Chapter 1 — The Boy With Nothing
The morning sun slowly rose above the small village of Velmora, covering the rooftops in a golden glow. Merchants opened their shops, farmers prepared their carts, and children rushed through the dusty streets toward school.
But inside the classroom near the edge of the village, one boy sat silently beside the window.
Reskin.
His plain clothes were old and slightly torn, completely different from the expensive uniforms worn by the other students. While everyone laughed and talked excitedly, Reskin quietly stared outside at the distant mountains.
"Did you hear?" Dugu suddenly shouted while dropping onto the seat beside him. "Today's guest lecturer is coming from the Imperial Soul Academy!"
Reskin slowly turned toward his energetic friend.
"I heard," he answered calmly.
"You don't understand!" Dugu leaned closer with shining eyes. "They said he's an Epic-Level Horsiken Fighter! An actual Epic Rank! Maybe he'll even show us a skill!"
The entire classroom buzzed with excitement.
Every child on Earth dreamed of becoming a Horsiken Fighter.
Power ruled the world.
Strength decided status, wealth, authority… even survival itself. The weak obeyed while the strong stood at the top like kings.
And everything began with a bond.
A bond between humans and Horsikens.
Dugu crossed his arms proudly. "My father finally bought me a Flame Fang Horsiken last week. It took him three years to save enough money."
Several nearby students instantly gathered around him.
"A Flame Fang?!"
"You're lucky!"
"That's a combat-type Horsiken!"
Dugu grinned proudly while enjoying the attention.
Reskin quietly looked away.
For most students, becoming a fighter was simple. Their families prepared Horsikens for them since childhood. Wealthy clans even raised rare beast-types for their children before they entered academy.
But Reskin had nothing.
No family.
No money.
No future waiting for him.
He lived alone in a tiny wooden house near the outskirts of the village ever since his parents died years ago. To survive, he worked part-time carrying goods and cleaning storage shops after school.
Still…
Even someone like him had dreams.
His fingers slowly tightened beneath the desk.
"I'll become strong someday…" he whispered to himself.
The classroom door suddenly opened.
THUD!
Instantly, the entire room became silent.
A tall man wearing a dark blue academy coat entered the room with calm, heavy footsteps. A silver emblem shaped like a dragon glowed on his chest.
The pressure surrounding him alone made everyone nervous.
Even the teachers straightened their backs respectfully.
"Students," the principal spoke carefully, "this is Professor Kaizen from Imperial Soul Academy."
The students immediately erupted into cheers.
Professor Kaizen calmly observed the classroom before speaking.
"So these are the future generation of fighters…"
His sharp eyes moved across every student until they briefly stopped on Reskin.
For some reason, Reskin felt strange the moment their eyes met.
"As all of you know," Kaizen began, "today marks the beginning of your final preparations before the academy entrance examinations."
He slowly turned toward the large window beside the class.
"You live in a peaceful village, far away from war and powerful clans. Many of you do not understand how dangerous this world truly is."
The professor raised one hand.
Blue soul energy instantly gathered above his palm.
Gasps filled the classroom.
Floating above his hand appeared the image of a gigantic beast surrounded by stars.
"A Horsiken," Kaizen said.
Every student stared with excitement.
"Horsikens are magical beasts possessing unimaginable power. Each one contains two types of souls — the Life Soul and the Energy Soul."
The floating image suddenly changed into a burning planet crashing toward a massive sun.
"One hundred million years ago, the planet ruled by the GOD-HORSIKEN collided with the Sun itself. Their world was destroyed. The Energy Souls vanished completely…"
The students watched silently.
"But their Life Souls survived."
Golden particles appeared inside the illusion like countless stars.
"The Sun absorbed those souls. And every ten years, during the first sunrise of the Sundrop Festival, Life Souls descend upon Earth searching for human partners."
Dugu's eyes widened with amazement.
"So that's how bonding started…"
Professor Kaizen nodded.
"When humans and Horsikens formed contracts, civilization changed forever. Kingdoms rose. Empires collapsed. And power became the law of this world."
The professor suddenly closed his hand.
BOOM!
The illusion disappeared instantly.
"Remember this carefully," he said with a cold voice. "Mercy belongs to the weak. Only strength can protect your dreams."
Those words struck deeply inside Reskin's heart.
Because he understood them better than anyone.
Without power…
He had lost everything.
The lecture continued for nearly two hours as Professor Kaizen explained Soul Levels, combat ranks, meridian training, and academy survival.
"Horsiken Fighters possess Soul Levels from 1 to 50," Kaizen explained while writing symbols across the board. "Every five levels, your bond evolves and grants new abilities based on your Horsiken's age, type, and power."
The students listened carefully.
Some nervous.
Some excited.
Some dreaming about becoming heroes.
But Reskin remained quiet.
Because unlike the others…
He still didn't even have a Horsiken.
Soon the lecture finally ended.
The classroom instantly exploded with excitement.
"My family already booked a training master for me!"
"I'm bonding tomorrow!"
"I heard academy entrance battles are deadly!"
Students happily gathered into groups while discussing their futures.
Meanwhile, Reskin slowly packed his old books into a worn bag.
"Reskin."
Dugu suddenly stopped him.
"You're… still going to the forest?"
Reskin paused silently.
The Dark Forest.
A dangerous place filled with wild beasts and abandoned ruins. Most adults avoided entering too deeply without trained fighters nearby.
Trying to catch a random Horsiken there alone was almost suicide.
Yet Reskin had no choice.
"…Yeah," he answered quietly.
Dugu looked worried.
"You know most people die trying that, right?"
Reskin forced a small smile.
"If I do nothing, my future is already dead."
Dugu froze speechless.
After a few moments, he grabbed Reskin's shoulder.
"Then come back alive, idiot."
For the first time that day, Reskin genuinely smiled.
"I will."
As evening approached, Reskin walked beyond the village gates alone.
The warm sounds of the town slowly disappeared behind him.
Ahead stood the Dark Forest.
Massive black trees blocked the sunlight, and cold wind whispered between the branches like ghosts.
Reskin took a deep breath.
Fear crawled through his chest.
But so did determination.
"I don't want to stay weak forever," he whispered.
Step by step, he entered the forest.
The deeper he walked, the quieter the world became.
Hours passed.
Strange growls echoed from distant shadows.
Several times Reskin narrowly avoided dangerous beasts by hiding behind rocks and trees.
His body trembled from exhaustion.
Still…
He kept moving forward.
Night eventually covered the forest completely.
Reskin leaned against a tree while breathing heavily.
"Maybe… this was a mistake…"
Suddenly—
A powerful pressure exploded across the forest.
BOOOOOOM!!
The ground shook violently.
Birds scattered into the sky.
Reskin's eyes widened.
"What was that?!"
A strange golden light appeared far deeper within the forest.
For some reason…
His body felt drawn toward it.
Almost like something was calling him.
Without realizing it, Reskin slowly followed the light deeper and deeper into the darkness.
Until finally—
He reached a hidden cave beneath a giant mountain.
Golden energy flowed from inside like sunlight itself.
Reskin's heartbeat accelerated.
The moment he stepped into the cave…
A terrifying ancient presence awakened.
His vision blurred instantly.
An overwhelming voice echoed through his soul.
"At last… a human has arrived."
Reskin's body collapsed onto the cold stone floor.
And darkness swallowed him whole.