Test

Alterwood Village Market – Dusk

By the time their steps touched the smooth stone road at the entrance of Alterwood, the sun had already set beyond the western horizon, leaving the sky painted in a fading golden-orange glow.

Amidst the bustle of the market, Shu sat on the edge of the street lined with shops and wandering merchants. His expression was thoughtful, still trying to make sense of the unexpected encounter he had just experienced.

“What’s with him anyway… ‘I don’t need something like friends,’ he said,” Shu muttered, kicking a small pebble that rolled across the path.

Suddenly, a small yelp echoed nearby. “Ouch!”

Shu jerked his head up and saw someone who had been struck by the stone. His face immediately twisted in guilt. “Ah—s-sorry! I didn’t mean to!” he cried in panic.

The person—a thin young man wearing a worn cloth cap—just shook his head while rubbing his arm. “Just be careful next time,” he replied kindly.

Shu bowed deeply. “Yeah… I’m sorry.”

A short-haired young woman approached, carrying a basket filled with herbs and combat supplies. Her smile was warm, but her eyes were sharp and observant. “My name is Merry. I noticed you sitting here all by yourself. Is something troubling you?”

Shu lifted his head, surprised by the straightforward question. “Ah… well, yeah. I met someone earlier. He was… really cold.”

“Oh? What kind of person?”

“A swordsman. Silver hair. Wears black clothes and brown armor.”

“…Sean, huh?” Merry murmured.

Shu blinked, staring at her. “You know him?”

Merry nodded. “Of course. Two years ago, he was part of the Monster Contamination Repellent Unit stationed here.”

Shu hesitated. “But… he’s the only one in the village now.”

Merry sighed, her expression hardening. “That’s right. He’s the only one left.”

“What about the others?”

“They all fell. In battle after battle against contaminated monsters, one by one they were killed. Only Sean survived.”

Shu swallowed hard. “…I see.”

“There’s something else you might want to know…” Merry leaned a little closer, her lips curling into a sly smile. “But information like this doesn’t come free.”

Shu let out a long sigh. “Fine… Ten red potions and ten blue ones.”

Merry chuckled softly. “A pleasure doing business with you~”

Cafe Ivy – Night

Thin steam rose from the cup of hot chocolate in Sean’s hands. He sat silently in the corner of Café Ivy, his eyes staring blankly out the window. Outside, the village was shrouded in mist, as if the fog itself wanted to conceal the world from the past that haunted him.

The café door creaked softly. Shu entered with his usual cheerful grin and, without asking, plopped himself into the seat across from Sean.
“Finally found you,” he said casually, settling in. “So, you like chocolate too, huh, Sean?”

Sean didn’t answer. He only lifted his head, his sharp eyes locking on Shu—eyes that carried something heavy. Memories. Anger. Perhaps guilt.

The air between them tightened. It was as though Shu’s next question had been waiting there all along.

“What do you mean by that, Shu?” Sean’s voice was calm… but laced with warning.

Shu chuckled nervously. “N-no, I wasn’t being serious… Just curious, you know. About you. About M.C.R.U.”

For a fleeting moment, the light in Sean’s eyes dimmed. He inhaled deeply and slowly placed his cup on the table.
“Monster Contamination Repellent Unit…” he murmured, his voice low, as if repeating a name from another lifetime. “That’s an old name. Far too old.”

Shu leaned forward, eyes widening. “So it’s true? You really were a member of that elite unit?”

Sean closed his eyes for a moment. Bloodstained memories rose up—faces of comrades long gone, their final screams echoing endlessly inside his head.
“Yes… I was an exterminator,” he admitted softly. “But now, I’m nothing more than an ordinary man. A shadow of the past.”

Shu fell silent. He didn’t want to pry further, but his curiosity burned too strong to hide.
“Then… why did you quit? The contamination is still spreading, people still need—”

“I don’t need your sympathy, Shu,” Sean cut him off sharply. His gaze was ice. “And I have no intention of being a hero. I’ve already lost more than enough.”

Silence fell between them. The only sound was the faint clink of Shu’s spoon against his cup.

“…Sorry,” Shu said at last. “I just wanted to know… who you really are.”

Sean tilted his head back for a moment, staring at the ceiling, before rising from his seat.
“The truth is… I don’t even know who I am anymore.”

He walked out of the café, leaving Shu alone at the table. Only the cup of hot chocolate remained, still releasing its sweet aroma… into a night that suddenly felt unbearably cold.

– Cafe Ivy, Misty Morning –

The morning sunlight slowly pierced through the misted windowpanes, painting the room in a gentle shade of gold. The aroma of hot chocolate lingered in the air, blending with the faint scent of firewood still smoldering in the hearth at the corner. Outside, the soft murmur of the river drifted in, washing over the tension that had long been lodged inside Sean’s chest.

He lifted his cup of hot chocolate, took a slow sip, and let his eyes close for a brief moment.
But that peace didn’t last.

“Hey! Hey! Are you even listening to me?!”

A hand waved insistently in front of his face. It belonged to Shu—the reckless young man who had been appearing in his life far too often lately, like an untimely shadow that refused to leave.

Sean lowered his cup, exhaling quietly.
“…What?” he muttered, his voice flat.

“I want to be an exterminator!” Shu suddenly declared. His eyes sparkled, burning with raw but unrefined determination. “I want to fight the contamination!”

Sean’s gaze locked on him, his brow lifting slightly.
“An exterminator…?” he murmured.
“Yeah! Like you! Cool, right?”

Sean set his cup back on the table with deliberate quietness, leaning back into his chair. His eyes never left Shu, who was grinning as if what he’d just said wasn’t a sentence that could cost him his life.

Sean rubbed his temple, then turned his gaze to the window. A thin veil of fog was beginning to roll in, wrapping the village of Alterwood in pale gray.

They all said the same thing.
They wanted to become exterminators.
They wanted to protect.
They wanted to be strong.

But none of them ever knew what it meant… to pick up the shattered body of a comrade crushed beneath a monster’s heel.

Sean closed his eyes briefly.
The central exterminator organization? They never even bothered to send a single squad to a remote place like this. To them, Alterwood was nothing more than a dot on the map, something expendable. That was why so many local fighters had lost their faith. Himself included.

“Hhh…”
A heavy sigh slipped from Sean’s lips. His eyes returned to Shu, now cold and unwavering, cutting through the boy’s careless enthusiasm.

“…Very well,” Sean said quietly. “But I’ll put you to the test.”

Shu stiffened, then quickly nodded. “Alright! When? Now?”

That quick reply caught Sean off guard for a second. His eyebrow twitched.
This kid… doesn’t think things through.
But maybe that’s what makes him different.

“…As I thought. Acts first, thinks later,” Sean muttered inwardly.

But another question surfaced within him.
Will I drag him into this world too?
Maybe I will. Maybe I won’t.

Yet he knew—if Shu failed this test, he would either give up… or die.

“Then come with me,” Sean said flatly.

He rose, pulling on his long black coat, and placed a few silver coins on the creaking wooden table.

The small bell above the door chimed softly as Sean stepped outside. The fog had thickened, swallowing the street in its pale shroud. Shu followed quickly behind, eyes shining with the excitement of a child setting out on his very first adventure.

But Shu didn’t know…
that the fog today carried more than just a test.

– The Ruins of the Crystal Sanctuary –

The remnants of the gods’ war lay scattered across the continent, silent witnesses to a past glory and the destruction that followed. Each ruin held secrets and treasures from civilizations long gone. Yet exploring them was never easy—monsters had long since claimed these places as their lairs.

One of the most infamous among them was the Crystal Sanctuary Ruins. As its name suggested, it had once been a crystal mine brimming with mana. Now lying close to the borderlands, it attracted the eyes of adventurers and explorers alike. But because it was infested with countless monsters, only the strong and the bold dared set foot inside. Not far from Alterwood, the Crystal Sanctuary stood as a fading monument to a greatness that existed only in memory.

A thin mist curled around the wild trees that grew unchecked at its edge. Shards of violet-blue crystal still caught the morning sunlight, scattering it in broken fragments of beauty—a fragile illusion that masked the danger within.

Sean stopped in front of the half-collapsed gate. The earth around it was cracked, strewn with rubble and broken pillars. He glanced toward Shu, who tried to hide his nerves behind a stiff smile but couldn’t quite swallow the lump in his throat.

“…We’re here,” Sean said softly, his tone sharp as steel. His eyes bored into Shu’s.

The wind rustled through the leaves, followed by a silence heavy enough to crush the chest.
Shu forced out a shaky laugh. “So… this is my trial, huh?”

Sean didn’t answer. He simply stepped past the fractured crystal arch, its surface veined with moss and scars. Shu followed, hesitant but unwilling to let his resolve waver.

“This place feels like… a dead city,” Shu murmured, his eyes locked on the broken pillars that still stood tall, stubborn against time.

“…Not entirely dead,” Sean replied curtly. He crouched, pressing his palm against the ground. “Something’s moving… below.”

Shu tensed. “…Monster?”

Sean nodded. “A contamination beast lingers here. Not a natural creature—this one is a mutation, born from fragments of the old poison. If you truly want to become an exterminator, then fight it. But remember one thing…”

He turned, his eyes like blades, cold and unyielding.
“Here, a single mistake can kill you. I told you, didn’t I? This is your test.”

The air itself seemed to grow sharper at his words. Shu swallowed hard, his gaze flickering to the jagged gate that loomed like the jaws of a monster waiting to devour intruders.

“S-So… you want me to go in there?” he asked, his voice barely louder than the crack of a twig beneath his own foot.

Sean raised an eyebrow, appraising him the way one might judge an unsharpened sword.
“What’s the matter? Afraid? Is that all your resolve amounts to?”

The words cut deeper than any blade. A hot flush of shame burned in Shu’s chest.

“Ugh…” His fists clenched tight. His breath grew ragged, his heartbeat loud in his ears.
“I’m not afraid…” he whispered to himself.

Memories surged back—nights in Alterwood where all he could do was hide behind fences while monsters prowled the streets. That powerless feeling gnawed at him, and he hated it more than anything.

“I’ll show you what I can do!” Shu shouted, his voice breaking through the silence like a flare. “I’ll become an exterminator—just watch me!”

With fire in his steps, he dashed toward the ruin’s gate, plunging into the shadows of the Crystal Sanctuary without so much as a backward glance.

Sean stood where he was, eyes narrowing as Shu’s figure vanished into the dark arch of stone. His black coat fluttered with the shifting wind.
“…He still chose to go in,” Sean muttered, his gaze calculating. “Well, that’s not my concern. At least he won’t be sticking to me anymore.”

Turning away, Sean began to walk off, his footsteps slow and heavy, carrying the weight of someone who had seen too many such trials.

But deep within the ruins, something stirred. A low growl echoed, slithering out from beneath the cracked crystals as they began to tremble faintly.

Shu’s trial… had only just begun.