The carriage kept moving deeper into the territory, but the inside had gone so silent it felt like the world outside had vanished. Luice finally took a seat on the padded bench, exhaling slowly. The whole day had been nothing but pressure — his family, the ceremony, the exile disguised as "administration," and then this absurd, game-like power that no one in the world would ever believe.
He rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head.
For the first time since the ceremony… the shock drained, and raw clarity settled in.
This wasn't a punishment.
This was an opportunity.
And yet — before ambition could take full shape — something else intruded.
A small, crisp ding echoed inside his mind.
Not from the Royal Pass.
Not a system call.
A notification… from reality.
He looked up sharply.
Because the carriage had stopped moving.
And not smoothly — the horses had jolted, snorted, and stamped in place as if spooked by something blocking the road.
Lorian immediately reached for the hilt at his side.
"Sir… stay inside. Something is wrong."
Luice didn't listen. He stepped out anyway — not because he was brave, but because he refused to begin his new life hiding behind someone else's back.
The breeze on the narrow valley road was cold enough to sting. Shadows from the surrounding cliffs deepened the path, but that wasn't what made the air feel wrong.
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
No birds.
No insects.
Not even the wind dared to speak.
Luice narrowed his eyes. "What's ahead?"
Lorian pointed.
And Luice saw it — a broken wagon in the middle of the road. Not damaged by accident. Crushed. Shredded wood lay scattered, as if something massive had stepped on it.
Then he saw the blood. Dark red stains soaking the dirt.
And next to it… a footprint.
It wasn't human.
It wasn't anything normal.
The print was deep enough to sink half a foot into the ground, wide enough to swallow Luice's torso, and the claws had left grooves like knives slicing through stone.
Lorian exhaled sharply. "A beast… but what kind? This area is supposed to be classified safe."
"Supposed to," Luice muttered.
He stepped closer, kneeling beside the footprint. Even the mud around it still glistened. That meant it was recent. Very recent.
Then his eyes caught something else — torn cloth fragments and splintered weapons from whoever had been escorting the wagon.
This wasn't a simple beast attack.
This was a massacre.
Lorian's face tightened. "We need to turn back. This is—"
Luice cut him off. "No."
His voice wasn't loud. But it was firm, sharpened by the strange instinct that had been rising in him since the Royal Pass activated.
"If we run from this, the thing will just attack the next person on this road. Or the village."
"You're not a soldier, sir."
"Maybe not," Luice said, "but I'm not a coward."
For a moment Lorian looked ready to argue — then his expression shifted.
Because they both heard it.
A low rumble.
Not from the cliffs.
Not from the carriage.
From the forest.
Something was breathing.
Slow.
Heavy.
Wet.
The trees ahead rustled — not from the wind, but from something pushing through them.
Lorian drew his weapon fully. "Get behind me."
Luice didn't.
Because at that exact moment — the Royal Pass suddenly flared to life inside his mind without warning.
A bright blue window appeared, startling him.
MISSION AVAILABLE:
"FIRST FOOTSTEP"
Objective: Face your first major threat.
Reward: Level +1, Item Chest (Basic)
Penalty: None
Luice froze.
The Royal Pass… was reacting to the danger.
It expected him to confront it.
Not escape.
Not hide.
Face it.
He exhaled.
A smirk tugged at the edge of his mouth — not arrogance, but acceptance.
"So that's how it is…"
He looked at the forest ahead.
The trees bent.
A massive shadow rose behind them.
Whatever was coming was big enough to swallow the carriage whole.
Lorian hissed, "Sir, get inside now!"
But Luice didn't budge.
This wasn't the life his family had planned for him.
This wasn't the future they expected.
This wasn't the role anyone had written for him.
But it was the beginning he needed.
He straightened his back, eyes locked on the forest as the creature stepped out and shook the ground.
"Lorian," Luice said quietly, "don't stop me."
Because right now…
He was about to take his first step into a destiny he was never meant to have.