CHAPTER 5 : Family

Everything was white.
Not light… but emptiness.
The sky, the ground, the air — all the same. As if the world itself had been erased, leaving only silence… and him.

Ren stood in the middle of that endless white space.
He couldn’t even tell if he was standing, floating, or simply… dreaming.

No sound. No shadow. Nothing.

Until—
A faint silhouette appeared ahead of him.
Small.
A young boy, with messy hair and a faint smile — a smile that felt… familiar.

Ren squinted.
He stepped forward slowly, his chest growing heavier with every step.
When the distance was only a few meters left, the boy opened his mouth.

“Why… did you leave me back then, Ren?”

The voice was soft — emotionless — but pierced deep into Ren’s chest.
He froze.

He wanted to answer, but no sound came out. His lips trembled, the air around him stiffening like glass.
Then… the world began to crack.

Small fractures split across the white air, spreading fast like shattered glass.
A blinding light seeped through the gaps— swallowing everything.

“—Ugh!”

Ren jerked awake.
His chest heaved, breath uneven. Cold sweat slid down his temples, and his eyes needed a moment to adjust to the morning light streaming through the window.
He stared blankly at the ceiling.
His hand gripped the sheets tightly.

“That dream… again.”

Before his thoughts could settle, a voice echoed from outside the room.

“Ren! Hurry up! Mira’s almost done with your breakfast!”

Ren glanced at the door, sighed deeply.
“Seriously… even my dreams won’t let me rest.”

He stood, gazing out the window where his faint reflection looked back at him.
For some reason… the boy’s face still lingered in his mind.
That small smile — and the question he couldn’t answer.

Then realization struck.
“Hey! Don’t eat my food, Mira, you damn thief!” shouted Ren, rushing out to the dining room.

“Hehehe~,” Mira laughed mischievously.

The four of them gathered at the dining table soon after.

Kurogane was the first to speak.
“Hey Mira, how’s work? You’re supposed to have your shift today, right?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Mira replied while chewing. “I texted my boss last night — resignation letter.”

“Hah? You quit? Why?”

“Well, honestly I’m sick of it. Nothing but bad luck there. Plus, we’re gonna be official Xentra soon, right? I heard the pay’s insane.”

“Oi oi, you’re assuming we’ll actually become Xentra?” Ren shot back.

“Why not? We’ve got a Rank A trainer and a Rank S boss. Rank S!”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t guarantee we’ll get strong like this bastard here,” Ren said, pointing at Toma.

“Why the hell am I getting roasted?” Toma protested.

“I’m just saying — nothing’s certain. What if we can’t grow stronger and get thrown away? We’ll just end up back in that hell again.”

Silence fell.

Toma scratched his cheek awkwardly, trying to ease the tension.
“H-hey, don’t be so gloomy. I’m Rank F too, remember? Just awaken already. Oh yeah— Kurogane, can’t you just use your skill? Your luck’s busted but maybe it’ll help.”

“Use my skill? My Luck’s locked, dumbass.”

“Then just unlock it! Try fiddling with your status menu.”

“Hmm… alright.”

Toma opened his interface and started tapping random icons. When he touched the lock symbol beside “Luck,” a new message appeared.
“‘Unlock by using the skill GAMBLE.’”

“It says I can use my Luck by activating my skill.”

“See? There’s still hope, guys!” Toma said, grinning wide.

“Yeah, but we don’t know how it works. Try it out, Kurogane,” Mira said.

“Alright, I’ll give it a shot,” Kurogane replied, opening his skill window.

He inserted a single coin from his pocket.
“Well, it’s just one coin. What’s the worst that could happen?”

He tapped SPIN.
The holographic slot machine came alive — lights flashing, coins clinking, music blaring.

Ding!
Reward: 1 Brick
+1 Luck

“Yeah, figures. But what’s this?”

“What is it?” Mira asked.

“It says +1 Luck.”

“Check your status!”

He opened his screen — and his eyes widened. “Oh! The lock decreased by one, and my Luck went up by one!”

“Told ya! There’s hope after all, boss!”

“Try betting higher!” Toma urged.

Kurogane inserted ten silver coins this time, and hit SPIN again.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

A jackpot sound blared — golden light filled the room.
Reward Acquired: Ring of Life x1
Rarity: Legendary
+100 Luck

“WHAT THE—?! YOU GOT A LEGENDARY ITEM AND +100 LUCK?!” Mira shouted.

“HAHAHA! THIS IS IT! THIS IS WHAT I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR!” Kurogane yelled, jumping around like a maniac.

Ren just stared in disbelief. “H-he got a legendary drop…”

“K-Kurogane, a Rank F got a legendary item?!” Toma gawked.

“YEAH! I’M GONNA BE RICH!”

“Check the item’s effect,” Mira said, curious.

“Alright, alright. Let the great me read it for you all,” Kurogane said smugly.

He scrolled down the description— and froze.
“The effect only activates… when the user dies.”

“…Trash,” he muttered, tossing the ring behind him.

“Haha, at least you got +100 Luck,” Toma said. “Looks like the more you gamble, the higher your Luck climbs.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Kurogane grumbled.

“C’mon, let’s go to Union. I wanna see my angel Erika again,” he said, daydreaming.

“Agreed!” Mira added.

They got ready, joking and bickering as usual, until they finally left Toma’s house.

While putting on his shoes, Ren noticed something shiny near the door — the ring Kurogane had thrown.
“Sigh… a legendary ring just lying there. Guess I’ll sell it later,” he muttered, picking it up and pocketing it.

A short while later, they arrived at the Union headquarters. The atmosphere was far busier than before.

“It’s packed today,” Mira muttered.

“Oh, you guys showed up. I thought you’d bail,” a familiar voice said.

It was Alice.

Kurogane instantly switched into fanboy mode.
“Of course we came! Anything for the chance to join your elite team, Lady Alice~.”

“Do you actually want to join my team or just meet girls?” Alice replied flatly.

“Hehehe… caught me.”

“I’ll be busy today, so I won’t be staying long,” Alice said.

“Huh? Why?” Toma asked.

“Didn’t you see the news? The Rank S prisoner and his allies escaped from Elyseam’s prison.”

“Oh yeah, I saw that last night.”

“How the hell did they escape? Isn’t the Union supposed to be the strongest?”

“No idea. But I’ve been assigned to track them down — leaving in three hours,” she answered.

“What, even the team leader’s doing grunt work now?” Ren scoffed.

“Right?! If Lady Alice’s gone, my life will be empty forever!” Kurogane wailed dramatically.

“You guys… Anyway, Daigo will take charge while I’m gone. Don’t worry, he’s weird but reliable — he was my teacher, after all.”

“Wait, Daigo was your teacher? He’s that strong?” Ren asked.

“You’ll see soon enough. Anyway, go to the training hall. I’ll be leaving now~,” Alice said, waving goodbye.

“Got it, boss!!” they shouted in unison.

They entered the training hall, where Daigo and Erika were already chatting in the center.

“Ohh, my beloved students!” Daigo greeted.
“Hii~,” Erika waved.

“Hello, my lovely Erika,” Kurogane said.

“Erm, Mr. Daigo, where’s Daichi?” Mira asked.

“Daichi? He went with Alice to Elyseam.”

“Oh right, he’s one of the captains here. So, what are we doing today?”

“Of course, a little test!”

“Already? It’s only our second day!” Toma complained.

“Come now, youth should be full of spirit! I’ve prepared something fun!” Daigo said cheerfully.

“Fun? What do you mean by that?” Ren asked suspiciously.

“Explain, Alice— oh wait, she’s gone. Fine, Erika, go ahead.”

Erika nodded. “We’re doing a raid simulation. I’ve prepared several monsters — Rank C up to Rank A. You’ll be fighting them.”

“Sounds… fun?” Daigo added, smiling wide.

“Fun my ass. Our stats still suck,” Mira muttered.

“Hahaha, don’t worry! You can’t die here — Toma’s got you covered. And besides, it’s only five thousand monsters.”

“…The fact that you said ‘you can’t die’ makes this worse. Wait— what did you say just now?” Kurogane blinked.

“Hmm? The last part?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, the five thousand monsters thing. Easy task, right? Maybe I should’ve added more, hahaha!”

“ARE YOU INSANE?! FIVE THOUSAND MONSTERS?!” Kurogane shouted.

“Relax,” Daigo said, sipping his canned drink calmly. “They’re replicas. You’ll only die on the inside.”

“Die on the— WHAT?!” Ren shouted. “Do you have any idea how broken our egos already are?!”

They each grabbed their weapons — Ren with a sword, Mira and Kurogane with shields.

“Hahaha, good! You’ll grow faster once you’ve lost your pride,” Erika added innocently.

“Uh, question,” Toma raised his hand. “If we die in the sim, do we get a penalty?”

“Oh yes, definitely,” Erika said cheerfully. “The dead will have to clean the training hall for a week.”

“…I’d rather die for real,” Kurogane muttered.

A massive holographic portal opened at the center of the hall. A roar echoed from beyond — loud enough to make their spines tingle.

GRRROAAARRR!!!

The first wave came. Dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of shadowy figures charged from the mist.

“Five… thousand…” Mira’s voice went flat. “I thought he was joking.”

“OKAY, STRATEGY!” Toma shouted. “Ren front, I’m back, Mira right, Kurogane left—”

“—I’m out, bye,” Kurogane said, pretending to run.

“GET BACK HERE, IDIOT!!”

The battle erupted. Ren swung his sword hard — the slash tore through the air but barely scratched a Rank C beast.

“…That’s it?!”

“We can’t even kill one Rank C?!” Mira screamed, dodging a claw strike.

Ren gritted his teeth. “Alright… guess I’ll try that.”

He closed his eyes — faint blue light covered his body. For a second, he vanished—
Then reappeared… two meters too high.

“WAAA—?!”

THUD!

He crashed behind Kurogane.

“Teleport FAIL, idiot!!” Kurogane yelled while blocking another blow.

Meanwhile, Toma had already transformed — his arms turning into twin black blades that sliced through hordes of monsters like paper.
“HOW IS HE— THAT STRONG?!” Ren yelled.

“He left us behind, that traitor,” Mira groaned.

“Fine! My turn!” Kurogane raised his hand. “Skill: Gamble!”

The casino interface reappeared. Ding ding ding!

“Twenty-coin bet! Let’s gooo!”

Ding!
Reward: Rubber Duck.
+0 Luck.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!” he yelled, throwing it toward the monsters.

The duck bounced once— then BOOM!

A water explosion blasted through the monsters, melting them down instantly.

“…Huh?” Everyone froze.

“BRO! THEY’RE WEAK TO WATER!” Ren shouted.

Kurogane’s eyes sparkled. “Alright then— SPIN AGAIN!”

Ding!
Rubber Duck.
Ding!
Rubber Duck.
Ding!
Rubber Duck.

“WHY IS IT ALWAYS DUCKS?!”

He threw them anyway — and each one exploded violently.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The battlefield was drenched, but even then—

“THERE’S STILL A THOUSAND LEFT!” Mira screamed.

“Can’t you use your skill, Mira?!” Ren shouted.

Mira nodded and pressed her emblem. “Skill: Pet Comfort!”

A gentle aura spread out. Some beast-type monsters suddenly stopped attacking, tilting their heads at her.
One digital bunny even started licking her hand.

“It worked?!”

“Somewhat… but the rest are even angrier,” she said pale-faced.

Then—

BOOOOM!

A stray duck rolled near Toma.

“Huh, whose duck is—” BOOM!

A massive explosion wiped half the field.

Kurogane stared at his hand. “I… I just helped a Rank S?”

Ren glared. “You almost killed him.”

“Minor detail!”

Before they could relax, a new horde emerged from the mist — tens of thousands of red eyes glowing.

Ren swallowed hard. “We can’t win this.”

“Yeah,” Kurogane nodded, pale. “But we can run.”

“Agreed.”

And for the first time that day, they ran — full speed — while duck explosions echoed behind them like chaotic fireworks.

Up above, Erika and Daigo watched from behind a glass wall.

“Um… is this really effective, Mr. Daigo?” Erika asked nervously.

“I-I don’t know. Let’s observe a bit more…” Daigo muttered, unsure if his “training” was genius or madness.

Meanwhile
In a remote village deep within Elyseam.

The air was cold, damp, and nearly colorless.
Morning fog clung between the pine trees, shrouding rows of old wooden houses that looked long abandoned.

Karsid walked slowly along the dirt path, his shoulders wrapped in a worn brown coat.
Each step left a faint imprint in the wet soil.
Behind him, Raven ran up with a small wicker basket full of wild vegetables.

“Look, Papa! I found this!” she said cheerfully, holding up a purple leaf still glistening with dew.

Karsid glanced over, then gave a faint smile. “Heh, you learn fast. That’s aerleaf—you can boil it to treat fever.”

Raven tilted her head. “Fever? Is that because of monsters?”

Karsid paused for a moment. “Could be. But sometimes… humans can be more poisonous than monsters.”

Raven stared at him in confusion before giggling softly—
a light, innocent laugh that somehow made Karsid’s heart feel warm and painfully heavy at the same time.

Not far away, Vynn was checking the village perimeter with a handheld energy detector, while Kei crouched beside a small generator they had stolen from a Union outpost a week ago.
Three other fugitives—Reiss, Tarn, and Mila—were busy lifting wooden planks to patch the roof of the cabin they now called home.

“All sectors clear. No Xentra signals within two kilometers,” Vynn reported flatly.

Karsid nodded. “Good. But don’t get comfortable. They don’t give up just because they lost the trail.”

Kei, slumped beside the generator, sighed. “Boss, it’s been a week since we had a proper night’s sleep. They’re human, not gods. They’ll give up eventually.”

Karsid looked up at the gray sky. “You don’t know the Union like I do, Kei. They don’t stop until every threat is erased.”

Raven, who sat near the small campfire, watched them one by one.
“Why are they chasing us? Who are the Xentra?” she asked innocently.

Silence.
The wind whispered through the trees, carrying the brittle sound of snapping twigs.
Vynn looked at Karsid, silently urging him to answer.

Karsid met Raven’s eyes.
In them, he saw a reflection—pure curiosity, and a face too painfully similar to his daughter’s.

“...The Xentra aren’t people,” he said quietly. “They’re Union’s puppets.”

“Puppets?” Raven tilted her head again.

“Yes,” Karsid replied softly. “They do whatever the Union commands—even if it means hurting innocent people. That’s why the Union and the Xentra are… very bad.”

Raven lowered her head, hugging her knees. “Bad? I don’t like bad people.”

Karsid froze.
That voice—it was too much like Ayla’s.

He stared at the fire dancing before them,
and in its flickering light, the past came back to life.

[Flashback — Five Years Ago, Midra Village]

The village wasn’t as big back then.
But to Karsid, every second of it was a small paradise.

Ayla’s laughter echoing in the yard,
his wife’s gentle voice humming a tune from the kitchen,
the sweet smell of baked bread filling the air.

“Papa! Look! I can make light from my fingertips!”

The little silver-haired girl beamed with pride.
A soft white glow shimmered at the tip of her finger, forming a tiny orb that spun in the air.

Karsid chuckled, kneeling down to meet her eyes.
“Wow… my daughter’s getting stronger every day.”

Ayla laughed. “Mama said if I keep practicing, I can help other people!”

Karsid smiled. “Yes, you will, sweetheart…”

That day—
the sky broke apart.

An explosion erupted from the edge of the village, tearing through earth and clouds alike.
Union’s experimental monsters had escaped.
The Xentra soldiers arrived with direct orders: cleanse everything.

And they did. With a Command Bomb.
No warning. No care for who still lived beneath the blast.

Karsid ran through the flames, shouting names that would never answer again.
When he found her…

Ayla lay in his arms, her eyes closed,
the last glow of her light still flickering faintly in her small hand.

[Back to the Present]

“Boss?” Kei’s voice broke through the memory. “You okay?”

Karsid blinked, realizing he’d been staring at the fire too long.
His hands trembled slightly.

“I’m fine,” he said shortly. But his voice wavered.

Raven looked up at him with wide eyes. “Papa, why are you crying?”

Karsid smiled weakly, brushing a hand across his face. “Just dust, Raven. Just dust.”

Raven scooted closer and wrapped her arms around his arm. “If the dust hurts… I can blow it away.”

He smiled again, though his chest ached.
“…Thank you, Raven.”

Vynn watched silently. “We can’t stay here forever.”

Karsid rose to his feet, his gaze fixed on the foggy horizon.
His eyes were sharp—not only fearful, but burning with barely contained rage.

“Let them come, I will kill all of them!” he shouted.

Kei sighed, pushing himself up. “You say that every night, boss.”

Vynn gave a faint smile. “hahaha, let him in his own world.”

The campfire crackled softly, casting their faces in warm orange light—
no longer just fugitives, but something closer to a family.

Yet far beyond the fog of Elyseam,
a faint red glow pierced the mist.

Union drones were drawing near.

And their brief peace in this false heaven…
was about to end.