The ascendant of

The man with the shield was young, tall, and firmly built. His blond hair was meticulously arranged, not a single strand out of place. His skin, healthy and smooth, was free of imperfections or any trace of a beard. He had a pristine appearance, almost unreal compared to what he was used to seeing.

On top of that, he wore light armor, yet of exquisite craftsmanship. The metal gleamed under the light, as flawless as the golden shield he carried. A sword rested at his belt. Would it be of the same quality?

The mysterious individual slowly lowered his shield, revealing kind eyes that scrutinized Kiyen carefully.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips.

"Phew... I see, you're just a player," he said, relaxing his stance. "For a moment, I thought you were some kind of dangerous creature."

"A player?" Kiyen frowned, not loosening his grip on his daggers. His knuckles were white from the pressure.

Paying no mind to his reaction, the man made a casual gesture with his hand, and the shield vanished into thin air without a trace.

Kiyen blinked several times, incredulous. His mind struggled to make sense of what he had just witnessed. How could he do something like that? How had he materialized and then dismissed it?

Then, he saw him move his hands in the air, as if typing on something invisible.

Kiyen's stomach clenched.

No way...

That guy... that guy had a System!

"Hmmm... judging by your state," the man commented as he examined Kiyen's dirty and worn-out clothes, "you've been stuck here for a while, haven't you? Not surprising, you're so small. Must be your first quest."

He let out a condescending chuckle.

"You should be more careful. This area isn't for you yet. Let's see, what's your level...?"

His expression changed abruptly. The relaxed, playful gaze turned sharp and serious, as if he had just noticed something out of place.

"The bastard noticed," Kiyen thought as a chill ran down his spine. "Did he realize I don't have a System?"

"That's strange," the man murmured, frowning. "I can't see your basic stats. Is it locked? Well, a lot of parents lock it for their kids for protection," he shrugged. "But that makes it hard to add you to my party."

"Party?" Kiyen repeated, bewildered.

"Yes, what do you think? That I'd just leave you here alone?"

The man grinned with satisfaction and patted his chest, tapping his metallic armor.

"Adults have to protect children!"

What he was saying made no sense to Kiyen.

Adults protecting children?

His experience had taught him the opposite. Adults didn't protect children—they exploited them. They took advantage of their weakness, saw them as easy prey, disposable tools.

The only exception in his life had been his mother—a luxury many children in his situation couldn't even dream of. In that sense, despite everything, Kiyen considered himself lucky.

But an adult stranger claiming he wanted to protect him… it sounded ridiculous.

All of this was too strange.

First, he had followed Lyssara's instructions expecting to find… well, a cave. That was all. A simple cave of cold stone and suffocating dampness. But instead, he had ended up in an unfamiliar, freezing chamber, with strangely luxurious hallways and impossible architecture.

And now, out of nowhere, a bastard with a System had appeared.

Something didn't add up.

If this guy wasn't hostile, the best course of action was not to reveal that he didn't have a System.

For now, it was best to play along.

"My mom doesn't allow me to join parties," Kiyen said, thinking on the spot.

He had no idea what "party" meant exactly, but he figured it was related to the System.

"Oh, well, that's fine," the man replied casually. "I'll accompany you anyway and then take you to your parents."

He bought it… and way too easily, Kiyen thought, surprised both by the man's gullibility and by the idea that someone could actually have both parents together.

The man took a step toward him, intending to close the distance.

Out of pure instinct, Kiyen stepped back, muscles tensing, preparing for any sudden movement.

"Oh, relax, don't be scared," the man murmured, raising both hands in a peaceful gesture. "I promise I have no bad intentions."

His voice sounded kind, understanding. Too much so.

"Oh, poor kid, you must have had a rough time here," he continued with a sigh. "I even saw the destroyed statue. That means the boss is loose… and that releases more minions than usual."

"Minions?" Kiyen thought.

He resisted the urge to ask. If he acted like he didn't know something so basic, the guy would realize he didn't have a System.

Fine. He'd play the part of a child then.

One of those kids he had only seen up there, in the luxurious houses that blocked what little sunlight reached the landfill he lived in. Sometimes, he heard their laughter, their games, their words untouched by danger, oblivious to what happened below.

The very idea disgusted him, and even more so knowing that this guy was probably one of them.

You only had to look at him—clean clothes, a healthy face, flawless skin… If he wasn't a noble, then he had to be someone with a license, like Lyssara. And that didn't make him any less detestable.

"That's fine, thank you, sir," Kiyen said in the calmest voice he could manage, though he still didn't dare to release his daggers.

The man smiled, touched.

That only disgusted him more. But he held back.

"You're welcome, little one," he replied in a friendly tone. "When I was your age, I was curious too and used to sneak out. I got bored at home a lot."

He started walking down the hallway.

Kiyen followed.

It was narrow, just enough for them to move in a single file.

The man led the way.

Kiyen walked behind him.

And he didn't take his eyes off his back for a single second.

"I remember when I was eleven. It was time for my fencing lessons. I was upset because it was my birthday, and yet they still made me practice in the morning. On top of that, there were no apple pies at the banquet because they weren't in season…"

The man sighed, as if he could still feel that disappointment.

"Anyway, my day started badly, so I ran away. I promised myself I would become an adventurer and threw myself into the first dungeon I could find. As you know, many dungeons are abandoned now… but thanks to the gods' kindness, there was a rookie party that protected me. That's why I feel like life brought me to you—to return the kindness they showed me."

"Cake? Apple? Lots of apples?"

That was the only thing pounding in Kiyen's head.

"Apples? That precious commodity that cost 300 kurps… in a cake? And what even was a cake?"

He had never seen one before, but he imagined it as a pile of apples together, something dense, juicy, sweet.

His stomach growled just thinking about it.

"Oh, poor thing, you must be starving. You've been here for a while… Wow, I'm really being a terrible teammate, haha."

The man typed something into his System and, out of nowhere, made an unfamiliar snack appear.

Kiyen hesitated.

"What if it was a trap? Poison? Or some kind of drug?"

Damn basic needs. He couldn't fight them. His mouth was already watering just imagining the taste of that bite.

"Haha, just as I thought, you were really hungry," the man commented as he watched Kiyen devour the pastry eagerly.

"Hey, but take it easy, don't choke. Here, drink this too."

Kiyen looked at the bottle the man offered him. Inside, a bright orange liquid swirled gently.

Well… the water he drank had never exactly been clean. Many times, it took on different colors due to contamination, but to the point of being orange…

Oh well, what did it matter?

Besides, the aroma was pleasant.

It reminded him of those harvest days when he worked behind the fence of the elite crops. Sometimes, the wind carried a similar scent…

He brought the bottle to his lips and drank.

His eyes sparkled. A warm tear slid down his cheek.

It was… delicious.

And so sweet.

"Oh, looks like you like orange juice," the man commented, noticing his reaction.

"Juice…? Oranges…?"

Something as valuable as apples.

And before he even realized it, he had already downed it in a single gulp.

No way…

Something so expensive…

"Why did I drink it?"

If he had saved it, he would have had more than enough to help his mom. To buy things. To survive longer.

Damn it! Damn these impulses!

"I don't really like it that much," the man remarked casually. "As a kid, they gave it to me all the time to get vitamins, but it's unnecessary when you have a System since your health can recover on its own… But it's hard to break old habits from the old world. In fact, more than once, I threw away some juice, tired of all the insistence…"

"You did what?"

The man flinched.

Kiyen's voice was hoarse, cold, predatory.

A murderous instinct surged from the depths of his soul.

"Thrown away…? You threw away food? You threw away something so valuable?"

His patience for stupidity had its limits.

And that limit was breaking.