Scott stood over the fallen Thunder Death Wolf.
The forest was finally quiet.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then—
He crouched down.
"…Let's see what you've got."
He placed his hand lightly on the beast's body.
A faint glow emerged.
Then—
Energy began to flow.
It seeped out from the corpse like mist—
Drawn into Scott's body.
Warm.
Raw.
Unrefined.
Scott closed his eyes slightly as he absorbed it.
Moments later—
It ended.
He opened his eyes.
"…That's it?"
A notification appeared in his mind.
"Knight Essence absorbed."
"Total Knight Essence: 2."
Scott frowned.
After all that effort…
After such a difficult fight…
"…Only Knight-Class."
He let out a quiet breath.
That was when reality truly settled in.
There were five known classes of creatures in this world:
Knight
Tyrant
Colossal Tyrant
Titan
Colossal Titan
And among them—
Knight-Class was the weakest.
Scott clenched his fist slightly.
"…So even that was just the bottom."
He stood up slowly.
There was no point dwelling on it.
He needed to move.
Humans were social by nature.
Even in a dangerous place like this—
They built shelters.
Safe zones.
Places where they could survive together.
Scott turned and began walking.
The forest stretched endlessly ahead.
On his way—
He called out his newly obtained relic.
A faint glow appeared in his palm.
Then—
A dagger materialized.
Slim.
Crimson.
Jagged along the edge like teeth.
A notification followed:
"Celestial Relic: Red Teeth Knife."
Class: Knight
Type: Weapon
Scott examined it closely.
"…Not bad."
He swung it lightly.
The balance was good.
The edge—sharp.
Then he dismissed it.
The blade dissolved into light—
Returning to his Soul Core.
Scott continued forward.
Hours passed.
The deeper he went—
The worse it became.
He encountered more beasts.
Knight-Class.
But unlike the Thunder Death Wolf—
These were…
Different.
Larger.
Stronger.
More aggressive.
One creature alone forced him to retreat.
Another nearly overwhelmed him entirely.
Even when he fought carefully—
He could barely keep up.
"…What is this…"
Scott's expression darkened.
They're all Knight-Class…
So why are they this strong?
It didn't make sense.
He had defeated one already.
Yet now—
Even surviving was difficult.
After a long struggle—
He finally managed to kill a single injured creature.
Barely.
Breathing heavily, Scott absorbed its essence.
"Knight Essence absorbed."
That made two.
Only two.
After everything.
Scott looked at his hands.
"…So this is my level."
The realization hit harder than any blow.
He was weak.
Not just weak—
He was at the bottom.
Even among the weakest class—
He was struggling.
Scott exhaled slowly.
"…I still have a long way to go."
He continued walking.
Eventually—
He saw something in the distance.
A structure.
A shelter.
His eyes lit up slightly.
Finally.
He approached it.
Before he could get closer—
Voices rang out.
"Hey! You there!"
Scott stopped.
Two men stood at the entrance.
Watching him.
"State your name," one of them said coldly.
"…Scott."
"And your level?"
Scott hesitated for a brief moment.
"…I just became a Veilborn."
Silence.
Then—
Laughter.
The second man burst out laughing.
"A fresh Veilborn?"
"You've got guts coming here."
Scott said nothing.
His expression remained calm.
But inside—
His fists clenched.
"Achievements?" the first man asked.
Scott didn't respond.
The answer was obvious.
Nothing worth mentioning.
The men smirked.
Scott stepped forward—
Planning to ignore them and enter.
But—
One of them moved.
Blocking his path.
"…Not so fast."
Scott stopped.
"You don't just walk in here," the man said, glancing at his companion.
Then he added mockingly:
"Come back when you're a Tyrant."
The other man chuckled.
"Or at least a Titan."
Scott's expression didn't change.
But for a moment—
It felt like something tightened in his chest.
Tyrant?
Titan?
He hadn't even stabilized as a Knight.
Yet they spoke as if it were nothing.
"…Move," Scott said quietly.
The man didn't.
Instead, he leaned slightly closer.
"This shelter isn't for weaklings."
Silence.
Scott held his gaze.
For a moment—
Tension filled the air.
But then—
Scott looked away.
"…Fine."
He turned.
And walked off.
Behind him—
Laughter followed.
Scott didn't stop.
But his eyes darkened slightly.
I'll remember this.
Every single one of you.
He walked until the shelter was no longer in sight.
Eventually—
He found a cave.
He stopped at the entrance.
Carefully—
He inspected it.
No scent.
No movement.
No danger.
"…Clear."
He stepped inside.
The cave was quiet.
Cold.
Empty.
Scott sat down.
Leaning against the wall.
For the first time since the fight—
He relaxed.
"…A Tyrant…"
He let out a quiet breath.
"…I'll get there."
His eyes slowly hardened.
This humiliation—
This weakness—
He wouldn't forget it.
Not now.
Not ever.
After resting for a while—
Scott stood up again.
"…No point staying still."
He activated his Celestial Gate.
Light enveloped him.
And in the next moment—
He was gone.
When he reappeared—
He was back on Cyris Prime.
Scott didn't hesitate.
He headed straight for the docking area.
Boarding the next ship heading toward Forsen Grand.