke beneath a tree at sunset, wrapped in Nyx’s shadow for warmth.

  The road stretched ahead, lined with wheat fields swaying in the wind.

  He stood, dusted off blood, dirt, and more blood.

  “Right. Next town. Hopefully less murder.”

  Nyx tilted his head.

  “Tii… this is the Human Kingdom.”

  “Right. So… medium murder.”

  As they approached, the smell of bread and livestock replaced the iron scent of carnage.

  This town was peaceful.

  A miracle.

  Children laughed while chasing chickens, farmers hammered broken wheels, women hung laundry, smoke rose from chimneys — quiet, simple life.

  Tii blinked, impressed.

  “…It’s so clean.”

  A farmer overheard him. “Well, course it is. Why wouldn’t it be?”

  Tii thought of Poverty Town.

  He thought of the bodies.

  “…No reason.”

  They entered the marketplace.

  Tii was instantly overwhelmed.

  Colors. Food. Smells.

  Music. Coins. Haggling. Laughter.

  So much noise.

  “Nyx… what’s happening?”

  “Commerce.”

  “Why are people… exchanging metal for food?”

  “That’s money.”

  “…This world is stupid.”

  A woman selling apples giggled.

  “You’re not from around here, are you, sweetheart?”

  Nyx muttered, “Do not adopt him.”

  THE WAGON CRISIS

  Tii hadn’t gone twenty steps before someone shouted:

  “HELP! PLEASE! Raiders—RAIDERS ARE COMING BACK!”

  Heads snapped toward a frantic young man sprinting through town, sweat soaking his shirt.

  “They killed my family—they’re coming for the rest of us—they’ll be here in minutes!”

  Tii froze.

  “…Orcs again?”

  The man nodded, panting.

  “Twelve of them. I saw their camp just past the wheat field. They’ll slaughter us…”

  People panicked.

  Mothers grabbed children.

  Farmers armed themselves with pitchforks.

  Others prayed.

  Tii stepped forward.

  “…Where exactly?”

  The man pointed to the far wheat boundary.

  Tii exhaled.

  “Nyx.”

  Nyx lowered himself so Tii could hop onto his back.

  “No survivors?”

  Tii’s voice went flat.

  “…No survivors.”

  In Mu culture, attacking civilians meant you forfeited the right to breathe.

  The sun dipped low, turning the wheat gold.

  Wind rustled through it in steady waves.

  Tii moved through it silently.

  Nyx’s shadow merged with the stalks.

  The orcs lounged in a circle — laughing, sharpening blades, roasting meat.

  They never heard him approach.

  Kill #1 – Wheat Guillotine

  Tii dashed past one orc — a whisper of wind.

  The orc’s head fell off three seconds later.

  Kill #2 & #3 – Shadow Drag

  Nyx pulled two orcs into the soil — their screams cut short.

  Kill #4 – Spinebreaker

  Tii dropped from a tree, heel-first onto an orc’s spine.

  It snapped like dry wood.

  Kill #5 – Hooked Silence

  Falcon Staff shifted to hooked kama.

  Tii slit a throat and dragged the body into the wheat so quietly the others didn’t turn.

  Kill #6 – Air Corkscrew

  An orc spotted him—

  Tii spun, wind spiraling around his leg, and kicked.

  The orc’s torso twisted 340°.

  His legs stayed still.

  Kill #7 – Four-Strike Cut

  Tii sliced vertically—then horizontally—then diagonally twice.

  An “X” of blood mist.

  Kill #8 – Pounce

  Nyx leapt, jaws crushing half an orc’s chest cavity.

  Kill #9 – Falcon Break

  Falcon Staff became a sledgehammer.

  One swing.

  The orc turned into paste.

  Kill #10 – Joint Reversal

  Tii caught a punch—

  Twisted—

  Elbow shattered—

  Neck snapped.

  Kill #11 – Silent Arrow

  Nyx spat a shadow spike straight through an orc’s eye.

  Kill #12 – The Final Message

  The last orc ran.

  “MONSTER! MONSTER!”

  Tii appeared in front of him, expression blank.

  “…Yes.”

  Falcon Staff became a spear.

  He thrust once.

  The orc fell.

  Silence returned to the wheat.

  When Tii returned, he was drenched in blood from boots to shoulders.

  Nyx was soaked as well.

  The villagers stared, horrified.

  Tii lifted a hand awkwardly.

  “…Raiders are gone.”

  Nobody moved.

  Children hid.

  Women gasped.

  Men’s hands shook on pitchforks.

  A single old man approached Tii.

  “Son… th-that is the work of a demon.”

  Tii tilted his head.

  “…No. I’m Beastmen.”

  They only looked more scared.

  He whispered to Nyx,

  “…Why are they scared? I helped.”

  Nyx answered, gentle.

  “They are not Mu. They only see the blood.”

  That stung.

  More than Tii expected.

  But then—

  A little girl stepped from behind her mother’s legs.

  She stared at Tii.

  Then held out a flower.

  He blinked, confused.

  “…Is this a weapon?”

  She giggled.

  “No, silly! It’s thank you.”

  Tii took it carefully with both hands.

  “…I like this town.”