A new chapter unfolded before Kade's eyes. He did not know whether it was an endless dark night or a dawning sunrise. Light and shadow entwined, constantly probing and devouring one another.
Kade was on a path of atonement. He never allowed himself to forget that. This journey might stretch into eternity—whether he could redeem himself within this lifetime remained an unanswered question.
Each time he lay down on the bed in the empty house, with only the night as his companion, Kade closed his eyes. The image of that little girl from years ago endlessly circled in his mind.
He woke in the middle of the night—sleep never returned. Indeed, nothing was more terrifying than a demon who wished to return to being a good person. A sinner who now aspired to become a hero and save humanity.
The kindness of an evil man—
was tormented in its purest form.
The system remained completely silent.
Kade still woke in the dead of night. His back was soaked in sweat. There was not a single scar on it. The memories of his previous life could not be erased. Layers upon layers of recollection piled up inside his mind.
"There is no problem with pure evil. But when an evil man suddenly grows a conscience, that pain never heals."
Unable to sleep any longer, Kade sprang out of bed. He walked to the table, poured himself a glass of water, and drank it in one gulp.
He returned to the bed and collapsed onto it. Thin, weak light from outside filtered in, faintly revealing his exhausted face. Beads of sweat continued to seep from his skin. The night air grew colder.
Kade sat motionless, waiting for dawn…
But dawn did not come.
All sounds sank into the darkness, awaiting the first light of morning.
A sudden sound of something shattering outside jolted Kade awake from his half-sleep.
At the same time, an alarm rang out.
On the screen, there was only a single short line:
"ASSEMBLE."
A pale golden light gently illuminated the entire room.
Inside the central command room of the Hero Association, the team leaders had begun reorganizing their squads. This was done once every month—mainly to register new members, replenish manpower, or mourn the loss of members who had recently fallen.
Team 7, led by Lucian, was an A-rank squad within the Association. A core team with the potential to reach the top within three years. It ranked among the TOP 3 teams in work efficiency and had one of the lowest mortality rates.
It was an extremely strong team—
yet during the recent extermination of the "Primordial Monster," it had suffered devastating losses.
Four A-rank heroes had fallen. More than twenty C-rank heroes had become nothing more than food in the monster's belly.
Team 7 now faced the risk of disbandment.
At this moment, the leaders of the seven A-rank teams were seated in the meeting room. Lucian was injured—severely so. A deep slash had torn through his left shoulder, blood seeping through the bandages. A fairy-tribe doctor continuously cast healing magic, but the results were grim.
After all, the "Primordial Monster" was one of the most horrifying beasts of this era. It was not necessarily the strongest—but it was the oldest, most cunning, and most treacherous.
But such traits meant little to humans—
the most terrifying creatures of all.
However, this monster possessed a special ability that sent chills down everyone's spine: any wound it inflicted would never stop bleeding.
It would not kill its victim immediately. Instead, after seventy-seven hours, the victim would bleed to death. The only way to heal such a wound was to use blood extracted from the monster's heart as a catalyst.
Lucian now faced the greatest risk of death he had ever encountered. The Grim Reaper might very well be hovering right before his eyes.
Cami, leader of Team 1, slammed her fist onto the table. A fire-type ability user whose personality was as explosive as her element.
"We're going in! We need to hit them with everything we've got, together!"
The entire room shook.
Lucian's wound worsened, blood once again soaking through the bandages.
"We need a plan, Cami. Calm down. Acting on impulse won't solve anything."
The one who spoke was Roxac, leader of Team 3. A young man with elven blood, gentle in nature, and a master of wind magic. He lightly touched Lucian's wound, causing the blood to dry rapidly.
"We must act immediately. The current situation can't hold much longer. It's unfavorable for Lucian and the others."
That was Rone, leader of Team 5.
His abilities remained a mystery—no one had ever truly seen or understood the nature of his magic.
"First, we need more manpower. Team 7 has lost four A-rank members, and many others are injured. Among the seven of us, Lucian is wounded. We can't fight at full strength."
The speaker was Hana, leader of Team 6—the strategist. She wasn't acknowledged for being the strongest, but for being the smartest among the seven A-rank leaders.
Hana emphasized again:
"We need reinforcements. A strong formation that can support one another. Not all of us specialize in direct combat."
Lucian tightly shut his eyes. Comrades he had fought alongside were dying one after another before him. One by one, they fell. One by one, they stood in front of him.
"Captain… run."
"Everyone needs you more than they need us. Live on… and avenge us."
Blood continued to flow from his left shoulder. If asked whether it hurt, the answer was undoubtedly "YES—IT HURTS."
But it was nothing compared to the pain tearing apart Lucian's heart.
The agony was so intense that even breathing felt like a sin.
Lucian spoke in a low voice:
"I have three people in mind"
...
From start to finish, Haned—the leader of Team 2—had not said a single word. He was busy dozing off with his eyes half-open, a well-known "work-avoidance" habit throughout the Hero Association.
As for Bob, the newly appointed leader of Team 4, he was sprawled across the table—clearly fast asleep. If the atmosphere hadn't been so tense, one could have heard his faint snoring.
This lineup—would it really be okay? 🙂