Narrator
A warrior...
Is not recognized by the sword at his waist.
Nor by the title he carries.
A warrior is recognized...
By the courage to take...
The first step into the unknown.
Morning arrived quietly over Restart Village.
A thin veil of mist drifted across the fields, softening the outlines of wooden houses and ancient trees. Dew shimmered on every blade of grass, catching the first rays of sunlight like countless tiny crystals.
The village was awake.
Smoke rose lazily from chimneys.
Farmers prepared their tools.
Children chased one another through the streets.
Life...
Continued as always.
Yet for one young boy...
Today would never be an ordinary day.
Inside the White family's home...
V slowly opened his eyes.
For a brief moment...
He simply lay there, staring at the wooden ceiling.
Today...
Was different.
His first hunt.
Not a training session.
Not a practice duel.
A real journey into the Death Forest.
He quietly sat up.
Beside him...
Little T was still sleeping peacefully, hugging one of his blankets with a gentle smile.
V chuckled softly.
"So you stole my blanket again..."
Careful not to wake her...
He gently tucked the blanket around her before standing.
Outside...
The cool morning air greeted him.
A refreshing breeze brushed against his face.
He closed his eyes.
Taking a deep breath.
The scent of fresh grass...
Moist earth...
And distant pine trees filled his lungs.
For a moment...
His heart became completely calm.
Near the backyard...
Brald was already waiting.
His wooden practice sword rested against his shoulder.
Without saying a word...
He tossed another wooden sword toward V.
V caught it instinctively.
Tap.
The familiar weight settled into his hands.
Brald smiled faintly.
"One last lesson."
The two quietly faced each other beneath the morning sky.
Neither rushed forward.
Only the sound of rustling leaves surrounded them.
Shaa...
A gentle wind danced through the branches overhead.
Birds chirped peacefully nearby.
For several long seconds...
Nothing happened.
Then—
Tak!
Their wooden swords collided.
A single clean strike.
Neither strong.
Nor weak.
Simply...
A greeting between teacher and student.
Brald attacked first.
His movements were smooth.
Simple.
Without unnecessary force.
V blocked naturally.
Tak!
Another strike followed.
Then another.
Tak!
Tak!
The rhythm echoed through the quiet morning.
Every movement felt familiar.
Every step carried years of practice.
Suddenly...
Brald stepped back.
He lowered his sword.
"Tell me, V."
"What is the purpose of a sword?"
V answered almost immediately.
"To protect."
Brald slowly shook his head.
"That..."
"Is only one answer."
He pointed toward the forest beyond the village.
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"A sword cannot decide right from wrong."
"It only follows the heart of the one holding it."
"If your heart becomes clouded..."
"Even the strongest sword..."
"Will lead you down the wrong path."
V listened silently.
Brald continued.
"Today..."
"You aren't entering the forest to prove your strength."
"You are entering..."
"To understand it."
The two resumed their practice.
Tak!
Tak!
Tak!
This time...
The pace became faster.
Wood struck wood with crisp echoes.
Dust rose beneath their feet.
V's breathing remained steady.
His posture never broke.
Brald's eyes narrowed with quiet satisfaction.
Every lesson.
Every failure.
Every hour of training...
Had become part of V's body.
Finally...
Brald stopped.
He rested the wooden sword against the ground.
"...Good."
Then he stepped closer.
Placing one hand gently on V's shoulder.
His voice remained calm.
Yet carried unusual weight.
"Don't go there..."
"To hunt."
"Go there..."
"To learn."
Silence followed.
V looked into his father's eyes.
Then nodded firmly.
"...I understand."
When they returned inside...
The smell of breakfast filled the house.
Fresh bread.
Warm soup.
Grilled fish.
Lily placed another bowl before V with a loving smile.
"You'll need your strength today."
V smiled.
"Thank you, Mom."
Little T finally rushed into the room.
Still rubbing her sleepy eyes.
The moment she saw V wearing his hunting clothes...
Her eyes sparkled.
"Big Brother!"
"Today's the day!"
She hurried toward him.
Almost tripping over her own feet.
V caught her before she fell.
"Careful."
She puffed out her cheeks.
"I wasn't going to fall."
Lily laughed softly.
"You say that every time."
Breakfast passed peacefully.
Everyone talked about ordinary things.
The weather.
The crops.
Kai's latest prank.
No one mentioned danger.
No one mentioned fear.
Because everyone already understood...
What today meant.
After eating...
V quietly walked to his room.
Resting against the wall...
Were his twin swords.
Nethrakar.
The Living Blades.
Morning sunlight reflected softly across their crimson-black scabbards.
For a brief moment...
He simply looked at them.
Then...
He bowed his head slightly.
"Liza Mom..."
"I'll do my best."
He gently fastened both swords around his waist.
The familiar weight brought unexpected comfort.
As though...
Someone was still watching over him.
Outside...
The village entrance was already busy.
Several experienced hunters prepared for their own expeditions.
Leather armor creaked.
Ropes were tightened.
Bows were inspected.
The atmosphere carried quiet determination.
No unnecessary words.
Only focused expressions.
Every hunter understood one truth.
The Death Forest...
Never underestimated anyone.
Kai came running toward V.
A wide grin covered his face.
"So..."
"You're finally becoming a real hunter."
V laughed.
"I guess so."
Kai crossed his arms dramatically.
"Don't cry if a rabbit scares you."
V smirked.
"I'll remember those words."
"When you run from a squirrel again."
Kai immediately looked away.
"...That happened once."
"It doesn't count."
The nearby hunters burst into quiet laughter.
At the village gate...
Lily adjusted V's collar one last time.
Even though it already looked perfect.
A mother's habit...
Never truly changed.
She smiled gently.
"Come back safely."
V nodded.
"I will."
Little T hugged him tightly.
"So tightly..."
That V almost lost his balance.
"You promised."
"You'll bring back something amazing."
V smiled warmly.
"I promise."
She held out her tiny finger.
"Pinky promise."
Without hesitation...
V hooked his finger with hers.
"Pinky promise."
Satisfied...
T finally stepped back.
Brald walked toward his son.
Unlike the others...
He didn't hug him.
He didn't give another speech.
He simply looked at V for a long moment.
Then...
He nodded once.
That single gesture...
Contained everything.
Trust.
Pride.
Hope.
V returned the nod.
No more words were needed.
He turned toward the forest.
Beyond the village walls...
Towering ancient trees stretched endlessly into the distance.
Their shadows swallowed the narrow path ahead.
The cool breeze carried the scent of damp earth and wild leaves.
Somewhere deep within those woods...
Countless eyes waited.
Watching.
Listening.
Waiting.
V took one slow breath.
Then...
Without hesitation...
He stepped beyond the village gate.
And for the first time...
The young warrior walked alone...
Toward the heart...
Of the Death Forest.
The ancient trees welcomed him with silence.
The further V walked...
The fainter the sounds of Restart Village became.
Soon...
The cheerful voices of the villagers...
Had completely disappeared.
Only the forest remained.
The towering trees formed a natural ceiling overhead, allowing only thin rays of sunlight to slip through the dense canopy. Golden beams illuminated patches of moss-covered ground before fading back into the shadows.
A cool breeze drifted between the trunks.
Whoosh...
Leaves swayed gently.
Some floated down onto the forest floor.
Every step V took echoed softly.
Crunch...
Dry leaves broke beneath his boots.
He neither hurried...
Nor slowed down.
Brald's words remained fresh in his mind.
"Don't go there to hunt... Go there to learn."
V quietly observed everything around him.
The claw marks carved into ancient trees.
The footprints pressed into the damp soil.
Broken branches.
Fresh scratches.
Each one told a story.
"A hunter who only looks ahead..."
"Will eventually miss the danger beside him."
That had been another lesson from his father.
Not far away...
A Crystal Deer lowered its head to drink from a clear stream.
Its crystal-like antlers shimmered beneath the sunlight.
Sensing V's presence...
It slowly raised its head.
The two looked at each other for a brief moment.
Neither moved.
Then...
The deer calmly disappeared deeper into the forest.
V smiled faintly.
"So beautiful..."
He made no attempt to chase it.
There was no need.
High above...
Several wyvern-like creatures glided silently through the sky.
Their massive wings cast fleeting shadows over the forest.
In the distance...
A family of magical rabbits darted between bushes before vanishing into the undergrowth.
Farther away...
A massive horned boar rooted through the earth with tusks as long as swords.
The Death Forest truly deserved its reputation.
Every creature here possessed strength far beyond ordinary animals.
V rested one hand on Nethrakar.
Not to draw it.
Only to remind himself it was there.
The twin blades remained quiet.
As though they, too...
Were observing the forest.
Hours passed.
The deeper he ventured...
The older the trees became.
Some trunks were so enormous that even ten adults couldn't surround them.
Ancient vines hung like curtains.
Twisted roots curled across the ground like sleeping serpents.
Moist air clung to every breath.
The atmosphere grew heavier.
Then...
V stopped.
"..."
A strange feeling washed over him.
Someone...
Was watching.
He slowly turned.
Nothing.
Only trees.
Only shadows.
Only silence.
He waited.
A full minute passed.
Still...
Nothing happened.
"...Maybe I'm imagining it."
He continued walking.
Tap...
A faint sound echoed somewhere behind him.
V immediately stopped again.
His hand instinctively moved closer to his sword.
The sound vanished.
Only the whisper of moving leaves remained.
He narrowed his eyes.
Whoever—or whatever—had made that sound...
Didn't want to be seen.
Several moments later...
The feeling returned.
This time...
Stronger.
A shadow slipped behind one tree.
Then another.
Too fast to identify.
V looked upward.
Only gently moving branches greeted him.
No birds.
No beasts.
Yet...
The sensation refused to disappear.
He spoke calmly.
"...Who's there?"
Silence.
No answer.
Not even the wind responded.
V took another cautious step.
Then another.
His breathing remained steady.
His heartbeat calm.
He remembered one of Liza's teachings.
"The forest speaks..."
"Only to those willing to listen."
So...
Instead of searching with only his eyes...
He listened.
The rustling leaves.
The distant flowing water.
Tiny insects hidden beneath fallen logs.
The creaking branches overhead.
Every sound blended together.
Then...
One sound didn't belong.
Tap...
Tap...
Footsteps.
Light.
Careful.
Almost weightless.
Not the footsteps of a large monster.
Not a wolf.
Not a bear.
Someone...
Small.
A child?
Or...
A girl.
V slowly followed the sound.
Without rushing.
Without making unnecessary noise.
The footsteps continued.
Always staying just ahead.
Almost...
As though they wanted him to follow.
The forest became even quieter.
Even the birds had stopped singing.
Sunlight struggled to reach the ground.
The shadows deepened around him.
A cold breeze brushed against his face.
For the first time that day...
V felt uneasy.
Not because he was afraid.
Because...
Everything around him felt...
Too quiet.
Then—
A distant scream pierced the silence.
"AAAAAH!!"
V's eyes widened.
"A girl?!"
There was no hesitation.
He pushed off the ground.
His body surged forward.
Dash!
Leaves scattered behind him.
Branches whipped past his shoulders.
His boots struck the earth with rapid rhythm.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Birds burst from the treetops as he raced through the forest.
Small creatures fled into the undergrowth.
The scream echoed once more.
Closer.
Much closer.
V leaped over a fallen log.
Slid beneath a low branch.
Then sprang forward again.
His heart pounded.
Not from exhaustion...
But urgency.
Someone needed help.
That alone was enough.
The trees suddenly began to thin.
Bright sunlight spilled through the opening ahead.
A clearing.
V burst through the last line of bushes—
And froze.
Standing in the center of the clearing...
Was a gigantic black beast.
Its towering body blocked the sunlight.
Massive claws dug into the earth.
Golden eyes burned with savage hunger.
Each breath escaped like hot smoke.
Facing the monster...
A small wolf-eared girl struggled to stand.
Her crimson hair was stained with dirt.
One leg bled heavily.
A broken sword trembled in her hands.
Even so...
She refused to turn her back on the monster.
The beast slowly lowered its body.
Preparing to charge.
V's grip tightened around Nethrakar.
Without another thought...
He stepped forward.
"HEY!!"
His voice echoed across the clearing.
The beast slowly turned its head.
Its burning eyes locked onto him.
For a brief moment...
The entire forest fell silent.
The hunt...
Had truly begun
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